ASHEVILLE - Nathan and Elana Pearlman were fledgling chefs studying at the Culinary Institute of America in New York when they met through a mutual friend and began dating more than a decade ago. In 2017, the couple wed, and now they've married their visions of the ideal restaurant to conceptualize Piccolina, a New York-Italian restaurant in Asheville.
In September, Piccolina opened at 375 Depot St. in the Aura Arts, an art studio building in the River Arts District with more than 60 artists at Trackside Studios, Jaime Byrd Contemporary Art Gallery and Clayworks.