WALTER Magazine - August 2015 by waltermagazine

Reading Reading Proust Proust with with Larry Larry Wheeler Wheeler

Birth Birth of of a city a city RTP RTP reimagined reimagined

Dean Dean McCord’s McCord’s Sandwiches Sandwiches with with swagger swagger

WALTER

LAKE LAKE

AUGUST AUGUST 2015 2015

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AUGUST 2015

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FEATURES

VOL 3, ISSUE 10

August 2015

84 STORY OF A HOUSE

STYLE

Lake living by Jessie Ammons photographs by Lissa Gotwals

Eco-fashion Text and photographs by Chris Seward

RALEIGHITES

AT THE TABLE

WINnovation: Celebrating women and innovation by Liza Roberts

Sandwiches with swagger by Dean McCord photographs by Nick Pironio

WALTER PROFILE

ARTIST’S SPOTLIGHT

The birth of a city: RTP reimagined by J. Peder Zane photographs by Jill Knight

Christer Berg: Finding purpose by Sarah Barr

74 On the cover: photograph by Lissa Gotwals

10 | WALTER

OYSTER PERPETUAL ROLE X DEEPSE A

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DEPARTMENTS 46 Our Town

Shop Local: Boyette’s Automotive The Usual: Rum Club Game Plan: Jessica Holmes Off Duty: Sam Harris’ helicopters by Jessie Ammons and Liza Roberts photographs by Travis Long and Tim Lytvinenko

82 Essential ingredient

Cooking with beer by Kaitlyn Goalen photographs by Jillian Clark

90 Drink

Frozen by Charles Upchurch photographs by Nick Pironio

100 Letter from the art world

Art in the margins text and drawings by Andrew Silton

104 Reflections

Reading Proust by Larry Wheeler illustration by Tim Lee

106 Gigs

The work never gets old by Beth Browne photographs by Jill Knight

110 Givers

Therapy on horseback by Todd Cohen photographs by Juli Leonard

114 Just one plant

A purple prince by Tony Avent illustration by Ippy Patterson

115 Verse

A Circle of Hands by Lenard D. Moore

116 The Whirl

Parties and fundraisers

130 Seen in Raleigh

Steeple chasing photographs by Robert Willett

In Every Issue 14

Letter from the Editor

Contributors

20 Your Feedback 24 Raleigh Now

106 12 | WALTER

36 Triangle Now

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EDITOR’S LETTER

ne of the most exciting things about Raleigh is how open it is. Nothing is off-limits. In a month like August, when the population of the Triangle visibly shrinks, that’s only more the case. Food, art, music, theater – it’s everywhere, it’s inexpensive, and, if tickets or reservations are even required, chances are they’re yours for the taking. One of the country’s top food scenes, which unfolds every day across our region in restaurants as refined as Herons and as unlikely as a Capital Boulevard BP station, is fresher and more accessible than ever. You’ll have an easier time getting a table – or grabbing a torta – right about now. Dean McCord spent a chunk of time finding affordable, delicious sandwiches worthy of a detour (pg. 84). Another short trip worth taking is not to the mountains or the beach but to Lake Gaston. Straddling the North Carolina-Virginia line, it offers fishing, boating, restaurants, and beauty, and won’t take you more than an hour and a half to get there. Jessie Ammons shows us around in this month’s Story of a House (pg. 74). Another wide-open spot these days is Research Triangle Park. The technology park is on the cusp of a major reinvention, introducing a big dose of live and play to its culture of work. J. Peder Zane went to park’s Frontier for a glimpse at RTP’s future (pg. 66). Its potential – like the the region’s as a whole – is huge. And so is August, ripe with possibilities, and yours for the taking. Liza Roberts Editor & General Manager Editor@WalterMagazine.com

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Raleigh’s Life & Soul Volume 111, Issue 10

LIZA ROBERTS

Editor & General Manager Art Director JESMA REYNOLDS Contributing Writers TONY AVENT, SARAH BARR, BETH BROWNE, TODD COHEN, KAITLYN GOALEN, ELIZABETH LINCICOME, ANNA LONG, LENARD D. MOORE, DEAN McCORD, ANDREW SILTON, CHARLES UPCHURCH, LARRY WHEELER, J. PEDER ZANE Contributing Photographers JILLIAN CLARK, LISSA GOTWALS, JILL KNIGHT, JULI LEONARD, TRAVIS LONG, TIM LYTVINENKO, NICK PIRONIO, CHRIS SEWARD, ROBERT WILLETT Contributing Illustrators TIM LEE, IPPY PATTERSON Assistant Editor JESSIE AMMONS

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Administration CINDY HINKLE WalterMagazine.com

CHARLES MACHALICKY Published 10 times a year by The News & Observer Publishing Co. A McClatchy Company, 215 S. McDowell St., Raleigh NC 27601

AUGUST 2015 Walter is distributed without charge to select Wake County households and available by paid subscriptions at $24.99 a year in the United States, as well as for purchase at Quail Ridge Books and other retail locations.

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CONTRIBUTORS

AUGUST 2015

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J. PEDER ZANE, who writes about the future of Research Triangle Park in this issue, teaches journalism at St. Augustine’s University and is a contributing columnist to the op-ed page of The News & Observer. His latest book is Off the Books: On Literature and Culture. “My reporting on the visionary team that is reimagining Research Triangle Park gave me an excuse to sit down with brilliant managers, architects, and businesspeople,” Zane says. “Whenever I interview people who know what they’re doing, why they’re doing it, and who believe their work is meaningful and important, I feel inspired.”

Fine Art Gallery at Waverly Artists Group

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SHOP | DINE | UNWIND

SARAH BARR is a reporter who recently moved from Raleigh to Washington, D.C., where she covers juvenile justice and youth service issues for the Center for Sustainable Journalism. (For the record, she already misses biscuits.) She previously reported for the The News & Observer. In this issue, she profiled artist Christer Berg. “While reporting the profile, I was struck by how Christer talks about the people he photographs, as if they’ve been friends for years,” Barr says. “He’s always looking for ways to connect them to each other and the wider community.”

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TRAVIS LONG is a staff photographer and night picture editor for The News & Observer with a penchant for cycling, running, homebrewing, and chickenkeeping. For the past four issues, he’s been capturing portraits for our Our Town series. This month, that included following Sam Harris to Dorothea Dix Park for a radio-controlled helicopter flight and then delving into a decades-old engine repair shop downtown. “I’m always struck by the diversity, intellect, and friendliness of the citizens of our town.”

CHRIS SEWARD is a photographer for the The News & Observer where he has covered major and minor news and sporting events, fashion, food, and features for the past three decades. In this issue, he photographed the Redress Raleigh eco-fashion show and wrote about it. Seward says the designers’ creativity inspired him. “I love the way many of the designers use real people to model their styles,” he says. “There are models in their seventies, children, middle-aged women, slender young women, and men.”

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YOUR FEEDBACK

@WALTERMAGAZINE Can’t wait to become an Insider. The WALTER event with Frances Mayes was the perfect way to spend an afternoon. -Merrill Rose (June/July, pg. 108) Beautiful cover. -Betty Saleh

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“It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you don’t care who gets the credit.” Keep it up Dave Rose! -Daniel Whittaker (June/July, pg. 90) Great (Story of a House)! Love what she has done with such a small space! -William Moore (June/July, pg. 76) Such a great article (on Bailey McNeill). -Lisa Robie Poole (June/July, pg. 30) Wonderful article on Raleigh’s many accolades. Thanks @WalterMagazine for compiling! -@wendy_nabors (June/July, pg. 22) @DaveRose9811 @WalterMagazine @DeepSouthEnt every word in the article is well deserved! Thanks for all you do for the music industry! -@mljcorey (June/July, pg. 90) New weekend read: @WalterMagazine - unique look at Raleigh stories! -@ReneeSells There are so many reasons to love Raleigh! @WalterMagazine rounded up a few -@crossroadsprm (June/July, pg. 22) Yum! #summer #salads in @WalterMagazine -@raleighfoodwine (June/July, pg. 82)

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Need inspiration for 4th of July menu? @WalterMagazine has you covered! -@JrLeagueRaleigh (June/July, pg. 82)

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“Summer afternoon – summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.” –Henry James SIMPLE SUMMER

hors d’hoeuvre BREAK IT When the August heat is making you cranky, why not break a little ice?

SELBY STRATTON’S TIPSY TOMATOES

It’s so hot, the birds have to use potholders to pull worms out of the ground.

Two dozen grape tomatoes, each pierced several times with a toothpick

It’s so hot, we have to go to Garland and get a lunch cocktail. Lunch cocktail. It’s a thing.

Vodka to cover them, plus enough to fill a small ramekin (pepper vodka is a good option) Hatsuyuki ice shaver at Bida Manda SHAVE IT When Bida Manda bar manager Jordan Wallace told owner Van Nolintha he wanted a $900 Japanese ice-shaving machine, Nolintha ordered up the retro-cool, cast iron machine with a picture of Mt. Fuji and a hand crank. The square foot of bar space it takes up is worth it for its fluffy crystal snow. A worthy partner for the restaurant’s homemade elixers, it makes for an awfully newfangled Old Fashioned. BidaManda: 222 South Blount St., 919-829-9999

GOBBLE IT Everyone knows the only snowcone worth slurping can be found at Pelican’s SnoBalls. Serving as many as 1,000 snowcones a day in more than 130 flavors from its baby blue HQ, Pelican’s most popular flavor is sweet cherry. Its weirdest: dill pickle. Or maybe toothpaste. But you’ve got to be truly in the know to get a “GMO.” That’s one of Pelican’s 60 off-menu “underground flavors,” says owner T.G. Rich. You’ll have to talk to him in person to learn about the rest. Pelican’s SnoBalls: 3304 Capital Blvd., 919-696-0547 SnoBalls from $2 to $5

22 | WALTER

A saucer of Crazy Jane’s Mixed-Up Salt Soak the pierced tomatoes in the vodka for an hour. Drain and serve beside the ramekin of fresh vodka and saucer of Crazy Jane. Dip a tomato in the vodka, then in the salt. Pop in your mouth.

DRINK IT Not available at any other time of day, these’ll will add some zip to your deskbound afternoons. Leave it to the folks at Garland.

GARLAND’S LUNCH COCKTAILS TAHITI 75 White rum, Darting Kabinett riesling, lemon-lime syrup, mint, soda BROAD STREET RADLER Rum, black tea, spicy ginger ale, ginger, lemon, honey DON’S GETAWAY Prosecco, grapefruit, Montenegro Amaro, cinnamon, lime, vermouth

GARDEN CORNER

YES, IT’S HOT. BUT YOUR GARDEN NEEDS YOU. RALEIGH City Farm president and CEO Chris Rumbley says the most important thing you can do this month for your patch of green is – one guess – water it. But don’t just point your hose and sprinkle. Deep water your plants (that means drench them, letting the water sit on the ground for a few seconds before it’s absorbed) in the early morning or late evening. And while you’re at it, sucker your tomatoes. Yes, sucker ’em. That’s gardener-speak for plucking off the excess foliage. It sounds simple, but people often put it off. “Do it now and do it regularly, so things don’t get out of hand,” Rumbley says. This unburdens the plant, leaving its energy and juice for the actual fruit.

Jesma Reynolds (Bida Manda ice shaver); Sarah Bossert (snoballs); N&O archive (tomatoes); Thinkstock illustration (garden)

It’s so hot, the water buffalo at the zoo have evaporated.

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CATCH THE SPIRIT

hroughout the spring, the William B. Umstead State Park hosted a photography contest challenging photographers of all ages to “catch the spirit” of the park. Submissions ended in early June, but you can view the top shots at the exhibit’s opening reception Aug. 1. Adults and children entered photos in three categories: Where Are Your Footprints, of people doing park activities; Stories in Stone, of park remnants and historical structures; or In the Wild, of plant and animal spottings. A selection of winning entries will be published in next year’s park calendar, and all winners will be on display at the visitor’s center for the entire month. 2 - 4p.m.; Free; William B. Umstead State Park Visitor’s Center, 8801 Glenwood Ave.; umsteadcoalition.org

photograph by MARJANI ALIASGHAR,

one of 2014 photo contest winners

24 | WALTER

RALEIGH now › AUGUST

WHEELS UP

courtesy Historic Yates Mill County Park (WATERWORKS); Dorling Kindersley (BRAKE THE CYCLE); Alex Brandon (DAVID WEST)

WATERWORKS

Have you been to Historic Yates Mill Park? Just five miles south of downtown Raleigh, the 174-acre park’s crown jewel is Wake County’s only remaining gristmill. Originally built in the 1750s, Yates Mill was fully restored a decade ago. On the first Saturday of every month, head to the park for a half-hour tour of the mill, where you can check out the main power drive and milling machinery. 1, 1:30, 2, 2:30, or 3 p.m.; $5, $3 children ages 7-16, free for ages 6 and younger; 4620 Lake Wheeler Rd.; wakegov.com/parks/ yatesmill

Raise money and awareness for lung cancer research by putting your own lungs to good use. The annual Brake the Cycle Bike Rally invites cyclists of every level to kick off the month by embarking on a 30- or 53-mile route, starting and ending at TLC for Bikes in Lafayette Village. Proceeds benefit the Lung Cancer Initiative of North Carolina, a nonprofit that connects lung cancer patients and their families to the medical research community. Stick around afterward for a boxed lunch on the lawn. 8 a.m.; $30 to bike, $5 more for a boxed lunch; 8480 Honeycutt Rd., Ste. 126; lungcancerinitiativenc.org

1 PLAYING FOR POVERTY

Professional and college basketball players with local ties will face off for an all-star exhibition game at Broughton High School’s Holliday Gym following a daylong family festival at the high school. Building A Stronger Raleigh’s game will include former Wolfpacker and current Phoenix Suns player TJ Warren, newly traded San Antonio Spurs and former Garner High standout David West (above), and N.C. State alum Julius Hodge. The game is part of a larger campaign to alleviate local poverty through awareness and fundraising efforts. 7 p.m.; $20; 723 St. Mary’s St.; strongerraleigh.com

AUGUST 2015 | 25

Spot

LIght

Artfulexploration A t this point in August, the pool is old news. Why not enjoy the last days of summer alfresco at the North Carolina Museum of Art instead? The Museum Park has a handful of must-see new outdoor works installed this past spring, including an interactive sculpture and trail-side billboards designed by local students. “Art is about understanding our human nature and also the nature of the world around us,” says Dan Gottlieb, director of museum planning and design and the Museum Park. “Moving art outdoors and outside is an extension of that.” One example is Totem, a whimsical fountain sculpture by Tim Hawkinson featuring bronze jugs with water-spouting faces. The artist is a “combination artist-scientist-intuitive engineer,” says NCMA chief curator Linda Dougherty. Gottlieb says that viewing art like this piece outside causes less anxiety. “It’s a more social experience,” he says, and not something we should take for granted. “We are blessed with a very, very unusual asset for an art museum: a large tract of land. In all the pastoral ways that you might enjoy a park, you

26 | WALTER

can enjoy ours. There’s just art along the way.” If you’ve got kids in tow, the Aug. 22 Family Fun Saturday is a great way to explore our art-dappled Museum Park. After a gallery tour, you can create a journal with secret compartments to take on your excursion. “I think one of the great things about having art outside is that people encounter it without really thinking about it being art,” Dougherty says. “It’s easier to expose people to nontraditional forms of art outside, because it’s in a more relaxed setting.” The museum’s outdoor concert and movie lineup is also worth adding to your August calendar. Every Friday or Saturday – and sometimes both – a movie plays on a big-screen in the museum amphitheatre. (While the movies are mostly family-friendly, a few R-rated titles are on the docket, too.) Then, on Aug. 29, The Mavericks, a roots-rock-country band with a Latin twist, will take the stage. Bring a picnic and plan to buy beer and wine at the park. – Jessie Ammons Learn more about the Museum Park’s latest additions and its summer concert and movie schedule at ncartmuseum.org.

