Comfort and community coalesce in debut of historic Black Mountain Ice House
Foothills to launch Skillet pop-up ahead of elevated dining experience
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
November 26, 2024
Casey and Amanda McKissick, owners of Foothills Meats, are launching a pop-up dining experience called Skillet in the historic Black Mountain Ice House. An elevated menu in the new restaurant, Hell or High Water, will debut next spring. Photo by Fred McCormick
It felt somewhat counterintuitive when Casey and Amanda McKissick began reckoning with the future of their business in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Helene. While their farm and home were among many properties damaged in Old Fort, Foothills Meats remained committed to expansion in the center of neighboring Black Mountain, where its butcher shop and eatery were established more than 20 years ago.
With work nearly complete on the historic Black Mountain Ice and Coal Co. building, a two-story brick structure with rooftop seating offering sweeping mountain views, they were determined to open the space to eager locals. The renovated restaurant debuted. Nov. 25, as Foothills introduced Skillet, a pop-up concept focused on value-oriented comfort food.
The company will launch its permanent elevated dining experience, Hell or High Water, next spring.
“Skillet is something we’re going to run here through the winter, and it’s really a response to the storm,” Casey said. The menu, created by chef Eric Morris, will feature three courses. Each meal begins with a skillet of brown butter cornbread, followed by curried pumpkin soup or chicory salad. The main course offers a selection of family-style roast chicken, jägerwurst or sweet potato gnocchi, while ice cream, nicuatole and pear and miso tart round out the dessert menu.
“We really felt it was important to open this fall, and give people the opportunity to see the building, keep our staff working and serve hot meals at an accessible price,” he continued. “It’s $35 per person, and it’s a lot of food in a temporary concept we feel works well for the first long winter after the storm.”
The operation is a prelude to the McKissick’s long-term plans for the structure adjacent to The Grange. The former ice house, vacant since 2017 and purchased by the couple last November, sits prominently at busy intersection in town.
“The idea is to move ahead with what we were planning to do, originally,” Amanda said. “We have this great building that people are curious to see, so the pop-up is a chance to bring the local community in to experience it first.”
Like a warm hug
Chef Eric Morris is focusing on comfort food, as Hell or High Water in Black Mountain launches its Skillet pop-up concept. Photo by Fred McCormick
Throughout his nearly two-decade career in the kitchen, Morris, who was hired in October to head the new Foothills kitchen, has developed a keen understanding of the significance of a good meal. In the aftermath of an unprecedented natural disaster, he instinctively leaned into that notion.
“Everyone had this feeling, after Helene, of just wanting to be comforted,” he said. “So, we knew it was important to do something accessible that also felt like a warm hug.”
Morris, whose resume includes more than 10 years of working in New York kitchens, has been a fixture in the Asheville dining scene since 2016. Drawn to the “chaos and energy” of the setting, he has held positions at James Beard Award-nominated establishments like Nightbell, which closed in 2019, and Cultura.
The chef’s approach to cooking complements the McKissicks’ vision for the new restaurant, according to Casey.
“We started out as farmers selling food from our farm,” he said. “We got here through a lot of hard work and twists and turns, so the fact that Eric has relationships with farmers and respects that work is vital to us.”
Morris, who helped open Cultura in 2019, left before Wicked Weed announced the indefinite closure of the property and adjacent Funkatorium earlier this month. What he brings to Hell or High Water goes beyond his vast skill set in the kitchen, according to Casey.
“I’ve always known him to be a dedicated farm-to-table chef, which endeared him to us in the first place,” he said. “But, when we met and shared a meal downtown, he was just so nice, on top of being great at what he does. He was our guy.”
The chef was undeterred by Foothills’ plan to push the launch of its full concept and menu to 2025.
“I really see this as an opportunity to reconnect people with the value food has, and not treat it as a commodity,” Morris said. “It has a real power when you sit down and eat with family and friends and, in those moments, let go of the things you’ve been dealing with or hanging onto. Having a chance to do that correctly is a something I couldn’t pass up.”
Using local ingredients for meals inspired by recipes “mee maw might be cooking,” the Skillet pop-up offers residents a brief escape from a new reality that emerged after the natural disaster. The reservation-only service, intended for adults, offers a “simple yet extraordinary” meal in a relaxing environment.
“I’ve spent most of my adult life working outdoors and on the land,” Casey said. “In the winter time, when you come inside and sit down to a plate of what Eric is making, that’s what I want. I don’t want pretty little things, I want a heaping plate of the best version of some of my favorite dishes.”
Inspired by the past with an eye to the future
Cyril and Ginnie Huffman stand in front of the Black Mountain Ice & Coal Co., which they established in the 1930s. The historic building, which has been vacant since 2017, is now home to Hell or High Water, a restaurant launched by Foothills Meats. Courtesy photo
There was a time, in the early 20th century, when nearly everyone in Black Mountain would have visited the Black Mountain Ice & Coal Co. The cold storage building and adjoining coal yard, which housed and distributed key supplies before electric refrigeration and heat were readily available in the region, was a thriving hub of commerce.
The business was established and operated by Cyril Huffman, who lost both hands while working for a railroad company, and his wife, Ginnie, in the 1930s. The property was later an electrical company, real estate office and, most recently, the Gingko Tree Gallery.
The McKissicks purchased the adjacent property in 2021 and opened The Grange a year later. They secured the neighboring structure, a contributor to the downtown Black Mountain district in the National Register of Historic Places, late last year.
“These two properties were all part of one business when they were built, so we’re bringing them back together under one umbrella,” Casey said. “You have The Grange, which is a really casual place where people can hang out and let their kids run around, and now Hell or High Water, which is more of a date night destination.”
The new location features approximately 160 seats, including indoor and outdoor space on both levels. The lower floor includes a dining room and street-front tables, while an upstairs bar and rooftop terrace face a panoramic mountain vista.
Hell or High Water, which is debuting is Skillet pop-up concept the week of Thanksgiving, includes indoor and outdoor seating and a rooftop bar and terrace overlooking Black Mountain. Photo by Fred McCormick
Exposed brick embellishes the understated interior, which is accented with oak trim and subtle decorations.
“It’s already such a great building, so we didn’t want to do anything that would distract from how unique it is,” Casey said. “We used local craftsmen for the trim, but we went with a minimalist approach because we think the architecture of the building really tells the story.”
As the historic structure begins hosting visitors for the first time in nearly a decade, in the aftermath of a devastating flood, Hell or High Water stands as a link between the past and future.
“Nobody knows what the economic impact of everything we’ve just been through in Western N.C. will be. Everyone who is out there running a restaurant right now is doing it because they love their community, not for the money,” Casey said. “Going forward was the only option for us, so we look at our story as one of perseverance, which inspired the name. It’s about doing something, not giving up and making it better, come hell or high water.”