The interest in cooking up products sourced from local farms, and often uniquely tied to our place’s climate or culture, has been steadily growing among restauranteurs. The turning point came in the 1980s when the height of culinary fashion was to creatively combine exotic and unusual ingredients shipped from all over the world. Along came Alice Waters of Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California. Ms. Waters is widely credited with changing the course of food service everywhere by creating spectacular, often simple dishes, using only what was fresh and in season within a half-day’s drive of the restaurant. Twenty years later, you still need to call a month in advance to get a table at Chez Panisse, and chefs everywhere are looking up farmers in their local food guides.
Western North Carolina is no exception to this trend. At www.appalachiangrown.org you can find 26 restaurants from Waynesville to Boone that, as ASAP Local Food Campaign Partners, have made the pledge to buy from local farms. I recently ate at three of these farm-fresh dining destinations. Here’s what I found.

ROSETTA’S KITCHEN, ASHEVILLE, NC
The Scoop: Vegetarian Home Cooking. Pile your plate with basic veggie comforts like rice, beans, veggie burgers, smashed potatoes, greens, and gravy, and often escape for under $5.
What’s Local: Avoiding the wishy-washy “we buy local when we can” menu statement, Rosetta’s tells it like it really is, posting on the chalkboard daily what’s local, what’s organic, and (by omission) what’s not. Rosetta’s buys lots of produce from Fairview’s Hickory Nut Gap farm, and even sources its sprouts from local producers.
Who’s Eating: 15-25 year-olds; political activists; friendly faces. You’re more likely to be talked to by a stranger here than just about any sit-down restaurant in town. The only time lately I’ve been mistaken for a drug dealer was at Rosetta’s.
Those Little Extras: Very late night hours six days a week; the young-and-hip can enter from Lexington while squares like me sneak in from more mundane North Broadway; a great selection of beer; make friends at the long communal table or sit alone; bicycle delivery to the downtown area.
The Basics: Located at 116 N. Lexington and 111 N. Biltmore. Open Noon to 2 a.m. Tuesday through Thursday and Noon to 4 a.m. Friday through Sunday. Phone 828-232-0738.

SEASON’S RESTAURANT, HIGHLAND LAKE INN, HENDERSONVILLE, NC
The Scoop: Big plates of creative but comfortable high cuisine for the $20-per-entrée crowd, served up picture-perfect. Where’s the Southern Living photographer when you need her? That Fresh Herb Dusted Mountain Trout Topped with an Organic Summer Vegetable Ragout and Balsamic Drizzle is just waiting for its moment in the spotlight.
What’s Local: Many items are snagged from the Inn’s own organic garden or bought from growers like Hendersonville’s Hal Oliver.
Who’s Eating: Inn guests, plus retirees and second-home Hendersonvillians. Feels eerily similar to the dining room of every nice restaurant in the state of Florida, which is a fine break from the usual here in Western NC. The Inn hosts many weddings; don’t get seated near a noisy drunken rehearsal dinner.
Those Little Extras: The kind of place where even the butter tastes special; fancy but kid-friendly (a rare but much-needed combination); take a walk to the lovely vegetable garden after dinner and get yelled at by the resident peacock.
The Basics: Located at 180 Highland Lake Road, Flat Rock. Open 7:30 to 9:30 am, 11 am to 2:30 pm, and 5 to 9 pm on Monday through Saturday; 10 am to 2 pm and 5:30 to 8 pm on Sunday. Phone 828-693-6812.

THE MARKETPLACE, ASHEVILLE, NC
The Scoop: Urban and sophisticated, The Marketplace’s food walks the line between theatre and simplicity. At $30 per person, the 3-course Rose Plate (available before 6:30) with a flight of wine pairings will make you tingle all over and not leave you completely broke. Chef Mark Rosenstein has kept this place alive and thriving for 25 years, no small miracle in the ever-changing restaurant business.
What’s Local: In the height of the growing season, ninety percent of the produce served comes from local farms, but don’t be surprised to find it paired with Alaskan Wild Salmon or Hawaiian Grey Snapper. Kitchen staff show up early at area farmer’s markets, and walk away with bushels of baby squash and baskets brimming with fennel bulbs. Cheese and meat products are often local, too. Chef Rosenstein recently held a country ham tasting and the panelists unanimously chose a small farm product from Tennessee. In summer you’ll find this “prosciutto of the South” paired with melon or figs in a twist on the classic appetizer.
Who’s Eating: Couples out for special evenings, tourists, food snobs.
Those Little Extras: Watch the kitchen staff in action from the cobblestones on Wall Street; get pampered by the waiter, who appears with a new warm roll the moment you finished the last one and uses phrases like “I will now call for your next course.”
The Basics: Located at 20 Wall Street, Asheville. Open for dinner from 5:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday; open seasonally on Sundays. Phone 828-252-4162.

Peter Marks is the Local Food Campaign Coordinator for the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP). Contact him at 828-236-1282 or peter@asapconnections.org.

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