Asheville’s River Arts District has transformed into a model of resilience and growth after Hurricane Helene ripped through it.
ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Jacob Sessoms, a longtime Asheville resident and owner of Table Restaurant, All Day Darling, and food & beverage director at The Radical Hotel, remembers the time after Hurricane Helene hit Asheville in September 2024 vividly.
“In the first 10 days, we didn’t have any internet,” Sessoms said. “We had no cell coverage. Most of us had no power. The only way we were getting information was by huddling in a few hot spots around the city. We were running out of fuel, so you weren’t driving around looking for internet. Luckily, we had friends with Starlink. But we really didn’t know what was going on. There was very much a doubt as to what is going to happen to this place that I love. Has the fabric been torn apart?”
That period of uncertainty lasted for weeks, but, Sessoms noted, the community began to rebuild.
“It really brought the community together,” Sessoms said. “Those that were here and stayed were very invested in rebuilding. It does seem like Asheville is coming back, actually better than it was before, which was my hope in the darkest moments of the hurricane.”
Sessoms shared, despite the devastation, Asheville’s local businesses have bounced back in remarkable ways, in large part, thanks to strong local support.
“Business is back in a way that’s actually quite sustainable and really lovely to see,” Sessoms said. “It’s very locally driven. At All Day Darling in Montford, we are about 20% up year over year. At The Radical, we just reopened about a month ago, expanding into full-time hours for the restaurant, rooftop bar and café. We’re hitting targeted forecasted numbers for 2025 and actually seeing greater revenues, sales, and customer feedback than in 2024.”
Executive chef at Golden Hour in The Radical Hotel Kevin Chrisman described the emotional impact—and unexpected benefits—of the disaster.
“It was a lot, both with what you normally expect from a hurricane, but also the intangibles you don’t expect,” Chrisman said. “A lot more friendships, unexpected friendships, rekindling old friendships. Such an unexpected event created a lot more reaching out—making sure my friends are okay, making sure my community is OK.”
For Chrisman, Asheville’s restaurants are more than just places to eat—they’re places of healing and renewal.
“When you’re sitting down in the restaurant, eating the food that was grown and picked this morning, you’re tasting Asheville and the literal regrowth of the community,” Chrisman explained. “Whatever our farmers are giving us is what we’re cooking in the restaurant. So I think it’s literally moving on in a healthy and good way.”
Sessoms added Asheville is far from “gone.”
“The river corridor of our city took it very hard, but if you get out and about, it’s already cleaned up,” Sessoms clarified. “The city itself as a whole wasn’t widely damaged. The core of our city is perfectly fine, and we’re coming back better than ever.”
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