WALTER Magazine- August 2020

AUGUST 2020

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RICKY MOORE SPICES UP SEAFOOD

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AN ODE TO BASEBALL CARTOONIST JACK PITTMAN ESCAPE TO OCRACOKE SPECTACULAR SUMMER SANGRIA

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OF RALEIGH

OF DURHAM

DEPARTMENTS

Volume VIII, Issue 10

Brad Ipock (SWIMMER); Bert VanderVeen (HOUSE)

AUGUST 2020

64

32

OUR TOWN

IN EVERY ISSUE

26

OUTDOORSY ESCAPES

16

Letter from WALTER

28

GIVERS: All Good Pairing volunteers with opportunities

20

Contributors

21

Your Feedback

32

GIGS: A Life Aquatic A photographer finds a new angle

22

Happening Now

91

The Whirl

36

LOCALS: That’s Not Funny!

Renowned cartoonist Jack Pittman

98

End Note: Right on ‘Cue

38

CULTURE: Resistance & Renewal Plywood murals around town become symbols of change

42

DRINK: Harvest Moon Make STIR’s summery sangria

44

NOTED: Escape to Ocracoke CC Parker discovers she’s a dingbatter

On the cover: Chef Ricky Moore serves up clams with sausage and pickled okra; photography by Chris Charles

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80 46

FISH FARE Chef Ricky Moore cooks at home

by Addie Ladner photography by Chris Charles

54

SURF & SEA The spirit of Topsail Beach, in photos

by Ayn-Monique Klahre additional reporting by Cady Smith and Emily Clemente photography by Bob Karp

64

CALIFORNIA DREAMING A Cary garden with a West coast feel

by Ayn-Monique Klahre photography by Bert VanderVeen

74

THE PEOPLE’S POTTER Liz Kelly’s clay creations

by Addie Ladner photography by Taylor McDonald

80

FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME Missing the Durham Bulls

by Will Lingo photography by Bob Karp

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74

Bob Karp (DURHAM BULLS NEW BAT DOG RIPKEN); Taylor McDonald (MUGS)

FEATURES

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Apex Location 123 North Salem Street 919.363.6990

Raleigh Location 6616 Fleetwood Drive Appointment Only

carolinacustomkitchen.com

LETTER FROM WALTER

Above: Artist Lyudmila Tomova interprets our July cover for plywood panels at Reliable Jewelry & Loan, one of many murals that sprang up in the city in June (pg. 38).

Left: Chef Ricky Moore and assistant editor Addie Ladner during the photo shoot at his home (pg. 46).

W

e’re finding ourselves at home more than usual these days— and for many of us, that’s just where we want to be. Despite the circumstances, it’s a comforting place, one that can grow and change to absorb our experiences, too.

It was a quote from Saltbox Seafood Joint chef Ricky Moore that struck me: “Your culinary DNA stays with you no matter what. You never leave that… But along the way, you’ve collected tools.”

Moore is a proud advocate for North Carolina seafood, but his recipes are infused with flavors he learned working in kitchens across Europe, Asia and the Middle East (pg. 46). Potter Liz Kelly traveled the world, too, before moving back to be with the community of makers she missed here in Raleigh (pg. 74).

Amber Smith’s months driving around the States for volunteer work inspired her to create a nonprofit here (pg. 28). And Tom Mello drove across the country with

the key elements for his new home—plumeria, bougainvillea and agave, among others—to transform it into a tropical paradise (pg. 64). Home is where the heart is, and home is what you make it.

That said, a little escape from home can do the soul some good. CC Parker describes how an adventure in Ocracoke uncovered her “batty” persona (pg. 44).

In his photo essay, Bob Karp captures the spirit of Surf City (pg. 54), and outdoor enthusiasts name the places they venture toward for some serenity (pg. 26).

Whether it’s in your own backyard with a glass of strawberry sangria (pg.

42) or returning from someplace a little farther-flung, I hope this month finds you rediscovering the joys of home.

Ayn-Monique Klahre Editor

VOLUME VIII, ISSUE 10

EDITORIAL

PUBLISHING

Editor AYN-MONIQUE KLAHRE

President ROBYN TOMLIN

Creative Director LAURA PETRIDES WALL

Advertising Sales Manager JULIE NICKENS

Assistant Editor ADDIE LADNER

Senior Account Executive & Operations CRISTINA HURLEY

WALTER is available by paid subscriptions for $25 a year in the United States, as well as select rack and advertiser locations throughout the Triangle. Subscribe online at waltermagazine.com/subscribe

Editorial Assistant KATHERINE POOLE

WALTER Events KAIT GORMAN

For customer service inquiries, please email us at customerservice@waltermagazine.com or call 919-836-5613.

Contributing Writers

Advertising Coordinator ROBIN KENNEDY

Address all correspondence to: WALTER Magazine, 421 Fayetteville St., Suite 104 Raleigh, NC 27601

FINN COHEN, CATHERINE CURRIN, JOEL HAAS, MELISSA HOWSAM, WILL LINGO, COLONY LITTLE, CC PARKER, JENN RICE

Contributing Illustrator JILLIAN OHL

Contributing Photographers WHITNEY ATKINS, RYAN BEVELL, CHRIS CHARLES, BOB IPOCK, BOB KARP, TAYLOR MCDONALD, FORREST MASON, GUS SAMARCO, BERT VANDERVEEN

Interns VIRGINIA CAVINESS, EMILY CLEMENTE, SARAH HOOPER, CADY SMITH

Circulation JERRY RITTER BRIAN HINTON

AUGUST 2020 Published 10 times a year by The News & Observer Publishing Co. A McClatchy Company

WALTER does not accept unsolicited manuscripts.

Please contact Ayn-Monique Klahre at ayn-monique@waltermagazine.com for freelance guidelines. © The News & Observer. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the express written consent of the copyright owner.

CONTRIBUTORS

COLONY LITTLE / WR I T ER Colony Little is a Raleigh-based freelance writer and the creator of Culture Shock Art, a site dedicated to the synergies between art, music and design. Little started her site while living in California, writing about the street art she encountered on her commute to downtown Los Angeles. Its spontaneity captured the pulse of a city with a sense of immediacy. “Writing about the plywood murals that were created in response to the Movement for Black Lives was special to me.

As our community continues to heal and create paths toward restorative justice, we look to art to help us process the emotional weight of these historic times.”

BOB KARP / TAYLOR MCDONALD / P HOTO G R A P HE R Taylor McDonald grew up in Raleigh. She graduated from The Savannah College of Art and Design in 2015 with a BFA in Photography.

After school, she moved back to the Triangle to start her own business.

In her free time, she loves shooting personal projects with her film camera. “Liz Kelly’s pottery work offers more than a beautiful place to nourish. Each cup, plate, bowl, seems to tell a story. Her work is modern, yet also links the viewer to the past. It’s amazing to watch how effortlessly she molds earth into art.”

P HOTOGR A PH ER Bob Karp moved to Cary from New Jersey after a 30-year career as a photo editor, staff photographer and multimedia producer for the Gannett NJ Press Media group. He lives here with his wife, Claudia, and dog, Bodhi. Karp’s always felt at home at the shore, so in discovering the beauty of Topsail Island, he thinks he’s found his new muse.

Shooting the Surf City feature was a dream come true. “I was a Jersey Shore and Cape Cod lifer before moving south and discovering the shores of Topsail Island. After I learned its correct pronunciation— and gained an obsession with shark tooth hunting—it’s become one of my favorite places on the planet.”

Courtesy contributors

WILL LINGO / W R I TE R Will Lingo grew up in Goldsboro (home of Wilber’s Barbecue) and has spent large swaths of his life thinking about barbecue or baseball—or both. He went to school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and purchased the sign off the front of iconic Allen & Son Barbecue when it shut down in 2018. He worked at Baseball America magazine in Durham for more than 20 years, serving as editor in chief and later publisher. He is now a partner in Helium Agency, a sports marketing agency based in Durham. While spending most of his working life in Durham, he has lived in Raleigh for more than 25 years, with his wife and two children, and at last count, two dogs.

AUGUST 2020

YOUR FEEDBACK We love seeing our community enjoying WALTER! Tag us in a photo with your issue of the magazine with #wearewalter and you just might find yourself on our pages!

Artivist Carly Jones with her piece.

“What a beautiful, thoughtful story on our local flower industry in the July issue! Seeing our work featured within the context of a larger movement reminds us why it matters to keep on growing and making beautiful things, even in the face of uncertainty.”

—Nikelle Orellana-Reyes and Hannah Ross Clarke, @wyldeflowers

FINE AND FUN VINTAGE SELECTIONS FOR YOUR HOME

Royale staffers Connor Tourtellot, Roxy Garza and Jeff Seizer.

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www.thefabfoo.com • 919-621-1771 Follow us on Instagram and Facebook @thefabfoo

Happening

all month Leonardo Drew's City in the Grass at NCMA

Float this idea: Frog Hollow Outdoors offers a variety of paddling trips, guide services and programs for individuals and groups to enjoy the many lakes and rivers in the Triangle area. They have implemented reduced group sizes and other COVID-19 procedures to ensure a safe and fun experience. Sign up online for a variety of paddling trips including: Self Guided Neuse River Trip, Paddle Under the Stars, Kids Kayak Class and Family Night Paddle.

See website for dates, pricing and registration; froghollowoutdoors.com

all month

EXHIBITS AT NCMA

W

e strive to provide WALTER readers a well-rounded selection of cultural experiences to fill their social calendars—even as we slowly navigate safely getting back to what we enjoy most: the arts, sports, dining, nightlife, outreach, social engagement and the great outdoors. While many events and activities have been canceled or postponed, there is still much Happening Now. Gathered here are a few ways to enjoy what our community has to offer both in-person and virtually.

This is what we know as of publication, but since things are rapidly evolving, please check the individual websites provided for the most current information. We also continue to update a calendar of events online. Check it out at waltermagazine.com.

22| WALTER

Two new exhibits are slated to open in August at the North Carolina Museum of Art. Leonardo Drew: Making Chaos Legible features the contemporary artist’s diverse body of work. Drew uses materials such as wood, cotton, canvas, paper and steel to create gravity-defying sculptures that explode in their spaces. Be sure to visit his outdoor sculpture, City in the Grass—an abstract cityscape and a colorful flying carpet—in the Ann and Jim Goodnight Museum Park Ellipse Lawn. Also scheduled to open is Good as Gold, Fashioning Senegalese Women, the first major exhibition of gold jewelry from Senegal. The exhibit presents the history of Senegal’s gold and the unique ways Senegalese women use it in fashion and ornamentation.

