Devour june13

Eat & drink across

southeastern NC MAG

JUNE 2013

INSIDE THE KITCHEN An examination of chef methods, inspirations and philosophies JUNE - DECEMBER, 2013 | DEVOUR 1

2 DEVOUR | JUNE - DECEMBER, 2013

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Eat & drink across southeastern NC

MAG

EDITOR Shea Carver

Divulge.

Devour.

ASSISTANT EDITOR Bethany Turner

p

ART DIRECTOR Sue Cothran

eople often call me crazy for continuously taking photographs of my food. All of my friends have learned when we dine out, no one touches the dish until I snap a picture—inevitably to be Facebooked for my personal use or professionally so in one of many HP Media’s print products (encore, Southport Magazine, AdPak and now Devour).

Dare I say I am not the only person obsessed with food?

I know as much is true.

Wilmington, NC, and its surrounding areas are ripe for a print product devoted to the one thing that sustains us all in health and especially congregation. We eat to survive, but more importantly we do it to socialize with others in general. Food has a way of drawing people to common ground, whether dishing about our day over a family meal, or simply divulging our favorite cuisines and latest recipes.

Locally, our culinary scene continues to evolve. From fine-dining restaurants to casual lunch spots, desserteries and food trucks, culinary events and happenings continue to manifest annually. It’s proving how Wilmington is coming of age and molding its own epicurean paradigm. Our local industry focuses on everything from fresh seafood to vegan and vegetarian menus, from haute cuisine to farm-to-table, innumerable farmers’ markets and community-supported agricultural programs and so much more.

In our premiere issue of Devour, we’ve culminated a host of original content specific to area culinarians and foodies alike. We have profiles out the wazoo of local chefs, restaurateurs and even farmers who are constantly working to ensure our food is beautiful, tasty and healthful. We have gone on a real “Burger Bender” in search of Wilmington’s most delicious all-American sandwich, revealing a host of spots that serve up the perfect treat. We have helpful tips for folks looking to recreate magic in their own kitchens in “Chicken Chump,” a how-to on breaking down a bird and then cooking it to near perfection, thanks to numerous recipes supplied by some of our favorite eateries. And, yes, we especially have food porn—tons and tons of beautiful photos of dishes in Wilmington which make our taste buds salivate.

We have a special section dedicated to imbibing, as with a perfect meal often comes a perfect drink. Find out what homebrewers in our area are doing to push their recipes to the hilt in the latest craft-brew craze. Read Brian Victor’s suggestions on some of the most satisfying vino from Loire Valley and Provence. Check out Joel Finsel’s creative nonfiction from “Cocktails and Conversations,” as he recounts chit-chat overheard during his years bartending (and shares a few recipes, too).

Features always will be a part of Devour, from book reviews

by Gwenyfar Rohler to opinion editorial on controversial topics, such as this edition’s feature on GMOs. Amanda Greene will explore food’s vast impact on spiritual journeys across numerous religions, too. And our culinary calendar will keep readers ever involved in our region’s tastiest events.

It’s all to be divulged. It’s all to be devoured.

Feel free to come back for seconds.

IERE M E R P ISSUE

ADVERTISING John Hitt, Shea Carver, Bethany Turner, Kris Beasley CONTRIBUTORS Rosa Bianca, Evan Folds, Judy Royal, Amanda Greene, Joel Finsel, John Wolfe, Brian Victor, Gwenyfar Rohler, PHOTOGRAPHY Trent Williams, Charles Cothran, Shea Carver, Bethany Turner DEVOUR is published by HP Media every six months and covers the greater southeastern NC region. To subscribe to the print publication, the cost is $15 a year. Folks can sign up to subscribe in print or monthly via e-mail updates at www.devourILM.com.

The website is updated each month for new, local culinary news, reviews, events and happenings.

ADVERTISING To find out how your restaurant or business can be included in Devour, go online to www.devourILM.com to download a media kit. Feel free to call HP Media at 910-791-0688 or e-mail shea@encorepub.com.

HP Media also offers advertising packages for Devour and its other publications, encore, Southport Magazine and AdPak. JUNE - DECEMBER, 2013 | DEVOUR 3

4 DEVOUR | JUNE - DECEMBER, 2013

INDUSTRY 14-17 | Farmer

in the City

INDUSTRY

Un Corked

10-12 Successful Restaurateurs

36-37 Easy Sipping Whites

The business minds behind ILM’s eateries

and Rosés

14-17 Farmer in the City

COVER STORY 6-8 Inside the Kitchen An examination of chef methods, inspirations and philosophies We peek behind the line of three local restaurants to meet some of Wilmington’s most respected chefs. Tyson Amick of Aubriana’s (pictured above) shows how innovation in the kitchen keeps customers coming back for more. Shawn Wellersdick of Port Land Grille shares his finely tuned craft, a product of Johnson and Wales, New York City, and pure passion. In the Castle Street arts and antiques district, James Doss of Rx tells how keeping it local allows him to offer an ever-changing, seasonal menu every night.

