About Alicia

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After countless readings from food writers such as Elizabeth Gilbert, MFK Fisher, and Ruth Reichl, I learned how to write about food. Yet, after traveling through Italy all summer, I learned to appreciate food, and by doing so, I learned how to live again. I learned how to live by learning how to eat. I learned to appreciate the little things in life from the ground up. In Italy, life is centered around food. It is all about getting back to the basics. Walking to school. Reading a wrist watch. Holding an actual paper book. Writing with pen and paper. Americans have become lost in the techno-savvy and fast-paced society. We say it's hard for us to find "good, healthy food." It's not. It's just looking in the right places and having the curiosity and patience to rediscover food all over again. Italians eat food religiously. They dare not break the rules. Food revives one's body from the inside out. It's emotional and social. In order to renew one's heart and learn to live again, one must learn to eat - all of which starts with getting back to the basics.

Friday, September 7, 2012

Apples May Keep the Doctors Away But Not Hendersonville Locals


HENDERSONVILLE, NC. - Despite the torrential rains from Hurricane Isaac which drenched North Caroline mountain region all weekend, Hendersonville’s 66th annual “Fruit of Our Labor Day” Apple Festival wasn’t missed.

Hendersonville’s 4-day Apple Festival began bright and early August 31st with hearty breakfasts served downtown. Locals came out to enjoy Main Street’s festivities ranging from Arts & Crafts made by local artists, Main Street shops displaying new sales, freshly picked apples from local apple orchards, festival food, and singing and dancing entertainment in front of Hendersonville’s historic courthouse.

“It’s one of the few times during the year where neighbors and family come together and partake in this festivity together. There’s a great sense of community during this long weekend,” said Anna Marie Warncke, a local resident who wondered around Main Street all afternoon with her two grandchildren holding her hand. Earlier that day, Warncke said she and her husband William Warncke had taken their grandchildren to Sky Top Orchard in Flat Rock, North Carolina, a town next to Hendersonville also celebrating apple season, to pick apples themselves because this has become their own family tradition over the years. “The best part is the apple donuts they serve there. They are made with all fresh ingredients, no preservatives. You can watch the Sky Top family make them right in front of you. We ordered two dozen donuts and it still wasn’t enough.”

According to NC Apple Festival’s homepage at http://www.ncapplefestival.org/, the 9-block Street Fair is site to 200 vendors and 14 local apple growers. The site states, “Before the creating of the Street Fair, the Festival was a coordinating committee of many events operated by many non-profit groups over the weekend.” With every annual Labor Day Apple Festival, “We have over 250,000 attendees and over $12 million infused into the Hendersonville area economy due to the Festival.”

The purpose of the festival is to celebrate Labor Day and specifically to support local growers and businesses. Many new businesses on Main Street have opened over the last several years due to the ongoing revitalization of the historic downtown district. Where there used to be empty storefronts, new and unique art and clothing shops fill those spaces. Construction work was finished in early spring of last year to revamp outdoor street seating and widen Main Street’s sidewalks so that walking and dining could a more welcoming and enjoyable experience.

The festivities ended with the King Apple Parade on Labor Day. Families parted the street to make way for the Hendersonville Fire Department, Henderson County Honor Guard, Hendersonville Historical Executive Board, The Mayor, and local sponsors of the event.

Apple Festival Executive Director David Nicholson said in an article written by John Harbin in Hendersonville Times-News. “Unless we have lightning, the show goes on.”


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