WNC Pizza Week Returns to Buncombe County Led by Stu Helm

WNC Pizza Week, organized by Stu Helm of Food Fan and Asheville Food Tours, will run Feb. 9–15 with a public kickoff on Feb. 9 at Soprana Rooftop Cucina. The kickoff, scheduled 5–9 p.m. on National Pizza Day, will welcome pizza makers and the public to the rooftop of the Embassy Suites Asheville Downtown, offer mountain views, and funnel proceeds to Bounty and Soul. The second annual event expands a grassroots festival that began in March 2025 and is designed to highlight specialty pies and drive traffic across Western North Carolina’s pizza makers.

The week uses an interactive WNC Pizza Map that pins pizzerias from Bryson City to Boone but distinguishes between every pizza maker found in the region and those officially participating. Helm explicitly left participation open during the celebration: “I’m keeping participation open throughout the week. Some pizza makers make not have read my email I sent them, may not have received an email, but then they’ll see the promo and they still have a chance to jump on board. For at least part of the week.” Inaugural Pizza Week in March 2025 involved 17 pizzerias; the 2026 roster is being posted in stages, with a partial list that includes Beer City Pizza, Benny’s BD Pizza, Birdie’s Pizza, Soprana Rooftop Cucina, Smokee’s Pizza food truck, and Twisted Laurel Asheville.

Events during the week include a Hot Slice Contest at Twisted Laurel on Feb. 12, where celebrity contestants will eat progressively spicier slices, with proceeds benefiting Meals On Wheels and a charity chosen by the contest winner. Participating kitchens are preparing one-off specialty pies at special prices; sample items highlighted in earlier coverage include Fahrenheit Pizza’s “Gotta Have Seoul” (Korean BBQ base with a hot honey ginger swirl) and Manicomio Pizza’s Thai pizza. Soprana will showcase coal-fired, Italian-inspired pies under Executive Chef Jon Jerman, and the venue’s staff were recently named NCRLA’s 2026 Stars of The Industry.

For local businesses and the hospitality sector, weeklong food promotions like this can act as low-cost demand stimulation during winter months, amplify small-restaurant visibility, and attract regional food tourism through social sharing. Helm has signaled ambitions to scale the concept: “Pizza Week could be joined by Taco Week or Burger Week if the public responds well,” showing how a single-week festival could evolve into a broader set of seasonal promotions that spread revenue across independent operators.

Practical details: customers should check Stu Helm’s official WNC Pizza Week page for full listings and to order specialty pies when they are posted on Feb. 9. Pizza makers can join by contacting stuhelmavl@gmail.com. Support for Helm’s coverage is accepted via Venmo @Stu-Helm and PayPal at stuhelmavl@gmail.com. As Helm puts it, “All you have to do is find the pies you want to try, made by the people that you want to support, and start eating pizza!”

What this means for Buncombe County residents is immediate: a week of new menus, breath for small operators during a slow season, and charity dollars directed to local nonprofits. Expect the map to update on Feb. 9 and for community attention to focus on downtown venues such as Soprana and Twisted Laurel as the official week kicks off.