Appalachian Pride Drag Brunch
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 10th
11:00 am – 1:30 PM
SMOKY PARK SUPPER CLUB
ASHEVILLE, NC
>> Note: Free parking available on-site and in adjacent parking lot. More venue details HERE.
>> All attendees at this event must be 21+ years of age and show a government issued ID to verify.
Allison is a 5th generation Asheville/WNC local. She is a trans woman who advocates for LGBTQ Southerners as the Director of Impact & Innovation for the Campaign for Southern Equality. In 2018 she was chosen by USA Today to represent North Carolina in their 50 Faces of Pride for NC, and she has also been featured in The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Associated Press, NBC, The News & Observer, along with other national and statewide media. Allison’s career has spanned working in the corporate world to serving her community as a community organizer and bridge builder regarding equality for LGBTQ people at the local, state, and national level. Along with her work Allison currently serves on the advisory board for Caring for Children of Western North Carolina. She was recruited to serve as the Co-Chair for the Biden for President North Carolina LGBTQ+ Leadership Council, and participates in working sessions advocating for LGBTQ rights at both the regional level and with the US Department of Justice, the Department of Labor, and the EEOC.
Bill Smith is the author of two cookbooks and many articles and essays in various magazines and journals. In 2019 he retired, after twenty five years, as head chef at Crook’s Corner Restaurant in Chapel Hill, N.C. He has received nominations several times from the James Beard Foundation for Best Chef Southeast and served for six years on the board of the Southern Foodways Alliance. In 2021 he received the Craig Claiborne Lifetime Achievement Award from that organization.
Eleanor Sturm is a chef and pastaia (pasta maker) born and raised in East Tennessee. With a background in fine dining, she spent a number of years in Italy and New York developing a love and respect for the traditions and folklore of Italian cuisine. She is an avid grower and forager who puts land stewardship at the forefront of her culinary approach. Her pop up Terra is a concept built around a conversation between Southern Appalachia and the Northern Italian terroir. It is a celebration of local food-ways and the wild pantry of Southern Appalachia.
Kat Savage of SAVOR Shrub Bitters is a WNC native, passionate naturalist & foodie. She makes NA mixers in an homage to traditions of bitters & shrubs, and has been in herbalism for 20 yrs. Formerly co-owning & formulating for an herb school & tincture company, she taught herbs around the southeast.
Alexis “Lex” Walton is a NC native pastry chef who specializes in custom wedding cakes and dessert bars. Her business Layered by Lex was established in 2016 and she is currently the pastry chef at All Day Darling Café.
I am currently a pastry chef and sous chef at Eldr. I have enjoyed working my way around the culinary scene in Asheville for the last 4 years, we have a wonderful hospitality community. In my free time you can find me out in the sun, or cooking with my family of friends.
Samm is the owner of Matcha Nude, an ethical, sustainable, delicious and affordable organic matcha company helping people elevate their lives with easy recipes, tips + community.
Sera Cuni is the chef and owner of Cafe Root Cellar in Pittsboro and The Root Cellar Cafe and Catering in Chapel Hill. Classically trained in the culinary arts, Chef Sera launched her career in her home state of Connecticut, where she worked with restaurants Main and Hopewell, Americus on the Wharf, and Pastis, all in Connecticut. These early kitchen experiences helped to inform and influence the cuisine she loves to cook today – creative and flavorful dishes that reflect the vast diversity of foods across the Midwestern and Southern United States.A founding member of the North Carolina Chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier and a selected member of Sterling Silver’s Signature Chefs, Chef Sera devotes her free time to supporting other women culinary entrepreneurs and working with nonprofits to address food insecurity in North Carolina.
Shannon Healy owns the craft cocktail bar, Alley Twenty Six, in Durham, NC. In 2022, the restaurant was a finalist for Outstanding Bar Program in the James Beard awards. It was the first North Carolina bar or restaurant nominated in this category since it started in 2012.
Shanti Volpe is the owner of Shanti Elixirs, a company inspired by the honeybees + dedicated to nurturing the intimate connection between the health of our bodies + the wellbeing of our planet. Shanti + her hive accomplish this by crafting Jun, a sparkling probiotic beverage made with raw honey.
