Asheville, N.C. (November 4, 2025) – 15 Asheville restaurants were recognized by the MICHELIN Guide during the first-ever MICHELIN Guide Ceremony for the American South last night.
Luminosa, the Italian American restaurant with a strong focus on Appalachian ingredients located inside the Flat Iron Hotel, earned a MICHELIN Green Star for sustainability – one of only three restaurants in the South to receive this distinction.
Under the direction of Executive Chef Graham House, a proud Western Carolina native, and Chef de Cuisine Sean McMullen, Luminosa artfully blends Italian techniques and heirloom Appalachian ingredients, creating a dining experience that reflects the soul of the region. The kitchen team collaborates closely with local farmers and producers, practices whole-animal butchering and employs a fermentation program to minimize waste.
As Michelin Inspectors noted, Luminosa “works hard to utilize all trim from their kitchen in sustainable ways,” embodying the spirit of the Green Star distinction: innovation, stewardship, and local love.
In addition, three Asheville restaurants – Luminosa, Little Chango and Mother – received the Bib Gourmand distinction, which recognizes eateries for great food at a great value.
- Luminosa – Double-honored with both a Green Star and a Bib Gourmand, Luminosa proves that sustainability and accessibility can go hand-in-hand. Its menu blends fine-dining precision with neighborhood warmth — the kind of spot where a handmade pasta can still feel like comfort food.
- Little Chango – In the heart of the South Slope, Little Chango hums with color and creativity. Chef Iris Rodriguez’ menu centers on arepas, generously topped with specialties like ropa vieja and pernil.
- Mother – Born from the art and science of sourdough, Mother is a neighborhood café and wine bar where hospitality rises as naturally as its bread. Owner Heidi Bass centers the café’s menu on its bread program, from decadent sandwiches to a delightfully crunchy dusting of sourdough breadcrumbs atop fresh salad.
The MICHELIN Guide for the American South also highlighted 12 Asheville restaurants among its Recommended list – a nod to consistency, creativity, and quality across styles and price points.
- Addissae Ethiopian Restaurant – Warm, spice-forward stews, injera made with care, and heartfelt hospitality anchor this downtown eatery, a cornerstone of Asheville’s global table.
- All Day Darling – A North Asheville brunch favorite by Chef Jacob Sessoms, whose other restaurants, Golden Hour and Table, also make this list.
- Cúrate Bar de Tapas – Chef Katie Button’s nationally-renowned Spanish tapas bar, still defining Asheville’s culinary identity.
- Golden Hour – This glamorous dining room, located inside The Radical Hotel, centers its menu on open fire cooking and seasonal Appalachian ingredients. The concept, by Chef Jacob Sessoms, is both elegant and playful in its execution of upscale, farm-driven cuisine.
- Good Hot Fish – Chef Ashleigh Shanti’s counter service spot in Asheville’s historic Black Southside neighborhood pays homage to the fish-frying matriarchs of her family. The menu centers on classics like fried fish sandwiches on soft white bread and Shanti’s flavorful signature dishes, like a sweet potato cabbage pancake and a zesty “ranchovy” salad.
- Leo’s House of Thirst – A cozy West Asheville bistro with small plates and a serious natural wine list. Owner Drew Wallace and Chef Austin Inselmann also helm The Admiral.
- Soprana – This eatery, atop The Embassy Suites in downtown Asheville, proffers Italian brick oven by Chef Jon Jerman, and a rooftop view that pairs perfectly with a craft cocktail.
- Sunny Point Café – Owned by April Moon Harper and Belinda Raab, Sunny Point has long been beloved for its all-day breakfast, garden-fresh produce, and joyful neighborhood vibe.
- Table – Chef Jacob Sessoms’ first Asheville restaurant is a downtown pioneer that helped launch Asheville’s farm-to-table movement.
- Tall John’s – Montford’s elevated neighborhood restaurant, where Chef Trevor Payne serves up American classics with sophisticated technique.
- The Admiral – A West Asheville institution, helmed by owner Drew Wallace and Chef Austin Inselmann, serves seasonal, chef-driven plates in a low-key setting.
- Ukiah Japanese Smokehouse – Chef Michael Lewis merges Japanese flavors with Southern smoke in this cross-cultural downtown eatery.
“So many Asheville area chefs, restaurateurs, growers and makers have sown the seeds over the years to cultivate ‘Modern Appalachia’ – one of the most deeply rooted and biodiverse food culture communities in the nation,” said Vic Isley, president & CEO of Explore Asheville and the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority. “Explore Asheville is excited for the recognition of our area’s talent in the first year of the MICHELIN Guide for the American South. With 15 MICHELIN-recognized restaurants, the most in the state of North Carolina, we look forward to future designations for our Foodtopia community.”
The acclaim from the MICHELIN Guide is the latest recognition of Asheville’s culinary scene, which has long been celebrated by chefs, food writers, and the James Beard Foundation as one of the top restaurant cities in the world.
Asheville’s rich culinary traditions — rooted in Appalachian heritage and a deep culture of hospitality — long predate national accolades, but they’ve found well-deserved recognition in the past few decades from dozens of national publications and culinary institutions.
