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Plant – A Paragon of Plant-Based Cuisine in Asheville, NC!

Posted by Danielle Bussone on Feb 7, 2014 in Asheville, NC, Eclectic, I-240, I-26, I-40, Organic and/or Non-GMO, Plant, Vegan | 4 comments

By Danielle Bussone

Plant-based is the name of the game in this all vegan restaurant in Asheville, NC. Everything in this restaurant is plant-based, hence the name, Plant. There are no animal products of any kind available in this cruelty-free, environmentally friendly and health conscious establishment. Of particular note, there are no genetically modified products in any of the foods prepared at Plant.

Plant Interior

Plant management has made a commitment to use only the finest ingredients available. Therefore, much of what you are served will be organic, to the extent it is available, and are sourced as much as possible from local farmers. Chef and co-owner, Jason Sellers, is fanatical about finding organic, quality ingredients. He has been instrumental in convincing other local chefs to buy organic products so that food venders will readily carry them. (more…)

Fern – Flavors From The Garden – A Vegetarian Gem In Charlotte, NC

Posted by Danielle Bussone on Feb 5, 2014 in Charlotte, NC, Eclectic, Fern, I-277, I-77, I-85, Organic and/or Non-GMO, Vegetarian/Vegan Friendly | 0 comments

by Danielle Bussone

The first time we visited Fern was during the Charleston Vegetarian Festival last summer. It was a blistering day and our beloved monster, Phoenix, was feeling the heat. We noticed the building as we were driving through town and it happened to be within walking distance of the festival. With covered out-door seating and entirely vegetarian, it seemed to be just the ticket. Phoenix settled down at the foot of our table and the waitress was kind enough to fill her dish with water. I had the Om Burger and I cannot for the life of me remember what Rich had. I can tell you that it was all delicious and I am filled with guilt every time I think about it. We had every intention of writing a review of Fern then but as it sometimes happens, life got in the way and Fern continued to slip farther back on our “to do” list. Recently, en-route to Charleston we decided to give Fern another try.

Fern: Flavors From The Garden Vegetarian Restaurant

Fern: Flavors From The Garden Vegetarian Café

Fern is a charming café with lots of tables and bustling activity. When we were seated we were brought a glass of water infused with cucumbers. This was an unexpected and delightfully refreshing treat! I remember how welcome that was on our parched first visit to Fern.

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Veggin’ Out at Mooney’s Mediterranean Café in Winston-Salem, NC!

Posted by Danielle Bussone on Jan 29, 2014 in I-40, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Winston-Salem | 0 comments

by Laura Blankenship

Step into Mooney’s off of fourth street in Winston-Salem and the first thing you’ll notice is the chic interior for such a quaint little café. Actually, if you’re there during the middle of lunch, like my dining partner and I, the first thing you’ll notice is that it’s jam-packed and you’ll worry about your chances of getting a table. Luckily we snagged one of two vacant ones in the house; business is bustling and turnover is fast during lunch, where mostly business people from downtown are on their lunch breaks.

Mooney’s Mediterranean Café In Winston-Salem, NC
Interior

During lunch, customers order at the counter from the menu above it written in chalk on a blackboard. With tons of options–vegan, vegetarian, and meaty, too–in small handwriting and the long line that was moving fast, I didn’t have long to deliberate and quickly picked something that sounded vegan and delicious: the Tempeh Pita.

Mooney’s Tempeh Pita

During my lengthy conversation with owner Ameen David, I learned that my wrap was developed by a strict vegan employee, Stephen (minus his consumption of two eggs a week per doctor’s orders, Ameen recalls). The Tempeh Pita isn’t the only menu item developed by his employees. Leah, one of Mooney’s servers, and her boyfriend, a chef at a neighboring downtown restaurant, suggested that Ameen start using olive oil rather than butter in the couscous when they became vegan. He listened. And every time his wife saw him, Ameen says, he was eating this sandwich that wasn’t on the menu. “What is that?” she asked. Thus the Falafel Burger, the brainchild of an employee named Scott, was born.