See website for latest on exhibit openings; 2110 Blue Ridge Road; ncartmuseum.org

Chana Lynn @whatsupraleigh (NCMA); Getty Images (PADDLE); Leonardo Drew (Number 67S)

PADDLE TRIP

Wednesdays MOORE SQUARE MARKET

More and Moore: Enjoy a late afternoon stroll through the Moore Square Market every Wednesday. Shop local produce, baked goods and other specialty items.

Pick up dinner or a gift from a downtown restaurant or shop. The market has implemented many health and safety practices, including pre-order and curbside pick-up, one-way shopping and hand sanitizing stations.

6 - 9 p.m.; 226 E. Martin St.; downtownraleigh.org/farmers-market-1/ moore-square-market

Wednesdays

YOGA AT DIX PARK

Strike a pose and Get Fit at Dix—Yoga in the Park. Enjoy the tranquil setting of Dorothea Dix Park every Wednesday evening as instructor Dana Lindquist leads a group—all fitness levels are welcome— through a series of poses to increase strength and flexibility. Come the first and third Wednesday for Gentle Flow Yoga or the second and fourth for Yin Yoga (meditative, deep stretch). Register in advance online and don’t forget to bring a yoga mat, towel, water bottle and all the oms.

6:15 p.m.; free; 2105 Umstead Dr.; facebook. com (keywords: Get Fit at Dix)

5,12 & 19 MUSIC IN YOUR GARDEN

Duke Performances presents Music in Your Gardens, an online concert series featuring nationally renowned artists who have ties to Durham and the surrounding area.

Tune in to their YouTube page for specially recorded performances by Americana artist Kamara Thomas August 5, R&B collective Young Bull August 12 and country music artist Rissi Palmer August 19. Performances will be accompanied by a live YouTube chat with the artist.

7 p.m.; free; dukeperformances.duke.edu/ event-category/music-in-your-gardens/

Getty Images

Happening Now

Getty Images

AUGUST

6DIVAS

Life is virtually a cabaret. Raleigh Little Theatre’s annual fundraising event, Divas!, is going online. Tune in to the RLT Divas! Facebook page to watch eight of the area’s finest singers belt out a torch song with plenty of glitz and glam. Vote for your favorite diva via a donation to Raleigh Little Theatre. No ego here: Divas! has raised over $400,000 to support accessible theatre and education.

7:30 p.m.; free; raleighlittletheatre.org/ events/divas/

18-28 10 DAYS OF 15-29 SUNFLOWER FESTIVAL

Here comes the sun. Hill Ridge Farms is hosting its first-ever Sunflower Festival August 15 - 29. Head over to the farm to celebrate with food trucks, local artists, craft vendors and sunny selfie opportunities.

See website for festival hours and details; from $13; 703 Tarboro Road, Youngsville; hillridgefarms.com

SUMMER SALUTE

North State Bank’s traditional Summer Salute fundraiser for Transitions LifeCare— a hospice and pallative care facility in Wake County—is going virtual in 2020. Now through August 17, purchase a Summer Fun Raffle ticket. The winner will be selected August 18 and has a choice of prizes that include an E-Z-Go Golf Cart and diamond earrings. Tickets can be purchased at summersalute.com or at a North State Bank location. After the drawing, join in the fun of bidding in the Summer Salute Online Auction featuring an array of items to entice and excite.

For full details, visit summersalute.com

O Our

I find peace and serenity anywhere I can get out from under a roof—hiking out near Boone, fishing on Jordan Lake or even just cloud-watching from a picnic blanket with my kids in the yard.”

—Eva Shockey Brent

When I'm looking to escape into nature, Falls Lake is the most peaceful local spot I’ve found. There are plentiful trails so everyone has space. Every visit is refreshing!”

—Jordan M. Foreman Arborist

CEO of the Eva Shockey Lifestyle Brand

Carl Alwin Schenck Forest is where I start a lot of my trail runs. It has great trails, some hidden, unique wildlife and feeds into the back of Umstead State Park. We are so lucky to have a park where you can get completely lost in nature in our backyard! ” —Alex Warren Owner of Runologie

26 | WALTER 26 | WALTER

Fortunately, the Triangle has plenty of space to roam! My nearby favorite is the Loblolly Trail inside William B. Umstead State Park. It meanders by creeks, ponds and an abundance of nature.”

—Chuck Millsaps Minister of Culture, Great Outdoor Provision Co.

There’s nothing like the Appalachian balds. These grassy mountaintops are ecologically unique to our area and offer wide-ranging views, rare and endangered plant species, and even ripe berries for the picking. Two of my favorites are Max Patch and Craggy Garden.

Both are accessible via short hikes— though once you arrive at the tops, you feel worlds away. ” —Tina Currin Blue Ridge Parkway park ranger

I love the Walnut Creek Wetland Park. The center has designated areas for wildlife, green spaces and more!

They also offer on-site rentals for you to stay and enjoy the park.”

—Lauren D. Pharr Ornithologist and science writer

Joshua Steadman (JORDAN LAKE); Geoff Wood (SHOCKEY); Mike Keaveney (FOREMAN); Workshop Media (MILLSAPS); J. Cutt Photography (WARREN); courtesy Tina Currin; courtesy Lauren

Ah, sweet escape! We asked outdoor enthusiasts where they go to Zen out near Raleigh. —Melissa Howsam

Courtesy Activate Good

GIVERS

ALL GOOD An organization connects volunteers with nonprofits

by CATHERINE CURRIN

A

mber Smith has always felt called to do more.

While she was in college at North Carolina State University, she’d volunteer with all sorts of causes.

“Everything from marketing to combat youth homelessness to serving meals at the men’s shelter,” she says. “Any kind of volunteering you could think of.”

Smith felt so compelled to do good, in fact, that she paused her schooling after her sophomore year to do it full-time. She enlisted her best friend from high school, Heather Leah, who quit her job, and the two dreamed up how they could amplify

28 | WALTER

their impact in their own community and beyond. In the fall of 2004, the pair traveled on their own for two and a half months to 20 states to volunteer and “do some good.” “We stayed with friends, family and even some strangers along the way,” says Smith. “We traveled until we went completely broke.”

The duo made it back to Raleigh, but continued to be inspired by what they saw on their road trip. “Everywhere we volunteered, the folks working at the nonprofits had emphasized the huge value of people giving their time and talents. Many nonprofits are constantly strapped for resources and they

rely on volunteers to make an impact,” says Smith. She would ask people she met on their travels, “Why do you or don’t you volunteer?” She found that almost everyone felt called to give back, but for the ones who didn’t manage to, the answer was often, “I want to, but I don’t know where to start.” “We realized everyday people crave making a difference,” she says.

So Smith and Leah decided to work to create the missing piece of the puzzle: bridging the gap between organizations in need of volunteers and community members who were looking for an opportunity to give back.

“We found that the needs are so overwhelming, it’s mind-boggling,” Smith says.

“It’s hard to identify what the needs are.”

One of the biggest hurdles for many people was not knowing how to look for a cause they’d be passionate about volunteering for. “We wanted to launch a nonprofit that would connect people to a cause where they could make an impact.”

The two founded Activate Good in 2005 as a way to do just that. Here’s how it works: nonprofit organizations opt in to Activate Good as a community partner, and potential volunteers

can search its extensive database for opportunities (say, sorting clothing at Note in the Pocket to working in the garden at InterFaith Food Shuttle). On its website, you can browse by skill set or interest to find the right opportunity. This matchmaking process emphasizes high-impact projects where people can best use their specific time and talents. Activate Good believes there’s something for everyone. That includes options for individuals, families with kids and even large groups.

Thomas Hogshead, the volunteer coordinator at Healing Transitions, has worked with Activate Good to coordinate an annual day of service for September 11.

Through their program, a team of ten toured the campus off Lake Wheeler Road, had lunch with participants and mulched the garden on the Healing Transitions grounds. This single day of service has been a success annually for Activate Good since 2012, and this year Smith plans to expand it to an entire month of service. “There’s no one-size-fits-all opportunity for someone to volunteer or donate,” says Smith. “We really excel at bringing people together, no matter the background. We’re improv-

“We really excel at bringing people together, no matter the background.

We’re improving the community together.”

— Amber Smith

Courtesy Activate Good

Volunteers participate in the 2019 9/11 Day of Service

ing the community together.”

Note in the Pocket’s executive director Dallas Bonavita has been working with Activate Good since 2013. “True story, the first volunteer who found us through AG is still actively volunteering with us after seven years and is an important part of our organizational family,” says Bonavita. “We have established long-term relationships with so many amazing people who found us this same way.

“They are master connectors!” Maggie Kane, executive director of pay-what-you-can café A Place at the Table, agrees: “Through AG, we have found some incredible volunteers that are a major part of our mission every day. I could not recommend them more.”

Leah left the nonprofit in 2006 to pursue a career in broadcast journalism; Smith continues to serve as the executive director (she eventually completed her undergraduate degree and earned a master’s degree in nonprofit management, as well). Smith works alongside six staff members in Dock 1053’s Loading Dock space. She credits much of the growth at Activate Good to a growing use of technology and advancements to streamline the process. She says the website was just the beginning of the community Activate Good was creating. “We realized when you’re trying to inspire people to get involved in the community, a website is a tool to facilitate, but it doesn’t build community,” Smith says. That’s why in March, Smith launched The Good Hub, a pop-up pilot of a community space, located off of Oberlin Road.

Due to COVID-19, the space closed a week after opening; Smith hopes to relaunch in the near future with workshops, a kid’s zone and more. But the core of Activate Good’s mission remained the same—and kept working. “We pivoted very fast when COVID hit. We had to adapt to figure out how people could volunteer remotely from home and how we could continue to get volunteers who were healthy and comfortable to meet urgent, in-person needs,” says Smith. One example: Activate Good partnered with Wake County Public Schools to configure over 10,000 WiFi hotspots to aid in digital learning. “Wake County didn’t have the people power to get them configured quickly—it would’ve taken a couple of months,” says Smith.

“We recruited over 200 volunteers in a socially-distanced environment and configured the hotspots in just four days.”

Today, you can find opportunities like virtual grant -writing or creating school packets for kids who need extra help over the summer. Smith says that she saw early on how impactful these remote opportunities were during the pandemic. “People needed something in the chaos. We saw that volunteering was giving people an opportunity to use time to make someone else’s life better. It helped them get through the day, too.”

Smith believes that we all have a responsibility to work to improve the world, and that most everyone will want to be a part of it. “When you can tell the story of the impact being made, you are hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t want to help the community.”

GIGS

A LIFE AQUATIC Photographer Brad Ipock finds a new angle on high school swimmers

by FINN COHEN photography by BRAD IPOCK

A

ll through high school, Shaw Satterfield rose at 4:40 a.m. for a 90-minute swim practice, then went straight to Green Hope High School in Cary. After classes, it was back into the pool for another two to three hours before returning home for 32 | WALTER

dinner and then homework. Rise, stroke, read, stroke, repeat.