Porsha Cox, Elizabeth Eradiri, Cianna Fisher, and St. Augustine’s University Visual Arts Department St. Augustine’s University, Heartland, 2015, digital print on vinyl

Raleigh now

RALEIGH now › AUGUST

Tesh Parekh (HUMP); Ashley Popio (DIGITAL ERA)

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DIGITAL ERA HUMP DAY

Sometimes all it takes is an organized excuse to get out in a new part of town. Wednesdays on Glenwood is that push to see what’s going on at Glenwood South, a district of restaurants, art galleries, and beer and wine purveyors. Shops open their doors, live musicians perform, and the area is officially hustling and bustling every Wednesday evening. 5 - 10 p.m.; free; Glenwood Avenue; gsnc.raleighdla.com

Every First Friday since May, Seed Art Share has been presenting an interactive theatre performance. This month, it will take place Aug. 7. An original play, Moving Pieces: 2, is set in the Mordecai neighborhood and depicts a sibling duo, Austin and Em, in their journey to push their parents toward progress and suss out their own feelings along the way. Audience members will walk around throughout the play in order to share text messages, live music, and local food. If you miss the August performance, the show runs through September. 6 and 8 p.m.; $20.95; 549 N. Blount St.; seedraleigh.org

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Two years ago, Broughton High grads Sandy and Logan Roberts and their friend Pat Price set out to break a four-minute mile. Their unofficial “Sandman Mile” event took off on social media and more than 400 people – both athletes and fans – watched and competed in the challenge on the track of Cardinal Gibbons High School. It’s evolved into an organized professional track race dubbed the Sir Walter Miler, which will take place Aug. 7. The race itself is invite-only, but spectators are welcome. The night before, you can eat dinner with the professional runners at Busy Bee Cafe. Or, just show up, watch, and hang out at the preand post-race party at Raleigh Brewing Company. 8:30 p.m.; free (race is invitation-only); 3800 Hillsborough St.; sirwaltermiler.com

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A few years ago, a Utah piano store owner teamed up with a few other musicians in an effort to sell more instruments. Their approach? To use their classically trained skills to cover popular music in online videos. They quickly went viral on YouTube, and now The Piano Guys perform original music and a solid repertoire of pop covers. On Aug. 7, see the four-man group at Red Hat Amphitheater. 8 p.m.; $25 $65; 500 S. McDowell St.; redhatamphitheater.com

Raleigh now › AUGUST

NEW CONST RUCT ION INSIDE TH E B E LTL INE B Y

7-8

JUNK WITH SPUNK

2827 LEWIS FARM R O A D

Christine L. Goforth (BUTTERFLIES); courtesy of Tracey Johnson, Patina South (JUNK)

Vintage shopping can take persistence and a good eye. The Handmaidens, a local group of artists, designers, and crafters, have teamed up to present a curated selection of top-notch flea market finds at Urban Vintage Raleigh. The market will debut at First Friday and then return Aug. 7 and 8 at Market Hall. Prepare to peruse quirky vintage finds with industrial flair. 6 - 9 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Saturday; free; 215 Wolfe St.; urbanvintageraleigh.com

8, 22 3329 OC OTEA STR E E T

BUTTERFLIES AND DRAGONFLIES The N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences has a 38-acre field station off of Blue Ridge Road called Prairie Ridge, which includes restored prairie land, lowland forest, and wetlands, as well as a few hiking trails. This month, participate in a butterfly or dragonfly walk there Aug. 8 and 22. A naturalist will take you on a tour of the field’s aquatic habitats to find the insects, giving you tips on how to identify different species. Bring your own binoculars or camera, if you’d like. 1 - 3 p.m.; free, but pre-registration required; 1671 Gold Star Dr.; naturalsciences.org/programs-events

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Raleigh now › AUGUST

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Tucked into an unassuming shopping center is the North Raleigh Arts & Creative Theatre. Their summer production, Annapurna, follows a woman reconnecting with a man after twenty years apart. It’s a tale of love and loss all coming to a head, for better or worse. The performance begins Aug. 21 and runs through September. Show times vary; $17, $15 for students and seniors; 7713-51 Lead Mine Rd.; nract.org

courtesy Garrison Keillor (PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION); Alex Maness (ANNAPURNA)

RED HAT AMPHITHEATER, DOWNTOWN RALEIGH

Still performed live on-air some four decades after its first broadcast, the radio variety show A Prairie Home Companion has vivid narration to thank for its success. Watch the show come to life when creator and host Garrison Keillor stops at Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary on Aug. 9. 7 p.m.; $42.50 and up; 8003 Regency Pkwy., Cary; boothamphitheatre.com

Live Nation (CONCERT); Ted Richardson (LAST BARN DANCE)

30 THE LAST BARN DANCE COUNTRY CONCERT

Don’t let summer end without enjoying a country concert on the lawn of Walnut Creek Amphitheatre. Former Hootie & the Blowfish frontman Darius Rucker will perform hits like “Wagon Wheel,” “Comeback Song,” and “It Won’t Be Like This For Long.” 7 p.m.; lawn tickets begin at $29; 3801 Rock Quarry Rd.; livenation.com/DariusRucker

Ted Richardson and Jason Arthurs, two former News & Observer photojournalists, self-financed the creation of The Last Barn Dance. The 32-minute documentary follows Randy Lewis, a fifth-generation dairy farmer in Alamance County, as he navigates how to keep his farm going in a challenging modern market. It’s an engaging and ultimately hopeful look at the realities our local farmers face. Don’t miss a public screening on August 30, sponsored by PineCone and followed by a Q&A with Jason, Ted, and Randy. 3 p.m.; free; N.C. Museum of History, 5 E. Edenton St.; lastbarndance.com

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asked that a wall separating two great rooms flanking the spacious front hall be removed to restore the grand ballroom that existed during John Haywood’s entertaining heyday. Records indicate John Haywood created that ballroom in 1816 by removing a weightbearing wall and installing a king post truss in the attic to support the second-story floor. That solution eventually failed, prompting the family to rebuild the wall and once again form two separate rooms. Clues from inside the wall – like nails and marks on the timbers – correspond to the early 19th century, second quarter of the 19th century, and the post-Civil War era, respectively. Such physical evidence, along with construction receipts and changing

If these walls could talk

Even a 214-year-old house can be full of new surprises. Intriguing new details of the history of Haywood Hall – the oldest house in Raleigh that still stands on its original foundation – were unveiled when restorer Dean Ruedrich recently opened up its walls. It was the first step in honoring a request from the will of the last Haywood family member to own the home. “It’s been a blast to see things down in these wall cavities that nobody has seen for 100 years,” says Ruedrich. Built by John Haywood, who was the state’s first treasurer and Raleigh’s first mayor, the columned house sits modestly under a towering magnolia tree on a dead-end street just a short walk from the Capitol building. It was one of the largest structures in town when it was built, accommodating Haywood’s ardent sense of hospitality, and quickly became an informal meeting place for legislators and dignitaries. The house remained in the Haywood family until 1977, when John’s granddaughter, Mary Haywood Fowle Stearns, left it to the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in North Carolina. In her will, she requested that Haywood Hall be used for the “enjoyment of the community” and to promote a greater understanding of the history of the state and of Raleigh. She also

photographs by CATHERINE NGUYEN

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profiles of the house on early maps of Raleigh, are helping Ruedrich and a team of structural engineer consultants piece together a more comprehensive history of the many modifications made by the Haywood family. “We think that before the downstairs area was made into a large room, the (entertaining) room was on the second floor when it was first constructed in 1801,” Ruedrich says. “That was not uncommon, for the grand dining room to be on the second floor. What changed John Haywood’s mind in terms of why he moved it downstairs is hard to say, but it was always about entertaining.” And entertain they did. Ruedrich suggests that parties were so frequent that the house’s large attic may have served as a retreat from the din. “For an early 19th century house, this is a huge attic staircase,” he says, pointing to a wide set of steps. “That’s your first clue that this was more than just storage. You can see it was finished off with wainscoting, plaster on the walls. If the second floor had the big drawing room, this (attic) may have been the withdrawing room where you would have come to have some privacy if

there was a big party.” Today, to walk through the home is to travel through time. Even the front entrance is marked by three different doorbells representing different eras of Haywoods. An inconspicuous 19th century intercom system, known as a speaking tube, extends from the front porch to the master bedroom upstairs. Though it might have initially served a grand dining room, it then became a bedroom to many Haywoods, including Dr. E. Burke Haywood, surgeon of the N.C. State Troops and director of Pettigrew Hospital for the Confederacy. Rumor has it that if a patient called after bedtime, the speaking tube allowed he or she to communicate with the doctor without disturbing the family Such details are why Ruedrich and his team are proceeding with construction plans cautiously. “One of the things we feel pretty strongly about is, if we’re going to make changes to how this house has been for 120 years now, we need to be pretty sure that what we’re changing it back to is accurate,” he says. “We’re not going to remodel this house. We want to restore it.” – Anna Long

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VORES

f the abundance of farmers’ markets in our area is any indication, it’s safe to say that eating locally is no longer a trend – it’s here to stay. We’ve put together a list of the best spots to pick up fresh, local produce across the Triangle. Keep in mind that while many of our markets are year-round, many shift their hours according to season. This list is accurate through the end of the month. Tear it out and hang it on your fridge – right next to the grocery list. – Jessie Ammons

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RALEIGH Campus Farmers Market @ NCSU 2306 Hillsborough St. Wednesdays, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. (through August 19) campusfarmersmkt.wordpress.com

Plantation Point Farmers’ Market 6250 Plantation Center Dr. Saturdays, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. plantationpointfarmersmarket.com

Farmstand at Raleigh City Farm 800 N. Blount St. Saturdays, 9 a.m. - 12 noon raleighcityfarm.com/farmstand

Raleigh Downtown Farmers Market 400 Fayetteville St. Wednesdays, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. godowntownraleigh.com/farmersmarket

IFFS Farm Stand 4505 Tryon Rd. Thursdays and Fridays, 2 - 6 p.m., and Saturdays, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. foodshuttle.org

State Farmers Market 1201 Agriculture St. Mondays - Saturdays, 5 a.m. 6 p.m., and Sundays, 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. statefarmersmarket.org

LoMo Market Traveling market truck, locations and hours vary lomomarket.com, @LoMoMarket

GREATER TRIANGLE

Midtown Farmers’ Market 4150 Main at North Hills St. Saturdays, 8 a.m. - 12 noon midtownraleighfarmersmarket.com

Apex Farmers Market 220 N. Salem St., Apex Saturdays, 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. apexfarmersmarket.com Carrboro Farmers’ Market 301 W. Main St., Carrboro Saturdays, 9 a.m. - 12 noon, and Wednesdays, 3 - 6 p.m. carrborofarmersmarket.com

Chris Seward, The News & Observer

LOCA-

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Cary Downtown Farmers Market 135 W. Chatham St., Cary Saturdays, 8 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. caryfarmersmarket.com Chapel Hill Farmers’ Market 201 S. Estes Dr., Chapel Hill Saturdays, 8 a.m. - 12 noon, and Tuesdays, 3 - 6 p.m. thechapelhillfarmersmarket.com Durham Farmers’ Market 501 Foster St., Durham Saturdays, 8 a.m. - 12 noon, and Wednesdays, 3:30 - 6:30 p.m. durhamfarmersmarket.com The Farmers Market 128 S. Main St., Holly Springs Saturdays, 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. hollyspringsnc.us/farmersmarket Growers Market 121 N. Main St., Fuquay-Varina Saturdays, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. growers-market.org Knightdale Farmers Market 810 N. First Ave., Knightdale Saturdays, 2 - 6 p.m. knightdalenc.gov Saxapahaw Farmers’ Market 1735 Saxapahaw Bethlehem Church Rd., Saxapahaw Saturdays, 5 - 8 p.m. rivermillvillage.com South Durham Farmers’ Market 5410 N.C. Hwy. 55, Durham Saturdays, 8 a.m. - 12 noon southdurhamfarmersmarket.org Wake Forest Farmers Market 405 S. Brooks St., Wake Forest Saturdays, 8 a.m. - 12 noon wakeforestfarmersmarket.org Waverly Farmers’ Market Corner of Tryon and Kildaire Farm Roads, Cary Saturdays, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. waverlyfm.com

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CLASSICAL TWIST

or Triangle area music lovers, one of Raleigh’s oldest cultural attractions is getting ready to celebrate a landmark birthday and just got a facelift to boot. Chamber Music Raleigh (CMR), formerly known as the Raleigh Chamber Music Guild, kicks off its official season on September 27th, but celebrates its 75th anniversary next summer. The group’s mission is “to enrich and connect individuals in the greater Raleigh community through intimate and exceptional chamber music experiences.” The organization is committed to presenting world-class artists who perform music of the highest standards, providing performance showcases for local artists, creating learning opportunities, and encouraging a love of chamber music. “It’s been described as the music of friends because of its intimate nature,” says CMR’s fairly new executive director Marianne Breneman as she explains what chamber music is. Chamber music is classical music composed for a small group of musicians, usually with one player on a given part. This can range from about three to 12 players, who perform without a conductor. “They play off each other and must com-

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The Oak City String Quartet: Jackie Wolborsky, Amy Mason, Nathaniel Yaffe, and Dovid Friedlander

municate very closely with each other,” Breneman says. “Performances are done in smaller more intimate venues versus big concert halls. It started out as just using string quartets but now it has expanded over the years to woodwinds and brass with strings and piano.” It was traditionally played in homes, salons, or other small venues. Many people think of string quartets when they talk about “chamber music,” but really it includes any classical music that is played by a small number of musicians. The Guild was founded in 1941 by a group of roughly 20 local professional musicians as well as music fans. In April of that year, they hosted their first concert at the Raleigh Little Theatre. A sign of the times: A season subscription, which included three concerts, would have cost you $2.00. Similarly, the expenses associated with putting on six concerts were under $500. Contrast this with today, where Chamber Music Raleigh presented 10 concerts this past season and tickets cost between $60 - $135, depending on the series. Single tickets are $28 for adults, $15 for young professionals up to age 40, $10 for students with ID, and kids 18 and under are free. Producing

Brad Habeeb Photography

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these concerts now costs as much as $47,000. The guild started out as a member organization where members paid yearly dues. “Over time this changed,” explains Breneman. “We are now supported by individual and corporate donations, some ticket sales, but largely by grant funding from the City of Raleigh and also the state. The difference is, today we are solely a presenting organization, which means we find ensembles we like and we make arrangements for them to perform in the triangle. Our concerts are open to all.” CMR presents ensembles from all over the country. In the upcoming 2015-2016 season The Guild Series as it is called, will bring ensembles of national prominence to Raleigh and the Greater Triangle. These groups include the Dover Quartet (out of Philadelphia), the Pacifica Quartet (out of Indiana) with clarinetist Anthony McGill, who is the principal clarinetist of the New York Philharmonic, and Spectrum Brass (out of Michigan). Raleigh Chamber Music Guild was renamed on May 4th, 2015 to Chamber Music Raleigh. The board of directors and executive director deemed the rebranding important as it sought to update and modernize the organization after 73 years. The group hosted a donor appreciation house concert to announce the rebranding. Not only do they have a new name, they also have a new logo, a new website, and a renewed commitment to community outreach. Chamber Music Raleigh presents concerts of great variety that appeal to a broad spectrum of residents. “It was time to be sure that our name and our look reflected inclusiveness and that people were excited about what we do,” Breneman notes. There is a real community outreach element involved, as well. CMR’s education and community outreach events include master classes for student musicians and free concerts for students, senior citizens, and underserved communities. They plan to add a youth chamber music competition in the near future, and next year they will provide complimentary tickets to student organizations such as The Community Music School and KidzNotes. Chamber Music Raleigh also has a series done in partnership with the North Carolina Museum of Art called “Sights and Sounds on Sundays.” This features musicians from North Carolina and offers a connection between the music and the visual art on display at the museum. Free guided tours are offered just before the concerts, which are held six times throughout the year. A key component of the group’s mission is to make chamber music widely accessible and to the largest audiences possible. With this inspirational spirit of inclusiveness, a huge anniversary just months away, and a fresh new look – Chamber Music Raleigh is sure to be around for many years to come. Breneman says this has been her number one goal in overseeing the rebranding and anniversary celebration efforts, “I’m doing my best to help revitalize an organization that is worth keeping around.” – Elizabeth Lincicome

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3 Bring an entire watermelon to share with the animals Aug. 3 at Durham’s Museum of Life and Science. Museum keepers will feed them as they explain what hot weather means for different species. Then, head inside to cool off with some melon science and sweet treats for yourself. The 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. event is broken down by the hour: pigs come first, then bears, then the farmyard, then lemurs, Carolina wildlife, and finally bears again. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.; free with museum admission; 433 W. Murray Ave., Durham; lifeandscience.org

6-8 SHREK THE MUSICAL JR.

The Garner community theatre group’s presentation of Shrek the Musical Jr., which runs Aug. 6 - 8, is a fun rainy day activity. In case you forgot the film’s basic plot, in a faraway kingdom, Shrek the ogre must deal with fairytale misfits invading his peaceful swamp. He sets off with a silly donkey to confront Lord Farquaad, who sent the misfits to his swamp, and is told he must rescue Princess Fiona to save his plot of land. Follow the familiar journey, spiced up with catchy stage songs. Show times vary; $15; 742 W. Garner Rd., Garner; towneplayers.org

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8 PENMANSHIP

Take your thank you notes up a notch. Head to the Durham Arts Council for an introduction to calligraphy class Aug. 8, geared toward beginners. It’s recommended that you come prepared with a broad felt-tip calligraphic pen, a ruler, a pencil, and unlined white copier paper, and pre-register online in advance. By the end of the two-hour class, you’ll practically be a pro. 1 - 3 p.m.; $20, advance registration required; 120 Morris St., Durham; durhamarts.org

courtesy Museum of Life and Science, Durham (WATERMELON); pixhsark.com (SHREK); Thinkstock (PENMANSHIP)

MELON MANIA

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8, 22

1422 NCGLFF

NATURAL AMBIANCE

The Apex Nature Park and Amphitheatre just opened in March, and it’s hosting a lineup of live music and movies on most Saturday nights throughout its inaugural summer. Movie titles aren’t decided until the week of each showing, but mark your calendar for ReggaeInfinity Aug. 8 and East Coast Rhythm and Blues Aug. 22. Bring your own chairs or blankets and munchies, and arrive early to get a good seat. 7 p.m.; free; 2600 Evans Rd., Apex; nc-apex.civicplus.com

The North Carolina Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (NCGLFF) is the Southeast’s second largest gay, lesbian, and transgender film festival, and it happens in Durham each year. A diverse lineup of shorts, feature films, and documentaries always offer a glimpse into today’s gay and lesbian life. From Aug. 14 to 22, plan to catch a few flicks – from lighthearted, celebratory pieces to serious, thought-provoking ones. Directors and actors are often around, too, to discuss their work before or after screenings. Showtimes vary; $10 per show or $85 for a 10-film pass; The Carolina Theatre, 309 W. Morgan St., Durham; carolinatheatre.org

The Look of Fall

Cameron Village Shopping Center • 437 Daniels St., Raleigh, NC 27605 ctweekendsforwomen.com • 919-787-9073

Renee Anderson (NATURAL AMBIENCE); courtesy Carolina Theatre (NCGLFF)

Triangle now › AUGUST

TRIANGLE now › AUGUST

120,27

SCI-FI UNDER THE STARS

Downtown Chapel Hill is making the most of its rooftop space by hosting a movie series atop the Wallace Parking Deck on the last two Thursdays of the month. The deck is right off of Franklin Street, walkable to all sorts of familyfriendly restaurants. Then, bring chairs and blankets for a sci-fli flick to begin at sundown. E.T. will play Aug. 20 and Star Trek Aug. 27. Consider it the dinner-and-a-movie night to kick off your weekend. 8:30 p.m.; free; 150 E. Rosemary St., Chapel Hill; downtownchapelhill.com

courtesy of Town of Chapel Hill (SCI-FI); courtesy of The Root Cellar (AT THE TABLE); Pringle Teetor (BE PRESENT)

28 AT THE TABLE

Restaurant-hosted farm dinners are all the rage. But one in Chapel Hill Aug. 28 doesn’t just serve a good cause, it serves a hyperlocal one. The Root Cellar will prepare a four-course dinner with both beer and wine pairings to benefit TABLE, a nonprofit that provides healthy emergency food aid on a weekly basis to children in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro community. You’ll be supporting relief efforts for kids in your own backyard by eating food grown right down the road. 6:30p.m.; $80; 750 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Chapel Hill; rootcellartotable.com

BE PRESENT

Hillsborough’s locally owned and operated Hillsborough Gallery of Arts always features a diverse assortment of paintings, sculptures, pottery, photography, glass art, jewelry, turned wood, and fiber art. On Aug. 28, during the monthly town-wide Last Fridays Art Walk, stop by for the opening reception of their new Present Tense exhibit. Present Tense focuses on paintings by Linda Carmel and Chris Graebner and blown glass by Pringle Teetor, and it will be on display through Sept. 20. 6 - 9 p.m.; free; 121 N. Churton St., Hillsborough; hillsboroughgallery.com

Spot

BARK in the PARK I

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f your Shih Tzu is a superfan, get ready to celebrate. The Durham Bulls open their gates to canines of all stripes at Bark in the Park at the Aug. 12 game against the Norfolk Tides. This special event for the four-legged set features a section just for dogs and their companions – and special pricing for the hounds. The grandstands will be howling. Imagine the excitement of your saint bernard when he has the chance to keep score “in person” – or should that be “in dog”? In any case, labradoodles, goldendoodles, and doodles of all kinds will be sure to be scribbling on their scorecards. It’s worth getting your hound there on the early side, because the first 1,000 dogs get a free “pet bandana” from the VCA Animal Hospital. All proceeds from the $5 dog ticket price will go to Second Chance Pet Adoptions. Human tickets: $6.99. Dog tickets: $5. For more information, go to DurhamBulls.com.

