From Asheville, with love

Our first visit to this city in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains was almost eight years ago. We honeymooned here and fell in love. Not with each other - we had already done that -- but with Asheville itself.

A picturesque city with an amazing small-town feel, it became our special place: a place to rejuvenate from life's hard blows. It also became a place of inspiration.

Asheville has, for some time now, been a secret epicenter for culinary creativity. The Foodtopian Society of Asheville considers food to be an invigorating centerpiece of daily life, a constant source of fulfillment. Good food is sustainable food, with farm-to-fork meals that feature seasonal ingredients from local fields, farms within 100 miles of the table. The well-heeled and the working class, the hipsters and the hippies all share this common thread.

The city also seems united by a passion and a deep concern for food and environment, also known as the Slow Food Movement.

We found ourselves in Asheville in March. Originally, we set out to attend a festival. But our time there became a lesson in local pride, sustainable products and regional economics.

At every turn we found lessons in what we could be doing in the Tampa Bay area:

• Farmers organize to sell in open markets;

• Menus identify where the food originates;

• Community gardens provide sustainable and affordable food.

Dining with a conscience

At first sight, the Early Girl Eatery looks like a trendy little cafe with a Southern vibe, and it is, but with the farm-to-fork philosophy behind it.

Owners John and Julie Stehling opened the Early Girl in 2001 with the idea that the menu would rely almost exclusively on produce, cheese and meats raised or grown in the area by family farms and community-supported agriculture. It's local economics 101 in practice: The farm feeds the fork and, in turn, the fork feeds the farm.

Our next stop was The Lucky Otter, a tiny west Asheville pub that serves unusual burrito combinations made from locally grown produce. The owners -- Roland Knoll, and Sam and Jennifer Parker -- set out six years ago to offer an affordable menu and affordable drinks that support local products for local folks. It has become a low-cost oasis in what can be a very pricey town.

It's important to them that their prices remain low so their neighbors can enjoy their offerings, but tourists are welcome, too. The Lucky Otter's beer menu is 30 deep, the $3 margaritas are potent, the burrito menu is a fusion of Mexican and everything else, and the locals never leave. Why would they, with the Burrito of Brotherly Love at $7.25 and the White Trash BBQ Burrito for $6.50? And they were so big we ate on them for two days.

Pulling into the driveway of the uber hip Sunny Point Cafe you come face to face with the restaurant's garden, babied by owners April Moon Harper and Belinda Raab, along with staff and local support. Sunny Point's garden slogan is "delivering food with feet, not fuel."

In season, it is bursting with herbs, squash, lettuces and tomatoes -- all for a garden-to-table purpose. They feature "garden" specials throughout the biggest harvest season; summer visitors and locals flock in droves for the freshest food.

What do you get when you cross the quintessential dive bar with amazingly refined food? You get The Admiral.

Red velvet walls, cheap motel-chic artwork, strong drinks and a small-plates menu priced at $10 or less that includes sweetbreads, pork belly, venison and duck make this Asheville's best-kept secret.

Distinctly lacking pretense and haughtiness, it's our kind of place. Owners Jonathan Robinson and Drew Wallace opened The Admiral in December 2007.

With fewer than 40 dining seats, the kitchen is right under your nose and the menu changes daily. Chefs Elliott Moss and Drew Maykuth design the menu at the end of every night based on what they can get from about a dozen local farmers and regional meat suppliers. If it is not peak-of-the-season fresh -and preferably local -- it doesn't make the cut.

At 10 p.m. sharp, the kitchen closes and The Admiral transforms into a hip bar where bicycle-riding locals decompress with neighbors.

Buying from the source

When food-conscious Asheville residents aren't eating from menus declaring the farm's origination, they're shopping at farmers' "tailgate markets." During the spring, summer and fall months, many residents rarely buy their fresh food from grocery stores. Farmers bring their products to common areas and sell right out of the back of the truck, resutling in the name Tailgate Market.

There are about 12 tailgate markets in the Asheville area on any given day. Farmers sell everything from local meats, cheese and produce to spices, jams and plants.

Imladris Farms' Berry Best Jam, meats from Hickory Nut Gap Farm and Spinning Spider Creamery's Chevre goat cheese are just three the local products we fell in love with.

It's happening here, too

On our way home, a beautiful 10-hour drive, we thought about what we learned and the concepts we wanted to bring back to Tampa: the importance of supporting local farmers, focusing on slow food and building community-supported markets and gardens. We realized the movement already has begun.

James Canter, executive chef of the soon-to-open Sangrias restaurant in Seminole Heights (which also will house a sushi bar and gastro pub serving microbrews), is in the process of certifying the restaurant as the first Certified Green Restaurant in Florida. Canter also has plans to manage a rooftop garden for the restaurant's use. Delivering food with feet, indeed.

Tiffany Ferrecchia, owner of an organic foods catering business, started the Tampa Downtown Market, last fall as a gathering place for local farmers, producers, and artisans to sell fresh agricultural and related products. On Fridays from mid-October to mid-May, you can find local produce, duck eggs, honey, goat's milk, crepes and spices galore. Such enterprises can generate a sense of local pride and further downtown Tampa's development.

New World Brewery has been an Ybor City landmark for more than 10 years and has always offered as many local microbrews as possible, along with about 30 other beers. They don't serve burritos, but they do serve great pizza and often use herbs grown in the pub's garden.

Community gardens, with a big thanks to Tampa Councilwoman Mary Mulhern's efforts to establish them, are beginning to pop up from Hyde Park to New Tampa.

