ASHEVILLE – Asheville’s culinary creatives know no boundaries, opting to take their dining experiences on the road and deliver memorable feasts through casual and formal pop-up events.
Chefs have found that not being confined to traditional dining room settings or standard restaurant operations allows them to offer one-of-a-kind experiences that authentically reflect their personalities and cooking styles.
Chef Luis Martinez, a native of Oaxaca, Mexico, will host a one-day pop-up at Botanist and Barrel in Asheville on July 9.
Whether at a vineyard in the mountains or taking over a brick-and-mortar restaurant’s kitchen after hours, pop-ups enable chefs to showcase their skills and express their vision with minimal limitations through specially curated menus.
“Most times, pop-ups are done by people who don’t have brick-and-mortars but are super talented chefs or people who are passionate about their craft, so I encourage people to attend a pop-up,” said Chef J Chong.
The intimate format also allows chefs and guests to interact in ways that are not always achievable during a restaurant’s daily flow.
“It’s something that’s not going to happen all the time, and something that you have to live in the moment. … It’s something magical,” said Chef Luis Martinez.
Shake up the way you dine out in the Asheville area. Follow these mobile culinary artists and plan to attend these upcoming à la carte pop-ups and seated dinner series events.
Modern mountain food
Chefs Brooke Adams and Mallory Foster have teamed up on recurring “Brooke and Mal” pop-up events, featuring a rotating, seasonally driven menu of local food inspired by various cultures, countries and experiences.
“We like to make familiar food, food that resonates with people and brings back memories. Then we put our own little spin on it,” Foster said.
Chefs Brooke Adams and Mallory Foster host pop-ups offering familiar dishes with a twist. In May, they served gourmet hot dogs at Addison Farms Vineyard in Leicester.
On June 14, they will return to Addison Farms Vineyard, at 4005 New Leicester Hwy in Leicester, from 2-7 p.m. to serve an à la carte menu of shrimp toast, cucumber gazpacho, cucumber sandwich, spring roll and strawberry shortcake.
The shrimp toast will be made with fried scallions, milk bread, sesame, chili oil, panko and herbs.
Follow Adams and Foster at @mypalmalgal and @chefbadams on Instagram.
Cantonese cuisine in the Appalachians
Chef J Chong’s retail line of dumplings, chili oil and other ready-made dishes and condiments is a longtime farmers market hit. Her company, J Chong Eats, also hosts dinner series around town, showcasing custom menus that reflect her Chinese heritage and home in the Appalachians.
On June 24, Chong will partner with Pleb Urban Winery for a reunion dinner at 6 p.m. June 24 at The Funkatorium at Wicked Weed Brewing, 147 Coxe Ave. Tickets are $125 per person at jchongeats.com.
Chef J Chong hosts pop-up dining experiences and dinner series events, serving Cantonese cuisine made with Appalachian ingredients.
The event commemorates the chef and local winery’s revived partnership after Pleb’s River Arts District tasting room was decimated when the French Broad River rose to a historic 24.67 feet during Tropical Storm Helene last fall.
On June 29, Chong will collaborate with Pop Bubble Tea on a pop-up at 640 Merrimon Ave., featuring a bubble tea and ice cream special from The Hop Ice Cream. Admission is free, with menu items available for sale. For more, visit popbubbleteanc.com.
For more about J Chong Eats, follow @jchong_eats
Oaxacan, Mexico meals with Luis Martinez
When Luis Martinez isn’t serving street tacos and antojitos to guests at his restaurant, Taqueria Rosita in The Odd in West Asheville, he’s discovering other ways to spread the gospel of Oaxacan cuisine and culture with the masses.
Martinez often hosts pop-ups at local venues, like Botanist and Barrel’s downtown tasting room.
Luis Martinez’s menus feature Oaxacan cuisine made with Appalachian ingredients.
On June 26, Martinez will be the guest at Mr. Crisp’s Chef Collaboration Dinner at 6:30 p.m. at 1501 E. North St. in Greenville, South Carolina. Martinez and Chef Carlos Baez will prepare Oaxacan and Puerto Rican seafood-forward dishes, including ceviches and moles. Craft cocktails, mocktails and a curated wine pairing will be available for purchase. Tickets for the five-course dinner are $95 per person.
Martinez also owns Tequio Foods, a wholesale supplier of ancestral corn, beans and other ingredients grown by families in Oaxaca to chefs and restaurants across the U.S.
For more, visit tequiofoods.com and follow @luismartinezcreative and @taqueriarositaavl.
Tiana Kennell is the food and dining reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Tips, comments, questions? Email tkennell@citizentimes.com or follow @PrincessOfPage on Instagram/Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Dining out in Asheville: Chefs’ popping up in unconventional venues
