Beer, burgers and new beginnings come to Beacon Village

Loott House and Terra Nova Beer Co. team up in a familiar Swannanoa space

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
November 10, 2023

From left to right, Maggie, Ali and Jake Whitman will celebrate the grand reopening of Loott House, Nov. 12, as the Swannanoa restaurant partners with Terra Nova Beer Co. in Beacon Village. Photo by Fred McCormick

In his posthumous 1940 novel, You Can’t Go Home Again, Asheville native Thomas Wolfe explored the tribulations of returning home after an extended absence filled with new experiences.

As a pair of local businesses return to a familiar place in Beacon Village, the owners of Loott House and Terra Nova Beer Co. are trying it with elevated burgers and craft beer.

A collaboration between the Swannanoa eatery that opened in June of 2022 and a new Asheville brewery, both with links to the Native Kitchen & Social Pub, which occupied the space before closing in 2020, will celebrate a grand opening, from 2 - 9 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 12, following Loott House’s move from its former location on U.S. 70. The event will feature a full-roasted suckling pig from Vandele Farms in Lake Lure, classic picnic sides, a new Beacon Lager from Terra Nova and a DJ.

“It’s a perfect partnership,” said Sarah Watkins, a partner in the brewery and former co-owner of Native, who owns the Whitson Avenue building. “We’re excited to bring something back to this area, because people have been waiting for this space to come back to life.”

Jake Whitman, who founded the Loott House with his wife Ali, brother Jason and his wife Maggie, launched the Swannanoa eatery in June of 2022. Jake, the head chef of the Pure & Proper in Black Mountain, ran the Native kitchen for nearly four years.

The family, who combined the names of their sons, Logan and Otto, to form the moniker, wanted to bring a family-style restaurant to Swannanoa, according to Jake.

“It has grown into more than that in the past year, but that was the original vision,” he said. “I initially tried to lease our original spot in 2020, but someone got it before me. When it became available again, I called the owner and we got it going. We’ve been going since.”

Terra Nova Beer Co. co-owner, Sarah Watkins, right, and brew tech Sasha Bynum prepare for the grand opening of the brewery’s first tap house, Nov. 12, in Swannanoa. Photo by Fred McCormick

The former site was great, according to Ali, but rapid growth and the opportunity to partner with Terra Nova created “a match made in heaven.”

“They will run the front of the house and we can focus on the kitchen,” she said. “Terra Nova will operate its tap house, and we will take over the food side of things, which gives us the time to focus even more on the kitchen.”

The Loott House will retain its familiar menu items made with locally sourced ingredients, including burgers, chicken sandwiches and wings, while hosting themed nights with dishes ranging from prime rib to gumbo, according to the chef. The restaurant will remain “true to itself,” while introducing new offerings, like a weekly brunch.

“The brunch will be completely revamped, and we hope it will kind of make a name for itself,” Ali said. “It will be on Sundays, and we’ll be starting that in a week or two.”

Jake, who began working in the industry in the Swannanoa Valley before completing culinary training at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College, is reuniting with chefs he met while working at the Native, in his return to the spacious kitchen that serves a large dining room.

“We have more space to invite people into,” Ali said. “We have a big back yard, triple the seating and more parking. So, we think this could help us become even more family-oriented, since we can accommodate larger groups.”

Maintaining the feel of a “community gathering place for Swannanoa” is a goal for the owners, according to Maggie.

“Having that connection point for people was important to us,” she said. “That’s a huge part of the reason we do this, as basically lifers int he hospitality industry. We wanted to make a space to bring people together in Swannanoa.”

Terra Nova is brewing beer in its downtown Asheville location, which is anticipated to open to the public next year, to serve their first tap house. The brewery, owned by Watkins, Doss Church, Steven Brett, Ed Ransdell and head of brewing Kyle McKenzie, will offer a diverse array of hazy and double hazy IPAs, Czech-style lagers, a new Vietnamese breakfast stout and rotating cast of fruit beers. The tap house will also serve wine and the brewery’s sodas.

“We also created the Beacon Lager, a traditional American lager that is dedicated to the history of this area,” said brew tech Sasha Bynum. “We think it’s something the locals will really enjoy.”

The partnership between the tap house and restaurant fills a void in Beacon, which was named after the blanket manufacturer that called the area home for decades, according to Watkins.

Maggie, left, her husband Jason (not pictured), Jake, center, and Ali opened their family-owned and operated business Loott House in June of 2022, in Swannanoa. The owners will celebrate the grand reopening of their restaurant, Nov. 12, in a collaboration with Terra Nova Beer Co. in Swannanoa. Photo by Fred McCormick

“We had the Native Kitchen here for eight years, and it’s a great location,” she said. “When we decided to open our tap house, we wanted to have a food partner here in Swannanoa, so we’re excited that it’s Jake.

“We think the Loott House is a perfect pairing for what we’re doing, and people still ask to this day if we’re ever going to bring something back here,” Watkins continued. “We wanted to do something for the community, and this is the perfect spot to do it.”

For the Whitmans, the new location represents an opportunity to bring years of restaurant experience and good food to the heart of their hometown.

“Between the three of us, we have around 45 years of restaurant experience in the Asheville, Swannanoa, Black Mountain area between us,” Maggie said. “This region sets a certain standard, and we want to bring our food to more people here.”

Bringing familiar faces back to Beacon Village is a key ingredient in the recipe, Ali added.

“We always wanted to be in Swannanoa, and now we’re right here,” she said. “We’re hoping this will help fuel a revitalization of this part of town. I was in high school when the mill burned down, and it was devastating for this area, so, we hope that with fresh life in this building, others will join and we’ll have a thriving village again.”