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Mischa Lopiano/The Fayetteville Observer

Triangle now › AUGUST

courtesy Frog Hollow Outdoors (NIGHT PADDLE); courtesy Franklin Street Yoga Center (TREE POSE)

29 28

NIGHT PADDLE

It’s the definition of seizing the season: paddling a river and enjoying a beer. Meet Frog Hollow Outdoor group leaders at Fullsteam Brewery Aug. 28 to hop on a shuttle and be led on a relaxed-pace evening paddle along the lower Eno River. Then, you’ll return to the brewery for a tasting and tour. You’re likely to have a pretty scenic sunset somewhere in the mix, too. 6:30p.m.; $55; 726 Rigsbee Ave., Durham; froghollowoutdoors.com

TREE POSE

On the edge of the UNC-Chapel Hill campus is a sunken stone amphitheater built some 75 years ago. The Forest Theatre is used for outdoor performances throughout the year and is always open to the public. Embrace it in a unique way Aug. 29 for a 75-minute, all-levels vinyasa (that’s yoga-speak for “flow”) yoga class. It’s free, but attendees are encouraged to donate to the Africa Yoga Project. 9:30 - 10:45 a.m.; donation based; 123 S. Boundary St., Chapel Hill; franklinstyoga.com

H. Allen Tate, Jr.

Kannon’s Womens store 10 north main street Wendell, nC 27591 919-365-7074

H. Allen Tate, Jr., who founded and built one of the Carolinas’ leading independent real estate companies, died in June at the age of 84. The one-man real estate insurance office he opened in Charlotte in 1957 today ranks as the #1 independently-owned, non-franchised real estate firm in the Carolinas, and #7 nationwide, according to Real Trends. A UNC-Chapel Hill graduate and a native of Gaffney, S.C., Tate considered all of the Carolinas home. He was known for hiring local leaders in the communities his company served, including Phyllis Brookshire to oversee operations when he expanded to the Triangle in 2007. Today six Triangle offices with more than 230 agents operate in the area. The company’s Tate Cares program contributes to organizations like the Poe Center for Health Education, the Wake Education Partnership, and the United Way. Indeed, as Tate worked to grow his business over many years, he worked equally hard to improve the state and the region. Among other civic contributions, he served as president of the Jaycees, chairman of the Charlotte Chamber, and chairman of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Planning Commission. In March, he was honored for his transportation work when the final section of I-485 was named the H. Allen Tate Jr. Highway. Among many other honors, Tate was the recipient of the Order of the Long Leaf Pine and a member of the N.C. Business Hall of Fame. Walter was saddened to hear of Allen Tate’s passing, and would like to recognize with appreciation his contributions to our city, region, and state.

kannonsclothing.com Providing more than 98 years of style and service to Raleigh and surrounding areas

courtesy Allen Tate Company

In memoriam

Kannon’s mens store Cameron Village 435 daniels street raleigh, nC 27605 919-366-6902

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“I used to come down here, 12 or 13 years old, and sweep up on Saturdays. Daddy would give us a dollar. We worked hard; we earned that dollar. Then we could go uptown and go to a show and get some popcorn and a drink, all for a dollar.”

– John Boyette, owner, Boyette’s Automotive Performance Machine Shop

ack when James “J.L.” Boyette opened Boyette’s Automotive Performance Machine Shop in 1949, there were only a handful of other mechanics and auto shops in Raleigh. Sixty-six years later, Boyette’s is still going strong in the same downtown location. The neighborhood might have transformed around it into the hip Warehouse District, but John Boyette, who took over the shop from his father a few decades ago, has kept the place going by sticking to tradition and focusing on his strengths. “We just do machine work,” he says. “We work on engines; we don’t do mechanic work.” He’s got a network of longtime loyal customers, and they’re usually the ones responsible for referring new ones. The family business is all set to keep going. Boyette’s older son works at the shop with him six days a week, and his younger son lives in South Carolina but helps with IT needs when they arise. “My daddy wanted to go into automotives because he really loved cars. So we just keep it going.” Boyette’s Automotive Performance Machine Shop: 327 W. Martin St. and boyettesmachineshop.com. photograph by TRAVIS LONG

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Our Town

The

Usual

Rum Club enjoys Jamaican rum at its most recent gathering. Back row, from left: Scott Hoyt, Vansana Nolintha, Frank Thompson, Sarah Yarborough, Matt Munoz, Tim Myers. Front row, from left: An Nguyen, Karl Amelchenko, Victor Lytvinenko, Hugh Dawson.

“In everything else in my life, I’m really minimalist, and in this one other thing, I’m really maximalist. I probably have 90 kinds of rum at home.”

– Frank Thompson, founder of Rum Club

efore you ask Frank Thompson about rum, find a comfortable seat. There’s a lot of ground to cover. The history of the Caribbean sugar economy, starting in 1600. The virtues of pot-stilling. Sugar cane versus molasses. His first taste (a frozen daiquiri in high school) and latest (artisanal, Jamaican, pot-stilled). When a $1,300 bottle of 1920 Martinique rum caught Thompson’s eye last fall, he hesitated at the price tag. Friend and fellow rum enthusiast Victor Lytvinenko suggested inviting 11 friends to each chip in $100 and share the bottle. Rum Club was born. Now the group gets together four times a year to taste rare and artisanal rums. They serve it straight; containers of ice, lime juice, and simple syrup (with droppers) allow everyone to doctor it to their liking. Recently, Thompson (the owner of AVMetro, a corporate event staging business), and fellow Rum Club members Lytvinenko and Sarah Yarborough (the Raleigh Denim duo) and filmmaker David Burris travelled to Barbados to visit distilleries and taste rum. And while Thompson’s favorites are from Jamaica or Martinique, he pines for a bottle of pre-Castro Cuban rum that goes for about $3,000. “Once Castro took over, the quality went way down.” photograph by TIM LYTVINENKO

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Our Town

Game

plan

Jessica Holmes helps volunteers from American Heritage Girls of Wake Forest pack food donations during a recent visit to the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle in Raleigh.

“I’ve benefited from the generosity of people who have donated food to organizations like the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle’s BackPack Buddies. For me, it’s a matter of paying it forward in a very genuine way.”

– Jessica Holmes, NCAE staff attorney and Wake County commissioner

essica Holmes’ motivation to spend her Saturday morning on a sweltering sidewalk outside of a BJ’s wholesale store, asking people to donate food to the BackPack Buddies Annual Drive, is personal. “As someone who grew up on free and reduced lunch and someone who grew up in poverty, ensuring that kids have access to food, particularly in the summer when they’re not receiving breakfast or lunch from school, is near and dear to my heart. My family has certainly been in positions where we needed that type of assistance, so I know there’s a need.” It’s the same authenticity that led the 30-year-old education attorney to become the youngest elected commissioner in Wake County history last November. “I ran for a purpose as opposed to a position. I’m very adamant about living a purpose-driven life.” Join Jessica in stopping by the BJ’s at Brier Creek (8811 Brier Creek Pkwy.) for the annual BackPack Buddies and Mix 101.5 food drive. They need shelf stable items such as canned soups, fruits, vegetables, and meats. Learn more about the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle’s hunger relief program at foodshuttle.org. photograph by TRAVIS LONG

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Our Town

off

Duty

“Imagine a lawn mower flying upside down. Size-wise, that’s what we’re talking about.”

– Sam Harris , marketing director of cyber security at Teradata and president, RC Helis Only radio-controlled helicopter flight club

nce or twice a month, Sam Harris, the marketing director of Teradata, heads out to a huge field in Knightdale to spend a few hours flying his three radio-controlled helicopters. Each flight lasts about five minutes. “There’s so much happening that it feels longer,” Harris says. “A lot of mental effort goes into that five or six minutes.” Pilots use both hands to control their machine via radio, and then the helicopter has to cool off and either be recharged (some are battery-operated) or refueled (others are powered by nitrogen). “At first glance it looks like a big toy, but if you take a second look … all the flight characteristics are the same as a full-size aircraft.” The club’s membership hovers around 20, and pilots use the field almost every day of the week. Harris, who is a marketing director by day, also flies with a few other clubs and hobbyists around town. A few times a year, he tries to make it out to one of his favorite places to fly: Dorothea Dix Park. “You have this view of a lush green treeline and the skyline of the city, with rockets and kites and quads and helicopters all in the air. It’s a half-day event, so it’s kind of like going to play golf.” RC Helis Only welcomes spectators or interested new members. Learn more at rchelisonly.com. photograph by TRAVIS LONG

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FIRST-RUN MOVIES IN-THEATRE DINING & COCKTAILS RESERVED SEATING

COMING THIS SUMMER TO WAVERY PLACE! A NIGHT OUT LIKE NO OTHER. Enjoy full-service, in-theater dining from our chef-created menu featuring made-from-scratch casual and innovative cuisine with ﬂavors from around the globe. Enjoy luxury at its best in our intimate state-of-the-art theatres with reclining plush leather seats while sipping on ﬁne wines and signature cocktails. Our indoor/outdoor bar and lounge welcomes all guests, even those not seeing a movie. Dinner and a movie has never been so lavish. Like us on Facebook for a chance to win movie tickets for a year! Visit us on line at www.cinebistro.com. CineBistroWaverly

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STYLE

REDRESS RALEIGH

MOTHER EARTH STYLE A model wears a piece from Artemis Clothing, designed by Allison Bowles, at Redress Raleigh 2015. The eco fashion show was held at Lincoln Theatre.

text and photographs by CHRIS SEWARD

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hen seven local fashion designers got together May 29 for Redress Raleigh’s eco-friendly fashion show, “green” was not the only color on display. The clothing and jewelry may have been crafted from environmentally conscious materials, but the designs were strictly high fashion. Models whirled and twirled in an array of colors, strode down the runway, and took pictures of the photographers; real women (not stick-figure models) wore stone-studded jewelry and blew kisses to the crowd; a necklace made of chicken bones hung around the neck of a studly hippie male model. “I ate all those drumsticks myself,” said designer Rock Kershaw with a twinge of pride and a twinkle in his eye. Founded in 2008, Redress Raleigh is headed by Beth Stewart, Mor Aframian, and Jamie Scott. Their goal: “To be a catalyst for change within the mainstream fashion and textiles industry, making it more environmentally and socially aware.” For more information: redressraleigh.com.

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This page, clockwise from top: On the catwalk, models show off the colorful silks of Leopold Designs; Spectators take snapshots during the show; A model for Leopold Designs.

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Opposite page, clockwise from top left: A stylist from Local Honey Salon puts finishing touches on one of Pretty Birdie Co.’s models; Revonne Carter paints a model for Manjri Lall Designs; A collection of jewelry from Rock Kershaw Necklaces; Models from Pretty Birdie Co. enjoy a break.

REDRESS RALEIGH 2015 DESIGNERS 1. Artemis Clothing Co. – Allison Bowles, designer 2. Wired, Twisted, and Stoned Jewelry – Elizabeth Strugatz, designer 3. Press Ink – Chad Groves, designer 4. Manjri Lall Creations – Manjri Lall, designer

5. Rock Kershaw Necklaces and Maria Juri Clothing – Rock Kershaw, necklace designer and Maria Juri, clothing designer 6. Leopold Designs – Kim Kirchstein, designer 7. Pretty Birdie Co. – Stephanie Trippe, designer

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Please join us for a very special dinner celebrating women and the spirit of entrepreneurship

WINnovation Women Inspiring Innovation presented by:

Brooks Bell

founder, Brooks Bell

Nancy McFarlane

Raleigh Mayor and founder, MedPro Rx

guenevere abernathy

founder, LoMo Market

lauren Whitehurst co-founder, SoarTriangle

Jackie Craig co-founder, The Green Chair Project

Celebrating women and entrepreneurship

Thursday, September 10, 2015 6 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. the PavIlIoN at the aNguS BarN Cocktails & Three-Course Dinner with Wine

Six accomplished women. Six entrepreneurial journeys. Six 5-minute talks to inspire. Tickets are $100 and available to purchase at Waltermagazine.com

Molly Paul

founder, Raleigh Aquatic Turtle Adoption

Raleighites

Women inspiring innovation

Lauren Whitehurst, co-founder, SoarTriangle

Celebrating local women entrepreneurs The Triangle is well-known as a hotbed of entrepreneurism. From global brands like Red Hat to fashion labels like Raleigh Denim, our local success stories span the worlds of technology, pharmaceuticals, consumer products, financial services, nonprofits, fashion, and design. Next month, Walter is excited to partner with Bank of America to celebrate the women behind some of our area’s most innovative enterprises. AUGUST 2015 | 59

Our co-sponsored Women Inspiring Innovation event Sept. 10 will honor the achievements of six local women who have turned ideas into reality and changed our world in the process. Each of our honorees will give a 5-minute TED-talk-style “WIN Talk” about their own individual entrepreneurial journey. They’ll tell us about the spark that got them started, the hurdles they’ve surmounted, and the lessons that they’ve learned. They'll do it in the elegant but informal surroundings of the Pavilion at the Angus Barn – a fitting venue, as it is owned and run by another of our region's most successful female entrepreneurs, Van Eure. In addition to the iconic restaurant, Eure is also a force behind the Foundation of Hope, a groundbreaking nonprofit that raises money for the research and treatment of mental illness. Eure's sister, Shelley Eure Belk, who serves as the Foundation's executive director, is another of our community's leading innovators. Eure and Belk declined to "toot our own horn under our own roof" at the event, but their visionary leadership, spirit of innovation, and community spirit will set the evening's tone. We’ve got a lineup of women as diverse as the community that supports them. We will hear from Raleigh Mayor Nancy McFarlane, who founded MedPro Rx, one of the country’s fastest-growing companies as ranked by Inc. Magazine. We'll get the firsthand story of 17-year-old science pioneer and nonprofit founder Molly Paul's adventures in a wider world. We’ll hear from consultant and SoarTriangle principal Lauren Whitehurst, who’s working to close the funding gap female entrepreneurs face. We’ll get the scoop from techology pioneer Brooks Bell, co-founder of incubator HQ Raleigh and founder and CEO of her self-named, market-leading online conversion firm. Mobile farmers' market visionary Guenevere Abernathy 60 | WALTER

Jillian Clark

Jackie Craig, co-founder, the Green Chair Project

will tell us how she took the locavore movement on the road. And Green Chair Project co-founder Jackie Craig will share the story of how her generous spirit and work ethic have built one of the fastest-growing and most impactful nonprofits in the region. Their stories are inspiring individually, and together paint a picture of the Triangle's thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem. Lauren Whitehurst, co-founder SoarTriangle When consultant Lauren Whitehurst moved to Durham eight years ago with her husband Jim Whitehurst for his thennew job as CEO of Red Hat, she founded her own consulting firm and became a visiting professor at Duke. With more than 15 years at Boston Consulting Group under her belt, she had a lot to offer. But it wasn’t until she started spending time at Capitol Broadcasting-owned American Underground, a Durham incubator and co-working space, that Whitehurst says she began to “find her community.” The Underground was a bustling entrepreneurial ecosystem, eager for a “thought partner” with her bona fides, and ready for growth. Whitehurst realized early on that the issues facing the Underground’s young companies were not necessarily different in kind from the challenges faced by her much-bigger BCG clientele, but they were different in scope. “A key insight for me was adapting my advice to the age of the company and the level of its resources.” When Google came to the Underground and said it wanted to invest locally in female entrepreneurship as part of its #40Forward initiative, Whitehurst and a small group of like-minded folks did some research and learned some eye-opening statistics:

Chris Fowler

Women receive less than 5 percent of annual venture funding, and yet women-led teams achieve 35 percent more return on investment than their male counterparts and 12 percent more revenue. “Here is a real anomoly,” she says. “We wanted to right the wrongs, balance the imbalances.” Together the group founded SoarTriangle to do that. Today, with funds from Google, SAS, the Whitehursts, and American Underground, SoarTriangle mentors women-led companies, educates the start-up community, and conducts research on the status of women entrepreneurs. “Not only do I really like giving back to the community; it’s also giving back to me,” Whitehurst says. Jackie Craig, co-founder The Green Chair Project This year, Raleigh’s the Green Chair Project will provide its 1,000th household in need with the furnishings that make a home. Rebuilding lives after homelessness, disaster, domestic violence, and other displacing events, the nonprofit’s clients come to Green Chair for more than vital necessities. They come for a fresh start. The Project began five years ago, when merchandiser Jackie Craig and her friend Beth Smoot, a realtor, stashed a spare lamp and a hand-me-down toaster in a closet at Edenton Street United Methodist Church. They hoped to get the things into the hands of people who really needed them. Before the pair knew it, the closet was stuffed full. Pretty things, useful things – all in good shape, all needing a home. The friends found a bigger space in the Mordecai neighborhood, then a sprawling warehouse on Capital Boulevard. They called on agencies doing the hard work of getting people's lives back on track, and got those folks the things they needed to start over.