Exploring Loire Valley and Provençe

Muenster’s Farm extends their reach into local industry

FEATURES

EAT

The spiritual influence of food

18-19 Burger Bender Finding the best all-American sandwich across ILM

21-23 What We Love to Eat Our Facebook fans speak up on what satisfies their taste buds best

HOW TO 25-27 Chicken Chump How to break down a chicken

38-39 Holy Sustenance 40-41 Let’s Talk GMOs The importance of knowing what you eat

To Read 42-43 Devouring the Family Tree A book of essays helps recall our connection to food and family

Select Indulgences

IMBIBE

44-47 Culinary calendar

29-31 Cocktails and

Check out local happenings, tastings, workshops and more

Conversations

of events

Truffle sosommé (so-sue-mé)

32-35 Homebrew Mania Cover photo by: Charles Cothran

Beer lovers delight in frothy experiments JUNE - DECEMBER, 2013 | DEVOUR 5

An examination of chef methods, inspirations and philosophies

t

BY John Wolfe ● Devour contributor, encore reporter and freelance writer

yson Amick sits across from me at a table on the cloistered back patio behind Aubriana’s, where he is executive chef. It’s late at night and he has been working all day. From the way he slumps in his chair, it’s obvious his body is fatigued. His speech, however, is quick and to the point; his mind still sharp. He’s enjoying a hard-earned cigarette and telling me how his professional career began the summer after his ninth grade year as a bus boy in Carolina Beach. Admittedly, I’m not listening because I’m watching his eyes.

They look at me with a fixed intensity. It’s the same intensity he puts into everything he does: his career, his restaurant, his foodie blog, his underground supper club...

This is a man who never stops moving— as far as I can tell. Even sitting down he’s a restless fit, more comfortable on his feet in a kitchen than sitting in a chair talking to a journalist with glasses and messy hair.

“You have to push yourself,” he tells me. “I don’t ever want to get complacent.

You have to keep finding different ways to express yourself through the medium you’ve chosen.”

To Amick, food can be used, like paint or ink or charcoal or clay: to create masterpieces. “Food is art,” he says. “It’s art you can eat.”

If Amick had chosen to work in paint, his peers would have been Jackson Pollock or Kazimir Malevich. He’s an abstract innovator, an artist with a flair for style and ingenuity. He is always looking for new recipes, ideas and inspiration. When he finds them, he features them on his food blog, Grits

● Photos by Bethany Turner and Charles Cothran 6 DEVOUR | JUNE - DECEMBER, 2013

“You have to push yourself. I don’t ever want to get complacent. You have to keep finding different ways to express yourself through the medium you’ve chosen.” —Tyson Amick

EAT and Glory. His creations are Wellersdick began working avant-garde and sometimes in kitchens at the age of 13 bizarre: he’s served gnocchi as a dishwasher, and continconcocted from pulverized ued throughout high school potato chips and cooked with and college. He furthered his breakfast cereal. studies in the culinary arts at “I get pleasure doing someJohnston and Wales Universithing I haven’t seen before,” he ty, where he cooked on his colconfesses. “People want to see lege Olympic team. Soon after something new and exciting.” he was working as an intern This passion for breaking at the prestigious Rihga Royal new ground, combined with Hotel’s Halcyon Restaurant in a desire to find guinea pigs New York City. to try his new foods on, led to “John Halcyon was a rock the creation of his invitationstar,” the Port Land Grille only dinner club. He originally owner says. “He was in the got the idea from an episode teaching manuals at the Cuof Anthony Bourdain’s “No Reservalinary Institute of America, and it was a “In order to stay in this business, tions,” where chefs held similar gathlittle intimidating at the time to be workerings in people’s houses. “We keep ing for him.” (The restaurant is currently it more professional than that,” Amick owned by the famously temperamental you have to be willing to change says. “That is, we do it in restaurants.

British chef Gordon Ramsey.)

But it’s still funded by donations.”

Wellersdick’s career in North Carolina to survive.” —Shawn Wellersdick Housing no more than two dozen began in 1994, a year after he moved to guests, everybody is served the same Greensboro with his ex-girlfriend. Besix courses, family-style. No picky eatforehand, he wrote several food critics ers are allowed. for advice as to where to work. Longtime critic John Batchelor “I wanted to break down the barrier between the kitchen and of the Greensboro News and Record was the only one who rethe dining room, and to get to know the people I was feeding,” sponded. He recommended Noble’s Restaurant Group, where he says.

Wellersdick worked for several years as executive chef at the High Amick’s style of presentation is very visual. He’s a firm believer in Point location and the opening chef at the Greensboro location. the old adage you eat with your eyes first. “Tyson has the best eye In 1998 Wellersdick moved to Wilmington where, he says, for plating and presentation that I’ve ever seen,” his former boss “there were no fine dining restaurants.” So he started his own, Marc Copenhaver, owner and head chef of former Wilmington at the age of 23: Under Currant, located downtown on Market restaurant Marc’s on Market, says. Amick worked there as the ex- Street, where Caprice Bistro operates now. It was hugely successecutive sous chef from 1999 until the restaurant closed last Octo- ful. It wasn’t uncommon for them to pack 200 people into the tiny ber. He continues to keep in touch with Copenhaver, who moved space on a busy weekend evening, and it was here that Wellersto Colorado. Yet, Copenhaver will visit in late June and then the dick began to build his local reputation. He was an innovator, as two will cook together at Aubriana’s for a reservations-only event. well. “We used to drive to the airport to pick up ingredients that One day, Amick would like to open his own restaurant—one couldn’t be delivered otherwise,” he says. “We were the first ones that would bring more national focus to Wilmington’s fine din- in Wilmington to do so.” ing scene. For right now, he says he just wants to continue to After the business partnership crumbled and Under Currant improve on what he’s doing. Being a chef, like being an artist, closed two years after its inception, Wellersdick looked to relocate is a full-time job, and it takes a lot of hard work and dedicated to the Pacific Northwest—specifically, Portland, Oregon, where he focus to perfect the craft. But Amick knows he is doing what had plans for another small restaurant. He flew over to investigate he loves. “Marc once told me, you will know you’re in the right potential locations, and was disappointed to find that it would be place when you’re working 70-plus hours a week and it doesn’t financially difficult to do so in that state. feel like you’re working at all.”

