A classic tearoom serving traditional afternoon tea and crust-free cucumber sandwiches might be the last thing residents and visitors would expect to see in Waynesville. Yet in December, sisters Rebecca Bradley and Melissa Roop turned fond childhood memories of visiting tearooms with their mother into a dream come true with the opening of Crown & Thistle Tea Room.
It was a big career switch for Bradley, an accountant for 32 years, and Roop, who served 27 years in the pharmacy field. But they parlayed personal passions into a professional pursuit. “We come from a big family and our mother was a baker — she made all the cakes for birthdays and special occasions,” says Bradley. “In my 20s, I took over the cake baking.”
In 2007, the sisters began catering small parties in their hometown of Fuquay-Varina (outside Raleigh), and often talked about opening a tearoom. Three years ago, Bradley and her husband bought a vacation cabin in Waynesville. They moved there full time last year — the same year Bradley turned 50 and texted her sister: “We’re not getting any younger. Let’s do this thing.”
With accounting in her rearview mirror, Bradley started working on a business plan and stumbled onto a suitable location — a former furniture store with a big, open showroom perfect for re-inventing.
A planned October opening was delayed by Tropical Storm Helene, which arrived three days after Roop moved to Waynesville. Crown & Thistle soft-opened for friends and family in late November with a grand opening on Dec. 12.
The sisters scoured antique stores from North Carolina to Florida to buy the tearoom’s china teacups, saucers, plates and tiered service pieces. The teapots, however, are clear glass. “We really want guests to see the whole process, the steeping and the color change,” says Bradley.
The shop carries over 30 loose-leaf teas sourced from women-owned businesses in Colorado and California — and the sisters are happy to help people choose one. Four types of tea service are offered. The most popular — Classic Afternoon Tea — includes three tiers of tea sandwiches, scones and desserts plus a small pot of tea. The menu changes monthly.
Tea is served with cream, sugar cubes, honey and/or citrus; Bradley encourages guests to take a taste before adding accoutrements.
Crown & Thistle notes on its website that its style of service is suitable for guests ages 13 and older. “It can be a touchy subject, but we want to provide a serene space where you can disconnect, relax and find a quiet place,” says Bradley. “Since we opened, we have had way more women say thank you for not having children here than anyone complain that we don’t.”
Crown & Thistle offers a monthly tea for children ages 5-12, as well as a book club, craft night and more. The tearoom is also available for private parties and special events.
Crown & Thistle Tea Room is at 62 Overbrook St., Waynesville. For more information, visitavl.mx/efq.
Eldr restaurant closes
Carson Luccisays it took about five days after making the decision to permanently close Eldr, the restaurantshe co-owned with chefEric Burleson in a fairytale cottage in Grovewood Village, to post the news to social media on Jan. 9. It took less than five minutes for reactions to start pouring in.
“We had to settle into the reality of it first,” she recalls. “But as soon as we posted it, we started to get such sweet calls and texts and response on social media. It really helped to know we mattered.”
Lucci has mattered to the Asheville community since she opened Over Easy Café, a breakfast and lunch spot on Broadway, in 2005. Burleson came on as a cook in 2012 and eventually became chef.
Post-COVID-19, the couple closed Over Easy, and regular customers and investors Heather and Jim Cassidy persuaded them to look at the Grovewood Village space that had previously housed Golden Fleece.
After assuming ownership in March 2021, it took more than a year for renovations and even longer to get permits for the kitchen’s hand-built, hand-tiled Marra Forni wood- and gas-fueled oven. They opened Elder in June 2023, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner in an indoor dining room and tiered, shaded patio.
It was a mixed bag, Lucci says. “We wanted to be a neighborhood, community spot doing local, seasonal food that was comforting and elevated. Trying to do an Over Easy-style breakfast and lunch, and then dinner service was too much. We had to rein it in.”
They pivoted several times through the seasons, catering to locals, with regulars from the Omni Grove Park Inn staff and spillover from resort guests. Eldr’s last day of service pre-Helene was Thursday, Sept. 26. Though the restaurant itself was not damaged, there was no water, no internet for weeks and the roads that led to the neighboring Omni Grove Park Inn were closed or blocked until the resort re-opened in mid-November. There were also few tourists.
