BEST OF DURHAM
again. It was in these moments that Jackie learned to “detach myself from other people’s pain, but also carry their spirits with me,” she says, and rediscovered joy by bringing it to others. When the pandemic came, Jackie’s cotton candy gave to Durhamites what it first provided for her: a reprieve from the darkest days. “While people were watching ‘Tiger King’ and protesting in the streets,” she says, “they were also craving cotton candy.” So in late March 2020, Jackie and her husband, Rem Morin, launched Wonderpuff ’s e-commerce side. Their business transitioned from outdoor markets and events to an entirely online concept that swept across social media. Today, Wonderpuff is closing in on nearly 10,000 Instagram followers. Her platform became about more than just fairy floss; it’s also where she advocates for social justice and unifies women through open conversations. Maybe that’s why the vegan, organic cotton candy tastes just that much sweeter. Flavors are often inspired by pop stars like Ariana Grande and Doja Cat or by women in her life like sister Jasmine Michel. Sometimes they’re simply born from the natural partnerships that Jackie forms with local businesses like Cocoa Cinnamon and Durham Food Hall. “I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Jackie says. “We are amplifying one another’s voices.” Wonderpuff ’s Kickstarter campaign in October 2020 exemplified that support: It exceeded its goal of $20,000 to fund vital appliances for its soon-to-be storefront in only a week. The hope is for a grand opening by July, coinciding with Wonderpuff ’s fourth anniversary. “I can’t wait,” Jackie says. “We have been patiently, impatiently, patiently waiting.” – by Hannah Lee 40
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Golden Opportunity
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he line was long at Golden Belt Campus. The heat, blistering. Everyone wore masks – some, two. All they could think about was the sweet stuff. A cold Hi-Wire brew sounded nice, but they craved the ice cream across the lawn at Two Roosters, which had finally opened its third location last year at the peak of summer and pandemic. So, customers waited. Owner Jared Plummer remembers cranking the rock salt machine on his Granny’s front porch in Greensboro on similarly sweltering days. His arm would practically go numb from the perpetual motion on the old contraption while she and the two black wooden roosters hung by the door watched over his work. More than three decades later, Jared quit the monotonous, mundane hours of his accounting job and traded in for sweeter days as a confectioner. It started in 2015 at The Cookery’s commissary kitchen, where Jared and his wife, Kelsey Plummer, prepped and then delivered experimental flavors to pop-ups and parties out of their vintage turquoise and white camper. When asked about his own iceReaders’ Favorite cream flavor preference, he says he has “a problem Place to Buy when it comes to Oreos. I don’t eat just one or two. Frozen Treats I eat a whole sleeve.” (Cookies and Cream remains a permanent staple on “The Regulars” menu Two Roosters alongside 10 other flavors.) Ice Cream Jared opened his first brick-and-mortar in North Raleigh in 2017, with full intentions of returning to the city that supported his business from the get-go. Two Roosters opened a seasonal stand that same year at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park, over by left field under the famous snorting bull sign. “A lot of Durham folks know us originally from the Durham Bulls,” Jared says. “And now that we’re back in Durham full time with this store at Golden Belt, it’s really cool to see it all come full circle.” It’s been a slower start than his team anticipated due to COVID-19 restrictions, but he’s grateful he landed in a spot next to other local businesses like Hi-Wire, J. Lights Market & Cafe and soon Cugino Forno Pizzeria. “So now you have – in my opinion – the holy trinity of beer, pizza and ice cream,” Jared says. And Jared has no plans to open a location outside the Triangle. The story of Two Roosters began with a little kid with sticky, ice-cream covered hands; now it’s a sweet sensation, run by a big kid with sticky hands and a strong appreciation for the process. “People in Durham love Durham; they love local,” he says. “And I’m that way, too. … Love people, love ice cream – in that order. That’s what we want to do wherever we go, wherever we are.” – by Hannah Lee