John Fleer, Executive Chef and owner of Asheville’s Rhubarb announces accomplished Pastry Chef Kaley Laird has joined the team, bringing her unique style and non-traditional culinary methods to the kitchen at the acclaimed restaurant.

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Arts 2 People is a grassroots, community activist, arts and social service organization that has been working in the community on behalf of emerging arts projects for two decades. A2P produced 15 years of LAAFF, and is the group responsible for the popular landmark Lexington Gateway mural at I-240 and Lex, and several other important murals in AVL. Over the years, A2P has moved well over a million dollars around in the community, incubating hundreds of creativity-based businesses and endeavors.

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Want to find out about the next Awesome thing happening in Asheville?

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Isis Restaurant and Music Hall will host a series of free outdoor concerts throughout the summer.

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Blaze Fast Fire’d Pizza, the fast-casual artisanal pizza concept known for its chef-driven menu and casually hip restaurants, announced today that it will open its first Asheville location on Thursday, April 21. To celebrate the grand opening, the restaurant will offer FREE build-your-own artisanal pizzas on Friday, April 22 from 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. to anyone who follows Blaze Pizza on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook. The highly anticipated restaurant, which features a 2,500-square-foot interior plus outdoor patio, is located in Gerber Village in south Asheville (1840 Hendersonville Road), off of Interstate 26. This will be the fourth Blaze Pizza location in North Carolina.

Blaze Pizza is a modern day “pizza joint” serving up artisanal pizzas that are both fast and affordable. Since its first restaurant debuted in 2012, Blaze has become known for custom-built pizzas, freshly made salads, blood orange lemonade and s’mores pies. Each restaurant features an interactive open-kitchen format that allows guests to customize one of the menu’s signature pizzas or create their own, choosing from a wide selection of fresh, artisanal ingredients – all for about $8. The generously sized personal pizzas are then sent to a blazing hot open-flame oven – the centerpiece of the restaurant – where dedicated pizzasmiths ensure that the thin-crust pies are “fast-fire’d” and ready to eat in just 180 seconds. Restaurants make their own dough from scratch daily using a recipe developed by critically acclaimed Executive Chef Bradford Kent (a.k.a. the “Pizza Whisperer”). For pizza fans with special dietary needs, Blaze Pizza offers gluten-free dough and vegan cheese. The Asheville restaurant will soon feature craft beers from popular Asheville breweries as well as a selection of wine.

“Our mission at Blaze is really simple – we’re taking pizza back to its roots,” said Jim Mizes, President & COO of Blaze Pizza. “By making dough in-house, carefully sourcing ingredients and cooking by fire, we’re giving guests a great way to enjoy artisanal pizza without the wait. It’s changing the way people think about and eat pizza.”  

Blaze’s attention to detail extends well beyond the food, with a carefully considered, modern approach to restaurant design. Driven by its commitment to “Intelligent Choices for Our Pizzas, People & Planet,” the restaurant is constructed with recycled and sustainable materials, uses eco-friendly packaging and features energy-efficient LED lighting. Additionally, many of the restaurant’s unconventional design elements were inspired by the company’s celebration of individual expression, including an oversized wall graphic, which was custom-built to suit the Asheville space.

Blaze Pizza is looking forward to continuing to build strong roots within the Asheville community. To that end, the company has developed a turn-key, in-restaurant fundraiser program that returns 20% of an event’s proceeds back to local organizations and will be partnering with local schools, sports clubs and other organizations to host fundraising events at the new restaurant.

About Blaze Pizza
The first Blaze Pizza® restaurant opened on Aug. 6, 2012, in Irvine, Calif., and quickly gained attention for its chef-driven recipes, thoughtful interior design, and a service culture that celebrates individuality. Now ranked as the overall #2 fast-casual brand in FastCasual.com’s annual Top 100 list, Blaze Pizza is building momentum and developing a cult-like following as it expands across the country. The company currently operates 124 restaurants in 28 states and Canada, including the major metropolitan areas of Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Toronto, Dallas, Las Vegas, and Washington D.C. Founded by Elise and Rick Wetzel (co-founder of Wetzel’s Pretzels), the concept is backed by investors including LeBron James, Maria Shriver, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Boston Red Sox co-owner Tom Werner and movie producer John Davis. For more information, please visit blazepizza.com and facebook.com/blazepizza or click here to view a company video.

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Junior anglers enjoyed a favorable spring morning at Charles D. Owen Park testing out their fishing skills at the Kids Fishing Derby. Over 50 children participated in the event, organized by Buncombe County Recreation Services in partnership with the NC Wildlife Commission.

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Independent Bookstore Day marks its second year of celebrating independent bookstores nationwide on April 30th, with literary parties around the country.

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One of the area’s most beloved and authentic cultural traditions, Shindig on the Green presents the “BBQ & Bluegrass” annual fundraising concert, an evening of traditional bluegrass, Saturday, April 23rd, 2016 at 5:00 p.m. in the Rainbow Community Center Auditorium. The Folk Heritage Committee’s annual fundraiser features Roger Howell & Friends, The Midnight Plowboys and Rhiannon & The Relics. The fundraising concert is a key element in securing necessary funding for the free and beloved Shindig on the Green summer Saturday evenings in Asheville.

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Asheville Builders, LLC, is planning a 196-unit condominium development atop the Elk Mountain Ridgeline, facing Asheville.  Sherwood Heights, Inc. is the registered owner of the 113.99 acre plat, identified by PIN 9741-41-0532-00000, which has been annexed into the city of Woodfin. Access to the development, identified as “Cornerstone,” will be made through the Country Club community of Lake View Park, whose roads are maintained by the city of Asheville.  The impending development has citizens concerned about traffic, population density, and the impact on the environment.

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Patton Avenue Pet Company, a local pet supply store with two existing Asheville locations, will open the doors to their newest location in South Asheville on Monday, March 28th at 10 am. The new store is located at 582 Hendersonville Road, Suite 3, just south of I-40 in the retail space previously occupied by the ABC Store. The phone number for this location is 828-575-9282.

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