As part of ongoing 25th anniversary celebrations, Ten Thousand Villages Asheville is sponsoring an International Moveable Feast on October 3rd. The tickets are $45.00 and the proceeds go to support their mission of ending world poverty. This is a great chance to support warm fuzzies and experience a few restaurants that you may or may not have tried before. Ten Thousand Villages is a nonprofit retail organization that has been around since 1946. Their stores are largely run by volunteers, which helps reduce their overhead and allows them to keep reasonable prices while supporting fair wages to the artisans that they collaborate with. Almost two thirds of the artisans they work with are women in developing countries. These collaborations help artisans gain financial independence and strengthen communities. The crafts sold at this shop range from small to large decorative pieces, shiny accessories, and even nicely tailored dresses with pockets..(yaaas!!).  The styles range from country to country and it is easy to find something to fit most people’s aesthetic. I definitely found plenty of covetables while browsing before interviewing for this piece. Ten years ago, Sara Martin started her career at Ten Thousand Villages as one of the 20 plus volunteers. She has grown with the organization and is now the manager of the Asheville store, as well as the event coordinator for the Moveable Feast. She went to school for women’s and genders studies, and has always been drawn to social justice and equity. Sara is pleasant, good-hearted, and one of those fortunate few who studied something they were passionate about and it blossomed into a related career. Sara’s inspiration for this event is partly attributed to a Citizen-Times article that dubbed the area within two blocks of the shop the International District of Asheville. In terms of food diversity, it’s an understandable labeling of this corner of the city. There is quite the variety within a few blocks: Mediterranean (Jerusalem Garden), Nepalese (Kathmandu Café), Ethiopian (Addissae), Chinese fusion (Red Ginger), international curry (Blue Dream), Cuban (Hemingway’s: coming soon), Indian (Chai Pani), and Middle Eastern (Baba Nahm). While there are many other options scattered throughout Asheville, that list is impressive for a small section of a town this size. We are very lucky and I am grateful to have so many diverse options for dining. When selecting the restaurants to participate, Sara chose locations that were easily walkable and that resonate with the company. Ten Thousand Villages works with artisans in 32 countries and three continents. The three restaurants participating will be providing food from countries that they work with as well as broadly representing the three continents: Asia, Africa, and South America. The night will begin at 5:00 p.m. in the Ten Thousand Villages store with beverages and socializing. Once refreshed and socialized the group will move to Kathmandu Café for Nepalese light starter bites. The next stop will be Ethiopian vegetarian offerings at Addissae. The main course will be held at Blue Dream Curry House for a Peruvian curry they will have on special for the event. The end of the evening will circle back to Ten Thousand Villages for fair trade chocolate, coffee, and farewells. I think it sounds like it will be a lovely evening with lots of great food, wonderful company and a whole bunch of warm fuzzy feel goods. I hope to see you there! Get your tickets to A Moveable Feast here.  Facebook event here. Check out other events happening this year here. To learn about volunteering go here.