How Asheville’s Foodtopia is Doing, One Year After Helene
A year after Hurricane Helene, Asheville’s food scene—our beloved Foodtopia—feels familiar in the best way: open doors, full dining rooms, live music floating across patios, and chefs doing what they do best with Appalachian ingredients. The path back wasn’t simple. But ask around and you’ll hear the same through-line: neighbors helping neighbors, restaurants feeding first responders and families, breweries turning their campuses into supply hubs, and a community determined to keep its independent spirit alive.
Below, a look at what’s changed, what’s returned, and why this city’s tables—and the people around them—matter now more than ever.
“Open & Ready” wasn’t just a tagline—it was a promise kept
When floodwaters receded, many kitchens still couldn’t cook. Highland Brewing had water issues and couldn’t brew or open its taproom—but it did have space. “We said yes to every organization we thought we could accommodate,” says CEO and owner Leah Wong Ashburn. “Highway Patrol, Humane Society, Wine to Water, World Central Kitchen…our parking lot was full every day. People needed food, water, power, and a familiar place to land. We became a community hub.”
Across town, The Market Place initially focused on providing relief meals.
“Chefs did what chefs do—we cooked,” says chef-owner William Dissen. “For FEMA, for first responders, with World Central Kitchen. Then, when we could breathe, we asked: how do we reopen in a way that helps our staff and our city?” Before dining rooms were ready, Marketplace fired up the street-side grill for an oyster roast pop-up on Wall Street. Two hundred people showed. “Everyone said the same thing: we needed this.”
Neighborhood staples, back by design
Flood-hit areas like the River Arts District and Biltmore Village carry some of the comeback’s most emotional moments.
At French Broad River Brewing, general manager and head brewer Aaron Wilson walked into doors forced open by the river, tanks shoved out of line, and “a foot and a half of mud” underfoot. The team cleaned for weeks, kept staff on payroll, and—when the taproom finally reopened—hosted their regular Thursday band for a soft opening.
“We barely had our own beer on,” Wilson says. “Friends’ breweries filled the taps. But it felt like a victory. When people walked in and saw the room looked almost the same, you could feel the big exhale: we’re back in our third place.”
Down in Biltmore Village, Corner Kitchen reopened the doors of its 1895 cottage with new flood-resilient upgrades—and a time capsule sealed in the walls. “We put in family notes, a mud-soaked menu we dried out, even a CK hat,” says chef-owner Joe Scully. “It’s a reminder of what we went through and who helped us get here.” The reopening quickly became a neighborhood milestone. “People brought flowers, lined the porch, and waited forty-five minutes on a Tuesday. It wasn’t just dinner—it was joy.”
In the River Arts District, The Bull & Beggar rebuilt and returned to the steady celebratory rhythm that made it a favorite for graduations, anniversaries, and date nights. “When I finally reached the restaurant, nine staff and partners were already mopping mud,” says chef-owner Matt Dawes. “That made the decision easy: we were reopening. Getting back into the kitchen was a physical relief—like turning the lights on inside myself.”
“People brought flowers, lined the porch, and waited forty-five minutes on a Tuesday. It wasn’t just dinner—it was joy.” — Joe Scully, Corner Kitchen
Collaboration at it's best
If you want the quick read on Asheville hospitality, it’s this: independent, heart-forward, and collaborative by default.
“The restaurant association here has always worked more like a family than competitors,” Scully says. After Helene, that spirit tightened. Owners traded contractor names and coolers, pointed national press toward neighbors who needed a boost, and connected with farms sorting out what to do with crops that survived the storm. “It was a lot of late calls: Are you reopening? Where are you getting water? What’s your menu look like next week?” Dissen says. “We tried a little, learned a little, tried again.”
Breweries did the same. “Asheville’s beer culture is a true ecosystem,” Ashburn says. “Every brewery has its own vibe, and we all root for each other. We were hugging Zillicoah’s team at their soft opening like it was our own win.”
“Restaurants feed a lot more than the people in the dining room—they feed farmers, foragers, ranchers—the whole chain.” — Matt Dawes, The Bull & Beggar
The ecosystem that is Foodtopia
“Restaurants feed a lot more than the people in the dining room,” Dawes says. “They feed farmers, foragers, ranchers—the whole chain.” Dissen puts a number to it: “When we buy from local producers, we’ve quantified nearly a 5x return circling back into the community. So when you dine local, you’re supporting a whole web of makers, not just one place.”
It’s why tourism, thoughtfully done, matters. “Locals are our foundation,” Wilson says. “But a thriving tourist town keeps the doors open for the places we all love—the breweries, the bakeries, the paddleboard outfitters, the hiking guides. Visitors help the ecosystem stay healthy.”
“Getting back into the kitchen felt like turning the lights on inside myself.” — Matt Dawes, The Bull & Beggar
What’s changed, and what’s stayed the same
No one sugarcoats it: not every restaurant made it back. The grief is real and shared. But what remains—heart, grit, and an appetite for hospitality—feels unmistakably Asheville.
- The vibe endures. “Fine dining with a casual feel and a big yes,” Scully says. “Handcrafted food, real service, and connection.”
- Craft, refreshed. Wilson talks about reviving classic French Broad River Brewing styles alongside new seasonals: a look forward and back.
- Spaces with a purpose. Highland’s 40-acre campus holds live music, sand volleyball, disc golf, trails, and, yes, beer—“a concentration of what makes Asheville great,” Ashburn says.
- Kitchens as compass. “Cooking regulates the calendar here,” Dawes says. “To chop, brunoise, shuck—it felt like coming home.”
- Downtown resilience. The Market Place reopened with a lean team and laser focus on seasonal Appalachian cooking. “We went back to brass tacks and took really good care of our guests,” Dissen says.
So—how’s Foodtopia doing?
Better in some ways: more intentional, more neighborly, more proud of what’s on the plate and who it supports. “People should come back and taste Asheville now because it’s more thoughtful than it was,” Scully says. “We know what we have, and we’re protecting it.” Or, as Dissen puts it: “We’re one of the best food cities in America—street tacos to fine dining, chefs at the top of their craft, and access to extraordinary ingredients.”
And the welcome is loud and clear. “Asheville is back and open,” Ashburn says. “Come have a beer with us.” Wilson raises a glass, too: “Come back and have a drink—we’ll see you soon.”
“Asheville’s food scene is open and ready. Come try our delicious Foodtopia.” — William Dissen, The Marketplace
Plan Your Return to Foodtopia
- Make it local. Prioritize independent restaurants, breweries, bakeries, coffee roasters, and food trucks. Your tab supports a whole web of makers.
- Say yes to seasonal. Ask what’s coming in from local farms (or out of the forest) this week.
- Pair dinner with discovery. Stroll Wall Street before your reservation, catch live music after, or stop into a studio in the River Arts District.
- Bring your appetite—and your curiosity. From classic Continental at The Bull & Beggar to farm-to-table at The Market Place, from neighborhood vibes at French Broad River Brewing to campus-style hangs at Highland, there’s a table with your name on it.