AJ Gregson and Autumn Pittman
Chef/Owners
Photo by Lynne Harty
What is your favorite part of being a restaurant owner in Asheville?
I’ve always been drawn to the amount of locally grown & foraged foods in this area. One of our first dates, my wife and I attended a primitive cooking & foraging class. It was interesting to learn about the variety of wild & native edible plants available. I enjoy when I get to incorporate these things in my recipes as they come in season.
What is the background of your restaurant’s name?
We had this great painting by our friend and local artist Laura Sellers…a sort of geometric mountain landscape with a bear in the foreground…that we really loved. We wanted to invoke themes of the area as opposed to traditional pig-themed BBQ branding. It was our inspiration to our decor as well. It hangs in our dining room above our sauces. When we purchased Black Bear, formerly WEBOS BBQ we were inspired by the painting and thought the colors and vibe would be a great fit for a family friendly atmosphere. Also we were wanting to add vegetarian options and have more veggie friendly sides after all black bears are omnivorous.
What ingredient could you not live without?
Paprika or Mirin
What is your favorite dish on your menu?
My favorite dish is my Grandma’s broccoli casserole and our burnt ends on Fridays. My wife really enjoys the Pork n Beans dish and the Ribs.
What is your favorite dish from a fellow AIR restaurant’s menu?
This is super tough…so many good ones to choose from…
AJ- The Croque at OWL Bakery or the pizza from White labs
Autumn- Bhramari’s pickled eggs, Usually anything at Storm Rhum Bar and the Naan Tacos at Blue Dream Curry
Why did you choose Asheville to open your restaurant?
When it comes down to it, the LEAF festival. This was one of my first experiences in Asheville. I came to help out a friend as a food vendor in Fall 2004, and I knew when driving up from Miami and coming up the mountain on 26 that this is where I wanted to end up. I moved here in Summer of 2010 and met my future wife shortly there after. She shared my passion for food and hospitality and we started our own festival kitchen, the Mojo Taco Lounge which would eventually become the Mojo Kitchen. Having a passion for live music, creative energy and a fast-paced cooking environment, we were given the opportunity to take over the kitchen at the Asheville Music Hall in 2014. We are still involved with Leaf and this spring, we will be running both of our concepts side by side: Mojo Kitchen and Black Bear BBQ. But short answer, this is our home and where our hearts are. We want to be part of the community and share what we have to offer.
What is your favorite chef’s tool and why?
My smoker or dehydrator. One, you get to play with fire all day. Two, with smoke I can slowly preserve, add essence to a sweet dish or use the hot coals to cowboy a steak and tatters. The dehydrator allows me to create the dry rubs and spices. I do dry just fruits or peppers. Sometimes we smoke fruits or vegetables then dehydrated. After that we can grind to desired coarseness for a rub or finishing seasoning.