“The whole week I was there, I was getting calls from customers who had eaten at Under Currant, asking when I would be cooking Shawn Wellersdick in Wilmington again,” Wellersdick recalls. “I must have gotten a Shawn Wellersdick is a chronological enigma. He appears to be hundred calls that week.” So he turned around and flew back to middle-aged—maybe—with a salt-and-pepper goatee, a close- North Carolina. “I scribbled the business plan for this place during cropped military haircut and intensely blue eyes. He told me he’s the flight on every barf bag in my section,” he admits.

It eventually manifested into Port Land Grille, named after the been getting into running lately, and when he got up to make me some coffee, I could see he has great calves. Physically, he’s city he was leaving and inspired by the style of food they served young. Career-wise, he’s ancient, Methuselah-esque—the grand- there. Thirteen years later, an eternity for any restaurant, has won more awards than would fit in this magazine. He most recently daddy of Wilmington’s fine cuisine scene.

“There’s not a single person in Wilmington’s restaurant industry received the DiRona award of excellence from Distinguished Reswho hasn’t worked for me at one time or another,” he tells me taurants of North America.

A pioneer, trailblazer, and an established force committed to with a bright smile. Maybe a bit of an exaggeration, it’s pretty culinary excellence, his secret to longevity remains simple. “Flexdamn close to the truth.

JUNE - DECEMBER, 2013 | DEVOUR 7

“Our menu reflects whatever is growing at the time. I’m really inspired by the change of the seasons. When the kale comes in, we’ll serve kale cooked in every possible way for a few weeks.” —James Doss

ability,” he says. “In order to stay in this business, you have to be willing to change to survive.” His reputation for consistent greatness helps, too; he estimates that 50 to 60 percent of his clientele are repeat customers. That’s probably because he tends to retain staff for a long time. The average waiter has worked at Port Land Grille for seven to 10 years even. And Wellersdick has no plans to stop anytime soon. “As long as there’s a calling for us,” he says, “we’ll keep going.”

James Doss

Every chef interviewed for this story uttered the phrase “farm to table” at least once. But I can tell James Doss of the Castle Street eatery Rx really means it. How? The man grows crops on the roof of his restaurant to use in his recipes. Rx might just be the most local restaurant in Wilmington.

“Last year, I was really ambitious,” Doss says. He’s nearing the end of his first year operating the restaurant which opened last July, but he’s been working in kitchens for 17 years now.

Per his rooftop garden, he admits, “I had to figure a lot of things out. Some things don’t grow well in pots on the roof.”

Last season he tried a variety of crops, but this year he pared it down to mostly herbs and a variety of tomatoes that he can’t find anywhere else.

All other ingredients come from farmers’ markets or farmers directly. “Pretty much everything I use is locally sourced,” Doss says. All of the vegetables used in the restaurant are delivered twice a week from nearby farms, and the same can be said for the proteins; the poultry comes from Ashley Farms in Virginia, the pork comes from Wallace or Goldsboro, and every piece of seafood on the menu was swimming in the waters surrounding Wilmington when it was caught. Even the tables are local; along

with the bar, they are made of repurposed wood found in his business partner Josh Novicki’s grandfather’s barn near Kinston, North Carolina.

This dedication to using fresh ingredients means Doss works backward from most of his peers, who tend to write the menu first, then find the ingredients later. “Our menu reflects whatever is growing at the time,” he says. “I’m really inspired by the change of the seasons. When the kale comes in, we’ll serve kale cooked in every possible way for a few weeks. We just got our first squash in last Saturday.”

Doss also admits that he’s big on the pig. Often times he’ll purchase an entire pig and then, à la the Native Americans, use every part of it. “We make our own pork rinds here,” he says.

“We serve barbequed pigs ears. We’ll take the pig’s head and make ravioli with it.”

Rx is Doss’ first attempt at owning and operating a restaurant, and he admits it’s been difficult learning about the financial side. “If I had to start over, I’d definitely do some things differently, but all in all I’m pretty happy,” he says. “We’ve got a loyal customer base and plans to keep growing.”

In the long-term, he will continue focusing on ambition. “I want to open people’s eyes to where their food comes from,” he says. “The end goal is to have a small farm that will grow all of the food that we use in the restaurant. I want to keep going with the rooftop garden, and maybe even start raising animals.

We’ll see.”

In the short term, Doss wants to keep evolving as a chef and developing more of a holistic attitude toward cooking. “It’s always a challenge to transfer something from the raw ingredients to something that will pop on somebody’s plate,” he says, “but I get to make people happy, and it’s the best feeling in the world.”

Find us online at: www.DevourILM.com 8 DEVOUR | JUNE - DECEMBER, 2013

JUNE - DECEMBER, 2013 | DEVOUR 9

Successful Restaurateurs The business minds behind ILM’s eateries

BY Judy Royal ● Devour contributor, freelance writer and Fire on the Dock social media manager You’ll never hear people in the restaurant business say success came easy to them.

In fact, it’s widely known as one of the toughest industries there is.

“In North Carolina there are about 17,000 restaurants in the state,” Lynn Minges, president and CEO of the NC Restaurant and Lodging Association, says.

“Most operate at a profit margin of 2 percent. Folks don’t realize it, but it’s not a large margin. The reality is they work on such thin margins that even a rainy weekend, bad tourist season or lack of consumer confidence can mean failure.

It’s just a really volatile kind of business to be in.”

But it’s also big business. Of the $19 billion visitors coming into North Carolina spent last year, $6.4 billion of that went to restaurants according to Minges. And the National Restaurant Association projects the state’s eateries will register $15.4 billion in sales during 2013.

