Gourmet market and wine bar opening in Asheville’s Biltmore Village Leave a comment
A gourmet market and wine bar that is small in size but big on its mission is coming to Biltmore Village.
Six years ago, Dema Badr opened Scout, a clothing, accessories and gift boutique at 10 All Souls Crescent. The shop is in Biltmore Village, a historic neighborhood with a distinct architectural design in the style of a small English village, and is near Biltmore Estate. Over more than a century, it has transformed into a walkable neighborhood of multiuse retail businesses, restaurants and more.
“The charm of the neighborhood really lends to all of our businesses,” she said.
However, the self-proclaimed foodie was hungry for something more — a place where she could grab a quick, easy bite to eat during her workday, she said.
Biltmore Village has destinations for sit-down lunch and dinner experiences, but not many options for snacks and beverages to-go, Badr said. Plus, many restaurants close in the afternoon to turn over the kitchen from lunch to dinner services.
“Everything closes between 3 and 5 (p.m.), so if you’re a retailer and hunger strikes at 3, you’re out of luck. I hope you packed something and have some little snacks stashed away,” she said. “How come I just can’t get some really fresh hummus and a side of veggies? Why can’t I get a turkey wrap and a bag of pretzels? There’s really nothing like that.”
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Badr saw an opportunity to open an eatery that doesn’t require a reservation or time commitment and offers a casual space to relax throughout the day and evening.
“(Between) 3 and 5, it becomes like a food desert, and that’s when I find people come into my clothing store and say, ‘Oh, we don’t really have anything to do until dinner and we want to kill time or have a glass of wine with a friend or beer with my husband,’” Badr said. “It would be really nice to have a place where you can sit outside and do it.”
In May, Finch will open at 10 ½ All Souls Crescent, in the carriage house that’s tucked behind Scout.
Finch will be open 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. Scout’s hours of operations are 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily.
The space is on the smaller side at nearly 300 square feet, not leaving room for indoor seating. But the patio will have a capacity of about 30 people, she said.
No reservations will be needed at the bodega-style eatery that will offer counter service for gourmet snacks and beverages.
“The grab-and-go coolers are going to be stocked with really healthy salads, hummus, things you can make charcuterie boards with – olives, cheeses, charcuterie meats — and it’s sort of packed up in a way where you can take it back to your office or take it on a picnic,” Badr said. “You can come and go as you please. It’s just a really casual drop-in spot.”
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Customers will have a wide selection of wine available by the glass and by the bottle, beer in cans or bottles and other beverages including coffee.
Badr’s family of home cooks and a trained culinary artist will be chipping in with the menu and offering a few homemade recipes, she said.
“My mom’s hummus is incredible. I don’t know why it’s like the best hummus,” Badr said. “Even my husband who lived in New York (and) traveled the world was like, ‘There’s no better hummus in a package or at a restaurant.’ He requests it shamelessly.
“My sister has these amazing pastry recipes. Really, truly home-baked cookies, cinnamon rolls, banana nut bread. You taste it and it’s delicious, but you also know it’s a traditional family recipe. It’s not full of canola oil and preservatives. It’s zero shelf life and you’ve got to get it while it’s hot,” she said.
If the businesses’ names sound familiar, it’s because they are the names of the characters Scout and Atticus Finch and from the classic American novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird” written by Harper Lee. It wasn’t Badr’s original intention when she chose the name Scout for the boutique but was a natural connector when adding on a new business adjacent to the shop, she said.
“It’s a book that we all read that impacted everyone’s lives. It’s a beautiful statement about trying to come together despite all your differences,” Badr said.
Finch’s website and Instagram page will launch soon at finchasheville.com and @finch_avl. For updates, visit scoutavl.com or follow on Instagram @scoutavl or Facebook.
Tiana Kennell is the food and dining reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at tkennell@citizentimes.com or follow her on Twitter/Instagram @PrincessOfPage. Please help support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.
