Emily Green (pictured on the right) is executive chef and co-owner of Bone & Broth on Charlotte Street in Asheville, North Carolina. Both & Broth features dry-aged cuts from regional farms, mountain-grown produce, and fresh-baked goods from local bakeries. When Emily isn’t in the kitchen preparing decadent meals woven with local ingredients, she’s immersed in her community—including shopping at farmers markets and supporting ASAP’s Growing Minds program through recipe development and volunteering at taste tests.
Tell ASAP a little more about yourself and how you came to be a chef.
I was at the University of Georgia pursuing a graduate degree in Historic Preservation when I happened to take a catering job at a historic ballroom. Despite having no formal culinary training I suddenly found myself in the kitchen, putting together canapes. When I wasn’t there, trying to fake my way through a pâte à choux, I was in the library researching Appalachian vernacular kitchen gardens and lost varietals of apples. Between the kitchen, the library, and a side gig selling heirloom tomatoes at a local farmers market, I came to realize the intersection of my passions for local food, weird veggies, and regional cooking traditions could be realized in a restaurant setting. After years of working the line, seven of which have been at Bone & Broth, my husband and I had the opportunity to purchase the restaurant, of which I am now executive chef.
How do you integrate Bone & Broth into the community/neighborhood?
Knowing our neighborhood guests’ names (and orders) is a joy, but what I love most about running a local bar and grill is the opportunity to be a blank canvas for people’s memories. Whether it’s a casual burger and beer on a Tuesday or an elopement on the mountain followed by a romantic multicourse meal, we provide a cozy third space for life’s savourable moments.
One of my favorite parts of my job is creating recipes that allow people to expand their palates. I find that a guest is more likely to choose a new experience if it is presented in an approachable, accessible way, and the same goes for kids! I love seeing our younger gourmands skip the butter noodles in favor of a bowl of braised collard greens and potlikker or al-dente haricots verts with garlic and shallot. Working with Growing Minds has helped me find a way to bring that to the classroom. For our last taste test, I created a Moroccan-inspired carrot salad, made with local veggies, raisins, and harissa-lemon dressing. Hearing that the kids were eager to try cultural flavors they may have not previously encountered, and providing them the chance to recreate that experience at home, was incredibly fulfilling. Watching children learn about the source of their food while making decisions about how to nourish their bodies and their minds is a powerful experience.
As a chef, what are some of the benefits of working directly with farmers and how does your commitment to sourcing local ingredients shape what you make?
I love knowing my farmers. We source our beef from Apple Brandy Farms, which has grazing rights on the Parkway and provides their pasture raised cattle free-choice feed, resulting in a product that is both ethical and extremely high quality. Knowing I can rely on Lee’s One Fortune Farm to harvest the perfect varietal of mustard green for a wine dinner or working with Asheville Microgreens to determine the perfect kind of sprout to complement some grilled shellfish allows me to deliver the highest-possible quality dish to our guests. My favorite thing about working directly with farmers, however, is allowing seasonality to guide my menus. It’s always a magical time of year when I receive the first black pearl mushrooms from Black Trumpet Farm, or put the Candy Roaster squash I’ve been saving since late summer in the oven. Working with farmers in Western North Carolina, where each season is distinctly unique, pushes me to showcase the beauty of seasonally available ingredients in a way that will make our guests appreciate them as much as I do.
Do you have any favorite winter meals you’re cooking at home?
Winter always makes me crave a cozy soup or stew. My favorite thing to make right now is a pureed soup of seasonal vegetables, like carrot, turnips, potatoes, and leeks. Try pairing it with some locally baked sourdough, a compound butter made from cold-hardy herbs like rosemary and sage, and a mug of locally pressed hot apple cider.