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…
by Charles Upchurch photographs by Juli Leonard “In my mind I’m gone to Carolina – can’t you see the sunshine, can’t you just feel the moonshine…” I think we all know what Sweet Baby James was singing about. North Carolina…
by Charles Upchurch photographs by Juli Leonard Don’t look now, but Raleigh is sneaking up on Asheville for the title of craft beer capital of North Carolina. That calls for a cold pint of Hell Yes Ma’am. Hell Yes Ma’am…
by Andrea Weigl photographs by Missy McLamb Many families cannot get along. One sibling doesn’t talk to another; the daughters-in-law can’t be in the same room; someone has never forgiven another for a slight long ago. Tension crackles, and…
by Charles Upchurch The converts, they say, are always the worst. A couple of years ago, my wife had never even tried eggnog. Then everything changed. Soon, there were telltale signs of a love affair. Once a week became once…
by Charles Upchurch photographs by Juli Leonard Fall is woodsmoke. Football and oyster roasts. Leaves gone to gold. All of this nostalgia calls for a drink. Better yet, a cocktail. Something that captures the sublime and fleeting magic of the…
by Liza Roberts photographs by Lissa Gotwals Raleigh’s hottest chef has no back burner. Take one week in late July: Ashley Christensen’s cross-country commitments had her outside and up all night in Sonoma, Calif., cooking a pig for a…
by Mary E. Miller photographs by Lissa Gotwals The storming of the French Bastille was a hot affair of high ideals, fueled by the restless hungering of many souls. Not, in other words, unlike the Porch Light French Garden Party…
by Karen Johnson photographs by Travis Dove Farming isn’t just for the country any more. Farmers – people growing their own food – are as common today as a suburban next-door neighbor or a favorite downtown restaurant. You can…
by Martha Quillin photographs by Liz Condo Rory Parnell did not herself prepare the petite crab cakes with Cajun remoulade that guests gobbled in two bites at her late fall party to benefit local arts education. Her husband, Jerry, grilled the…
by Liza Roberts photographs by Leslie Baker Charles Winston Jr. is a self-described ice cream nut. The owner of North Raleigh’s Winston’s Grille, he loves it so much he took himself to ice cream school at Penn State a few…
by Charles Upchurch photograph by Juli Leonard The Paris Ritz is closing. The Hemingway Bar has been shuttered since April. I read these dreadful words recently and was plunged into a near panic. I had never been. The old haunt…
Turkey, Mandolin-style Sean Fowler says: We cooked a Bourbon Red heritage turkey, prized for its darkly colored, richly flavored meat, from Cane Creek Farm. I grew up eating conventionally raised, frozen turkey, which can taste great if treated correctly, by…
by Charles Upchurch Quoth the T-shirt: “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” Nice thought, even if Ben Franklin didn’t actually say it. Neither can we be certain that Thomas Jefferson actually said, “Beer,…