Benne’s Story

We are located on Eagle Street in Asheville’s historic neighborhood called The Block. We proudly chose to highlight Eagle in the name of our restaurant as a way to honor and recognize our street for being such an integral part of our local community’s history.

For much of the twentieth century, Eagle Street was the place to be on The Block. Local businesses – ranging from record shops and grocery stores to dry cleaners and beauty parlors – lined the street; each one helped weave the collective fabric of our predominantly African-American neighborhood. Serving as the heart of The Block’s thriving social scene, Eagle Street was home to an abundance of gathering spots for food, drink, live music, and entertainment. The DelCardo Club and the Kitty Cat Club were some of the area’s most vibrant venues in the 1960s and 1970s and helped make Asheville a favorite stop for both James Brown and Percy Sledge. At the end of the day, everybody had a good time on Eagle Street.

Our neighbor, the YMI (Young Men’s Institute) Cultural Center of Asheville, has been a mainstay on The Block since 1893, but in the late 1980s and early 1990s, our once-thriving neighborhood fell into disrepair. Since then, The Block has remained largely untouched and its business community in decline. We opened our doors in December 2018 and are proud to be a part of the revitalizating new energy on Eagle Street.

Benne on Eagle welcomes all – from those who grew up in and around The Block, to folks who might be visiting our town for the first time. We invite you to join us in bringing re-invigorated life and soul back to The Block and enjoying some great food while you’re at it.

SANKOFA

Sankofa is an Andinkra symbol in Ghana that translates as “go back and get it.” This ethos informs everything we do here at Benne on Eagle, from the décor to the art to the menu and our kitchen staff, which is comprised of many family members of people who ran thriving businesses on The Block in the 1960s and 1970s. Our neighborhood looks and feels completely different than it did in that era, but the memories and influence remain. What once was here is largely gone now, but we are reaching back to pull those traditions into the present day.

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/ HARVESTING HISTORY /

THE LEGENDS

The visual centerpiece of Benne on Eagle is a mural by acclaimed Asheville artist Joseph Pearson. Working closely with Benne’s Culinary Mentor, Hanan Shabazz, to utilize her collection of photographs from the 1960s and 1970s to inform the content of the mural, Pearson has depicted historically significant black businesses and buildings on The Block, including Mount Zion Church and The Strand movie theater. The location of the mural, adjacent to Benne’s bar, was once a window looking out on Eagle Street, and the painting evokes memories of what was seen when looking out that very window fifty years ago.

Joseph Pearson also created the portraits on our featured wall. These line drawings depict four women whose culinary, professional, and personal impact on The Block in the 1960s and 1970s is still felt here today. Here at Benne, we affectionately refer to these ladies – all chefs and business owners on the Block in its heyday – as the “Legends of the Block.”

LEGENDS OF THE BLOCK

Hanan Shabazz

When Chef John Fleer was presented the opportunity to open Benne on Eagle, he knew the only way for the concept to be successfully executed was if the restaurant could honor and keep the true heritage of Asheville’s history alive. For him, this meant actively seeking a mentor who could guide him with true expertise and knowledge of soul food, and in particular, how it relates to Appalachia and the neighborhood. The answer, he knew, lay with one person: Hanan Shabazz.

An Asheville native, Hanan has spent most of her life, aside from a stint in New York City, immersed in the food of the local community, working to instill the love and understanding of soul food in the next generations. Hanan herself owned a restaurant on Eagle Street in the 1970s, Shabazz Restaurant, and her variations on some of the restaurant’s most iconic dishes are now served on our menu at Benne on Eagle. Drawing upon her extensive experience and the deep connection she continues to foster in Western North Carolina, Hanan brings the people of The Block and its history together to enrich and guide Benne on Eagle.

Once involved with Asheville-based non-profit Green Opportunities, whose mission is to train, support, and connect people from marginalized communities to sustainable employment pathways,Hanan worked with people of all ages and backgrounds for their Kitchen Ready program. Hanan finds meaning through teaching others her culinary art of soul food and takes pride in the opportunity to teach those who work at Benne on Eagle about the history of the food it serves.

Hanan plays an essential role at Benne on Eagle, helping both the restaurant team and its guests reflect on the rich history of The Block through food. With Hanan’s mentorship, the restaurant aims to ensure the African-American culinary traditions that once thrived in the neighborhood will continue to do so (once again) for many years to come.

Mary Jo Johnson

Known for her fantastic cheeseburgers (and their top-secret recipe – even her children don’t have it!) at Ebony Grill, Mary Jo Johnson was a fixture on Eagle Street for over 30 years. A member of Mount Zion church, as well as an accomplished restaurant owner, Mary Jo fed her community through their bellies, their hearts, and their minds for nearly nine decades. Whether it was providing extra food in exchange for small chores so that folks could get dinner on the table for their family, or working through difficult personal situations, Mary Jo was always a helping hand and a champion of the local community.

Earlene McQueen

An accomplished cook and baker, Earlene McQueen was the owner of the Ritz Café in the 1960s, where she was especially known for her fabulous cakes. Like Mary Jo Johnson, Earlene employed many helpers, offering the occasional “odd job” to keep The Block thriving. She made full use of her building by renting out the apartments above Ritz Café to employees and community members, as well as hosting an after-hours nightclub below the restaurant called the Del Cardo Club.

Mary Frances Hutchinson

Mary Frances was a nurse at the local VA hospital in the 1960s and 1970s, and together with her husband Al Hutchinson, she owned a variety of businesses on Eagle Street. These included a pool room, a barber shop, a nightclub, and her namesake, Fran’s Lounge – a social club for drinks, food, and mixing and mingling between friends, business colleagues, or lovers.