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INDUSTRY

“I remember a customer coming in the second year and saying, ‘I never came in before now because I didn’t think you guys were going to make it.’ But when we got here, nobody else was doing this.” —Amy Muxworthy (above with husband Jay)

Here in southeastern North Carolina, restaurateurs face many of the same challenges their nationwide counterparts encounter: Rising labor and food costs, finding trustworthy employees and adapting to industry trends are among the biggest, according to Minges.

“Those restaurants that are successful have a good blend of passion for food and a desire to serve others,” she said. “The ones that are long-term are the ones who have a good business sense.

You can have the best food in the world and make your customers happy, but, at the end of the day, if you’re not making money, you’re not going to be in business long. Also, you can be a good business person, but if you have bad service and poor quality, you won’t do well. It’s just trying to find that happy balance of all three that is the secret formula to success.”

While the Wilmington area is known for restaurants coming and going about as much as the seasons change, there are some restaurateurs who have stood the test of time. They have found that “secret formula to success” Minges mentioned.

Jay and Amy Muxworthy

Flaming Amy’s Burrito Barn, Flaming Amy’s Bowl, Sacred Burrito Bus Flaming Amy’s Burrito Barn will celebrate 13 years in business in the summer of 2013. The Oleander Drive location had seen a parade of restaurants come and go before Jay and Amy Muxworthy came to town from Atlanta in 2000. Some thought they’d be just another flash in the pan. For a while they even displayed a letter on the wall from someone telling them as much. And he wasn’t the only naysayer.

“I remember a customer coming in the second year and saying, ‘I never came in before now because I didn’t think you guys were

going to make it,’” Amy tells. “But when we got here, nobody else was doing this.”

Jay adds, “We were in the right place at the right time for this concept.”

But success in fact manifested. They added Flaming Amy’s Bowl in 2008 and the Sacred Burrito Bus food truck followed in 2012. Still, the Muxworthys admit there were not-sosuccessful learning experiences along the way. Their prime example is the Burrito Shack that operated in Carolina Beach from 2003 to 2005.

“That was a case of expanding too quickly,” Jay explains. “It was just too much too soon.

We weren’t ready to run two places.”

The years that followed allowed them to put together a staff of “solid people,” currently about 60 at both locations, which they credit as a crucial ingredient of their success. The Muxworthys reward them with insurance and retirement plans for full-timers, free shift meals, free cell phone plans for managers and quarterly bonuses.

“If you have people you can trust and are loyal, it’s well worth taking care of them,” Jay says. “They’re not going to look out for you if you’re not taking care of them.”

The Muxworthys’ complementary skills work well for the operation of their businesses. Amy handles bookkeeping and other administrative duties, while Jay bounces between the two locations and the food truck, calling vendors and making sure everything is running smoothly.

“When it comes down to it, I’m a cook,” Jay says. “I’m not a suit-and-tie business person. I’m not good at that. Give me an idea and I’ll get people to come in the door.”

Of course, anyone thinking about opening a restaurant should note there is much more to it than that. Jay cautions, “The biggest mistake is people who don’t know the restaurant business and have never been in it just jump in. Don’t think just because you’re a good cook and throw a good party that you should open a restaurant.”

They also see greed as one of the downfalls of many restaurants. While Jay admitted the ever-popular free, unlimited salsa bar at the Barn probably isn’t the most cost-effective move, it’s one of the perks that keeps customers coming.

“We’ve never looked at it like, ‘How much money can we make from this?’” he says. “It’s more like, ‘Can we make a living out of this?’ We’re in it to make money, but it’s never been the driving force with any of our ventures.”

Shelly McGowan

Michael’s Seafood Restaurant and Catering, Big Apple Bakery Starting a restaurant was a dream for Shelly McGowan and her late husband Michael, who passed away in October 2012, following complications due to Cystic Fibrosis. The two met when they were working together at a country club in Pennsylvania: he as a chef and she at the front of the house.

They decided to relocate and opened Michael’s Seafood Restaurant in Carolina Beach in 1998, which was previously at Federal Point Shopping Center but moved to its present location at 1206 N. Lake Park Boulevard in 2003.

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INDUSTRY business is kind of in your blood,” McGowan says. “Once you get that fever it’s hard to get out of it.”

Establishing themselves in a new market was tough in the beginning. “Be ready to put in blood, sweat and tears,” McGowan forewarns.

“It’s a 24-hour job. Michael and I worked open to close every day for the first three years before we even hired a manager. I believe that really created our standards.”

The dedication paid off. They worked on mastering their seafood chowder recipe, which made them a three-time winner and thus earned them a Hall of Fame spot in the international Schweppes Great Chowder Cook-off in Newport, Rhode Island. The chowder also kicked off a side business with a commercial kitchen in Charlotte and distribution in all Harris Teeter stores beginning in 2010.

In addition, McGowan, in the midst of dealing with the loss of her husband, opened Big Apple Bakery just a few doors down from the restaurant in March. She said she doesn’t think Michael would have wanted her to abandon plans they’d already started before his death.

While stressing the need for careful planning and taking advantage of free resources that will help entrepreneurs develop business plans, McGowan gives credit to her staff for much of the success. Finding the right mix of employees is the operation’s biggest challenge, according to the restaurateur.

“They feel like they work with me and not for me, which is good,” McGowan says. “I think that’s how I get so much out of them, by just taking the time to praise them and show appreciation. Those little things go a long way.”

To anyone looking to upstart her own venture, McGowan’s advice remains steadfast. “Do your homework and make sure you are prepared in all aspects,” she notes. “Don’t open a restaurant just because you like to cook, or you like to wait on tables, or you like to bartend. Make sure it’s in your blood like it is in mine.”