The MICHELIN Guide and Travel South USA launched the MICHELIN Guide American South to better promote the region’s authentic food culture to domestic and international travelers. The geographic scope includes six states—Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee—in addition to the pre-existing Atlanta Guide. Asheville is a supporting partner of Visit North Carolina.
“The cuisine of the American South is a rich blend of cultural influences, brought to life by skilled chefs who have crafted some of the region’s most iconic dishes,” said Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of the MICHELIN Guide. “Our anonymous Inspectors were deeply impressed by the region’s culinary prowess, and this inaugural selection reflects their findings — from Southern staples like barbecue, Creole and seafood, to international flavors. We welcome these restaurants to the MICHELIN Guide family and toast to all the chef and restaurant teams honored tonight.”
Michelin announced its first North American Guide in 2005 for New York. Guides have also been added in Chicago (2011); Washington, D.C. (2017); California (San Francisco in 2007, statewide 2019); Florida (Greater Miami, Orlando and Tampa in 2022, adding Greater Fort Lauderdale, The Palm Beaches and St. Pete-Clearwater in 2025, statewide in 2026); Toronto (2022); Vancouver (2022); Colorado (2023); Atlanta (2023), Mexico (2024), Texas (2024), Québec (2024), the American South (2025), Boston (2025) and Philadelphia (2025).
###
For the latest Asheville culinary news, visit ExploreAsheville.com.
A high-resolution, rights-approved photo and video gallery is available here. All assets are for editorial use only and should be credited to ExploreAsheville.com.
Additional Luminosa images, with photo credit details, can be found here and here.
The MICHELIN Guide has provided restaurant photos for your use (expires in 3 days). File names contain photographer credits; if none specified, please credit the restaurant.
About the MICHELIN Guide
Recognized globally for excellence and quality, the MICHELIN Guide offers a selection of world-class restaurants.
- The famous one, two and three MICHELIN Stars identify establishments serving exceptional cuisine that’s rich in flavor, remarkably executed and infused with the personality of a talented chef.
- The Bib Gourmand is a designation given to select restaurants that offer good quality food for a good value – often known as personal favorites among the inspectors when dining on their own time.
- The MICHELIN Green Star honors restaurants that are pioneers in sustainable cuisine.
- Recommended restaurants and special professional awards are also highlighted by the MICHELIN Guide inspectors.
The MICHELIN Guide remains a reliable companion for any traveler seeking an unforgettable meal and hospitality experience. The Guide was first published in France at the turn of the 20th century to encourage the development of car mobility as well as tire sales by giving practical advice to motorists. Progressively, the Guide has specialized in restaurant and hotel recommendations. MICHELIN’s inspectors still use the same criteria and manner of selection that were used by the inspectors in the very beginning.
The restaurant selections join the MICHELIN Guide selection of hotels, which features the most unique and exciting places to stay around the world. Visit the MICHELIN Guide website, or download the free app for iOS and Android, to discover every restaurant in the selection and book an amazing hotel.
Thanks to the rigorous MICHELIN Guide selection process that is applied independently and consistently in more than 45 destinations, the MICHELIN Guide has become an international benchmark in fine dining.
All restaurants in the Guide are recommended by MICHELIN’s anonymous inspectors, who are trained to apply the same time-tested methods used by MICHELIN inspectors for many decades throughout the world. This ensures a uniform, international standard of excellence. As a further guarantee of complete objectivity, MICHELIN inspectors pay all their bills in full, and only the quality of the cuisine is evaluated.
To fully assess the quality of a restaurant, the inspectors apply five criteria defined by MICHELIN: product quality; mastery of cooking techniques; harmony of flavors; the personality of the chef as reflected in the cuisine; and consistency over time and across the entire menu. These criteria guarantee a consistent and fair selection so a Starred restaurant has the same value regardless of whether it is in Paris, New York or anywhere else in the world.
About TravelSouth USA
Travel South USA is America’s oldest and largest regional travel promotion organization, formed in 1965 by a resolution presented at the Southern Governor’s Conference. The long-standing regional collaboration of the state tourism offices of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia provides a foundation to positively position tourism as a vital and dynamic element in the region’s economic development. Tourism ranks throughout the region as one of the top industries behind manufacturing and agriculture, and is responsible for $220 billion in spending by visitors, generating 1.56 million direct jobs, and more than $15.5 billion in state and local taxes.
About Asheville
Asheville is where unrivaled natural beauty and bold creative expression meet. Tucked away in the majestic Blue Ridge Mountains, the city is steps away from some of the world’s most biodiverse forests and the tallest peaks in the East. For generations, Asheville has nurtured and inspired a compassionate community that’s deeply rooted and ever evolving – just like the ancient French Broad River that runs through it.
Asheville’s culinary scene is known as “Foodtopia” because of its deeply interconnected ecosystem of growers, makers and chefs whose collaboration regularly brings Asheville’s food culture to new heights. Deeply rooted in Southern Appalachian foodways, yet continuously evolving and diversifying, Foodtopia is an ever-expanding movement that nourishes, surprises and inspires. Since 2010, Asheville chefs and restaurants have garnered 37 James Beard nominations and three national wins: restaurants Chai Pani and Cúrate, and chef Ashleigh Shanti’s "Our South: Black Food Through My Lens - A Cookbook.”
