ABOUT KATIE BUTTON
Chef Katie Button is at the helm of Katie Button Restaurants, a downtown Asheville-based restaurant group with a mission to create and sustain a thriving company culture through exceptional culinary experiences. Experience the lively Spanish tapas culture at nationally-acclaimed flagship restaurant, Cúrate Bar de Tapas. Just around the corner at La Bodega by Cúrate, enjoy a casual lunch, take home paella, and semi-prepared Cúrate favorites, along with a selection of Spanish wine and beverages – available to walk-ins, curbside pickup and nationwide shipping. Take a culinary adventure with Cúrate Trips – incomparable access to the best wine and food in Spain, Portugal, and Morocco. Become a Spanish wine insider by joining the Cúrate Spanish Wine Club – the newest offering from Katie Button Restaurants, designed to bring the world of Spanish wine to your doorstep.
How-to: Oyster Shucking! 🦪
I have a confession to make…while filming with Abby @longcoveseafarm I was trying to show off to a bunch of oyster shucking pros, and definitely cut myself like a newbie. Then Abby and her friends gave me an oyster shucking lesson, and I’m sharing what I learned with you here:
1. When you’re first trying this out, you might want to wear a protective glove, or use a rag to help keep your grip. (Trust me from personal experience that you do NOT want that knife to slip 😝)
2. Use a good oyster knife – mine is from @mortytheknifeman!
3. The key isn’t about using a lot of pressure, it’s finding that notch on the end of your oyster, easing the knife in and then pausing to let the gap begin to expand.
4. Once your knife is in, turn your hand like you’re turning the key in a car ignition. If you’re in the right spot, the oyster will pop right open!
5. Slide your knife through to cut the abductor muscle, open the shell fully, and scoop with the knife from underneath the oyster to loosen, then tilt back and enjoy!
I had a blast finding out more about oyster farming (and shucking lots of oysters) with @longcoveseafarm for the new episode of my @magnolianetwork show, #FromTheSource – if you missed it, the episode is now streaming on @discoveryplus and @streamonmax!
Turns out I’m not the only one who started in science and ended up in the food industry! For this week’s new episode of #FromTheSource, I traveled to Maine to visit Abby Barrows at @longcoveseafarm to learn all about her innovative oyster farming practices – and taste my first oyster straight from the ocean!
With her scientific background and studies in microplastics, Abby is on a mission to change the oyster farming industry forever by engineering plastic-free aqua culture gear. I had NO idea that almost every essential component fisheries need is plastic-based (nets, buoys, etc.). It is completely awe-inspiring! I can’t wait for you all to watch this episode and find out what she’s using to design and build this plastic-free gear (hint: it ties in great with a previous episode)!
Tune in to @magnolianetwork today (5/28) at 2pm EST to watch this week’s new episode – also available to watch anytime on @streamonmax and @discoveryplus! #MagnoliaNetwork
We would love to have you on our team! Repost from @curatetapasbar 👇
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NOW HIRING 🧑🏽🍳👨🏾🍳 Have a passion for food? Cooking? Spanish culture? Come work the line at Cúrate!
With a menu including house-made charcuterie & sausages, fresh seafood, dishes prepared on a charcoal grill, and classic Spanish tapas, there is plenty of opportunity to learn and grow with the Katie Button Restaurants team in an environment that is busy, but casual. We offer a certified living wage, medical benefits, PTO and sick days, dining discounts, and more!
Head to the link in bio for more information about our current open positions, or reach out to jobs@kbr.email. We look forward to hearing from you! ☎️
#avljobs #ashevillehiring #restaurantjobs #linecook #souschef #spanishtapas #spanishfood #cúratetapasbar
Grapefruit and Lavender Mocktail 🌷🍊
We should all drink more vinegar…especially vinegars like these! This simple mocktail recipe uses lavender and oro blanco vinegars from @tartvinegar, featured on this week’s episode of #FromTheSource on @magnolianetwork! Combining these flavorful vinegars with a little citrus, some muddled mint, and a dash of simple syrup for sweetness makes for a delicious, refreshing mocktail that feels special. Pro tip: serve it in your favorite cocktail glass with a sugar-salt rim to take it to the next level!
Visit katiebutton.com (link in bio) for the full recipe. If you can’t get your hands on @tartvinegar, check your local grocery stores and purveyors for any drinking vinegar as a substitute!
#mocktail #cocktail #drinkingvinegar #magnolianetwork #fromthesource #mocktailrecipe #vinegar #tartvinegar #cocktailreel
A brand new episode of #FromTheSource airs today – and it’s all about one of the things in my pantry that gets used the most…VINEGAR! This punchy ingredient can be found in millions of different varieties, and is used for both flavor and chemical reactions in cooking. To learn more about exactly what vinegar IS and the science behind it, I visited Chris at @tartvinegar in Brooklyn, NY, who is producing some seriously tasty, creative vinegar.
