Food & Farm Stories

  • Ali and Brian Tingley

    Ali and Brian Tingley

    Ali and Brian are in the midst of moving their farm, Seven Seeds Farm, from Burnsville to Marshall. As beginning farmers, they have a few market outlets including a spring and main season CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) that support their farm year-round. Ali and Brian have big dreams for their new space including an expanded…

  • Mike Bean

    Mike Bean

    Mike Bean is a local chef with Finest Deli (though temporarily on hold) serving up fresh eats at farmers markets in Buncombe County. He serves on On Track WNC‘s Board of Directors and quickly shifted his cooking skills to support meal operations with World Central Kitchen to keep the people of Western North Carolina fed…

  • Vinny Bonanno

    Vinny Bonanno

    Vinny Bonanno is the Executive Director of the West Asheville Tailgate Market (WATM) since 2022, owner operator of Stretching in Public, a Make it Happen coach, and the lead on various creative projects and performances around the Asheville area. After Helene made landfall, Vinny opted to open WATM only days later. The West Asheville Tailgate…

  • Jason Treadway

    Jason Treadway

    Jason Treadway (pictured on the left) is the Director of Food and Nutrition for Verner Center for Early Learning. Verner has worked with Growing Minds to source from local farms and provide farm to school activities for the students. Jason’s staff of six serves breakfast, lunch, and snacks and two sites each day. Food is…

  • Lucy Wetzel

    Lucy Wetzel

    Lucy Wetzel (pictured on the right) and her two-year-old son Wiley are avid farmers market goers, shopping at multiple markets per week. Lucy participates in both ASAP’s Double SNAP for Fruits and Vegetables program and Farm Fresh Produce Prescription. How has the Farm Fresh Produce Prescription made an impact on your life and household?  We…

  • William Yates

    William Yates

    William Yates is an AIG (Academically or Intellectually Gifted) teacher at Waynesville Middle School. He spent three weeks this summer embedded in ASAP’s programs as part of the 2024–25 Kenan Fellows Program for Teacher Leadership. The fellowship connects outstanding educators with mentors, creating opportunities and relationships to help students understand how STEM concepts apply in…


Story Archive

The Appalachian Grown region is rich with local food and farm stories—from farmers, educators, chefs, community advocates, and many more. ASAP tries to share as many of these as possible, including in our annual Local Food Guide, in our newsletters, and on social media.

From 2015 to 2021, ASAP presented Growing Local Radio, a weekly broadcast on WNCW. Stories were based on research from ASAP’s Local Food Research Center. More than 200 audio stories and transcripts from Growing Local Radio are included in the archive below.

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Recent Stories

A Sweet Toast to Spring Markets April 2nd, 2018 in Growing Local Radio Series

Growing Tea Closer to Home March 26th, 2018 in Growing Local Radio Series

Meet the Mountain Popcorn Girls March 19th, 2018 in Growing Local Radio Series

Eat Local All Season with a CSA March 12th, 2018 in Growing Local Radio Series

School Lunch Goes Local February 26th, 2018 in Growing Local Radio Series

Shopping Local with the Chef February 19th, 2018 in Growing Local Radio Series

Carving a Niche in the Local Food Movement February 12th, 2018 in Growing Local Radio Series

Alan Ward Innovates Apple Country with Local Spirits February 5th, 2018

Winter Foods Galore at Farmers Markets January 29th, 2018 in Growing Local Radio Series

Ginseng: A Mountain Tradition January 22nd, 2018 in Growing Local Radio Series


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