Asheville After the Flood with Pete Wells

·39 min·3 clips

Hurricane Helene caused $60 billion in damage, devastating Asheville's thriving culinary scene just as peak tourist season began.

The episode begins by outlining the destruction Hurricane Helene wrought on western North Carolina, particularly Asheville, a city with 14 million annual visitors drawn to its food scene. Host Ed Levine introduces his guests: Pete Wells, who reported on Asheville for The New York Times, and chef Marwan Irani of the Chez Pani Restaurant Group. Irani recounts moving to Asheville in 2005 and opening an Indian street food restaurant in a predominantly white mountain community, highlighting the town's embrace of authenticity and creativity. Wells notes Asheville's geographic isolation fosters local farming, with farms transitioning from commodity crops to supplying restaurants. The discussion turns to the hurricane's timing during the critical October leaf season, when restaurants typically earn 30-40% of their annual revenue to survive slower winter months. Irani explains the storm caused direct damage, water shortages until mid-November, and a collapse in tourism, with business down 50% year-over-year. He reveals 23 food establishments have closed, including iconic restaurants like Rhubarb, creating a domino effect on staff, suppliers, and the local economy. Wells and Irani describe the inadequate federal and insurance responses, compounded by existing SBA loan debts from the pandemic. Despite the devastation, both emphasize that Asheville remains open for business, with a vibrant scene still intact. Irani shares how the crisis renewed his team's sense of purpose, as they served 20,000 meals to rescue workers and rediscovered hospitality post-COVID. The episode concludes with reflections on how the disaster fostered gratitude and reconnected locals with restaurants, offering a nuanced view of recovery and resilience.

As heard by us

A grounded look at Asheville's food community rebuilding after Helene while carrying real loss.

Asheville's food community comes through as a recovery story with real ground under it. After Hurricane Helene, restaurants, markets, farms, entrepreneurs, and visitors are all shown as part of a fragile local web, one that can fray quickly when water disappears.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

For a food story where reopening in Asheville becomes a way of caring for a shaken community.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Special Sauce with Ed Levine