Most often when you buy a vinegar that has a “flavor” to it, the producer has bought commercially made, plain vinegar and infused it like a tea. But what Tart is doing is actually taking incredible ingredients like peach leaves, or lavender, or celery, and giving those things what they need to ferment and produce their own natural, complex, unique vinegars with nuanced flavors that I never knew existed.
Tune in to @magnolianetwork today, 5/21 at 2pm EST to watch the new episode of From the Source (or stream on @discoveryplus!) 🥳 #MagnoliaNetwork
Season 3 of #FromTheSource is almost here!!!
Filming this season, I got to taste my first oyster straight from the water, learned about vinegar fermentation, gained a new appreciation for eggs, climbed down inside a vat of miso, thought I might get run over by a herd of cattle (ha!) and so much more. I can’t wait to share these episodes with you.
Tune in to @magnolianetwork THIS SUNDAY, 5/21 at 2pm EST for the season premiere, or stream on @discoveryplus. #MagnoliaNetwork #Magnolia
Over the years, I have found true connection and support in Asheville’s amazing mama-led business community, because no one knows the challenges and joys of running a business while juggling raising children better than these incredible powerhouses. @jaelskeffington and @frenchbroadchocolate had the BRILLIANT idea to create six special bonbons for their Mountain Mamas Collection this Mother’s Day – inspired by a few of these women.
Lucky for me, I got to try all six and they are seriously incredible. My bonbon in the collection is inspired by @curatetapasbar’s Berenjenas con Miel (fried eggplant with honey and rosemary). This has been one of the most popular dishes on the menu since we opened the restaurant…we’ve served thousands and thousands of that dish! The bonbon version is a burst of rosemary and honey enveloped in a dark chocolate shell – it’s literally one of the most delicious single bites I’ve had in my life 😍🍫
Visit @frenchbroadchocolate to learn more about the Mountain Mamas Collection, AND don’t miss out on the “Mother of All Giveaways,” with special prizes from each featured business from the collection.
📸: @realitiesphotography
I’m sure I’m not the only one to crave a crisp, green salad as soon as warm Spring weather comes around – and having a homemade dressing to top it off is like the icing on the cake. 🥗 In this month’s #CúrateWineClub, we’re sharing a recipe for Pistachio Lemon Vinaigrette, adapted from the dressing that coats the Ensalada at @labodegabycurate. If you’ve ever ordered this dish at La Bodega, you understand the enchanting flavor of this dressing…it’s good on just about anything! I’d recommend starting with a salad of butter lettuce and chicories, topped with tender spring asparagus, roasted piquillo peppers, and goat cheese. Don’t forget to pair it with this month’s Oro de Castilla Verdejo from Bodega Hermanos del Villar. The minerality and green apple notes of this wine pair phenomenally with tender vegetables, coming together for the perfect antidote to Springtime cravings! 🌱
If you’re a Cúrate Wine Club member, make sure to check your shipment for the full recipe! Want in on future shipments with access to recipes like this? Join #CúrateWineClub today at the link in bio. 🍷
Cúrate Sobrasada just won a #GoodFoodAward by @goodfoodfdn !!
We are incredibly excited to have been chosen as a 2023 Good Food Award winner in the Charcuterie category. I remember the first batch of Spanish-style charcuterie that Jonathan Pridgen (@jpridge89,) made when he was a demi chef in our restaurants back in 2019. He handed @felixmeana and I some salchichón and chorizo that he had been secretly developing, and our jaws hit the floor at the first bite. The care, texture, depth, and balance of flavor were seriously mind blowing! From that day on, Jonathan and the team have worked tirelessly to create a line of true-to-tradition Spanish charcuterie that we are so proud to share.
The Good Food Awards are chosen based on craftsmanship and flavor, as well as social and environmental responsibility – recognizing American food producers who contribute to a "tasty, authentic, and responsible food system". For us, this means partnering with an incredible hog farmer, @peculiarpigfarm, in SC who cares as much about his hogs as we do about the finished product that lands on your plate. It means we hand butcher the pork, taking care to separate out the exact right types of meat and fat to make the perfect texture. It means spending literally years developing these recipes, striving for a balance of acidity, savoriness, and spice that make your taste buds sing. It means aging each sausage longer than most, seeking that depth of flavor and complexity that comes no other way. To be recognized for this is humbling, and such an honor!
Huge shoutout to the fellow WNC businesses that walked away with Good Food Awards this year – @oldnorthshrub, @killerbeeshoney, @frenchbroadchocolate, and @drinkbuchi. Our little corner of the world showed up strong!
