The Scheffer Group is proud to announce that Vinnie’s Neighborhood Italian South and Jettie Rae’s Oyster House have both been recognized in Tripadvisor’s prestigious Best of the Best Awards. Vinnie’s South earned the #6 spot and Jettie Rae’s ranked #8 in the highly competitive Casual Dining category, recognizing them as two of the finest dining destinations in the United States.

Our Owner/Chef Eric Scheffer and Directors Jordan Taylor and Sean Cudmore have served as the main contact points between Moody Plumbing, Topwater Energy Solutions, and fellow Asheville restaurateurs, streamlining the logistics and administration of clean water access to multiple restaurants throughout Asheville. Our team has been helping to arrange routes and coordinate so that these resources are more affordable and accessible, and we’re making notable suggestions such as bringing in smaller tanker trucks so that more restaurant locations can receive the water they need

We are excited to announce that all Scheffer Group restaurants, including both Vinnie’s Neighborhood Italian locations, Gan Shan West, and Jettie Rae’s Oyster House, are now open and operating with clean, safe, and health department-certified potable water. Our hearts are full of gratitude as we welcome our beloved community back into our dining rooms. Over the past few days, it’s been a joy to see so many familiar, smiling faces, and we’re honored to provide a space for comfort, healing, and nourishment in these challenging times.

Rick is a restaurant veteran with a passion for hospitality. From working on Cyndi Lauper and Pat Benatar MTV videos to bartending in NYC, managing the United Distillers bar program in Boston, and reopening San Francisco’s famous Balboa Cafe, Rick has done it all. Now at Jettie Rae’s, he is thrilled to work with a fantastic team and an already thriving culture.

Former restaurant owner and teacher, and now General Manager at Jettie Rae’s Oyster House, Emily Abernathy has been on Guy’s Grocery Games and won, helped open Vinnie’s Neighborhood Italian, and was part of the A-Team at Savoy, Eric Scheffer’s first restaurant, which put Asheville on the map as a dining destination in the early 2000s. We are thrilled to have her as part of our crew!