Zella’s Deli announces plans to remain in Swannanoa

Local restaurant will relocate to former Ledford’s Produce location

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
January 7, 2025

Zella’s Deli, one of many Swannanoa businesses damaged by Tropical Storm Helene, plans to move to the former location of Ledford’s Produce. Photo by Fred McCormick

There was no doubt Zella’s Deli was well on its way to establishing itself as the community hub and neighborhood eatery its owners envisioned when they moved the N.Y-style delicatessen from downtown Asheville to Swannanoa last spring. Locals regularly stopped by to catch up with friends and neighbors over bagels and lox, meatball subs or family-style Italian dinners, fostering a swelling sense of optimism for the future.

A devastating natural disaster brought that to an abrupt end in September, when the business was one of many in the community displaced by Tropical Storm Helene, but as Zella’s announces plans to move to the space formerly occupied by Ledford’s Produce, its owners remain committed to serving the Swannanoa Valley.

The destruction of the deli’s former building along the Swannanoa River was widespread, as much of the foundation was washed away by surging water. In the immediate aftermath of the storm, the restaurant’s future was uncertain, according to John Tressler, who established the business in 2022 with chef Michael Rappert and Ivey Lamos.

“The building was a total loss,” Tressler said of the location, which was being rented by the diner. “Unfortunately, our landlord has been working with us and the county to see what he can do, but that building is probably years out from being used again.

“We filed insurance claims for our equipment immediately, but that was a huge disappointment,” he continued. “We lost basically everything, and we can’t even get to the stuff that’s still there.”

Reopening the deli, however, remained a priority for the partners.

“Once we can get some businesses back open, we can start getting people back to work,” Tressler said. “Our small businesses in Western N.C. didn’t have a huge amount of cash reserves, and it’s hard to stay open without support from state and federal goverment.”

The business applied for multiple grants and loans, according to the owner, with little success.

“We applied for five or six grants, and at this point we’ve been denied for three of them,” Tressler said. “At the end of December, we were approved for a loan through Mountain BizWorks, which is certainly helpful.”

As the partners began searching for a new site, they were unwavering in their desire to stay in Swannanoa.

“We need things for our locals to get excited about and be proud of,” Tressler said. “We live in the Valley, and we were so proud of that deli and being in Swannanoa. Now, we drive by that building everyday, so reopening here felt personal for me.”

The owners were intrigued when they learned of a potential project, just two doors down.

Formerly a service station, the building later home to Ledford’s Produce will become the new location of nearby Zella’s Deli. Photo by Fred McCormick

“Bill Roberts from GreyBeard Realty saved us when he told us about the former Ledford’s location,” Tressler said. “The owners are amazing and it has been in their family for decades, so they would love to see it come back. It will definitely take a lot of work, but we want to honor that building.”

The former service station, which operated as a produce market for more than a decade, remained structurally sound when around two feet of floodwater receded. The shell of the structure will need to be retrofitted to accommodate a kitchen and dining room.

“It has never been a restaurant, so we’re starting from scratch,” Tressler said. “Then we need to start with the build-out, and we have a great general contractor with GreenSource Construction Management. The space is amazing, so we really just want to move our brand two doors down.”

The parking lot, decimated by the adjacent river, will be the biggest challenge for Zella’s.

“It’s a mess,” Tressler said. “We have a six foot pile of asphalt sitting there and we need to remove that, take another layer off the top and and build a gravel parking lot with paved handicap parking access.”

A timeline for the return of Zella’s has yet to be determined, but work on the property will begin soon, according to the owners, who are determined to “bring a piece of the community back.”

“It’s hard to complain about our business when we can see families, right across the river, who lost everything in this storm,” Tressler said. “But, we want to help make this piece of Swannanoa an example for the rest of the community. Yes, we got hit hard, but now we’re going to come back.”