Sunil is a farmer and chef, growing food in West Asheville and cooking farm fresh food of all styles. He cooks with heart and love and has deep reverence for nourishing, authentic food experiences. Sunil offers catering, pop-up dinners, and private cheffing.
Viv Lee is the owner and chef of Leftie Lee’s, a bakery and sandwich shop in Avondale Estates, GA. Her professional background includes cooking and baking at notable restaurants in NYC, Boston, and Atlanta. Accolades include cooking at the James Beard House in NYC, winning Best Baked Good in Atlanta Pastry Live, and Best Pie at a local farmers market pie contest (Buttermilk Pie with Peaches and Blackberries).
Coffee you can trust from seed to cup.
We curate and roast coffees of exceptional quality with unmatched attention to social and environmental responsibility.
We pride ourselves on truth, integrity, and pure American spring water. Rising naturally from a spring in the Ouachitas, The Mountain Valley spring water filters through granite-based aquifers collecting all the pure, healthy, goodness from the land. Our water is sodium-free with a naturally detoxifying pH and rich blend of calcium, magnesium and potassium.
PURE SOURCE SINCE 1871
Mountain Valley is the same multiple award-winning clean, pure, premium American spring water it’s always been. Bottled right at the source, in The Ouachita Mountains, U.S.A since 1871
NEW BELGIUM’S APPROACH
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Rather than driving for maximum short-term profits at any cost, the Human Powered Business model supports healthy profit balanced with prioritized benefits for our people and planet – generating economic prosperity for all coworkers and supporting the needs of our communities and customers.
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We have plenty of room to grow and improve – but that’s why we built into our business model the incentive to act in a way that promotes fairness, transparency, inclusivity, individuality, healthy families, real work-life balance, environmental stewardship, and an unwavering commitment to craft across every aspect of our business.
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The result? We’re among the biggest and fastest-growing craft breweries in America. New Belgium didn’t lay off a single coworker as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. We enjoy incredibly low turnover and high engagement among our workforce. Our team comes to work every day invested in the quality of our product and the success of our company, because the company invests in the quality and success of their life everywhere we can.
With over 200 brands and sales in more than 180 countries, we offer something for every taste and celebration.
Our portfolio spans the spectrum of tastes and occasions, moving at pace with the latest trends. From much-loved, established brands to the latest innovations, we provide products, tastes and experiences for people to enjoy as part of celebrations big or small.
We are dedicated to one thing at Diamond Brand: practicing, preserving, and elevating the art of tent making. Since relocating to Asheville in 1942, we’ve been manufacturing and hiring locally, because we believe in reviving the craft of sewing. See what our customers have to say about our gear.
Got to Be NC is an initiative on behalf of the North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services to promote North Carolina agricultural products and goods. Our mission is to promote and expand markets for North Carolina agricultural products both domestically and internationally in support of our state’s $95+ billion plus food, fiber and forestry industries.
In 2005, the Goodness Grows in NC program was rebranded as Got to Be NC. From then to now, our work with North Carolina growers and agricultural organizations continues to raise the awareness and availability of North Carolina products to consumers both locally and around the world.
NEW BELGIUM’S APPROACH
-
Rather than driving for maximum short-term profits at any cost, the Human Powered Business model supports healthy profit balanced with prioritized benefits for our people and planet – generating economic prosperity for all coworkers and supporting the needs of our communities and customers.
-
We have plenty of room to grow and improve – but that’s why we built into our business model the incentive to act in a way that promotes fairness, transparency, inclusivity, individuality, healthy families, real work-life balance, environmental stewardship, and an unwavering commitment to craft across every aspect of our business.
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The result? We’re among the biggest and fastest-growing craft breweries in America. New Belgium didn’t lay off a single coworker as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. We enjoy incredibly low turnover and high engagement among our workforce. Our team comes to work every day invested in the quality of our product and the success of our company, because the company invests in the quality and success of their life everywhere we can.
Smoky Park Supper Club is a community-focused restaurant & bar in Asheville, NC’s River Arts District.
