MAN ABOUT TOWN

THE MAN CONSIDERS THE NOMADIC LIFE

by Steven Tingle

In the summer of 2018, I considered buying an RV. The timing was perfect. I was renting a house on a month-to-month basis. The business I’d co-owned with my mother had recently sold, and I had some disposable cash. And for the first time since high school, I was free of any romantic entanglements. The world was my oyster, and I was going to explore it in a recreational vehicle. My plan was to travel throughout the country and write about my experiences. Like a modern-day Jack Kerouac, I would go out “on the road” and write what was sure to become a bestseller.

Like all of my grand plans, the first thing I did was tell everyone about it. To their credit, my family and friends listened with faux enthusiasm and were kind enough not to state what, based on my history, I’m sure they felt was obvious, which was that there was no way any of it was going to happen. I appreciated their restraint because I have grown very tired of saying, “This time I mean it.” The second step was to visit an RV dealership near Asheville to see what kind of deal I could wrangle on my future chariot of adventure. I’d figured my budget would allow me to buy something used, and while maybe not tour-bus luxurious, at least clean and comfortable. When I told the salesperson my budget, he directed me to a 2010 model pop-up camper. “Does your vehicle have a hitch?” he asked. I was about eighty-percent certain he was talking about the thing that allows you to pull stuff behind your car, so I answered him sincerely: “I honestly don’t know.”

I increased my budget a bit and soon the salesperson and I were huddled inside what he described as a “Class C RV.” To me it was more like a Class F. It was built the year I graduated high school and the interior was covered in wood paneling and brown velour. I increased my budget a few more times and was finally shown an RV that I could actually see myself living in. It was $80,000. I lied and told the salesperson I’d consider it and get back to him. On the ride home, I tried to imagine what owning an RV would realistically be like. Would I be able to maneuver such a vehicle in and out of RV parks? What about hooking up the electricity? And the propane? And emptying the sewage? Things I not only don’t know how to do, but things I’m scared to do. Plus, if I had $80,000, I would rather travel around the country in my twelve-year-old Volkswagen Jetta and stay at five-star hotels, where connecting and maintaining the utilities is not my responsibility. A month later, I informed my friends and family that the RV adventure had been permanently shelved. What I didn’t tell them was that I had already moved on to a new idea, a novel about a constantly tipsy private detective, a redneck deputy, and a bum-legged auto mechanic named Floppy who chase rumors of buried treasure through the mountains of North Carolina. Even by my standards the idea was too ridiculous to share. Steven Tingle is the author of Graveyard Fields and is the monthly contributor to this column. Find more at steventingle.com.

“Purveyors of Classic American Style” 23 West North St. | Downtown Greenville 864.232.2761 | rushwilson.com

photography by PAUL MEHAFFEY

hair & makeup by ISABELLE SCHREIER styled by CHELSEY ASHFORD WHITE

Diamond hoop earrings, $195; diamond, pink tourmaline, and spessartine garnet necklace, $47,700. Both from Hale’s Jewelers.

(opposite) White dress with appliqués, $225; Cristina Sabatini ball-drop earrings with accent stones, $172; replica ring, $298. All from Coleman Collection; pearl bypass ring, $10,300. From Hale’s Jewelers; Xena band ring, $1,350. From Make Made Jewelry; oxidized sterling-silver cuff with 24K yellow gold fairy-dust butterflies and 18K yellow gold sculptural butterflies, set with multi-colored sapphire, $8,500. From llyn strong fine art jewelry. (center) Brynn platinum gold heel, $150. From Muse Shoe Studio; 18K yellow gold ring set with a Tahitian pearl and light brown diamonds, $6,000. From llyn strong fine art jewelry. (above) Diamond drop earrings, $6,525. From Hale’s Jewelers; replica necklace, $895. From Coleman Collection; alice + olivia by Stacey Bendet Tessa jumpsuit, $440. From Monkee’s of the West End.

(left) Cristina Sabatini two-drop rectangle earrings, $198. From Coleman Collection; Mignonne Gavigan Layne necklace, $725. From Monkee’s of the West End.

(opposite, from far right, top down) Diamond ring, $8,950; emerald-cut sample band, price available upon request; oval rubelite halo ring, $4,200; oval sample band, price available upon request; Deco style ring, $13,280; layered diamond band, $2,545; fancy clear sapphire diamond ring, $1,850; alloy-plated fashion ring, price available upon request; whiteplated fashion ring, price available upon request. All from Hale’s Jewelers.

(left) Double pearl knot bracelet, $145; replica gold-link bracelet, $425; Cristina Sabatini gold three-drop oyster-pearl inlay earrings, $225. All from Coleman Collection; Felicity petunia bodysuit, $95. From Harringtons.

