I like to team-up with the local food vendors, makers, promoters, etc in Asheville to do fun contests in which the readers have a chance to win free food. Because I know how much everyone loves free food. Right? Seriously. Free food is the best thing ever! So, here’s the latest contest…
3 Food Fans Won a Free AIR Passport!
Katie Alexander
“All regions of Asia for all of the noodles, saucy spicy yummy bowls, all of the dumplings, all of the street food.”
Beverly Brignolo
“Hong Kong for Dim Sum on Sunday morning with my Chinese family.”
Lora Lanier
“I hope this can involve time travel, because I would go to my grandmother’s house in East Texas and she would make her famous chocolate roll. It was her own invention, a pastry dough rolled in Cocoa, sugar and butter and baked in milk, and we haven’t adequately reproduced it yet!”
Congrats to our three winners, who were selected via random number generator!
THIS CONTEST IS OVER.
Everything below is archival.
Enter This Contest to Win a 2018 Asheville Independent Restaurant “Passport!”
Retail Price: $65! Worth Hundreds in Buy-One-Get-One Deals at Local Indie Restaurants

Above: Got the Passport!
I have recently received three Asheville Independent Restaurants 2018 Passports with specific instructions to give them away to you guys! Hell yes! The AIR Passport has an ASSLOAD of savings inside, with coupons that entitle the holder to upwards of 40+ BOGO meals at a ton of the most well-known and much-beloved local, indie restaurants in Asheville and Buncombe County! The AIR Passport is a must-have for any and all hard-core eaters out there, especially if you have a frequent dining partner whom you love. Your mother, for example.
HERE’S HOW YOU CAN ENTER TO WIN YOUR NEW AIR PASSPORT!
To be eligible to win, you only have to do one thing: Answer this question in the comment section below…
If you could spread your arms and fly, where would you go, and what would you eat?
THAT’S IT. Just scroll down, and start typing your answer.
Posting multiple comments with multiple answers below absolutely WILL increase your chances of winning, so do it!
The Deadline to Enter is Wednesday March 28th, 2018
RULES ‘n’ STUFF
Simply answering the question makes you eligible to win!
Your can write any answer, there are no correct or incorrect answers!
NOTE: ALL COMMENTS ON THIS BLOG REQUIRE MY PERSONAL APPROVAL.
As soon as you post your answer(s) in the comment section below, I will be notified via email, and your comment will be approved (unless for some reason it is truly atrocious, hateful, or offensive!), and at that point you will be entered into the contest, and eligible to win a 2018 AIR Passport!
THREE WINNERS will be randomly selected from all those who answer the question above with a comment below.
The 3 winners will be picked via random number generator on March 29th, and notified by me at that time. The 3 winners will also be announced on this blog, on Facebook, and Twitter.
SCROLL DOWN TO POST YOUR ANSWER & ENTER TO WIN!
ABOUT THE PASSPORT

The AIR Passport is your buy-one-get-one (BOGO)* ticket to some of Buncombe County’s highly acclaimed independent restaurants. Visit an old favorite or try a new member of the area’s vibrant independent restaurant community. AIR Passports make great gifts, but they go fast.
You can purchase one here or at the Visitor Center in the Asheville Chamber of Commerce.
Participating Restaurants in the 2018 AIR Passport:
SCROLL DOWN TO COMMENT AND ENTER TO WIN A FREE 2018 AIR PASSPORT!
— END —

From left: Chef Jacob Sessoms of Table; Chef William Dissen, The Market Place; Chef Steven Goff, Standard Foods; Chef Katie Button, Curate; Chef Joe Scully, Chestnut and Corner Kitchen; Stu Helm; Chef John Fleer, Rhubarb; Chef Karen Donatelli, Donatelli Bakery; Chef Peter Pollay, Posana Cafe; and Chef Matt Dawes, Bull & Beggar./ Photo by STEWART O’SHIELDS for ASHVEGAS.COM
Stu Helm is an artist, writer, and podcaster living in Asheville, NC, and a frequent diner at local restaurants, cafes, food trucks, and the like. His tastes run from hot dogs and mac ‘n’ cheese, to haute cuisine, and his opinions are based on a lifetime of eating out. He began writing about food strictly to amuse his friends on Facebook.

