Chow Chow board, vendors speak out on food festival's unsavory end

ASHEVILLE - A local festival and nonprofit set up to celebrate culinary and beverage professionals has left some of the same individuals and businesses uncompensated for their services after they were permanently shut down earlier this month.

On Feb. 9, the shutdown of Chow Chow Food and Culture Festival and its 501(c)(3) nonprofit arm, Asheville Culinary Festival, was announced on its website.

The multi-day event formed to showcase Southern Appalachian foodways and evolved to promote conversation on topics like racial justice, climate change and food justice. Tastings, forums, demonstrations, entertainment and other programming were hosted with local, regional and national presenters including acclaimed chefs and hospitality industry leaders.

“It was a celebration of all the chefs in town who work very hard but mostly they’re locked in their kitchen and don’t get a moment to shine,” said Robin Stevens, co-owner and sales and marketing leader at Noble Cider.

However, low ticket sales contributed to the nonprofit's debt and event cancelation, leaving some presenters unpaid and looking back at what went wrong.

“It was a shock,” Stevens said. “We were hoping Chow Chow would be around forever.”

Chow Chow’s ‘insurmountable losses’

On Feb. 13, Chow Chow board member Charlotte Stack responded on behalf of the board via email saying that 45 culinary and beverage professionals have not been paid for their participation in the four-day festival in September 2023 and there is no plan to pay the vendors or settle the nonprofit's outstanding debt. But contractors that provided work before the festival were paid in full.

City of Asheville's Community Event Manager Jon Fillman confirmed that Chow Chow was issued an event permit in 2023 and does not have a balance with the city.

Buncombe County spokesperson Kassi Day confirmed that Chow Chow applied for two temporary establishment permits and payment was collected with applications.

The nonprofit’s tax filings for 2023 are not yet available, but its 2022 filing shows the organization started the year with $476,409 in revenue and ended it with a $27,218 deficit.

Chow Chow “suffered insurmountable losses following the 2023 event,” the board said in a statement.

The "poor financial performance" is attributed to the organizers' creating an "ambitious" economic model that was thought to be achievable, but ultimately fell short of its stated goals.

“Unfortunately, there is no plan to resolve Chow Chow’s debts or honorariums owed. There are no longer any resources, staffing, or funds to continue without incurring more debt. Donation contribution letters were issued to the beverage & culinary vendors who remained unpaid in hopes that at least the contribution could be converted to a write off,” according to the board, comprising local, volunteer community leaders and food and beverage professionals.

“There is no responsible party to pay the outstanding debts. Debt is owed directly to the SBA and a collection of other individuals. We are working directly with these entities to resolve these matters,” according according to the board, referring to the Small Business Administration.

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An agreement culinary and beverage presenters signed includes a clause prohibiting them from suing the organization and “fully and forever releases Chow Chow and its officers, directors, shareholders, agents, members, employees, former employees, and representatives. … from any and all claims, demands, damages, losses, actions, suits, causes of action, debts, costs, expenses, attorneys’ fees, judgments, and all other liabilities that may arise from Presenter’s participation in the Event.”

Even with a signed agreement, Thomas Kelley, a professor of law at the UNC Chapel Hill, said vendors have various legal options available to them, and courts often rule in favor of individuals whose rights are threatened. For example, there may be grounds for a claim if there is proof that organizers knew the nonprofit was on the brink or going out of business when the agreement was given to presenters.

Kelley acknowledged that the fight may not be worth the effort due to the legal costs and the nonprofit's apparent lack of funds.

"When nonprofit organizations dissolve where they have debts outstanding, oftentimes what happens is everyone just walks away and the reason is because, as they say, 'You can't squeeze blood from a turnip,'" Kelley said. "If there's nothing there to satisfy a judgment it's going to be extremely difficult to get at the individual pocketbooks of the principals of the nonprofit organization."

Chow Chow vs. vendors

Ahead of the 2023 festival weekend, Chow Chow organizers said they expected more than 100 chefs, 125 restaurants and 125 beverage producers with many more businesses and market vendors expected to participate.

The food and beverage presenters were offered a minimum combined honorarium and materials stipend of $500.