Solange Thompson Indochine

Although she operated a couple of small local restaurants in the area during the ‘80s and ‘90s, Solange Thompson was content getting out of the business and running an antique shop. That is, until she spotted the “for lease” sign at 7 Wayne Drive in 2000.

“I saw this building many times, and I always liked the 1950s style,” she recounts. “I thought I could make it nice. I just had this vision that I was meant to be in this place. We did everything in one month and we opened the restaurant.”

That spot is now called Indochine, one of Wilmington’s most popular restaurants. Thompson owns the building, as well as the business. “I wanted to combine a menu that was not totally Chinese or Thai or Vietnamese or sushi,” Thompson says. “If you had a friend with a different palate, they could gather here to find something they want.”

Menu items range from Thai curries to fresh sushi to Singapore noodles to various soups, like Tom Yum, and more. Vegetarians will find Indochine vast in friendly fare, and folks with spicy palates will be sated by their mild, medium or hot options of preparation.

People will see the restaurant packed on any given night, as their 12 DEVOUR | JUNE - DECEMBER, 2013

“You have to have passion. Every day I come to work and I’m very happy about my restaurant. I really love my restaurant.” —Solange Thompson (above) lot overflows with cars. There never seems to be a down time.

“It was busy from the beginning,” Thompson informs. “We didn’t even advertise. We just put the sign on the door saying ‘open,’ and we had a line of people. That was it; I’m very blessed.”

Thompson certainly doesn’t leave it all up to fate, though. She comes to the restaurant about 8:30 a.m. most days and stays until dinner, making sure her staff has what is necessary to run things smoothly.

“You have to have passion,” she admits. “Every day I come to work, and I’m very happy about my restaurant. I really love my restaurant.”

It shows in every intricate detail, too—from the antiques she has collected and dispersed from her homeland of Vietnam. Artwork hangs at every corner, among antiquated Asian artifacts. The outdoor gardens are meticulously manicured, and there are huts for outdoor dining on cool and warm evenings. Outside of being an eclectic vision, the food, too, remains fresh and derived from family recipes.

“I think as a business owner, you have to know your food costs [and] your portion control,” Thompson says. “You have to be on top of everything, down to the minute detail. You have to be very firm. You can be a nice person, but you have to be a very firm person with your staff.”

Thompson says the most successful restaurants give people value for their money. More so, the restaurateurs and staff never take their customers for granted.

“When I see other restaurants go down, it’s for those basics,” she states.

JUNE - DECEMBER, 2013 | DEVOUR 13

Farmer in the City

Muenster’s Farm extends their reach into local industry

BY Shea Carver ● Devour and encore magazine editor Trying to wrangle two 600-pound runaway pigs, aptly named Thelma and Louise, isn’t an easy job. Neither is herding goats back onto the farm from across Castle Hayne Road, which can cause quite a traffic jam on a somewhat busy two-way street.

Muenster’s Farm owners Michael (“Ski”) and Kate Kowalskis’ dream of working the land come with quite a few of these stories—like the time their black lab, Wedge, decided to eat a daily harvest of chicken eggs, raw and straight off the counter. With 175 chickens roaming about, and numerous ducks, that’s a lot of yolk—and ones the Kowalskis don’t want to see wasted. In fact, the birds are the farm’s main artery into Wilmington’s restaurant industry. Their fresh eggs—washed simply in water; no bleach or vinegar—are provided to well-known eateries, like Pine Valley Market, Uprising Bakery, Cameo 1900 and Catch. “Ski and Kate are awesome to work with,” Christi Ferretti, chef and owner of Pine Valley Market, says. “We love Muenster’s eggs. They are difficult to keep in stock consistently as they are in such high demand. We use them for breakfast at the market, and they make such a difference. Ski and Kate take such pride in their product, and great care of the animals.”

Photos by Charles Cothran and Shea Carver 14 DEVOUR | JUNE - DECEMBER, 2013

INDUSTRY

“We can’t keep up with the demands of our eggs. There are two customers we can’t even get to right now because Pine Valley Market and Uprising have such large orders. And I am not complaining.” —Ski Kowalski (above) The dream began five years ago in a garage apartment off Rose and Wrightsville avenues. Kate was studying the culinary arts at Cape Fear Community College and Ski was working his ice-sculpting business, Ice Sensations. As part of her course load, Kate took an ice-sculpting class. “I went on deliveries with Ski and helped with carving,” she remembers. “We spent 14 hours in a freezer one New Year’s Eve.” During that Christmas she went to visit family but left behind two pounds of duck confit for Ski. “He called everyday to ask how to cook it,” she laughs. The two began dating, and by 2009 they had five chickens roaming their apartment grounds. Five led to 12, which then led to 21, and they realized they needed more space and land.

“Meg Shelton [of Shelton Herb Farm in Leland] is to blame,” Ski jokes.

“Yeah, she introduced us to our first chicken,” Kate confirms.

It wasn’t until November 2010 Ski and Kate found a few acres and a home off Castle Hayne Road, right past GE. Their first month in, Ski had an early holiday gift for Kate: a baby goat. “I got this look, like ‘What the heck are we gonna do with that?’” he recalls.

“The baby bottle was bigger than the goat,” Kate remembers. “It was a lot of trial and error.”

They learned the hard way goats need to live in pairs. When they got Caesar, he would stay up all night moaning if no one slept beside him. Eventually, Wedge would curl up and comfort the goat.

“Everything is a learning experience in life,” Kate remarks. “When I was in culinary school, I pushed myself very hard to learn as much as I can because you’re only as good as what you put in.”