First flight, straight to France. I would eat all of the buttery, garlic-y, cheesey things and wash it down with French wine. That would last at least a week. Then off to……..
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Second flight, off to Greece. I would live & eat like a Greek. All of the olives & cheese & wine & lamb & minty salads. I could get my toga body ready!
Then off to….
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Since I’m from Cleveland, OH I would fly to the Westside Market to eat all the fresh ethnic foods I can’t get in Asheville
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Hawaii…. Poke
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Spain… Pan con tomate
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Hop… Ice cream right now
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Everywhere and everything!!! You burn more calories when you can fly right?
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Scotland! I want to eat real, authentic haggis! I’ve had what we are allowed here but it’s not the same!
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Japan! Gotta try some super fresh simplistic sushi from a master.
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Korea! The home of some of the worlds most awesome street food!
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Ah…. if I could spread my wings and fly, I would go to “Milliways” – the Restaurant at the End of the Universe. I would ask to meet the dish of the day (you can “meet the meat”) and of course, I would order a pan-galactic gargle blaster, or 3.
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Italy. I would eat and drink myself silly through that country. Pasta and wine and seafood, oh my!
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I’d fly to Lyon for some quenelle. (Even though the quenelle are Vivian is DELICIOUS.)
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Hong Kong for Dim Sum on Sunday morning with my Chinese family.
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I would fly back home to Asheville and gorge on pastries at Karen Donatelli. Is always so nice to come back to town and have so many awesome options. Keeping up with Stu’s posts heavily dictates on where I’ll be dining my next trip back. Luckily I make it home enough to actually go to many of the places he does.
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Next would be Coastal Brazil. Soak up & eat up all of the colors & spice & life!
Seafood for days.
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La Bottega – Vail, CO
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Around the world and back. Eating in every town, in every country, until my expiration date was reached!!!
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GREECE!! Moussaka! Fried feta! Souvlaki! Tiropites! Baklava! Yummmmm
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I would fly to my mom’s and eat a lobster roll.
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Peru for the best ceviche ever and a few pisco sours!
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i would go to Scotland. fish and chips and mushy peas
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i would go to Iceland. interesting dishes made of fish. not sure if i would actually try them or not though.
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i would go to Alaska for the scenery. but then fly back here for the food.
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I would fly to Curate & eat one of Katie Button’s fabulous dishes!!
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I would fly to Toronto, Canada, just to get poutine. Come French fries with brown gravy and cheese curds.
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Thanks for asking, Stu! I’d travel to Cambodia and eat at this amazing little restaurant hidden in the jungle across from Angkor Wat. I went in 2009 and have been dreaming about it since then!
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Japan – Jiro Dreams of Sushi in the world-renowned Sukiyabashi Jiro
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Italy – and would eat all things Italian accompanied by a bottle of Italian wine at each meal
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Botin in Madrid Spain – oldest restaurant in the world – the food is amazing there! (lots of time to perfect it, I guess)
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I would fly all over the country trying regional specialties like lobster, grinders, BBQ, tacos, etc.
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Fly to Vietnam. Some of my favorite food. Love it sooo much I learned to cook it. Might make PHO TODAY
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I love a good weiner schnitzel, so I’d fly to Austria to that for sure.
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I’m also flying to Belgium for the worlds best Moules-Frites! Though I love the mussels at Bouchon, I hear the ones in Belgium are the best!
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Though other countries in Asia are higher on my list, I’d love to fly to China for dim sum and dumplings!
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I can’t forget that I’d fly to Japan for ramen, and my favorite Japanese dish, pork katsudon.
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I have a cousin living in South Korea right now, and I’d love to fly there and join her for a night of barbecue and banchan!
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I’d fly back in time to my late grandparent’s house in Virginia to eat tomato sandwiches with tomatoes from their garden.
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Vietnam. Bahn mis and baos for days!
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I would fly back in time, to Montford Pull Up, and have a cheezeburger. RIP Montford Pull Up.
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Northeast coast of Scotland and I’d eat bean and tattie pies (best thing I’ve ever eaten anywhere) and clotted cream and strawberry jam for dessert :)
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I’d fly to Peru for lomo saltada. Yum!
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I would fly to Europe and eat hit the coasts of Spain, France, Greece and Italy. Dream good vaca
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Japan for some legit katsu curry!
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And New York City for a Cronut from Dominique Ansel Bakery…
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And London for a plate of halloumi fries from Oli Baba’s in Camden Market…
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And then back home for some tenders and mac poppers at Rocky’s. And croquettes from Curate. Yes.
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And I suppose I’d have to take my fiance to Noodle Shop too since the homestyle tofu is his fave. But I guess we’ll probably be full after that!
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I would fly all over Asheville and eat everything on the air passport
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Home for some good pizza
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