The presenter agreement form says the stipend and honorarium amount were intended to cover the cost of additional ingredients and necessary materials. The remaining balance was intended as an honorarium for the presenters’ contribution to the festival, and the specifics of the honorarium and stipend would be based on event details and provided directly to the presenters.

The festival’s expenses were broken down to 25% presenter honorariums and stipends, 30% festival production and 45% festival expenses.

Some received payment, like Paul Pike, owner of Master BBQ, a local catering company and now-food truck. Pike said he expected the $500 honorarium to be paid one or two weeks after the business served samples at Chow Chow's opening party last September at Salvage Station but the check arrived at his home nearly a month later.

Yet, 45 culinary and beverage professionals did not receive a $500 honorarium, according to Chow Chow's board, saying they were “promised a stipend regardless of how many tickets sold.” However, not enough tickets were sold to pay out the stipends.

Chef Jill Wasilewski, owner of Ivory Road restaurant, said she participated in Chow Chow every year since its debut ― the festival was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2023, she was a presenter in the main tasting tent and was to receive a $500 honorarium for one day’s participation.

She estimates she paid $300-$400 on food alone not including factors like time and labor.

“I don’t want to act like $500 is make or break for our business but we do these events with the understanding that at least our costs will be covered partially,” Wasilewski said.

Several chefs were booked for multiple days so their honorarium may have been double or triple that amount, she said.

On Nov. 8, Wasilewski said she received emails from Chow Chow’s Board notifying her that payment was delayed for her $500 honorarium. Then, on Feb. 8, she said she received another email saying the funds would not be paid.

"I don't know how you think you can feel like you can pay some chefs but not others months after the festival. ... I don’t understand three or four months after a festival ends how you’re not sure if you have enough money or not," Wasilewski said. “At that point, you know, or you don’t and I don’t think the communication was very truthful.”

Valued experience

Noble Cider provided samples to festivalgoers at small tasting events and seated dining events from 2021-2023, Stevens said. Last year, Noble Cider was not paid the $500 honorarium but Stevens said the business was happy to donate cider to the community-minded event.

“I can see why they can be upset about that, especially the smaller companies. The bigger companies have more ability to absorb that kind of thing” Stevens said.

Culinary and beverage professionals had the option to request or waive the honorarium and stipend.

Matt Farr and Erica Beneke, owners of Red Fiddle Vittles gourmet market and catering, told the Citizen Times Feb. 13 via email they were qualified for $500 honorariums as featured chefs for 2022 and 2023, but they donated the funds back to the festival in both years.

“We are sad to see Chow Chow go as we enjoyed participating the past two years. We hope that the Asheville community can find other ways to rally behind our vibrant local food scene ... especially as food businesses grapple with how to pay staff enough to be able to afford to live in Asheville, alongside dramatically increased ingredient and kitchen overhead costs,” the email said.

Vendors did not have to pay a participation fee, but volunteered their time and food/beverages with the perk of attending the events and receiving samples at the tastings, he said. The cider company gave away fewer free products than if attending a beer festival, so it wasn’t a financial loss.

“We were happy to participate however, really, just because it was great marketing for us and we like to be part of such a very local and positive event,” Stevens said. “You know that it’s a good event when our staff are wanting to go do them.”

Before the payment issues, Wasilewski said her experiences with Chow Chow had been “super positive.”

Chow Chow leadership changes

In 2019, Chow Chow was founded by local community culinary leaders including chefs Katie Button, Meherwan Irani and John Fleer and East Fork’s co-founder Connie Matisse, who are not on the 2023 Board.

The current board's statement addressing the shutdown said, “Chow Chow was born out of a dream to create a new kind of culinary festival — one that would bring people to Asheville during the slow lull of September and one that locals would be proud of."

Chow Chow has had several leadership changes on its board and in the role of executive director.

In 2023, Chow Chow employed one full-time staff member, Executive Director Melissa Scheiderer, who reportedly left the organization in January before the board’s shutdown announcement.

“As soon as the festival concluded, and we became aware of the mounting financial issues we were facing, our Executive Director immediately and voluntarily opted to not take salary as we worked to figure out how to pay the honorariums,” the board stated.

