Note: a version of this article originally appeared last month in The Smoke Sheet, a fantastic national barbecue newsletter that I regularly contribute to. For more information on how to subscribe, visit bbqnewsletter.com.
Monk: On September 27th, Hurricane Helene made its way to the mountains of North Carolina and wreaked once-in-a-hundred years worth of damage, referred on some accounts as “pure devastation and chaos.” Entire towns were reduced to rubble, roads and highways washed away from landslides, and hundreds of thousands of lives were changed forever.
Having grown up in North Carolina for nearly all my life, I (along with many others) have a fondness for that part of the state which is approximately 2+ hours west of Charlotte. Not only Asheville, the most well known of the affected cities, but smaller communities like Linville Gorge, Chimney Rock, Hot Springs, Hendersonville, Little Switzerland, and countless other towns set amongst the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains.
The barbecue community has unfortunately become quite good at responding to these types of events. The bad news is that the road to recovery is only beginning but the good news is that help is coming from a number of places: international and national organizations, barbecue restaurants from the unaffected parts of the state, and local restaurants in western NC that are in a fortunate position to help out.
As has become an unfortunately regular occurrence, World Central Kitchen and Chef José Andrés were on the ground pretty much from the beginning, much as they have done over the past 14 years in places such as Haiti, Türkiye, Syria, Gaza, as well as throughout the US. They have been offering hot meals to anyone affected by the natural disaster as well as first responders such as the National Guard, Army, and FEMA. In western NC they’ve set up their hub at Bear’s Smokehouse BBQ in Asheville and with help from Goldsboro-based Cheshire Pork they are feeding the communities of Asheville, Black Mountain, Swannanoa, Bat Cave, Bakersville, amongst others.
Similarly, Operation BBQ Relief is on the ground in Florida, Georgia, and NC offering free meals to individuals as well as bulk meals for churches, schools, or neighborhoods and Big Green Egg is also matching donations to Operation BBQ Relief’s Rally for Recovery fundraiser up to $50,000. And in an unfortunate circumstance, they are already on the ground for the next storm, Hurricane Milton, which is set to hit Florida this week.
In the central and eastern parts of North Carolina that weren’t affected as much by Helene, barbecue restaurants are also coordinating donations to bring safely to the mountains. In the Triangle region, both Lawrence Barbecue in Durham and Dampf Good BBQ in Cary collected donations of essential items such as bottled water, diapers, baby formula, while Clyde Cooper’s BBQ in Raleigh collected pet food and supplies and Blues on Franklin in Chapel Hill donated pre-cooked barbecue in addition to essential supplies.
Similarly, in the Charlotte Midwood Smokehouse collected essential items at their Plaza Midwood location for donation while Sweet Lew’s BBQ and the Carolina BBQ Festival used their already-planned Fall Pig Pickin’ on October 6th to collect donations and supplies for the relief effort before Sweet Lew’s set up at Regina’s in west Asheville on Tuesday to feed those in need. Jon G’s Barbecue conducted a blanket drive in preparation for the coming winter and also donated wood and supplies directly to Ben’s Backdraft Barbecue for their efforts (more on that later).
Then there are the barbecue restaurants in the western part of the state that are doing their part even as they were in the affected areas. In the small town of Little Switzerland off the Blue Ridge Parkway, the NC Historic Barbecue Trail joint Switzerland Cafe and General Store are not only offering free snacks, water, and over-the-counter meds in front of their cafe but are also acting as a central distribution center as well as a Starlink hotspot with a generator so folks can charge phones and make calls to reach loved ones.
Ben’s Backdraft Barbecue is a firefighter-owned barbecue trailer that regularly operates in cities between Asheville and Bryson City towards the far western part of the state. They too are also feeding people in need, in part from generous donations from Sysco, TMG Pits out of Knoxville, Jon G’s Barbecue, and even individual citizens.
Ben’s Backdraft Barbecue has also partnered with Unkie’s Seasoning out of Franklin, VA to donate a portion of sales of their seasonings and rubs to the Team Ryan Project to support firefighters and their families.
I will add, this is by no means a comprehensive list of all the barbecue restaurants and individuals throughout the state are conducting similar efforts, whether it be feeding those in need or first responders, collecting donations, or donating supplies. The road to recovery and rebuild in western NC is only beginning and will be marked in years instead of months, but one thing I’m certain of is that the barbecue community will continue to do its part long after the nightmare that was Hurricane Helene has left our memories.
If you are inclined to send money, you can donate to the North Carolina Disaster Relief Fund here.
