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DISH ON DINING: Coffee shop reopens under new ownership

Amanda Rodriguez and her mom Lori run Southern Streams CoffeeHouse along with Amanda's sisters Kasandra and Bethany.

By Bill Moss, Published: April 13, 2023

Patrons of Appalachian Coffee Co. on Fifth Avenue West were disappointed when the café and sandwich shop abruptly closed a few months ago.

But they were relieved to see it reopen under new ownership with the same brand of coffee and much of the menu intact — all served by familiar faces.

After the owner and founder of the original coffee shop lost his lease, the landlord approached Amanda Rodriguez, who had been managing the shop with her sister, about staying on in her own shop.
“My youngest sister Kasandra came to North Carolina about four years ago and started working for Appalachian Coffee,” Amanda said. Amanda, who owned a coffee shop in Colorado, moved to Hendersonville about a year ago and started co-managing Appalachian with Kasandra.
“And then they closed down, and the landlord approached us, and having done it in in Colorado, we thought it'd be a good opportunity to start Southern Streams,” Amanda said. “We were able to build a lot of really good relationships with the customers. So when they found out that we were the ones that were opening back up, they were super excited. It's just been hitting the ground running” as many regulars have come back for their usual orders of coffee, wraps, smoothies, sandwiches and sweets.
“We've changed the menu some,” though most is the same “because it was our recipes. But we have elevated the food quite a bit.” Kasandra is a chef “so she is excited to start doing some fun stuff,” Amanda said.
Like Verri’s, Southern Stream is powered by family. Besides Kasandra and Amanda, who is the chief barista and business manager, their mom, Lori, and sister Bethany help out.
“We call (Bethany) a little kitchen fairy because we say, ‘This is what we need to do today’ and then we come back a couple hours later and everything's done and cleaned up.”
Coffee, the flagship beverage, comes in 14 flavors and styles (small, medium and large, $2.30 to $5.50), and there are three barista specials — Triple Falls, Grassy Creek and Boiling Springs. Like the former shop, Southern Streams serves smoothies ($5.25-6.50). Breakfast items are among the most popular grab-and-go sellers. Breakfast (sausage) and veggie burritos are $7, avocado toast is $8 and yogurt parfait is $5.50. Sandwiches (with chips, potato salad of pickle) range from $8.75 to $10.75 and come with regional names like the Little Hungry, the North Fork and Graveyard Fields.
“All of our names are based on waterfalls and streams in the area,” Amanda said. “Coming from a small town in Colorado, we recognize it's important to really bring in the demographic and the culture and the atmosphere of where you are. Something that's really important to us is we want people to walk in here and feel like it's home.”

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Southern Streams CoffeeHouse, 1628 Fifth Ave. West, is open 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday and 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday. Phone: 828-595-2273. Website: southernstreamscoffee.com.