Welcome to AIR’s blog! Here you will find profiles of chefs, farmers, foodies and friends. Comments on issues and ideas. And recipes and tips. We will try to keep you up to date on the latest Asheville culinary scene news, as well. Got something you’d like to see posted? Contact us.
BRSI Green Restaurant Education Forum
Written by Amy Garcia on January 01, 2012
2012 Progress Energy Rebates, New Refrigeration Lines, Building Efficiency and the new Codes
Followed by Restaurant Peer to Peer Exchange: The Certification Process, Sharing Lessons Learned
A brief progress update will be provided by members of the Blue Ridge Sustainability Institute- and new opportunities for collaboration in 2012.
AIR RESTAURANTS CLOSER TO GREEN CERTIFICATION
Written by Justin Belleme on December 28, 2011
SOLAR PANELS INSTALLED AROUND THE CITY
Asheville Independent Restaurants are reaching a milestone as the year draws to a close in completing an important stage in the green restaurant initiative. A significant number of AIR restaurants participating in the green restaurant certification, have either completed or are in midst of installations of solar panels for hot water usage. The installation is the latest step toward a grant project in the works since mid-2011 in conjunction with Blue Ridge Sustainability Institute (BRSI).
Awarded from the North Carolina Board of Science and Technology’s Green Business Fund through a unique partnership with the Asheville Independent Restaurant (AIR) Association, the $258,000 grant will improve the environmental sustainability and economic success of 17 AIR member restaurants. In addition, the BRSI/AIR partnership, a major component of BRSI’s Regional Energy Upfit Campaign, will provide the foundation for Asheville as a Green Dining Destination™ city, attracting tourism and promoting job creation and economic development in the region. The funding will enhance the restaurants’ efforts to increase use of renewable energy, improve energy efficiency and promote energy conservation in support of achieving Green Certified Restaurant® status through the national Green Restaurant Association.
“It is very exciting to be part of this grant and the movement of AIR restaurants to become greener and have less of an impact on our environment,” said Peter Pollay, owner of Posana Café /AIR Board Treasurer and Green Team member.“Asheville has had a long standing outlook on pro-sustainability and AIR restaurants want to do our part to support that effort.”
AIR members included in the grant and working toward or have completed GRA certification are Bouchon, Burgermeister’s, The French Broad Chocolate Lounge, The Corner Kitchen, The Green Sage downtown (Completed), Green Sage south, Fiores downtown, Fiores south location, Frankie Bones, Homegrown, Laughing Seed Café, Jack of the Wood, Luella’s BBQ, Tupelo Honey Café downtown (Completed), Tupelo Honey Café south location (Completed), Neo Cantina, and Rosetta’s Kitchen. AIR member Posana Café in downtown Asheville, the first certified restaurant in NC, also participated in the grant and is one of only eight existing GRA certified restaurants in North Carolina. Four of the eight restaurants are in Asheville, Posana Café, Tupelo Honey Café (both downtown and south locations) and The Green Sage, downtown.
The Asheville Independent Restaurant Association is committed to the local economy, local businesses, and local philanthropies. For more information about becoming a member, associate member or sponsor of the Asheville Independent Restaurants, please contact info@airasheville.org, or visit www.airasheville.org.
AIR Offers December Holiday Passport Promotion
Written by Amy Garcia on December 01, 2011
Asheville Independent Restaurants (AIR) is offering a special promotion during the month of December for its popular dining Passport, which is a coupon booklet representing over $1000 in dining savings. Normally $50, the promotion is extended to include bulk purchases with a minimum of 10 at $45 per book, and with more than 20, the price is dropped to $40 per book. “For individuals and companies looking to offer a unique local gift over the holidays, this is something that can be used for a full year, as well as the added value of helping support our local restaurants,” says Anthony Cerrato, AIR Board President.
Participating restaurants include: Avenue M, Blue Ridge Dining Room , Blue Water Seafood , Boca, Bouchon, Chai Pani, Chef Mo , Chelseas Tea Room, City Bakery, Corner Kitchen, Creperie Bouchon, Curate Tapas Bar, Dining Innovations, Fiore’s Ristorante Toscana, Frankie Bones , The French Broad Chocolate Lounge , The Green Sage, Homegrown , Horizons Dining Room, Jack of Hearts, Jack of the Wood, Laughing Seed , Lexington Avenue Brewery, The Lobster Trap, Luella’s Bar-B-Que, Mamacitas, The Market Place, Mela Indian Restaurant , Neo Cantina , Olive or Twist , Pack’s Tavern , Pomodoros , Sunset Terrace , Tupelo Honey, Ultimate Ice Cream, Vincenzo’s and Vinnies Neighborhood Italian.
Order individual passports here! To order in bulk please email info@airasheville.org.Restaurant Holiday Schedules
Written by Amy Garcia on November 01, 2011
Check out our list holiday hours at AIR member restaurants!
Explanation of 2011 Taste of Asheville Pricing
Written by Amy Garcia on October 26, 2011
We have received several inquiries about the Taste of Asheville concerning the details involved behind the ticket pricing of the event. We appreciate everyone’s support over the years past and felt it necessary to honor these concerns with a genuine, whole-hearted response. After evaluating the ticket price for our event in years past, we found that the value of what AIR was offering was not adequately represented. Our reasoning in this decision lies in the following areas:
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Keeping in mind that this is a fundraiser for our scholarship fund we looked at other successful events that had the similar goal of providing to our community. We found that AIR was offering more value for a ticket price that did not represent the benefits received.
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The cost of hosting the event has risen and since our goal is to continue to fund the scholarship at least at the previous level we found that we had to increase the ticket price to make this happen.
AIR is committed to our “Chef’s of Tomorrow” Scholarship at AB Tech, as well as other local charities to which we donate. We want our event to be successful so that we can better support those students who comprise our culinary future. We felt that a ticket price of $70/person for excellent food (37 restaurants), wine (5 distributors) and the beer of local craft breweries was a very fair price.
The Passport, the other half of our fundraiser, sells for $50 and offers $1000 in restaurant savings, which is a significant deal! Remember each of the restaurants giving the discount are doing so hundreds of times over which adds up to quite a generous donation to our scholarship program. Please remember that AIR restaurants donate tens of thousands of dollars each year to many local charities, through food, gift certificates and cash donations. This fundraiser is put on by restaurants that give so much of their energy, time and devotion to the Asheville community.
We hope this explanation helps you make your decision to support our fundraising mission, and that you will choose to attend this year’s Taste of Asheville. We would love to have you!