Jason Sweeney

Jason Sweeney, executive chef of live-fire concept Asheville Proper, knows he has something special with his Hibiscus Butter. “Hibiscus, to me, is different than lavender or rose, which walk a delicate line between a nice accent and soap. Hibiscus has a natural sweetness, leaning toward a light strawberry flavor with floral accents,” he says. “This makes the flavor more of a surprising pop. It also brings an intense pink color.”
To make the spread, Sweeney steeps dried hibiscus in Champagne vinegar, letting it set for a day before incorporating the liquid into whole butter, whipping and further seasoning with salt and pepper.

He first featured the Hibiscus Butter as an accompaniment to fresh-baked Parker House rolls. “It was wildly popular. Many guests opted to purchase extra butter for their table or ordered another round of bread just to eat the butter again. Several guests started asking to pair it with the steak, which was not my initial intention, but as I watched the number of requests grow, I figured they were onto something,” says Sweeney. Today, he purposefully tops grilled steak with the floral butter. “It brightens up the robust beef flavors,” he explains. “The butter is also used on toasted breads and can bring levity, color and fun to a risotto.”

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