If you buy something from an Eater link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics policy. Rakim Gaines at Capella 9. Rakim Gaines was nine years old when the owner of Yoshida Express, the East Asheville neighborhood hibachi restaurant Gaines was enamored with in his youth, noticed just how much he was hanging around.

Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the North Carolina city of Asheville is once again making waves for its innovative culinary scene, earning the No. 1 spot in Yelp's newly released top cities for foodies survey, an honor it also received in 2020 . "Blending the flavors of the American South with Appalachian fare, Asheville boasts a unique mountain-to-urban creative food scene," a representative from Yelp said in a release sent to Travel + Leisure .

Asheville, NC (FIOX Carolina) - Located on a side street in downtown Asheville is the number one restaurant in the country. “It is the ultimate award in the food business. We call it the Oscars of the food industry,” Chef Meherwan Irani said. Chai Pani serves up Indian street food with a flare. Both delicious and affordable, most dishes are under $15.

ASHEVILLE - A new food truck is ready to make a splash in the River Arts District. On July 15, Mother Ocean Seafood Market will debut its new food truck concept in partnership with Pleb Urban Winery. It will be a permanent fixture at the wine bar at 289 Lyman St., across from the French Broad River. “With Mother Ocean, you have the seafood component, which is really great for a lot of our wines as a pairing, but they also have a broader ability to execute all kinds of foods,” said Lauren Turpin, owner of Pleb Urban Winery.

On June 17, five days after walking the red carpet in Chicago as a finalist for the 2022 James Beard Foundation Emerging Chef, Cleophus Hethington walked away from Benne on Eagle in Asheville, the restaurant where he served as chef de cuisine since August 2021. Hethington succeeded chef Malcolm McMillian, who succeeded opening chef Ashleigh Shanti, a finalist in 2020 for the JBF Rising Star Chef and whose work helped Benne reach national attention.

On WNC’s Qualla Boundary, the smell of Cherokee Frybread sizzling in hot oil is evocative. The history of this simple dish is tough to separate from its oppressive roots — yet, in the words of Cherokee educator + cultural preservationist Charles Taylor, the aroma “smells like the Cherokee Indian Fair.