The idea of re-opening in the slowest season was daunting,” says Lucci. “We thought maybe we just need to work for someone else for a while.”
She says the landlords — the Blomberg-Patton family, owners of Grovewood Village — have allowed them to leave their equipment there for the time being. “They have been so good to us. We don’t know what they will do with the space.”
Lucci and Burleson recently did a successful burger-and-fries popup at Eda Rhyne’s Hide-A-Way in Weaverville and plan to do more. “It was so fun and a reminder of what we love about what wo do,” says Lucci. “We’ll just pop around while we figure out what to do next.”
The couple of 11 years settled one “next” thing on the penultimate day of 2024. “We decided to do something positive to end the year: We went to the Marshall magistrate and got married on Dec. 30. Through all of this, we’re still here and we’re going to be OK. You’ll see us again.”
To keep up with Lucci and Burleson, follow on Facebook atavl.mx/efo or Instagram at avl.mx/efp.
Asheville Restaurant Week doubles down
There is no time like Asheville Restaurant Week to nab a seat at that steakhouse, café or pizzeria you’ve been curious about and support the local industry hit so hard by Tropical Storm Helene. Created by the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce to promote the city’s food and beverage scene, this year’s Restaurant Week launched Jan. 21 and runs through Monday, Jan. 27, with over 40 local restaurants representing multiple cuisines and styles of service offering special menus and discounts. And this year, Asheville Restaurant Week will return for an encore Tuesday-Monday, Feb. 18-24.
For a list of restaurants and featured deals, visitavl.mx/5k3.
Dine with the Divas
The stars will be out on Friday, Jan. 24, at Highland Brewing’s Event Center when Asheville drag queens strut their stuff impersonating female celebrities, including Madonna, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and more. Presented by Asheville Drag Brunch, the bedazzled evening begins at 7 p.m. with a buffet dinner catered by Celine and Company. Beer and wine will be for sale, and attendees are encouraged to bring cash for tipping the performers.
Proceeds from the 21-and-older event benefit BeLoved Asheville. Tickets are $40 and must be purchased in advance.
Highland Brewing Event Center is at 12 Old Charlotte Highway. For tickets, visit avl.mx/efl.
Dry January options
- Cúrate — For those who are midway through Dry January and need a treat, Cúrate has added some jazzy zero-proof cocktails to its beverage menu for sober season. Additions include nonalcoholic gin and tonic (with Dohs gin alternative), white and red sangrias, a hot Notty Toddy (with Kentucky 74 spiritless bourbon) and a St. Agrestis Phony Negroni poured over ice and finished with a curl of orange peel.Cúrate is at 13 Biltmore Ave.
- Burial Beer —Burial Beer feels your Dry January pain and has something to wet your whistle, minus the alcohol. Nonalcoholic Chaosmachine IPA and Socialdevice Pils are now available by the can at all Burial taprooms and online. Both, along withDevil’s Foot X Burial NA Negroni (a partnership with Asheville-based Devil’s Foot Beverage Co.), can be bought online as 36-can bundle — three four-packs of each for $126 with a flat shipping rate of $10 or pickup at Burial’s 10 Collier Ave. location.For more information, visit avl.mx/efm.
Dripolator expands to Biltmore Village
Though much of Biltmore Village remains closed after flooding from Tropical Storm Helene, there’s a cuppa Joe and plenty more in the neighborhood’s future. Dripolator, the coffeehouse and roasting company founded in Black Mountain in 1999 by Amy Vermillion, recently announced plans on Instagram to open a fifth location this spring in the space at 760 Biltmore Ave., previously occupied by TreeRock Social Cider and Mead Bar. The location was undamaged by the storm.
In addition to its Black Mountain flagship, Dripolator has outposts in Candler, South Asheville and East Asheville.
For updates, follow Dripolator on Instagram at avl.mx/ef0.