Punch in the streets of Palermo
by Kevin Barrett In 2012, I decided to quit my job and head out on the road to a place we Americans refer to as South America. It was just me and my trusty sidekick Oscar. Oscar is a fat,…
Category: Food & Drink
Piece by piece
by Jesma Reynolds Born into a family of scientists and doctors, local rocker and entrepreneur Cheetie Kumar was marked at birth when her mother gave her the Hindu name Chitra, meaning “portrait” or “artist.” Her life has been a vibrant…
Hard java
Coffee cocktails are having a moment. Not the steamy, desserty kind, thick with whipped cream and Bailey’s. Not the toddy variety, curing what ails you. This coffee cocktail is serious, and it’s iced. Dry – even lemony – and spiked…
Up all night with Lionel Vatinet
by Liza Roberts photographs by Nick Pironio At 2 a.m., as liquored-up college kids are polishing off a game of cornhole outside the Back 9 Pub in Cary, master baker Lionel Vatinet is arriving at work next door. The yeasty…
The Walter cocktail contest
by Wilton Barnhardt, author of the new novel Lookaway, Lookaway I suspect Sir Walter Raleigh, back in 1618, went to the executioner convinced of the utter failure of his ventures, having fallen out of favor with Queen Elizabeth as well…
Essential ingredient: Eggplant
by Kaitlyn Goalen photographs by Juli Leonard It may not have the juiciness of a tomato or the intoxicating perfume of a ripe peach, but the eggplant is among my favorite late summer ingredients. It wasn’t always so. Until fairly…
Varmint bites back: It’s so good at Soo
by Dean McCord The place is in a run-down mini strip mall scheduled for demolition in the not-too-distant future. It’s between a head shop and an old-school record store. It has the tiniest, most cramped parking lot, perfectly ripe…
Have garden, will party: Alliance Medical Ministry’s farm-to-table fete toasts 10 years
by Liza Roberts photographs by Missy McLamb There’s nothing fancy about the windowless Teen Center Club gymnasium that sits in the shadow of Wake Med’s mega-campus on New Bern Avenue. Most days, it smells like sweat and sounds like basketball. But to…
Mixing it up: Raleigh’s bar scene keeps it lively
Here’s a thought. A little bar-hopping in a great bar town just might do you good. After all, bars are in business for one reason: to make you happy. And if I learned one thing in the exhaustive investigative research…
A perfect picnic: Junior League cookbook style
by Andrea Wiegl photographs by Juli Leonard Summer is a time for backyard cook-outs, July Fourth picnics, and patio parties. It’s also when Southern cooks turn to their go-to sources for party food. If that’s a cookbook, it is likely a…
Pimm’s cup: As fresh as the season
by Charles Upchurch photograph by Juli Leonard Yes, I am drinking a Pimm’s Cup as I write this. OK, I’m finishing a Pimm’s Cup. I recommend that you enjoy one while reading this summer issue of Walter. Out in the…
Don’t skimp on the mint: Juleps for Derby day…and beyond
Don’t let the mint fool you. That lighthearted, summery herb, equally at home in iced tea and lemonade, is here on a mission. Mashed up with sugar, its oils and essence make what comes next suitable for a springtime afternoon….
Freshly-squeezed at Pharaoh’s
Once ubiquitous in pharmacies across the South, soda fountains have waned with the advent of fast food. Today, it’s not easy to find the pressed sandwiches, milkshakes and drinks that made them so popular, but Pharaoh’s at North Hills and…
Kevin and Stacy Jennings: Family values and restaurant success
by Andrea Weigl photographs by Lissa Gotwals Stacey Jennings sets platters of mashed potatoes, roasted Brussels sprouts, spinach salad and coq au vin blanc on the dining room table and calls to her children. “We need to eat,” she says. “It’s on…