As I was melting into a puddle in my yard while cutting the grass earlier this week, I pulled out my phone and checked the temperature in Asheville, N.C. It has been averaging at least 10 degrees cooler than Nashville for the past weeks, and that got me thinking about planning a trip to escape the smoke and swamp of Nashville’s atmosphere.
Asheville has plenty to recommend it besides just the climate. The lovely mountains surrounding the town offer myriad outdoorsy activities, the food scene definitely rivals Music City’s, and the funky hippie town has more craft breweries per capita than any city in America except for Portland, Maine.
They’ll be showcasing that food and drink scene as part of the big Chow Chow Food + Culture Festival Sept. 7 through Sept. 10, and that sure would be a great time to visit. The festival will be centered around Pack Square Park in the heart of downtown, with other events scattered around various restaurants, farms, studios and other historic locations around town, so you can pretty much stay anywhere within the city limits and be close to at least part of Chow Chow.
Some of the events that particularly caught my include an opening night party that will be a salute to Appalachian barbecue traditions, combining two really hot culinary themes of the moment, and Appalachian Pride drag brunch starring local performers and a huge Southern fish fry featuring James Beard nominees and winners like Ricky Moore of Saltbox Seafood Joint and William Dissen of The Market Place.
Other events will feature an all-female cadre of cooks preparing an Appalachian menu dedicated to the women who inspired the cuisine for generations, a salute to the classic Swanson’s TV Dinner elevated by innovative and talented young chefs, and another gala dinner that will demonstrate the future of Appalachian cooking as practiced by close to a dozen modern masters of the kitchen.
The weekend will also be filled with food and drink tasting events, educational seminars, cooking classes and farm visits. Day and weekend passes are on sale at the Chow Chow website, and you can also purchase tickets to individual events at that same site. New content announcements are still trickling out, so check back frequently to make sure you don’t miss an addition. See you in the mountains!