Cúrate Charcutería – including the award winning Sobrasada – is available at @labodegabycurate, @curatetapasbar, and @curateathome. Visit the link in my bio to learn more!
I have to say that brunch at La Bodega is my happy place, it’s nice because I’m not cooking... @mattwallbrown is 😂 The menu is packed full of creative, delicious dishes – here are my top picks from the brunch menu right now:
🍢 Pintxos Selection – A chef-curated assortment of Spanish snacks. Featured here are the Ensaladilla Rusa, Piquillo Confit y Mitibleu Crema, Torreznos, and Gilda!
🐟 Pescadito Frito – Fried anchovies with green peppercorn mayo and lemon
🥗 Ensalada – Seasonal salad, with gem lettuce, dates, oranges, olives, idiazabal cheese, and a lemon-pistachio vinaigrette
🍲 Rabo de Toro – Red wine braised beef served over a Spanish tortilla. This is my absolute FAVORITE!! It’s only available on Thursdays, so plan accordingly 😉
🍫 Pan con Chocolate – Toasted house made baguette with dark chocolate and a little sea salt
🥐 Xuixo – Catalan-style fried, cream filled pastry with a sugar crust. A+ for dipping in a cafe con leche at the end of your meal! ☕️
Visit the link in my bio to make a reservation at @labodegabycurate! 🍽
Team work makes dream work! My sweet little helpers and I dug up the front yard today, I am admittedly NOT garden savvy….Gisela and I watched a couple of videos and then started digging. Figuring it out together was one of the sweetest shared moments with my kids. Spring is definitely HERE! ❤️ 📸: @felixmeana
GIVEAWAY CLOSED! Congrats to @laylowlishyrew and a huge thanks to everyone for entering! We hope to do this again soon!
This AMAZING $1500+ Package includes:
✨2 night stay @hotelarras in downtown Asheville*
✨$150 to @frenchbroadchocolate
✨$150 to @curatetapasbar
✨$125 to @gingersrev
✨$135 gift basket to @poppyhandcraftedpopcorn
✨$150 to @chemistspirits / @antidote.bar
✨$100 to @burialbeer
*Stay subject to availability and blackout dates.
👉TO ENTER:
1. FOLLOW all 7 accounts above plus @blueridgemoments
2. LIKE this post
3. TAG your friends and family in separate entries (each comment = 1 entry)
4. SHARE in stories to let your friends and family know!
Sweepstakes runs April 10 - May 15. One winner will be chosen at random and announced on Instagram on May 16.
📢 We will *NOT* DM your account so please beware any copycat accounts that may reach out. They are not affiliated with our giveaway and should be reported and blocked. Good luck! 🤞
🍫 Meet the Mountain Mamas Collection 🍫
🍯 Rosemary Honey Caramel - Wildflower honey caramel infused with fresh rosemary, inspired by the berenjenas con miel (fried eggplant drizzled in honey with rosemary) at @Cúrate.
🍷 Red Wine & Chocolate - A dark chocolate and red wine ganache. Meet Visuals. Jess Reiser and her team at Burial are venturing into the world of wine, and we are here for it.
🍿 Salted Caramel Popcorn - Salted caramel infused with buttery popped popcorn - cereal milk style. Inspired by Ginger Frank of Poppy Popcorn’s mouthwatering Salted Caramel Popcorn.
🥃 Negroni Caramel - Featuring Chemist gin, Campari, and vermouth, this caramel is thanks to Debbie Word and Danielle Donaldson of Chemist Gin and their dreamy cocktails.
🍊 Ginger & Orange Peel - fresh ginger and sweet orange in dark chocolate, inspired by Cristina Hall and Ginger’s Revenge’s beloved seasonal ginger beer.
☕️ Coffee Cardamom - Jael Skeffington co-founder of French Broad Chocolates, designed this not-too-sweet white chocolate bonbon to marry two of her favorite obsessions: coffee and cardamom.
Get ready for @labodegabycurate’s next Pintxo Party 🎉🎉🎉
March 29th, (next Wednesday,) La Bodega will host its third Pintxo Party! This time, Chef @mattwallbrown and the team will be joined by friends at @motheravl and @cincojotas to bring together a menu highlighting a few of our mutual affections – fresh bread, the best quality jamón, and delicious wine 🥖🐖🍷 I got a peek at the menu and WOW, I can’t wait.
Spain’s pintxo culture is full of energy, fun, and of course delicious food 😉 La Bodega’s Pintxo Party series is all about cultivating this experience right here in Asheville. Belly up to the bar and enjoy bites throughout the night, bring friends and meet new ones, and have an all-around great time. I’ll see you there 🥳
Limited tickets are still available at the link in my profile, head there to reserve your spot!
Artichoke Dip with Preserved Lemons 🍋 Recipe link in bio!