Molly Paul, founder, Raleigh Aquatic Turtle Adoption

Today the organization that started with a gut-instinct calling is a major operation. With five full-time and two parttime staffers, hundreds of volunteers, Jackie Craig as executive director, and a board of directors (including co-founder Beth Smoot), it now works with 50 partner agencies around the Triangle, and inhabits its fourth home. The 30,000-square-foot showroom of well-kept rugs, couches, chairs, dressers, desks, artwork, bookshelves, kitchen and bath items, and other decor could easily be mistaken for a

Nancy McFarlane, Raleigh Mayor; founder, MedPro Rx

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Brooks Bell, founder, Brooks Bell

retail store. Part of the organization’s ethos is to honor the dignity of its clients, and it does that by offering them only tasteful, clean furnishings in good repair. Craig believes that she found – and created – the work she is meant to do here. “It’s hard to deny the timing. At a time in my life when I had time to devote to it, I found something that culminates all my life experiences ... my passion for volunteering and a lifetime of skills. I can’t imagine doing anything else.” Molly Paul, founder Raleigh Aquatic Turtle Adoption Follow junior curator Molly Paul around the Museum of Natural Sciences on a weekday afternoon, and it’s clear that this 17-year-old science pioneer is an adored, homegrown phenom. “Our star,” one staffer calls her. She’s known by all for her work in and out of the museum, saving aquatic turtles and creating a STEM leadership camp for middle schoolers, and for her many awards and accolades, which include N.C. Youth Conservationist of the Year, Action for Nature's Young Eco-Hero, City of Raleigh Youth Environmentalist, Jane Goodall's Roots and Shoots National Youth Leadership Council – the list goes on. Most recently, she was a delegate to the U.N. to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the World Programme of Action for Youth. In the museum's animal collections room one afternoon, she feeds tortoises. “It’s like a toddler,” she says, “You have to put pretty colors in and make it smell good.” She’s been doing this kind of work here two days a week for more than four years, which explains her relaxed authority. In the museum gift shop, staffers call out to show her that they’ve created a new display for her handmade turtle-shaped soaps, which she’s sold to raise more than $10,000 to help save aquatic turtles. Her work as founder and director of Raleigh 62 | WALTER

Aquatic Turtle Adoption, which she began in 2006, is one of the reasons museum director Emlyn Koster chose her to join him at the White House to accept the museum’s 2014 National Medal for Museum and Library Service. When Paul goes home, her science work doesn’t end. The St. Mary’s School junior rehabs turtles and takes four AP classes. “When you love it,” she says, “it doesn’t feel like work.” Nancy McFarlane, Raleigh Mayor; founder MedPro Rx When Raleigh Mayor and MedPro Rx founder Nancy McFarlane was a high school student, her top score on an aptitude test opened her eyes. “If the taker of this test is male,” the results read, “he should be a surgeon, a physician, an attorney, or an architect; if the taker of this test is female, she should be a nurse, a surgical assistant, or a teacher.” McFarlane says these comments inspired her to prove herself regardless of her sex by earning a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Pharmacy at the Medical College of Virginia. She then spent 22 years as a hospital and retail pharmacist before founding MedPro Rx, a specialty infusion pharmacy for patients with chronic illnesses. After four years as the head of her homeowners association and two terms on the Raleigh City Council, McFarlane was elected Mayor of Raleigh in 2011. She was reelected in 2013 and recently announced her plans to run again. McFarlane was named one of the Top Women in Business by the Triangle Business Journal in 2009 and 2010 and one of the Triangle’s top entrepreneurs in 2013 by Business Leader magazine. Her innovative spirit pervades her public service as well.

Guenevere Abernathy, founder, LoMo Market

A champion of business-friendly policies, she helped create the Small Business Initiative, creating a single point of contact for business permitting. And many credit her creative, collaborative approach with helping to forge the recent deal to create Raleigh's central park at the Dorothea Dix campus. Brooks Bell, founder Brooks Bell Technology entrepreneur Brooks Bell launched her selfnamed company in 2003 by combining, as she says, her “study of psychology with a passion for digital design.” The result brought right-brain marketing techniques together with left-brain scientific methodology for a new kind of online testing optimization business. It’s a niche that quickly found an eager market. The company grew quickly, and the Triangle Business Journal named Brooks Bell a “Best Place to Work” in 2012, 2013, and 2014. Bell is also the founder of Click Summit, a testing and optimization conference, and the co-founder of HQ Raleigh and ThinkHouse Raleigh, two communities that cultivate companies that produce jobs and positive social impact. She has also served as the president of the Entrepreneurs' Organization, as a member of the task force for Duke University's Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and on the board of the Raleigh Chamber of Commerce. She has been named among “40 Under 40” by the Triangle Business Journal, the “Top 50 Entrepreneurs” by Business Leader, and serves on the board of the Digital Analytics Association. Guenevere Abernathy, founder, LoMo Market When Guenevere Abernathy launched LoMo Market to bring farm-fresh produce and local food directly to Triangle

customers in 2012, it was her third entrepreneurial venture. The idea to create a farmers' market on wheels came to her as the sale of her real estate conservation business was closing. Abernathy had long been close to the local food movement; her work in real estate conservation and historic preservation had often involved farms. “Farmers were near and dear to my heart,” she says. She also loved what they grew. “Being a local foodie, I would be at the farmer’s market when the bell rang.” She realized that many of the local food entrepreneurs and farmers she knew had a hard time making a sustainable living from their work. “They’re...doing amazing things,” she says, “how could they get more market share?” She learned that customers who cared about local food and wanted to buy it often lacked the time to seek it out. What if Abernathy could make it incredibly convenient? What if she could bring the market to the people? She figured out how to create a mobile point-of-sale and inventory system (it was early days for this kind of thing in 2012). She learned what kind of generator she’d need. Then, with the help of a part-time employee, she designed the truck itself. Her first mobile market hit the streets in May 2012. Today there are three, serving neighborhoods and businesses across Raleigh, Cary, Chapel Hill, and Durham. Four full-time employees, including Abernathy, and eight to 10 part-time crew members serve 800 customers a week. “We really love working with emerging farmers and producers,” Abernathy says. Her plans are big. She aims to add two more mobile markets this year, and then to look for another market to tackle. “It’s been a huge learning opportunity.” For more about WINnovation, see pg. 45; for tickets, go to waltermagazine.com. AUGUST 2015 | 63

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WALTER profile

THE BIRTH

of a

CITY

Reimagining RTP

by J. PEDER ZANE

photographs by JILL KNIGHT

When you reach The Frontier, the first thing you see is the people. They’re forming long lines, chatting and palm-reading their phones, waiting to purchase Korean barbecue, Italian pizzas, gourmet wraps, and snow cones from food truck windows. They’re gathering to hear entrepreneurs describe the future, to relax and sweat in yoga and fitness classes. They’re mingling as they sample locally brewed beers. But most of all, the people at The Frontier are sitting in comfy chairs, cradling laptops, connecting to people across town and around the world. They’re talking on the phone and to each other, testing and trading ideas, cutting deals. And they’re downing vast quantities of free Counter Culture coffee served from a seemingly bottomless brewing station.

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REACHING SKYWARD

A lunchtime yoga class fills the lobby of The Frontier at Research Triangle Park.

At first glance, The Frontier seems like just another hipster outpost in 21st century America. Except it’s not located in Austin, Boston, or Brooklyn. It’s in that buttoned-up symbol of 20th century corporate culture, Research Triangle Park. Its happenings are not haphazard hook-ups. They are the first signs of a visionary plan to redefine life in North Carolina for the next 50 years with the same power, reach, and imagination that RTP has exerted over our region and state during its first 50 years. Seen through the right lens, the people of The Frontier – a relatively small, unexceptional building that offers free couch space, cheap office space, and an array of activities to one and all – are the pioneers of the new RTP. Instead of settling untamed land, they are creating a new type of community based on ideas and imagination, on human connection, convergence, and collision. They are the first signs of life in the birth of a city.

A master plan

About 39,000 people now work full-time at the Park’s more than 200 high-tech companies and startup spaces. Almost all arrive by car each morning at the 7,000-acre campus nestled between Raleigh and Durham. They leave by car each night. During 68 | WALTER

FRONTIER PIONEERS

Clockwise from above: The Frontier offers cheap work space, meeting rooms, coffee, food truck rodeos, fitness classes, happy hours and other networking activities; Jacob Newbauer pours beer from Bombshell Brewing Company during a Thursday happy hour; The exterior of the building.

the day, many get back in their cars to grab lunch, pick up dry cleaning, or run other errands. Bob Geolas, president and CEO of the nonprofit agency that manages RTP, the Research Triangle Foundation of North Carolina, notes that the park may be half the size of Manhattan, but it doesn’t have a single Starbucks. A 50-year master plan adopted in 2012 aims to change all that. By attracting billions of dollars of new investment, Geolas says the park hopes to draws as many as 100,000 new people to RTP. It will do that by transforming 100-plus acres at its heart – Park Center, where the Frontier lies – into a place where people not only work, but also live, eat, and play. Or, as Geolas puts it, “dream, believe, and create.” Scale models and artist renderings created by the acclaimed Durham firm Duda/Paine Architects can’t do justice to the grand scale of the project, which is less an act of building than of becoming. Envision, instead, a time-lapse movie in your mind in which those food trucks become downtown restaurants and upscale gro-

cery stores; where the kegerators spouting those local beers morph into throbbing cocktail lounges; where The Frontier’s coffee station is replaced by baristas who make swirly hearts in the center of your triple, venti, half-sweet, non-fat, caramel macchiato. Watch residents of the new apartments entertain guests from the nearby hotel. See them catch a show at the amphitheater, go shopping at one of the new retail shops, take a walk or bike ride along the greenways. Join them – hey, it’s your movie – in marveling at the signature building in the middle of it all, the one that developers hope will be our region’s version of Lincoln Center or Sydney Opera House in Australia. But even that movie doesn’t fully capture the scope and ambition of the plans for RTP. Beyond the addition of three new R’s to this longtime hub of R&D (Residential, Retail and Restaurants) Geolas says this project will never stop growing and changing. Like a medieval cathedral that is never truly complete, “it’s an artist’s blackboard, always in a state of becoming,” he says, offering one of the many metaphors he employs to describe the plan. “It should look different every time you come back.” A 50-year-old North Carolina native who led N.C. State’s Centennial Campus and oversaw the construction and operation of the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research, Geolas often invokes two unlikely names in describing the project: Willy Wonka and Walt Disney. To hear him tell it, RTP is the Tar Heel version of Wonka’s factory – a mysterious, almost forbidding place where magic occurs. Area residents know it’s home to cutting edge companies and think-tanks – including IBM, GlaxoSmithKline, and the National AUGUST 2015 | 69

renderings this page Duda|Paine Architects

‘DREAM, BELIEVE, CREATE’ This page: Still in a “state of becoming,” these renderings by Duda|Paine Architects show concepts for a canal, outdoor gathering spaces, restaurants, stores, and apartments. Opposite: Research Triangle Foundation of North Carolina President and CEO Bob Geolas stands in front of a scale model of the envisioned Park Center. An aerial map shows just how vast the Park is: 7,000 acres, or roughly half the size of Manhattan.

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courtesy The Research Triangle Foundation

Humanities Center. They may know it’s where the bar code and AstroTurf were developed, and where breakthrough drugs for cancer (Taxol) and AIDS (AZT) were developed. But if they don’t work in RTP, they’ve probably never even seen it. Disney is the inspiration to turn that on its head. Taking a cue from the entertainment visionary, RTP’s master plan seeks to transform this land of private innovation into a public showcase. As it serves the people who work there, it will invite those who live around it to experience its daring ingenuity: the Triangle’s version of Tomorrowland. Geolas says the reinvented park could include interactive displays, touch-screen shopping, exhibits featuring the Park’s creations, and apps that enable you to organize every aspect of a visit on mobile devices.

Building the future

“We are about building the future, which is exciting, filled with possibilities,” Geolas says. “We want RTP to help people tell a story about that, to be a place that provides inspiring experiences.” If that sounds grand, talk to Smedes York. The former two-term Raleigh mayor believes the new RTP will transform not just the Park but the region. His vision brings to mind nothing less than a Tar Heel version of New York, where Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, and RTP are distinct cities as well as boroughs of a vast, conAUGUST 2015 | 71

courtesy Research Triangle Foundation of North Carolina

PARK VISIONARIES Gov. Luther Hodges, IBM Vice President Paul Knaplund, and Durham banker George Watts Hill, an RTP visionary, share shovel duties at IBM’s groundbreaking at RTP in 1965.

nected city. “We imagine RTP as the downtown for the entire Triangle,” York said. “Think of I-40 as Main Street and Davis Drive in the center of the Park as the intersection of Main and Main.” In many ways, the new RTP is just another chapter in the Park’s storied history. It began in the early 1950s as the wild – some said crazy – dream of the state’s business, government, and educational leaders who realized that North Carolina could no longer rely on tobacco, textiles, and the furniture industry to drive its economy. As they looked around the poor Southern state with few natural resources, they recognized that its best asset was its people. Especially the researchers and students at the three top-tier institutions along tobacco road: UNC-Chapel Hill, Duke, and N.C. State. Their challenge was to find a way to keep and harness that talent. Their solution: to turn farmland into a center of global research. One challenge: it had never been done. Anywhere. When initial plans to start the Park as a for-profit land deal failed, what they did next was just as extraordinary. They went hat-in-hand across the state seeking donors rather than investors. Today, RTP is still run by a nonprofit foundation that receives no tax dollars. If it were dissolved, its assets would be split among the three anchor universities. The park’s first five years were slow going. A boost came in 1965, when IBM decided to build a 600,000-square-foot re72 | WALTER

search facility at the park, and the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare decided to locate its new $70 million National Environmental Health Science Center there. Since then, RTP has become “perhaps the 20th century’s most iconic research and development campus,” according to the Brookings Institution. It’s why our region is called the Triangle, and why the Triangle is a global hotspot. “Everyone knows RTP,” says N.C. State Chancellor Randy Woodson. “It is a part of the technology brand, the innovation brand that defines us.” Woodson says his school’s close working relationship with RTP – including internships for students and guest speakers who share their cutting edge research – is invaluable. He proudly notes that RTP companies “hire more N.C. State graduates than from any other school.” If it’s all working so well, then, why change? Bob Geolas will tell you that the reinvention of RTP may be visionary, but it is also a necessity as powerful – and paradoxical – changes transform business and society.

The changing workplace

In the global economy, bigger is touted as better. The news is filled with stories about mergers and consolidations, of banks “too big to fail,” of states trying to woo big car companies and of behemoths such as Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google standing astride world markets. And yet, from the standpoint of RTP and its competitors, the days of big game hunting – when bagging large corporate headquarters was the prize – are over. “The number of big companies that are picking up and moving or moving large chunks of their business is relatively small,” said Dick Daugherty, a former IBM executive who serves on the RTP board. Indeed, about half of the Park’s companies that employ more than 250 people moved in before 1990. Nowadays large corporations value speed, mobility, and agility. Wary of long-term commitments, afraid to set down costly roots, their long-term strategies often rely on short-term solutions. In another intersection of corporate and hipster culture, the pop-up R&D lab has joined the pop-up bar, pop-up restaurant, and pop-up nightclub as a sign of the times. “Large companies are not looking to open large R&D centers like they did in the ’70s,” Geolas says. They are more interested in popping into a location that has the space and talent to complete a specific project – say, 25,0000 square feet of clean space to lease for five years to develop a new drug. Then they can decide whether they want to stay or move on. Even as it adapts to the needs of larger companies by offering more customizable spaces, RTP has morphed into a hub for smaller, entrepreneurial outfits. More than 70 percent of its companies employ fewer than 50 people, including almost

90 percent of those that have entered the Park since 2000. It is also telling that about 35 percent of the firms located there have moved in since 2010. The need to reimagine RTP boiled down to a simple question: In a faster, nimbler world, where vast tracts of land and plenty of parking are less and less important, why should companies choose to move here? It’s a question being asked around the world. RTP’s plans reflect the broad consensus of influential planners. A Brookings Institution report titled “The Rise of Innovation Districts” notes suburban campuses “accessible only by car, with little emphasis on the quality of life” are increasingly outdated. From Barcelona and Berlin to London and Seoul, from Boston and Philadelphia to St. Louis and Silicon Valley, “innovation districts” are being developed in which “leading-edge anchor (i.e. big) institutions and companies cluster with start-ups, incubators, and accelerators.” Innovation districts “constitute the ultimate mash-up of entrepreneurs and educational institutions, start-ups and schools, mixed-use development and medical innovations, bike-sharing and bankable investments – all connected by transit, powered by clean energy, wired for digital technology, and fueled by caffeine.” This represents a radically new understanding about how to generate ideas. After all, one of RTP’s initial attractions was its ample private space. Companies treasured splendid isolation from those around them as they percolated ideas within their silos. Innovation districts, by contrast, seek to foster interaction by configuring spaces that encourage people to mingle and collide. The food trucks, happy hours, and lectures arranged at The Frontier are the nascent efforts to bring the Park’s workers together, not just to have fun but to exchange ideas, to motivate, challenge,

INNOVATION HUB Research Triangle Foundation of North Carolina President and CEO Bob Geolas, left, speaks to Bayer Corporation President Philip Blake during Bayer CropScience’s Greenhouse 6 groundbreaking ceremony in June.

and inspire one another. Geolas agrees that it is hard to precisely calculate the number of ideas or the amount of money generated by such highly organized yet random interactions. Instead, RTP will measure success as it always has – by its ability to attract and hold tenants. But even that is only half the equation – it suggests why this new approach works for companies. Just as important is the fundamental change that has occurred in the relationship between cutting-edge businesses and the highly-skilled, rare, and desirable employees they seek to attract. Without putting too fine a point on it, it has long been enough for companies to offer workers two things: a salary and benefits. Nowadays, the star graduates of leading universities demand more. They see jobs as a lifestyle, one that should be filled with meaning and fun. A further paradox is that this is happening at the same time that traditional social connections are fraying. As our professional and personal lives merge, people increasingly expect work to satisfy their social needs. In this new environment, it is fitting that RTP – long known as the playground for engineers – is reinventing itself in part with social engineering. It suggests that the future still belongs to the past. As businesses grow and change and create new frontiers, their their success will depend, as it always has, on this one thing: anticipating and satisfying our needs and desires. AUGUST 2015 | 73

STORY

LAKE K KE

of a house

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LIVING

AUGUST 2015 | 75

by JESSIE AMMONS photographs by LISSA GOTWALS

SUMMERTIME CHILDHOOD MEMORIES FOR ME ARE ALL ABOUT THE LAKE. GROWING UP JUST north of Raleigh, as soon as the weekend rolled around, we were off to Lake Gaston, an hour away but a world apart. Toting marshmallows for s’mores, sugary cereals, sunscreen, and swimsuits, my two brothers, my parents, and I joined cousins, aunts, and uncles at our grandparents’ lake house. We kids slept on pull-out couches and bunk beds – it didn’t really matter, because most of our time was spent outside kneeboarding, innertubing, and catching fireflies.

