Exploring the Valley

What Makes A Community Taste Like Home

• PC PRODUCTIONS • Season 1 • Episode 9

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A hometown can change your taste—and your life. Cheryl sits down with Black Mountain native Ali Whitman to trace a winding path from teenage restlessness to culinary roots, from Atlanta classrooms to Asheville kitchens, and finally to a Japanese-influenced steakhouse that’s reimagining what “fine dining” feels like in the Swannanoa Valley.

We dig into Black Mountain’s transformation from a few familiar spots to a destination with 38 independent eateries and a thriving arts scene. Ali shares how small policy shifts, hands-on mentors, and years spent opening ambitious restaurants prepared her and chef Jake to craft something new: a moody, cellar-like space where wagyu shares the stage with elk, duck, and pristine fish, and where Japanese technique sharpens every bite. It’s a steakhouse built on sourcing, texture, and restraint—more about the quality of the cut than what’s sprinkled on top—and a service style that’s present, intuitive, and never intrusive.

Beyond the menu, this is a story about a family raising a five-year-old in a mountain town rich with parks, youth sports, YMCA swim lessons, and the magic of glassblowing. We talk pricing and accessibility, why locals and visitors both matter, and how to make value obvious without losing approachability. If you’re curious about Black Mountain’s culinary rise, the craft behind memorable service, and the heart it takes to open doors in a small town, this conversation will meet you where you are—and maybe inspire your next reservation.

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SPEAKER_01:

Welcome to Exploring the Valley. This is Cheryl Hyde, the director of the Black Mountain Swantanoa Chamber of Commerce and the Black Mountain Visitor Center. On this podcast, I'll be your guide to the people, places, and stories that make our community special. Each episode will share the heart of the Swannanoa Valley. From local businesses and hidden trails to festivals, history, and the voices of our neighbors. Whether you're a longtime resident or a first-time visitor, you'll find the pride of our community and the magic of the mountains right here. You're listening to Exploring the Valley, where local pride meets lasting magic. You're in for a ride, so buckle up. Good morning, Allie Whitman. It's really nice to have you here today, and I'm excited to have you. And I usually start with, what's your story? Where are you from?

SPEAKER_00:

Good morning, Cheryl. So I am originally from Black Mountain, born and raised. I absolutely detested living here, growing up here. So I had to get out and get away for a while to truly appreciate it. So I moved to Atlanta and I went to college at Agnes Scott, women's college in just outside of Atlanta, actually, Decatur. And it really opened up my eyes to a lot of the world in a way. So, but during the summers and during Christmas break, I would come home and I would wait tables at the original K Sarah, which was over by the primary school in the little hole in the wall before they moved down to their current location. And that's where I met Jake. And he was in culinary school and he worked as a line cook there with Carl. And after we stayed together, even through me finishing college, and I decided to move back because he was still in culinary school. And yeah, we've been together ever since. We did live in Asheville for quite a while before moving back to Black Mountain and got a house here that we've remodeled and really made it our own. And yeah, I I have a whole new appreciation for Black Mountain than than what I had when I was a kid.

SPEAKER_01:

Isn't it interesting how as kids we think, oh, this is the worst place in the world. And then you're gonna grow up and I'm gonna change the world. I'm gonna move somewhere. I I I don't know if you know this, but I grew up in Atlanta. So that's that's funny. I know exactly where Agnes Scott is. I know a lot about it. And then Carl and Janie are some of my favorite people in the world, and you probably actually know my parents. We'll have to talk about that later. But Case of Raw was one of their favorites and and still is, but mostly because of Carl. That's anyway. So you grew up here, you wanted to go, you got away, you came back. When you left, and then when you came back, and I know that you come back for holidays and things like that too, but what are the huge differences from in this town from when you were little to now?

SPEAKER_00:

Well, absolutely the culinary scene. Oh my goodness. I mean, I remember there was such a town uproar at one point about liquor by the glass when I was in high school, and you know, everybody had their own opinion about it. And so, you know, when I got back from college, it really changed the culinary scene for the restaurants, what what type of food, things like that, because I think it opened up a window or a door that made these restaurants and chefs feel more comfortable putting their restaurant here, not just so that they can serve liquor by the glass, but it just helps them broaden their menu and and what their offerings are. If they feel like the town is welcoming to all types of culinary and things like that. I would say that our art scene is absolutely and completely different and changed in such a good way. The the artists were here, but the places to go make your own art, the places to go buy art, see artists in their studios has really changed as well. You know, that used to just be in the River Arts District in Asheville, and we're seeing that that come this direction and come east. And I worked in arts for years and I'm on the board at the Glass Center, and it just makes me really happy to see that shift.

