As Wendell Berry notes, “eating is an agricultural act.” When we make choices about what we eat we directly affect the landscape where we live. When we eat locally grown food we vote for a local landscape that includes farms. Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP) wants to make it easier for people concerned with the loss of local farms, and who want to eat the freshest and healthiest food, to find restaurants, grocers, and other sources of locally grown food. The ASAP Get Fresh – Buy Appalachian program asks local businesses to purchase food from local farmers and to support local farmers by increasing their purchases whenever possible. All ASAP partners are listed in the Local Food Guide and on-line at www.BuyAppalachian.org. Businesses that make an exceptional effort to support local farms (while serving the freshest food!) will be profiled here.
Good Fortune Oriental Restaurant is located in the most unlikely place. Situated next to Radio Shack in the K-Mart Plaza in Waynesville, Good Fortune serves organic locally grown food to those lucky enough to know about this gem. But the secret is getting out, as more and more people taste the difference that comes from eating fresh and organic food. Good Fortune is a family-owned business, and the whole family lends a hand. Janet Green, with her husband Ivan and daughter Abigail, create a family atmosphere that includes the customers at the restaurant. “My customers are all like family,” says Green.
Janet Green was born in Malaysia and speaks six languages. After spending 16 years working in Asian restaurants she went out on her own, and with Ivan, opened Good Fortune Restaurant. Janet appreciates good food and knows that the freshest food is local. She is also committed to organic and serves as much as possible in her expansive buffet bar. Vegetarian and Vegan foods are the theme on Wednesday evening and Sunday lunch, when the bar is full of food from local organic farms. On Fridays Good Fortune has a “Spice of the World” buffet, featuring vegetarian and meat dishes from around the world, all with local and organic ingredients when available. Janet gets her produce from local farms like Frog Holler Organiks, Mountain Harvest Organics and the Waynesville tailgate market. “It is so fun (shopping at the tailgate market). It is fun to see all the farmers. Many are now my buddies,” says Green. Several farmers are now her customers.
Janet Green has made the effort to seek out local sources of food because she knows that local foods are fresher and grown for flavor. The whole Green family is committed to supporting local farms and go out of their way to make sure that they feature as much local food as possible. Good Fortune will soon be featuring local trout, along with its list of wonderful dishes, like the Red Chile Bamboo Tofu with organic basil and red and yellow peppers, soups, fresh organic salads, meat and vegetarian dishes, tofu with spicy black bean sauce, Mongolian potatoes, egg rolls, plenty of edamame. Don’t miss this opportunity to eat the freshest organic food while helping support local farms.

Good Fortune is located at 1187 Russ Avenue, K-mart shopping center, in Waynesville, NC. Their phone number is 828-452-3773.

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