Lost Restaurants of Asheville - (American Palate) by Nan Chase (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Asheville has been a restaurant town for two centuries, since stagecoaches arrived bringing the first tourists. Neighborhood cafés and busy lunch counters, raucous roadhouses and white-linen dining rooms provided the backdrop for much of Asheville's development as a world-class foodie destination. Some, like the Stockyard Cafe and Three Brothers Restaurant, have vanished without a trace, while others, including the Art Deco S&W Cafeteria and the Woolworth soda fountain, are easy to spot because they have barely changed. Longtime residents will recognize recipes for Rabbit's apple cinnamon pork chops and High Tea Café's Eggnog Colbert. Author Nan K. Chase reveals the hidden history of Asheville's restaurants, including the struggles of desegregation and the decades when downtown Asheville was almost dead.

Review Quotes

That hard-working legacy runs through all of the successful restaurants of the past. Sit back and read a while. It's guaranteed to give you renewed appreciation for all the Asheville restaurant owners and staffs--past and present. The 828

After reading this book, you will have a new appreciation for boththe past and the originalities that continue to define Asheville. Carolina Mountain Life

The book's inclusion of social history lends weight to a topic that might have otherwise been forgettable. With it, Chase offers an interwoven and complex tale that is both unique to Asheville and reflective of the country at large.But along with an honest look back, Lost Restaurants of Asheville is also a celebration of the city's culinary scene and the sense of community each former establishment created. Through this lens, the book reads as an extended toast to the entrepreneurial spirit and work ethic of Asheville's bakers, bartenders, owners and chefs -- past and present. Mountain Xpress

Lost Restaurants of Asheville (The History Press, 2019) travels "from diners to fine dining" and covers an amazing range of eateries along the way, with many of them illustrated with archival photos, menus, and advertisements. Longtime Asheville residents and visitors will marvel at the level of detail and care Chase brought to this work, which will surely recast the city's food history to be both more expansive and inclusive. WNC Magazine

About the Author

Award-winning investigative reporter Nan K. Chase has written for the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and Miami Herald, as well as for magazines including Air & Space, Atlanta Magazine and Blue Ridge Country. She is the author of Asheville: A History and several other books. Nan is an avid gardener and shares her work @drinktheharvest.