Marshall's all-organic/all-vegetarian eatery Grateful Organic Diner to close

Johnny Casey, Asheville Citizen Times
Updated ·2 min read
The CBD Cafe owner Peter Ford, second from left, is joined by general manager Ja Wall, right, Terpene Valley owner Umar Bryce, left, and John Baugh. The all-organic vegetarian restaurant is located at 38 Bailey's Branch Road in Marshall and will open soon.
The CBD Cafe owner Peter Ford, second from left, is joined by general manager Ja Wall, right, Terpene Valley owner Umar Bryce, left, and John Baugh. The all-organic vegetarian restaurant is located at 38 Bailey's Branch Road in Marshall and will open soon.

MARSHALL - Downtown Marshall's all-organic/all-vegetarian eatery Grateful Organic Diner, formerly known as CBD Cafe, will close, owner Peter Ford announced.

He said the restaurant will be closing because he plans to move to Charleston, South Carolina.

"For those of you that know me, know that I have been dealing with some personal things for a few months and it has come down to me having to relocate to Charleston, SC," Ford said in a Jan. 28 Facebook post.

Grateful Organic Diner, which is now up for sale, opened in January 2022 and carried a full menu of vegetarian choices, and offered live music and comedy shows, as well.

The eatery also offered a handful of CBD drinks as "elixirs" on its menu.

The restaurant's 2022 opening generated considerable excitement in Madison County due to it being one of the only restaurants in Western North Carolina that featured mostly all-vegan offerings.

Ford, who has been a vegetarian since 1989, said he felt there was a considerable clientele for vegetarian food in Madison County.

"I'm hoping that basically once people come and try the food, they'll say, 'Oh, I'm not missing anything - I can eat an egg and cheese biscuit, or I can have an egg platter or French toast, or a veggie burger and fries.' I Just think there is enough stuff where there will be something for everyone. That's the hope," Ford told The News-Record in January 2022.

Ford said the building is up for sale and told The News-Record & Sentinel he plans to keep the restaurant open through February.

"I just hope that something special continues here. It is a magical space," Ford told The News-Record.

Ford announced the building is for sale in the Facebook post.

Grateful Organic Diner, located at 38 Baileys Branch Road in downtown Marshall, is for sale, owner Peter Ford announced.
Grateful Organic Diner, located at 38 Baileys Branch Road in downtown Marshall, is for sale, owner Peter Ford announced.

"The last Sunday of January 2 years ago we opened as the CBD Cafe. Now, on the last Sunday of January I have some sad news," Ford said in the post.

"The Grateful Organic Diner is FOR SALE. This is a very special building and I hope to find just the right people to be the next caretakers of this magical space. So, if you or anyone you know has ever thought about having a space in Marshall, now is the time."

More: Preview of all-organic cafe Downtown Marshall all-vegetarian/all-organic CBD cafe set to open soon

Ford told The News-Record he does not have a closing date in mind.

"I am just working toward getting it sold. Not really a giant rush," the owner said.

Ford expressed his gratitude to the Madison County and Marshall communities.

"I have really enjoyed bringing organic home made food to this very special community, and I really appreciate all the support that everyone has shown," Ford said. "We will remain open for a while, so stop on by, grab some grub, and say goodbye."

Johnny Casey has covered Madison County for The Citizen Times and The News-Record & Sentinel for nearly three years. He earned a first-place award in beat reporting in the 2023 North Carolina Press Association awards. He can be reached at 828-210-6074 or jcasey@citizentimes.com.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Marshall's all-organic/vegetarian cafe Grateful Organic Diner to close