The second I turned 14, I got my state boating license and my first taste of independence: I could jet ski – alone! – from our dock to my best friend’s. She would hop on board and we’d spend all afternoon touring the lake, stopping for ice cream cones instead of lunch. Before too long, and much to our delight, my parents, Jan and Andy Ammons, decided to invest in a lake house of their own. They found a simple A-frame with great bones in a cove just off the main lake. As I grew up, so did the house: Hardwood floors replaced linoleum, cable railing opened up the view from our deck, and creaky ping-pong tables made way for pool. But while our weekend shack became a bona fide family home over the years, our love of the place has always been less about the space itself than about our time together in it. Or our time together outside it. Now, we end most days by piling into the boat and heading out to a certain spot on the water near mile marker 11 to watch the sunset. Sipping cocktails and listening to classic rock, we talk about nothing in particular. This “sunset cruise” has become a tradition; the latest memory-making ritual that to me is what summer is all about.

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WHAT SUMMER’S ALL ABOUT Opposite: The house’s top deck is the best spot to view the lake. This page, clockwise from top left: Homeowner Andy Ammons is an avid duck hunter. In the living room, a tundra swan overlooks, from left to right: a mallard, ring necked duck, hooded merganser, and American wigeon; Bluetick coonhound Bea is good company on the dock; The downstairs game room features a pool table, nautical code flags spelling out “Ammons,” and lobster trap buoys painted by homeowner Jan Ammons; Outdoor pillows from Carolina Pottery add an all-American spirit to porch swings on the bottom deck.

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MEMORY-MAKING Above: From left, Deborah Weir joins Andy Ammons, Fred Weir, Jessie Ammons, and Jan Ammons on the pontoon boat. The Weirs and the Ammonses are neighbors in North Raleigh and also at the lake. Right: Flags represent all of the Ammons’ college alma maters and the family’s favorite sports teams; Daily “sunset cruises” on the boat are a tradition. Opposite, clockwise from top left: Jan Ammons grew up coming to Lake Gaston with her family. Now, the wooden ski she holds (made by her father, Frank Fearrington), serves as lake house decor; Jessie Ammons and her father, Andy Ammons, paddle around the cove in Hurricane lightweight kayaks, made in Warsaw, N.C.; The lake house’s moniker combines the couple’s joint nickname and plays on their careers in local real estate; The dock has ample space for hanging out, especially in a hammock chair made on the Outer Banks.

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PIT STOPS

Here are a few spots worth checking out on your way to or from Lake Gaston, plus some to visit while you’re there. Flip Flops Bar at Shady Shack Grill Palm trees and bright colors distinguish this hangout, where no shirt or shoes are required. 183 Hendricks Mill Rd., Bracey, Va. 434-636-2175 poplarpointemarine.com

Lakeland Theatre Great for family-friendly entertainment, Littleton’s community theatre will this month perform Shrek The Musical, Jr. and Laugh In, a collection of gag skits based on a television show from the late ’60s. 411 Mosby Ave., Littleton, N.C. 252-586-3124 lakelandtheatrenc.org

Munchie Wagon Norlina’s version of a food truck makes great road trip fuel, especially the $3 cheeseburger (order it with slaw). Corner of Hwy. 158 and Hycko Rd., Norlina, N.C.

The Pointe at Eaton’s Ferry Located right by the prominent Eaton’s Ferry Bridge, this spot is on a lake main drag. Think tiki bar, live music, fried seafood platters, and familiar faces. 1865 Eaton Ferry Rd., Littleton, N.C. 252-586-0466 thepointeonlakegaston.com

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Ridgeway Cantaloupes Around these parts, everybody knows the best cantaloupes come from Ridgeway. Many locals will tell you it’s the state’s cantaloupe capital, and every July the unincorporated community hosts a Cantaloupe Festival. Produce stands are along Hwy. 1, Ridgeway, N.C. When traveling on I-85, try taking exit 226 for Ridgeway Road.

Rosemont of Virginia

Ridgeway Opry House

What appears to be a standard gas station and convenience store also has a kitchen serving up some of the best breakfast biscuits around. If you feel adventurous, try the “torpedo”: scrambled eggs, cheese, and sausage all rolled up into a pancake. 2192 River Rd., Henrico, N.C. 252-537-1335

Every Saturday night and some Fridays, head to this historic little building for good ol’ bluegrass jams. Words to the wise: Save room for a slice of the homemade cakes and pies. And if you happen to imply that you’ve maybe ever barely touched an instrument, you’ll likely be dragged onstage, like it or not. 704 Hwy. 1 S., Ridgeway, N.C. 252-456-3890 ridgewayopryhouse.com

Roost Crossroads Antiques & Collectors Mall A place to find hidden gems with local flair, like vintage small town farmers’ market posters. 135 Hwy. 1 S., Norlina, N.C. 252-456-2406

Lake Gaston straddles the North Carolina-Virginia border, and not far over the state line is this vineyard. Try the dry rosé for summertime sipping. 1050 Blackridge Rd., LaCrosse, Va. 434-636-9463 rosemontofvirginia.com

Washburn’s Marina

WatersView Restaurant While still pretty casual, this is the lakeside place for a finer seafood meal. During the summer, there’s a little ice cream window on the back side of the building that’s open during the daytime. 2107 Eaton Ferry Rd., Littleton, N.C. 252-586-2814 watersviewrestaurant.com

Strike A Pose

GreenFront Interiors & Rugs 2004 Yonkers Rd., Raleigh, NC 27604 (919) 754-9754 | greenfront.com

Essential ingredient

JUST ADD

BEER

by KAITLYN GOALEN

Confession: I don’t drink a whole lot of beer. I frame this as an admission of guilt, because my low consumption feels unsupportive to the current liquid zeitgeist of our city. Raleigh is covered in suds these days, with microbreweries and bottle shops opening at a rapid clip. And while it thrills me in theory, I have to admit that I’ve been a bad cheerleader in practice.

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photographs by JILLIAN CLARK

THAI GRILLED CHICKEN LEGS Serves 4 3 cans pilsner or Belgian ale (I recommend Raleigh Brewing Company's Hell Yes Ma’am) * 1 13.5-ounce can coconut milk 8 garlic cloves 1 tablespoon salt 2 pounds chicken drumsticks 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar 2 teaspoons ground white pepper 1 teaspoon ground coriander 2 tablespoons fish sauce 1 teaspoon soy sauce ¼ cup chopped cilantro stems ¼ cup mint leaves, for garnish ¼ cup sliced jalapeños, for garnish * Take 2 tablespoons from one of the cans of beer and set aside. In a large stockpot, combine all but two tablespoons of the beer, coconut milk, four of the garlic cloves, salt, and two cups water. Bring to a boil over high heat and reduce to a simmer. Add the chicken and simmer slowly until the chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a baking sheet and let cool completely. In a food processor, add the brown sugar, white pepper, coriander, fish sauce, soy sauce, cilantro stems, remaining garlic cloves, and reserved two tablespoons of beer. Preheat a charcoal grill. Brush the marinade over the chicken pieces, then grill over direct heat until grill marks form, a few minutes per side. Serve with mint leaves and jalapeños.

Occasionally, I love a cold one – on a particularly hot day outside, or after a late night, there’s nothing better. But I’ve always struggled to feel as passionately about sours, Belgians, and stouts as I do about cocktails or wine. Lately, though, a revelation has helped spur a new, genuine romance between me and beer: It is an absolutely gorgeous ingredient to cook with. Now, apologies in advance to the connoisseurs, cicerones, and beermakers out there, for whom the idea of using beer as a marinade or a sauce is sacrilege. Hopefully you’ll see that my reconsideration of beer comes from a place of utmost respect. Beer can offer an unparalleled depth of flavor, balancing bitter, sweet, malty, salty, and acidic notes in perfect harmony. Its weight and carbonation add endless textural possibilities. Plus, it couples well with a huge spectrum of other ingredients. Beer is one of the oldest beverages on record and can showcase terroir with as much nuance as any wine. All of these things make it the equivalent of a blank check when it comes to cooking. Cash it in by using beer as a built-in brine (this is essentially how beercan chicken operates) or as a poaching liquid – your pilsner or kolsch will provide juicy, tender meat with robust flavor. Or consider darker stouts in your favorite baking recipe. I asked Les Stewart, beermaker at Trophy Brewing, how he likes to cook with beer, and he steered me in the direction of chocolate cake made with stout. “The residual malt sugar that darker beers offer, particularly if the beer is boiled down, can be a great way to add unique sweetness,” he says. This summer, I’ve been using local beer for the ultimate grilled chicken. Chicken legs get cooked twice: first poached in beer and coconut milk, then grilled with a beer-brown-sugar rub. The two-part process may seem fussy, but if you do the poaching ahead of time, it’s a great party recipe: ready before your guests can finish their first beer.

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at the

TABLE

Sandwiches with swagger

DEAN McCORD photographs by

NICK PIRONIO

A sandwich is simple, easy to assemble, and quick to eat. The perfect portable meal. From the classic BLT to the Himalayan-sized creations of a New York deli to a tea party’s petite, crustless morsels – as long as the bread is fresh and the contents tasty, it’s hard to go wrong. Which is why you can get a decent sandwich pretty much anywhere. But a great sandwich, a memorable sandwich, is another matter. Fortunately, Wake County is home to more than its fair share. I’ve made it my mission to scout out some of the best. I found them in fancy bakeries and gas stations. I found them created by Iranian deli owners, James Beard award-winning chefs, and Philadelphia expats. The result is the list that follows of 12 truly memorable, well-made sandwiches. Some may be unlike anything you’ve had before; others will remind you of home or a trip abroad. They’re not the only great sandwiches to be found, but they’re a morethan-solid start. None are to be eaten with a knife and fork. They might be messy, but they can all be consumed with your hands. The bottom line? These are some darn delicious sandwiches.

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CUBAN PORK SANDWICH AT OAKWOOD CAFE A good Cuban sandwich is pretty easy to find: ham, roast pork, cheese, pickles, and mustard on soft Cuban bread, pressed until the outer crust is crunchy. But finding an amazing Cuban is rare. An amazing Cuban requires time to get the pork just right – marinating it in a combination of orange juice, lemon juice, garlic, onions, spices, and herbs, and then roasting it for hours. Such an amazing Cuban can be found at the Oakwood Cafe in downtown Raleigh. Owner Norberto Meccia is reluctant to discuss the secrets behind his sandwich, other than to say that all of his food has to be good enough that he could eat it every day without getting tired of it. He’ll talk about his ham (he uses smaller, leaner pork). And about his pickles and mustard (everyday, off-the-shelf varieties). But ask Meccia where he gets his Cuban bread, or the recipe for his roast pork? You’ll get a laugh. And then silence. But his sandwich is no secret. I believe it’s the best Cuban sandwich in town. $10.50 for lunch, $11.50 for dinner; 300 E. Edenton St.; 919-828-5994; oakwoodcaferaleigh.com

MEDITERRANEO AT LA FARM Often the most overlooked part of a sandwich is its most essential ingredient: bread. That will never, ever, happen at Cary’s La Farm Bakery, where owner and master baker Lionel Vatinet makes impeccable bread. Since La Farm opened its cafe several years ago, customers have feasted on a number of its great sandwiches, but the one that turns the bread into a featured attraction is its Mediterraneo. Essentially a Caprese salad sandwich, it combines fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, basil, and balsamic vinegar on airy focaccia. It’s a classic combination, “especially in the summertime when we all want local tomatoes every single day,” Vatinet says. “We thought the focaccia bread would be a great partner for juicy tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella, and this bread really soaks up some of the balsamic vinaigrette, too. We dust the top of the focaccia with rock salt which just works so well with summer tomatoes, bread, and herbs.” It’s actually a hearty sandwich, even though it isn’t overstuffed – perfect for a summer picnic. $6.95; 4248 NW Cary Parkway, Cary; 919-657-0657; lafarmbakery.com

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PEPPER CHEESESTEAK AT ANVIL “If it ain’t from Philly, it ain’t a cheesesteak.” I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard that line, and I’ve generally had to agree with it. It’s not that you can’t get cheesesteaks outside of southeastern Pennsylvania, it’s just that they never seem to be as good. Almost, but not quite. Then I had the pepper cheesesteak at Anvil’s Cheesesteaks in south Raleigh. Owner Bob “Anvil” Thompson is from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and worked in a cheesesteak shop as a child. He moved across the country, met his wife, Barbara, and realized that all he wanted to do was open a sandwich shop. In 2010, he opened Anvil’s in Raleigh. Anvil starts with top round steak and slices it thinly with a commercial slicer, then chops it finely. The steak is simply seasoned with salt and pepper and cooked on a flat top. It’s the additions that make all the difference, and my favorite is a combination of grilled onions and bell peppers, finished with some minced hot cherry peppers and provolone. All served on an oven-toasted bun. Is it as good as a Philly cheesesteak? I’ll let you decide for yourself. $7.75; 2893 Jones Franklin Rd.; 919-854-0558; anvilscheesesteaks.com

SPICY BEEF AND VEGETABLE BANH MI AT DALAT ORIENTAL RESTAURANT At Dalat Oriental Restaurant in Mission Valley Plaza, the sandwiches are called “Vietnamese subs,” but the more common name for them is banh mi, which is the Vietnamese term for “wheat bread.” And although this sandwich is an everyday part of Vietnamese cuisine, it represents far more to Dalat’s owner, Thao Le. “When I was a child in Vietnam, I was the one who had to go get the bread to make the sandwiches, and I was embarrassed to be seen carrying the long baguette across town.” Representing both the French and Vietnamese influences of the country’s cuisine, the banh mi combines a French baguette with sweetly pickled vegetables, a variety of meats, chili peppers, cilantro and other herbs. It’s my favorite sandwich in the world, with a different flavor explosion with every bite. Dalat pickles its own vegetables, prepares its own meat fillings, and procures its rolls from a local bakery. The rolls are the difference-maker, because they’re actually lighter than a baguette, with a crispy shell and a tender crumb. All of Dalat’s sandwiches are delicious, but the spicy beef and vegetable banh mi offers a perfect balance of all the flavors: sweet, sour, salty, slightly bitter, spicy, and the meatiness of the beef. To me, there’s no finer sandwich in the Triangle. $6.50 for a six-inch, $9.50 for a 12-inch; 2109 Avent Ferry Rd.; 919-832-7449; dalat.z7z.us

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AL PASTOR TORTA AT LA CABANA TAQUERIA Most of us are familiar with tacos, enchiladas, and other Mexican fare, but the Mexican sandwich, or torta, is not as well known. And that’s a shame, because a torta is a meal of a sandwich, an overstuffed concoction on large, oblong, soft rolls, with a variety of fillings. My personal favorite is found in one of the more unlikely places: a gas station on Capital Boulevard. La Cabana Taqueria is in the back of a BP station, and the women in its kitchen produce some of the most consistently tasty food in the area, including the Al Pastor Torta. Pork is marinated in a blend of spices and pineapple, chopped finely, and cooked on a flat top. Hunks of avocado, lettuce, tomato, and perhaps some hot sauce result in an unwieldy sandwich, with the bread unable to contain all the filling. Ms. Muñoz uses her grandmother’s recipes, and this one in particular is a winner. Forgo the taco and burrito for once and give a torta a try. $8.95; 3520 Capital Blvd.; 919-872-2252

