Finding Asheville Podcast

Over two years ago Nathan Miller started the Finding Asheville podcast. Unfortunately Nathan had to move away, but Benny and Emily have tried to keep this wonderful program alive. Today is Finding Asheville's landmark one hundredth episode. We got a bit more serious than usual for our hundredth and spoke to Mohammad Taha, the Imam (spiritual leader) of the Islamic Center of Asheville. Mohammad spoke to us about many aspects of Islam, what it means to be a Muslim, and the positive experiences he's has as a Muslim in Asheville. The Islamic Center of Asheville is a small mosque with about 80 families in attendance. We hear first hand from Mohammad about his faith, the Muslim view and recognition of Jesus, and more about the religion that 1.5 billion people follow. Despite what the media may portray, Islam is a peaceful religion, and those who make the news for terrorist acts are extremists, in the same way we deal with Christian extremists in the United States - KKK, anyone?  If you want to learn more about the

Hold on to your broomsticks! This week we spoke with Katie L, the founder of Asheville's chapter of the Harry Potter Alliance. The Harry Potter Alliance is: "changing the world by making activism accessible through the power of story. Since 2005, [the HPA] engaged millions of fans through our work for equality, human rights, and literacy." What does this mean exactly? We delve into the world of fan activism and learn about what types of charity efforts the Harry Potter Alliance works on, including Apparating Libraries and Accio Books. Next we learn that the popular wizarding sport Quidditch is now available to muggles globally. To top it all off, listen to Benny and Katie test their wits at a round of "Who Said It - The Pope or Voldemort?" Want to learn more about the Asheville Harry Potter Alliance? Give their Facebook page a like: https://www.facebook.com/AshevilleHPA/ Interested in attending a Yule Ball, featuring magical drinks and three wizard rock bands? Check out the charity ball hosted by the AHPA, ha

On this belated episode of Finding Asheville, hosts Benny Whitaker and Emily Trimnal sit down with Curtis Sluder. Curtis, a longtime smoker, had to suddenly give up his habit for health reasons a few years ago. Quitting smoking is hard, and replacing old habits with new ones is half the battle. Curtis got into the vaping scene before it was cool, and as soon as he saw how easy the transition was, and his doctor praised the health benefits of replacing a cigarette with an e-cig, he decided to open up his own storefront. Blue Ridge Vapor was born, and was one of only a handful in the area at the time.  We talk with Curtis about the pros and cons of vaping, the sudden and wild upswing in popularity, and how vaping can help quit a nicotine addiction. We segway into traffic laws and common ticket questions as our hosts talk with Curtis about his job as a lawyer who specializes in criminal defense, primarily traffic law.  Can you tell us how many ways there are to lose your drivers license in Buncombe County?

This episode of Finding Asheville got a little crowded. We spoke to Tommy Green and Chris Power, two Asheville locals who are heavily involved everything beer. Tommy started the app "Brewpon" and both Tommy and Chris were both very early members of the Asheville Beer Club. We were also joined by Chuck Franklin who, although mostly silent, will be helping us with our audio issues. Tommy and Chris talked to us about how the Asheville Beer Club got started, what they do at meetings, and how they originally got into beer. We also talk about Tommy and Chris's playful rivalry between the Asheville and Hendersonville beer scene, and how the two of them are planning on creating their own podcast called Drink Local Now, to promote craft breweries and educate individuals on the pitfalls of big beer companies and how big breweries like Anheuser Busch In-Bev negatively affect small craft brewers. Benny, Emily, Tommy and Chris muse about Asheville's beer bubble: with the rapid rate at which breweries are moving into the a

This week we spoke with Laura LaVoie about the tiny house movement. Owning one herself, she was able to give us a rundown on exactly what a tiny house is; the many of the advantages and disadvantages of owning one, and the unique struggle it is to downsize from a "normal" size household to life in 120 square feet. Laura also talks with us about why some cities seem to be much more opposed to tiny houses than Asheville; how Asheville might learn from tiny house friendly cities; and what the future may hold for tiny house hopefuls in both Asheville as well as all of Buncombe county. While there is no concrete definition of a 'tiny' home, a house built to be less than 500 square feet is considered to be a tiny house. Many tiny homes are often built on trailers so that they can easily be transported. Each tiny home is built exactly like a traditional stick built home, just on a much smaller scale. Learn all of this and more in this episode of Finding Asheville.  Visit Laura's blog, Life In 120 Square Feet: http:/

