Downtown visitors and locals looking for a sandwich, smoothie, cupcake, or coffee, as well as a respite from the summer heat, have a new option with the recent opening through Mamma Mia. Coffee inside the Haywood Park atrium.
Released in mid-June via Stephen Herrington, the Mamma Mia!It channels the multicultural culinary influences of its owner’s Venezuelan venue. “We have a merger between France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Greece,” Herrington says. “We prepare everything with new ingredients from family recipes: without chemicals or preservatives. We strive to be as healthy as possible.
The father of the family, he points out, is Spanish, the mother is French and his ex-spouse is Italian. Herrington, who moved to Asheville three years ago after stints in Charlotte and New York, says the café’s commercial appeal and bright European décor were fostered through the Broadway musical Mamma Mia!Array, of whom he is a great admirer.
The coffee menu offers, among other things, hot and iced versions of cortadito, mochaccino and cappuccino. In the case of ordered pastries, consumers will find products such as coconut and mango rice pudding, stuffed croissants, profiteroles and guava and cheese pastries, all made by Herrington in family recipes.
The succinct list of sandwiches includes possible options such as the vegetarian Mediterranean press with Gouda and Swiss cheese, avocado and tomato, as well as meat-based dishes, adding one with prosciutto, buffalo mozzarella, arugula, balsamic vinegar and rosemary olive oil . There’s also homemade lasagna for two, which, like the baked goods, is made through Herrington in an advertising kitchen and then reheated in an oven for order at the cafe.
Customers looking to cool off will find vanilla and chocolate shakes, as well as a variety of new fruit smoothies. Herrington, who in the past worked in healthcare supply chain control and ran a Latin fusion restaurant in Miami, says he plans to move up specialties once he has an idea of what might be popular with customers.
Old nail salon, the location of Mamma Mia!It can be a little hard to find. But once inside the glass doors at the front of the atrium (between The Chocolate Fetish and Charmed Boutique on Haywood Street), the large, sunny, air-conditioned area welcomes diners with a café-style table set out on a patio. Inside the store, just beyond the huge photo mural of a Greek seaside town, there is a small, cozy corner on the ground floor with comfortable seating.
“When I discovered this place, I thought, ‘Okay, I can do anything here,'” Herrington says.
Mama Mia! The café is located at 46 Haywood St. , inside the Haywood Park Hotel building. Hours are from 8:30 a. m. to 5:30 p. m. m. Monday to Friday, from 11 a. m. to 5:30 p. m. Saturday and Sunday closed. For more information, Instagram on @mammamiacafeusa.
“It’s time to hang up the apron to live new adventures,” we read in the press release. “Thank you for supporting us during all those fun years. It is an honor to serve you. We hope you avoid the route to say goodbye. The cult of the sandwich is never wrong.
Opened in 1998 through Loretta Woolley, also the former owner of Mayfel’s, the cafe spent 12 years in a small area on Patton Avenue next to The Lobster Trap before moving to 3 degrees Lexington Avenue in 2011. Loretta’s menu included salads , a wide variety of sandwiches, soups and pastries.
Loretta’s Café located at 114 N. Lexington Ave. For more information, stop at avl. mx/dx0.
Asheville Poverty Initiative announced that in June its 12 Baskets Café began offering hot lunches and tableside loose foods to all network members from 11 a. m. to 1 p. m. m. to 1 p. m. m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.
When the West Asheville café opened in 2016, a team of volunteers used prepared food salvaged from local restaurants and caterers to offer weeknight loose lunches to those arriving hungry. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced 12 Sneakers to adopt a takeaway style supplemented by the distribution of grocery boxes. As pandemic restrictions eased, a hybrid schedule of two days of weekly meals and two days of grocery distribution followed.
“We knew we were looking to return to daily or near-daily food at 12 Baskets, but we were looking for a way to continue to distribute food, as this is a vital economic resource for many in our network,” said Ben Williamson, Executive Director of the API. Array “After months of making plans and some trial and error, we came up with a formula that works very well. »
Since the start of the new calendar, Williamson reports, attendance has been strong. The cafeteria, which collects between 10,000 and 20,000 pounds of prepared foods per month, now serves between 500 and 600 hot meals and sees between 150 and 200 consumers per week. .
Invite all members of the community, regardless of income source or needs, to come and enjoy a hot, seated, free lunch (takeout is also available) 12 days after Baskets opens. You can also log in to make your purchases on the site. Volunteers are welcome.
12 Baskets Café is located at 610 Haywood Road. For more information, avl. mx/dwr.
High Five Coffee now offers table service brunch to complement your weekend cup of coffee. On June 16, the company’s flagship store on Broadway introduced brunch service on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a. m. to 4 p. m. m. to 2 p. m. m. The menu includes homemade waffles with new fruit and a variety of quiches, whether meat-based or vegetarian, prepared at West End Bakery. Also on the menu is a French specialty coffee, mimosas, beer and sparkling wine, as well as the same variety of pastries from High Five.