CHICKEN SALAD PITA SHAHAB AT LUNCHBOX DELI The Lunchbox Deli is a small cafe in North Raleigh owned by Iranian expats with no prior cooking experience. The chef making the spot’s tasty sandwiches is in her 70s. That all adds up to a pretty good story. But the curried chicken salad in a pita? That’s the headline. Iraj Isfahani had worked for years with the National Iranian Oil Corporation, but when the fundamentalist Iranian Revolution took place, his life changed forever. That’s when Isfahani and his wife, Manijeh Nayeri, left Iran. They took over the Lunchbox Deli in 1991. Every day, Manijeh, who now runs the restaurant with their son, Shahab, cooks 15-20 pounds of chicken breast with an assortment of spices. The chicken is finely chopped, with some larger chunks for texture. Manijeh makes her own mayonnaise and combines it with seven different spices, including cumin, curry, turmeric, and saffron. The pita is grilled briefly on a flat top to get it slightly crispy. The chicken salad is stuffed in the pita with lettuce, tomato, and banana pepper. It’s not your grandmother’s chicken salad, but heck, Manijeh is more than happy to play the role. It’s that good. $6.50; 2816 Trawick Rd.; 919-872-7882

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PEPPERED CHICKEN AT JOULE The Peppered Chicken sandwich at Joule is the only item on this list that might be considered a “chef’s sandwich” – an original creation that is by no means simple. The sourdough bread is made in-house by executive pastry chef Andrew Ullom. Tomatoes are slow-roasted to concentrate their flavor. All natural chicken breasts are brined for 24 hours, coated in toasted black peppercorns, seared in a cast iron skillet, and finished in the oven. The sandwich is finished with thick and crispy Heritage Farms bacon, a simple avocado puree, and a Dijon mustard aioli. Chef de cuisine Sunny Gerhart sums it up: “It’s a pretty damn good representation of what a sandwich should be, with the creaminess of the avocado, the crispiness of bacon, the bite of the pepper, and the richness of the tomato. It’s not a fancy sandwich.” It’s probably fancier than most sandwiches, but it’s tastier, too. $9.50; 223 S. Wilmington St.; 919-424-7422; ac-restaurants.com/joule

SHRIMP BURGER AT JACK’S SEAFOOD AND SOUL FOOD This shrimp burger is probably the simplest sandwich on this list. First of all, it’s not a burger. Thirty or so fried shrimp, slightly larger than popcorn shrimp, sit on a hamburger bun. That’s it. You might add some slaw or tartar sauce, or even some cocktail sauce, but no more, because it’s all about the shrimp. But, oh, those shrimp! Owner Carlton Sutton is not a chef – he’s been in the janitorial business for 33 years and is the fourth owner of Jack’s Seafood and Soul Food. But he knows not to mess up a good thing. Jack’s has been around for 40 years, and the place cooks the shrimp the same way it has since it opened: Sweet shrimp are simply breaded with milk and flour and quickly fried. One bite will take you to the North Carolina coast. Who knew such a simple sandwich could be so good? $4.59; 1516 New Bern Ave.; 919-755-1551; facebook.com/jacksnewbern

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PORK BAGUETTE AT BIDA MANDA The pork baguette from downtown Raleigh’s Bida Manda could be a first cousin – no, a sibling – of the Vietnamese sub from Dalat, but this sandwich is inspired by the flavors of Laos. “Our pork baguette is a direct influence from Vietnam and China,” says co-owner Vansana Nolintha. “Ours starts with pork neck that is slowly cooked with lemongrass, hoisin, and garlic marinade, flavors that are representative of Laos. We then push for the sandwich to be very herbal with a lot of cilantro.” Bida Manda’s bread is truly a baguette, and chewier than Dalat’s, and the sandwich also has the classic addition of chicken liver paté. Served with an Asian slaw of daikon radish and carrot, this sandwich makes for a perfect lunch. But it’s not exactly like the sandwich Nolintha would have had growing up: His had a lot more fish sauce added, because he liked a lot of “funk” on his baguette. $8.90; 222 S. Blount St.; 919-829-9999; bidamanda.com

DABELI AT HOT BREADS CAFE Shipra Jain was an accomplished home cook when she opened Hot Breads Cafe, an Indian bakery, five years ago. Per Indian custom, she focused on cakes and pastries that did not include eggs, and she also had Indian sandwiches on her menu, including the dabeli, which is best described as an Indian potato sandwich. I never knew such a thing existed, but they do, and they’re amazing. The dabeli is not an ancient Indian food; it’s a form of street food created most likely in the ’60s and popular ever since. Hot Breads’ version looks like a burger, but its filling is mashed potato mixed with tomato and a masala spice mix. The potato mixture is served on a house-baked bun (egg free, of course) and served with sev (crunchy noodles made of graham flour), peanuts, onions, and two different chutneys: garlic and tamarind. The end result is a ridiculously amazing combination of textures, flavors, and aromas. $4.49; 1901 NW Cary Parkway, Morrisville; 919-677-1331; hotbreadscafe.com

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Drink

FROZEN by CHARLES UPCHURCH

Here’s what you need for perfect frozen margaritas: A summer evening, a setting sun, a charcoal grill, and a few partners in crime. The rest is as simple as 3-2-1. Three parts tequila, two parts triple sec, and one part lime juice. Blend with enough ice to make it slushy, salt those rims, and you will understand the true meaning of happy hour.

photographs by NICK PIRONIO

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In the halcyon days of my mid-20s, I fell in love with the frozen margarita. It was 1984. I was two years out of college and working for a friend in Raleigh who owned a hotel. One day he told me that two business partners were flying in from Dallas on a private jet. I could fly back with them, he said. I packed my bags. When I arrived, I had no idea I had just touched down in margarita heaven. The frozen margarita has been around since the ’50s, but the consistently smooth restaurant variety, dispensed from a converted Slurpee machine, was invented in Dallas in 1971. Right now the cocktail snobs are shaking their heads. Frozen drinks are strictly for amateurs – best served in a fishbowl or souvenir cowboy boot. Blenders are a bartender’s nightmare. I’ll be the first to insist that a classic margarita should contain no ice at all. Shake it with ice and strain it into a stemmed coupe or martini glass. No dilution. Just frosty, lime-orange delight with the rich underpinnings of blue agave tequila. Bright, tart citrus balanced with sweet liqueur and a little kick of salt. Little wonder the margarita has grown from a border town libation to become one of the most frequently ordered drinks in the U.S. Not surprisingly, tequila is one of the fastest-growing spirits in the premium and super-premium categories. It’s nice to see tequila – and the margarita – coming of age. But at 25, ignorance was bliss. Handcrafted cocktails were not yet on the radar. Every patio bar in Dallas pumped out “frozens” like it was, well, their job. And in Big D in the mid’80s, happy hours al fresco were ritual affairs. My wingman was Barry Thomas, a tall, broad, smiling Dallas native who showed me the ways of the city. We’d hit the Blue Goose on Lower Greenville Avenue on Friday, Dick’s Last Resort in the warehouse district on Saturday, and then on Sunday – just to extend our weekend indulgences – we’d post up in a little Highland Park cantina called On the Border. Today, On the Border has 160 locations across the U.S. and in five other countries. There are two here in our backyard, in Raleigh and Cary. But back then, there was one. On Sunday afternoons, the corner of Travis and McKinney was the place to be. “Two frozens,” I would call over the noise at the bar. “With salt.” Sunglasses on, I’d hand Barry his glass, frosted over and piled high, garnished with lime and speared with a straw, and we’d weave through the crowd out to the deck. The aroma of mesquite charcoal mixed with the fragrances of the fairer sex, represented in abundance. We’d find friends, meet new ones. As the sun mellowed in the west, round two would appear.

Shades on till dark. Grab some fajitas. A pitcher of frozens for the table. Were the margaritas really that good? Let’s just say the recipe was just right.

3-2-1

These days, unless you’re a little closer to Mexico than we are here, frozen margaritas are not as easy to find as you may think. Franchises like On the Border, Chili’s, Salt & Lime, and Chuy’s offer them in multiple flavors, but most independent Mexican and Tex-Mex restaurants don’t serve enough to keep the large-batch machines going. Typically, your margarita choices are either straight-up or on the rocks. Dos Taquitos on Glenwood South is one exception. It’s got excellent frozen margaritas and a festive atmosphere to boot, an open-air bar and a fine-looking happy hour crowd, shades and all. But these days, my happiest hours are at home. I can blend away to my heart’s content, and even when the batch

The margarita machine at Dox Taquitos Xoco

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isn’t perfecto, I’m having a swell time trying. The 3-2-1 ratio is a long-standing formula for margaritas, but with frozens you’ll want to increase the measure of fresh lime juice so the extra ice required for blending doesn’t dilute the flavor. And with pure lime juice instead of bartender’s sour mix (which contains sugar), a little sweetener helps. Here’s a simple recipe, tested in my kitchen to rave reviews: 6 ounces of fresh-squeezed lime juice (five limes), 8 ounces of 100% blue agave silver tequila, 4 ounces of Cointreau and 4 ounces of simple syrup (1:1 sugar to water) to even out the tart, acidic citrus. Agave nectar is a good alternative sweetener. Cointreau is a premium version of triple sec. To experiment with other top-shelf orange liqueurs, try Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao, Combier, or Grand Marnier. Combine your ingredients in a large blender and add ice

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up to about the 40-ounce mark (higher if you like a thicker slush). Blend at high speed until frothy and smooth. Don’t forget to rim the glasses with lime and chunky kosher salt ahead of time before pouring or spooning the drink into them. There are specialty salts that add a nice touch as well. Salt serves as a lively counterbalance to both the citrus tang and the sugar. Tequilaphiles will tell you not to waste your time on anything that does not say “100% blue agave” on the label. I can confirm that in my taste test of Jose Cuervo Gold (“made with blue agave”) and 1800 Silver (100% agave), the latter had a cleaner, less medicinal nose and flavor. The clear silver (blanco or plata) tequila was outstanding in my recipe, but I also look forward to trying out a few reposada (golden, aged at least two months) and darker, robust anejo (aged 1-3 years) bottlings. I’ll even give a smoky mezcal a whirl.

Let the purists scoff. Get a gang together for some fresh, flavorful frozen margaritas and let the fiesta unfold. So what if it’s the neon tank top in a world of Ralph Lauren cocktails? The unrestrained pleasures of frozens are meant to be shared.

stripped down.

3-2-1 FROZEN MARGARITAS

No need for fuss - just Certiﬁed Angus NY Strip and perfectly seasoned vegetables.

6 ounces fresh-squeezed lime juice 8 ounces 100% blue agave silver tequila 4 ounces simple syrup 4 ounces Cointreau

Pictured: Mura’s NY Strip Teppanyaki

Combine in a large blender and add ice to about the 40-ounce mark. Blend at high speed until frothy and smooth. Rim glasses with lime and kosher salt.

Or experience the machine locally: Dos Taquitos Xoco 410 Glenwood Avenue 919-835-9010 dostaquitosnc.com

The OXFORD

ESCHELONEXPERIENCES.COM

ARTIST’S

spotlight

FINDING PURPOSE Photographer Christer Berg

by SARAH BARR

Photographer Christer Berg slid three photographs on to a conference table at Carolina Ballet’s studio on Atlantic Avenue and waited to see if he had passed his own test. Robert Weiss, the ballet’s founding artistic director, studied Berg’s work, three shots of him posed with the company’s top ballerinas. In one, an homage to a photograph of famous choreographer George Balanchine, Weiss stood surrounded by four ballerinas in colorful costume. In another, Berg had framed Weiss sharply from the chest up, a soft-focus ballerina in white over his shoulder.

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Jillian Clark

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Christer Berg

UNEARTHED Covered in clay, sculptor Thomas Sayre poses by one of his earth-cast sculptures.

Weiss gazed at the second photo, Berg’s distillation of a decades-long career. “There I am, and in my mind is her,” he says. “Visions of ballerinas.” He paused, looked again at the photo, and then turned to Berg: “In a way, this captures who I am and what I’m about,” Weiss said. Berg smiled. That’s his litmus test. He doesn’t want to play gotcha, or over-glamorize a life. He just wants to know that his subjects look at his work and see an honest version of themselves. For nearly two years, the Raleigh photographer has been working on a series of photographs he calls “People with Purpose,” portraits of men and women whose stories Berg feels moved to tell. His one qualification is that they be people who are dedicated to the community in one way or another. Among those in the series of what Berg calls his oneframe documentaries are artists, writers, cooks, attorneys, 96 | WALTER

and farmers. He believes sharing their stories is his own purpose. “Hopefully I’m contributing by shining a light on these individuals, particularly those who are less known, to make them more visible,” he says. Berg, 51, typically shoots “environmental” portraits in a place where he can see his subjects at work. He uses dramatic lighting, sometimes leaving only a hint of a location, but enough to set a mood or suggest a profession. He asked Thomas Sayre, the sculptor and co-founder of Raleigh design firm Clearscapes, to cover himself in clay and pose next to one of the concrete sculptures he casts in the ground. He had master baker Benjamin Messaoui clap a cloud of flour into the air above a wooden counter until the light filtered through it just right. Berg says the key to his photographs is collaboration, a sense that he and his subject are on a journey together. Long before he shows up with a camera, Berg meets with his subjects – people he hopes to leave as friends – and invites them to be a part of his project. He looks for ways to work with them, rather than directing them.

Christer Berg

When he photographed Christine Mumma, executive director of the North Carolina Center on Actual Innocence, and three of the men she has helped exonerate and free from prison, he wanted to set the scene in a jail, with Mumma leading the men out from behind bars. Rather than dragging the men back to a jail, Mumma suggested they go to a horse stable. There, in a dusty barn streaming with daylight, Berg took a photo of Mumma, Willie Grimes, Dwayne Dail, and Greg Taylor. In the final print they appear together in almost complete darkness, only a thin line of bars visible behind them. Before he started the shoot, Berg asked each of the four to close their eyes and imagine their journey. Those quiet moments of contemplation are what he and Mumma think brought the photo to life. “That technique was dead on,” she says. “He really captured our feelings.”

Finding a way back

The series began when Berg found himself in need of a project in the fall of 2013.

21,730 DAYS The official title of this portrait represents the total number of days the three men pictured were incarcerated before being exonorated with the help of Christine Mumma, executive director of the North Carolina Center for Actual Innocence. From left: Dwayne Dail, Willie Grimes, Christine Mumma, Greg Taylor.

For more than a year, the computer engineer-turned-business development consultant had been taking photographs, finding his way back to a craft that he’d largely left behind in high school. He photographed the spring blossoms at the Sarah P. Duke Gardens, rock concerts in downtown Raleigh venues, and the architecture of cities he visited. To learn how light plays across a human face, he hired models, gave them a “backstory” and tried to capture the emotions they portrayed. It was a good hobby for an engineer: plenty of gear to exclaim over, numbers to memorize, and experiments to run, Berg says. The more technically proficient he became, though, the more he aimed for artistry. Along the way, he discovered that portraits most stirred his imagination. He loved the interaction with subjects, getting to hear the stories of people AUGUST 2015 | 97

Christer Berg

AN HONEST VISION Carolina Ballet artistic director Robert Weiss.

umentation is common, it’s not as common as it might be.” he admired, and working with them to present a truthful portrait. When Larry Wheeler, the executive director of the North Carolina Museum of Art, reviewed his portfolio and suggested he find a common thread he could use to develop his portraiture, Berg agreed. A few weeks before his first show at the Litmus Gallery in Raleigh last summer, he came up with the name: People with Purpose. He’s since shown his work at Through This Lens in Durham and at The Point, the chancellor’s residence at N.C. State University. Last year he took home two prizes including Best in Show for arts and photography at the N.C. State Fair. Roylee Duvall, director of Through This Lens, said Berg’s work is technically striking. His use of light draws comments from even casual visitors to the gallery. But he thinks the most important attribute of the People with Purpose series is its insistence on telling a story. “I see it in the long run as potentially an important historical document,” he says. “Even though we think that doc98 | WALTER

Fascination with image Berg’s first forays into photography came as a young teenager growing up in Stockholm, Sweden. Inspired by a friend’s father, Berg got a camera and set up his own darkroom. When his father was transferred to the United States, Berg spent two years in a Connecticut high school where he took photography classes and continued to develop his craft. At the time, the appeal was – in large part – the darkroom. He was fascinated by the way an image developed. “It was magical,” he says. “You create something from nothing.” Then, photography got pushed to the side for school, career, and family. Berg moved back to Sweden for college, then went to work for a software company. He landed in the Triangle in 1995 to help his company develop a U.S. subsidiary. A few years later, he launched his own business, VentureBridge, helping European software companies establish themselves in the U.S.

Jillian Clark

STUDIO SELFIE Photographer Jillian Clark turns the camera on Berg in his studio.

Later, he returned to his information technology roots. Around the same time, he picked up photography again, ramping up his time spent with a camera when his wife, Brenda Berg, and their two children, Kelly, now 13, and Anton, now 10, left for a cross-country trip. The immersion was critical, he said. “If you have an intense period, you can improve quicker than if you dabble along,” he says. Since launching People with Purpose, Berg also has spun off a commercial portrait business, one he calls “Portraits with Purpose.” He hopes to continue stepping away from the IT word while building his photography business. He thinks his business background will serve him well. “It’s not unlike any other small business development role,” he says. “You have to build relationships, you have to network, you have to figure out what customers like and how to price it.” He has no intention of giving up People with Purpose, though. The series has become more than a project. He likes the way jazz musician Elmer Gibson told him his portrait had changed the way he thought about his career. He’s

glad that Mumma got to spend time with her former clients. He cares deeply about the relationships he builds. “It’s gone beyond just what ends up in the frame for me and hopefully for some of the participants,” he says. Berg keeps a list of people he would like to recruit for the project. Some are names almost anyone in North Carolina would know. Others are obscure. Berg thinks there is value, and a challenge, in all of their stories. “It doesn’t really matter if they’re a CEO or a janitor or an artist. You’re still trying to capture a picture of them,” he says. “And if they say, ‘That’s truthful, that depicts me,’ then I think I’ve been successful.”

