Bailey is a master of wood-fired cooking and has a passion for sourcing ingredients from local farmers and foragers. She is currently most inspired by cooking with live fire, networking with local food vendors and encouraging aspiring chefs to hone their craft. 

Cousler, a Filipinx lifelong Southern resident chef who has cooked in Manila, Quezon City, Tokyo, New York, Los Angeles, and Mexico City. Food and identity are not separate, and they have landed right where they began: between the American South and the Philippines.

J Chong is originally from Toronto and worked for James Beard nominated chef Katie Button for almost 5 years before starting her own company in 2020. J is passionate about bringing Cantonese food to WNC, selling at local farmers markets, leading cooking classes and private dinners.

Shanti’s cuisine pays homage to the rich African-American culinary traditions of Southern Appalachia and honors her own history as a Southern, African-American woman—integrating new food techniques and methods, while looking back to history to reclaim lost traditions.

After eating a coconut pop in FL that made her nostalgic for her childhood in Puerto Rico, she immediately started testing recipes for her signature flavor, coconut cinnamon. Before she knew it, Neomi was the proud owner of a small BIPOC woman-owned gourmet ice pop business in Asheville.

Third-generation Ashevillian and CEO at JAWBREAKING Creative. In his role, he acts as editor-in-chief of jawbreaking.xyz (a content platform dedicated to intersectional storytelling) and as the head of his marketing agency.

The Campaign for Southern Equality is working to build a South where LGBTQ people are equal in every part of life. Al deepens and expands CSE’s community and works with commitments to racial equity and mobilizing resources.

Adrian is a non-binary, latinx individual who uses they, he, and she pronouns. They have been the executive director of Youth OUTright since 2018. They are honored to build power with the queer youth of WNC, cultivating a culture of consent, equity and compassion from a youth centered lens.

I use they/them/elle pronouns and I am from Hendersonville, NC. I support the growth and leadership of our SONG membership across the South. I have a strong commitment to building autonomous and dignified community away from policing and prisons.

Spike is a non-binary, Black individual using they/them pronouns only. As the YPM Spike oversees the designing and implementation of all and everything programmatic and acts as one of the bridges for communications in the organization. 

East Fork is a vessel. We make ceramic dinnerware with regional materials and a whole lot of integrity in Asheville, NC.

Cheney Brothers is family owned and operated, in its fourth generation. What truly drives many family businesses is the sense of connection and identity the owners and their family members feel with the business – it runs deep.

Dry Ridge Farm is a small-scale diversified family farm that produces high – quality, humanely raised beef, pork, and eggs in Mars Hill, NC. We raise our animals on pasture with an emphasis on sustainability, environmental stewardship, transparency, and animal welfare.

We work hard, keep it simple, and bring happiness to you by delivering delicious glass bottle milk, 100% Grassfed Milk and other wholesome products to your business each week. 

C.F. Gollott & Son Seafood is a four-generation company proudly committed to a product of premium quality. Wild caught shrimp packed under our name will always be fresh and will always be 100 percent domestic.

At Hickory Nut Gap we value and respect the complex relationships between humans and nature. By using regenerative agriculture and ethical animal welfare practices, Hickory Nut Gap produces the highest-quality, best-tasting meats to ensure we all thrive from the ground up.

At Manchester Farms, we pride ourselves on raising happy, healthy quail, providing value and excellent service to our customers, and continuing our legacy as a second generation family farm. Started in the 1970s, Manchester Farms is the oldest quail farm in the nation.

The Chesapeake once again enjoys its place among the great oyster regions of the world - this time, on a foundation of sustainability. For our part in that, we’re immensely proud of our history and our amazing and irreplaceable staff.

The sourcing, selection, and blending process is personally curated by the master of spices himself, Meherwan Irani, five-time James Beard nominated chef and founder of Chai Pani Restaurant Group, along with his culinary team led by chef de cuisine, James Grogan.

As an heirloom rice its origins trace back to 1685 when a ship merchant hailing from Madagascar used its load of rice to pay for ship repairs in Charleston, SC. The Tidewater Grain company is proud that after a 120-year hiatus, Carolina Gold rice production is back in Eastern NC.

US Foods is one of America’s great food companies and a leading foodservice distributor, partnering with approximately 300,000 restaurants and foodservice operators to help their businesses succeed.

Local Bottled Spring Water from the Blue Ridge Mountains of NC

Burial’s mission is to innovate and elevate with intention in the craft beverage and hospitality industries. Embracing an intentional, revivalist approach, we infuse our brands, products and experiences with storylines that celebrate artistry, history, and a reverence for quality.

Farm-To-Can Craft Soda. We pride ourselves on working with Organic Roots & Fruits to create a healthier, more flavorful non-alcoholic experience for everyone in our communities.

Eda Rhyne Distillery is dedicated to producing exceptional small batch spirits that capture the creative, hardworking spirit of Southern Appalachia. We source local heirloom corn, grains and botanicals that give a uniquely North Carolina flavor to our spirits. 

Haw River Wine Man has quietly compiled an Italian wine portfolio that stands out in NC and SC. With a firm belief that wine is an every day beverage the company strives to bring the consumer the best values possible by sourcing wine direct from the producer.

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We were born on a bike. The rest is history. For almost 30 years we have crafted beers while proving that business can be a force for good.

At the distillery, we leverage the power of everyday choices. To us, that means building relationships with local farmers and suppliers to create award-winning, truly local gin and whiskey. 

Conviviality is about how we do business – bringing our passion to work every day and living by our values of openness, simplicity, collaboration and entrepreneurship. We are constantly innovating to ensure our customers have the right spirit to match every moment of conviviality.

Loosely inspired by the Roman plebeian community who worshipped the gods of agriculture, fertility, and viticulture we too seek to represent cultivators past and present who brought grapes to glass – farmers, harvesters, winemakers.

We hope you enjoy our SAVOR’s aperitif shrub bitters as much as we do. Each batch is made, fermented, pressed, and bottled by hand in very small, 8 gallon batches. SAVOR is always small-batch, handmade, with love. Thanks for the opportunity to share tasty beverages with you! Cheers!

Smoky Park Supper Club is a gathering place for friends and family, locals and visitors, and everyone in between. It is a restaurant and event space alongside the French Broad river on close to two acres of land in the River Arts District in Asheville, North Carolina.

We choose only the best coffees. Roast them to perfection. Our coffee is fresh, balanced, sweet and vibrant. We love what we do and do it with love. Environmentally conscious and ethically sourced to help out everyone along the way. 

Found a rusty old cast iron pan in your basement and don’t know what to do with it. I can bring it back to life for you. I’m always on the hunt for new pieces and sell some of my most awesome finds at local events and tailgate markets.