SPEAKER_01:

Cool. That's great. The I remember my memory of Black Mountain when I was little, which was before you were little, but is I there was an auction house here and there were like three restaurants, and I we didn't we didn't go out to eat at all. So yeah, never went out to eat. Now I don't eat at home very often, which is not really something I'm proud of. But but I remember it being just kind of empty. And I mean there was Tyson furniture and town and country, which was sobel furniture. And I mean it that's what I remember. I don't remember, oh, oh, oh, I do also remember the Tanner, is it Tanner? That was clothing. Yes. Yes, that's it. That's what I remember. And well, it wasn't a whole lot more in my brain anyway.

SPEAKER_00:

And my food memories, if we went out, because again, that just wasn't a thing, was HT Papa's great pancakes, but you know, also kind of that diner vibe going on. Of course, the coach house. Um and then there was another restaurant locally owned that's where Ingalls is now.

SPEAKER_01:

Really?

SPEAKER_00:

And it was a buffet style. Ooh, I think I remember. I do not remember the name of it for the life of me. Maybe somebody will chime in on the comments later. But I I kind of remember that. I kind of died. And it was owned by a local family. I'm terrible that I'm blanking on the name.

SPEAKER_01:

And the local family will tell us. Yeah, it would be cool.

SPEAKER_00:

But yeah, we just didn't have a lot of options. So, you know, we were at home cooking. Right.

SPEAKER_01:

So Jake was at Kesarah. Then what was how did what did how did that tell me what happened next?

SPEAKER_00:

Yes. So we when I moved back from college, let's see, we rented a house in South Asheville, and he started working at Zombra with the original owners of Zombra, which were almost all chef or bartender owners. So they were absolutely hands-on owners that that worked in the restaurant. Great group of people. Some of them have split off and done their own thing now, but that's really where he kind of took off as far as seeing, you know, more fine dining techniques. You know, he he learned that at culinary school as well. But the the type of food that Zombra was putting out at the time was just, it was really incredible. So he was there for about two years. I was in grad school and working at the Asheville Art Museum, also bartending. You know, sometimes it just happens that way. You're just, you've got like five jobs. And then he went on to the Admiral for a while and was there under who was, I think it was when Elliot, Elliot Moss was the chef there at the time. And from there, I mean, it's kind of a whirlwind. He went on to help open Ben's tune-up. He went on to help open King James, he went on to help open Bramari. It just keeps going and going. And he just loves that experience of being in something new and fresh and the creativity of working with other chefs and learning from them. So all of that was in Asheville. Yes. When did we see the light and come to Blackville? So 2019, I left the art world. I got my real estate license, and we bought a fixer upper in Black Mountain. Actually, my mom's also a local realtor, and she's like been begging me to get back to Black Mountain, even though, you know, it's 15 minutes away. But you know how moms are. And she found this house and she's like, just trust me. You know, just trust me. I'm like, this is gonna be a lot of work, but okay. So we did, and it's great. It's been a really good move back here and working on our house. And so yeah, that's kind of how we got back to Black Mountain. And then you opened something here. Yes. So we actually opened two restaurants at once, because why not? That's what one does when they have a year and a half old. Right. As well. We yeah, we had a uh a baby. So we opened Loot House in Swatanoa, which was a fantastic burger joint. That was my father's favorite restaurant. Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_01:

His abs he has two favorite restaurants, and that was one of them. And and he has some a little group of friends that they get together one Thursday a month and they go to a different restaurant. They're really struggling to find somewhere. I know, I know. So anyway, I did not ever know that that was you. Yes, and I think we emailed each other probably earlier this year, and I didn't anyway, yep. Keep going.

SPEAKER_00:

Sorry. So we opened Loot House, I that was 2022, maybe, or 2023. I can't remember. But then about six months later, we had already been working on well, Jake had already been working on a project with Richard and Heidi to open the Pure Improper. Wow. And another family favorite. That was different circumstances the way it all happened. We my brother and sister-in-law were part of Loot House, and it just kind of came out of this fun, we want a family burger joint. And so we opened that together and then sadly don't have that anymore, but that's okay. You know, we we have been able to push through it, and maybe one day we'll have Loot House again in Swananoa. Maybe so. That would be great.

