VORTEX DOUGHNUTS LANDS...
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V ortex Doughnuts officially has a place to set up shop. Ron and Valerie Patton, own- ers of the handmade-doughnut com- pany, have leased a storefront on the northwest corner of the building at 32 Banks St. in the South Slope. The interior of the building, at 24,000 square feet, is large enough for several tenants, and spaces from 600 square feet to 5,000 square feet are still available. Two large side yards and loading docks will have space for outdoor seating. The location is diagonal to Twin Leaf Brewing, slated to open in Feb- ruary or March 2014. According to the Pattons, the own- ers of the 32 Banks building are deep in the process of its rehabilitation. The timing of Vortex’s opening de- pends on how swiftly the rehab proc- ess goes. Springtime is the current target. “It’s rough,” said Ron. “There’s graffiti everywhere, so they have to rehab the outside. They’re working on the roof right now, and they still have to divide it up into spaces. They’re hoping to, in February, hand it over to us.” Once open, Vortex Doughnuts will sell its funky brand of pastries, in- corporating unusual ingredients such as goat cheese, chili peppers and bacon. Until recently, the company has exclusively distributed the treats at special events and through deliv- ery service Munchies ’n’ More. The Pattons will deliver doughnuts soon too — in a rare 1963 Jeep-Willys fleetvan, which they are in the proc- ess of rehabbing. Vortex will stay open late to ac- commodate brewery crowds, with savory doughnuts and coffee, likely courtesy of 1,000 Faces, an Athens- based coffee roaster. Blue Blaze Soda company, out of Asheville, will pro- vide the soft drinks. More about Vortex at www.vortex doughnuts.com What in blue blazes? Jackson Anderson, the 29-year-old owner of Blue Blaze Soda Co., is hap- py to see Vortex open — and not just because the doughnut shop will sell his products. “I’m excited there’s going to be a gourmet doughnut shop in town,” he said. Anderson makes his soda syrups from local ingredients, including Haw Creek honey and local fruits when they’re available. He has six basic flavors, including elderberry- hibiscus, birch beer and creamsicle. All of the soda syrups are made from whole ingredients, and none use re- fined sugars. The orange creamsicle soda uses fresh-squeezed orange juice and real vanilla bean. “You can see the vanilla bean in the soda,” said Anderson. And the red grenadine soda uses real pomegranate juice and rose and or- ange flower waters. “Our ginger ale uses real ginger root and things like that,” he said. “In our birch beer we use real birch bark and wild cherry bark.” This summer, Anderson mixed his sodas on site at local farmers mar- kets. He’s since started bottling syr- ups for local restaurants to use in mixers and cocktails. “We started bottling our syrups back in August at Blue Ridge Food Ventures, and now we’re about to start bagging our syr- ups for use in soda guns and fountain SHORT ORDER VORTEX DOUGHNUTS LANDS SPACE Plus, another doughnut shop and new local soda Vortex incorporates unsual ingredients in its pastries, such as goat cheese, chili peppers and bacon. ERIN BRETHAUER /SCENE Ron and Valerie Patton of Vortex Doughnuts. ERIN BRETHAUER /ASHEVILLE SCENE Blue Blaze soda products. SPECIAL TO ASHEVILLE SCENE by Mackensy Lunsford COVER STORY Believe it or not, this berry turns flavors upside down. Macken- sy Lunsford reports on the miracle berry, an odd, exotic fruit that, after chewing it, confuses your taste buds. Even in dried, pill form, chewing a miracle berry tablet can make a lemon taste like lemonade. To try it out, one Asheville restaurant is staging a tasting party. Page 22. Cover photo of Isa’s Bistro host- ess Shannon Sollars-White by Erin Brethauer. FOOD Matthew DeRobertis reviews the new Biltmore Avenue restaurant Seven Sows Bourbon & Larder. Page 6. Plus, the kale trend — and its backlash. Page 8. Check out upcoming culinary events and classes ( Page 11) and spots to find a local turkey ( Page 12). Beer Guy: updates on Winter Warmer and Ashe- ville Growler. Page 13. MUSIC Claire Lynch, IBMA’s female vocalist of the year, plays the Isis in West Ashe- ville. Page 14. Papadosio brings its hypnotic blend of pop and dance to the Peel. And mom and music-lover Becky Upham debuts a column about how live music can change your life. Page 18. CORRECTION In a food review in last week’s Scene, we incorrectly reported the name of the Hayes & Hopson building, which now houses Pack’s Tavern. Thanks to reader Gary Garner for calling this to our attention. TABLE OF CONTENTS Hostess Shannon Sollars-White at Isa's Bistro holds a tray of sour, hot and bitter foods. They’ll be used again at the restaurant’s Nov. 21“taste-tripping” party. ERIN BRETHAUER/SCENE p. 4 | 11.15.2013 | ashevillescene.com Time: 11-13-2013 20:22 User: bsbaker PubDate: 11-15-2013 Zone: Scene Edition: 1 Page Name: T4 Color: Cyan Magenta Yellow Black
Transcript of VORTEX DOUGHNUTS LANDS...
