ABOVE: The Podcast - I talked to Chef Katie Button about Cúrate, La Bodega, and her brand new TV show on the Magnolia network called “From the Source!”
BELOW: The Newsletter (may contain adult language) - GMF, This Just In…, The Recommend, Last Week on Facebook
GOOD MORNING FRIENDS
Hi y’all! I’ve had too many “snow days” in a row at this point, and I’m starting to become a piece of furniture in my own house. It’s supposed to get up into the low 50’s today, so I’m expecting most of this snow to be gone by the end of the day. That’s one of the best things about Asheville in the Winter: It gets cold enough to snow, but the snow usually melts away in just a few days. I shoveled the sidewalk in front of my house anyways.
THIS JUST IN
From our good friends at ASAP…
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Workshops Announced for ASAP’s 2022 Business of Farming Conference
The annual conference offers business and marketing tools for professional and aspiring farmers.
The 19th annual Business of Farming Conference, presented by ASAP (Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project), will be held Feb. 26 at the Mission Health/A-B Tech Conference Center. The conference focuses on the business side of farming, offering beginning and established farmers financial, legal, management, and marketing tools to improve their farm businesses and make new professional connections.
More than a dozen workshops…
“From accounting to marketing, the knowledge we have gained from farmers at ASAP’s Business of Farming Conference has been essential to our growth,” said Stephanie Vinat, owner at The AppaLatin Farmstead. Vinat will present in two workshops at this year’s conference, “Direct Marketing for Niche and Culturally Significant Crops” and “Diversifying with Value-Added Ventures.”
Registration is now open at asapconnections.org.
The cost is $75 by Feb. 1 and $95 after, with a discount for farm partners registering together. Scholarships are available for limited resource and BIPOC farmers. The registration price includes a locally sourced lunch, sponsored by Farm Burger, and breakfast.
THE RECOMMEND
Y’all, I can not recommend this Brussels sprouts chow chow from DJ’s Pickle’s highly enough. In the past three days, I’ve had it on shrimp tacos, with some pork tenderloin, and on an egg & cheese breakfast sandwich. It’s frickin’ great! I think it might be my favorite chow chow ever. I want it on everything!!! DJ’s makes very small batches, so this fabulous pickled chow chow might not always be available, sorry. Check with them frequently, tho, and get on a dang waiting list if you have to!
Q: Who makes your favorite chow chow in WNC? I want to know, so I can try it!
WNC PIZZA FIGHT 2022 UPDATE
Okay, one of the heaviest of heavy hitters just got on board with the 2022 WNC Pizza Fight! Asheville Pizza & Brewing Co. has been voted Asheville's #1 favorite pizza place year after year in the Mountain Xpress "Best of WNC" readers' poll, and they are excited to be throwing down some pie with us on Feb 23rd, along with 15 other contenders!
The last time we had one of these Pizza Fights, Amazing Pizza Co. from Hendersonville took home the gold, so they are defending their title against APB and other fan favorites, like Manicomio, Tin Can Pizzeria, Del Vecchios, The Original Papa Nick's Pizza, and Grata Pizzeria! Also in the mix is Asheville Pizza South, the spin-off of APB! Different owners, different pies, different reputations on the line! And then a handful of hopefuls, newcomers, upstarts, and lesser-knowns, like Pizza Daddy, Mean Pies Pizza, Black Bear Pizza, Harvest Pizzeria, and TravelinDough! Oh! And then there's Baba Nahm, an Asheville favorite. A Middle Eastern restaurant. Huh. The chef there says the other pizza makers "WILL BE CRUSHED" (all caps his), so I like that level of confidence, and besides, as far as I can tell, pizza has it's origins in, like, 5,000 year old Egyptian flat breads and shit, so welcome on board, Baba Nahm!
I have room for 1 more competitor, and I already have about 10 invitations out there, pending reply, so I'll keep you posted!
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Good Morning, Friends...