This newsletter sponsored by Citizens Fuel Co., a family-owned Asheville company.
Featured in this edition of the Hot Sheet: Le Parisien planning to bring French cuisine back to downtown Asheville in the old Bouchon location; Sistas on Montford is slinging tasty soul food at Montford Convenience; two delis open, Zella’s Deli and Finest Deli; an update on plans for a new neighborhood grocery store in West Asheville; and much more.
Cursus brewery, located at the east end of Thompson Street along the Swannanoa River, was completely washed away by floodwaters spawned by Topical Storm Helene in September 2024. This photo was taken about a month after the storm./ Photo by Jason Sandford
Could a new outdoor music venue be developed on the former Cursus brewery location at 155 Thompson St.? Someone has pulled a permit seeking assistance to look into that possibility, stated as the “adaptive reuse of outdoor space for future Outdoor Concert Venue” on the permit. So we will wait and see.
There are a couple of things to note here. The first is that Cursus (which opened in 2018 and was officially named Brouwerïj Cursus Kĕmē) was the absolute best local brewery because the owners, Jeff Horner and his wife Jessica Horner, made the best damn beer and the cozy taproom was situated off the beaten tourist path behind a kudzu-covered gate at the dead end of Thompson Street.
The second is that this Thompson Street location sits right along the Swannanoa River. Helene’s floodwaters absolutely wiped out the brewery, as well as several other businesses (including another local brewery favorite of mine, New Origin) along Thompson Street and Swannanoa River Road. Building something back in this location, to my mind, will require some extra thought and planning. And again, we’ll have to wait and see.
Dining and Cooking