This week we talk to Alia Todd. Alia played a big part in Tupalo Honey's decision to bring back up the wages of Tupelo Honey's back staff after decreasing them. A veteran of the service industry, Alia was a founder of the Asheville Sustainable Restaurant Workforce. She tells us how A.S.R.W. came about, what their goals for Asheville's restaurants and restaurant workers are, and with the Tupalo campaign over, what's next for A.S.R.W. For some background information on the Tupelo Honey wage decrease, check out AshevilleBlog: http://ashevilleblog.com/tupelo-honey-restaurant-workers-petition-for-higher-wages/   The Asheville Sustainable Restaurant Workforce Facebook Page:  https://www.facebook.com/asrw.org/?fref=ts   Be sure to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes here to get new episodes to download to your listening devices each week and get caught up on past episodes! Oh and if you are feeling super nice like the Finding Asheville Facebook page here.

This week we talked to Will Hessling, the owner of Hero Hunter Comics. Will tells us a little about running a business in Candler, possible plans for relocating, and gives his thoughts on the sustainability of comic book movies. Benny gets to flex his "comic geek" muscles and tells us he may or may not have had the chance to get his hands on the first appearance of Deadpool, and everybody plays a game of "Who said it, Lady Gaga or Shakespeare?" which is actually harder then it sounds! Check out the episode below, and give local love by visiting Hero Hunter Comics, located at 1107 Smokey Park Highway, in Candler North Carolina.  Be sure to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes here to get new episodes to download to your listening devices each week and get caught up on past episodes! Oh and if you are feeling super nice like the Finding Asheville Facebook page here.

This week we talk to Nate Tomforde the owner of Pour Taproom. Nate started Pour in 2014 and his entreprenial spirit made Pour the first of its kind in the country. Using a mix of familiar taproom style atmosphere and new technology, Pour Taproom offers a unique experience for beer enthusiasts. With over 48 types of beer, wine, hard cider, and mead on tap at all times, Pour lets the consumer take charge of what they drink and how much. This is a great model for those who are still learning what they like to drink, or a great way to try a wide variety of local and hard to find brews. We discuss the possibility of a second location for Pour, the growing popularity of craft beers, play a game of "Book or Beer?", and make it even easier for you to win free Frostbite ice cream. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes here to get new episodes to download to your listening devices each week and get caught up on past episodes! Oh and if you are feeling super nice like the Finding Asheville Facebook page here.

For this New Year's edition of Finding Asheville, we sit down with prominent local figure Rich Lee. Rich is an active figure in Asheville, having moved to Western North Carolina in 1997. Rich is a member of the City of Asheville Greenway Committee; the Buncombe County Triad; WNC Group Homes for Autistic Persons; 1-26 ConnectUs Project; and the Coalition of Asheville Neighborhoods just to name a few. In 2015 Rich ran for a seat on City Council, landing in 4th place during the election. A gentle, laid back individual Rich is on top of current Asheville news and has a good idea of what 2016 will look like for our fair city and townsfolk.  What about the 1-26 connector project? Will we see hundreds of home destroyed this year? Is New Belgium for sale? How will that impact the River Arts District where they are currently building a $175 million brewing facility? Politically what is in store for Asheville, as new seats and positions within the local government become available? We talk with Rich about all of these

Finding Asheville was originally created and curated by Nathan Miller. Over a course of two years Nathan interviewed, cataloged, and took painstaking efforts to create a high quality podcast that spoke to the hearts of Asheville, and Western North Carolina. When Nathan took a job that required him to move, Emily Trimnal and Benny Whitaker stepped up to take over Finding Asheville and carry on the amazing work that Nathan started.  In this weeks episode, instead of sitting down with a featured guest, Emily and Benny sit down and tell you about themselves. With Benny a Western North Carolina native and Emily a transplant from the West Coast, they offer an array of unique and interesting insights on Asheville, and tell listeners what brought them to the city. Learn about their recording studio - Great Escape Asheville - the sketchy semi automatic elevator, Benny's aversion to cats, and what the future of Finding Asheville holds.  Listen below, and be sure to pay attention for your chance to win a free small ice

