Mela, the popular downtown Asheville Indian restaurant, will offer its unique cuisine to the UNC Asheville campus beginning with the start of the fall semester on Friday, August 14.

Mela’s traditional curries, house-made chutneys, handmade breads, fresh local salads and more will be available to students, faculty, staff and visitors at UNC Asheville’s Highsmith University Union. Students will be able to dine at Mela on campus as part of their meal plans, with vegan, vegetarian and chicken options available daily.

“I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to bring my favorite food – my husband’s family recipes – to my alma mater,” said Julie Loveless, Mela operations manager, who graduated from UNC Asheville in 2012 with an interdisciplinary studies degree focused on systems sustainability. Anoop Krishnan, owner, says, “We at Mela are very excited to be on campus. We are a small, locally-owned, family business, and are excited to have been given this opportunity to be a part of the university’s dining experience. We use local produce as often as possible, and only use free-range, antibiotic- and hormone-free chicken. All of our spices are sourced from India, and our chefs are Indian as well; so the level of authenticity is as if the food was made in India.”

This new partnership between the university’s dining services and Mela brings a second downtown restaurant onto UNC Asheville’s campus, joining Rosetta’s Kitchen, which operates the wellness café at the Sherrill Center as Rosetta’s Kitchenette.

“Asheville’s restaurants have earned a national reputation, and we’re very excited to bring the city’s great restaurants onto our campus,” said Bill Haggard, UNC Asheville vice chancellor for student affairs. “Mela’s food is distinctive, affordable, and offers lots of options for vegetarians and vegans. I think Mela will be popular with our students as an addition to the many tasty, healthy options they already find in our main dining room in Brown Hall and in our many dining spots on campus.”

Mela has been voted “Best Indian Restaurant” by Mountain Xpress readers every year since it opened in 2005.

Mela in Highsmith University Union will be open to the public as well as the campus community, from 11 a.m.-10 p.m. on weekdays and from 4-10 p.m. on weekends. For more information on UNC Asheville dining, visit dineoncampus.com/unca.