SPEAKER_01:

I'm putting in my vote for that. My dad votes too. He gets two votes. So when we are at the visitor center and people come in and say, Where do we eat? We're not allowed to say you need to go to this restaurant. We say, What we're what are you looking for? We'll help you narrow it down. There are 38 independent eateries, drinkeries, whatever you want to call them in the area in just Black Mountain, not even Swannanoa Valley, just Black Mountain. And so we narrow it down for them. And sometimes they'll point across the street and say, What is pure and proper? What is that? Well, it's an old pure gas station. And one of our volunteers, Mike McMahon, used to work at that pure gas station when he was a kid. So it's kind of fun when he's there. He comes, he's there on Friday afternoons and he loves to tell that story. Yeah. But I, when I'm sitting at the desk, I always say they'll ask about a restaurant. If they ask about a specific restaurant, we can talk about it, but we can't point them to one. Of course. That's kind of the rule. But when they ask me about it's a gas, what do they, what do they serve? I'm like, okay, here's the thing. It's one of my places I go when I want something that I would never think to put these two, this combination of food together. Like it's really lame that my favorite thing there is the avocado and egg salad toast. Who thought of that? Who put that together? I don't know, but it's my favorite. So that's how we advertise for pure and proper. That's how we encourage people when they ask questions about it. But you've done something recently that I got to experience just last night.

SPEAKER_00:

Tell me about that. So as my husband does, he he absolutely loves to drive me crazy by let's open a new restaurant. Let's open a new restaurant. But this felt different. We had been talking about a space that would be just the two of us as far as opening it and the creativity side of it. And we started looking for spaces in the spring, early spring. We went even down to Marion looking at spaces. And because sometimes it's it's hard in a small town when there are so many great places. It's like, are we gonna oversaturate? I don't know. But anyway, we came across a lease space that was the former Black Mountain Alehouse. It had become available, I believe, in May or so. And we met with the building owner, we talked numbers, we really thought it over for a long time. And then we basically kind of went up against two other restaurants. The property owner just really took his time to make sure that that the concept would fit, that he felt like it would be successful, which looking back on, I really appreciate because he didn't want to bring in something that he felt like wouldn't do well in that space. And about a month after we started negotiating, he got us the space and he he said, I want you guys in here. So we sort of the concept of the aesthetic, excuse me, as I should say, came about because of the space. So I knew Jake would want to do some kind of Japanese-influenced cuisine, but the steakhouse feel, the dark feel, the kind of wine cellar older aesthetic that we kind of created in that space came because of it being that lower level kind of you're in a speakeasy feeling spot. And then the steak part of it, I should know where that came from, but I think it's because he started going down this path of like wagyu. And uh Jake has always been very influenced by Japanese cuisine, stemming back all the way to cooking with his grandmother, Beverly. Yes. And while all of his cousins were out playing in the yard, he was in the kitchen with her from a very, very young age. And she would have this tiny little TV in the corner that would play Iron Chef, the original Iron Chef. Wow. And to see their skill level and their mastery of, you know, cutting fish and cooking the way that they cooked just had a huge impact on him. So there've always been notes of Japanese cuisine in his food, but this is kind of where he just went all in. That's not to say that you won't find classic steakhouse dishes like a French onion soup or the iceberg wedge, you know, things like that. But you'll find a lot more of Jake in this menu than he's probably ever had on any menu that he's ever worked, any kitchen he's ever worked in.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, I will just tell you that I'm a huge steak girl. I've I clearly eat, but I adore, I eat, I would eat meat all day, every day, and only meat if that was an option. And if that was a good idea, but it's not. But but we have wanted a steak place or steakhouse or whatever since we got here. And I am a big huge fan of uh only buying in our local community. I stick to the Swannano Valley as best I can. When you can't find a steakhouse, now that there are good steaks in this town, don't hear me wrong. But when you can't find a good steakhouse or a place to get a steak, it's you're kind of stuck driving. So whenever we go on vacation or something I like that, I always hit some steakhouse because then you don't have the choice of eating at home. But we went last night and I would not consider myself a foodie by any stretch of the imagination. I will eat pretty much anything and love it. But we were sitting there last night and I said to my friend, I said, I cannot believe that I'm about to say this, but I just became a foodie. I can tell the difference between the steak and any other steak. I can, it's got a different texture, it's got a different flavor. It's and it's not what they sprinkled all over the top of it. It's there's something about the steak, and I don't know what it is, but I'm gonna find out. I I truly think that was the best piece of meat that I have ever eaten in my life. And it was so good. And I'm not just saying that because you're here. I said that at the table last night. I also didn't, I don't know enough about cuisine. When you say Japanese cuisine, I think of, you know, the steakhouse where the shrimp is flying across the room and the guy puts an egg in his hat and all that. That's what I think of. Or maybe a sushi type place. And I don't get you don't get that vibe at all when you're in there until unless you understand the the food part of it, I guess. But it it was just a whole different, it was a whole nother level of food. And I cannot tell you. That was why I was like, she has to come. I canceled the person who was supposed to be here this morning to get you in here this morning. I'm like, you have to come. This is amazing. So anyway, I don't usually talk that much. Sorry. So, how is the community responding to your restaurant? What are you seeing?

