In May, during a trip to Virginia, I had a stack of blueberry-lemon curd pancakes in Staunton that reminded me of Elmo’s. That same weekend, breakfast at The White Hart Café in Lynchburg was reminiscent of The Root Cellar’s welcoming vibe and home-style offerings. In Harrisonburg, Three Notch’d Brewing Company had a number of delicious seasonal and small-batch beers just like Mystery Brewing Company.
No matter where I travel, I always look for a coffee shop, a bakery or a brewery to try. To me, sizing up a new locale is best done through the lens of a town’s food and drinks. That’s exactly what Executive Managing Editor Amanda MacLaren did when she visited Jackson County, N.C. Starting on page 32, you’ll read about her weekend away and how she couldn’t help but compare it to home. Case in point: Much like Merritt’s Grill previous lives as a gas station and convenience store, Cornucopia in Cashiers was once a general store, school and tack shop. Despite their differences, both have tried-and-true sandwiches made with local ingredients.
In late September, I’m headed to Lawrence, Kansas, with the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce on their Inter-City Visit to tour through another basketball-crazed town. The trip is a wonderful opportunity to connect with town leaders and see how a sister city is developing its downtown. You know I’ve already found a brewery to try – I’m looking at you, Lawrence Beer Company and your tart Berliner Weisse.
But when I’m not on the road, you can bet I’m looking for new things around town. On page 40, read about five drinks we’ll be sipping come fall, and on page 48, notable openings. Then again, it wouldn’t be Chapel Hill without my old favorites – see which dishes foodies say are the classics starting on page 52.
THE FOOD AND DRINK ISSUE
40 Five Drinks We Love
46 20 Years of Acme
48 New Kids on the Block
52 Nine Classic Chapel Hill Dishes
60 Chef’s Table
FEATURES
30 Office Mates
These adorable workplace pets are valued team members at their places of business
32 I Wanna Get Away
What Chapel Hillians will love about Jackson County, N.C.
62 The Ultimate Arts Checklist
This fall, indulge in some culture from the stage and galleries to
festivals all over town
76 Fashion
Perfect your fall look
80 What We Love About Living In Governors Club
92 A World Apart
Art from around the globe and eclectic charm merge in this Southern Village home
PEOPLE & PLACES
14 Women of Achievement luncheon
16 Central Carolina Women in Business luncheon
17 Chapel Hill Toffee/Carolina Brewery collaboration; McDougle Middle School students at GE Girls Camp
18 Carrboro’s Pride Piper Walk
20 PlayMakers Repertory Company’s Summer Youth Conservatory
22 St. Thomas More School’s annual gala and auction
IN EVERY ISSUE
6 Letter from the Editor
8 Noted
24 5 Events Not to Miss
26 Books
Five local reads to pick up this fall
112 Dining Guide
116 Joyous Cooking
Don’t read this if you don’t like Tony Bourdain
125 Engagement
Dree Deacon & James Hickey
126 Weddings
Sarah Mixter & Brian Gribbon;
Kyle Peterson & Maggie Peterson;
Eugene Rossitch & Stephanie Salcedo