Kate carries the philosophy forward, whether through her full-time job—cheffing for a private club north of Porter’s Neck—making daily egg deliveries or milking the goats for homemade cheese. She even became certified by taking a NC cheesemaking course, which maintains the product comes from milk that never leaves the property and is made all onsite. Everything dictates an immense amount of

effort, time and precision. Ski, too, shares her philosophy, continuing forth with his primary business in ice sculpting while constantly tending the farm, whether building chicken coops, putting up fencing, or gardening one of their numerous beds.

“We want to do more than just egg deliveries, eventually,” he says of Muenster’s local reach.

“Eggs are the easiest because we’ve been doing it the longest,” Kate chimes in. “We finally have a system down.”

Their garden is in year three. After an iffy first bout, they’re seeing lush growth, from the most delicious, herbaceous asparagus, to sweet and peppery French breakfast radishes, to Burgundy okra, chocolate habaneros, heirloom tomatoes and more.

“People are so disassociated with their food nowadays,” Kate says. “They don’t realize the effort it takes to grow healthful food— the time and energy you put into getting everything so it’s ready to go for spring.”

From rising feed prices to constant nurturing of the plants to making sure no genetically modified organisms are used, Muenster’s Farms does not currently sell at farmers’ markets. For one, they aren’t keen on the haggling that takes place between customer and farmer. “It’s not a flea market,” Ski says. Also, that farmers have to be selected to participate at some and are only allowed to sell certain items is too constraining.

“Farmers’ markets used to be set up to help farmers and without so many rules,” Ski says. “I can understand paying rent for a space, like $10 or $20 a day, but when it gets to be upward of $100, I don’t think it’s fair to the farmer.”

“Detroit actually has the best farmers’ market I’ve ever been to,” Kate says. “It’s all food! No arts or crafts! It is all pickled stuff, heritage-free, organic pastry flour, tons of eggs—and it’s all indoors. As a chef, as a person, I don’t want to go to market and see all jewelry.

I want to go for food—local food.”

Muenster’s stays away from unnatural pesticides and chemicals.

JUNE - DECEMBER, 2013 | DEVOUR 15

INDUSTRY

They want to maintain flavor and health benefits. “When you’re going organic, a lot more time and work is involved,” Kate says.

“And we’re dealing with something you can’t predict: Mother Nature,” Ski adds. “This year, strawberries have gone to crap because of all the rain. If we have a drought, feed prices rise.”

“It’s all interconnected,” Kate continues.

The desire to homestead and live off the land is a natural fit for the husband and wife, who just married in February. Kate came from Englishtown, New Jersey, where her family ran a tree farm. “I learned to drive a tractor before a car,” she says.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, Ski was reared a city slicker from Detroit. Yet, the appeal of the quiet and calm always kept him focused on a different way of living. “I don’t like city life,” he admits.

“Granted it can be pretty cool, but it’s just too congested.”

Of course, the farm certainly isn’t populace-free by any measure.

The Kowalskis just deal on a different level of excess. Currently, they’re building a chicken coop suited for 200 birds. “We can’t keep up with the demands of our eggs,” Ski says. “There are two customers we can’t even get to right now because Pine Valley Market and Uprising have such large orders­. And I am not complaining.”

It’s a good problem for any farmer to have: demand. When dealing with two pigs, 175 chickens, quite a few roosters, 10 goats, a gaggle of geese, two guineas, two cats, one snake and three dogs (one of whom the farm is named after), the work load never lessens. It just begins earlier. For now, it comes around 6:30 a.m. for feeding time.

“And if the pigs don’t have water, they’ll bust the fence,” Ski reminds.

“People are so disassociated with their food nowadays. They don’t realize the effort it takes to grow healthful food—the time and energy you put into getting everything so it’s ready to go for spring.” —Kate Kowalski (above)

sauteEd FRENCH breakfast radishes • French breakfast radishes and green tops • Butter and olive oil • Salt and pepper • 1 onion, diced

Add a few pats of butter to a hot pan and caramelize onion with salt and pepper. Cut the green tops off the radishes and wash like collards. Add quartered radishes and olive oil to onions and cook for 15-20 minutes. Saute tops in ‘til wilted. Serve.

16 DEVOUR | JUNE - DECEMBER, 2013

Oysters, Shrimp, Clams, Mussels, Crab Legs, Wings, Fish ‘n’ Chips Named one of the Best Seafood Dives in America by Coastal Living Magazine

We carry all sports packages for DirecTV!

OPEN DAILY DO W NTO W N W ILMINGTO N 109 Market St. • 910-833-8622 CAR O LINA BE ACH 6 N. Lake Park Blvd. • 910-458-7380

www.shuckinshackoysterbar.com

Cafe • Catering • Prepared Foods Meats • Wine • Gourmet Store 3520 S. College Road Phone: (910) 350-3663 • Fax: (910) 350-3691

www.pinevalleymarket.com JUNE - DECEMBER, 2013 | DEVOUR 17

Finding the best all-American sandwich across ILM

e

BY Rosa Bianca ● Devour contributor and encore magazine restaurant critic

very town has the perfect burger—and the perfect place to get it. Folks can walk into any decentsized metropolis and ask around, and people inevitably have an opinion.

The important question in this column is: Where is Wilmington’s?

I set out on a very important quest to answer the question. While the criteria can be subjective for anyone looking to indulge on this undertaking, I did construct a few of my own rules. Here is an incomplete list of my totally biased criteria: Availability Matters: When my best friend comes into town and I want to take him for a burger, the burger has to be available. Wayfarer Delicatessen makes a fantastic bison burger. I would have loved to have included it. Yet, I can only get it on Thursdays and Saturdays. If I can’t get a burger on a Friday night, then I can’t rate it the best burger in town.