This summer marks High Five’s 15th anniversary at the Broadway location and its 15th year of partnership with Counter Culture Coffee, notes owner Jay Weatherly, who also operates High Five’s locations on Rankin Avenue and Riverside Drive . “[It’s] a way to recognize the location that has been at the center of Five Points and Montford for over 15 years and bring fun and delightful features to the neighborhood,” he says.
High Five Brunch is served on Broadway. For more information, visit avl. mx/dxf.
Bottle Riot will celebrate two of the most recent vintages from winemakers Gwen and Mike Bell from Oregon’s Willamette Valley region with its annual Re-Entrant Pinot Noir Party, taking place from 5:30 to 7:30 p. m. Friday, July 26.
The occasion will come with tastings of Bells 2024 Rosé Pinot Noir and Classic Pinot Noir, as well as an opportunity to meet and chat with winemakers. For last year’s party, the Bells hosted a clam, says Lauri Nichols, owner of Bottle Riot, but this year they’ll be offering smoked salmon to accompany the wines.
“Their shared hobby as husband and wife is evident in each and every bottle, and Gwen adds a private touch when creating the labels,” says Nichols. “The antique release is highly anticipated at Bottle Riot, and their Re-The Incoming Rosé has become a bestseller. “
Tickets are $25. Visitors to the event will receive special charges on the wines presented.
Bottle Riot is at 37 Paynes Way. For more information and to book e-tickets, avl. mx/dwz.
Rhubarb Executive Chef John Fleer and Chef de Cuisine Davis Taylor will join winemaker Stephanie Morton-Small to present The Last Supper, a special version of the restaurant’s annual Finca Decero wine dinner, from 6 to 9 p. m. Wednesday, July 31.
Morton-Small will soon leave her role as advertising director for Argentine company Finca Decero of 17 years to pursue new adventures, and this event will celebrate her decade of wine dinner collaborations at the Rhubarb event space, according to a press release .
Dinner will begin with a vertical tasting of Finca Decero wines followed by five courses accompanied by wines, adding dishes such as braised cobia with grilled and pressed watermelon and gnocchi with chanterelles. Tickets are $120 per person.
Rhubarb has also recently introduced a new snack menu that can be had only at the bar from 5:00 p. m. m. to 5:00 p. m. m. every day and on the terrace from 3:00 p. m. m. to 5:00 p. m. m. on Fridays and Sundays. Highlights include Chili Hushpuppies, Benton Oysters, R-Bar Smash Burger and Creole- Spiced Confit Duck Wings, Alabama White Sauce and Candied Rhubarb Sticks.
This month, sister restaurant The Rhu introduced prepared lunch and children’s menus, adding more vegetarian dishes, children’s classics with local ingredients and packed lunches to go. Gluten-free features are available.
Rhubarb is 7 S. W. Pack Carré. For tickets to the wine dinner, avl. mx/dx1. Rhu is located at 10 S. Lexington Ave. For more information, avl. mx/dx2.
Earlier this month, Chai Pani Restaurant Group announced plans to open a third Chai Pani location in Washington, D. C. Chai Pani signed a lease with developer Edens for an area in the city’s Union Market district with a release scheduled for spring 2025, says publicist Kelsey. Burrow.
Winner of the 2022 James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurant, Chai Pani opened in 2009 in a small area on Battery Park Avenue. A second location followed in Decatur, Georgia, in 2013. In May, the Asheville flagship restaurant moved into the 10,000-square-foot South Slope that previously housed Buxton Hall Barbecue.
To learn more about Chai Pani, avl. mx/ch4.
Café Canna will be the Inner Child Fun Day on Saturday, July 27, from noon to 2 a. m.
Café Canna is an Amsterdam-style hash café founded by Beau Ballard, a hemp activist and owner of the MariFairy hash company. The café serves kava, kratom, hash-infused cocktails, smoking products, coffee, food and more.
Inner Child Fun Day will feature live music, mermaids, bubbles, cotton candy, funnel cakes, face painting, a massage chair with Iridesza Qilin and a water slide. “We all have that kid inside of us, and it’s actually vital. It helped me create a position of networking and relaxation,” says Ballard. “There are a lot of tactics to do it without a lot of money. So it’s great to get everyone together, let it go and have fun. “
Children of all ages are welcome to attend the event. Depending on participation, Café Canna plans to continue hosting Inner Child Fun Days on the last Saturday of the month until it gets too cold.
Café Canna is located at 487 Haywood Road. For more information, avl. mx/dxa.
This week’s food news includes more reporting from Oby Arnold.
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