Long time friends Jason Istvan and Caleb Autrey have one goal in mind with their new local business: to make people happy. Although their new ice cream shop has only been open three weeks, their dreams have come true while serving delicious, freshly made soft service ice cream to happy customers. "Ice cream is such a happy food, and we just want to make people smile," the friends told us right before they opened up shop on Patton Avenue.  We sat down with co-owner Jason this week and talked about Asheville, ice cream, delicious food, and much more. Opening up a new business is always a frightening and exhilarating endeavor, but a frozen treat shop in November is quite the leap of faith. Despite the chilly fall season, Frostbite and their employees have remained steadily busy. In addition to ice cream, freshly made beignets, funnel cakes, and coffee can be procured from the store. Customers can even stay in the comfort of their own car and take advantage of the convenient drive through.  Learn how one of Frost

Jenna Yarosh of Patton Avenue Pet Company and Sheryl Mann of Flying Dogs Photography have come together to create a new local nonprofit organization, the Asheville Animal Rescue Foundation. We sat down with both small business owners to talk about their individual businesses, and the formation of their new joint venture. Asheville Animal Rescue Foundation, or AARF, is a not for profit entity that aims to help underfunded or emergency based animal efforts. Yarosh and Mann aim to financially assist in trap-neuter-release (TNR) programs, spay and neuter programs, veterinary research, and emergency medical bills.  AARF will be funded through the sale of merchandise. Flying Dog Photography is responsible for the first newly released product, 5 whimsical and funny holiday cards featuring both dogs and cats. Christmas cards and Hanukah cards are available for sale at both locations of Patton Avenue Pet, and the duo plans to have additional stores carrying the AARF merchandise soon. All proceeds from AARF related mer

Chung Do Kwan, created by Won Kuk Lee in 1944, is the first of nine schools or kwan teaching what came to be known as taekwondo. Porter Hughes is the co-founder of Jung Kwon Martial Arts Academy in West Asheville and a third degree black belt. His passion is in teaching people of all ages the true art of self defense. While his students compete and succeed in national and international competitions, for Hughes it is not about the awards or recognition. Instead, he takes satisfaction in knowing that his students cannot only perform the moves stoutly and reactively, but right handed, left handed, in the dark, from behind, and much more. Small class sizes with knowledgeable, dedicated instructors who do not upsell black belts, uniforms, or pressure students to compete is what Porter Hughes strives for with Jung Kwon Martial Arts Academy. Porter runs the successful academy with his wife. Learn more about Jung Kwon, karate, taekwondo, and how all the martial arts are connected by  listening to this week's episode

For over a decade, Orbit DVD has steadily grown from a small movie rental store to one that boasts retro video games, comics, books, t-shirts, pop culture items, and more. Marc McCloud sits down with Emily Trimnal and Benny Whitaker to discuss what it is like to be one of just over 1,000 independent video rental shops in the country. McCloud is a self professed spaghetti western junkie and horror film fanatic, so in keeping with the season, our hosts and guest discuss must watch scary movies for the upcoming Halloween holiday. Listen to Marc, Benny, and Emily discuss the 'STD scary movie', the now iconic 'sexual sloth' mural, and what is in store for Orbit, as Marc wisely makes moves to ensure that the store will keep up with the digital age. Orbit DVD is located at 781 Haywood Road, in the heart of booming West Asheville.   Be sure to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes here to get new episodes to download to your listening devices each week and get caught up on past episodes! Oh and if you are feeling super

On September 19th, the Asheville community was set aback when misogynistic blogs, podcasts, and a tweets were discovered to belong to the owners of Waking Life Espresso. Waking Life has been a staple in the West Asheville community since the doors to the upper class coffee shop opened six years ago. We sat down with Mikki Fox, creator of the active online Facebook page West Asheville Exchange, lovingly referred to as WAX. Mikki was the first to organize an impromptu protest outside of the doors of Waking Life the day the story broke. Misti McCloud, a concerned Asheville transplant, was active during the protest, lending her expertise from her days in government and living in Washington DC to the cause. Your new hosts Emily Trimnal and Benny Whitaker talk to Misti and Mikki, discussing the feelings that surfaced when the community learned of the news. We also talk about how the city of Asheville handled the situation, the amazement when the story went national, and then international. How Asheville handled thi