As for a dive bar that supports local industry, serves awesome drinks and the best food you've ever eaten before in your life? We're working on that one.

FIND OUT MORE

A little philosophy

• The Foodtopian Society of Asheville: www.exploreasheville.com Use the site's search engine
• Slow Food Movement: www.slowfoodusa.org

Asheville eats

• Early Girl Eatery: www.earlygirleatery.com
• The Lucky Otter: www.theluckyotter.com
• Sunny Point Cafe: www.sunnypointcafe.com
• The Admiral: www.myspace.com/theadmiralnc

Food direct

• Farmer's tailgate markets: www.exploreasheville.com
• Imladris Farms: www.imladrisfarm.com
• Hickory Nut Gap: www.hickorynutgapfarm.com
• Spinning Spider Creamery: www.spinningspidercreamery.com

Closer to home

• New World Brewery: www.myspace.com/newworldbrewery
• Tampa Downtown Market: www.tampadowntownmarket.com

THE EARLY GIRL BENNY

This recipe serves 2.

• 1 cup Quick Cook grits
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 4 ounces fresh spinach (or one bag)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup sweet onion, diced
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 4 cups fresh tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh basil, stems removed and chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh thyme, stems removed and chopped
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tomato, thinly sliced
• 1 avocado, peeled and sliced

Prepare 1 cup grits according to package instructions. Spread grits on a sheet pan or in a baking dish, about 1/2-inch thick. It fries up nicely at this thickness. Cool in the refrigerator for 1 hour or at room temperature for 2 hours. Using a biscuit cutter (about 4 inches in diameter. A small bowl or can works well, too.), cut cooled grits into circles.

In a heavy saute pan on medium-high, bring 1/2 cup canola oil to a boil. Carefully place each grit cake into oil and allow to fry until golden brown on both sides.

In separate saute pan, lightly saute spinach with salt and pepper to taste.

Fill a shallow frying pan with water and bring it to a boil. Add white wine vinegar and lower the heat until the pan is no longer boiling. Add eggs individually and cook for 2 minutes for a soft egg, 3 minutes for a firmer egg.

For the Tomato Gravy:

Bring heavy bottomed pot to medium heat. Add olive oil and onions. Saute onions until they are translucent. Stir in flour to form a roux. Continue to stir for 1 minute. Add tomatoes and ¼ cup stock. Add basil, thyme and sugar. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Allow to simmer on low for 30 minutes. Add remaining stock during simmer if gravy becomes too thick.

Assembly: Place two grit cakes on each plate. Top each cake with a sliced tomato and sauteed spinach (making a little nest). Next, top each nest with one poached egg. Smother everything with tomato gravy, then top with two slices of avocado.

PAN ROASTED PORK CHOPS WITH GOAT CHEESE PANNA COTTA AND MIXED BERRY JAM

On our last evening, we created this recipe in honor of Asheville.

This recipe serves 4.

For the panna cotta:

• 2 cups half and half
• 1/2 tablespoon unflavored gelatin
• 1/2 pound fresh goat cheese
• Salt

Pour 1/2 cup of the half and half into a bowl and sprinkle with the gelatin, letting it stand until the gelatin has dissolved, about 5 minutes.

Pour the rest of the half and half into a saucepan over medium heat, along with the goat cheese and a large pinch of salt. Whisk this until just hot to the touch and the goat cheese has dissolved.

Pour the goat cheese mixture into the bowl with the gelatin mixture and mix well to combine. Pour this mixture into four 4-ounce ramekins and refrigerate until set, about 2 hours.

For the pork chops:

• 4 thick center-cut pork chops (best quality you can get)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons canola oil
• 2 tablespoons butter

Season the pork chops well on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat a large, ovenproof saute pan over medium heat and add the canola oil. Sear the chops on one side for about 2 minutes, then turn over, add the butter, and baste the chops with the butter for 2 minutes more. Place the pan in a 400-degree oven for 6 to 8 minutes. Remove the pork chops from the pan, and set aside to rest for 5 minutes.

To assemble:

• 4 teaspoons mixed berry jam
• Fresh arugula leaves

Unmold the panna cotta by dipping the bottom of the ramekins in a cup of hot water for 30 seconds, then run a knife around the edge of the ramekin and inverting onto a plate. Garnish each panna cotta with 1 teaspoon of the jam, plate the pork chop and scatter some arugula leaves around the plate.

GULF OYSTERS WITH CUCUMBER-WASABI-YUZU MIGNONETTE

The Admiral has become one of our all-time favorite restaurants. From one chef to another, we thought a recipe that was influenced rather than copied would be a more fitting tribute. And it had to not only utilize Tampa's freshest ingredients, but also be affordable, just like The Admiral.

This recipe serves 6 as an appetizer.

• 1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced small
• 1/2 tablespoon yuzu juice
• 1 teaspoon wasabi (or more, according to your taste)
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon fresh cilantro, leaves only, finely chopped (more or less to your taste)
• Sea or kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 gulf oysters (we prefer Apalachicola)

Place 3/4 of the diced cucumber in a blender and blend until smooth. Strain the pureed cucumber through a fine sieve into a mixing bowl. Add the yuzu, wasabi, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce and cilantro. Add the remaining cucumber and season with salt and pepper, and mix well.

Clean the oysters well under cold, running water to remove any mud or grit, and then open the oysters with an oyster knife, cutting the adductor muscle on the bottom shell to release the oyster. Top each oyster with a spoonful of mignonette, to serve.