Honey Ice Cream, a Speakeasy Cat, and Cajun Cooking: What's New to Eat in Flat Rock and Hendersonville

By Jon Tharp, Broker  ·  June 29, 2026

A new ice cream shop in Flat Rock is leaning into the fact that this is Bee City USA. Hey Chickadee, on Greenville Highway in the old Hubbaloo building along Little Rainbow Row, is serving a trademarked Honey Creemee, a soft-serve made with local honey and local milk. Owners Will and Meagan Hayes dreamed it up after a trip to Vermont left them hooked on that state's maple version.

Flat Rock sits in Henderson County, just a few miles south of Hendersonville along US 25, which is about 25 miles and a half-hour south of Asheville on Interstate 26. It is a small place with a lot of food and culture, and this summer it is getting a little sweeter.

What makes Hey Chickadee's honey ice cream different?

The Hayes family ran Hey Chickadee out of a food trailer for a little over three years before moving into the brick-and-mortar spot a few weeks ago. They call it a summer-long test run, which is a low-key way of saying they are seeing if the neighborhood loves it as much as they hope.

The sourcing is the whole point. Milk comes from Big Bottom Milk Co. in Rutherford County, and the honey is made mostly by bees at Rafter M Farm in Edneyville. The coffee is from Sharewell Coffee Co. just down the road. The couple moved here from Charleston a few years back and wanted to build something grassroots, and you can taste that in a product made in small batches with no preservatives.

A 4-ounce cup of the signature Hey Creemee runs $5, with cones starting around the same and a kid's cake cone at just $2. They also do shakes, malts, affogato, banana splits, and craft sodas, plus catering for gatherings around Flat Rock, Hendersonville, and Lake Summit.

Is there really a speakeasy in a historic Hendersonville inn?

There is, and it shares its name with a cat. Zelda's Café & Speakeasy at the Osceola Lake Inn off Willow Road is a coffee shop by day and a 1920s-style speakeasy at night. Owners Shawna and Fiona McColley want the inn to feel like a community space built around sustainability, wellness, and the arts.

By day Zelda's pours artisan coffee and serves pastries and light seasonal fare from 9 to 4, Friday through Sunday. On Friday and Saturday evenings from 6 to 9, the room turns into something out of the Jazz Age, with dim lighting, vintage decor, and the only dueling piano bar in Henderson County, plus jazz bands planned on some nights.

The history runs deep here. The inn opened in 1909 as the Lake View Hotel, and F. Scott Fitzgerald lived for a time at the Skyland Hotel in Hendersonville in the 1930s. He and Zelda spent time in the mountains before her death in a 1948 fire at Highland Hospital in Asheville. As for the cat, McColley jokes that Zelda might have been around when the place was built.

What else is new to eat around Hendersonville?

The old South Rock Sports Grill on Greenville Highway has become Gametime Family Grill, and owner Chris Rivera is reworking it to pull in families alongside the sports crowd. He added 14 televisions with full sports packages, a kids' arcade room, milkshakes, and more seafood and gluten-free options. Prices run from $7.99 for a grilled cheese to $20 for a ribeye or half-rack of ribs.

The events calendar is the real draw. Thursdays are cornhole, Saturdays are karaoke, Mondays are free poker with a gift card prize, and Friday nights bring live music all summer. Rivera, who took over after his father retired, is even eyeing classic car shows and sip-and-paint days in the parking lot.

Downtown, Adair's Cajun Cooking has taken over the underground space at 321 N. Main Street, where Cypress Cellar served Louisiana fare for years. George and Michelle Adair opened in late April with gumbo, red beans and rice, crawfish etouffee, jambalaya, and boudin links, and one of them is usually at the door to greet you.

Four new spots in one small corner of the mountains is a good summer by any measure. If wandering between a honey soft-serve in Flat Rock and a dueling piano bar in Hendersonville sounds like a life you would like to live full time, Jon Tharp is always glad to talk about what is on the market down here.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the Hey Chickadee ice cream shop in Flat Rock?

Hey Chickadee is located on Greenville Highway in Flat Rock, in the building that previously housed the Hubbaloo restaurant along Little Rainbow Row. Owners Will and Meagan Hayes ran the business as a food trailer for about three years before moving into the brick-and-mortar space a few weeks ago for a summer-long test run. The shop is known for its trademarked Honey Creemee soft-serve, made in small batches with local milk from Big Bottom Milk Co. in Rutherford County and honey from Rafter M Farm in Edneyville. They also serve shakes, malts, affogato, and craft sodas.

What is Zelda's Café & Speakeasy at the Osceola Lake Inn?

Zelda's is a café and speakeasy at the historic Osceola Lake Inn off Willow Road in Hendersonville. It operates as an artisan coffee shop from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday through Sunday, serving pastries and light seasonal fare made from local ingredients. On Friday and Saturday evenings from 6 to 9, the space becomes a 1920s-style speakeasy with dim lighting, vintage decor, and the only dueling piano bar in Henderson County. The name honors both Zelda Fitzgerald and a resident cat that owner Shawna McColley says "came with the house."

What kind of food does Adair's Cajun Cooking serve in Hendersonville?

Adair's Cajun Cooking serves Louisiana classics in the downstairs space at 321 N. Main Street in downtown Hendersonville, where Cypress Cellar once operated. Owners George and Michelle Adair opened in late April. The menu features chicken-and-sausage gumbo at $16 to $19, red beans and rice with sausage at $15 to $18, crawfish etouffee at $17 to $21, chicken-and-sausage jambalaya at $16 to $19, and boudin links at $7. The Adairs describe it as a family-friendly spot focused on Cajun hospitality, and one of the owners often greets customers at the door.

How far is Flat Rock and Hendersonville from Asheville?

Hendersonville sits roughly 25 miles south of Asheville along Interstate 26, a drive of about 30 to 35 minutes depending on traffic. Flat Rock is just a few miles farther south of Hendersonville along Greenville Highway, which is US 25. Both towns are in Henderson County, in the southern stretch of the North Carolina mountains. The area is an easy day trip from Asheville and a common stop for visitors heading toward Greenville, South Carolina. Flat Rock is also home to the Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site and the Flat Rock Playhouse.