Asheville Has A New Standard When It Comes To Pizza

By: about

Standard Pizza Asheville NC

That’s right! The standard that was previously set in Asheville North Carolina when it comes to pizza has definitely been raised. New York Style Pizza was the hot item on the scene years ago, but times are changing. With pizza chefs and owners sincerely concerned about the healthy and organic ingredients used to make their dough plus the meats, cheeses & vegetables they put on the pizza; the folks in our community now have the option of eating better.

Standard Pizza started out years ago in west Asheville on Haywood Rd in an old garage building that is still going strong. Then just a few days ago, they expanded to a new location in the Biltmore Village area, right in front of the new Hi-Wire Brewing Big Top and across the parking lot from Appalachian Vintner. And Sugar Shack Donuts is also set to open right across the street. Imagine that triangle… Pizza, Beer, and Donuts! Yes, real estate just went up on this end of town.

Gigi at Standard Pizza Asheville

In the new Standard Pizza shop, they have a ping-pong table, shuffleboard, cornhole boards, and a outdoor patio. A wonderful community spot for the whole family.

Some are calling this area, right below Marriott Residence Inn; the Biltmore Slope (or the slope to Biltmore), while other are calling it Biltmore North. Either way, the road from downtown Asheville to Biltmore Village and to the Biltmore Estate is about to go BOOM!

Katuah Market – The Grocery Story

By: about

katuah market asheville

We recently corresponded with John Swann, the CEO of Katuah Market, and found out some great information about this new Asheville Grocery Store in the community.

What is Katuah Market?

Katuah Market is a full-service natural food grocery store located in the Biltmore Village area of South Asheville, NC. Katuah Market combines an offering of best-of-market local, natural, and organic foods with the convenience and service of a traditional corner grocery store. Our full-service Deli features hot and cold food and soup bars, and a wide selection of grab & go foods, and our Café has a full coffee/beverage bar, large dessert selection, and a 120-seat indoor/outdoor seating area. Our Produce department features a wide selection of natural and organic fruits and vegetables, with a strong emphasis on locally grown produce. We offer a savory Meat department with full-service butchery service that emphasizes locally raised meat. Our Grocery department includes a wide offering of packaged foods, dry goods, frozen, dairy, and bulk foods, and feature locally-roasted and organic coffees. Fresh bread is supplied daily by several of Asheville’s excellent local bakeries. Our Beer and Wine department features dozens of local and regional micro-brews and imported beers, and has 500 choices of quality and affordable wines. Katuah Market is managed by an experienced and highly-skilled team that is dedicated to providing the highest quality products and the best customer service in Asheville. Katuah Market is community-based and is strongly committed to supporting local food and related products. Katuah Market is “Local By Nature”™.

katuah market biltmore village

How Did Katuah Market Get Started?

After two years of development by John and Heidi Swann, Katuah Market opened on Dec. 18, 2013. John has decades of experience at two other large-store natural food companies in Asheville, and felt that the market would welcome a slightly smaller, more comfortable store that featured a completely house-made food service program and an unmatched dedication to offering and promoting locally produced food and related products. Katuah Market currently buys from 295 Asheville area vendors – far more than any other store in Asheville!

Who Leads The Teams at Katuah Market?

John Swann – CEO, Richie Whitson – Store Manager, Valli Smith – Asst. Store Manager, Mandy Stricklin – Marketing Director, Dan Sobalsky – Food Service Director, Alex Rosen – Grocery Manager, Mara McVicker – Beer & Wine Manager, Bridget Kennedy – Produce Manager, Farra Lomasney – Supplements & Body Care Manager, Chris Reed – Meat Manager.

katuah market grocery

Who Is Katuah’s Ideal Customer? The ideal Katuah Market customer wants the highest quality food that is available in the Asheville area, and is concerned with not only the quality of the food they eat, but where it comes from as well. Our ideal customer places great value on supporting local food and craft producers, while also buying from a locally-owned and operated grocery store.

As The CEO, What Do You Like Most About Your Business?

  1. Offering to our customers the highest quality natural, local, and prepared foods in the Asheville area.
  2. Providing a warm and inviting store experience, with excellent customer service.
  3. Helping small independent food and craft producers to develop and market their products.

Just A Few Local Businesses In The Community Who Have Been Really Supportive of Katuah Market: Mountain Food Products (Produce Wholesaler), Cantina at Biltmore, Wayside Grille, and Doubletree Hotel.

katuah market produce

How Does Katuah Market Set Their Business Above The Rest?

  1. Quality of our products.
  2. Unmatched dedication to locally produced food and crafts.
  3. Superior customer service.
  4. The most comfortable and inviting store experience in Asheville.

John Swann has been active in local food business development in Western NC for the past 35 years. John is currently Vice President of the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP), an Asheville-based national model for local food economic and agricultural development, and has served on the Advisory Board and as a Mentor for Blue Ridge Food Ventures, a food business incubator that has been the launch pad for dozens of local start-up food companies. Both John and Katuah Market are Local By Nature™.

