The podcast above features me and Chef Tom LaFauci from Twisted Laurel Downtown Asheville talkin’ about Seafood, plus a special guest interview with Chef Khan Kogure…
Podcast Contents
00:00 - 01:35 INTRO: Hi Tom. Hi Stu.
01:36 - 19:41 DUNNING KRUGER REPORT PT I: Top 10 Fish Pop Quiz
19:51 - 42:02 BENTO BOXES: YamanekoBento1 Delivers the Goods!
42:03 - 42:48 MANNA SPOT: Please Donate to MANNA Foodbank.
42:50 - 51:51 DUNNING KRUGER REPORT PT II: The Truth About Tilapia
51:52 - 54:00 OUTRO: Goodbyes Interrupted
54:01 - 57:51 THE PIZZA GUY IS HERE! Eating The Weedeater
THE FIRST THING I DID when I got back to Asheville from my trip to Winter Park, FL was to hit up the Burgerworx where I had theeeee perfect snack burger.
Single patty, 'merican cheese, and small amount of ketchup, chomp chomp chomp gone perfect.
ABEJA’S HOUSE CAFE: I recently went to Abeja's House Cafe with my mom and my nephew, and we feasted on some of the best food in WNC!
The Neph got Abeja's famous shrimp 'n' grits, said he was gonna bring half home, then finished it! 😂
My mom got huevos rancheros, which one of her fave things ever, and I got the Stoobie Award winning NOLA chicken and shrimps, and as always, I crushed it, loved it, made noise, scraped the plate, would have licked it if not for societal norms.
This is a fantastically comforting and delicious dish, that I can not recommend highly enough! 🔥 Thanks, Abeja’s!
THESE ARE THE PEOPLE IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD: Y'all, please meet some of my fave local folks. Jessica and Chef Raymond are the owners of Miyako House, and they are two of the nicest, and most generous people you'll meet! I've recently added them to my food tours, and they've been crushing it! Chef Paul Hemphill works at Capella on 9, and he's got a very charming personality and a real talent for cooking super tasty food. He's holding a ribeye in the picture, which is insanely delicious, but wait'll you try his bread pudding! Chef Kahn Kogure just started up a super-authentic Japanese bento box delivery service. He's as much an artist as a chef, his food is incredible (more on that soon!), and he's a real pleasure to be around. Today I met up with a guy named Ryan who started a clothing brand called "Ashevillish," just so he could show off how proud he is of being from Asheville, born and raised!
My friend Lucho runs Asheville Multicultural, and I always have a fun time exploring Asheville's eateries with him, like Tienda Los Nenes for tacos. Chef Macario from the Sabora food truck makes some of the best dang burgers, as well as my number one favorite Cuban sandwich in all of Asheville, and is also a great guy!
Finally, my mensch, my broheen, my pizza compadre, Chef Drew from Asheville Pizza South bringin' the pies!
His pie of the month for May, 2024 is called El Gaucho, and it’s super-yum-town! This one is very savory and flavorful, as always the crust is incredible, Chef Drew says it’s been selling like crazy, so git in the action while you can. Here’s his description…
Chimichurri base. Chimichurri chipotle marinated steak. Red onions. Cotija and pepper jack cheese. After the oven it gets covered in a zesty Argentinian style salsa criolla
Hell yes! I love these people, I love this city! ❤️
AND SPEAKING OF BENTO BOXES… As mentioned above, there is a very special and unique opportunity for eaters in the city right now. My friend Chef Khan Kogure, has come back after a long hiatus from cooking professionally and is now offering these insanely cute, incredibly delicious, and totally authentic bento boxes for home delivery. He brought me one with fried karaage chicken and one with fried potato fritters. Both had herbed rice, Japanese omelet (tamagoyaki), potato salad, and pickles. He also brought me some pork filled gyoza dumplings with "lace" on the bottom, and house made sauces. Every single thing was super amazing, and frickin' loved it allll! Holy moly. As I said, what an awesome, unique opportunity for the eaters of Asheville! Highly recommended!!! You can order from Chef Kogure at Yamaneko Bento on Instagram.
ASHEVILLE FOD TOURS: I currently have a couple dates available for private food tours. I run them on Mondays and Thursdays, and you can check out the prices and such HERE. Please contact me via email at stuhelmavl@gmail.com if you’re interested
Here's a recent review...
"Stu made the experience so enjoyable! His knowledge of the city & its history, along with delicious food choices hit all the bases. It was nice to see the interaction between Stu and the chefs/owners. It was clear that these went beyond job parameters, these are friendships. Thank you, Stu for sharing your love of good food. We certainly left well fed and happy!" - Julie S
Episode 147: Seafood Pop-Quiz, The Truth About Tilapia & Beautiful Bento Boxes