Button & Co. Bagels, chef Katie Button’s third Asheville restaurant, has been making waves throughout the region. Located beneath Nightbell, it’s a take on the classic bagel shop, inspired by Asheville’s Appalachian roots, with a focus on sustainability and local ingredients.
Bagels are made on site using a house-made sourdough starter and blend of local, single variety flours from Asheville grain miller Carolina Ground. Guests choose from plain, rye, smoked salt, seeded, and everything varieties with seasonal flavors like fig and sorghum served with toppings ranging from house-made gravlax, smoked trout cream cheese, and smoked sable rubbed in wild sumac. Several toppings and fruit preserves and seasonal schmear are made in collaboration with Three Graces Dairy in Madison County.
Button & Co. Bagels also offers a line of house made and bottled sodas in classic flavors such as celery, root beer, and strawberry along with freshly-pressed juice and shrub options for guests to enjoy.
Chef Katie Button was born in South Carolina and raised in New Jersey. She grew up with a strong love for bagels and lox and cream cheese. She pursued science degrees at Cornell and earned her master’s in biomedical engineering in Paris, France. She then changed course and devoted her pursuits to the culinary field, working for José Andrés at his restaurants in the United States and then for Ferran Adrià at the world-renowned elBulli in Spain. Now, Katie Button has returned to her roots as chef and owner of three unique restaurant concepts in Asheville: Cúrate Tapas Bar, Nightbell, and Button & Co. Bagels.
Button & Co. Bagels is located at 32 South Lexington Avenue in downtown Asheville. Their hours of operation are Tuesday-Friday from 7:00 am to 3:00 pm and Saturday-Sunday from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm. Visit their website at katiebuttonrestaurants.com/button-co-bagels/ for additional information.