The story of how Asheville became a culinary destination will come to life during a lunch and learn presentation, The History of Food in Asheville, led by Heath Towson, Asheville historian and proprietor of Mountaineer Motor Tours. The event will be held Wednesday, August 26, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Hatchworks Coworking on South French Broad in downtown Asheville.
The History of Food in Asheville is part city planning history, architectural history, and culinary exploration. The story of Asheville’s food history begins around 1886, when Asheville’s first modern hotel — the Battery Park Hotel — was built by Col. Frank Coxe. The glamorous hotel offered steam heat, running water, Otis Elevators and a fine restaurant where locals went to celebrate special occasions. It was a stay at this hotel, along with its stunning view of the mountains, that attracted George Vanderbilt to build his Biltmore Estate in Asheville.
In the 1920s, there was a building frenzy as the town’s population quickly grew. This included new houses, hotels, and restaurants to cater to a growing tourist trade and new residents.
As the adoption of the automobile became more commonplace, areas of the city like Tunnel Road and Patton Avenue catered to the car in the postwar era. Tunnel Road became an area for teenagers to cruise to drive-in restaurants like Buck’s Drive-In, Wink’s, Babe Malloy’s. It also became home to a new restaurant that would eventually put all of them out of business — McDonalds…