ellie feinroth: doc chey's noodle house
by jeanne charters

I first heard about Doc Chey’s Noodle House last year. “It’s fabulous,” said a friend who works in downtown Asheville, “and so inexpensive!”

I postponed a visit to Doc Chey’s for 2 reasons…the first, a long-standing fear of Chinese food, fueled over the years by fevers and migraine headaches related to something called “The Chinese Restaurant Syndrome”. In spite of the fact that a restaurant might say they had no MSG in the food, nonetheless, I got the headache. The second reason for my aversion was that my memory of Chinese from childhood consisted of my mother opening a can of chow mien goop and pouring it over some dry noodles and insisting that I eat it. Not good!

None the less, my reading of gourmet magazines and cookbooks convinced me that the Orient had produced some of the most acclaimed and delicious delicacies known to the gastronomical world. So, putting aside my skepticism, I made an appointment for an interview with Ellie Feinroth, part owner and manager of Doc Chey’s Noodle House.
I entered the Biltmore Avenue restaurant at 3 pm on a November Wednesday. The look of the restaurant is hip and somewhat Spartan…lots of chrome, wood floors and granite topped tables ringing the space. I was greeted by a friendly young man and seated with a drink to meet Ellie.

She is natural looking and clearly a woman who spends a lot of time outdoors. I guessed her to be in her 30’s. She laughed and corrected my guess to 40’s. Ellie is small and very fit. She explained that she is constantly training for the next marathon. Her hair is brown and streaky. It is her smile that makes her pretty. It is brilliant and generous and easily evoked.

“I was born in New Jersey but feel that I really grew up in South Carolina, where I was a manager for a whitewater rafting company in the town where they shot the movie ‘Deliverance’. I was in that job for 18 years. At the same time, I would occasionally work for a friend who owned an Italian Restaurant. Actually, I had always dabbled in the restaurant business and had thought that eventually, I’d open up a place called Ellie’s Deli.”

As time passed, Ellie became friends with two men who owned and operated restaurants in Atlanta. Both of their restaurants were called Doc Chey’s Noodle House. One of the men was an Asian with the surname Chey. He had a father and brother who were doctors. They decided on the name of Doc Chey’s because they felt that their food would be healthy and “just what the doctor ordered” when it came to quality and price. “It was a time for a new chapter in my life,” Ellie said. “I was tired of following boy friends and their careers around. I decided to investigate the possibility of opening a Doc Chey’s in Asheville. My partners’ experience in the restaurant business was invaluable to me. I made lots of trips to Asheville trying to make a decision about whether I’d open this place. After 3 years of scouting, we ended up buying this building (built in 1842) because of its great location. However, I was not aware of the extent of the renovations that would be necessary to make it habitable.”

As I interviewed Ellie, I noticed customers dropping in and ordering large bowls of steamy and delectable looking food, in spite of the fact that this was neither the lunch nor the dinner hour…a young mom with a baby sat in the sunny front window observing the people passing by; a preppy looking couple were served plates filled with rice and vegetables; a girl with dreadlocks and her baseball-capped male friend studied the menu carefully and then ordered.

“We never close from lunch until dinner, and so we have a lot of folks walking by who just drop in at any time of day,” Ellie explained. “We’re open 7 days a week from 11:30AM until 10PM…it’s 11PM on weekends. I like the fact that our focus is not on décor but rather on the food. I also like the fact that this is not a chain restaurant. I would never have considered buying into a chain situation. Most of all, I like Doc Chey’s recipes.”

Doc Chey’s celebrated their one year anniversary in Asheville on October 15, 2003. The restaurant has been busy from the beginning with winter months remaining strong. Ellie is extremely grateful to the Asheville community for their support of her business.

“I think it’s because we serve ‘comfort food’…it’s hot and good and healthy. Also, our commitment to keeping prices low helps with locals who work downtown and eat out a lot. At Doc Chey’s, you can get a delicious noodle bowl, along with a glass of wine for under $10.00. Our whole line of food is fresh, and we make every dish to order. I developed a strong commitment to customer service while managing the whitewater rafting company, and that’s served me well in the restaurant business.”

When asked about her personal life, Ellie chuckled. “I am very much into running, and I manage a run every morning before I come in here. I would love to be able to eat out and go to a movie once in a while, but that’s a time luxury that I just don’t have yet. Your personal life gets put on hold for the first year of opening a restaurant.”

I asked Ellie what advice she would give to other women wishing to open their own restaurant. “Make sure you have a good background in restaurant work. I think it’s important that you have done literally everything involved in food service. In my case, I think it was important to have partners with lots of experience to help me ride the ups and downs.”

Doc Chey’s is a true Asian fusion restaurant, combining elements of Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese and Thai cuisines. By the time I left, an hour after our interview began, the delectable smells had convinced me to give Asian food one more chance.
I asked Ellie for takeout. Told her that Matt and I love hot and spicy foods and pretty much let her select dishes for us.

I arrived home bearing a shopping bag full of goodies. Matt welcomed me with open arms. We poured a glass of wine and started eating. It was heaven…delicate rice noodles with fresh eggplant and chicken smothered in a garlicky Thai sauce…lettuce wraps with spicy black beans and a Thai noodle bowl filled with basil, scallions, carrots, red peppers and greens in a spicy and delicious sauce.

For the first time in my life, I loved Oriental food. For the first time, I had no headache. Thank you, Ellie Feinroth!

Jeanne Charters lives in Fairview with her husband, Matt Restivo. A former V.P. of Marketing for Viacom Television, she started her own award-winning broadcast Advertising agency in 1990. [ charmkt@juno.com; 828-628-0023 ]