I consider this doubly unfortunate, because I really wanted to include a non-beef alternative. The next time I write this article I’m hoping to see some buffalo and ostrich.

But Too Much Availability is a Bad Thing: It can’t be the best burger in Wilmington if it’s also the best burger in another city. This contest is for local, independently owned restaurants only. Port City Chop House and Ruth’s Chris Steak House: I love you and all, but you’re out.

Side Dishes Matter: No matter how good the burger is, if served with a lousy side dish, it becomes wasted. Thankfully, I don’t have an example for this one. I just wanted to make that point.

And, with those rules, I give you my five finalists...

18 DEVOUR | JUNE - DECEMBER, 2013

AN AMERICAN GEM: Burgers slathered in a slew of toppings, including jalapeños, bacon and cheese, make Patty Wagon’s juicy concoction, sandwiched between a brioche bun, the winner of Wilmingon’s best burger, according to Rosa Bianca. Courtesy photo from Patty Wagon.

“I don’t know if you call a burger ‘recession food.’ It’s comfort food.”

—Michael Mina

EAT Pine Valley Market

to move away from potatoes on the side. Their onion rings are a little expected, but tasty nonetheless.

Recognized by encore readers as the Best Butcher’s Shop in Wilmington, it should come as no surprise that PVM makes the list. High-quality Angus beef ground on-premise, lightly seasoned and grilled to order makes for one of the juiciest hamburgers in town.

I opted for Swiss and bacon, two things that never harm a hamburger.

The cheese lent a mild pungency, and the salty bacon offset the savory beef beautifully. Most notably, the thick and crisp pickles were the best of any I tasted. Unlike many burger joints, with their razor-thin strips of vinegary cucumbers, these didn’t come sliding out to strike me in the chin. It’s the little things that separate the top five from the rest of the pack.

Side dishes run the gamut at the market, too, from fries to delicious homemade soups, pasta and potato salads, and more.

The Patty Wagon

3520 S. College Rd. • (910) 350-3663 www.pinevalleymarket.com

Various locations across town!

Facebook.com/ThePattyWagonILM Food trucks deserve a little credit, too, and none other serves a better burger in town than The Patty Wagon. Found parked across Wilmington at various locations weekly (follow them on Facebook for updates), they can be found at Goat and Compass on Wednesday nights from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. assuredly.

Thick and juicy, hand-made burg“[At Pine Valley Market], I opted ers, with multiple cheeses and other toppings to choose from, makes for for Swiss and bacon, two things a remarkable selection—especially that never harm a hamburger. The when one considers how little square footage they have to work in. cheese lent a mild pungency, and Once again, I went with a classic the salty bacon offset the savory beef Swiss and bacon. The meat is more peppery than the other entrants and beautifully.” quite delicious. Eaters shant miss out on their twice-fried French fries, Frank’s Classic cut with the skin on for an added flavor of greatness.

American Grill And I was lucky enough to sample one of their onion rings. Thin6309 Market St. • (910) 228-5952 ly sliced with hints of cayenne, they’re a great switch-up from the www.franksclassicamericangrill.com mundanity of potatoes. However, the most notable fact about the Anyone who read my review of Frank’s in encore magazine last Patty Wagon’s burger is the brioche. The rich, buttery bread lends March knows I’m partial to their wares. Classically Carolinian, with another fatty dimension of flavor to the sandwich. steamed buns and hand-pressed patties, Frank’s burgers are a pure taste of the South. And their Carolina burger, with slaw, mustard and The Copper Penny the ubiquitous chili, is a perfect example of that style. The chili in 109 Chestnut St. • (910) 762-1373 particular, with its blend of sweet-and-spicy, makes for a nice alterna- www.copperpennync.com tive to catsup.

Long considered downtown’s best burger offering, the Copper Additionally, Frank’s is the big winner on the side-dish front with Penny always does pub fare right. Foodies know that what makes their spiral-cut potato. Alternately crispy and chewy, it’s a great varitheir burger special is the meat. Ground from short ribs, it contains ation on run-of-the-mill fries found in a lot of places. a richer flavor bestowed from the fattier cut. This full flavor comes Winnie’s Tavern through to the point one doesn’t even need bacon or cheese (not 1895 Burnett Blvd. • (910) 762-1799 that I skipped either). Ridiculously juicy, I don’t recommend letting Tucked away in an unassuming place (i.e., bar), Winnie’s is a crowd a Copper Penny burger sit for long. The drippings will soak the bun favorite. In many ways it’s also a perfect addition to this contest. Out before too long. It’ll still be delicious. Just messier. of the way, near almost nothing else, on a road most people have Their hand-cut fries also taste great with malt vinegar. Yet, folks no reason to travel, Winnie’s is the sort of dive bar only locals know can get sweet-potato fries or hand-cut potato chips. Healthier opabout. Thus, it’s distinctly Wilmingtonian. tions abound, too, with a side salad—house, Greek or Caesar—or a Their hand-pressed burger, covered in nearly too much bacon and cup of homemade soup for an upcharge. slathered with American cheese, is a declasse treat. I’m normally no While there are no losers on this list, I promised to pick a winner. fan of the mild cheddar known as American cheese, with its waxy texThe Patty Wagon’s delicious buttery bun lifts it up to win by a nose ture and unremarkable flavor, but somehow at Winnie’s, it just tastes over the competition. With no fixed address, you’ll have to track right. Not to mention smoked gouda just would be out of place here.

This was the only one of our five finalists which persuaded me down the best burger in Wilmington on a night-to-night basis. But it’s worth it. And, if you’re looking for something with tables and ● Above photo courtesy of Pine Valley Market chairs, try one of the other four for the quintessential American treat.