On Feb. 12, former Festival Director Shay Brown, owner of the event planning and services company Shay & Company, said in an email that she left Chow Chow in September 2023 and “had no involvement in the conversations about continuing the festival or decision to discontinue it."

According to the board, dates had not been set for a 2024 Chow Chow festival.

Chow Chow's event attendance

Despite Chow Chow’s curation of “immersive, educational and entertaining” programming, attendance had been an ongoing issue.

More than 3,000 people were estimated to have attended the inaugural multiday event in Pack Square in 2019, though at the time organizers said they’d hoped for more.

Board president Rhea Lidowski said in an email on behalf of the Chow Chow board on Feb. 15 that ticket sales were similar year to year, even when the event was spread over multiple summer weekends versus one weekend.

Wasilewski said months before the September 2023 festival organizers said some of the scheduled events had been canceled. Wasilewski and Pike said they were advised to reduce the number of food servings to prepare for the tasting events they were participating in due to low ticket sales.

At the opening party, Pike said Chow Chow provided plates, utensils, tables and an electrical set-up for Master BBQ's cookware. Initially, it was recommended he prepare for 500 festivalgoers but was later told to reduce food to serve about 300.

"It was my first time and I had a great time. The organizers were so nice and lent a helping hand and were so organized for the preparations," Pike said.

Still, ticket sales were below expectations and pricing may have been a contributing reason.

Event costs, accessibility

Chow Chow was approved for a $75,000 boost from Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority to support its launch in 2019.

Founding sponsor Explore Asheville invested a total of $210,000 over the festival's four-year run through its event sponsorship program, which is funded by revenue earned through advertising on the Explore Asheville website, according to spokesperson Ashley Greenstein.

Explore Asheville assisted with marketing efforts that extended to regional and national media outlets like Garden & Gun Magazine and The New York Times.

In 2019, event ticket pricing ranged from $15 to $130.

In 2023, the pricing ranged from free programming to $250 seated, coursed dining experiences. Ahead of the festival weekend, organizers estimated 2,200-2,800 attendees.

“I know a lot of people thought it was too expensive and that’s what makes this whole story even sadder because the people who did either saved money for a ticket or kind of splurged on a ticket and thought their money was going toward people like us ― the people who are using their time and energy to participate and make the festival great,” Wasilewski said.

Since the inaugural event, organizers have said that the public has asked for more affordable tickets. In the last two years, sponsored free, low-cost and pay-as-you-can events were introduced to make the festival more affordable and accessible.

"Taking on an equitable economic model as a non-profit where you pay every participant costs much more than traditional food festivals ― especially when it already costs so much to produce the festival itself and fund the operational costs of the non-profit organization as well," Lidowski said in an email on behalf of the Chow Chow board on Feb. 15. "To offset ticket costs we take on sponsorships but this only helps so much and there are only so many resources to pull from."

According to the board, Chow Chow was intended to become a full pay-what-you-can model.

Chow Chow changes, challenges

Chow Chow spanned from tasting events that allow guests to stroll and sample food and drinks to programs like storytelling sessions, live performances and discussions with industry professionals.

Each year the festival offered a different experience and changed venues. Its name was modified over the years, from Chow Chow: An Asheville Culinary Event to Chow Chow Food and Culture Festival.

Following the inaugural festival, organizers said they expected an attendance increase for the 2020 event, based on positive festival reviews, however, Chow Chow was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2021, Chow Chow reemerged with a new agenda to include deeper conversations and programs addressing equitability, food insecurity, racial justice and climate change.

In 2021 and 2022, events were hosted in venues across the city as opposed to centralized downtown and spread from June to September as The Summer of Chow Chow.

In 2023, renamed Chow Chow Food and Culture Festival, the main events returned to Pack Square Park with some events hosted in other downtown venues.

“It worked better as one big event," Stevens said. "It was divided into different little events, and I think people enjoyed that, but I think it lost some of its focus around the food and became more about other things.”

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Tiana Kennell is the food and dining reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at tkennell@citizentimes.com or follow her on Instagram @PrincessOfPage. Please support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Chow Chow: A costly Asheville food festival comes to bittersweet end