Experience the Chef’s Table at Rezaz! 5 or 9 courses that highlight cuisine from around the Mediterranean Sea. Celebrate birthdays, anniversaries or just because...
Make your reservation today! Make reservations at reserve.com Historic Biltmore Village 828.277.1510 rezaz.com
celebrating 25 Years!
52
OCT. 10 - 16, 2018
MOUNTAINX.COM
F OOD
SMALL BITES by Paul Clark | paul2011clark@gmail.com
The Mediterranean changes hands After some 50 years in the restaurant business and 43 years at the Mediterranean Restaurant, owner Pete Apostolopoulos has called it quits. On Sept. 11, he sold the popular downtown diner to the owners of Foggy Mountain Brew Pub, who don’t plan on changing a thing. “They’re young and energetic and will do a great job keeping it like it was,” Apostolopoulos says. “I hope that Asheville supports them like they supported me.” The Med, as it’s commonly called, opened on College Street in 1975. Back then, downtown Asheville was “a place you wouldn’t be caught dead after 6 o’clock at night,” Apostolopoulos says. Despite having few large downtown businesses to draw patrons from, he seized an opportunity to buy out his partner and built a business by keeping things simple. That formula — simple food wellprepared — is still popular among diners, even as Asheville experiences a restaurant renaissance. Apostolopoulos’ approach to food and to The Med in general was what attracted the owners of Foggy Mountain, which is nearby on Church Street. The brewpub partners liked that The Med is “simple, cozy and quiet,” says Samantha Kronberg, who bought it with Chris Kronberg, Rachel Goodman and Eli Scott (Scott runs The Med). The partners started meeting with Apostolopoulos and his wife, Paula Apostolopoulos, last winter after hearing that Pete Apostolopoulos, approaching 70, was thinking about retiring. They liked the way he “paid attention to everything,” Samantha Kronberg says. “We’re four people filling one person’s shoes, and we’ve got our hands full.” Scott, at the grill since mid-September, works up a few specials daily, and the new owners will see how those are selling before making any changes, Samantha Kronberg says. The old staff
stayed on, helping maintain continuity. Also contributing is Apostolopoulos, who has lived in Asheville since he moved from Greece at age 17. “My whole life was there,” he says of the restaurant. “I was a young man when I got there and got married after I bought the place and raised two wonderful children and educated my kids and lived the American dream, all because the people of Asheville supported me and my family.” Though he no longer has to get up at 4 a.m., Apostolopoulos still goes to the restaurant, as much to catch up with friends as to be available if Scott needs advice. The new owners have returned the affection — a plaque at the end of the counter notes that the stool there is “Reserved for Pete Apostolopoulos.” The Med, 57 College St., is open 6 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday and 6 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday. SCHOOL OF HARDLOX Craving corned beef on rye, homemade matzoh ball soup, potato knishes or just a good kosher hot dog? The 15th annual HardLox Jewish Food & Heritage Festival will serve those and more on Sunday, Oct. 14, at Pack Square. Hosted by Asheville’s Congregation Beth HaTephila and cosponsored by the city of Asheville, the free festival is an immersion into the Jewish culture of Asheville and Western North Carolina. There will be music, singing and dancing, as well as plenty of food, including home-baked challah and treats made by the women of Beth HaTephila. The HardLox Jewish Food & Heritage Festival is 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 14, at Pack Square. Learn more at hardlox.com.