SPEAKER_00:

Well, it's a little nerve-wracking to put yourself out there in this capacity. People tend to have extreme opinions about food, but in particular a steakhouse and and what and what that means to them. And I think that's why it's been so important for us to let people know that this is a very creative take on that. So when you think of, you know, your big box restaurants that are steakhouses, sure, you'll you'll you'll find some similarities to that, like the the fact that you can order your steak a la carte and then add sides. But we also want it to feel different in the sense that, you know, for us, a certain cut of pork, really, really good pork, can be a steak or a certain cut of duck or elk. Elk. There was elk on the menu.

SPEAKER_01:

We were on it. And we both wanted that. We were like, but it was a little bit longer weight than we wanted to know. You do have to plan ahead if you're gonna eat elk. But anyway, sorry.

SPEAKER_00:

And I don't want f people to feel scared about a steak-heavy menu either. You know, fish is a huge part of the menu as well. We will always have some type of fish on the menu, whether that be raw or seared or or baked. So one of the I think most of the feedback that we're getting is very positive and supportive. And I think folks are really happy that something this different has come to town. And there are wonderful chefs all over Black Mountain. As you said before, there are 38 restaurants. So we just want to be different because we don't want it to feel like We're directly competing with the other creative chefs in town and just bring something new and different and fun for it to be an experience that you've had in our space.

SPEAKER_01:

You also seem to have found well, I don't know what the politically correct word for wait staff is, but you have found people who understand how you should treat a guest and how little or how much to visit the table. They did a really good job. There was, it was a birthday celebration last night. So it was fun, but it wasn't a constant visit. But they, it wasn't just she. There were two of them. They seemed to show up at the right time and not interrupt everything that we were talking about. It was, it was a whole different experience. Not that other restaurants are bad at that, but it was a whole nother level of that's really important to us.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes. It's very important to us. And we've really tried to vet our, you know, servers and bartenders and train them in that they are the mouthpiece for the culinary component of our restaurant. And a lot of the dynamics in restaurants are that it's front of house or back of house, right? And and they function almost as silos, but they still at the end of the day have to work together. And I think because I've worked in the front of house of restaurants and I'm with a person who's been in the kitchen, I want that to feel more like a partnership. And that's what we've trained them to do as well. Well, you did it. Good job.

SPEAKER_01:

I mean, even David, I think is his name, that met us at the door. I mean, he wasn't expecting us because we, of course, didn't have a reservation, which we probably should have, but but he played Tetris and made us a spot and it was great. And I appreciated that. But I mean, he treated us like we were just as important as anybody else who walked in the door. He also, Danielle, who was our waitress, is that what the is that the right word? How do you use server? Server. Okay. Take that out. Danielle, who was our server, she I said to her, I said, we didn't get a reservation. I know we probably should have, but we didn't. And I'm really grateful. And we'll try to eat fast so that she said, We are so glad you're here. We don't care. Thank you for coming in. And I thought, well, there's a change. Thank you. That was really cool. So I mean, I mean, every detail was I would even say perfection. I mean, it was there was nothing, nothing that didn't go right last night. So that was fun. I would say, if I was guessing, that you are catering towards the visitors who come to town, but also we, of course, can't leave out the residents and the people who live here. How do you market that to different people? How do you do that?

