Note that if you purchase something via one of our links, including Amazon, we may earn a small commission.
Annie Forsthoefel of Annie’s Culinary Garden served plant-based dishes to her North Carolina community after it was devastated by Hurricane Helene.
Annie Forsthoefel runs Annie’s Cafe & Produce in Black Mountain, about 20 minutes east of Asheville. The café is part of a business that includes Annie’s Culinary Garden, so she can provide garden-to-table dishes, and plenty of vegan and vegetarian options. The menu changes daily or weekly, depending on what Annie’s harvesting from her garden or getting from other local farmers.
We spoke to her recently, on the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Helene, about what life was like in Black Mountain for those weeks after the storm.
In the days before the hurricane’s impacts hit North Carolina (between Sept. 25 and Sept. 28, 2024), the area had gotten 13 inches of rain. “Then we had 17 inches over two or three days — 30 inches total,” she says. “The trees — that’s what we’re all about here, lots of big trees — they couldn’t handle it.” Trees fell, creeks and rivers (there are so many in the area) flooded — some of them 20 or 30 feet above usual. “This was in a 30-mile radius. And every place in that radius was just decimated. Whole towns … just gone away. Some towns are ‘unincorporated,’ so they didn’t have emergency plans. Nothing like this was expected. They called it a geological event because it changed the course of our river, changed the shape of our mountains. We lost 40% of our trees.”
But her garden, her restaurant, she said, “was a little miracle. We’d brought our personal generator to the store the day before. After the storm, we walked from home. A half-hour walk took an hour and a half. Electrical lines were all down.
But the generator worked. And the miracle — we had water. No one else had water. So those two things combined — the power and the water — enabled us to prepare food for people who were stranded, isolated. World Central Kitchen came in, and they were delivering some food, but it was barbecue and those with dietary restrictions or who couldn’t eat meat couldn’t be fed, so that’s the niche we took care of.”
The best way she can describe it: “It was miracle after miracle,” she says.
“The generator runs on gas, but there were no gas stations open anywhere near. One day there were two dogs running loose nearby, and a guy in a truck stopped to help. He came in, said his name was Martin, and said to me, ‘You got a generator! I’m driving across state and will fill up every gas can I can and will come back with gas.’ And he did.”
The fuel allowed them to keep working with the local food justice organization, Bounty & Soul, and keep people fed. “For three weeks, we provided meals for free for people — vegan, vegetarian. We were just in production mode — get as much food out as possible.”
She pauses, then says, “I am emotional telling you this now, because I forget how many things happened.”
A few weeks after the storm, a lot of people in the Asheville area were still living in tents. Volunteers showed up from various places around the country. Two police officers from Gary, Ind., one retired, one still active, were sent by their precinct to deliver funds and they came into the restaurant, unsure of where to find people who needed help. They wanted to know what they could do.
“The funds made a difference — enabling a family of four to move from a tent to a rental — that’s one example.”
World Central Kitchen came in, and they were delivering some food, but it was barbecue and those with dietary restrictions or who couldn’t eat meat couldn’t be fed, so that’s the niche we took care of.
– Annie Forsthoefel
A group of guys calling themselves “The Axemen” came from Pennsylvania and chopped up all the fallen trees. Annie had lost a lot of trees around her house; the Axemen broke them down to logs.
“But they’re still huge at this point,” she tells us. “Then a group of Mennonites from Virginia came and stacked them neatly in my yard. Then they went through my gardens — which weren’t ruined at all — and they raked and cleaned up all the leaves.”
People started slowly coming into the restaurant, sharing their stories with Annie.
The kindness she encountered, she says, happened with everyone she knew. Even the people in hollers, easily stranded and isolated because there’s only one way in and one way out, got rescued by someone coming from another state, opening the roads and getting them out.
“I totally believe that our community now is stronger. We’re seeing so much happening. Old buildings being reopened for a new hardware, new grocery — things that weren’t even here before. All done by individuals — that’s the thing that’s amazing to me. There’s joy here. We’re just really aware of how important each one of us is to each other.
“The narrative of our county,” she says, “is not that we are divided. It’s that we are filled with kind people.”
On the anniversary of Helene, Annie wrote in a newsletter to her customers:
“We’ll be sharing with each of you a free slice of cake — a beautiful southern prune cake, just a little spicy, perfectly sweet and lip-smackin good, baked with nothing but love. Because in the end, love is what carries us through: love for one another, love for the food that nourishes us, and love for this incredible place we are blessed to call home. May every bite be a reminder of the resilience, kindness, and joy that bind us together.” (See the recipe for Southern Prune Cake below.)
Print
RECIPE: Raw Beets With Orange Vinaigrette
- Yield: Serves 2–4 1x
Description
At Annie’s Cafe & Produce in Black Mountain, N.C., the menu changes with what’s available in the garden.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil, or a little less
- 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
- 2 Tbsps red wine vinegar
- 2 tsps honey
- 1 tsp orange zest
- Pinch of salt
- Pinch of pepper
- 2-3 beets, peeled and grated in a food processor
Instructions
- Mix together the olive oil, orange juice, red wine vinegar, honey, orange zest, salt, and pepper to make the vinaigrette.
- Dress the raw beets with the vinaigrette and enjoy!
RECIPE: Southern Prune Cake
- Yield: Serves 10 1x
Description
This old-fashioned prune cake is wonderful. The spices and moistness will make it one of your favorites. Even if you don’t like prunes, you will love this cake. Most people never even realize it has prunes in it and they love it. It’s a very popular cake for a reason. If you have never tried this classic, you should!
Ingredients
The cake
- 1 cup pitted prunes, chopped (I used 25 prunes cut in about six pieces each)
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup oil
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp allspice
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 2 tsps vanilla extract
The topping
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 2 Tbsps dark corn syrup
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 6 Tbsps butter or margarine
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- I do not use a mixer with this cake. You will need 3 bowls: 1 large mixing bowl and 2 smaller bowls. Put your chopped prunes in one of the small bowls, cover with the buttermilk, and set aside.
- In the large bowl, add together the oil, sugar, and eggs, mixing well with a spoon.
- In the other small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and nutmeg, and use a wire whisk to mix well.
- Pour the prunes and milk into the large bowl with the oil, sugar, and eggs. Add the dry ingredients and mix well with a spoon. (I use a wooden spoon.) Add the vanilla extract and mix.
- Spray a 9-by-13 cake pan and add the batter. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the center of the cake is done.
- While the cake is baking, combine all the topping ingredients in a pan and bring to a boil. Or, put them in a bowl in the microwave. Let the topping cool for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Once the cake is done, poke holes in it and pour the topping over the cake while it is still warm.
This recipe was first published by Judy Yeager on The Southern Lady Cooks. See more recipes and videos on their website.
