Tall John’s bartender named a Hospitality Hero and names her personal heroes. 

“Hero is such a big word,” says Kat Bell, bartender at Tall John’s restaurant in North Asheville and one of seven recipients ofExplore Asheville’s second annual Heroes of Hospitality awards.  “My heroes were my co-workers and the Tall John regulars who helped me through the aftermath of the storm.”

The storm — Hurricane Helene — on September 27, 2024 devastated Western North Carolina and had an extreme and enduring impact on the hospitality industry.  The award was first created by Explore Asheville to honor individuals with extraordinary commitment to hospitality; post-Helene, the awardees’ responses to the disaster was an additional factor.

After nearly 15 years working as a server and bartender, Bell can spot a guest in need of a listening ear and generous pour of wine. Her commitment to helping people in Burnsville where she lives and joining other Tall John’s employees to distribute free breakfast burritos to neighbors was also noted.

Pizza was Bell’s entrée to the hospitality industry. In the small town in southern Minnesota where she grew up, she got her first job while in high school at a pizza restaurant and kept it up into college.

She did not, however, keep up college. “I initially was in pre-med and did two years of it but was having a hard time seeing my life get mapped out in that way,” she says. “I switched majors to creative writing because I like to tell stories and put things on paper.” When she was 21, she paused college and moved to Naples, Florida. “I wanted to experience life somewhere besides Minnesota.”

When she landed in Naples, she got a server job in a fine dining restaurant and hit upon a way to make a living and remain a free spirit. “You can work seasonally and make great money at upscale resorts and in fine dining, and travel around in the off season,” she explains. “I enjoyed being in a new place, a new town, and going where the wind blew me.”

About six years ago, the wind blew her to Beech Mountain, North Carolina. “Friends had spoken highly of the area and said it had great seasonal work.” She was hired as a server at Artisanal restaurant in Banner Elk — open May through October – and fell in love with the mountains. When she decided to give Asheville a go, she got a server job at Curate, and then also at Jargon in West Asheville. At the latter, owner Sean Piper asked her to consider bartending. “It’s a small bar so it seemed manageable and a good place to learn. I had learned a lot about wine and craft cocktails during my experience serving in upscale restaurants, but there was still a learning curve.”

Seeking a job closer to where she lived at the time, she traded her two jobs for one as a server at Tall John’s. “I felt at home there right away, they have done a fantastic job of curating a team of people who are just really good folks and passionate about their work, especially back of house.”

She also found the environment appealing. “Tall John’s is really refined food and drink, but very approachable, there is nothing imposing or stuffy. Everything about it is very thoughtful.”

Her manager asked if she’d like to move behind the bar. “It’s a big bar and can seem daunting at first. You’re taking care of a dozen people at the bar, and responsible for all the beverages in the restaurant. I had one horrendous, catastrophic training shift and was sure they’d send me back to the floor, but they didn’t, and it’s been seamless since.”

Life had seemingly settled. She and her partner moved out to a house on a creek in Burnsville, a two-acre property with room to garden and a greenhouse. Then came Helene, which washed out three miles of road along the creek, swept away two of their vehicles and isolated them on their property for five days. Finally, they walked into town to find cell service and realized the extent of the disaster beyond their own property.

Tall John’s, like most Asheville restaurants, was closed to the public for several weeks until they were able to source clean, running water through a contractor. Even then, Bell struggled with PTSD every time it rained; their road wasn’t repaved until the end of May.

“My heroes are really people like another bartender, Clare (Cameron) who covered my shifts when I couldn’t get in the car to drive to Asheville. My regulars who checked on me. Chris (Murphy) who insisted on bringing me a generator in case our power went out over the winter. Rhonda brought me some of her sourdough starter and instructions on how to make the bread.  Making beautiful loaves of bread has really helped me.”

People will find Bell behind the bar four nights a week. On her days off, she and her partner are still rebuilding from the damage to their property, but she takes time to “poke around in the woods, sow some seeds, transfer plants from the greenhouse to the garden, and bake bread, thanks to Rhonda.”

Kat’s Cocktail Confidential

On the hardest cocktail to master: I think I speak on behalf of lots of bartenders when I say the Ramos Gin Fizz.  It’s not hard to figure out; it’s the two minutes you have to spend shaking it that’s tough.

On the popularity of the Espresso Martini: I think it’s part of the current obsession with coffee. Now that so many bars, like Tall John’s, have an espresso machine, it’s a no brainer to utilize it. They give you a little bit of pep and they’re delicious. They sure beat a Vodka and Red Bull.

On NA cocktails: It’s such a big thing now and it’s easier now that there are great lines of NA apéritifs, spirits and liqueurs. It’s fun to create them and we make some really tasty ones at Tall John’s. The Pina NOlada is one of my favorites.

On new cocktails for summer: The Strawberry Margarita is really popular – we are flying through the house-made strawberry syrup. We add a little Meletti Amero to bring out the strawberry notes. The Mezcal Zombie is big – mezcal, grapefruit juice, a little lime juice and cinnamon syrup on rocks.

More about Tall John’s

— Written by Kay West

— Sponsored by McGuire Wood & Bissette

Photos courtesy of Kat Bell and Tall John’s:
First photo: Tall’s Johns bartender, Kat Bell
Second photo:  Tall John’s espresso martini