But HOMEGROWN is really special. Its focus is local, seasonal, affordable food and Claui, who works there, has been tantalizing me with descriptions of the specials of the day.
Miki Kilpatrick, one of the owners, describes HOMEGROWN as “slow food right quick.” HomeGrown, she says, will offer as many local foods as possible on the menu. “We’re going to try to hit a 90 percent bench mark, and do lots of canning and preserving to get us through the winter with local food,” she says. “We’re really trying to make it our mission to make local food affordable and convenient.”
Though that sounds like no small feat, Miki says, “I grew up on a farm in Madison County putting up vegetables for the winter. That was just a part of life then."
That farm is just around the mountain from us. We've known Miki all her life and are so proud of what she's doing.
I had the delicious Lamb Wrap -- Local lamb (East Fork Farm) with Fresh Arugula (Bountiful Cities Project), Goat Cheese (Looking Glass Creamery) & Pickled Heirloom Tomatoes (Long Valley Organics).
The extensive menu offers many choices, entrees (a tempting chicken pot pie,) sandwiches, (including a duck taco that really sounded intriguing,) salads, and, I was pleased to note, fabulous tomato-basil soup (tomatoes & basil from Wool Branch Farm) -- Wool Branch Farm is us -- Justin and Claui supplied those tomatoes and that basil -- oh, the pride.
It's a cheerful, casual restaurant and the food came out in surprisingly quick time. I only regret I didn't take a picture of it -- alas, it looked and smelled too good to do anything but dive right in!
22 comments:
What a great initiative, Vicki. Serving up meals consisting of local produce, is something to be looked at more closely. A few miles from us, Sunnyfields are doing their best.
Now their menu sounds wonderful - my kind of place to eat, and how cool is that that some of the produce comes from your farm! I wondered why Justin and Claui had planted all those tomato plants.
nice. this sounds like a wonderful place...and i love the premise...the atmosphere is pretty cool looking as well....
Sounds great! Makes me want to take a side trip to Asheville.
Oh. Yum. Your lamb wrap sounds delicious. Fun little spot!
Add dill pickled okra next year to the produce from Wool Branch Farm! :-)))
I can almost smell the food from here! I know it's delish!
Best of success to these young entrepreneurs!!
Elora
Martin, I'm sending that Sunnyfields link to Claui -- HOMEGROWN could pick up some hints, I'll bet.
I had pickled okra with my wrap but I didn't ask where it came from -- we'll see if we can't do some more supplying next year, Elora.
Sounds like a wonderful place to eat. Even when we travel hubby and I like to find small local places to eat. Their menu is great. Thanks for telling us about them.
I’ll make a note of that restaurant. We’d like to go back to Asheville in the spring. Last year, in the fall, we did not know where to eat and ended up eating a bagel somewhere close to the Biltmore.
Very cool. It sounds like they are well grounded enough to be up to the challenge of hitting the 90 percent mark year 'round. So how did the name Wool Branch Farm come to be?
Tammy
Supposedly, back in the early 1900's, there were sheep on the farm and bits of their wool would float down the branch (creek) thus giving the branch that name. And that's what we call the farm. Previously it was the Freeman place and before that, the Payne place, the oldtimers not going in for fancy names.
Oh Vicki...that lamb sounded heavenly. This sounds like a fabulous place to eat. Love the small town look and feel yet big city dish ideas. Nice post.
We will definitely give HOMEGROWN a try. Imagine...you are even in print on the menu! Tomato basil soup just might be my favorite soup, especially for lunch.
Viki, Local food restaurants -- you live in the right area! When is the rest of the country going to catch up with your food progressivism? I sure know where I would stop to eat if I lived in your area. I wish them the best in there restaurant endeavor. -- barbara
Do they accept interns? Will photograph for food! ;-)
Pickled okra, I can't believe I never ever had them!
Everything sounds so tempting, though.
Congratulations and good luck to all involved,
Merisi
(I have to confess to have started a mental list, what to do, should I ever have the good fortune of traveling in your part of the world again, preferably during fall season.)
Forget to mention that I simply love the witty sign!
*bigsmile*
Ate there a few weeks ago and the cheeseburger and pomme frites are to die for!! outstanding, wish I lived there, I would eat it daily, i saw about 10 things o the menu I wanted to try.
I should have mentioned the pommes frites. My friends and I shared a basket. Absolutely wonderful! And pommes frites aren't near as fattening as french fries ... are they?
Vicki, would you mind reposting the item you'd put up on the App Hist site today? My spam filter decided it wasn't a 'real' comment, and I only noticed that it actually *was* real just as I was deleting the spam folder and watching the comment disappear. Argh!
It sounds great all round. I can only suggest you go again soon and take a photo of the food this time. Good excuse - your readers demand it!
That sounds like my kind of place. If I'm in the area I would love to try it!
Of course, jennnyfreckles! I owe it to you all!
Post a Comment