Keep Calm and Brunch: The Unstoppable French Broads Brunch of Asheville, NC Written by Rosa Linda Fallon
Asheville-based NICU nurse and former Navy Nurse Corps officer Sarah Malson has made a name for herself amongst Asheville locals. For the past year, she has been writing in the local Facebook group West Asheville Exchange (WAX) about being a 44-year-old divorced woman navigating relationships and dating life. A member soon dubbed her as “The WAXlorette.” Her posts became so popular that she was asked by Jason Sanford at Ashvegas.com to write for their website. Over the past year, Malson has written about local businesses and nonprofits. “I love to spotlight members of our community who are making a positive impact,” Malson says, adding that she enjoys being active in her community and helping others.
Photo Credit: Helen Pace Photography
Location: La Rumba Restaurant Latino
A few months ago, local chef Julie Allen suggested to Malson the idea of gathering 20 strangers for brunch once a month to build community. On March 25, 2022, Malson created a Facebook group called Unstoppable French Broads Brunch (UFBB). Malson and Allen invited women, transgender women, non-binary, and gender fluid individuals from all over Western North Carolina to join their group. Within just a few days, the group quickly grew to over 100 members. The first brunch was originally open to 20 people, but the interest in the event grew so quickly, they ended up filling a total of 66 slots.
On Sunday, May 1st, 2022, 52 members of Unstoppable French Broads Brunch gathered at La Rumba, a locally owned Mexican restaurant in Asheville. Most members only knew other attendees from Facebook and through other mutual friends. During brunch, the attendees met new friends, new business connections, and had a total blast with each other. “Here we built friendships, had conversations and shared our visions of serving our community together,” Malson says of the event. The attendees also collected toiletry items for a local non-profit organization called Helpmate, which assists women who have escaped domestic violence. The group amassed a car trunk full of items and delivered them that same week.
The Unstoppable French Broads will meet every month at La Rumba for brunch. For each brunch, the group will choose an organization or charity to support. “Our June 26th brunch will support Asheville Cat Weirdos and their emergency fund,” Malson says. The group will collect cat litter, food and nonprescription medications, as well as monetary donations.
Rosa Fallon, Sarah Malson & Crystal Pressley
Photo Credit: Helen Pace Photography
Unstoppable French Broads Brunch has quickly gained popularity through word of mouth and in Facebook groups, and is proving to be a valuable asset to both its members and the community. To date, the group has a total of 530 members. Malson’s hope for UFFB is that it will encourage more authentic connections and face-to-face interactions in a post-pandemic society. “COVID affected the mental health of society by limiting face-to-face interactions,” Malson points out. “UFBB is encouraging people to step out from behind their computer screens, empower one another and work together to help our neighbors with the core principles of transparency, acceptance, connection and kindness.”
In her musings, Malson says she writes about “medium-sized” dreams quite a bit, and that UFBB is an example of one of these dreams. “A medium-sized dream is a dream that is attainable,” she says. “UFBB is my grandest medium-sized dream to date, and it is one that I am extremely proud of,” she exclaims. Malson intends to continue using her platform as The WAXlorette, along with the help of her friends at UFBB, to spread love and help those in need. Together, they will be unstoppable.
For more information about UFBB, email Sarah Malson at navrnmcd@yahoo.com