Know limitations, ask questions, trust with Chef Katie Button Nathan sits down with chef Katie Button of Curate and Nightbell for the 84th episode of the Finding Asheville podcast. They chat about growing up in South Carolina and New Jersey, how one can get stuck in a particular career path despite being unhappy, how one gets the courage to leave such path, why despite being successful, Katie Button would not recommend opening your own restaurant after only two year’s of cooking experience, how she learned from her experience at El Bulli that structure could pave way for creativity, what lead to the perfect storm of marketing for Curate’s first year success, and why the key to success is understanding your limitations and being courageous enough to ask questions. This episode was mixed at Mojo Coworking at 60 North Market Street in Downtown Asheville. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes here to get new episodes to download to your listening devices each week and get caught up on past episodes! Oh a

Respect Culture, Craft, Product  Nathan sits down with chef John Fleer of Rhubarb for the 83rd episode of the Finding Asheville podcast. They chat about growing up in Winston Salem, how a graduate school discussion about craft lead to a transition from academia to the kitchen, how Asheville chefs can help build a food system that will eventually benefit the food insecure, who can’t afford to dine at farm to table Asheville restaurants now or buy local produce, how a stint running the Culinary Institute of America’s restaurant completely changed how he viewed his career, why perceived ownership of one’s work whether in fact he or she is the owner of such work is key to being successful in one’s career, and why respecting each person for who they are shaped his own personal success. This episode was mixed at Mojo Coworking at 60 North Market Street in Downtown Asheville. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes here to get new episodes to download to your listening devices each week and get caught up on p

Nathan sits down with chef Joe Scully and co-owner of The Corner Kitchen and Chestnut and Corner Kitchen Catering for the 82nd episode of the Finding Asheville podcast. They chat about growing up in Demarest, New Jersey, why show business was his first career passion, the benefits of attending the Culinary Institute of America even for cooks who have years of experience in a kitchen, the importance of ‘pre-meal’ in determining success of Asheville restaurants, and why Joe and his business partner Kevin Westmoreland’s approach to conflict resolution has been key to the growth of The Corner Kitchen. This episode was mixed at Mojo Coworking at 60 North Market Street in Downtown Asheville. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes here to get new episodes to download to your listening devices each week and get caught up on past episodes! Oh and if you are feeling super nice like the Finding Asheville Facebook page here.

Why rush in figuring it out? Nathan sits down with Celeste Adams of The Burger Bar and Sadie Mae's Mobile Boutique for the 81st episode of the Finding Asheville podcast. We chat about growing up in Asheville, N.C., why the service industry is a haven for those that can’t decide what is the optimal career is for them, why learning to follow through on commitment no matter what that commitment may be helps you later on in life especially in business, how a brainstorming session for possible business ventures lead to Sadie Mae’s Mobile Boutique, why saving the Burger Bar was so important for Asheville versus just starting over with a new concept, why owning a bar is not the optimal career people necessarily dream about when wanting to own a bar, and what may be next for The Burger Bar. This episode was mixed at Mojo Coworking at 60 North Market Street in Downtown Asheville. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes here to get new episodes to download to your listening devices each week and get caught up on

Pick your focus... Nathan sits down with Catherine Campbell of Bright Planning for the 80th episode of the Finding Asheville podcast. They chat about growing up in Hayesville, NC, why marketing entrepreneurs need to pick a focus in a world full of free marketing information, why an unexpected layoff and a pep talk from Seth Godin lead to Catherine starting her own business, why LinkedIn can be a valuable tool to reach out to potential clients and customers, what the biggest mistake businesses make in marketing, and the nuts and bolts of Catherine’s new project Step Into Your Story. This episode was mixed at Mojo Coworking at 60 North Market Street in Downtown Asheville. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes here to get new episodes to download to your listening devices each week and get caught up on past episodes! Oh and if you are feeling super nice like the Finding Asheville Facebook page here.