Restaurant Feature: Copper Crown
Story by Leah Shapiro | Photos by Paul M. Howey
When Kate and Adam Bannasch moved to Asheville from New Orleans in the fall of 2004, she was pregnant with their first son Milo. Adam had attended Camp Rockmont in Black Mountain and they got the idea that the Asheville area might be the perfect place to raise a family. “When we came up here, every third person was either pregnant or had a baby,” says Kate. “It felt like the right fit. We love the South and everything it has to offer…From here, we can drive to the beach or be in the mountains. There’s the flexibility of getting around to different places pretty quickly.”
The couple also brought with them the hope of one day owning their own restaurant. Originally from Florida, Adam had worked in kitchens since high school. He graduated from Vermont’s New England Culinary Institute in 2000 and considers the several years that followed to be very “nomadic.” He cooked in several states including Montana, Idaho, Michigan, and Connecticut. Adam eventually landed a restaurant job in New Orleans. He says it was during his three or so years in New Orleans that he picked up the bulk of his culinary knowledge. He also met Kate, who had earned her degree in biology and women’s studies and was also working in restaurants.
Once in Asheville, Kate and Adam got jobs at Zambra—Kate as a server and Adam in the kitchen. After a year, Adam became executive chef, a position he held for the next 11 years. Last October, their dreams of owning their own restaurant came true when they opened Copper Crown’s doors for business. Adam would run the kitchen side of things, and Kate would handle front of house as general manager.
Named after its metallic roof, Copper Crown in east Asheville serves dinner, lunch, and Sunday brunch. While the cuisine is often described as New American with a nod to New Orleans, lunch and dinner menus reveal many different global techniques with a focus on, as Adam puts it, “local bounty.”
The menu changes seasonally and a special limited menu is available between lunch and dinner from 3–5 p.m. and again after dinner hours. A hearty selection of meat and produce is purchased from local sources, such as Sunburst Trout Farms, Hickory Nut Gap Farm, Ten Mile Farm, and Gaining Ground Farm, with which Adam has fostered relationships over the years while at Zambra. For lunch, you’ll find a list of po’ boy sandwiches with gluten-free and bread-free options available. The shrimp, catfish, and tofu options can be ordered as cornmeal encrusted or blackened. One customer favorite is the lo-fi burger (available for lunch and dinner), which comes with thin double patties and layers of American cheese.
“You can have a tapas-style experience, or you can do a more traditional appetizer and entrée,” explains Kate, referencing the dinner menu. Smaller plates include the seared scallops with roman gnocchi, carrot apple butter, and shaved market vegetables; crispy Brussels sprouts; and spicy buffalo fried green tomatoes with a blue cheese and lime yogurt. Save room for dessert, such as the pot de crème with whipped cream and coconut biscotti.
Copper Crown isn’t just for dining, however. They have a full bar with plenty of seating inside and on the patio. Closing hours extend to midnight on Friday and Saturday. Try one of the signature cocktails created by head bartender James Humphries as you enjoy the warm atmosphere. The space underwent massive renovations before it opened. “We took it all the way back to bare floors and bare walls,” says Kate. With touches of modern-retro design and a glow created by Edison bulbs, the dining room can be casual for a relaxing lunch; light and romantic for an evening out.
Raising their two sons (Max was born in 2007), Kate and Adam are happy to call Asheville home. They hope they can provide a neighborhood restaurant for everyone to enjoy. “Once we bought this house in east Asheville, we really wanted to open up in east Asheville. That was our plan. I didn’t want another restaurant downtown, and we just felt like this part of the town was underserved,” says Adam.
Kate agrees, “It’s been kind of a meandering path to get here, but what drives us is appreciating good food and wanting to provide that—especially for this east Asheville neighborhood—and also to support our family.”
Copper Crown is located in the Home Trust Bank Plaza at 1011 Tunnel Road, Suite 100, in east Asheville. For more information, including hours, visit coppercrownavl.com or call 828.505.7531.