Ivory Road Cafe - Chef Interview and Restaurant Review
By Emily McCollin
Entrepreneur, Caterer, and Sole Owner of Ivory Road Cafe, Chef Jill Wasilewski, says she is “totally normal,” a beautiful understatement that belies the truly extraordinary person she is. She carries with her confidence and a sense of calm that only the pros possess. I recently joined Jill over an iced chai latte with vanilla syrup and oat milk (my all-time Ivory Road favorite menu item) to ask a few questions about her life and career.
Photo Credit: Zach Heaton
Q. Where did you come from?
A. I’m from Maryland. I’ve lived and worked in kitchens since I was 14 or 15, starting in a little corner cafe-type restaurant. I’ve spent my entire career in the food industry, including time working in Washington, D.C. I moved to Asheville in 2015 and purchased this wreck of a vacant building that I found on Craig’s List. After several months of hard work, I was able to turn it into my dream for a restaurant, opening in 2016.
Q. Why did you choose Asheville?
A. You can be a normal person and break into the food scene here, to a certain extent. I am serving Appalachian-inspired homemade dishes which is a popular theme for our region. My approach is to prepare them in a clean, refined way. We don’t even have a fryer!
Q. Favorite ingredients?
A. My favorites depend on the season. This summer, it’s peaches, Sungold tomatoes, basil, and leeks. I want to put leeks in everything!
Q. What is your specialty dish?
A. Tomato Pie. People fight down the door for tomato pie. Our secret ingredients include horseradish, Duke Mayo, and of course, homemade pie crust.
Photo by Emily McCollin
In spite of visiting Ivory Road Cafe multiple times in the past, I clearly needed to make an official visit to re-experience Chef Jill’s take on the modern, Appalachian-inspired dishes. Being the stealthy restaurant reviewer that I am, I returned on a different day from the original interview and invited my adventurous mom along so we could try several items. We toured through the absolutely adorable restaurant space, avoiding Chef’s watchful eye, and finally seated ourselves on the patio. Our server was one of the most delightful people I have ever encountered working in the food industry. She cheerfully offered suggestions and gave us plenty of time to consider our options. My mom and I have visited many restaurants together in many cities, and time to consider our menu options is a big ‘Must’ for us!
We selected the trout reuben with a side of spinach artichoke dip served with carrot sticks and Colette’s salad topped with avocado, served with a side of gazpacho and crisp sourdough toast. Colette’s salad was my favorite thing – crispy and sweet with finely chopped jicama, corn, pickled green tomato, and fresh basil. The buttery rich avocado was just the right choice for a clean protein addition. I could eat this salad for lunch every day for a week straight! Mom got to try a couple of bites of the salad, but mostly I devoured it alone. Mom, however, took over the gazpacho soup. She loved the cold creamy cucumber with a spicy tang that came from jalapenos and garlic.
But back to the sourdough bread used in both our toast and the reuben? 10 out of 10 – buttery, toasted sourdough for life! The trout reuben itself? Not a favorite for either one of us. It is a bit of an unfair judgment, though, because neither of us actually appreciates the flavor of trout! We just really wanted to expand our horizons and try something new. I can say, the trout tasted like trout with a mild kraut, sandwiched between the fish and sourdough bread. I love kraut, and if there had been tons more of it, I would have forgotten all about the trout and loved this sandwich.
Photo by Emily McCollin
To top off our meal, the chilled spinach artichoke dip was rich, creamy, and tasted healthy – like a vegetable! Normally this type of dip is hot and has little pools of melted oil from the cheese, but since this dip was chilled, it was somehow hearty and light all at the same time. Though the dip was one of the daily specials, it’s a top recommendation on the daily menu for me.
When I originally interviewed Jill, she had to pause our conversation for a quick trip to remove a cake from the oven which meant I was dying to try the baked goods on my return! Mom and I selected (at our server’s recommendation) the earl gray lavender scone. Y’all – this scone was 1. Huge and 2. Amazing! We loved it so much – moist, delicious, and big enough to share. A second scone would not have hurt our feelings, just our daily calorie count!
Ivory Road Cafe is a precious, secret garden of a restaurant on 191 North in Arden. The sign is a bit tough to see when driving north, but just drive a little slower and keep your eyes peeled. Whether you’re looking for breakfast (served all day), lunch, or dinner (wine selection is on point!) Chef Jill has prepared something savory and something sweet that is sure to please.
Ivory Road Cafe & Kitchen
1854 Brevard Rd
Arden, NC 28704