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Natural Imports of Asheville, NC is the Go To Market for Authentic Japanese Culinary Fare

Posted by Danielle Bussone on Nov 19, 2013 in Asheville, NC, Features, Grocers, I-240, I-26, I-40, Living Plant-Strong! Profiles & Articles, Organic and/or Non-GMO | 0 comments

By Danielle Bussone

Once in a blue moon I’ll discover a truly unique gem of a resource that I simply feel duty bound to share with the world. Natural Imports of Asheville, NC, is one such discovery. Natural Imports is a purveyor of traditional Japanese culinary products of the highest caliber. Great care is taken to assure excellence, offering foods of a medicinal quality, prepared in time honored traditions by skilled Japanese craftsmen. Mass production and quicker, low-quality methods are threatening the livelihoods of these Japanese artisans, who prepare foods using the principal of Ishoku Dogen, “medicine and food have the same source.” You’ll find no mass market food and no arsenic laden Chinese seaweed here, only traditionally crafted products and sea vegetables grown in deep waters of Japan, protected for centuries with organic, sustainable practices.

Natural Imports Interior

Bruce MacDonald, now semi-retired, is the founder of Natural Imports. His daughter, Crystal, has been his partner and business manager since its inception in 1993, since she was 19 years old. Crystal speaks fluent Japanese and is a wealth of information about all aspects of how the seaweed is harvested, the medicinal and nutritional ingredients of every product, the sustainability practices of her suppliers and any glitch that effects the ecosystem and thereby affecting the quality of their products. She is a dynamic powerhouse who stays on top of all issues pertaining to Natural Imports.

Crystal MacDonald

Crystal essentially grew up in the business. Her parents divorced when she was young and she spent summers working at Commodities, a Japanese import store Bruce owned in New York City, where she learned about Japanese food. Bruce had previously worked for Erehwon in Boston, which was the original importer of natural foods in the US and subsequently for Erehwon West in California and later for Bread and Circus, which was sold to become the original Whole Foods Market.

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Cam Ranh Bay in Banner Elk

Posted by Danielle Bussone on Aug 21, 2013 in Asian, Banner Elk, NC, Fusion, Vietnamese | 0 comments

by Danielle Bussone

One of the most delightful eateries you’ll find in the High Country is a Vietnamese/Japanese restaurant in Banner Elk, NC. Vietnamese native, Nancy Nguyen, moved to the mountains eleven years ago and now considers Banner Elk home. Since immigrating to the US after the Vietnam War, Nancy has worked in both Vietnamese and Japanese restaurants and knows both cuisines well.

Until recently, Cam Ranh Bay was known as Tokyo Express. Nancy changed it’s name to reflect her origins, having grown up in the town of Cam Ranh Bay, Viet Nam.

Vietnamese Sweet & Sour Soup

I first became acquainted with Cam Ranh Bay when I attended a dinner for Nancy created for our vegan group, VegBoone, of 49 attendees. The food was amazing and the service flawless. To illustrate how much the community embraces Nancy, several Banner Elk residents showed up to work as voluntary servers for the event! We recently held another event at her restaurant and it was even better than the first, if that’s possible.

Vegan Sushi Rolls

Nancy also has a great deal of experience working with plant-based clientele. She worked at a Vietnamese restaurant in Boston where all employees were required to be vegan. She is fully versed in the concerns of the plant-based diner. (more…)

Canyons Is Now Veg-Friendly!

Posted by Danielle Bussone on Aug 14, 2013 in American, Blowing Rock, NC | 0 comments

by Danielle Bussone

Canyons is located in Blowing Rock, NC. When I say it is right off Highway 321, I mean it is right off 321. Continue past the road into Blowing Rock until the highway curves to the left. Steer slightly to the right and you’ll find yourself in Canyon’s parking lot.

The restaurant stretches precariously on the precipice of John River’s Gorge with a sheer drop of nearly 2,000 feet. The view extends 12 miles across five mountain ranges including the view sought after by most tourists to this region, Grandfather Mountain.

The last time I dined at Canyons, I was not a vegan. The food was quite good though I don’t remember a plant-based option. The fare was gourmet sandwiches and classic burgers and fries.

Many years have passed since then and times have changed. Canyons now offers a delicious plant-based menu with daily specials which can be tailored to be vegan at prices which are more than reasonable. The requisite salads and soup of the day are always offered, however, we went straight to the heart of the menu. (more…)