This fall, Satterfield is heading to Ohio State University, where he’ll join the school’s elite program after winning 1st place this year in North Carolina’s 4A 100-meter freestyle and 2nd in the 50-meter. For his senior pictures, his

mother, Beth, made what she felt like was the most appropriate choice: underwater shots of Shaw in action.

“It's a huge commitment to be an elite swimmer,” says Beth Satterfield. “But you don't truly appreciate what an art it is until you see the pictures.”

The Satterfields turned to Brad Ipock,

Opposite page: Shaw Satterfield enters the water. This page: Julia Wrenn exits out of a flip turn.

a Zebulon-based photographer. Ipock’s been a professional photographer for more than 20 years, but he found his true calling—underwater portraiture— a few years ago, when his children joined a summer swim league.

“I’d take them to practice and just kind of sit there, so I decided to see if I could make it a little more fun for me,” he says. He’d already been shooting swim meets from outside the water, but what if he could shoot from under the surface? Getting into the pool offered a new set of challenges—and opportunity.

“It became, how do I get the right light on the water to be able to freeze these motions and those movements and get the swimmers still, so to speak, underwater?”

Ipock’s images capture the unseen aspects of the sport. From the deck, most of the action in swimming is obscured by splashing and the visual refractions of water. But by shooting from below or

to the side of the athletes, Ipock cuts out the distractions—and illuminates the grace and power that goes into the craft.

“It’s not just a stroke; there’s a kick and there’s breathing, and it’s that whole experience,” says Lisa Honaker, whose daughter Olivia used Ipock for her senior pictures last fall at Panther Creek High School in Cary. “It’s still photography, but there is so much movement in the photograph itself.”

Ipock uses a camera with waterproof housings and various lenses, plus studio strobes on the decks outside the pool to light up the water. For a guy who is 6'2", staying underwater long enough to get the shot is a challenge in itself. No scuba gear or weights, he just positions himself holding on to a lane line, then releases enough air to sink to the bottom and get his shots in. It takes under 15 seconds.

Ipock generally has to repeat this process multiple times—beyond capturing different strokes the swimmer is skilled at,

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Brad Ipock captures swimmer Josiah Beasley on the starting blocks.

say, butterfly and backstroke, he’ll need to get different angles on each one.

“Standing on the bottom of a 12foot pool? That’ll get your heart rate up a little bit,” Ipock says, laughing. “I’m really specific with my swimmers to let me get under, count to three. Swim at a moderate pace, and once you get past me you can quit swimming, because you’ve moved out of my lens.”

In mid-June, Ipock had his first underwater shoot in about two months; the COVID-19 shutdown took a large bite out of his business. It was also his first attempt at recording video of swimmers, which he thinks will be even more popular than the still photography. Even if it isn’t, he’s already found a niche that keeps him and his clients happy.

“It’s so unique and such a different view of the swimmer,” he says. “I enjoy allowing these kids and their parents to see what they’ve done for ten years from a completely different perspective.”

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LOCALS

that’s not FUNNY! Jack Pittman makes a living as a cartoonist through talent and persistence

by JOEL HAAS photography by WHITNEY ATKINS

Y

ou’ve probably seen his work—but it’s likely you don’t know his name. One of the most successful cartoonists in America and abroad has been working in Raleigh for almost 40 years, but he doesn’t have a comic strip or a licensed superhero. Instead, Jack Pittman has built his international reputation as an outstanding commercial cartoonist.

People of (ahem) a certain age will remember “Draw Me” ads on match-

36 | WALTER

book covers and in the backs of comic books and magazines. The Art Instruction School, a correspondence school, promised a grand prize of a five-year-long monthly cartoon course with all materials for their annual contest.

Pittman won the grand prize.

The mail-order company never expected he would last the whole course—but they didn’t know Jack.

Pittman received his Art Graduation Certificate by mail in 1974, the same

week he graduated summa cum laude from North Carolina State University with a degree in Environmental Architecture.

Three months later, Pittman quit his first and only architecture job. “The most boring job in the world,” he says. He wanted to make his living drawing and selling cartoons.

But Pittman encountered a problem: nobody bought his cartoons. He kept the post office busy for months, sending

out cartoons every week on expensive, illustrator’s cardboard. Just as regularly, the self-addressed envelopes came back rejected. His only freelance jobs were drawings for company flyers and paintings for billboards.

Finally, that November, Pittman took his portfolio to The News & Observer. The paper didn’t really need anybody to draw full-time. But they did need somebody to airbrush bridal photos and risqué movie ads. “I was traumatized,” Pittman recalls.

“I airbrushed away so many belly buttons that I almost never draw them on my characters.”

Married by this point and with a growing family, Pittman settled into a routine: he’d work at the paper, come home to his wife and three small children, and draw more cartoons late into the night to mail out. Businesses needing clever advertising cartoons began to buy his work. After eight years at The News & Observer, Pittman had enough outside business to try freelancing a second time.

Twelve years later, in 1995, he won his first of three Reuben Awards (an annual recognition from the National Cartoonist Society) in the advertising division.

He won again in 1998, and the third time in 2004, in the magazine illustration division.

The ceremonies were a chance to connect with other cartoonists. “I was awestruck after my second Reuben when Peanuts creator Charles Schulz asked me to brunch,” says Pittman. MAD magazine artist Jack Davis presented him with his second Reuben, and MAD cartoonist Sergio Aragonés presented the third. Pittman says the highest compliment he ever got, though, was when MAD editor Nick Meglin told him, “If you’d only been born 10 years earlier, you could have been one of the original ‘Usual Gang of Idiots’ rather than a later addition.” After winning the Reubens, art directors knew Pittman’s name and sought him out.

Today, Pittman says, “I’ve been in the business so long that the old art directors who knew me have retired and the new ones are rediscovering me.” And new projects have opened up, too: a few years ago, he was discovered by owners of amusement and water parks; now he has a constant stream of requests to draw comical cartoon maps.

One local account Pittman has kept up with is horticulturalist Tony Avent of Plant Delights in southern Wake County.

The two of them get together to lampoon politics and culture for the front of Avent’s plant catalog.

Pittman passed on the art talent gene to his children: one is an expert in 3D computer modeling, another does general illustration work and has an online cartoon strip (Jaywalkin’ On the Wild Side), and the third has a master’s degree in library science and paints as a hobby.

“When they were small, I’d draw the cartoon, ink in the black lines and then photocopy it so they could each color it in,” says Pittman.

“Talent, though,” he warns, “is a wasted gift without discipline.” He advises budding cartoonists to “practice, practice, practice learning the fundamentals, and be persistent and consistent when others around you tell you you're being impractical or unrealistic.”

When not drawing, Pittman might be found teaching Adult Bible Study at Forest Hills Baptist Church, or playing drums in a local band. Recently, he became a doting grandfather to his daughter’s baby son. He and his high school sweetheart, Carol, now live in their hometown of Sanford, though Pittman maintains a part-time studio in Raleigh.

By now, nearly all the magazines that rejected his submissions 40 years ago have published Pittman’s work. “The rewards of persistence paid off!”

AUGUST 2020 | 37

CULTURE

Artist Laura Pfaff painting a mural at Skyhouse.

RESISTANCE & RENEWAL Plywood murals become symbols for a social movement

by COLONY LITTLE photography by GUS SAMARCO

T

his summer, downtown Raleigh buildings were awash in a sea of color.

The artistic expressions were as diverse as the artists who created them. Portraits placed in conversation with text-based works mingled with punchy graphics and wildstyle graffiti. Quiet memorials communed with thought-provoking quotes. A dimensional floral installation contrasted with bold paint strokes and the softer

38 | WALTER

touch of sidewalk chalk. The murals that bloomed throughout the city captured the spirit and energy of a movement.

Though the plywood murals became a living art exhibit, their origins were fraught: through May and June, following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, North Carolina residents took to the streets in Black Lives Matter marches. The first peaceful protest was eclipsed by a group of vandals that damaged storefronts of businesses surrounding Fayetteville

Above: Artist Katelyn Richelle used a poem by Dinos Christianopoulos on the windows of The Zen Succulent; artist Johvone Smith paints outside of City Market Barber & Style Shop.

Above: Dare Coulter painted murals at Raleigh Raw; Lyudmila Tomova braves rainy weather to paint plywood at Reliable Loan & Jewelry; Artist Ashley Jane Georgia (on ladder), along with (from left to right) Kim Bonilla, Nadia Abdelkhalek and Alex Gurule Berengut, paints plywood at coffee shop 42 & Lawrence.

Street, many of which had just reopened after the onset of the coronavirus. The next morning, cleanup efforts brought the community together, patching broken windows with plywood.

And in the wake of the destruction, these barricades became blank canvases, platforms for artists to share memorials, manifestos and calls to action.

40 | WALTER

At The Zen Succulent, artist Katelyn Richelle worked closely with business owner Megan G. Cain to tie together the store’s operations with a protest refrain evolved from a poem

by Dinos Christianopoulos: They tried to bury us, they didn’t know we were seeds. Brilliant cacti pop against a marigold background—but under the ground, the names of unarmed Black

people killed in recent years are written on just-as-brilliant seeds, a hopeful gesture of healing, resilience and renewal. The dichotomy is intentional: “I have a lot of rage, and the broken windows reflect more of my current emotions than the paint on the boards,” says Richelle. “I hope that people see the agony, trauma and hurt underneath the beauty."

Artist Dare Coulter transformed Raleigh Raw’s entrance with a reimagined preamble to the Constitution: We the People are in Peril. Her text-driven piece incorporates a quote from writer Audre Lorde, messages affirming the business’s support of Black lives and a protester carrying a sign that asks, What Side of History Will You Be On? The words are intentionally provocative. “It’s not about what’s comfortable and what feels good,” says Coulter, “it’s about what needs to be said.”

An early pair of murals painted by artists Joe Giampino (known as SPCLGST) and Nick Osetek at City Market were commissioned by owner/chef Jeff Seizer of Royale. In theirs, bold letters proclaim Love and Light and Black Lives Matter in oversize letters. The murals force us to reckon with the realities of our present. “They encourage us to use our voices and urge us to move forward toward progress,” says Seizer.

Seizer later worked with the Raleigh Murals Project and VAE Raleigh to raise funds for additional murals through an effort called the Public Art Response. With guidance from an ad hoc advisory committee of arts leaders from Anchorlight Gallery + Studios, St. Augustine’s University, the Black on Black Project and Raleigh Arts Council representatives, the Public Art Response connected artists and building owners to bring 25 more murals to life throughout downtown and Glenwood Avenue, with still more commissioned independently.

Jedidiah Gant of the Raleigh Murals Project underscores that their initiative was not designed to be a beautification effort, but an opportunity to amplify the voices of Black and POC artists and express the community’s struggles with systemic racism, equality and justice. “It's not about making the city pretty,” says Gant, “that’s not how you make progress.”