(above) 14K white gold and diamond Fashion by Hale’s ring, price available upon request. From Hale’s Jewelers; Louis Vuitton NéoNoé bucket bag, $2,500. From Monkee’s of the West End. (opposite, from left to right) Replica rings, $298 each. Both from Coleman Collection; 20K and 18K rose gold ring set with one 12 carat black opal, untreated from Australia, $30,000. From llyn strong fine art jewelry; Celeste moonstone in 14K yellow gold, $1,260; Andromeda ring in 18K yellow gold, sterling silver, color-change sapphire, and diamonds, $5,220; Roxanna ring in 14K yellow gold with pink umba sapphire, $1,210. All from Make Made Jewelry.

Special thanks to model Elena Malicki, Directions USA

An homage to spring, strawberry trifle takes the simple elements of a shortcake to a new level. For the recipe, turn to page 100. ON THE BURNER p. 92 SWEET SPOT p. 94 SIDE DISH p. 96 PIT STOP p. 98 KITCHEN AID p. 100

FOOD

After weathering the pandemic, the owners of Bacon Bros. Public House realized that they had inadvertently strayed from their original focus on serving elevated dishes made from local ingredients. To address the issue, they hired Mike Rednak, an alum of both Husk Greenville and Husk BBQ. As executive chef, Mike is working with local farmers and moving beyond barbecue by adding dishes like chicken galantine and salmon with a light whey and butter sauce studded with trout roe, as well as house-made pastas (smoked-lamb casoncelli, anyone?) to the menu. “I want to focus on farm-to-table, but do cool stuff at the same time,” the chef says. Meat lovers, fear not—Bacon Bros. still smokes their own pork, ribs, sausages, and brisket.—M. Linda Lee

3630 Pelham Rd, Greenville. (864) 297-6000, baconbrospublichouse.com

Smoked-lamb casoncelli EVENT

Talk about an all-star culinary cast: any chef who is anyone this side of the Reedy River is lending their talents to Southern Roots. Local chefs (including Greenville’s James Beard Award nominees, David Porras, Greg McPhee, and Adam Cooke) will team up with acclaimed pitmasters from around the Southeast to whip up creative combos of barbecue and sides. Five bands will be on tap, as will beer, wine, and craft cocktails. Proceeds benefit genetic research for diseases such as Kleefstra Syndrome, a rare affliction that struck the young daughter of Southern Roots’ founder, Chef Geoff Rhyne.—MLL Trailblazer Park, 235 Trailblazer Dr, Travelers Rest. Sat, Apr 30, 11am–4pm. General admission, $95; VIP, $200. southernrootsreunion.com FOOD

Fast food got a gourmet makeover in February, with the debut of the new walkup burger bar at the AC Hotel downtown. Social Burger, which has a window on Camperdown Plaza, adds a new star to the constellation of culinary options under the expert eye of the hotel’s executive chef, Fernando Coppola. Open for lunch and dinner, Social Burger is the perfect place to grab a grass-fed-beef burger, a veggie burger (vegan cheese available), or a chicken sandwich—plus fries, of course—to take home or enjoy at one of the tables on the plaza. Draft beer, wine, and cocktails are on tap.—MLL 315 S Main St, Greenville. @socialburger_gvl

Social Burger

PLACE

The Hollingsworth Park neighborhood was virtually crying out for a coffee shop when Brandi and John Ward saw an opportunity and pounced on it. The couple, who own a design/build company called Chestnut Living (he’s a builder; she’s an interior designer), opened Chestnut Coffee House + Market in January. Methodical coffee and tea are the house brews, while the market, coming this spring, will stock seasonal produce, meats, and food items from local farmers and artisans. More often than not, the warm space that Brandi designed buzzes with neighbors socializing. “I hope the shop will be a common unifier,” Brandi says. “I love looking out and seeing so many connections being made.”—MLL

325 Rocky Slope Rd, Suite 101, Greenville. (864) 412-8080, chestnutliving.com

TARCIANI HARGER, SOBY’S NEW PASTRY CHEF, BREAKS THE MOLD WHEN IT COMES TO MAKING DESSERT

by M. Linda Lee • photography by Paul Mehaffey

When Tarciani Harger talks about food, passion shines in the dark eyes of the bubbly Brazilianborn chef. Her natural creativity led her to earn a degree in fashion design and subsequently open three different retail stores in Brazil—including one that carried coats that she designed—“but always the food talked to me,” she says.

Back in Brazil, encouraged by her husband, she took a class in pastry arts and launched a side hustle called Frozen Chef, making frozen sweets and snacks. “For me, food and fashion are connected,” shares the petite pastry chef, who before she devises a dessert, asks herself, “What is the crazy thing I can put in this dish to surprise people?”

