“Food is not about impressing people. It's about making them feel comfortable.”
Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

"Food, like a loving touch or a glimpse of divine power has that ability to comfort."
Norman Kolpas

Mission

To create a charming atmosphere with innovative southern cuisine, emphasizing quality, selection, and excellent service.

Tupelo Honey Café, a locally owned sole proprietorship, offers old southern favorites with creative twists. It has quickly distinguished itself from other regional restaurants by presenting familiar, creative, comfort fare, healthier options, fresh ingredients, and large portions at a fair price.

A pleasant dining experience begins with utterly delicious food and is heightened by great ambiance. Tupelo Honey Café has an upscale, yet casual environment with touches of an authentic Charleston/New Orleans style.

The New York Times describes the interior as "an old fashioned tea room." During the warmer months, guests can take in Asheville's colorful street scene while dining on our covered patio.

Inside, black and white photographs of Asheville's people and places, lush potted and hanging plants, and original paintings adorn the restaurant's walls and quaint nooks and crannies. A sleek mahogany bar lines the open kitchen, inviting customers to get up close to the hustle and bustle of our culinary constructions.

Tupelo honey is high quality honey with low dextrose sugar content and a distinctive flavor made from black gum trees found in Northern Florida. A jar of Tupelo Honey sits on every table and is used to sweeten several of our recipes. The Asheville Citizen Times raves of Tupelo's classy comfort cuisine, "How sweet it is!"

Whenever possible, we buy organic and support local farmers, artisans, merchants and businesses. We serve all organic free-range chicken and eggs, and garnish our entrees with organic edible flowers from a local herb farm. Asheville City Bakery bakes our bread, and Kamm's Frozen Custard makes our exclusive Tupelo Honey Frozen Custard. Our artwork, photographs, flower vases and even our "Open" sign represent the work of local, young artists. The eclectic beer and wine list is comprised of selections from local breweries to world-class wineries that will satisfy even the most discriminating connoisseur.

In an attempt to bring simplicity and food production closer to home Executive Chef Brian T. Sonoskus and owner Sharon Schott have established a farm, Sunshot Organics, to provide natural, pesticide-free local food to the restaurant's tables. Our goal is to provide as much food for the business as possible and supplement our efforts with food from other local food producers and businesses.

After residing in various parts of the country and traveling around the U.S. for several years, restaurateur and owner, Sharon Schott reached the same conclusion that many southerners have always felt in their hearts. The south is home to some of the best food in the world. She recognized Asheville, in its recent cultural and demographic boom, needed a restaurant that could offer locals and tourists a taste of classic southern dishes with healthy, innovative ingredients. Sharon bought the space in the heart of downtown Asheville in early 2000 and immediately threw herself into renovating the restaurant. At that time, there were no other restaurants approaching Tupelo's Honey Café's southern menu and charm.

Sharon was also one of the first restaurant owners to recognize what this part of downtown would become. Situated on the main drag leading into downtown directly across from Pritchard Park, Sharon had acquired one of the best locations in Asheville, and very quickly the space took on the look and feel of Sharon's original vision.

On December 7, 2000, Tupelo Honey Café opened its doors for the first time. On any given day Sharon, a self-described "type A, workaholic," can be seen buzzing around the restaurant greeting new guests, taking drink orders, bussing tables and joking with her employees. The success and popularity of Tupelo Honey Café is a testament to her solid vision, strong work ethic, and attention to details. Her efforts have not gone unnoticed. Tupelo Honey Café has received glowing reviews and recognition from the New York Times, Southern Living Magazine, The Food Network, Turner South Television, UNC-TV, Our State Magazine, Hemisphere Magazine and the Asheville Citizen Times. These accolades have only made her and her staff work even harder.

Brian Sonoskus has been the Executive Chef at Tupelo Honey since November of 2001. He is a graduate of Johnson and Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island. Brian has twenty-one years of restaurant experience. As a high school student growing up in South New Jersey, Brian broke into the restaurant scene toiling in several of the seafood and raw bar restaurants that dot the Jersey Shore.

After graduating from Johnson and Wales, Brian moved to Charlotte, North Carolina where he worked as Kitchen Manager at Tally's Green Grocery. It was there that he honed his skills with vegetarian cuisine heightened with Asian style preparation. Many of the vegetables on the Tupelo Honey Café menu reflect what he learned there. Fresh, simple, and never overcooked are key goals when working with food from the garden.

Brian became a major player immediately in the Asheville restaurant scene when he moved here in 1995. As the Executive Chef at Magnolia's Raw Bar and Grill, he fell in love with Low Country and Cajun style seafood. He won several awards at Asheville's annual Culinary Showcase the first time he entered in 1997. In 2002, Brian was recognized by the Asheville Citizen-Times as one of the "Hot Young Chefs" working in Asheville.

During this time Brian has taken every opportunity to travel abroad to add to his culinary arsenal. His daily specials often reflect the time he has spent tasting, cooking, and assimilating in restaurants, bistros, cafés, beach bars and street food stands in Italy, Mexico, France, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico and Honduras. When not cooking at Tupelo Honey Café, Brian will be found eating out at Asheville's better restaurants and planning dinner parties for his friends. Brian's main dream is to integrate the Polish style pierogi with southern cuisine. One day he will accomplish this feat, and the food world will collectively stop, bow its head and think, "truly this man is a genius sent to us from heaven."