And that’s just what these murals do: they refocus our attention away from the vandalism, reorienting our gaze back to the root causes of protest and unrest. “If the public art that comes from this can get people to understand that sometimes the values that you held on to were not the right ones, or that the things you know to be true are not the correct things, then it's a good starting point for understanding and listening when people tell you that this is important,” says Coulter.

As downtown businesses rebuild and recover, the murals aid the healing—and, many hope, will both create more permanent, inclusive forms of artistic expression throughout the city and lead to civic action. Plans are already underway to preserve the murals once businesses are able to fix the storefronts. “I am excited for the murals to be exhibited again,” says Brandon Cordrey, director of VAE Raleigh, “to remind us of what I hope will be a moment of revolutionary change—a time when we truly made progress towards racial justice.”

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From left to right: Designed For Joy co-founders Kristen Sydow and Cary Heise

HARVEST MOON Strained seasonal fruit and extra-special ice inform STIR's twist on sangria

by JENN RICE photography by FORREST MASON 42 | WALTER

Zach Stamey (ICE HARVEST)

DRINK

S

angria is the ultimate party trick: pour a bottle of red wine in a pitcher, toss in some fruit, bubbly water and sugar, and welcome a most refreshing libation.

The red-hued wine punch is best sipped alongside friends at sunset, preferably on an outdoor patio.

And STIR’s Strawberry Moon sangria is a refined, sophisticated version of the summer punch that is, quite frankly, hard to resist.

One glance reveals this isn't the sangria you may be used to throwing back: there are no boozy chunks of oranges and apples lingering at the bottom of the glass. In fact, from a distance, it looks like a simple glass of red wine—proof that looks can be deceiving. But a sip confirms that this drink is more than wine; it’s a party punch full of flavor and effervescence, thanks to a few unlikely ingredients not often found in the popular wine punch. “It is bright, refreshing and fruit-forward,” says STIR’s bar manager, Che Ramos.

The North Hills restaurant swaps the go-to fruits and inexpensive wine with perfectly polished Luxardo Maraschino Cherry Liqueur, macerated strawberries and rose water for a subtle floral touch— but not overdone. “Fresh ingredients help,” says Ramos. “Using only the brightest strawberries, freshly squeezed lemon juice and a splash of soda helps makes this sangria a light, refreshing drink to have during the summertime.” Pickers Vodka, from Tennessee, and a quality cabernet sauvignon also play key roles in the drink’s upscale taste. It all comes together in harmony for a standout glass of sangria.

Ramos reports selling 20 glasses or more of Strawberry Moon Sangria daily.

(Note: these stats are during a pandemic—it would likely be triple or more on a typical mid-August afternoon.) The drink gets poured over STIR’s famous ice.

The ice cubes, precisely 1x1-inch squares, custom cut during one of STIR’s “ice

harvest” days, look more like gemstones.

Robert Werk, chief operating officer of SquareOne Holding Company, the restaurant group behind STIR, stresses the importance of getting just the right ice when making craft cocktails. “You can’t skip the ice,” he says. And it's an ingredient worth as much consideration as all the others: impurities in water or lingering flavors in bad freezer ice can ruin a noteworthy cocktail.

The aforementioned ice harvest happens two to three times a week, where a dedicated STIR employee uses a bandsaw to intricately cut multiple shapes and sizes of ice from a large, 300-pound block.

It’s mesmerizing to watch the shiny ice baubles come to life, dropping onto a tray, one by one.

STIR recently started serving the Strawberry Moon sangria on draft, alongside several other popular cocktails.

Think of it as having a favorite libation on speed dial, ready to be poured into a wine glass for consumption. The nitrogen in the system enhances and further brightens flavors, while a revolver continuously mixes ingredients to ensure every sip is equally delicious.

The best way to enjoy Strawberry Moon Sangria is, no doubt, at a corner patio table while people-watching—but you can take a queue from STIR to recreate it at home. In that case, Ramos says, regular draft cubes (the kind you get from a tray, not a dispenser), fresh from the freezer, are mandatory. “The important thing is to keep it nice and cold,” he says, noting that a bigger cube equals a slower melt, allowing the flavors to continue to shine instead of watering down the cocktail. Refrigerate the sangria and ensure it’s chilled and shaken well prior to serving over ice. As for straining fruit, Ramos says it’s a classier way to serve it up so you won’t have to worry about navigating around pesky bits and pieces.

Dress up the rim with a garnish of lemon and strawberry, and indulge.

Opposite page (clockwise from top left): Strawberry Moon Sangria; Bar manager Che Ramos; patrons socially distance at the bar; STIR's ice harvest.

STIR’S STRAWBERRY MOON SANGRIA Ingredients: 4 ounces cabernet sauvignon ½ ounce fresh lemon juice Dash rose water ½ ounce Luxardo Maraschino Cherry Liqueur 1 ounce macerated strawberries ½ ounce vodka Splash soda water Lemon wheel and strawberry, for garnish Directions: To macerate the strawberries: Place berries in a container and sprinkle generously with sugar. Alternatively, soak the berries in vodka.

Puree or muddle the berries to release their juices, then combine with the remaining ingredients in a shaker. Top with ice.

Stir and shake. For a sangria free of fruit pulp, strain.

Pour over ice, then add a splash of soda water. Garnish with lemon wheel and strawberry.

AUGUST 2020 | 43

NOTED

Escape to Ocracoke CC Parker takes a trip to the sturdy island and discovers that she’s a dingbatter illustrations by JILLIAN OHL

L

ast spring, in need of an escape from the capital city, my husband and I headed to the coast.

A quick adventure to reframe and reboot. To relax.

Maybe I was too relaxed. After just an hour on the island, I found myself lurching down the Irvin Garrish Highway on a bicycle, immersed in a sea of souped-up golf carts, bicycles and pickup trucks— and I was cycling in everyone’s way.

My husband was no help. Mr. Perfect was speeding two blocks away, with no hands on the handlebars. I don’t know bike hand-signals. “Am I to ride with or against the traffic?” I called. “Who has the right of way?”

I was a dingbatter.

According to the Ocracoke Current, ‘dingbatter’ is the local term meaning, roughly, ‘tourist.’ As in: if you ask the cashier at the Community Store where to catch the ferry that goes from here to Ocracoke, you’re a dingbatter. (Answer: you’re already there.)

Dingbatter or not, if you need a change, Ocracoke is a great spot. Black-

44 | WALTER

beard the Pirate, presumably weary from pillaging, took refuge on the tiny island circa 1718, as have countless people since the North Carolina Department of Transportation established a ferry service in 1950. Accessible only by boat or plane, Ocracoke is the sort of place I can imagine a person alighting and never leaving. Other-worldly, off the grid.

Our visit to Ocracoke included very little preliminary planning. We booked ferry tickets online, then booked the hotel online, too: The Castle Bed & Breakfast, because I liked the name. Dumb luck, as it was the perfect spot, affording us gorgeous views of Silver Lake from the rooftop deck, complimentary bicycles and homemade breakfast. (Fun fact: Sam Jones, the eccentric businessman who built the Castle as his home in the mid-1930s, buried his horse standing up at nearby Springer’s Point, so he could ride it in the afterlife.)

To help manage the daily arrival of dingbatters, Ocracoke established a tram through the village with stops at various businesses. I’m uncertain if this has had much effect, as people seem to be everywhere—milling through the cemeteries, cycling through the residents’ front yards. I couldn’t help but wonder how locals feel about wave-after-wave of strangers driving bikes like kamikaze pilots and asking the same questions over and over.

I confess, this dingbatter made many of the same mistakes.

Our first night there, I asked a new friend (a local) about hurricane preparations. He shrugged it off: “We have generators and the Ocracoke Variety and Hardware store never closes. It’s no big deal.” I asked about tsunamis and he looked bored. (When Hurricane Dorian asserted himself by passing over the island not once, but twice, the scrappy Ocracokers were pretty much back in business by the next season.) Finally, I leaned in and asked conspiratorially, “death to Spotswood?” to see if the rumored secret Ocracoke Blackbeard fan club existed. He rolled his eyes.

Our mornings began at the Ocracoke

Coffee Company, sipping brews in Adirondack chairs as the world passed by.

(We noted that there were more people sitting and watching than actually walking by.) Our days were punctuated by stopping somewhere for something to eat or drink on the way to the beach: SmacNally’s for beer and wine and fried jalapeno bottle caps. The porch at Zillie’s for beer and wine and chips and dips.

Eduardo’s for beer and wine and tacos.

Repeat.

One day, we hit the ground cycling, determined to visit all of Ocracoke’s hot spots quickly, so we could get down to the business of relaxing.

We checked off: THE OCRACOKE LIGHTHOUSE At a diminutive 75 feet tall, it’s presided over by the largest cat I have ever seen.

SPRINGER’S POINT NATURE PRESERVE A peaceful enclave where Blackbeard fought his final battle. (And where, more notably, we came across an empty rental house nearby with perfectly ripe figs in the yard. Thank you, strangers!)

THE BRITISH CEMETERY Where we learned that in May of 1942, four British soldiers washed up on the Ocracoke shore. Their boat had been torpedoed by the Nazis. These young men are honored here with an annual ceremony.

HOWARD STREET An iconic Ocracoke destination that’s actually a dirt road peppered with homes, cemeteries and a charming gift shop.

The beaches are beautiful. Windy. I chose to think of the slashing sand as free dermabrasion.

I was struck by the village’s strong sense of community. I picked up the Ocracoke Observer, which listed all of the village’s high school graduates, post-graduation plans and scholarships. There is a page for visitors with information about rip currents, basic

island rules (etiquette we should already know, but apparently don’t) and the ferry schedule. There was an article about the community theater, another about the annual Women’s Arm-Wrestling Tournament Fundraiser. The champ had deposed her best friend to win back the title: “I changed my technique this year but we’re still amazing friends.”

We browsed arts at The Village Craftsmen, literature at Books to be Red, decoys at The Downpoint Decoy Shop.

We ate well: mushroom cheesecake and grilled scallops with lemon beurre blanc sauce at The Flying Melon. Flounder tacos with basil aioli and Asada steak tacos at Eduardo’s. After dark, the Slushy Stand, where kids and adults alike swarm like moths to the flame.

And then it was time to go.

Bikes loaded, we rolled aboard the ferry. I wished we had a deck of playing cards (dingbatter mistake). Our captain gave a “toot” as we slipped out of the bay.

Re-frame, reboot, relax. Mission accomplished.

