NEWS BITES Biscuitville opened at 1711 E. 11th St. in Siler City on July 30 and gave out “socially distant” prizes from the drive-thru. The breakfast chain will be open 5 a.m.-2 p.m., Monday-Saturday, and 6 a.m.-2 p.m. on Sunday. Sera Cuni, co-owner and chef of The Root Cellar Cafe & Catering, made her national television debut on Food Network’s “Guy’s Grocery Games” on Aug. 19. Hosted by restaurateur Guy Fieri, the show features chefs from across the country who create dishes to be evaluated by a panel of three judges. The chefs have a limited time to grab necessary ingredients from the “Flavortown Marketplace” designed by Guy for the chance to win $20,000. Sera never applied to be on the show and was shocked to receive an invitation via Facebook Messenger. Sera came to the area in 2006 to work at Foster’s Market in Chapel Hill. In 2013, she purchased the restaurant with her wife, Susan White, and rebranded it as The Root Cellar a year later. Sera established the Pittsboro location in 2017. Although she didn’t win the competition, Sera hopes that her appearance on Food Network will draw more people to her restaurants.
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CHATHAM MAGAZINE
Compiled by Anna Southwell
expanding the staff and leading the organization through a strategic planning process. She joined the Town of FuquayVarina as its new economic development director on Aug. 31. Breakout Martial Arts and Fitness in
The North Carolina Craft Brewers Guild recently held its ninth annual NC Brewers Cup competition, which had a total of 636 entries submitted from 94 North Carolina breweries. Medals were awarded in 32 style-based beer categories. The competition was split between two judging locations: The Cookery in Durham and Highland Brewing Company in Asheville. The 2020 Best of Show winner was Carolina Brewery’s “Copperline Amber Ale,” which competed against 31 other finalists. Carolina Brewery also won first place for its “Sky Blue Kolsch” in the Alternative Fermentation category. ON THE MOVE Alyssa Byrd resigned from her role as the president of Chatham County Economic Development Corporation in August. She worked for the organization for more than nine years, serving in many roles. Some notable accomplishments during her tenure as president include: recruiting new industries to Chatham County, including medical device manufacturing company EG-Gilero to downtown Pittsboro and A.D. Tubi to Siler City; overseeing the continued development of Chatham’s industrial sites; increasing the EDC’s capacity by
OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2020
Pittsboro closed its doors on July 31 due to the economic toll from the COVID-19 pandemic. David Yannuzzo, the owner and head instructor, announced his plans to work at United Tae Kwon Do Academy in Carrboro as an instructor. WHAT AN HONOR The “Haw River House,” designed by Arielle Condoret Schechter, was chosen by nationally celebrated architects and designers for the second place prize in the Jury Awards category for the 2020 George Matsumoto Prize, which recognizes excellence in modernist residential design. The 2,600-square-foot house blends into a rocky knoll, which faces the western side of the Haw River. The net-zero house also features a cantilevered screen porch, a “floating” private deck off the PHOTO BY TZU CHEN PHOTOGRAPHY
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