Surprise is the name of the game when Tarci (as she’s known) is in the kitchen. As she would if she were designing a dress, the chef first sketches out her dessert ideas on paper. The finished products are luscious showpieces, often inspired by nature. “I love to run on the Swamp Rabbit Trail, and when I run, I get inspired to put natural elements and colors in the dish,” she explains. Recent examples of her work

As beautiful as they are delicious, desserts on Soby’s spring menu show off the talents of pastry chef Tarciani Harger (opposite).

include a chocolate “terrarium,” and a deconstructed version of Soby’s signature banana cream pie, complete with a white chocolate tree rising from the plate.

When she started at Table 301 a year and a half ago, Tarciani worked as a back sauté cook, but Executive Chef Shaun Garcia recognized her talent for the final course and recently promoted her to pastry chef, responsible for crafting confections for Soby’s, Soby’s Loft, and special Table 301 events.

“I put my heart, my soul, my joy into my food,” declares Tarci, who loves nothing better than delighting diners with her desserts. Her face lights up as she adds, “And I always have a smile in my pocket.” TRY THESE SHOWSTOPPING DESSERTS BY CHEF TARCI

Pretty in pink, the lofty cylinder of strawberry semifreddo (above left) is capped with a seasonal local berry compote and finished with an English toffee crumble. The chef created this gluten-free recipe when she was living in Orlando, where it won first place in an annual dessert contest.

Tropical flavors play well together in Tarci’s take on a Southern cobbler (above, bottom right), which is based on a recipe from her late grandmother. A sprinkling of toasted coconut chips and a scoop of house-made pineapple ice cream garnish a moist layer of cake studded with coconut flakes and covered with a crunchy brûléed top.

Layers of chocolate cake, gooey caramel, and hazelnut crunch reveal themselves when you cut into this chocolate pine cone (opposite left). Crumbled chocolate “soil,” pistachio “moss,” and a warm chocolate sauce complete Tarci’s favorite dessert on the spring menu.

Chef Alex George sources produce and proteins, like the grass-fed beef in this tartare, from local farms.

by ARIEL TURNER • photograph by PAUL MEHAFFEY

The spring menu at Golden Brown & Delicious is less about set dishes and more about a moment— and a mood.

For example, Executive Chef Alex George’s take on a tartare (above) with local beef, kimchi ranch, smoked trout roe, spring vegetables, and nori is inspired by a similar dish he enjoyed at Charleston hotspot Chubby Fish that servers will tell you did, in fact, make a grown man cry upon tasting it.

At GB&D, Chef Alex George showcases spring ingredients by customizing dishes upon request.

GB&D’s daily menus list best sellers and provide consistency for the customer experience, but are a mere glimpse into what’s possible. “In our kitchen at all times we have an extensive selection of local vegetables and meats. A lot of times they aren’t even listed on the menu,” George says. “But all it takes is someone to ask ‘Do you have any . . . ?’”

Flowering collards and an abundance of rainbow carrots from Crescent Farm will make their way onto this season’s menu. But George hopes guests will go beyond the expected and take advantage of his current service mood: “We can make food more tailored to a moment than anyone else.”

Golden Brown & Delicious, 147 Welborn St, Ste B1, Greenville. (864) 608-9513, eatgbnd.com

KATY AND JOE KINDRED CREATE A SWEET NEW RESTAURANT IN DAVIDSON, NORTH CAROLINA

by M. LINDA LEE

Any fan of Kindred restaurant’s craveable Japanese milkbread will recognize the name of Joe and Katy Kindred’s newest venture in Davidson, North Carolina. The idea for the all-day café called Milkbread, the couple’s third restaurant after Kindred and Hello Sailor, was born during the pandemic from

In the clean-lined space designed by Katy Kindred, Milkbread offers a mouthwatering selection of healthy toasts and bowls to complement their signature milkbread doughnuts.

a desire to serve the community while Kindred was shut down. “We wanted a way to support our community during this difficult time and provide comfort and nostalgia through food,” says Katy. “And what’s more comforting than doughnuts and fried chicken? We started offering milkbread doughnuts and fried chicken sandwiches [to go] as well as small-production independent wines out of Kindred.” That feel-good food was so well-received that the Kindreds decided to cement the concept in a minimalistic 50-seat space. Start the morning with Milkbread’s private-label house roast by local Summit Coffee and the wildly popular glazed or chocolate-iced milkbread donuts—we dare you to eat just one—and come back later for the crispy chicken sandwich with grandfather’s pickles.