AUGUST 2020 | 45

46 | WALTER

Durham chef Ricky Moore celebrates North Carolina seafood with international touches

fish

FARE

by ADDIE LADNER photography by CHRIS CHARLES

“H

erbs are not just for color,” Ricky Moore says. “Use them like salt and pepper!” He stuffs fresh rosemary, thyme and parsley, along with copious salt and pepper, inside a Pink Porgy fish, then throws it under a broiler. As for the fish: it should be fresh, of course, whole is best, and, most importantly, it should be from North Carolina.

“Your culinary DNA stays with you no matter what. You never leave that. You’ll come right back to it,” says Moore. “But along the way, you’ve collected tools.” The Durham chef’s home kitchen smells of citrus, garlic and the Atlantic ocean. The contents of its shelves are filled with tools—enamelware, cast iron, ceramic Dutch ovens and filet knives he’s collected from all over the world.

Moore’s dedication to local seafood is at the forefront of everything he does, including his beloved fish joints, his cookbook and his UNC-TV mini-series. In recent years, he’s garnered national attention and become a face of North Carolina seafood. Then, there are the accolades: he’s been a James Beard finalist, was dubbed “Best Chef in the Triangle” by INDYWeek and had his restaurant, Saltbox Seafood Joint, named a “Best New Restaurant” by The News & Observer.

With our long stretch of coastline, the Atlantic spoils us with fish options, Moore says. “Just as Maryland has its crab cakes and South Carolina its shrimp and grits, AUGUST 2020 | 47

I want North Carolina to be known for its own seafood, not just whole hog BBQ,” he says. In addition to the wellknown fish like Mahi-Mahi, tuna, shrimp and flounder, our coast offers Spanish Mackerel, Red Drum, Bluefish and White Grunt. These lesser-known types of fish, when eaten fresh and prepared properly, can be just as satisfying. And you’ll find all of them fried, pan-seared or broiled at his establishments and his home.

A STUDENT OF THE SEAS Moore grew up in New Bern, exploring Carteret County and fishing for croaker and butterfish. While his love of Eastern North Carolina is infinite, from a young age, he wanted to explore the world. At 18, after high school, he enlisted in the military as a paratrooper and then became a military cook, where he learned the art of self-discipline and precision in the kitchen: how to feed crowds and the value of feeding soldiers wholesome meals. While stationed in Hawaii, he met his wife Norma—the granddaughter of a fisherman—and they now have two children, Hunter and Greyson.

After seven years in the military on both active duty and on reserve, Moore went on to the Culinary Institute of America. He remembers writing a paper on French country cooking, finding that the concept of duck confit, rendering the fat and storing it for later, was vaguely similar to how his grandmother made sausage. “I made those connections. Take coq au vin: the way the French would cook with wine, we cook with water or broth to stew meat, too.” Cultural differences among foods show themselves in ingredients and sometimes technique, but more often than not, the fundamentals are the same. “I’m a country boy that grew up in North Carolina. But as I moved forward and forged on with being a professional chef, I wanted to diversify my experiences. There’s a common thread in what we grew up eating and what someone else had,” he says. So after his culinary education, he sought culinary immersion: Moore traveled the world working in commercial kitchens, some Michelin-star rated, across Europe, Asia 48 | WALTER

and the Middle East, fascinated by how many similarities there were between these cuisines and the dishes he grew up eating. Food is universal and it unites us, he says. A three-week stay in Singapore eating street food like spiced chili crab and noodles from small wooden food stalls in open-air markets stuck with him. “Often the best food isn’t served in a restaurant. It’s on the streets. People can do one thing and it’s delicious and that’s all they’ve been doing for years and years,” he says. Moore appreciated the simplicity of mastering one good dish.

COMING HOME After settling down in the Triangle, Moore had trouble finding his wife a good fish sandwich. So he took a cue from Singapore—because if there was one thing he was a master of, it was fish.

Saltbox Seafood Joint opened in 2012 as an homage to the fish he grew up catching and eating, incorporating the ethnic food traditions Moore absorbed abroad and the attention to detail he learned as a professional chef.

Hushpuppies and oyster po-boys are reference points for Saltbox dishes, but only that. His trademarked Hush-Honeys are half hushpuppy, half zeppole (a fried Italian dessert), drizzled with spices and honey. Piled-high, perfectly-crispy N.C. fried oysters are the star of his oyster sandwich, but the bread, toasted in a seafood butter, is a close second, topped with a crunchy, lemony cabbage fennel slaw. “People often ask me if they can just buy the bread!” says Moore. It’s elevated, five-star food that’s a reference to Moore’s worldly curiosities, but also an homage to humble eastern N.C. fish.

It’s all served out of two basic rustic fish shacks, with a daily changing chalkboard menu based on what the tides bring in.

Lin Peterson, the owner of Raleigh based Locals Seafood, says Moore has opened locals’ palates to lesser-loved fish native to N.C. “We hear customers stop by and say, ‘I had dogfish at Ricky Moore’s place,’ who then want to cook it at home. You need a chef that embraces local seafood.” Moore is adamant about promoting the state’s fishing industry.

Chilled Peach & Cantaloupe Soup Serves 4 Ingredients 2 ripe cantaloupes peeled, deseeded and cut in o chunks int 4-5 medium-sized d ripe ripe pe peaches, peeled, pitted and cut into chunks 5 ounces of thick yogurt 6 ounces white grape juice Juice of 1 lime 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated Honey, to taste Salt, to taste Blackberries, strawberries and blueberries for garnish Method Using a food processor or blender, puree peaches, cantaloupe, yogurt, grape juice, lime and grated d ging nger eerr unt u il smooth and pour into a un large mix mixing ing bo bowl. wl.l w Cov overr the ov h bo bowll and nd d refrigerate for at least 2 hour our urss. ur s.

Bef efore se efo servi rvin ng, taste the soup. Add honey an and nd a pin nd in nch of salt as needed.

Stir soup Stir St up tho thoroughly th r one last time and ladle int nto nt o sh shal ha allow low bo bowls.

Garnis i h each a bo bowl wll wit w h berr erries ie .

Serve Ser vee imm m edi diate a ly. ate ly

AUGUST 2020 | 49

Succotash Salad Serves Ser ve 6 ves Ing Ingredients n redien reedien red ieeents 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 large sweet onion, chopped (about 1 cup) 12 ounces lima beans, cooked tender 12 ounces purple hull peas, cooked tender Kernels from 6 ears of corn (about 5 cups) 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved 1 cup cucumbers, small diced, peeled and seeded 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice ¼ cup (combined) parsley, chives, tarragon and dill Flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste Method In a medium saucepan, melt the butter.

Add the chopped onion and a small pinch of salt and cook, stirring over medium heat until translucent and tender, about 5 minutes.

Lower the heat, add the beans and corn and stir over medium-low heat for about 1 minute, until tender but still crisp.

Transfer cooked ingredients to a large bowl and toss with the tomatoes, cucumbers and lemon juice.

Let the mixture cool, then top with the herbs, salt and black pepper.

50 | WALTER

Summer Squash Gratin serves ves 8 Ingred redients ts 5 tablesp poon o s olive oil 2 medium oni onions on , tthin hinly ly sli slice ced ed 2 cloves gar arlic licc, min minc inced ed 1 ¼ pound undss toma und omattoes, toe cut ut in into to ¼-i ¼-inch nch slices ¾ poun ou d zuc zucc cch hini, cut ut in into to ¼-i ¼-inch nch slices ¾ poun poun ound d yellow y squash squ ash,, cut cut int in o ¼-in -inch ch sli sl slices 1 tabl tablesp espoon oon fr fresh esh th thym yme, chop hopped ped 1 tabl tablesp espoon oon fr fresh esh ro rosem emary ary,, chop pped 1 teas teaspoo poon n coarse sal saltt 1 ¼ cu cups ps fre fr shl hlyy grat grat ated ed par parmig migiiano o regg eggian ian no Freshl Fre shlyy cr cracked ked ed bl blac ack pepper to ta ack tas aste Method Heatt thee ove oven n to to 375 3755°.

5° In n a medi medi dium um ski skille llett, h hea eat 2 ta table blespo ble spoon spo ons of olive on live oil ovver medium heat. t Add th he onio oni ns and sauté uté t , sstir té tirrin tir ringg freq freq requen uently, until unt il lim il limp p and an gol golden go en n br brown own wn,, abou wn aboutt 20 20 minu inutes t .

(Re Reduc d e heat heat e to me ea mediu dium-l diu m-low m-l ow if the t y are bro brownwnn ning too qui in uickly kly.) .)

Add d th thee garllicc and d sa auté un until til so sofft ft and a fr fragrant,, 1 to to 2 minutes.

Spr prread th t e onio io onss and ga garl r c even rli nlyy in the bo bott ttom of an oi o led d 22-qua qua uarrt gra gratin dish. Lett cool.

While the he on onion ion n mixtu ture cools, place the toma omato o slices on n a sha shallo ll w plat llo la e to drai rain n for a few min inute nute utes, s, th s, then disc disccard ar thee coll coll ollect ect cted ed jui juice ces.. ces ce In a bowl bowl owl,, toss toss th t e zucc ucchin hinii and squ hin uash a sl slice icess ice with 1 ½ tables wit espoo oons ns of oli olive ve oil oil,, 2 table tableespo ta spoons ons of thyme and ½ tea teaspo spoon spo on of the th sa salt. lt.

Reserve half alf lf of th thee chee he see for th thee top of thee gratin. n..

To ass as emb emble lee the th gr grati atin: ati n: Spr Sprink inkkle 1 tabl a espoon of thy h me ove overr thee o ov oniions in th he dish. d Starting Starti ng at one en end d of o the he dis dish, h, layy a row off slightly ly ove overlappi pping tomato slicess acro ossss the th he width wid th of the he di d sh, then sprinkle le wi with cchee heese. hee Next, Nex t, lay lay a row of zucch hini ini,, over errlap lappin ping the topin matoes mat es by two-tthir hirds, ds, s an and d spri sprinkl priink nkle with cheese. nkl R eatt a row Rep Re r of sq squ uash, h, and th theen en repeat ro ows ws of tom tomato o, zucc ucchin hinii and and squ sq ash, sprinkl nklin ing ng ea each ch ch with cheeese, un wit u til il th t e dis i is full. ish ll.l.

Season lightly wit with h pepper epp pper e and th he rema maini ining ng ½ teas teaspoo p n of salt alt.

Driz e the rem Drizzl emain aining in ng 1 ½ tabl ablesp esp poon oonss of oliv ive oil overr the di dish. sh. Co Combi bine bi ne the h re reser ser erved ved ch chees ees ee with h the h remaining 1 tab tables espoo poon n of of thym thym me, the t n sp inkle over the who spr whole l dis le dish. di h.

Cook unti till well well-br -brown owned ed all over and th thee juic juices es have bubbled for a while and redu d ced d consid derably, 65 to 70 minutes.

Let co cool for f at least 15 minutes before serving.

