Asheville Chefs Invite Visitors Back With Renewed Purpose Post-Hurricane

"The beloved downtown restaurant from 2015 F&W Best New Chef Katie Button hosted a Pintxo Party that night in early December and offered swift reassurance after Hurricane Helene: water has returned, the city isn’t a hollow version of itself, and locals remain eager to gather. The author’s anxieties—“Is the water clean? Would I have to face a hollow, sad iteration of Asheville? Do they want me here?”—were answered on entry: yes, no, yes. “We want the world to know that we are here,” Button said. “We are ready for them to visit.” The event felt celebratory and beaming with support (people snaked down the street and chefs celebrated other chefs), and menu moments mentioned included gildas, Rise Over Run wines, and Button’s mejillones; the author noted, “I drank the very clean, very safe water and toasted to a reemerging Asheville.” Button also reflected on change and resilience: “I do not think we will return to exactly how things were before the storm,” Button said. “Asheville will come back stronger and wiser.”" - Kayleigh Ruller