V ortex Doughnuts officially has aplace to set up shop.
Ron and Valerie Patton, own-ers of the handmade-doughnut com-pany, have leased a storefront on thenorthwest corner of the building at 32Banks St. in the South Slope.
The interior of the building, at24,000 square feet, is large enoughfor several tenants, and spaces from600 square feet to 5,000 square feetare still available.
Two large side yards and loadingdocks will have space for outdoorseating.
The location is diagonal to TwinLeaf Brewing, slated to open in Feb-ruary or March 2014.
According to the Pattons, the own-ers of the 32 Banks building are deep
in the process of its rehabilitation.The timing of Vortex’s opening de-pends on how swiftly the rehab proc-ess goes. Springtime is the currenttarget.
“It’s rough,” said Ron. “There’sgraffiti everywhere, so they have torehab the outside. They’re workingon the roof right now, and they stillhave to divide it up into spaces.They’re hoping to, in February, handit over to us.”
Once open, Vortex Doughnuts willsell its funky brand of pastries, in-corporating unusual ingredients suchas goat cheese, chili peppers andbacon. Until recently, the companyhas exclusively distributed the treatsat special events and through deliv-ery service Munchies ’n’ More.
The Pattons will deliver doughnutssoon too — in a rare 1963 Jeep-Willysfleetvan, which they are in the proc-ess of rehabbing.
Vortex will stay open late to ac-commodate brewery crowds, withsavory doughnuts and coffee, likelycourtesy of 1,000 Faces, an Athens-based coffee roaster. Blue Blaze Sodacompany, out of Asheville, will pro-vide the soft drinks.
More about Vortex at www.vortexdoughnuts.com
What in blue blazes?
Jackson Anderson, the 29-year-oldowner of Blue Blaze Soda Co., is hap-py to see Vortex open— and not justbecause the doughnut shop will sellhis products. “I’m excited there’sgoing to be a gourmet doughnut shopin town,” he said.
Anderson makes his soda syrupsfrom local ingredients, includingHaw Creek honey and local fruitswhen they’re available. He has sixbasic flavors, including elderberry-hibiscus, birch beer and creamsicle.All of the soda syrups are made fromwhole ingredients, and none use re-fined sugars.
The orange creamsicle soda usesfresh-squeezed orange juice and realvanilla bean. “You can see the vanillabean in the soda,” said Anderson. Andthe red grenadine soda uses realpomegranate juice and rose and or-ange flower waters.
“Our ginger ale uses real gingerroot and things like that,” he said. “Inour birch beer we use real birch barkand wild cherry bark.”
This summer, Anderson mixed hissodas on site at local farmers mar-kets. He’s since started bottling syr-ups for local restaurants to use inmixers and cocktails. “We startedbottling our syrups back in August atBlue Ridge Food Ventures, and nowwe’re about to start bagging our syr-ups for use in soda guns and fountain
SHORT ORDER
VORTEX DOUGHNUTSLANDS SPACEPlus, anotherdoughnut shopand new localsoda
Vortex incorporates unsual ingredients inits pastries, such as goat cheese, chilipeppers and bacon. ERIN BRETHAUER /SCENE
Ron and Valerie Patton of VortexDoughnuts. ERIN BRETHAUER /ASHEVILLE SCENE
Blue Blaze soda products. SPECIAL TOASHEVILLE SCENE
byMackensy LunsfordCOVER STORY
Believe it or not, this berryturns flavors upside down. Macken-sy Lunsford reports on the miracleberry, an odd, exotic fruit that, afterchewing it, confuses your taste buds.Even in dried, pill form, chewing amiracle berry tablet can make a lemontaste like lemonade. To try it out, oneAsheville restaurant is staging a tastingparty. Page 22.
Cover photo of Isa’s Bistro host-ess Shannon Sollars-White by ErinBrethauer.
