Thai cuisine becomes regular fixture at West Asheville brewery

ASHEVILLE - Husband and wife culinary team Trevor and Maddy Musick are settling in as the resident food partner at Cellarest Beer Project

Cassia, their Thai cuisine pop-up concept, is exclusively operating at the craft beer brewery at 395 Haywood Road in West Asheville.

“The vibe of Cellarest combined with being able to get a pint of beer and some food, it’s nice. It feels like a neighborhood spot for us,” Maddy Musick said.

On Cassia's menu

Cassia’s menu rotates regularly with small and shareable dishes ideal for snacking on while enjoying a beer, as well as fuller portion entrées.

“It’s unique. You don’t always get Thai food at breweries. It’s something a little bit outside of the normal if you’re looking for something different,” Trevor Musick said.

Firecracker shrimp. A spring roll made with lime leaf marinated shrimp that’s wrapped in a spring roll wrapper and fried. Served with a spicy mayo.

Sweet potato firecracker. A vegan version of the firecracker shrimp; the plant-based appetizer is made with roasted sweet potatoes that are coated in a lime leaf marinade, then wrapped in a spring roll wrapper and fried. Served with a vegan or regular spicy mayo.

Curry. The style of curry varies each week. Curries are made with a paste made in-house. Nam Ya, a top seller, is a coconut curry with flaked fish and served with rice noodles and garnished with pickled mustard greens, bean sprouts and Thai basil.

Pad kra pao. Stir-fried holy basil with pork topped with a Thai fried egg and served with jasmine rice. It may be made with beef or chicken.

A discovery of Thai foods

Eight years ago, a connection sparked between the Cassia founders, romantically and in the kitchen, while living in Austin, Texas. The cooks were dating when an opportunity to relocate to Minnesota.

“That was the first time we ever started professionally cooking with each other. Since we’re both cooks, cooking at home was always a thing that we did and enjoyed doing,” Maddy Musick said.

Meals they prepared together often gravitated toward Thai styles and recipes.

“That morphed into, ‘Let’s go to Thailand,’” Trevor Musick said. “When we made the decision to go abroad after being together for a year or so, we decided let’s do a big trip, so Thailand was high on the list of places to check out.”

The Musicks took a culinary tour of Thailand and were inspired to explore more once they returned to the U.S.

“This is the stuff we can’t always find in the States so this is the perfect thing for us to try to eat as much as we can to build these flavor memories to go back and recreate back at home,” Trevor Musick said. “That’s how the story of Cassia was born ― on our first trip to Thailand.”

Cassia blooms in Asheville

In February 2020, the Musicks moved to Asheville and began catering dinner parties at Maddy’s parents’ house.

The name “Cassia” was chosen for the business to honor the national tree and flower of Thailand.

“The trees have cascading blossoms and some of the streets of Bangkok are lined with these trees, so certain times of the year when they’re in bloom it’s a beautiful thing,” Trevor Musick said.

Maddy Musick remembers the Cassia trees from when she grew up in Hawaii.

“It’s rooted in my childhood. We used to make flower crowns as little kids,” she said.

Cassia’s first public pop-up was in early 2022. The business has appeared across the city and region at places including Dssolvr, New Origin, Turgua, Outsider and Ginger’s Revenge breweries.

Local supporting local

Next February Cellarest, co-founded by Harrison Fahrer and head brewer Mark Goodwin, will celebrate its third anniversary.

Fahrer said Cassia has been a part of the brewery’s journey.

Nearly two years ago, Maddy Musick began bartending at Cellarest, where she still works.

“Pretty soon thereafter she told me, ‘My partner Trevor and I do this Thai food pop-up.’ And I told her, ‘I love Thai food so we should definitely try to do that here,’” Fahrer said. “I try to support local and even more so our Cellarest family.”

In May 2022, Cassia served its first Cellarest guests from under a tent.

“Mark and I certainly know what it feels like when you’re starting a new business or when your business is taking that next step, so we wanted to support Cassia,” Fahrer said.

Fahrer said the quality of Cassia’s food reflects the quality and pairs well with craft beer Goodwin brews and described it as a symbiotic relationship.

“Her partner, Trevor, is as helpful and lovely and talented as she is, so it was a no-brainer,” Fahrer said. “They’re super wonderful people who are thoughtful about how they curate a menu and how they cook so they were very on brand for us.”

The Musicks invested in a food trailer parked off the patio of the brewery to act as a permanent serving station for the eatery and began serving Cellarest taproom guests exclusively in October.

“It’s more of a neighborhood feel that we loved when we were popping up there, and their beer and our food are fantastic matches, as well,” Maddy Musick said. “It’s something that we grew into and wanted to stay in West Asheville and pursue this as a business partnership moving forward.”

Through the winter, Cassia will be open three days a week from 2-9 p.m. Friday-Sunday. Operation days are intended to extend to five days a week in the spring.

Indoor and covered outdoor patio seating is available.

A brick-and-mortar restaurant is in consideration but a goal set for further down the road, Trevor Musick said.

“We’re still looking but it’s in the distant horizon,” he said.

Cassia at Cellarest Beer Project

Where: 395 Haywood Road, Asheville.

Hours: 2-9 p.m. Friday-Sunday.

Info: For more, visit cassia-avl.com and cellarestbeer.com and follow on Instagram @cassia.avl and @cellarestbeerproject.

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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: Cassia, Cellarest Beer Project pair Thai food, beer in West Asheville