Marlene lives just south of Asheville, and one of her favorite restaurants is Postero, located at at 401 N. Main Street in Hendersonville. If you are not from the Asheville area, Hendersonville is about a half hour drive from Asheville.  It’s historic downtown consists of a 16-block area filled with independent restaurants, quaint shops and fun things to do.

Marlene says Postero is a wonderful place to celebrate a special occasion. It’s cuisine is described as “New American.” Serving local food, it also boasts a local chef. Jason Reasoner, the executive chef, is a native of Hendersonville.

Marlene knows a thing or two about customer service and described Postero’s as “over the top.” When celebrating her husband’s birthday at the restaurant recently, the staff presented David with a birthday card signed by everyone on the staff – from the executive chef down to the busboy!

But it’s the food that keeps her coming back. She and David like to start their meal with a cheese plate. Marlene’s favorite entree is grilled fillet of beef tenderloin, served with roasted mixed mushrooms and duck-fat roasted fingerling potatoes. Topped off with Postero steak sauce. Yum!

Save some room for desert. Marlene described her favorite which is definitely worth the calories – Roasted Banana Ice Box Pie. This original desert is made with roasted banana ice cream, peanut butter mousse, dark chocolate sauce and topped with a salted pretzel crumble. Double Yum!!

Postero is open Wednesday through Saturday for lunch and Tuesday through Saturday for dinner. They are closed on Sundays and Mondays.

Where is the best spot for leaf color right now?

That is often a tricky question. It depends on the elevation. Within 50 miles of Asheville, leaf watchers can experience elevations that range from about 1,300 feet at DuPont State Forest in Transylvania County to over 5,000 feet at Mount Pisgah. The leaves are turning color later than normal this year, due to dry weather, but luckily the colors are just as vibrant as ever! If you have not been out to see them yet, you are in luck – experts say that warmer temperatures are resulting in colors that are lasting longer than usual.

Fall is a spectacularly beautiful time in the southern Appalachians. Leaves begin their colorful show at the highest elevations, over 5,000 feet, and the show continues down the mountains. Over the next week or two, peak color will be at its most beautiful at 3,000 to 4,000 foot elevations. One easy way to find just the right spot is by driving either north or south along the Blue Ridge Parkway. A combination drive and hike might make a great day of fall fun.

Sunrise over the Mills River Valley from the Blue Ridge Parkway Milepost 404.5 Photo credit:  RomanticAsheville.com

Drive north from Asheville toward Linville Gorge and Banner Elk for great hiking opportunities, including Table Rock. West of Asheville, Fontana Lake area and Bryson City will be looking perfect in the coming week or two.

Colors will liven Asheville’s landscape as the month draws to a close. Asheville sits at about 2,000 feet above sea level. The Biltmore Estate is especially lovely at this time of  year, and so are lower elevation hiking locations like the waterfall hikes in DuPont State Forest.

The NC Arboretum, located on Highway 191 just off the Blue Ridge Parkway near the Bent Creek Overlook is gorgeous all year, but the trees put on a spectacular show in the fall.

It is best not to hike alone, and on Tuesdays and Saturdays beginning at 1 p.m., April through November, the Arboretum hosts a free guided trail walk for visitors and members. Trained volunteer guides lead small groups along woodland trails and through a variety of forest types. Walks last 1.5 – 2.5 hours, depending on the interest of the group, and are approximately one to two miles in length. Walks begin in the Baker Exhibit Center lobby, and space is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

If you have missed the colors by the end of the month, there is still time! The Hickory Nut Gorge at Chimney Rock and Lake Lure are at about 1,300 foot elevation and colors should be bright there until early November.

Jewels That Dance recently welcomed a new bench jeweler, Vadim Ostapovich, to its team. A graduate of the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) in California, Vadim grew up in Asheville. His first experience with jewelry was at age 16 when his brother-in-law gave him a block of wax and challenged him to carve a pendant from scratch. Vadim learned the whole process, from casting to cleanup, at a  young age. “Ever since, I’ve been interested in jewelry making,” he said.

When an opportunity came in 2013 to apprentice under his brother in law in Naples, Florida, he jumped at the chance. While there, he learned he had won a full scholarship to GIA’s Jewelry Design & Technology CAD/CAM program. “It just seemed like everything was meant to be, and I had found my calling.”

Vadim’s family of 8 emigrated to Asheville from the Ukraine in 1989 when he was just a few years old. He attended Reynolds High School and worked alongside his father building and restoring homes, before he left for Florida to follow his passion of jewelry making.

“Jewels That Dance is very up to date with jewelry technology, which makes ‘unreal’ designs possible. Working here makes me feel like I can create art every time I walk through the door.” Now, he not only loves what he does, but he is back home in Asheville.

Vadim can usually be found with a pencil or a pocket knife either drawing or carving into something and making designs that he thinks up. His design inspiration comes from the nature he sees every day living in the southern Appalachians. Vadim enjoys camping along the Blue Ridge Parkway and kayaking the rivers with his wife.

Stop by and meet Vadim and check out some of his designs which are on display at Jewels That Dance!!

Ever since she has been designing jewelry, Paula dreamt of having complete end-to-end creative and production control over her designs. Now she has. All under one roof at their store on 63 Haywood Street in Asheville. “If I am designing for a client and have to send the piece out to be finished, it takes longer, costs more, and it is harder to make additional changes.” By investing in the latest equipment, including a new 3D printer, Paula can now create and produce all of her own work keeping control over each phase from conception to the finished product, ensuring the integrity and quality of her designs.

In some of her designs, Paula uses a process called T-spline modeling. With CAD software, Paula actually sculpts her designs in 3D on the computer. She then transfers the file to the 3D printer to obtain an exact model of the design. The rest of the production process continues right there on site.

Paula continues to create new pieces using this method, including, most recently, her man in the moon surrounded by diamonds.