Milkbread, 624 Jetton St, #110, Davidson, NC. (704) 7026020, milkbread.com; open daily, 7am–9pm

THE COMBINATION OF ROASTED AND FRESH STRAWBERRIES TURNS TRIFLE INTO A SPRING SHOWSTOPPER

by kathryn davé • photography by jivan davé

Idon’t think the TikTok generation has discovered trifles, but they should. The classic, yet decidedly uncool, dessert has faded from popular attention, but the trifle is perfectly primed for a generation obsessed with aesthetics. Cubes of cake layered with swirls of pudding and sweetened berries, clouds of whipped cream and fanciful little garnishes—all piled into a towering glass bowl. The presentation is the dessert.

Now here I have to be honest: the traditional presentation is exactly why this millennial had never bothered making a trifle before now. Careful layers of pudding, pound cake, and precisely placed fruit all seemed a little old-school. And speaking of old-school, plenty of trifle recipes from a certain era call for pudding from a box and “whipped topping” from a plastic tub in the freezer section. Tasty enough I’m sure, but why waste my time on a trifle when so many other treats could be made? It took an early spring strawberry to change my mind.

Few foods in this world deliver as much ROI as strawberries. Sweet and juicy and bright all at once, strawberries sing as they burst on the scene. When I found myself with a glut of the season’s first strawberries, a trifle came to mind—for kicks. As it turns out, a trifle is a great party trick. The dessert looks impressive when guests arrive and only improves over time as it sits. It feeds a good many people, and if you put just a bit more time and effort into the components, the end result is truly delicious. I directed that effort into the pudding, the whipped cream, and the strawberries, where I took a two-note approach: roasting half to concentrate their sweetness and leaving the others fresh with a bit of lemon juice for contrast. As far as assembly, well, I lived my truth and piled all that goodness in willynilly. As they say—it’s a vibe.

FOR MORE RECIPES: TOWNCAROLINA.COM

Serves 16

For the pudding ½ cup sugar ¼ cup cornstarch ½ tsp. salt 2 large eggs 1 large egg yolk 2 cups whole milk ½ cup heavy cream 2 tsp. vanilla extract

For the strawberries 3 lbs. strawberries, washed ¾ cup sugar ½ tsp. kosher salt 2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice ¼ tsp. vanilla extract

For the whipped cream 2 ½ cups heavy whipping cream 1/3 cup sugar 1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract ¼ tsp. kosher salt

To assemble Two loaves of pound cake (homemade or store-bought), sliced into large cubes Lemon to zest for garnish ¼ cup finely chopped pistachios

1. At least 4 hours before you plan to serve the trifle, make the pudding. Whisk together sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium saucepan, breaking up any clumps. Add the eggs and egg yolk and whisk until completely smooth. Whisk in the milk and cream. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly with a spatula to avoid lumps, until the mixture thickens and bubbles around the edge, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Pour the pudding into a shallow dish, press a layer of plastic wrap directly against the surface of the pudding, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

2. Preheat oven to 375°F. Remove the leafy tops from all strawberries. Leave small or medium berries whole, but halve the biggest ones. Leaving 1 pound aside, transfer 2 pounds of the prepared strawberries to a 2-quart glass baking dish for roasting. Toss with ½ cup sugar, ¼ tsp. kosher salt,

¼ tsp. vanilla extract, and 1 Tbs. lemon juice. Roast, stirring once or twice along the way, until the berries are tender, slumped, and swimming in ruby-red juice, about 30-40 minutes. Let berries and syrup cool and then use to build the trifle, or transfer to a container and refrigerate until ready. (If you refrigerate the roasted berries, you may need to briefly warm them in the microwave to return the syrup to a liquid consistency that can be drizzled over the trifle.)

3. Meanwhile, toss the remaining 1 pound of prepared strawberries with ¼ cup sugar, 1 Tbs. lemon juice, and ¼ tsp. kosher salt. Allow berries to stand and macerate in their own juices. Traditional strawberry trifle is ready to captivate a new generation. text here

4. Place 2 ½ cups whipping cream, 1/3 cup sugar, ¼ tsp. salt, and 1 ½ tsp. vanilla in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or use an electric hand mixer with a large bowl. Beat until soft peaks form and use immediately or refrigerate.

5. When ready to assemble the trifle, begin by dividing the whipped cream into three portions. Gently fold 1/3 of the whipped cream into the prepared vanilla custard. Reserve 1/3 of the whipped cream for garnish, and use the last third to assemble the trifle. In a 4-quart trifle dish or glass bowl, build the trifle in layers: 1/3 of the cake cubes, 1/3 of the vanilla pudding, 1/3 of the roasted strawberries, 1/3 of the whipped cream, and 1/3 fresh strawberries. Repeat twice. Top the trifle with generous swirls of the remaining whipped cream and garnish with fresh lemon zest and chopped pistachios. Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving. Trifle can be kept loosely covered in the refrigerator for three days.