A Husband & Wife Team on a Mission
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Josiah and Shannon McGaughey began the journey of opening a restaurant as a mere tabletop kitchen pop-up inside Burial Beer Co. in 2015.  It was a great way to put Josiah’s food out there to see if people enjoyed his style. Luckily for us, they did! Within one year, we were opening what became our permanent food truck—Salt & Smoke. Although Salt & Smoke operated through window service, we aimed to offer restaurant caliber service and cuisine, all plated on paper plates! We were graced with many accolades and wonderfully appreciative guests during our time running the truck, including being on the cover of Beer Advocate Magazine.  

During this time, we were constantly hunting for the ideal brick-and-mortar restaurant space. It was long and strenuous, but in the end, we couldn’t have asked for a better location or more amazing folks to work with along the way. We were extremely excited to take over space previously occupied by The Junction. The River Arts District truly was our first home when we moved to Asheville in 2013 when Josiah began his AVL career helping to open up The Bull and Beggar. We love being part of this neighborhood and its community of incredible artists and small businesses. 

Vivian is named after Josiah’s grandmother who was a driving force in his culinary upbringing as she hosted grand dinner parties in a Julia Child-like fashion during his childhood in Georgia. Josiah’s menu continues to explore the work he’s already presented at Salt & Smoke, but he challenges himself to elevate cuisine within our comfortable, casual dining space. The food is clean, with limited elements to a plate, but with each one promising big, robust flavors. He focuses on combining the perfect mix of tastes across appetizers, small plates, entrees, and desserts while continuing to explore the melding of European flavors and techniques into the realm of his Southern heritage. We work with our region’s incredible farmers, so the menu is seasonal and changes frequently. We offer an extensive wine list with unique and delectable old world varietals that compliment the food. We love serving up a classic cocktail as well as our constantly rotating selection of craft cocktails that explore similar themes as the culinary concept. And, of course, we continue to promote all the talented breweries of Asheville with local taps and bottles.

Like all restaurants, the challenges we faced when the pandemic hit were massive. We are extremely proud of our team’s willingness to pivot, re-create, as we faced the changing world and worked on projects like Vivian at Home or when we were acting as a grocery store to support local farmer’s and to provide unavailable food that was needed to the community at the height of 2020. We invested in proving a safe dining space. Our restaurant is outfitted with an ionizing filtration system that kills 98% of all pathogens, and we are sure to diligently follow all CDC COVID safety guidelines. The past two years have been an insane struggle, but we are proud that we fought through it and look forward to what 2023 holds!

With the recent news that our Executive Chef/Owner, Josiah McGaughey has been nominated for Best Chef Southeast in the James Beard awards, we couldn’t be off to a better start to the new year! We are so honored and surprised to be nominated and couldn’t be more happy. Vivian is a small cozy home we'd like you to think of as your own. We’re so grateful of the community we have built and all the lovely faces that have become part of that home. So, become a part of the Viv Family and enjoy delicious food and drinks with us soon!