AUGUST 2020 | 51

Whole Broiled N.C C. Red Porgy y Serves Ser Se v 2 ves Ingred Ing red ed dien ients ie ts 1 twotwowo-pou pound whole fish pound sh h, like ik Red Porg org gy, scaled sca sc led ed an and d gutted 6 tab ablespoons oli liv ive oil 1 large bulb lb b of ga arli rlic, halved rl ved ed 1 lemo mon mo n, hal alvved ved Handfu d l off fresh herb bs (suc such h as as ros roseemar ay ar and thyme me)) me 1 large onion, n, pee peeled pe led an a d cut cutt into int nto ½ in inch ch thiick sliices 4 to 5 st s icks off cele elery ryy Sea a sa s ltt, fresh sh hly ly cra lyra ackeed black lac ack pepp pper er and a garlic gar li powder lic po p owde w r Method Heat oven to 450°F. In a 2-inch baking pan, add 4 to 5 sticks of celery, some thick sliced onion, halved garlic and halved lemon.

Pour in some stock, making sure that the vegetables are not completely submerged.

Once you’re ready to cook, give your fish one final good rinse, then lightly pat it dry with paper towels.

Use a sharp knife to lightly score the top of the fish in diagonal lines, about 1 inch apart.

Brush the fish generously on both sides with the oil. Then brush the inner cavity with oil.

Slice half of the lemon into slices, and stuff those, as well as the garlic and herbs, into the cavity of the fish. Make sure that the garlic is completely tucked in and not exposed.

Season the outside of the fish generously with sea salt, black pepper and garlic powder.

Switch oven to broiler. Place the fish on top of the vegetables and broil on high for 18-20 minutes, or until the fish reaches an internal temperature of 145°F and flakes easily with a fork. (Cooking time will vary depending on the size/variety of your fish.)

Remove from the oven, and finish with fresh olive oil and squeeze of lemon juice.

Serve warm, and enjoy!

52 | WALTER

“Saltbox is seafood-centric to support N.C. fishermen and women, that’s the goal, that’s important,” says Moore.

TEACH A MAN TO (COOK) FISH Eventually, Moore felt like he wanted to deepen the connection between Saltbox’s patrons and the fish they were eating. The Saltbox Seafood Joint Cookbook was published last year. In it, Moore teaches you how to be a fish whisperer like him. “It’s not meant to be a glossy, image-filled cookbook that just sits on a coffee table,” he says. “It’s the fundamentals to get comfortable with cooking fresh seafood.” Inside, several pages of illustrations point out different fish species. Charts tell the readers the different types of cuts and what to ask your fishmonger, depending on the season.

And being both a veteran and Culinary Institute graduate, he reiterates the importance of the French cooking practice, mise en place, and outlines essential

equipment and homemade staples. But beyond being a guide, it’s a testament to the fact that fresh fish is quite simple to cook. For example, Moore shares a little secret for knowing when your whole fish is done: “It’s when the dorsal fin, the very back one, comes out easily.”

Inside the cookbook are Saltbox bestsellers, but also starter recipes like Stewed Clams and Country Sausage, Hickory Charcoal Mullet with BBQ Butter and Singapore-style Fish Collar Curry. Heat, acid, licorice, herbs, tang— these are all things that can pair with fish. “Flavor notes can come in many different forms,” he says.

On these pages, Moore has shared new recipes for a fish-forward summer spread at home. But don’t, he says, let these recipes intimidate you. “Keep it simple,” he says. “Fresh fish doesn’t need much to elevate the flavor of the sea that’s already there.”

Local Clam ms With Spiicy N.C. Sausage and Pickled d Okra Serves 2 Ingredien ents ts 2 dozen n N.C. clams ¾ pound of spicy N.C. air dried sausage, sliced into coins 7 ounces clam juice 5 large garlic cloves, shaved s or thinly sliced 1 medium onion, diceed 8 ounces celery, diced d Splash of white wine Bunch of parsley Knob of butter Olive oil 12 spears of pickled okra, o cut lengthwise (For Chef Ricky’s Pick kled Okra recipe, visit our website) Salt and fresh ground d pepper to taste Met e hod In a heavy bottomed pot p or skillet with high sides, drizzle in some olive o oil and cook the sausage on medium hiigh heat. Cook until you see no more pink, then n remove from the pan and set aside.

In the same skillet, drizzle a little more olive oil into the pan then add in the garlic, onions and celery and sauté until soft but not caramelized.

Add the clams, tossingg them a few times into the ga g rlic and onions.

Add th thee whit hitee wine to deglaze and let it cook dow own n a co coupl up e off minu m nu utes, tossing the clams.

Add th thee saus sa age ag backk in, i along with the okra, stirringg unt sti ntil il we well distrributed, then cover the pan an so s th thee clam amss can can steam s in the liquid and open ope n up up gently. g ly.

Whe clam When ams have ve al alll opened o up, stir in a knob of but butter ter an and d chop chopped ped d parsley for garnish, maybe may be a quic quickk driz drizzle zle of olive oil, too.

If a clam didn’t open when w the rest did, discard.

Serve immediately.

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A

bout two hours from Raleigh lies a 26-mile stretch where waves meet the shore. It’s here, on Topsail Island, where photographer Bob Karp and his wife, Claudia, find serenity. “We just love exploring new places,” he says.

Topsail Island—and Surf City, in particular—reminds Karp of summers on Cape Cod, and his wife of her native Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. “We’re both beach people,” Karp says. “All we need is a coffee shop and a pizza place, and we’re set.”

Their routine is simple: rise at sunset for a walk on the beach with the dog, return to watch the waves a little later.

“I love being up early, being the first one out,” says Karp. “There’s something magical about a brand new day, brand new everything. The sun’s coming up— what am I going to do?” Karp, naturally, has cameras in hand, and the early light sings across the water.

Karp, a relative newcomer to North Carolina (he and his wife moved to Cary in 2019), said one of his favorite aspects of Topsail Beach is the shark tooth hunting. “This was a surprise, and brand new for us,” says Karp. “I’ve always been a big fossil fan, so as soon as we heard that they have shark teeth on the beach, we were very excited—these teeth were in the mouth of a giant shark a million years ago!” And sure enough, toward the end of their first trip, they found their first one. “My wife just reached down and pulled out this beautiful, perfect little tooth.” After that, Karp admits, they got a little obsessed. “I’d get up to walk the dog at sunrise with my flashlight and look for teeth,” he says. They soon figured out a system: scan the shells for something black, shiny and triangular.

“My wife finds the big ones, I find the little ones,” says Karp.

The relatively uncrowded beaches of Topsail create an opportunity for both solitude and connection. Surfers and fisherman, dog-walkers and beachcombers filter past each other in easy harmony. Karp captured these moments and shared a few of them with us.

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From pre-dawn still to glittering sunset, moments of serenity on Topsail Island

Surf&

SEA

by AYN-MONIQUE KLAHRE

additional reporting by EMILY CLEMENTE and CADY SMITH

photography by BOB KARP

BREAKING WAVES Surfers hit the waves at dawn in Surf City. “This is where I’m going to be in retirement,” says photographer Bob Karp, who’s tried surfing once. “I was really good, until a wave smashed the board into my face— but I plan to take it up again.”

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SHELL SEEKING Beachgoers take photos of the sunrise at Topsail Beach.

Opposite page: Bits of shells along the shore. Karp’s secret to finding shark teeth: “When you’re looking at zillions of shells, first look for black and shiny, then for the triangle. It’s like those 3D posters you stare at and then the image just pops right out.”

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LIVING ON THE EDGE A beach scene in Surf City, captured from the Surf City Ocean Pier.

Topsail Island has about 6,000 permanent residents, but it swells with over 50,000 tourists and visitors come summer.

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“There’s something magical about a brand new day, brand new everything.

The sun’s coming up— what am I going to do?”

— Bob Karp

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PERFECT CATCH Opposite page: A surfer hangs ten as a pelican flies over the waves. This page: A fisherman pulls in a sunrise catch. “I’m not much of a fisherman,” laughs Karp, “I feel more and more sorry for the worms the older I get.”

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NIGHT LIGHT Beachcombers at dawn. Opposite page: Sunset at the Surf City Ocean Pier. The 977-foot-long pier was originally built in 1948, but was destroyed

by Hurricane Fran in 1996. It was completely rebuilt in 1997.

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DESK JOBS Opposite page: Reporters, from left to right, Ana Rivera, Andrea Blanford and Elaina Athans in the desk area. This page: John Clark heads to the set.

“I still consider myself a work in progress when it comes to makeup. I’m usually throwing it on just minutes before airtime—and sometimes even during air-time!” he says.

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AYN-MONIQUE KLAHRE photography by BERT VANDERVEEN

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DREAMING

by

CALIFORNIA

In this Cary garden, tropical landscaping transports you to the West coast

In the front yard of this Cary home, Windmill palms take the stage amid elephant ears and tropical milkweed; a mixture of canna lilies line the front walk and a crepe myrtle peeks in from the side.

BRAVING THE CITY A woman walks across Fayetteville Street in front of the Capitol on the first workday after the Wake County stay-athome proclamation.

“The lighting was perfect, and the woman came out of a building. The look in her eyes—not defeated, but resigned—summed it up: this is my life now,” says Karp.

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“W

hen you’re an obsessed gardener like I can be, you take things with you when you move,” says Tom Mello.

“There are plants that I have been collecting for years, some of them have been with me for 20 years. I’ve moved four or five times in there.”

Mello and his family lived in San Diego, California before relocating to Cary in 2017. When they crossed the country, the plants came, too. But since movers can’t transport plants across state lines, Mello and his brother rented a U-Haul—“Not a huge one,” he says—to transport his most precious specimens. On the truck: an aloe tree, plumeria, a dwarf Mexican lime tree, bougainvillea, Popcorn cassia, some unusual agaves and cacti and “lots of other cool stuff,” he says.

Here, they were looking for a neighbor-

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hood with sidewalks and a front porch culture. They found it in Preston Village.

“It has the same close-knit feeling as what we grew up with,” he says. This home didn’t have much in the way of landscaping—“the standard, two holly trees and a crepe myrtle,” Mello says—but that was just fine with him. Mello found cold-hardy palm trees from Walker’s Palms and Exotic Plants in South Mills to serve as the centerpiece for the front yard, then filled out the rest of the beds with his tropical plants. Mello also terraced the side yard, added a vegetable garden and built an arbor to connect the front yard to the back.

Throughout the yard, he incorporated his California transplants, including banana trees, elephant ears, cannas and plumeria.

Not all of Mello’s California plants are suited to North Carolina’s climate though.

“I have to really closely monitor when the first freeze is going to happen,” he says, in which case he utilizes his garage. When

he hopes the last freeze has passed, he’ll bring them back out. Some of his plants, including the elephant ears, cannas and banana plants, weather fine thanks to generous mulching. “Anything that’s really special, like a plumeria I’ve had for years, is in a pot so I can take close care of it.”