SPEAKER_00:

Good question. When coming up with menu and pricing, it can be very challenging, right? Because you want, well, Jake wants in this concept to have really high quality food where he knows where it's coming from, right? Relationships with the farmers, relationships with the people that are that are growing everything. I mean, for instance, we're getting microgreens from Old Fort and have been trying to source some of our beef from these farms in North Carolina. It doesn't always work that way, but the quality is, I think, the biggest part of that statement. And again, also boiling down to our service quality and not feeling like you're rushed and you're not welcome here ever, ever, ever. And it's really hard to put a price point on things where we're a business, right? We we have to make money, but we don't want it to be too extremely scary for anyone, locals or otherwise, to come and have this experience with us and feel the value in your experience. And that's not just the food. And there are plenty of ways that over time we'll need to make adjustments. And that's just again, running a business. What do we need to make adjustments on to make this more approachable in some ways, but also still maintain this level of quality and fine dining experience? And that's a juggle that Jake's really, really good at. And I just hope that people are excited to come from Asheville even to eat with us, which we saw at his other restaurants. And the locals, it may not be an every Friday kind of place, absolutely. But it also could be. You know, that's true. It it's just, I think it's gonna depend on the person and what they're wanting in their dining out. And we're just excited to at least have you come try us out. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01:

It was a great, oh my goodness. I I could talk about it all night, all day. Obviously, I am. Okay, that's a lot about your restaurant. Normally we talk about living in Swannanoa Valley, and you did mention that you have a baby, and I got to meet him yesterday. Oh my goodness. Not a baby anymore, not at all, but super adorable, very well mannered, and all of the things that you know moms want to hear, but so cute. Tell me about raising a kid in Black Mountain Swannanoa. That tell me about that.

SPEAKER_00:

It's a great place to raise a kid, and I'm sure he will grow up feeling the same way that I do, or I did probably, and need to get out, but that's okay. We yeah, like I said, we had he's almost five, so we had him during COVID craziness. But it is so fantastic that we can raise our son in restaurants. And I think that also leans into kind of our mentality. Yes, it's fine dining, it's a high-end restaurant, but you're probably gonna see my kid running around and like acting like he owns the place. Well, he does. The activity that we can just hop over to like Tomahawk and play at the park or go down to the batting fields at the Veterans Park. The he's already been in youth sports here, which is great. Baseball and well, hockey in Nashville, but baseball here in town. We done swim lessons at the Y, and I think you can also take them during the summer at the pool at the Lake Tomahawk, but there's just constant things for us to be doing outside. Inside there's we've gone, oh, his favorite thing is the going to the glass center and watching them. I could do I'll go with him anytime. I love watching them. Yes. So that's absolutely his favorite thing to do when we have nothing sports-wise going on. And just I guess you could call it a little plug, but they do start certain classes for kids as young as seven. So he's looking forward to seven.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, yes, very cool. I'm waiting for it to be super cold outside before I go in there. I overheat very half a heartbeat. So I'm waiting for them to open that back bay door, whatever it's called, um, and and it be cold outside, but the fire inside. I'm like, that's what I can't wait for. So I keep telling her, I'm coming. I promise it just has to be cold outside. So I'm excited about that. Very cool. With my kids, we we put them on the swim team. And I'm telling you, that was they already had had swim lessons. Uh-huh. But when we put them on swim team, there were kids that had never been in the pool that were on the swim team. Wow. World's least expensive way to teach your kid to swim. But swim team was they loved it. And they didn't, one of them did not like swimming. And then we put him on the swim team, and he all of a sudden loved swimming. And so to this day, they love it. Was uh highly in the pool of the I did not live here then. Oh, okay. So I lived in another town when uh my children were little, but I'm just giving you that tip as a mom. It's been a minute since I was a mom, but but that was swim team was the way to go. So think about that when that day gets here. Whenever when summer gets here, because it's that day now. He's the right age now. Exactly. Throw him on that swim team. Well, Allie, thank you so much for coming today. I they uh Peter here at PC Productions only gives me so much time, but he does generously give me a lot of time. But thank you so much for coming today. Thank you for opening your newest restaurant. Tell Jake thank you. He made my dinner last night, I assume. And it was spectacular. But thank you for coming and I appreciate getting to know you a little bit better and learn a little bit more about gosh, I didn't know much about you at all. So this was fun for me, but thank you very much. Thank you, Cheryl. Thanks for joining us on Exploring the Valley. Until next time, keep celebrating the pride of our community and discovering the magic of the mountains. In the meantime, you're free to move about the valley.