You can visit the Katuah Market Website, and also find them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.




23 Funky Finds at Asheville’s Sweeten Creek Antiques

By: about

asheville sweeten creek antiques The Asheville Antique world is growing by leaps and bounds. Along with beer city USA and foodie city USA; antique city USA is definitely sneaking up on us. Of course there is the Antique Tobacco Barn, a new spot name Reliks and many others; but Sweeten Creek Antiques is one of our personal favorites. Even their website is antique lol, but it has directions if you wish to get there. We stopped by there the other day and got to experience the whole store. Well kind of. We did not have enough time at each booth, but we got to browse them at least. Here are 23 “Funky” and maybe even “Not So Funky To You” Finds at Asheville’s Sweeten Creek Antiques: asheville statue of liberty The original Statue of Liberty! This was actually the smaller version, the one France originally sent us; but the USA was insulted and told them to shove it! So it ended up here. Now she is looking for a home. asheville trolls I know, I know, trolls are everywhere around Asheville. But these guys are cute! asheville playboy Oh yeah, I just love vintage pornography lol. Now we know the filth grandpa used to read. asheville wheelchair A vintage wooden and wicker wheelchair. This is all Asheville will be using in the future. Homemade, handmade wheelchairs made from organic wood. asheville hom art Asheville stoner quotes made into art! asheville bee happy The Bee Happy booth… reclaimed, recycled and repurposed furniture and home decor. This spot is a store in itself! asheville players A sign calling for Players! There is no shortage of these type in Asheville. Especially the women hahaha 😉 asheville head hunter This dude is either a victorious gladiator, or a headhunter from the mountains of Western North Carolina. Yeah, we have them too. Celebrate diversity! asheville antique furniture

Some stolen furniture from the Biltmore Estate. I will ship it to my condo in London.

king louis xiv asheville Got to hang with King Louis XIV during intermission. And yes, those are dreads he is wearing. asheville home decor A cute and colorful corner that just brightened my whole day 😉 asheville baby carriage A wicker baby carriage. If you are ultra local grown, you will have one of these, handmade in Asheville, instead of one of those commercialized ones you buy at Wal-Mart or Babies R Us. Surely some hippie put this thing together. Don’t trust it! asheville wigs These four chicks kept staring at me. Then I noticed they all had wigs on. asheville man cave Ahhh, the man cave. Every man needs one, or to be a member of one. asheville mannequins Headless tie dye and painted mannequins. Say goodbye to blowup dolls! These 3 ladies are the organizers for both the GoToplesss, and GoBottomless campaign in Asheville. asheville pirate ship A handmade pirate ship! Just what I need floating around in my jacuzzi. asheville bison head Painted bison heads. Now I know what I am going to be for Halloween. You can also use these for satanic rituals so no animals are harmed in the process. asheville fedora hats A couple of Fedora hats! Great. Now I could look like “That Hipster” anywhere I go. asheville suitcase A chest (slash) suitcase (slash) dresser (slash) closet. We were so much more creative back in the days. asheville bar stools Lime green bar stools, just in case Austin Powers stops by. Or better yet, Foxy Cleopatra! Yeah baby!!! asheville nativity scene A vintage nativity scene. I guess there was no room for them at the Inn either, so now they live here; just waiting in anticipation for another virgin to get pregnant. asheville merry go round A merry-go-round with a pole. Just what I wanted for my bedroom. My ladies portable stripper pole has got to go. We gonna ride the white pony! asheville_stuffed_animals And… in the kids PG section, they have lots of toys including this stuffed animal that says “I Love You!” This whole building is awesome. If you are in the Asheville area and looking for lots of wonderful merchandise; this is the place to be!




Biltmore Station, Asheville North Carolina

By: about

Biltmore Station Biltmore Village Asheville NC

Biltmore Station is a retail space in the Biltmore Village area of Asheville NC. Katuah Market had recently moved in and Jimmy John’s just opened up a shop in the front corner of the building. Lots of more space available in this building, which was never really re-occupied since the flood years ago. Now is a different time, and this area in south Asheville, right outside the gates of the famed Biltmore Estate is growing by leaps and bounds.




Deliciousness at Rezaz in Biltmore Village, Asheville NC

By: about

rezaz asheville nc restaurant

It was Biltmore Village Restaurant Week and there were several great places to choose from. Rezaz, The Cantina at Biltmore, Fig Bistro, Ruth’s Chris, Red Stag and Corner Kitchen were all a part of this community event. We eat at all of these places regularly, because as they say.. “there is not a bad place to eat in Biltmore Village,” but we ended up calling Rezaz to see if we could make a last minute reservation. 2 hours later, we were sitting in their beautiful restaurant and eating some amazing cuisine. We bumped into a few owners of other eateries in the Asheville area while we were there, and great times were had!