Mello credits his grandmother for sparking his interest in gardening. She lived in Rhode Island, but, incongruously, had a mimosa tree in her front yard.

“They’re ubiquitous here in the South, but they usually don’t survive up North.

Somehow she got it to live,” he says.

“Whenever I see those pink powder puffs, or smell that fragrance, I’m instantly transported to my grandmother’s front yard in the 1970s.” Like his grandmother, and his mother as well, Mello finds joy in planning, maintaining and carefully adding to his tropical yard. “Gardening to me is like meditation, it’s a very relaxing thing to do.”

Opposite page: A bee checks out a tropical milkweed. This page: Tom Mello in the arbor that connects the front yard to the back yard. Carolina jessamine, purple passionflower and roses grow over the arbor. “I get very little help from my family,” laughs Mello, though he admits his sons help him mulch, cut grass and move around rocks. “The fine-tuning is all me.”

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This page: A view of the back yard.

Mello added the brick terracing and arbor. To the right is the vegetable garden area. Detail shots of plumeria (left) and Hot Buttered Popcorn cassia. Opposite page, clockwise from top: Mello with canna lilies, yellow cannas and aeonium.

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“Everyone wants to know the same things: What have you seen? What else is out there? How are things on the other side of town?” People want reassurance that everything is still there.”

— Bob Karp

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AUGUST 2020 | 69

“Everyone wants to know the same things: What have you seen? What else is out there? How are things on the other side of town?” People want reassurance that everything is still there.”

— Bob Karp

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Opposite page, clockwise from top: Mello’s wife, Jodi, came up with the idea to add signs with the mileage to important locations for their family, including her parents in Toledo, Ohio and his brother's family in Fort Collins, Colorado. Jodi Mello with buddleia (butterfly bush) in the foreground and Mexican petunias in the background Details of a Mexican lime they brought from California.

This page: Euphorbia and rocking chairs on the porch. “We sit out here whenever it’s nice outside, and especially love it during thunderstorms,” says Mello.

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This page: A Mekong giant banana tree amid Red Hot Poker (torch lily) and liriope. The Mellos bought the three-foot-tall fountain in San Diego when their kids were young. “It’s been with us in every house we’ve owned since then,” he says. Opposite page, clockwise from top: Concord Grapes. The Mello family: Tom, Jodi, Olivia, Nick, Zack and Gracie the dog. Detail of San Diego Red Bougainvillea.

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“Everyone wants to know the same things: What have you seen? What else is out there? How are things on the other side of town?” People want reassurance that everything is still there.”

— Bob Karp

AUGUST 2020 | 73

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Liz Kelly celebrates independence and a love of process in her work with clay

THE PEOPLE’S

POTTER

by ADDIE LADNER photography by TAYLOR MCDONALD

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I

n a pine-filled neighborhood in West Raleigh, a young Liz Kelly would spend hours at a clay pit near her home. There, she’d meticulously form hundreds of cubes from the red clay, drawn as much to the process as she was to the result. “From an early age, I enjoyed repetition, the process and that engagement with raw materials,” says Kelly.

She also enjoyed the space for freedom of expression and personal empowerment that the arts offered. “The operative word is independence,” she says.

“Through expressive acts in following my artistic leanings, I was able to establish my identity and individualism.”

Kelly had strict, religious parents who homeschooled, but she took advantage 76 | WALTER

of the more flexible way of learning.

Kelly travelled with her mom, a flight attendant, getting inspired by museums and local art scenes all over the world.

She condensed three years of high school into one calendar year so she could focus more on travel and creative endeavors.

As a teen and young adult, she continued her self-guided education in places like Maine, western North Carolina and Hawaii. There, she spent five years exploring Hilo, Kailua-Kona, Honaunau and Mountain View, and gave birth to her daughter, Liona Stebbins, now 14. Kelly wanted space to become the young adult she felt growing inside. “I was looking for defining experiences and wasn’t ready to settle into a profession or studies,” she says. “I wanted a larger worldview for myself in those crucial formative years, so

naturally, I went to a tiny island in the middle of the Pacific.”

Eventually, Kelly missed her home state and the pottery scene here. She returned to Raleigh and headed straight to the Pullen Arts Center to hone her craft, while also working on a degree in Design Studies from N.C. State University.

“I wasn’t good at all, but I was stubborn and it was such an amazing thing to have in my life,” she says. Kelly was in awe of potters and artists she’d meet, working full-time as makers. “I’d go to Artspace downtown and connect those dots, seeing artists making a life for themselves.

It was such a revelation,” she says.

As a student, the more she learned, the more she identified with her craft values. “It brought me to the ‘why’ of my making,” she says. A down-to-earth

MADE BY HAND Opposite page: Liz Kelly holds vases ready to be fired in her Raleigh studio. This page: Kelly’s process, from beginning to end: shaping a block of clay, spinning it on the wheel and dipping it in glaze. Many of Kelly’s wares get fired four times, which means they spend about a week in the kiln. Kelly makes more than 1,000 of her signature mugs a year, plus plates, bowls, vases and other serving pieces that are sold at the NCMA Museum Store, Edge of Urge and other local retailers.

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Opposite page: Plates and bowls sporting some of Kelly’s vintage-inspired decals. This page: More pieces from her collection.

and practical woman at heart, she’s now proud to be a full-time, self-employed artist like the ones she used to admire (career highlight: owning her own home). And she still spends hours carefully working with clay, but now she’s doing it in a rustic Boylan Heights studio, producing thousands of ceramic cups, vases, plates and bowls every year.

City of Oaks residents have come to love her pieces for their warm tones and edgy, vintage-inspired designs. Her process is clearly evident in her pieces. Personal empowerment and approachability, two themes of her work and life, come through even in something as simple, as sacred, as the morning cup of coffee.

“If there isn’t a clean Liz Kelly mug in the morning, I find it and wash it,” says Meredith Honig, a regular customer of Kelly’s. “Coffee is a huge part of my morning, and these mugs have changed my life. They spoil me.” It sounds like quite a testimonial—but if you own a Liz Kelly mug, you know it’s not a stretch.

Her mugs have heft, but softness, too; they’re neither uniformly smooth nor entirely textured. Your hands feel the warmth from the liquid inside (some claim the coffee stays hot for longer).

They’re glazed in muted tones of blue,

coral or cream, you can see the subtle ripples and drops. At the bottom, you’ll often find the ghost of the potter’s finger or thumb, a mark from the glaze dripping around her hands. The mug invites you in. “I love that you can see her process in the finished product, you’re there,” Honig says.

Around 100 pieces come out of Kelly’s kiln each week, including plates, bowls, vases, platters and, of course, mugs.

She keeps most things priced between $35 and $55; not out of reach by some standards, but high enough, she hopes, to discourage needless consumption. “I’m a value-driven maker. Things need to be functional and beautiful,” she says.

Her most popular mugs feature antique-y images front and center, which she creates through a process called ceramic decal image transferring. Kelly learned the skill from Justin Rothshank in western North Carolina, at the renowned Penland School of Craft. It’s a way to add a poppy, modern element to classic, timeless pottery. Through a partnership with Person Street retailer Edge of Urge and local restaurants like Stanbury, this skill of Kelly’s is in high demand. She makes more than 1,000 of these mugs a year. “It blows my mind, but

they never sit around very long,” says Kelly. And while the styling is old-fashioned, any icon might find themselves front and center: Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Ruth Bader Ginsburg or the Beastie Boys, to name a few. Family portraits, a beloved pet or inspiring quotes are not off-limits either. “They’re an identity booster,” says Kelly. “You want your mug to feel like you. It’s an expressive piece.” Customers respond to these personal touches: bluebonnets that recall a home state of Texas, Frida Khalo’s fierce energy. Kelly’s pieces elevate everyday, personal moments.

“Once I witnessed how thrilled people were to get wares with their favorite faces on them, I committed more to it. It’s a fun line to have in my body of work,” she says. Decals aside, it’s the attention to the feel and form in all her pieces that customers come back for. Her daughter often helps out in the studio, and notes how many people describe Kelly’s wares as “sturdy but soft.” “My mom puts a lot of focus on how her pieces feel and their shape,” says Stibbens. “Her customers become so drawn to that uniqueness. It’s very special to her.” Her mother agrees: “Engagement with my artwork, and helping to build those everyday memories, it is so human.”

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The stands may be empty, but the memories endure

for the love of

THE GAME

by WILL LINGO photographs by BOB KARP

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The Durham Bulls took on the Syracuse Mets at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park with a nearly full stadium of spectators in the 10,000-seat ballpark on August 6, 2019.

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Y

ears ago, the area around the American Tobacco Co. factories and warehouses in downtown Durham was essentially abandoned, home to a car dealership and blocks of empty buildings.

Then the Durham Bulls built a ballpark at the corner of Blackwell Street and what is now Jackie Robinson Boulevard. If you build it, they will come, so to speak.

The change didn’t happen overnight, but it happened. First came a new county jail building, from which inmates enjoyed post-game fireworks. Then an office building sprang up beyond right field. Then, the redevelopment of the tobacco warehouses.

Slowly, downtown Durham took off.

The Durham Bulls Athletic Park (DBAP) serves as the centerpiece. It’s flanked by development on all sides and brings thousands of people together around its bright-green grass 100 times a year, give or take.

Or at least, that’s the way it’s supposed to be.

None of us will forget 2020, but for the Durham Bulls, there will be nothing to remember. Coronavirus stopped all sporting events in their tracks, and while most of the major league sports were able

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to return for some semblance of a season, minor league baseball had no such luck.

The Bulls would have celebrated the 25th anniversary of the DBAP this season.

Instead, it feels a lot like it did in the 1990s: deserted, with no reason to hang around in the evening.

The Bulls are an icon of the minor leagues, but even more than that, a part of the fabric of living in the Triangle. In 25 seasons at the DBAP, the Bulls have made tons of improvements, while keeping touchstones like the snorting bull— Hit Bull, Win Steak—looming in left field over the Blue Monster and its manual scoreboard, though it now sits anachronistically below a gigantic video board.

The main concourse brings the familiar smells and sights as people wait in line for hot dogs, beer and still, inexplicably, Dippin’ Dots (ice cream of a future that will never arrive).

The bullpens are right next to the stands down the first- and third-base lines, and fans test the waters to see how chatty the pitchers are and maybe score a souvenir baseball. The familiar voices of publicaddress announcer Tony Riggsbee and radio voice Patrick Kinas. And the antics of Wool E. Bull, including his drive around the warning track in his go-kart, after which it always smells like somebody just mowed the lawn.

We absolutely miss all of those things, but the biggest void is sharing the experience itself.

