Tupelo Honey Cafe: Spirited Recipes from Asheville's New South Kitchen [Hardcover]

Elizabeth Sims (Author), Chef Brian Sonoskus (Author)

Book Description

Release date: April 5, 2011

Experiencing the food at the award-winning Tupelo Honey Cafe is animportant part to understanding the heart of Asheville, NC.

As an early pioneer in the farm-to-fork movement, chef Brian Sonoskus has been creating delicious dishes at the Tupelo Honey Cafe in downtown Asheville, North Carolina, since it first opened in 2000. And from then on, Tupelo's food has been consistently fresh, made from scratch, sassy, and scrumptious.

Heralding in its own unique style of cuisine representative of the New South, the Tupelo Honey Cafe salutes the love of Southern traditions at the table, but like the people of Asheville, marches to its own drum. The result is a cookbook collection of more than 125 innovative riffs on Southern favorites, illustrated with four-color photographs of the food, restaurant, locals, farmers' markets, and farms, in addition to black-and-white archival photography of Asheville. At Tupelo, grits become Goat Cheese Grits, fried chicken becomes Nutty Fried Chicken with Mashed Sweet Potatoes, and poached eggs become Eggs with Homemade Crab Cakes and Lemon Hollandaise Sauce.

Capturing the independent and creative spirit of Asheville, Tupelo has garnered praise from the New York Times, Southern Living, and the Food Network, just to name a few.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Elizabeth Sims has had her work featured in such publications as Southern Living magazine, National Geographic Traveler, WNC Magazine, US Air, and Taste of the South magazine. Formerly an executive with the Biltmore Company, she now owns a business specializing in writing and strategic marketing. She is a member and past president of the Southern Foodways Alliance.

Online:

tupelohoneycafe.com

A graduate of Johnson and Wales, chef Brian Sonoskus is attuned to the freshness of the season by being a farmer himself. Sunshot Farm, just north of Asheville, provides the restaurants with seasonal vegetables, berries, flowers, and herbs, while the restaurant partners with other area farms and farmers to create a true taste of southern Appalachia.

Online:

tupelohoneycafe.com

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing (April 5, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1449400647
• ISBN-13: 978-1449400644
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 8.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #53,520 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Almost as good as eating there! April 23, 2011

By SuzieB VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Whenever we visit Asheville, which is about an hour away from my home, we always make a point to eat at Tupelo Honey Cafe. It's honestly well worth the drive even if we don't do anything else in town. The food has always been spectacular, using fresh local ingredients, and the atmosphere in the restaurant is soothing and uplifting. I've tried to duplicate some of their recipes at home, coming close with my grit cakes. I was so excited when I heard they were publishing a cookbook and I pre-ordered it from Amazon.

This cookbook has far exceeded my expectations! First, it's a beautiful cookbook just to look through. There are many color photographs of the local area, the restaurant, and of course the delicious meals. But the recipes - oh my goodness!

I love the salad they serve at the cafe and one simple but amazing component would be the sweet pickled onions. I assumed they purchased them, but now I know they make them and now I can, too! The salad dressings are far from ordinary. I've already tried the Pecan Vinaigrette and it's addictive! I'll soon try the Smoked Tomato Vinaigrette and will use their technique for oven smoking the tomatoes. I've used my stove top smoker to smoke tomatoes in the past, but their oven technique sounds like it makes more sense.

The recipes in every section of this cookbook are just as amazing. You'll find southern classics with an upscale twist. Mac and Cheese Casserole with Goulda. Fried Green Tomato and Grilled Portobello Sandwich with Basil Roasted Red Pepper Mayonnaise. Chicken Apple Meat Loaf with Tarragon Tomato Gravy. You'll just faint when you see the recipe for Tomato Pie! And of course the day won't be complete without a slice of Chocolate Pecan Pie....

This is my new favorite cookbook and I can't recommend it highly enough. The recipes make use of the freshest ingredients - nothing fancy or hard to find - and are easy to follow. You don't have to be a chef to prepare them. I'm having so much fun with it, and am giving a copy to Mom for Mothers Day! Read more ›

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful and delicious July 16, 2011

By S Nutter

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This restaurant cookbook is beautifully crafted and offers recipes for popular dishes. The Sweet Potato Pancake at Tupelo Honey Cafe is absolutely the best pancake I have ever eaten, I bought the book just for that recipe--worth the price. The recipes, like the restaurant, focus on local, seasonal foods. The Skillet Blacberry Jam and Granola recipes are terrific; there could be a little more information at times (i.e. liquid or powdered pectin for the jam) even so, my results do far have been exceptional. The bonus is that the book is a beautiful tribute to the charming city of Asheville, NC as well. A good read with yummy recipes.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Cookbook! April 8, 2011

By Felicia

Format:Hardcover

For Review from NetGalley: Requested by me!

What I Loved: This is the 2nd Honey Based Cookbook (though this one is not strictly just honey based recipes) that I have read and I really enjoyed it. There were several recipes that I want to try and will be buying this one to put on my shelf. The cookbook itself is very much like an old southern kitchen cookbook including tons of gravies, sauces, and everything else that makes a good southern kitchen tick!

One of my favs: Warm Pimento Cheese and Chips! I have always wanted to make it home and this recipe is the closest I have seen to what I think should go in it. It includes red bell peppers, cheddar cheese, mayo, dijon mustard, mustard powder, sea salt, black pepper, parsley and only takes about 15 min! YUM!

What I Liked: This is a very user friendly cookbook. Nothing seemed to "over a normal person's head" type of recipe though some required more work than others. I also did not see anything in there that did not call for ingredients that you could not find in a Central Market or Whole Foods and most could be found in your neighborhood grocery.

Complaints: None

Why I gave it a 4: It was all around easy to follow and there were quite a few recipes that screamed out to be tried. I will be getting it for my cookbook shelf.

Who would I recommend it too: Anyone who likes Southern Cooking!

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Great but with a warning June 30, 2012

By shereadsalot

Format:Hardcover

My husband brought this cookbook home from a hiking trip with his dad and I love the variety and flavors that it evokes. However, and here is the warning, it doesn't seem like the recipes were tested in a home kitchen before it was printed. We've made several of the recipes now and all have been fabulous but we've used our good sense about proportion and flavor to mitigate the printed instructions. The Shrimp and Goat Cheese Grits with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce will hurt you if you use 2 Tbsp of Creole seasoning - I'd recommend starting with 2 tsp and upping the heat from there. Likewise the fabulous Southern Chicken Saltimbocca with Country Ham in a Mushroom Marsala Sauce is totally worth making, but 2 cups of oil seemed to us like overkill for sauteing 6 chicken breasts - we went with 2 ounces instead. The Andouille Sausage Ragout was delicious but 1 1/2 cups of onion is only one large onion, not two; 1 1/2 peeled diced carrots is only 3 large carrots in my kitchen, not the 5-6 that the recipe called for; same story with the celery quantity. So yes! Buy it and eat well, but it will help you a great deal if you already know how to cook and can read the recipes with a critical eye and revise as needed while you're cooking.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This Cookbook Is A Must Have... April 5, 2011

By PattyLouise VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This awesome Southern cookbook is a must have. I have already made the Pimento Cheese Dip and the Shrimp and Grits...amazing. It is actually more than a cookbook. Delightful photos of local farms and farmer's markets, amazing photos of food and the actual cafe...I can't wait to get there. This book also provides glimpses into life in Asheville. The mountains, the flowers, the fun town are all things that I need to experience first hand.

I love this book. It is so beautiful it needs to be out at all times. And when you are craving an amazing salad or sandwich or a homemade salad dressing...this is the book to pull from.