Fifth Quarter Kitchenware can take you from home cook to restaurant chef. | Photo by Whitney Ott
The mind behind our favorite breakfast burrito in Asheville has a new kitchenware brand. Co-owner and Chef Elijah Scott of The Med just rolled out Fifth Quarter Kitchenware, a boutique online storefront of chef-vetted tools to elevate your culinary chops.
The products featured on Fifth Quarter are his tried and true go-tos or tested personal favorites, even including cookbooks coming from his own collection — peep this OG Barefoot Contessa cookbook from 2001.
You could own the Fifth Quarter apron Chef Scott is rockin’ here.
Photo by Whitney Ott
While these tools can help you elevate your workspace from a home kitchen to restaurant-quality, they aren’t meant to be pretentious.
Art After Dark Market | 5-8 p.m. | rEvolve buy-sell-trade | Free | There’s music, drinks, local art, tarot readings, and plenty of fun to be had at this West Asheville market inside the secondhand clothing shop.
The 17th Annual Asheville Comedy Festival | Friday, Aug. 1-Saturday, Aug. 9 | 7:30 p.m. | Diana Wortham Theatre | $23.50+ | The festival kicks off with an evening set from “Cash Cab” host Ben Bailey.
Improvised “Star Trek” | Friday, Aug. 1-Sunday, Aug. 10 | 7:30-9 p.m. | North Carolina Stage Company | $9+ | This fully improvised “Star Trek” parody sets the stage for a bold night of new bits, laughs, and wit.
Saturday, Aug. 2
3rd Annual Appalachian Mountain Health Fair | 11 a.m.-3 p.m. | Appalachian Mountain Health - Asheville | Free | The festive, family-friendly fair offers free back-to-school physicals for kiddos, backpacks filled with supplies, games, food, and plenty of fun.
Leo Pool Party | 1 p.m. | Aloft Asheville Downtown | $20 | The hotel is teaming up with One World Brewing for this 21+ summer bash with poolside cocktails, astrology readings, and live DJs.
The Asheville Magic Experience | 5:30 p.m. | The Low Down | $55 | Only 22 people will get to experience the unique and whimsical wonder of this magic show — your ticket includes a cocktail.
Sunday, Aug. 3
Community Song Circle | 5-7 p.m. | The Woods | Free | Five local artists will share their work in poetry, music, and nonfiction during this song circle.
Earth & Sky Events Open House | 5:30-8:30 p.m. | Earth & Sky Dwellings | Free | Tying the knot soon? Explore this idyllic mountain top venue styled with ceremony and reception set-ups.
Monday, Aug. 4
Will Boyd and the Knoxville Crew | 7-10 p.m. | Little Jumbo Bar | Price of purchase | Hear some jazz at one of the newly crowned “Best Bars in America.”
Learn to swim, take a workout class, or cool off with a well-earned post-workout popsicle at your local YMCA. | Photos provided by YMCA of Western North Carolina
Did you know that YMCA of WNC has seven locations? Find your nearest YMCA, and sign up to be part of a welcoming, healthy space for all ages + fitness levels. (Filter by amenities to find features you’re looking for, from pools to pickleball courts.)
Construction has begun on the West Patton Avenue Sidewalk project, which will add nearly half a mile of accessible sidewalk — and new crosswalks and ADA-accessible bus stop pads — along eastbound lanes, between Druid and Louisiana Avenues. Lane closures will occur outside of peak traffic hours. The project should be done by late 2025.
Open
The temporary disc golf course on the front nine of the Asheville Municipal Golf Course opens today, August 1. US Disc Golf Champion Chris Dickerson helped design the 18-hole course. You can go ahead and book a time to play — the back nine is open for golf.
Civic
But speaking of the Asheville Municipal Golf Course, this week Asheville City Council greenlit a $1.58 million contract with Biohabits of NC to restore the front nine holes of the course to its original Donald Ross design after damage from Helene.
Transit
The NCDOT has restored Greyhound bus service in Asheville, with routes resuming today, August 1. Service had been suspended since Helene destroyed the intercity bus stop, but travelers will now depart from the ART Transit Station for daily direct service to cities like Raleigh, Charlotte, Winston-Salem, and more.
Coming Soon
In early 2026, all the chocoholics will be making their way to South Asheville for the opening of Marble & Steel Craft Chocolates on Hendersonville Road near Farm Burger. Take a journey back to March 2024 with us, where we learned how the husband and wife duo make their stunning confections. (Asheville Citizen-Times)
Kids
Wee Trade Carolinas returns to the Ag Center today, Aug. 1 through Sunday, Aug. 3. It’s the region’s largest children’s consignment event, offering steeply discounted clothes, coats, sports gear, toys, and books. See the schedule for weekend shopping.
Plan Ahead
If you’re crazy for cryptids, mark your calendars for Saturday, Aug. 23. The WNC Bigfoot Festival returns to Marion, offering something for believers and skeptics alike. Immerse yourself in the legends and lore surrounding the elusive Bigfoot with a calling contest, themed food + goods, and investigative panels.
Job
Are you the one we’re looking for? We’re on the hunt for a sales-driven leader to help us land significant brand partnerships at a national scale as a Sales Executive. From a competitive benefits package to 401k matching, we’re a pretty amazing company to work for. Join our team + apply today.
Edu
For those seeking out loan options for upcoming semester expenses, check out College Ave. They offer private education loans starting at 3.19% APR — plus a simple application process, flexible options, and highly-rated customer service.*
Category
City
AVL Unpaved rolls forward
This map shows the layout of the West Asheville trail. | Photo via AVL Unpaved
At this week’s meeting, Asheville City Council pushed the AVL Unpaved project forward, approving an agreement to allow the Asheville Unpaved Alliance to oversee the design and construction of two new trails.
The initiative led by led by Asheville on Bikes, Pisgah Area SORBA, and Connect Buncombe will construct natural-surface, multi-use trails in both West and East Asheville, accessible via greenway, sidewalks, bike lanes, and other trailheads.
What’s next?
The Asheville Unpaved Alliance will issue a request for proposals, and once a builder is chosen, the construction phase will begin. An exact timeline is contingent on finding the right builder and navigating construction logistics, but Asheville on Bikes Executive Director Mike Sule told AVLtoday he hopes to see the project completed by the end of 2026.
If you want to celebrate the latest milestone, roll out to the Summer Cycle on Saturday, Aug. 23.
Post of the Day
Maybe it’s a liiiiittle early to start thinking about the winter ski season, but this announcement from Hatley Pointe got us excited.
Since rounding out its first season in March, the resort has been working on prepping several new slopes for the upcoming season, in addition to opening a 32-feature terrain park. The team also announced that they’ll be expanding snowmaking operations to open sooner and stay open longer. Season passes will go on sale in early fall.
If wheels are more your thing, the resort is also working on a mountain bike park, slated for a spring 2026 opening.
The fun doesn’t have to end here. After reading the newsletter, head over to our games page. Games refresh with new challenges every day at 6 a.m. from crossword puzzle to Sudoku to themed word search.
While I’m not sure where you can buy the world-famous Labubus in Asheville (please let me know if you do), I do know that you can buy the equally viral and arguably way more adorable Sonny Angel action figures at L.O.F.T. of Asheville downtown.
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