Writer at Sequoyah National.
Nick Piastowski
I wonder about “Rev.”
Now that nickname, although it speaks of something more than its divine inspiration: It should benefit “Rev.” You weren't hailed as “Rev” on day one, and the “Reverend” who shepherded the golfers from his chair at the Black Mountain proshop seemed to be sitting there as the course's names were black bumps. There's little doubt, too, that he had heard all the golfers' stories about Donald Ross's 747-yard par-6 17th, so come to think of it, maybe “Rev” is “Rev” because so many golfers have come up to him to admit it. . they committed the deadly sins of pieces and hooks on the behemoth.
I think of Bebette's early morning maker.
At Bebette's, the sugary fried dough goes into your stomach like coffee: hot from the press, which is a total nod to the newspaper office across the street. Beignets are only served after being called here, and they can go the wrong way if you like, like a breakfast sandwich, which means you get two (2) beignets, which book a collection of eggs, cheese and bacon. But each treat is created for you – not at all reserved, certainly not opened – by the hands of an angel, the maker of the morning beignet.
I texted a few people, including Jen.
Jen runs Wicked Weed Brewing's mixed-culture (think sour beer), but she's also, at least by this account, the town's mayor. Everyone loves Jen, and Jen loves everyone, but there's room for more. To show this further, when the reporter was told that he wanted to drink nine beers in nine breweries during his four-day stay, he thought that since nine beers in each place, he did not blink and it was a game to challenge 81.
He replied to my message like this:
“Thank you for thinking of us! As you can imagine, everyone is busy trying to rebuild and make sure our teams have the resources they need. So far, everyone is good.”
Until now. That stuck with me.
That was October 1st, about a week after Hurricane Helene hit western North Carolina, which was almost two weeks after my first visit to Asheville, NC, when I wanted to discover if the town was a potential bonanza for the golf student. – already known around the world for its beer, Asheville seems to have a deceptively good golf course, and golf and beer go together like short grass on a golf green. Now, however, I was now seeing the terrible effects of Helene, and these things come in a different way when you can put them together— I went to [insert place that’s been affected] and I know [insert person who’s been affected], and I, in fact, had just been to Asheville. But I wasn't like that shut up. I came, I saw, I will write. But if you've ever been yourself, you know what's coming. Of course, it could be golf and beer Shangri-la, although for many reasons it is more than just golf and beer. To keep our theme flowing, Asheville is like a corner bar with open seating – and plenty of people who don't just want you to sit, they want to pick up the tab.
Like the bartender I met at Sierra Nevada, a California beer icon with an outpost near the Asheville airport. As I had my first pint here, someone told him what I was doing, and over their Pale Ale, we talked, Or did it. He had read GOLF Magazine. He told me about golf in the mountains of Asheville. He told me about the other breweries – that was a constant theme: Everyone wants you to stop at their place, not to mention don't forget about a dozen or so other stops, too. (According to a story published by wncmagazine.com late last year, there are 62 breweries in the greater Asheville area.) Let's see if I can remember the order of the breweries I went to. (My plan was to get nine beers from nine breweries, and to play 54 holes of golf, all of which are golf-friendly numbers.) Sierra Nevada. And Asheville Brewing, where it seemed like the big windows facing the street were always open. And Hi-Wire, which also had a tiki bar. And Bad Weed (more on them in a second.) And Terra Nova, who shared their space with a pizza joint. And Highland, the godfather of Asheville beer. And the burial, which was crowded on a rainy Thursday night. And New Belgium, another big name with an Asheville location. And Zillicoah, a favorite of almost everyone I spoke to, late last month posted the video below on their Instagram page.
I think about Ryan too. He is one of the founders of Wicked Weed, and he was one of the four people I played golf with in Asheville. Wicked Weed had sent me on a tour, and part of my idea was to have him act as a tour guide, which turned out to be great, since the Asheville native cared about his golf (he's a single-digit player) as much as our beer cooler. (Remarkably, he also tipped the beer cart well, knowing he brought his own brewing supplies to the center – I don't think I've ever seen that before.) One night, while we were talking about the overlap between beer and golf. , he ate in what he considered “the sweet spot” when playing and drinking (ie pre-round beer, followed by beer every four holes), what makes the best beer cart (food, but not just candy; a cocktail bar; and home beer and art) and the best way to shoot beer (from a tee, of course). On my own, I played Chestnut Mountain, which works well as a short-drive-from-the-airport track; together, we played the magnificent Sequoyah National Mountains and the aforementioned Black Mountain, where “Rev” was in charge of things. Chestnut and Sequoyah are back in business after Helene; on Thursday, there were no tee times available at Black Mountain, and no one answered the phone. You may also have seen this video of Broadmoor Golf Links.
I talked to Rachel.
He's the Wicked Weed media master who on day one took me to Asheville Brewing and Hi-Wire, where he filmed me drinking for a potential video and told me one of Asheville's beer secrets: its water. But for the purposes of this story, he is a firm believer in the area. Almost every day, he's been sharing ways you can help, and I asked him for his list, and you can find that below, along with some of his thoughts.
He also wrote this:
Rachel Dudasik
Here's another reminder: Visit. See that things are fixed, and play golf, eat food and drink beer.
If you beat me, say hello to everyone.
Ways you can help Asheville and western North Carolina after Hurricane Helene
Where you can contribute
– BeLoved Asheville: Highly recommended now for a reason. Boots on the ground, a local organization gets supplies to those in areas that can't get to distribution points. They are a great organization that serves the homeless 365 days a year, but they also find a way to serve everyone in times of crisis.
– Community Foundation of WNC Disaster Response Fund
– Mountain True / French Broad Waterkeeper: Helping facilitate clean water testing and cleaning important for public health and environmental safety.
– Appalachian Community Fund: Station resources in high-need areas throughout Appalachia; very low support.
– Blue Ridge Public Radio: Provides a variety of formats of critical updates throughout the disaster, helping to spread the word about fast-changing information and resource guides to help stay safe.
– MANNA Food Bank: This food bank Feeding America does not usually help the public with food, but its building was almost destroyed during the storm. They continued to find places and ways to serve those in need and will need support in the coming months with the damage to the facility.
Eblen Charities: Help with loans (utilities and rental assistance).
– Hearts with hands: Swannanoa / Black Mountain-based help, the most hit place.
– Vecinos: Farmworker Relief (runs a free bilingual clinic for low-income, uninsured people in western North Carolina).
Food and beverage / local business specific
– NC Hospitality Workers Relief Fund
– NC Craft Brewers Guild: Direct links to support the craft beer community of western North Carolina through affected GoFundMe accounts; and provides an updated list of breweries participating in neighborhood fundraisers, now with 265-plus locations in more than 30 states and territories; and provides an updated directory of breweries that serve as drop-off locations.
– Buy a Beer City Beer: Support western North Carolina by “buying” a beer (donation) for $7 to support BeLoved Asheville.
– Southern Smoke Foundation – Emergency Relief Fund: Used to help F&B workers pay for essential items such as groceries, clothing and medicine, and cover rent, natural disaster damages, lost wages and more. There is no deadline for applications and no limit on the amount offered.
— Providing a Kitchen
– WNC Rural Organizing And Resilience
– The complete list can be found by clicking here.
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