L ET TE R F R O M TH E E DI TO R
Living the Dream
T
his one, our 13th annual Best of Chapel Hill issue, is for the dreamers. First, there’s Scott Maitland, who served in the military and then attended law school at UNC. Here, he thought up the idea for Top of the Hill. He saved Franklin Street from a TGI Fridays and forever cemented Bell Tower Blueberry Wheat as a beloved beer that, for so long before it was served year-round, signaled the start of spring. For years, Lisa Joyner taught English at Carolina Friends School. These days, the learning happens in her Fireside Farm garden beds as she’s accompanied by three fluffy Great Pyrenees. Lisa grows beautiful blooms, but her roots are never far – she sometimes crafts bouquets for her former students’ weddings. When Karen Cunningham founded Simply Audrey, she fulfilled the lifelong dream that was printed inside her eighth grade yearbook – to own a clothing boutique. “It’s something I wanted to do my whole life,” Karen says. Jemel Sutton sat at the feet of his grandmother as a kid, picking up cooking tips and preparing dinners for his siblings. As an adult, he’d bring plates of food to Ephesus Elementary School, where his wife, Danielle Sutton, was assistant principal. That soon snowballed into a full-fledged catering business that the duo runs together. Breadman’s began with the hard work of the Piscitello family, who opened the doors 50 years ago. Now, Omar Castro, who started working at the beloved omelet joint when he was in high school, is continuing the legacy alongside his own family. Read on for more stories of people who had a vision and stuck with it through ups and downs. They are the heart and soul of our community and our readers’ favorites businesses. CHM
jessica.stringer@chapelhillmagazine.com THE COVER By Kev in B rown I llust rat ions by Lindsay Scot t
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chapelhillmagazine.com
July/August 2024
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