Good Hot Fish Encounters Racially Motivated Incident
The Asheville Police Department is investigating.
Two weeks after the grand opening, Ashleigh Shanti, Top Chef alumna and owner of Good Hot Fish, was the victim of a racially motivated incident, which has taken many by surprise.
On Saturday, February 3, 2024, an employee of Good Hot Fish, just off the South Slope of Coxe Avenue, was preparing to mop the floor prior to the 7 p.m. closing. When the employee went outside to hang the floor rugs over a railing they noticed a group of men on the street below and began to watch them.
After hearing them count “one, two, three,” all of a sudden the power went out in the eatery and the group of men walked off. The employee yelled at the group, while diners who overheard the encounter ran outside to see what was happening and began yelling, too. One man from the group came back and flipped the power switch back on and quickly ran off.
Left on the restaurant’s front door was a black-and-white graphic sticker with the words “How to ruin a white city.” Placed at the top of the graphic is a hand holding a shaker can labeled with a racist term over a city skyline. The hand holding the shaker was shaking out “dark colored stick-figures” while wearing the Star of David emblazoned on the sleeve. Chef Shanti informed her landlord and an ongoing investigation is pending with the Asheville Police Department.
We ask for your vigilance, as well as support for Chef Shanti and staff. And we also encourage your patronage of Good Hot Fish, 10 Buxton Ave., Asheville, NC 28801.
