When an award-winning Asheville chef decided to launch a restaurant, she returned to a rich community tradition.

Also, the popularity of weaving waxes and wanes. At the moment, it’s having a renaissance.

And, during Lent, Yugoslavian fish stew is a local favorite in Charleston, West Virginia.

You'll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.

In This Episode:

Good Hot Fish With Ashleigh Shanti
Intergenerational Loom Weaving
Mini Journalists With Major Confidence
The Derailment That Never Ended
How Flooding Impacts Substance Use Recovery
Students Help Rehabilitate Turtles
Sampling Yugoslavian Fish Stew In Charleston, W.Va.

Good Hot Fish With Ashleigh Shanti

A sandwich and a bowl of coleslaw. — A fried catfish sandwich and a side of hot slaw from Good Hot Fish in Asheville, North Carolina.

*Photo Credit: Mason Adams/West Virginia Public Broadcasting*

Tucked away at the edge of downtown Asheville is one of the city’s culinary gems. It’s called Good Hot Fish.

The small restaurant started as a pop-up. Now it’s got a permanent spot next to Burial Beer Company. Drop in and you’ll find the taste and vibes of an old-fashioned fish fry, with plates like the trout bologna sandwich and sides like stewed greens, baked mac n' cheese and hush puppies.

Good Hot Fish is run by Ashleigh Shanti. In 2020, Shanti was a semi-finalist for the James Beard "Rising Star Chef of the Year" award.

Last year, she won a James Beard Foundation Media Award for her cookbook, Our South: Black Food Through My Lens. Recently, host Mason Adams stopped in at her restaurant for a catfish sandwich with a side of hot slaw and a conversation.

Intergenerational Loom Weaving

Twelve people sitting around a table weaving yarn. There is one woman standing and looking at the camera. — Students in the Overmountain Weavers Guild’s 2025 intro to handweaving course. Each August, the guild hosts an in-depth, foundational class that’s focused on teaching beginner weavers the basics, and instructs intermediate weavers on expanding their skills and knowledge.

*Photo courtesy of Louise Nuttle and the Overmountain Weavers Guild*

Loom weaving has been around for thousands of years. With the industrial revolution, it became more often a hobby than an occupation, but there’s been a resurgence in interest. And experienced weavers have been working to make the craft more accessible to newcomers.

Weaver Toni Doman reported this story for the Rural Remix podcast from the Center for Rural Strategies.

Mini Journalists With Major Confidence

Each weekday morning in Chattanooga, Tennessee, fifth graders deliver the day’s news at Calvin Donaldson Elementary School. Their newscasts lean heavily on birthdays, the Pledge of Allegiance and school sports. But the kids are getting more — a chance to look at the news from the inside out.

Ian-Alijah Bey of Chattamatters shared their story. Special thanks to Mary Helen Montgomery at Chattamatters and Ray Bassett, host and producer of WUTC’s Scenic Roots for providing us with that story.

The Derailment That Never Ended

An aerial photo of a train derailment. There are train cars crashed into each other and smoke is pouring into the atmosphere. — An image from drone video taken on Feb. 5, 2023 of the Norfolk Southern train derailment near East Palestine, Ohio.

*Courtesy of the National Transportation Safety Board*

Three years after the Norfolk-Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, a lot of residents who were part of a successful lawsuit against the company still haven’t been paid.

The Allegheny Front’s Kara Holsapple spoke with Katya Schwenk about her story for the Lever, “The Derailment That Never Ended.”

How Flooding Impacts Substance Use Recovery

A photo taken from outside a building on a sunny, partly cloudy day. A Large blue, electric sign can be seen on the front lawn. — The new Southern Highlands Community Mental Health Clinic (SHCMHC) in Welch, West Virginia. Staff worked out of Mount View High School between the flood and the new building’s opening.

*Photo courtesy of the Southern Highlands Community Mental Health Clinic (SHCMHC)*

During bad flooding events, people often find themselves stepping into new roles to become rescue, repair and recovery workers. That’s what happened in Oceana, a West Virginia town of about 1,200 people. The nonprofit One Voice operates a coffee shop and a warehouse, and helps with substance abuse recovery.

After the floods of February 2025, One Voice staff and volunteers stepped in to assist with the response to flooding. The challenges in trying to help were nothing like what they expected. WVPB’s Wendy Welch has more.

Good Hot Fish With Ashleigh Shanti

Intergenerational Loom Weaving

Mini Journalists With Major Confidence

The Derailment That Never Ended

How Flooding Impacts Substance Use Recovery

Students Help Rehabilitate Turtles