AUGUST 2015 | 99

Letter from the art world

art

in the

Imagining Alaska, 2014

margins

MY PATH TO DRAWING AND WATER- dles during meetings. If the meetcolor flows from an unusual source: ing was long enough, the doodles my business notebooks. became quite intricate (In Exile, Three years ago when I retired, 1999). I decided it might be a good idea to throw out 20 years’ worth of notebooks. The old ones were stacked up in a couple of large moving boxes, and the new ones were piled up in my home office. Not unlike many other professionals, I’d drawn doo-

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On the off-chance that my notebooks had some value, I decided to show them to Kathryn Olive, a good friend and artist. I figured I wouldn’t be embarrassed if she told me that my doodles weren’t worth saving. Within 30 minutes, notebook pages were scattered across her office and she was proposing that I do an art show at St. Philips Episcopal Church in Durham. However, she warned text and illustrations by ANDREW SILTON

me that there’d be a lot of hard work in selecting the images and figuring out what they were about. I’d never thought about the doodles as anything more than a way to reduce stress and remain focused in meetings. The last feedback on my artistic skills hadn’t been positive. My elementary school art teacher had encouraged me to take shop. With Kathryn’s encouragement, I decided to take the risk of exhibiting some images from my notebooks. I didn’t see it as an art exhibit, but rather as an opportunity to begin talking about and critiquing my former profession, money management. After months of culling through hundreds of doodles, we selected 12 pages for the exhibit, which I called Meditations on Money Management. As the project was being finalized, Kathryn asked me if I drew outside of meetings. My quick answer was no. She encouraged me to go to an art store and buy col-

Dubrovnik, 2014

ored pens and paper (most of my doodles were in black or blue ink).

Humble beginnings

I wasn’t comfortable going into an art store, so I went to Staples and purchased a couple of packages of pens and a pad of drawing paper. Then I sat on the couch and stared at a blank piece of paper. Without a meeting or a business issue as a motivation, lined paper and margins to guide my drawings, and notes and numbers to serve as borders, I didn’t know what to draw. I turned on the radio to create some background noise and after a while, I applied ink to paper. Then I began in the center of the page and just started making shapes, which turned into a building, animal, human image, or geometric pattern. This first phase of my work was a colorful extension of my doodling – without the need to take notes or interject comments. I quickly discovered two things. First, I became completely lost in my work. During my business career, I’d been highly aware of my surroundings

as I drew. But I found that when I drew while sitting on my couch with NPR in the background, I could focus solely on the world I was creating on paper. Second, I discovered that drawing in ink was very stressful, especially after I’d invested several days in a particular drawing. Because my drawings are very detailed and use fine lines either as positive or negative space, there’s no room for error. Any loss of concentration or slip of the pen, and the drawing is ruined. However, I’d just retired from the business of money management, so I’d been well trained in coping with stress. Moreover, this felt like a good kind of stress. Encouraged by friends, I started venturing into art stores to find a wider variety of colored pens. I even decided to buy a set of watercolors. I figured the kitchen table was a safe place to try what I’d failed at in fifth grade art class. Applying ink with 0.7 mm and 0.5 mm pens is a slow endeavor. I thought watercolor might allow me to cover more territory, allowing me to graduate from my 9-inch

In Exile, 1999

AUGUST 2015 | 101

Icy Straight, 2014

by 11-inch drawing pad to larger surfaces.

New direction

Two events took my drawing in a new direction. Last February, I decided to do a drawing of Dubrovnik, Croatia – my father’s boyhood home – for his 90th birthday (Dubrovnik, 2014). It was the first time I’d thought about a specific topic in advance and decided to capture the essence of a specific place. Up to this point, all my drawings had been drawn from my imagination, which had been a basic principle of my doodles in business meetings. For those, I’d intentionally avoided drawing anything resembling the actual people or setting of the meeting. Several months later, encouraged by

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The Oval, 2014

my Dubrovnik drawing, I picked up a large leftover poster board and started my largest work so far, 22 inches by 28 inches. The picture became a series of scenes from coastal Alaska and was

pens fades with time. My bright color schemes will turn to pastel as the years go by. Rather than upgrade my paper or pens, I’ve turned to giclée – fine art digital prints on archival paper – in order

Up to this point, all my drawings had been drawn from my imagination, which had been a basic principle of my doodles in business meetings. drawn in anticipation of a trip to Glacier Bay (Imagining Alaska, 2014). After the trip, I combined photographs from my trip to Alaska to inspire my own Alaskan landscapes in ink and watercolor (Icy Straight, 2014). The process of combining images was a satisfying way of creating my own realities. Now, instead of staring at a blank piece of paper, I collect multiple photographs and assemble them into a completed scene, like the one I created of the view from the second floor of my home (The Oval, 2014). There is, however, one big problem with the materials I’ve chosen for my art. It turns out that the ink in office

to produce lasting images. And thanks to the patience and expertise of Wojtek Wojdynski, a fine photographer in Chapel Hill, I have learned a great deal about light, color, and paper. Learning as I go is familiar territory. While I spent most of my career in money management, I stumbled into it through a series of accidents and was never trained in the subject. My second career as an artist appears to be following the same accidental path, although my current career is far more satisfying than my previous one.

Andrew Silton is an artist in Chapel Hill who writes a bi-weekly investment column for The News & Observer and a blog critiquing the money management industry (meditationonmoneymanagement.blogspot.com).

Reflections

READING

PROUST

by LARRY WHEELER director, North Carolina Museum of Art

I’ve long been fixated on the history of Europe and America between 1870 and the First World War, an extraordinary time for exploring the clash and coexistence of the old and the new. I’ve read loads of books on French and American society – and a bit on the British, too – about politics here and there, and most fascinating of all, about the world of the arts and artists in the Belle Époque. Think Impressionism and the emergence of the Modern – Matisse, Picasso, and Braque. Invariably in the reading adventure, there would be references to Marcel Proust, who wrote Á la Recherche du Temps Perdu (translated as In Search of Lost Time or Remembrance of Things Past), a massive personal chronicle of society and manners in fin de siècle France.

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illustration by TIM LEE

So why had I never read Proust beyond the required reading of Swann’s Way in French class? I am a French historian, after all. At least I have degrees in it. So I ordered the boxed set in paperback from Amazon about a year ago and set to it. The mythology of reading Proust is no myth. Twelve million words spread over nearly 4,500 pages in seven volumes can seem a bit daunting at the outset. In How Proust Can Change Your Life, a small book of insights into such an experience, Alain de Botton points out that a single sentence – and the longest – measures 160 inches and can wrap around the base of a bottle of wine 17 times. Such facts as these are meant to impress friends – like you – of the readers of Proust – like me. Yes, of course, I read the translation by C. K. Scott Moncrieff, which in itself is an amazing work of literature. Moncrieff died in 1930 before he got to the final volume. You can feel his absence in Time Regained. It was he who named the translated work Remembrance of Things Past, by which most folks refer to it. A new biography of Moncrieff, Chasing Lost Time, has just been published. As I set out on my Proustian journey, my sensory overstimulation apparently radiated to all around me. The first instance was at a meeting of a committee to discuss the future of the Ackland Art Museum. I seated myself at lunch next to John Townsend of New York, North Carolina, and other places, a respected collector of modern and contemporary art. I had been dying to meet him for obvious reasons. As he was chatting with J. K. Brown about recent art fairs, he turned and asked what I did beyond art stuff. “I am reading Proust,” I remarked casually. “Wow. So am I,” he said. “I got the whole set on tape, the longest work on tape ever recorded.” (See how we are.) “Odette was by my side from Lumberton to Palm Beach.” We needed no further introduction. One volume or the other ever in hand as I traveled, I could feel the bemusement of my seatmates or the curiosity of checkin clerks. This winter while registering at a professional meeting in Mexico City, a colleague behind me could not help noticing Proust printed in big letters on my portable book. “You’re reading that,” she exclaimed, noting she had never gotten around to it. I affirmed meekly that I was nearly finished with the final volume. I stood there, happily absorbing her respect. Philippe Ardanaz, the consul general of France (up from the consulate in Atlanta) joined me for lunch recently with his cultural attaché, Alexandre Durand. As we discussed cooperation on cultural projects, the subject of Proust somehow arose (beats me). I noted that I heard the cultural services arm of the French

Embassy had opened the Albertine, a French bookstore, in their quarters on Fifth Avenue in New York. (Albertine is the unsuitable lover of Proust, over whom he obsesses for at least 2,000 pages.) I remarked about how cool that was. Our conversation and relationship moved to a new level. A few weeks ago I was in Wichita Falls, Texas, consulting with a small art museum on national accreditation. At dinner with the vice chancellor for finance of Midwestern State University, under which the museum operates, Dr. Marilyn Fowle asked what books I was reading that might be of interest to her book club. Yes, I did. You know I did. So what is Remembrance of Things Past about anyhow? Well, it is about French society at the end of the 19th century, which means that it is about, among other colorful things, loose women – and men – in an era of great moral breadth. Homosexuality and lesbianism are analyzed deeply, especially in Sodom and Gomorrah, Vol. IV. Courtesans of the salons are among the work’s great characters, Mme. Swann (Odette), par exemple. There is Count Charlus, a high noble who thrives on the low life and who moves from elevator boys to gifted musicians to eventually an S&M brothel he establishes for his own debasement. There are great female characters – Albertine, of course; Odette; the Duchesse de Guermantes; and countless lesser noblesse and bourgeois divas of the salon world. Wild and compelling? Yes. One moves among conversations about anticlericalism and republicanism; the Dreyfus Affair, which outed the anti-Semitic bias of upper French society; and the political divisions and vicissitudes of governing in the Third Republic. Such were the times. And Proust’s observations on the habits of Parisian society and his recounting the gossip of the time are riveting. But most of all one swims in the head of Proust as he brings obsession to the level of fine art. Albertine, Gilberte, Count Charlus, Robert de St. Loup, Odette, his grandmother, mother, and madeleines – all merit multi-page paragraphs. His deep analysis of the nature of art – its true measures, its relationship to science – is as profound as his examination of the roles of memory, reflection, and spirit in art-making. But most of all, his language is art: art so beautiful and poetic that even in its protraction, one is left breathless and longing for more. Marcel Proust possessed a huge intelligence combined with an unrivalled patience in unpeeling the layers of life as he and those around him lived it. After nearly a year, I finished Remembrance of Things Past, longing for more but remembering, like Proust, how lovely was the dance.

As I set out on my Proustian journey, my sensory overstimulation apparently radiated to all around me.

AUGUST 2015 | 105

Gigs

THE WORK never gets old photographs by JILL KNIGHT

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by BETH BROWNE

Sam Johnson has been fixing sewing machines for as long as he can remember. At 90, he’s worked in the same South Raleigh location for more than 50 years. He learned the business from his father, Archie, who started selling sewing machines in 1910, before Sam was born. Sam’s had sewing machines in his blood ever since. When an Archie Johnson & Sons customer asks why Sam didn’t give her an estimate on her repair, Sam’s daughter Mary sighs and says, “He just went ahead and fixed it. It’s what he does for fun.” The fun started for Sam when he was a boy riding around the countryside with his father selling sewing machines. They would drive until they saw smoke coming out of a chimney. Archie, Sam’s dad, would pull over to the side of the road, peer over at the house and say, “That house looks sewingmachiney.” Together they’d make their way past the tobacco or cotton fields up to the house. If the family already owned a sewing machine, Archie would offer to work on it or see if they needed a newer, fancier machine, which he kept in the back of the car. Archie was more of a salesman then a repair guy. “A pair of pliers and a screwdriver was about all he had,” says Sam. If the household sewing machine needed repair, Archie would send Sam out in the yard to rub metal parts in the sandy soil to get the rust off. Otherwise, Sam stood by his dad’s side and watched every move. Sometimes, the two would be invited to stay for supper. When Sam was about 12, Archie brought home a broken sewing machine motor that “even the radio man couldn’t fix.” Sam took it apart on the dining room table, discovered the trouble and made the repairs. When he got it reassembled, he used a car battery to start it and it roared to life with a vroom. Archie heard the sound from upstairs and came running down, shouting with excitement, amazed at his son’s ability.

AUGUST 2015 | 107

Building the business Sam probably would have followed his father right into the business after high school, but the war intervened. In 1943, Sam graduated from high school and the next day went to Ft. Bragg for basic training. He trained as a bombardier and a gunner for the Army Air Corps, but he never saw active duty. After the war, Sam enrolled at N.C. State on the GI Bill and earned a degree in mechanical engineering. Then he got a job in Tennessee at the Southern Dairies ice cream plant, maintaining and repairing machinery. Sam liked the job all right, but he missed his parents and his 11 siblings. Apparently, they missed him too. He got frequent letters from his father saying, “Looking for you to come home any day now.” “So,” Sam says, “we loaded up the old Dodge and came to Raleigh.” With a wife and an infant son, he needed work. So he took the back seat out of a 1936 Dodge he bought for $125 and started going door-to-door, selling and repairing sewing machines. Before long, he realized he could make as much in one day fixing sewing machines as he made in a whole week at the dairy back in Tennessee. In 1950, Sam built a little cinderblock building as his sewing machine shop next to his father’s house on a dirt road called

108 | WALTER

Rhamkatte Road. Sam jokes that it was only paved so the mayor could get to the golf course more easily. A few years later, both the lake and the road were re-named for Mayor Fred B. Wheeler, who had been one of Sam’s professors at N.C. State. Eventually, Sam built a house for his own family behind the sewing machine shop, right next door to Archie’s house. Sam did all the wiring and the plumbing himself. In 1985, a customer came in who was desperate for a sewing machine that could make ruffles for curtains. She had just started a curtain-making business and had an order too large to fill. At that time, the only ruffling machines available were for commercial use and too expensive for a small businessperson. Always up for a challenge, Sam got down to work and modified a machine to make ruffles. It worked so well he applied for a patent, which he received in 1986. He has been making the Johnson Ruffling Machine ever since. At first, Sam had his machines manufactured in Taiwan, but eventually the company moved operations to China. The quality quickly went downhill. Sometimes a machine would arrive in Raleigh with loose screws. Sam found himself checking – and sometimes even repairing – every machine that arrived from China before he was willing to sell it.

Nowadays, Sam’s son, Sam Jr., 62, custom-makes each machine by modifying high-quality used Japanese machines. Because the modifications are time-consuming, the Johnson Ruffling Machine costs a little more than it used to. But it has many devoted customers. There are currently 70 people on a waiting list for a new Johnson Ruffling Machine. Sam Jr. says he’s simply not able to keep up with the demand. In addition to building new ruffling machines, Sam Jr. repairs machines, even occasionally making “house calls” to work on machines at schools and at department stores that still do alterations. Like his father, Sam Jr. bemoans the lack of manufacturing in the U.S. today. He says sewing machine manufacturers no longer care whether the machines work or not. “They’re difficult to work on, fragile, and complicated at the same time.” The new machines, he says, are often not worth fixing. Sam Sr.’s daughter, Mary, works out front in the shop and does the books. Her son, Justin, is learning the ropes, which makes for four generations in the family business. Justin worked as a graphic designer and in a variety of trades before returning to Archie Johnson & Sons. “I figured out that there’s way more money here,” he says. Justin admits that it can be a struggle sometimes, working with the family, but he says he loves it and wants to keep the business going. Mary says they’ll keep the shop open as long as her daddy keeps on fixing machines. She says he especially likes it when a machine he’s never worked on comes into the shop, although it’s hard to find a model he hasn’t worked on before. He loves the challenge of figuring out what’s wrong with a machine and fixing it. Sometimes he has to make a new part; it never gets old. When a customer comes in with a broken machine, Mary fills out a ticket with its information, and Sam sits down to fix it almost before the customer is out the door. His 90-year-old fingers, agile as ever, have the machine apart within minutes. “Here’s the trouble,” he says one recent morning, with a tableful of parts before him. “Somebody tried to adjust it and really messed things up.” His concentration is complete. Mary has to nudge him more than once to get him to go out to the house and eat some lunch. In his soft Southern drawl, with just a hint of apology, he says, “It keeps me entertained, working on machines.”

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GIVERS

HELPING HORSES

Therapy in the saddle

photographs by JULI LEONARD

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by TODD COHEN

For people with physical, mental, and emotional disabilities, the simple tasks that are second nature to most can be a struggle. At a special program in Raleigh, horses help people with disabilities to develop balance, coordination, and self-confidence. “The students have to deal with so many limitations in their daily life,” says Mary Spears, president and rider coordinator for the Helping Horse Therapeutic Riding Program. “They work so hard just to learn what they need to do to sit on the horse and do the things we take for granted. They are very inspiring. Everything is such a challenge. They work hard and they get a lot of joy.” AUGUST 2015 | 111

Founded in 1989 by a small group of Wake County horse lovers, the all-volunteer nonprofit serves up to 40 students who range in age from 4 to senior citizen in a 30-week session that runs from September through May. Each one-hour lesson requires a lot more than horsepower: In addition to a volunteer instructor, there’s also an assistant instructor, a volunteer to lead every student-ridden horse, and two more volunteers to walk along either side of every horse. Once enrolled in the program, students typically return every year. Some begin as children and continue into adulthood. Spears, 63, is a native of Cincinnati. She began volunteering for Helping Horse in 2001 as a horse leader and sidewalker. She lives nears Falls Lake with her husband, Jeff Spears, medical affairs director for hematology at Grifols. They have five children, ages 26 to 37, and eight grandchildren.

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How do you match students and horses?

We work with each student on … what skills they need. We have nine horses. They are donated. They have to be a certain personality and be able to tolerate being pulled on and given directions that are not necessarily what they’re used to. Many of our students are very mobile on the horse – a lot of movement and noise. Horses have to be able to be very calm under unusual circumstances. Most of our horses are older. They’ve been trail-ridden. When we get them, they have a trial period of 60 to 90 days to make sure we want to keep them with the program.

What kinds of results do you see?

It is difficult to quantify because every child is so different. We can see obvious things. We’ve had a student we were told was nonverbal (who was able) after a few years (to) spell words and speak. We’ve had students who have been with us from the beginning – who started out quite young and are young adults now.

How big is your campus?

We have 13 acres: a barn, a riding arena, and access to trails on adjoining property – private land we are allowed to use.

