Taro Pop-Up

Raised in central Florida to a family where food culture was life, his formative experience was largely the osmosis of a Puerto Rican childhood. Tastes. Smells. Sounds, emotion, intuition.  Now, at this point in his life he has spent almost as many years in western NC as he had in his native land. His time here in the mountains has been experienced through purposeful learning, intentional training, seeking, finding and creating. His cooking style seeks to blend the flavors and techniques of these cultures. He’s held cook, pastry chef and head chef positions and done various pop ups in Asheville, Morganton, around Western NC.

Beth Kellerhals grew up in the Midwest where her family planned what was for dinner around the breakfast table. Beth mostly thought about dessert. After a stint in China near the North Korean border where she studied Mandarin and taught English, she returned to Chicago and enrolled in The French Pastry School. Upon graduating she first studied under Mindy Segal and when the winters became too blustery, she left for Los Angeles. She worked in pastry at a Michelein starred restaurant and then left to make Asian inspired desserts for Roy Choi. The late Jonathan Gold called her “something of a marvel,” and she has been profiled for numerous publications both in LA and here in Asheville. She moved to Asheville to be closer to family. You can find her creations in numerous shops around town as well as the Asheville City Market every Saturday. She is also part of the beloved trio “Ladies Who Brunch Pop Up” where she gets a chance to cook savory breakfast food with her co-chefs Terri Terrell and Michele Gentile.