A few weeks back, I shared my method for making preserved lemons – one of the best flavor-bombs to keep on hand! Did you start a jar or two?!
There are about a million ways that I like to use the lemons when they’re ready, from salad dressings to desserts to sauces for meat or veggies (like the salt-baked celery root I made on #FromTheSource!)
For this Artichoke Dip, I chopped them up finely - no need to remove the peel - and folded in to a classic artichoke dip base to add a tangy, salty, subtle citrus lift. It’s creamy, rich, and so delicious. Give it a try next time you need a crowd-pleasing appetizer or snack to share! Serve with crackers or bake up a batch of toast points from thin slices of baguette. My tip for getting them super flat and crispy is to bake between two baking sheets like shown here!
How could you resist that golden, bubbly, cheesy goodness? Visit the link in my bio to find the recipe at curateathome.com
#recipe #recipereel #artichokedip #preservedlemons #appetizers #partysnacks
Paella. Not traditional Valencian Paella, more “arroz con cosas” – which translates to “rice with things” – is one of my favorite things to cook when we have friends or family coming over. It’s super light on the prep; just stock, sofrito and rice plus whatever I’m going to top it with. In this case, it was shrimp and corvina from @motheroceanmarketavl 🐟🦐
We love cooking ours on this grill set up by @seaislandforge, seen here with the paella pan and rig, that allows me to cook it outside over a live fire. Working out techniques through trial and error and repetition and learning is one of my absolute favorite aspects of cooking, and my paella cooking journey is the perfect example of just that. I remember the first time I seared a steak, it did not turn out great...but you do it a few times and each time you get a little better until the steps, look, feel, and aromas become second nature, like muscle memory of all the senses. The same is true when making rice in a paella. It only takes a few ingredients, and each time I make it, it gets better and better. This one was my best yet, and I think that was because I didn’t overcomplicate the ingredients, and really paid attention to the level of the heat, and the sight and sound and aroma of the rice. So rewarding, and delicious!
The @curateathome / @labodegabycurate Warehouse Sale is happening RIGHT NOW!!!! Here’s a preview of what you might find...
Visit @labodegabycurate through March 3rd (or while supplies last) for stellar deals on Spanish wine, conservas, and some of my favorite specialty pantry items! Hurry over before it’s gone 🏃♀️
(BONUS: Grab a glass of wine, coffee, or a bite from the café to enjoy while you shop 😉🍷🥖)
#spanishpantry #cúrateathome #cúratetapasbar #downtownasheville #avleats #avldrinks #avltoday #ashevillebakery #warehousesale
Get ready for tapas at Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival! 🍽🏖
For this year`s #SOBEFF, I`m super excited to be teaming up with @chefamandaf to celebrate all things TAPAS!
Even if you won`t be at the event this weekend, you can cook along by making my recipe for Scallops a la Gilda, a seared scallop dish inspired by the traditional Spanish gilda; a skewer of anchovy, piparra pepper, and olive 🫒 I love to serve this by itself or over pasta! Find the full recipe at the link in my bio, along with Amanda`s recipes for Stuffed Piquillo Peppers and White Gazpacho. Don`t forget to tag us if you make the recipes!
This is how I want to spend my days. Lounging on a sofa in my own thoughts basking in sunlight and feeling awesome. Gisela knows what’s up. I feel like we are born with this type of wisdom and then get told over and over how fast and how high we have to climb the ladder. How do I foster stillness, so I don’t steer her away from exactly how she is? I am definitely NOT modeling it for her as I run home from work, scarf down dinner, pack, and then hop on a jet plane for a work trip…🤪
Recently, the @nytimes shed light on the unethical relationship between the National Restaurant Association and ServeSafe. I recommend reading the full article, but as NYT states, “The National Restaurant Association uses mandatory $15 food-safety classes to turn waiters and cooks into unwitting founders of its battle against minimum wage increases.” In other words, by taking ServeSafe, restaurant workers have been helping fund an arm of nationwide lobbying that works very hard to keep their wages from increasing. Unfortunately, they’ve been successful at this practice for over 30 years, keeping the minimum hourly wage for tipped workers at $2.13 since 1991. This reason, among many others, is why our restaurants use a @1fairwage_official model rather than the subminimum wage rate for tipped workers.
At Cúrate and La Bodega, we are actively vetting and testing new health department-approved training services to better serve our people. To put it simply, it is not in our DNA to support lobbying that keeps restaurant wages low.
If you’re a restaurateur or manager looking for alternatives that don’t line the pockets of the NRA, there’s a link to other accepted forms of food safety training in my bio.
#ServSafeScam #OneFairWage #theotherNRA #NationalRestaurantAssociation #WagingChange #GenderJustice #RacialJustice