OBSTETRICS

GY N E C O LO GY

INFERTILITY

You have no paid staff?

We are 100 percent volunteers. We have at least 100 volunteers. We have a full-time volunteer horse caretaker who lives on the premises. Every night we need 15 to 20 volunteers and instructors on top of that. Our board is a working board. We have instructors on the board, maintenance people on the board. Everyone on the board gets their hands dirty in the program. We are always looking for volunteers. They’ll see amazing things. I’m also an assistant instructor. I do whatever needs to be done.

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How do students find you?

They often do a web search. They’ll look for “therapeutic riding” and Helping Horse will come up. We’ve had pediatricians refer them, neurologists, groups like the Down Syndrome Society and Autism Society. And word of mouth.

How do you finance your operation?

Our annual budget is about $50,000. We have grants and fundraising, and we do charge tuition. Tuition is $35 a class, or $1,050 for a 30-class session. Tuition covers about half our budget. Everything goes toward maintaining the horses and facilities. We are hoping to start doing events. We have an annual Christmas wreath sale that nets $2,000 to $3,000.

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How did you get involved with Helping Horse?

I was looking for a way to get involved with the community. I found a volunteer opportunity in the newspaper. It seemed like a perfect fit. It had horses and it had a special way to help the special needs community.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to be a vet. I loved animals. I was always trying to bring home critters. I did start out in school working toward a biology degree with that intention, but I ended up switching to medical technology.

If you could fix a social problem, what would it be? I would get more funding for mental health issues. There’s a lot of mentally ill people hurting very badly.

What motivates you each day to do something to give back? I just have been so blessed. I want to be able to give to other people, and maybe be a blessing to them.

What is your philosophy of life?

Try to find joy every day and help others find joy in their life.

For more information, call Helping Horse at 919-435-4487 or visit helpinghorse.org.

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just one

Plant

GLAD

for my purple prince

G by TONY AVENT

GROWING UP IN NORTH CAROLINA, IT’S NOT UNCOMMON TO see gladiolus growing along country roads through older rural communities. For that reason, I could never reconcile why all the gladiolus I ordered from mail-order catalogs never lived through the winter. Was my thumb really that black?

It wasn’t until I visited Holland in 2004 and toured a commercial gladiolus breeder that I had a gladiolus a-ha moment. As we walked the fields, admiring the amazing gladiolus, I inquired how many of them had good winter hardiness. To my surprise, the breeder replied: None. He went on to explain that he and his colleagues breed gladiolus so they won’t survive the winter. I was taken aback by the answer, and asked him how many daffodils he would sell if none were winter hardy? This prompted a rather curious look, as if that thought had never occurred to him. Incredulous at my discovery, I returned home and resumed my search for winter-hardy glads. As I researched gladiolus breeding, I learned that almost all gladiolus hybridized and introduced before the early 1960s were perfectly winter hardy in our climate. Some time after then, gladiolus became annuals. So I began collecting what are known as heirloom glads – plants with a heritage of 50 to 100 years. Some of the plants I have since acquired and grown are indeed great garden specimens, although those bred specifically as cut flowers aren’t particularly sturdy when fully open in the garden unless they’re staked. I found one of my favorites on a trip to England nearly a decade ago. I was visiting my friend Bob Brown’s nursery, Cotswold Garden Flowers, which is always a favorite stop for exceptional new and interesting plants. I had my wagon nearly full when I spied a dormant pot with a tag: Gladiolus illustration by IPPY PATTERSON

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“Purple Prince.” Into the cart it went to be inspected for its journey back to N.C. The new acquisition was planted along with other gladiolus in our trial garden, and when it came into flower the following June, I was smitten. The spikes that open in early June are composed of large dark purple flowers and put on an incredible show. For us, Purple Prince is an amazing garden specimen, which, if you’re so inclined, yields several vases of flowers each year. Almost ten years went by before I was able to finally track down its origin. It seems that Purple Prince is a recently bred hybrid by Hermien Challa, a small independent Dutch breeder. Because most of the large Dutch growers don’t want their gladiolus to be winter hardy, it’s no wonder that virtually none of Challa’s hybrids appear in the mainstream bulb catalogs. But we’ll continue to grow and tout the virtue of this great gladiolus! Better go now … it’s time to cut some Purple Prince for Anita.

Verse

by Lenard D. Moore

A CIRCLE OF HANDS for Terrance Hayes and Yona Harvey

After midnight, the sky pulls itself down to drought-burned slopes. I have forgotten my feet ache. Thrilled with the full house, the harmonica whining blues in the far corner: a couple hugged up in an armchair; husband blowing blue notes back on himself. The wife reads Mosquito & Ant, brown fingers peeling pages. I am inside the card game, the harmonica, the bent-back book, but do not know how I got here. I do not know how to leave. Cards slap the table, breath makes the harmonica speak of the dreadlocked woman, of the spine-snapped book, of the rain that does not fall.

AUGUST 2015 | 115

Coldwell Banker Howard Perry and Walston CEO Eb Moore, Eb’s daughter, company founder and chairman Don Walston.

Coldwell Banker Howard Perry and Walston real estate agents and representatives

BEACH MUSIC SHINDIG

Liza Roberts, Denise Walker

Coldwell Banker Howard Perry and Walston and WALTER together enjoyed a festive evening at the North Hills Beach Music series May 21. Under a VIP tent, Howard Perry and Walston and WALTER folks rocked to the tunes of the Band of Oz and enjoyed cocktails and a buffet.

Gary Clark, Kim Yontosh

Brokers EmmaCarol Lewis, Larry Peele

Martha Heath, Cristina Hurley, Denise Walker

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Brokers Sandra Leonard and John Wheeler

Katie Lennon, Brittany Wheeler, Alexa Saleeby

Courtesy Coldwell Banker Howard Perry & Walston

Gabrielle Wray, Kelly Decker, Teri Wray, Tania Moore

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ALLIANCE’S FARM TO TABLE

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Anthony Blackman, Steven Peedin, Beth Blackman, Debbie Peedin

Alliance Medical Ministry, a nonprofit clinic for working, uninsured adults, welcomed 300 people to a family-style dinner prepared by Irregardless Cafe on May 21. The meal used vegetables from Alliance’s Community Garden and the Well-Fed Garden, and raised more than $150,000.

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Dr. Margaret Douglas, Kari Stoltz

Megg Rader, Debbie Laughery

Neill Frantz, Ella Frantz

MEYMANDI CONCERT HALL, RALEIGH

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To celebrate their seven years in business and a new, larger location, Studio 123 partnered with The Boys & Girls Club for a Grand Reopening Party on June 5. Countless interior design goodies were raffled off and all funds raised went straight to the Boys & Girls Club Summer Camp Initiative.

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During the ’70s and ’80s, the Raleigh Underground was a tour stop for some of the world’s top musicians, including R.E.M., the Ramones, Sonic Youth, the Police, and the Connells. Now, the space is officially set for renovation and closed to the public. But on May 16, the iconic Cameron Village Subway was brought to life one last time with live music from Crush, a spring runway show, and old-school arcade games to benefit BackPack Buddies and Inter-Faith Food Shuttle.

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EVENING OF HOPE GALA

The Lung Cancer Initiative of North Carolina held the Evening of Hope Lung Cancer Gala April 18 at Brier Creek Country Club, presented by UNC Healthcare and REX Healthcare. Actress and comedian Kim Coles, auctions, dancing, and more entertained 250 guests to benefit the initiative’s research, awareness, education, and access to the program across the state.

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North Carolina business and community leaders attended the North Carolina Symphony’s Friends of Note: Celebrate Learning Through Music fundraising luncheon on May 5 at the Pavilion at the Angus Barn. The annual luncheon is dedicated to celebrating and raising funds for the North Carolina Symphony’s education program.

Sharon Whitley, Kristi Tally

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Kay Schoellhorn, Anna Donegan, Betty Leydon, Bill Hamlin Susan Safran, Steve McLaurin

Carol Bilbro, Nnenna Freelon, Bob Bilbro

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A PRIVATE PARTY WITH NNENNA FREELON

Nnenna Freelon, a world-renowned jazz singer, composer, producer, and a six-time Grammy nominee, performed at a private party on May 19 at the home of Bill Hamlin to support Community Music School. In its 20th year, CMS is a nonprofit providing free music lessons, instruments, and instruction to economically challenged Wake County children. An original oil painting by local Eric McRay was auctioned off, too.

Lionel Vatinet, Daniel Benjamin

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Lionel Vatinet, owner of La Farm Bakery in Cary, hosted local chefs, food artisans, and other guests to his home on June 14 to celebrate the wheat harvest. Proceeds supported Asheville-based miller Carolina Ground.

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The North Carolina Museum of History Associates was founded in 1975. In celebration of its 40th anniversary, the annual Spring Frolic gala honored a special group of people – all 38 past Associates board chairs. Associates past and present convened at Carolina Country Club on May 2 to celebrate the milestone and their shared beloved Museum of History.

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CITY OF OAKS AND HOPE GALA

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The annual City of Oaks and Hope Gala was held on May 13 at Babylon Restaurant to benefit patients and families affected by ALS in North Carolina. This year’s Honorees were Chris Rosati and Larry Stogner from ABC TV 11, who both received the Oaks and Hope Humanitarian Award for their work. Cocktails, dinner, dancing, and speakers from UNC and Duke University’s ALS centers made for a memorable event.

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ROCKIN’ TERIORS GRAND OPENING

Eco-friendly stone fabrication company Rockin’ Teriors celebrated the grand opening of its new showroom in Cary on April 22. More than 300 guests paid tribute to Earth Day, toured the Rockin’ Teriors design gallery, and enjoyed local, organic hors d’oeuvres and local craft beer and wine.

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Dress for Success Triangle and The Barbara and Jim Goodmon family hosted the inaugural Success Suits Her “fun”raiser April 23. More than 350 guests enjoyed live music, food, drinks, and live auctions at Quintiles in Durham. Dress for Success Triangle serves to lift women out of poverty one job at a time.

Cottie Barber-Williams, Neill Frantz, Rion Holland

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BEE BALL

The 7th Annual Bee Ball was held at Southland Ballroom on May 16. Proceeds benefitted The Beehive Collective, a local giving circle that awards grants to nonprofits working to make Raleigh a better place. The group has chosen immigrant rights as its 2015 giving theme. One organization will receive a charitable grant of more than $25,000 at the end of this year to support immigrant rights in Raleigh.

Heather Yandow

Sidecar Social Club

Anthony Casaletto, Melissa Richardson

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SUBMISSIONS FOR THE WHIRL

To submit your party for consideration, please complete the form at waltermagazine.com/submit-photos.

124 | WALTER

Abby Nardo

Adam Eckhardt

Cailin Williams, Laura Hulsey

Andre Leon Gray, Charman Driver, Daniel Chavis

Joseph Rafferty, Jon Sack, Aaron Zalonis

ARTHOUSE

Lynne Ross, Ron Ross, Cole Bagwell

CAM Raleigh celebrated its fourth year in the Warehouse District May 8 with Arthouse 2015, the museum’s signature fundraising event. Friends and community leaders gathered to enjoy dazzling food by Cheetie Kumar of Garland Restaurant, cocktails, music, and the opportunity to bid on a collection of art. All proceeds benefitted CAM’s exhibitions and education programs.

Hunter (student docent), Mollie Earls

FASHION SHOW Nora and Nicky’s owner Cathy Brooks and 90 Degree Design hosted a fashion show to benefit the Jamie Kirk Hahn Foundation on May 15. Lucette Grace, Capital Club 16, and Empire Eats provided snacks and Karim El-Raddaf of Aladdin’s donated wine. Local artists Jillian Ohl, Auf Dem Essen and Phoenix Workshop donated art and jewelry for auction.

Orage Quarles III, David McCullough, Linda Quarles

David McCullough, Frank Daniels, Julia Daniels

Carolyn Sloan, David McCullough, Temple Sloan

OAKWOOD DINNER Louis Cherry and Marsha Gordon hosted a dinner on May 17 at their modernist home in Oakwood to benefit the work of the Jamie Kirk Hahn Foundation. Chef Scott Crawford prepared a variety of dishes for a crowd of over 50 attendees. Wine was provided by Wine Authorities.

Rosalee McCullough, David McCullough, Smedes York

RAISING HOPE GALA

Lolita Foster, Senator Tamara Barringer Deborah Underwood Brown, Jessica Crawford Marsha Gordon, Scott Crawford

Nation Hahn, Van Nolintha, Christopher John Curatolo, Hayes Twisdale

126 | WALTER

DAVID MCCULLOUGH The N.C. Museum of History Foundation and the News & Observer presented An Evening with David McCullough on May 21 at Fletcher Opera Theater at Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts. The Pulitzer Prize-winning author spoke about his newest book, New York Times best seller The Wright Brothers.

The Hope Center at Pullen, a nonprofit organization that works with young people aging out of foster care in Wake County, hosted its annual dinner on May 14. Donations from the evening will help support young people in their transition to adulthood by helping them find the education, employment, housing, and physical and mental health resources they need.

Antowan Pickett, Kim Herrington, Lisa Cauley, Warren Ludwig, Stacy Bluth

aAngela Jones (Fashion Show); N.C. Museum of History (David McCullough); Jennifer Noble Kelly (Oakwood Dinner); William Moore (Raising Hope)

John Drescher

Becky Sidden Tish Lipski, Michelle Huddleston, JenHunt, MelissaVerdeery Meghan Johnson, Liz Johnson

Andrew Coleman

UNVEILING EVENT

On May 27th, the Western Wake Woman’s Club, formerly called Cary Juniors, hosted its unveiling event and fundraiser at the RTP Frontier. The club’s name change reflects an evolution to serving communities beyond Cary. Liz Johnson, Mayor Pro Tem of Morrisville, and Denise Wilke, Council Member of Apex, were on hand to congratulate the newly renamed Western Wake Woman’s Club. Snacks and suds were provided by Triangle Wine Company, Bombshell Beer Company, and Catering By Design. Barb Sawyer, Gay Warren, Stephanie Wallace

The WALTER Scribo

The answers to the following clues are in this issue! Happy reading. ACROSS

3. Tony Avent’s latest plant is a grateful one 5. For Sam Johnson, fixing these never gets old 6. They are the neon tank top in a world of Ralph Lauren cocktails. Mr. Upchurch doesn’t care. 8. This lofty item is the finishing touch at its new downtown home 10. Dogs are the guests of honor at this baseball bonanza 11. Thai chicken legs get juicy thanks to this local brew 13. Dean McCord recommends you order this Mexican treat at the BP station on Capital Boulevard 14. NCMA director Larry Wheeler got his fill of madeleines reading the works of this author 15. Photographer Christer Berg shot him covered in mud

DOWN

1. No Captain Morgan for the savvy drinkers at this quarterly get-together 2. This amazing contraption is the size of an upsidedown lawn mower 4. No hemp or potato sacks at this ecofashion show 7. Yoga and beer are both on tap at this RTP destination 9. On your way to Lake Gaston, stop in Ridgeway to stock up on these fruity orbs 12. Money manager Andrew Silton turned these into a new career

Mark Coleman, Gay Warren, Roubina Coleman

at the

TABLE

> Continued from p. 89

THE HOT SICILIAN AT SIDE STREET RESTAURANT There isn’t really a classic deli sandwich on this list, but the Hot Sicilian from Side Street Restaurant might be the closest thing to it. Smoked ham, smoked turkey, Thousand Island dressing and slaw, on a squishy white sub roll, all warmed through, is what makes up the Hot Sicilian. Or should we just call it the Hot Mess, as the slaw and dressing make for a wet, messy, but utterly fantastic sandwich? Owner Mary Lu Wooten, who bought Side Street in 1979, knows that the sandwich’s name is a bit of a misnomer. “It really has nothing to do with Sicily,” she admits, but the recipe came with the restaurant when she bought it. “It’s a sopping sandwich,” she says. And you’ll want to sop up every last bit. $6.75; 225 N. Bloodworth St.; 919-828-4927

SALTY CHIPWICH ICE CREAM SANDWICH AT BITTERSWEET A sandwich is a meal, self-contained. But every meal should end on a sweet note, and there’s a sandwich for that, too. Bittersweet’s Salty Chipwich Ice Cream Sandwich is not just a couple of cookies smashed around some ice cream. The cookies are sea salt chocolate chip – the type you’d expect from a great bakery. The filling is a rich vanilla ice cream. But the truly inspired component is the coating: bourbon caramel corn. Put them together and you end up with a sandwich that is salty and crunchy and sweet and soft, a perfect conflux of tastes and textures. The sandwich was created in a late-night craze, when some customers with the munchies ordered a number of Bittersweet’s dessert offerings and combined them, with the bourbon caramel corn on top. Owner Kim Hammer realized that this combination worked in some bizarre fashion. “I first tried to focus on this as a sundae, but then realized that this was a perfect match for an ice cream sandwich. After making a trial sample the next day, I had my bartenders try it; and they were initially silent, but then they said, ‘What the hell is this? It’s amazing!’” Bittersweet’s ice cream sandwich takes 3 days to make, and it’s available only Wednesday through Saturday, or until they run out, which means you shouldn’t wait until the weekend. $8; 16 E. Martin St.; 919-977-3829; bittersweetraleigh.com

128 | WALTER

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seen in RALEIGH

STEEPLE RAISING As one of the hottest Junes on record came to a close, a steeple for the newly-built Holy Trinity Anglican Church arrived from a Virginia workshop to its new Peace Street home. Over the course of three hot and muggy days, workers and a crane joined forces to assemble and raise the 69-foot structure, the biggest its makers have ever built. Onlookers came and went, finding refuge from the heat under umbrellas and on the lawn of nearby William Peace University. Finally, after a dramatic electric storm late in the afternoon of June 26, the spire and cross were placed as the moon rose in the sky. photographs by ROBERT WILLETT

130 | WALTER

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WALTER Magazine - August 2015

Articles inside

Just one plant

Letter from the art world

Gigs