Among them was a Green Star for the Italian restaurant Luminosa in downtown Asheville—a designation the Michelin organization said it awards to restaurants for “inspiring visions” and a “committed vision for the future of gastronomy.”

Located inside the Flat Iron Hotel—and helmed by Executive Chef Graham House, a Western Carolina native, and Chef de Cuisine Sean McMullen—Luminosa creates delightful Italian dishes with Appalachian ingredients and, according to Michelin inspectors, “works hard to utilize all trim from their kitchen in sustainable ways.”

Since opening in 2024, Luminosa has gained a reputation for working closely with local farmers to source regional ingredients as often as possible, and practices whole animal butchering to minimize waste.

Luminosa Chef de Cuisine Sean McMullen and Chef Graham House

An additional three Asheville restaurants were awarded the “Bib Gourman” distinction, which is given to eateries that offer great food at a good value. Those were Luminosa, the Latin American favorite Little Chango and the South Slope’s cafe and wine bar Mother.

In a statement on Instagram, Little Chango thanked its customers, “old and new,” while delivering a “fierce shout out to tall chefs, bartenders, cooks, and waiters out there putting in the hard work and long hours to make Asheville the absolute culinary power house that it is.”

Mother owner Heidi Bass, meanwhile, who has created a menu around her swoon-worthy bread, said on the platform that her vision started in 2021 when she was selling bread in the front yard of her apartment building. At that time, the idea of receiving a Michelin recognition just four years later would’ve “sounded impossible.”

“We are above all grateful to be here to welcome you into our doors with approachable food and wine,” Mother said on Instagram.

The Michelin Guide also recognized an additional 12 Asheville restaurants among its “Recommended” restaurants in the region including:

— Addissae Ethiopian Restaurant

— All Day Darling

— Cúrate Bar de Tapas

— Golden Hour

— Good Hot Fish

— Leo’s House of Thirst

— Soprana

— Sunny Point Café

— Table

— Tall John’s

— The Admiral

— Ukiah Japanese Smokehouse

The dining room at Tall John’s in Asheville.

“So many Asheville area chefs, restaurateurs, growers and makers have sown the seeds over the years to cultivate ‘Modern Appalachia’ – one of the most deeply rooted and biodiverse food culture communities in the nation,” said Vic Isley, president & CEO of Explore Asheville and the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority.

With the release of this new Michelin Guide of the American South, the culinary organization expands to include Alabama, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Mississippi, and Tennessee. It had previous covered Florida and Texas, and the city of Atlanta—all of which will now be folded into this regional collection.

The Michelin Guide for the American South includes 10 one-star restaurants, including Charlotte’s Counter restaurant—the only one in North Carolina—and one two-star restaurant: Emeril’s in New Orleans, a destination for Creole cuisine by E.J. Lagasse, son of the well-known Emeril Lagasse.