Podcast Contents
00:00 - 02:31 INTRO
02:41 - 12:00 LIVE: Coffee Curious Latte Art Throw Down
12:10 - 32:30 INTERVIEW: Chef Julie Allen
32:42 - 46:30 INTERVIEW: Being Sober in F&B w/ Hans
46:40 - 48:35 REVIEW: Restoration Brunch
51:44 - 53:40 SPECIAL GUEST: The Pizza Guy is Here!
53:41 - 56:45 OUTRO
COFFEE CURIOUS - I went to a really fun, fast-paced latte art competition a week or so ago. It was co-hosted by a very nice woman named Toni Oreck who has a company called Coffee Curious Workshops, at Hatch Coworking Asheville, along with our good friends at Dynamite Roasting Company!
Toni is super-enthused about our coffee scene, and her workshops are meant to share and spread her deep love and knowledge about coffee. This event was great, I had a blast, the latte art was impressive, the competition was heated and thrilling but fun, and the winners got awesome prizes. Hell, even **I** walked away with with a bag of excellent coffee from Cooperative Coffee Roasters!
Good times, Y’all!! Keep an eye out for the next workshop and latte art throw down, and also keep an eye on Toni, she’s a powerhouse, and please listen to my interview with her on today’s podcast!
RESTORATION BRUNCH: I was recently invited to participate in a media brunch at The Restoration Asheville located on Patton Ave, right downtown, across from Pritchard Park, and wow. They sent out a phalanx of food & beverages for us to try! Everything from baked goods like scones, muffins, and biscuits, to traditional breakfast stuff like bacon, eggs, grits, hash browns, sausage etc, plus some more creative breakfast takes like a lentil hash bowl, a confit duck bowl, and a very unique sweet & savory oatmeal.
There was also an amazing selection of brunch cocktails and mocktails, one that came with a Fruity Pebbles garnish! My favorite things were the French toast, pancakes w/ maple mascarpone, the bacon, eggs, sausage, etc., and the excellent, perfectly executed, avocado toast! I am a big fan of avocado toast, and this preparation was awesome from the bottom up, starting with some very nice toast with a flavorful avocado spread, topped with mixed greens, poached eggs & pickled onions. It was prefect! You can listen to my extended review of all of the food on today’s podcast.
I’ll be going back to get the avocado toast again, as well as just popping in for a muffin or pastry with coffee, or sitting down for a larger meal of traditional breakfast items. I love having this option downtown. Oh, and the coffee was great too, so I’ll be adding them to my roster of frequently visited cafes.
So go check out The Restoration, get brunch, try the dishes I’ve recommended, try the drinks, and if you’re game, order the sweet & savory oatmeal! It’s not like anything else I’ve ever had. 🙂 Then let me know what you thought.
THE PIZZA GUY IS HERE! Mad pizza genius, Drew Peterson from Asheville Pizza South stops by my front porch on the first Saturday of every month with his specialty pie for the month. Drew won the 2022 WNC Pizza Fight, as well as my own 2022 Pizza of the Year award, in part because of his amazing talents at making “weird” pies that taste really frickin’ good! The the one from July, for example, was inspired by the delicious Vietnamese banh mi sandwich, and it was insanely delicious!
To find out what crazy delicious specialty pizza pies Drew has cooked-up for Asheville every month, check his Instagram page frequently, and follow him on both Insta and Facebook. He’s a real good guy, and a really great pizza chef. His concepts are wild, and his pies are just fantastically tasty. You can hear him describe this pie on today’s podcast. 🙏🔥🍕❤️
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Episode 115: Working Hard in F&B