FOODMatthew DeRobertis reviews the
new Biltmore Avenue restaurant SevenSows Bourbon & Larder. Page 6. Plus,the kale trend— and its backlash.Page 8.
Check out upcoming culinary eventsand classes ( Page11) and spots to finda local turkey ( Page12). Beer Guy:updates onWinter Warmer and Ashe-ville Growler. Page13.
MUSICClaire Lynch, IBMA’s female vocalist
of the year, plays the Isis in West Ashe-ville. Page14. Papadosio brings itshypnotic blend of pop and dance tothe Peel. And mom and music-loverBecky Upham debuts a column abouthow live music can change your life.Page18.
CORRECTIONIn a food review in last week’s
Scene, we incorrectly reported thename of the Hayes & Hopson building,which now houses Pack’s Tavern.Thanks to reader Gary Garner forcalling this to our attention.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Hostess Shannon Sollars-White at Isa'sBistro holds a tray of sour, hot andbitter foods. They’ll be used again at therestaurant’s Nov. 21 “taste-tripping”party. ERIN BRETHAUER/SCENE
p. 4 | 11.15.2013 | ashevillescene.com
Time: 11-13-2013 20:22 User: bsbaker PubDate: 11-15-2013 Zone: Scene Edition: 1 Page Name: T 4 Color:CyanMagentaYellowBlack
ashevillescene.com | 11.15.2013 | p. 5
machines,” said Anderson. “With thebag and box thing, we’re hoping toreach out to the bars who don’t wantsodas with high fructose corn syrup,they want the real thing.”
WALK and Double Crown use thesoda syrups, and they can be pur-chased retail at the West Village mar-ket in West Asheville. They’re alsoavailable in BlackMountain at theMerryWineMarket and the ArtisanGourmet Markets.
And the sodas will be sold at Vor-tex, which, with its proximity to
breweries, will not be licensed to sellalcohol.
Vortex will look for creative waysto serve nonalcoholic beverages —they’re planning, for example, to sellnitrogen-charged cold-brewed coffee,which will give the beverage a Guin-ness-like foam. And the Blue Blazesodas will be mixed to order, like atan old-fashioned soda counter.
“Asheville has a big beverageindustry, but there’s not a lot of non-alcoholic beverages,” Anderson said.
From pizza to doughnutsThe doughnut news doesn’t stop at
South Slope.The owners of the Tin Can Pizzeria
truck, Caroline Whatley and KimDryden, have decided to leave thepizza business and enter the world ofdoughnuts.
They’ve sold their pizza truck andhave purchased a small parcel of landat 168 Haywood Road, on the cornerof Wamboldt Avenue in West Ashe-ville. There, they’ll build a small,800-square-foot building, where they
plan to open a doughnut and coffeeshop called Hole.
The concept for Hole is a simpleone, Whatley said.
“Hole’s going to offer two dough-nuts, like a simple old-fashionedyeast glaze and a gluten-free butter-milk cake,” she said. “And we’ll havejust a couple of topping options andsome really good locally roastedcoffee, and all of the doughnuts willbe served hot out of the fryer.”
Look for Hole to open in latespring or early summer of 2014.
Asheville chefs honoredStarChefs.com, an online maga-
zine for culinary insiders, this weekannounced its 2013 Carolina RisingStars Awards — and Asheville scoredbig. The awards honor up-and-comingchefs and culinary professionals who“represent the vanguard of the con-temporary American dining scene”according to a press release.
The StarChefs team visited chefsand artisans across 18 cities andsmall towns.
“All chefs want to be excellent andmake good food, but in North Caroli-na, led by Asheville, it’s about beingdifferent, weird — an individual,”Antoinette Bruno, Editor-in-Chief ofStarChefs.com said in the release.
Asheville honorees include Wil-liam Dissen, Matt Dawes, Brian Cani-pelli, Katie Button andMikeMoore.EvenWickedWeed got into the ac-tion.
The winners will be showcased atthe StarChefs.com Rising Stars Galaon Dec. 11 at Memminger Auditoriumin Charleston. Tickets can be pur-chased at www.starchefs.com/risingstars.
More than 100 candidates in Northand South Carolina were consideredthrough in-person tastings and in-terviews. For the complete list ofchefs, check out AshevilleScene.com.
Time: 11-13-2013 20:22 User: bsbaker PubDate: 11-15-2013 Zone: Scene Edition: 1 Page Name: T 5 Color:CyanMagentaYellowBlack
