ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Every year, Asheville Media Group asks the community what the best of Asheville is: the best restaurants, the best spots to shop, the best schools, services and salons. Our poll encompasses 200+ categories that celebrate what makes Asheville the best.
In this series, “Behind ‘Best of Asheville’,” 828newsNOW will profile a few of the 2024 Best of Asheville winners.
Voodoo Brewing Co. – Bar Food, Bar/Pub, Chicken Wings, French Fries, New Restaurant Gold Medal Winner
Voodoo Brewing Co. is open noon to 8 p.m. – 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday – seven days a week at 3578 Sweeten Creek Road in South Asheville.
Bill Osborne has lived in Asheville for 20 years. Osborne is originally from Cleveland, O.H., but moved down to N.C. for a job in corporate America. Two decades later, he retired, opening his branch of Voodoo on Oct. 24, 2023.
“This is my retirement job,” Osborne said. “I retired and opened a brewpub.”
Voodoo has only been open for a year, but already the pub has established itself as a reliable, family-friendly presence in the Asheville brew scene. The home base of the company is located in Meadville, P.A., but it would be hard to tell Voodoo was a franchise by looking at it.
“One of the big things for us has been being more local and keeping that local vibe,” Osborne said. “Us going through and making this a pub for, you know, this Royal Pines area, for Arden, Fletcher, South Asheville in general.”
The franchise nature of Voodoo’s origin is hardly present in the establishment itself. For instance, of the pub’s 20 taps, only seven belong to Voodoo. The rest are regional selections from the Carolinas.
“I found Voodoo, liked the beer, have had it in the past. Liked the model of their anti-franchise,” Osborne said. “They give us a lot of autonomy. Our menu, a good half of our menu, you’ll only find at this pub.”
Chicken Wings, a pub staple, were one of the five gold medals Voodoo received in the Best of Asheville awards this year. While other Voodoos may have wings, the Asheville Voodoo won its award on its own accord.
“Some of the flavors on the chicken wings are ours. Korean BBQ, our Cajun dry rub and then our hot/mild buffalo is what we make,” Osborne said.
They are joined by other unusual flavors, like a dill dry rub, and fried to order in-house. Same goes for the fries, which are cut, cooked and seasoned in the Voodoo kitchen.
Another of the Voodoo gold medals was Bar Food, period. One quirk of the Voodoo menu is each location finding its own regional representation. The South Carolina Voodoo features pimento cheese. The Tennessee location has tater tots.
Osborne found his regional twist after thinking about what best represented Asheville’s signature cuisine.
“Asheville doesn’t have a ‘food,’ because no one’s from here,” Osborne said.
Menu items on the Asheville Voodoo menu include pierogies and a flight of hotdogs.
“My Northern roots, that’s where this came from,” Osborne explained. “Northerners are gonna know a pierogi.”
Osborne also thinks that his pub’s diverse menu keeps people coming back. Voodoo has everything from its award-winning wings and fries to pizza and pulled pork sliders.
“A lot of people are surprised when they get in that we’ve got a full menu and a full kitchen,” Osborne said. “We’re as much a restaurant as we are a tap house.”
Voodoo is as much of a community sanctuary as a restaurant. While Osborne acknowledges there are many pubs with many loyal patrons in Asheville, he hopes Voodoo will become one too.
“We always encourage people to come and at least give us a try. We try to encourage people to understand we are more than just a taproom,” Osborne said. “There’s people that are like, ‘I’m not looking for a beer.’ Well, we’re open for lunch, open for dinner, we’re family friendly with kid’s menus. There’s a lot more to offer than just coming and getting a beer.”
For more information about Voodoo Brewing Co., visit their website, asheville.voodoobrewery.com.
