Black Mountain eatery brings produce from the garden to your table

Annie’s Culinary Garden melds unique flavor with healthy ingredients

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
July 9, 2024

Ann Forsthoefel prepares a “plant-forward” menu at Annie’s Culinary Garden, a new Black Mountain eatery that combines her passion for gardening and cooking. Photo by Fred McCormick

Ann Forsthoefel has long maintained a pair of harmonious passions: cultivating a bountiful garden and harvesting its produce to craft flavorful and healthy meals.

That complementary skill set, honed over 50 years of farming and scratch cooking, will serve as a key ingredient in Annie’s Culinary Garden, a new Black Mountain eatery that emphasizes a seed-to-table philosophy.

Forsthoefel’s commitment to sustainable living began in rural Ohio, where she was raised to believe that nutritious food was a human right, while learning traditional growing methods that balance production and stewardship of the land. She quickly implemented the practice in the Swannanoa Valley in 2021, when she moved from Portland, Oregon after operating an urban farm for 14 years.

Through the use of modern technology, including aquaponics, vertical growing, hydroponics and year-round cultivation, her garden soon yielded a diverse array of crops. The availability of a commercial kitchen and dining room at 3206 U.S. 70, offered Forsthoefel an opportunity to share her bounty with the community.

“I really wanted to open a retail place for a few reasons,” she said. “I do the catering for Bounty & Soul’s annual fundraiser, and that event grows every year, so this place allows me to accommodate that. It’s also a perfect fit for Annie’s Culinary Garden, which gives me a chance to bring something a little bit different to Black Mountain.”

The restaurant features a small indoor dining room and outdoor seating, while Forsthoefel plans to build raised garden beds on the site. The weekly menu, which includes in-house and to-go options, will be influenced by the latest harvest.

“Gardening and cooking go hand in hand,” Forsthoefel said. “We’re emphasizing that even more with a plant-forward menu, while meeting the culinary and dietary needs of individuals with a lot of gluten-free and dairy-free options.”

Recipes ranging from chicken salad to chickpea “mock tuna” salad and mac & pimento cheese muffins are available in the deli case, while slices of garden fresh frittatas, vegan soups or Kale Caesar salads dot the nearby “grab and go” case. Traditional staples like collard greens and black-eyed peas are served with a twist, from caramelized mushrooms to vegetarian cornbread.

“Obviously, we use as many ingredients from the garden as possible, and for other ingredients we try to stay as locally sourced as possible,” Forsthoefel said, while highlighting a slow-cooked Kalua pork butt, from Hickory Nut Gap Farms. “For this, we used a volcanic salt from Hawaii and slow-cooked it in banana leaves, which gives it a tremendous flavor.”

Pre-orders placed through anniesculinarygarden.com are guaranteed, while the in-house items are first come, first serve. Party platters can be ordered three days in advance.

“I like to rely on inspiration from the garden when choosing what to prepare from week to week,” Forsthoefel said. “But, really it’s a combination of what the garden is producing and thoughts and ideas I have while reading food blogs and other publications. Some of it really comes to down to what I like.”

The owner relies on a blend of creativity and her experience in the garden and kitchen when planning the rotating menu.

“I’ve been doing this a long time,” she said. “It’s something I’ve been doing for decades and I never lose my excitement for it, and I’m looking forward to sharing my passion for gardening and cooking with the community.”

Annie’s Culinary Garden is open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesday through Friday, and 11 a.m. - 4 p.m., Saturday.

“We’re fortunate to have a lot of great places to eat here in Black Mountain, but our goal here is to offer something you can’t just find anywhere,” Forsthoefel said. “Sometimes people forget how flavorful fresh veggies from the garden can be, so we’re really looking forward to highlighting that.”