Buxton Hall BarbecueAbout

Buxton Hall Barbecue opened in 2015, with Elliott Moss tending the smokers and Meherwan Irani bringing his experience as a restaurateur. At Buxton Hall, Elliott is revitalizing Carolina barbecue – paying respects to the hallowed traditions he was raised on while adding his own innovative approach.

Cooking the way he was taught by his grandfather growing up in Florence, South Carolina, Elliott’s process is rooted in a respect for the barbecue craft and for people. Pastured pigs are purchased from his friends at Vandele Farms in Lake Lure, NC, butchered in-house, and set on the smoker for hours until the meat is juicy and sweet. Every part of the animal is utilized. Elliott’s signature pulled pork has always starred, but the menu has recently expanded to offer brisket, ribs, sausage, and more…with a lineup of seasonal sides and desserts that blend Southern heritage and modern cooking.

In 2021, Elliott and Meherwan opened a spin-off of Buxton Hall — Buxton Chicken Palace — in The S&W Market (Asheville’s first food hall). The concept is a celebration of Buxton’s iconic fried chicken sandwich.

Elliott Moss

Growing up in Florence, South Carolina, where mom and pop ‘cue joints reigned supreme, Elliott gained a deep appreciation of the art of smoke. His roots for Southern food and culture run deep as he spent his younger years playing with pigs and chickens on his grandparents’ family farm.

He has vivid memories of his grandfather setting up block pits to feed the neighborhood whole hog on special occasions, his grandmother stirring kettles of chicken bog, and his father saucing barbecued chicken and hogs on the family smoker. It’s no wonder this son of the South has vinegar mop running in his veins.

Elliott moved to Asheville in 2007 to help open The Admiral Restaurant, garnering acclaim throughout the South for his creative & eclectic fare. After being nominated for Best Chef Southeast by the James Beard Foundation in 2013, he left to chase his barbecue dreams.

When Buxton Hall opened in 2015, it landed in the national spotlight the following year when bon appétit named Buxton Hall among the “Hot 10” Best New Restaurants in America and lauded Elliott for creating the “Fried Chicken Sandwich of the Year.” Elliott was also featured in David Chang’s Netflix series “Ugly Delicious” in 2018.

In 2016, Elliott published his first cookbook, “Buxton Hall Barbecue’s Book of Smoke: Wood-Smoked Meat, Sides, and More.” In addition to sharing many of Buxton’s most beloved recipes, the book teaches readers how to master the art of making slow-smoked, old-fashioned barbecue right at home.

Meherwan Irani

In 2009, Irani quit his day job in sales to open his first restaurant — Chai Pani, an authentic Indian street food joint in downtown Asheville.

Whether it was a midlife crisis or a stroke of genius is debatable. In any case, the self-taught chef has built a restaurant and spice empire in the South’s most essential culinary cities. With eight restaurants and five James Beard Award nominations for Best Chef in the Southeast under his belt, he’s finally confident this might be working out.

He and his restaurants have been written up in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, GQ, Food & Wine, Men’s Health, USA Today, and bon appétit, among many others.

He credits his business success to the amazing team he works with each day, including his business partner and wife, Molly.

History of the Building

Buxton Hall Barbecue, 32 Banks Ave, Asheville

So much of Buxton Hall Barbecue was inspired by the venue chosen for the job: the old Standard Paper Sales Company building at 32 Banks Ave in the South Slope.

It’s an enormous, historic space that once served as a wood-floored roller rink in the 1930s, a boat showroom before that, and various auto shops that had witnessed history in the making. “The building has an iconic look and feel, with amazing history,” Irani noted. “It’s at once welcoming and grand, faded with time and the texture and patina of almost 80 years worth of history.”

Meherwan and Elliott’s hope is for Buxton to celebrate the South Slope’s history, paying respect to the heritage of the area.

Directions

Come See Us

32 Banks Ave, South Slope, Asheville, NC · (828) 232-7216

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