No other sport matches the experience of live baseball. No other sport invites sitting back and cracking open peanuts, drinking a beer and chatting, in quite the same way. You can watch baseball and people watch at the same time, and it’s almost a given at the DBAP. You know that most people will never remember who won that particular game, nor could they tell you who the Bulls’ opponent was. That family with young kids definitely won’t even be there when the game ends; they played the cotton candy card in the third inning. There’s always the cute old duo that has someone who’s keeping score. The college kids and 20-somethings who just enjoy outside drinking. Couples on dates, and couples dates. Kids in uniforms. Tourists wearing spanking-new Bulls caps. Work gatherings with the young go-getters trying to impress somebody. Spouses looking bored and veterans enjoying the free food.

Of all the things we have learned to live without this year, human contact has been the hardest to replace. And that’s particularly true of a night at the ballpark with a few thousand of your closest friends, sharing an experience and then leaving restored, win or lose.

Instead of the sounds of the ballpark organ drifting onto nearby streets, this summer it has been the sound of silence.

The field hasn’t seen a pitch or a hit, and ballpark lights have remained extinguished.

But we wait for the time when the light will shine again. And we’ll be ready to fill those stands.

Opposite page: The grounds crew and other Bulls employees take the tarpaulin off the field after a rain storm.

This page: A Syracuse player warms up in front of the Bulls video board.

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Opposite page, clockwise from top: Syracuse Mets outfielder Rajai Davis hugs his friend, Bulls infielder Emilio Bonifácio. Children yell “Play ball” to start the game. N.C. Courage player Jessica McDonald autographs a soccer ball for mascot Wool E. Bull after throwing out the first pitch. This page: People gather under the Durham Bull.

The original mechanical snorting bull first appeared as a prop in the 1988 film Bull Durham (the current one is the third generation). A fan waits for players to autograph his baseball.

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Opposite page, clockwise from top: Syracuse Mets baserunner Danny Espinosa slides safely into third base as Bulls third baseman Kevin Padlo tries to tag him out. Bulls player Nate Lowe hits an RBI single in the first inning; Bulls pitcher Luis Santos spits chewing tobacco from the dugout. Bulls shortstop Daniel Robertson throws to first for a put out. This page: Durham Bulls pitcher Trevor Richards on the mound.

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This page: The bar at the ballpark. Teens in left field try to get the attention of mascot Wool E. Bull, who was shooting free t-shirts into the stands in between innings. Opposite page: The view from the Triangle Club, located directly behind home plate.

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AUGUST 2020 | 89

We proudly invest in women Women make up more than 50% of the employees at Bank of America. We proudly continue to recruit and invest in helping women succeed within our organization. Outside, we support the economic empowerment of women in our communities and all around the world.

Through programs like the Women’s Executive Development program, we empower women to develop their skills and talents to prepare them for leadership roles.

And through partnerships with Vital Voices, the Tory Burch Foundation and the Cherie Blair Foundation, we’ve helped nearly 4,000 women from 80 countries grow their businesses and foster economic prosperity.

To learn more, visit our Empowering Women page at bankofamerica.com/women.

©2020 Bank of America Corporation | 2935478 | ESG-220-AD

THE WHIRL WALTER’s roundup of socially distanced gatherings and celebrations around the Triangle.

Marc Ridel Creative

Broughton High School Senior Emerson Quirk’s image is projected onto the school’s bell tower as part of the Class of 2020 graduation celebration.

94 Broughton High School Senior Parade 96 Porch Dinner 96 Baby Shower

96 St. David’s Graduation Party

During this time of social distancing, we want to see how you are staying connected with your community. Submit images on our website waltermagazine.com.

AUGUST 2020 | 91

WALTER EVENTS

WINnovation PRESENTED BY

SUPPORTED BY

sharing STORIES inspiring ACTION September 18

WORKSHOP SPONSOR

For tickets + more information

winnovation2020.eventbrite.com If your business is interested in group tickets or sponsorship opportunities, please visit waltermagazine.com/sponsorships

Inspired. Empowered. Energized.

That’s how we feel when we’re surrounded by driven, successful women at our signature leadership summit. On September 18, we’ll host our sixth annual WINnovation, but for the first time, we will be doing so virtually. The WALTER team is thrilled to expand this event and extend the powerful messages and career tools to more guests.

The evening is headlined by leaders in our community from diverse backgrounds. And while their stories and paths are different, they share the same entrepreneurial spirit. WINnovation offers much more than that: it is an interactive opportunity to meet with other participants to flex your strategic thinking, expand your skills and network to Here’s what you can expect: WORKSHOPS Think outside of the box We open with a day of collaborative sessions led by organizations specializing in innovation and entrepreneurialism. Expect new ways to problem-solve, think creatively and develop tools for career growth.

NETWORKING Continue the conversation Following the last workshop of the day, we encourage you to grab a refreshment and join fellow guests in our virtual breakout rooms for loosely structured networking.

PANELIST TALKS Listen and learn Our speakers will share their career journeys, successes, obstacles and lessons learned along the way. Following the talks, there will be a live Q&A with the panel.

EVENT PARTNERS

2020 WINnovation Panelists SHANA TUCKER Cellist, singer-songwriter and creator of ChamberSoul A performer and teaching artist, Tucker’s unique genre weaves jazz, roots folk, acoustic pop and R&B. In addition to solo work, Tucker has performed with Cirque du Soleil, collaborated with jazz greats and started a female-led performer collective, Women’s Work. She serves on boards for Blair Publishing and the Washington Women in Jazz Festival.

JUDITH CONE Vice Chancellor for Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Economic Development, UNC-Chapel Hill A veteran of entrepreneurship programming, Cone leads Innovate Carolina, a pan-university commitment to being a place where innovators thrive.

This former Kauffman Foundation executive also cofounded Launch Chapel Hill, Blackstone Entrepreneurs Network and Carolina Research Ventures.

MAVIS GRAGG Director of the Sustainable Forestry & African American Land Retention Program, American Forest Foundation Gragg began her law career as a mediation professional, then practiced real estate law before starting her own firm focused on helping individuals and families maintain and grow wealth. In 2019, she accepted her current position, helping black families maintain their forest land. Gragg serves on the board of Triangle Land Conservancy and Dispute Settlement Center. She and her sister founded the Gragg Family Fund and Black Women Drone.

KRISTIE NYSTEDT President and CEO of Raleigh Brewing Company After working in manufacturing and software for over a decade, Nystedt left the corporate world to start Raleigh Brewing Company in 2012, becoming the first female owner of a North Carolina craft brewery.

The Triangle-focused brand operates a brewery and distributes throughout North Carolina. Nystedt also helms Atlantic Brew Supply and ABS commercial, two e-commerce platforms that serve amateur and professional brewers.

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THE WHIRL

Marc Ridel Creative

BROUGHTON HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR PARADE Broughton High Schools seniors were presented their yearbooks and caps and gowns by enthusiastic staff in an elaborate purple and gold parade.

WALTER EVENTS

AN EVENING WITH

Wednesday, September 30 CAM Raleigh Join WALTER for a memorable evening celebrating diversity, community and art.

North Carolina native and nationally recognized artist Maya Freelon will discuss her new exhibition, Greater Than or Equal To, and offer guests a look into her creative process.

For more information, please visit: waltermagazine.com/savethedate PRESENTED BY

SUPPORT FROM

DINING AL FRESCO Magara Boisvert and Sandra Kipp gather for a porch dinner in the Glenwood-Brooklyn Historic District in June.

BABY SHOWER Friends gathered to shower expecting mama Jessie Garnett on June 13.

From left to right: Charlotte Duff, Whitney Goulding, Jessie Garnett, Fain Baker, Christina Wohlford

ST. DAVID’S GRADUATION Members of St. David’s Class of 2020 gathered to celebrate graduation at the home of the Seemann Family. From left to right: Clay Duckworth, Chad Lilly, Harrison Bowman, Connor Outlaw, Hoyt Lewis, Bryce Seemann, Turon Murray, Ka’von Benbow

Courtesy Addie Ladner (DINNER); courtesy Jessie Garnett (SHOWER); Elizabeth Bowman (GRADUATION)

THE WHIRL

CO MING I N

SEPTEMBER 2020

Maya Freelon Artist and Advocate Triangle Community Fund: Investing for Good A Slice of Comfort at Humble Pie Find fresh stories on waltermagazine.com

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NEWEST EVENT VENUE & G AT H E R I N G P L A C E NOW BOOKING

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END NOTE

Ryan Bevell

right on ’CUE New owner Willis Underwood and former owner Wilber Shirley

W

ilber’s Barbecue has fires burning in its brick pits again. In June—more than a year after its doors closed—this icon of North Carolina barbecue smoked a pig to welcome friends and family to the new Wilber’s, the same as it ever was.

Back in 1962, Wilber Shirley and a partner, Carl Lyerly, bought Hill’s Barbecue on N.C. 70 in Goldsboro from Fred Hill and changed the name to Highway 70 Barbecue. Within a few years, Lyerly, a sand and gravel man by trade, asked Shirley to buy him out.

The name changed again—to Wilber’s Barbecue—then little else changed for another 50 years. Wilber’s is still in the original brick building (with dining spaces added over the years) and pigs are still cooked, low and slow, in the original pit house out back.

Whole hogs, oak coals, day after day, night after night.

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“Anybody can take a cooker and light a burner,” says Shirley. “But when somebody cooks on wood, that’s what makes the difference. You can taste it in the quality of the product. I grew up thinking that was the only way to cook a pig, to tell you the truth.”

When the business filed for bankruptcy in 2019, it looked like Wilber’s would follow the path of Allen & Son in Chapel Hill or Bill’s Barbecue in Wilson, longtime barbecue destinations that recently closed their doors.

Instead, investors came through: local businessman Willis Underwood pulled together a group of folks to buy him out, then set about the work of getting Wilber’s back on its feet. “We want generations to continue coming to Wilber’s,” says Underwood. With their investment, workers have spent the last few months cleaning, replacing the floors, rebuilding the bathrooms and kitchen, and putting a new roof on the pit house. The new owners

fixed what needed fixing while keeping the fundamentals the same.

Today, customers who walk in will find the original knotty pine paneling on the walls and ceiling, and familiar (but all-new) red-checkered tablecloths. They’ll know the barbecue is cooked the same way it has been for decades, but will also see what Underwood calls a more “pit-centric” menu, with more smoked meats and classic sides like coleslaw and Brunswick stew. Shirley, who celebrated his 90th birthday in June, has retired, but many of the same Wilber’s employees are in their old familiar places.

“We just didn’t want to see the history disappear,” says Underwood, a lifelong Goldsboro resident, Wilber’s customer and barbecue aficionado. “A piece of Goldsboro would be missing if it was gone. We wanted to keep the old, but bring it up to date—and keep serving the best barbecue around.”

—Will Lingo