JUNE - DECEMBER, 2013 | DEVOUR 19

SAVE THE 3rd ANNUAL CARE PROJECT GALA, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2013 @ THE TERRACES ON SIR TYLER DATE:

The CARE Project gives thanks to the kindness and generosity from Wilmington restaurants and the surrounding communities in Southeastern North Carolina!

Johnnie Sexton, Executive Director • Xris Kessler, Media Director 20 DEVOUR | JUNE - DECEMBER, 2013

what we LOVE TO EAT

CHARCUTERIE AND CHEESE Manna 123 Princess Street • (910) 763-5252

PORK BELLY BUNS Phun Seafood Bar 123 Princess Street • (910) 763-5252

One of Wilmington’s most hip fine-dining establishments also carries one amazing charcuterie and cheese plate, with locally cured meats, like prosciutto and duck salami, along with fine cheeses from Camembert to blue, served alongside bites of the perfect accompaniments.

The 22-seat Asian street-food restaurant—located downtown— serves up sweet bao buns sandwiching 180-minute pork belly, served with hoisin BBQ, scallion and corriander. And for only $7, why not try them again and again and again!

BROWNSTEW CHICKEN

EDEN RICE BOWL

Jamaica’s Comfort Zone 417 S. College Rd. • (910) 399-2867 Jamaica’s Comfort Zone serves up classic island fare, such as Brownstew Chicken, prepared with garlic, scallions, soy and other key ingredients, stewed all day. Side items include red beans and rice and plantains. Half portion runs $8 and full, $13.

Epic Food Co. 1113-F Military Cutoff Rd. • (910) 679-4216 Epic Food Co. specializes in healthful, flavorful fare. Their Eden Rice Bowl comes packed with nutrients, including organic spinach, cucumber, carrot strings, fresh basic, green apple pickle and peanut sauce. Top it with grilled chicken for added protein for only $9.

JUNE - DECEMBER, 2013 | DEVOUR 21

what we LOVE TO EAT

TOFU PAD THAI TUNA NICOISE Temptations Everyday Gourmet 3501 Oleander Dr. • (910) 763-6662 8207 Market St. • (910) 686-9343

Bento Box 1121-L Military Cutoff Rd. • (910) 509-0774 While Chef Lee and company offers a full array of delicious sushi and specialty rolls, they have noodle bowls not easily forgotten— such as their Pad Thai Tofu, at a very reasonable $8.95. It comes with thin rice noodles, egg and bean sprouts in a tamarind sauce with scallions and chopped peanuts.

Chef James keeps all options at both Temptations’ locations fresh and light. The tuna niçoise, at only $12.50, comes with grilled yellowfin tuna, Kalamata olives, roasted red peppers, capers, hardboiled egg, tomatoes and spring lettuce with house vinaigrette topped with tapenade.

VEGAN PUMPKIN CAKE Tidal Creek Co-Op 5329 Oleander Dr. • (910) 799-2667 Fresh from the co-op kitchen at Tidal Creek Co-op. Satisfy your sweet tooth with vegan pumpkin cake that’s bursting with fall spices and topped with cinnamon vegan buttercream served with a freshly picked strawberry. Part of their extensive salad and fresh food bar, $7.69/pound.

22 DEVOUR | JUNE - DECEMBER, 2013

OYSTERS ROCKEFELLAR Elijah’s 2 Ann Street • (910) 343-1448 While in season we want them shucked and steamed only, any time of the year we’ll take oysters doused in spinach, bacon, fresh herbs, topped with Hollandaise. Elijah’s serves them for only $10 on their starter menu. And the view of the Cape Fear River is free!

what we LOVE TO EAT

SWEETBREADS Canapé www.canapeilm.com • (910) 274-2012 Chef Matthew Gould runs the only pop-up restaurant in Wilmington at San Juan Café one Sunday each month. While his menu changes each time, last fall when he put sweetbreads on the menu for a mere $12, the outcome was succulent. Capers, lemon, butter, parsley and calf thymus—classic deliciousness.

FIRECRACKER SHRIMP Catch 6623 Market Street • (910) 799-3847 Chef Keith Rhodes’ local seafood has certainly become a “catch” for Wilmington foodies. The “Top Chef” season 9 contestant serves it up with spicy Cognac cream and toasted sesame seeds for only $11 at his North Market Street location.

CHOCOLATE SUSHI Circa 1922 8 North Front Street • (910) 762-1922 OK, so while regular sushi may beckon seafood lovers, we’re indulging in the dessert approach, thanks to Circa 1922’s chocolate sushi! Chocolate rolled in coconut and served with caramel and chocolate, strawberry and other confections ... yes, please!

Only $10.

SHRIMP VINDALOO

Tandoori Bites 1620 S. College Road • (910) 794-4545

Wilmington’s Best Indian Restaurant, as noted by encore magazine readers, serves spicy shrimp vindaloo over white rice and naan bread to sop it all up! Vindaloo is a variation of curry in India and can come mild, medium or hot! $14.95 JUNE - DECEMBER, 2013 | DEVOUR 23

24 DEVOUR | JUNE - DECEMBER, 2013

HOW

TO! An educational guide to cooking

Chicken Chump!

How to break down a chicken

BY Matthew Gould ● Chef, Canapé pop-up restaurant One of the most frequent questions I’m asked as a chef revolves around “how-to”—as in, “How do I cook risotto” or “How do I break down ribs?” With the world of food providing so much inspiration into any kitchen, Devour provides a great opportunity to offer the public an educational foray that can transform their own cooking spaces into professional learning centers. And, so, my chicken chumps, here I present you with one question I hear again and again: “How do I break down a chicken?” Check out the picture guide of instructions, and enjoy the bird one of many ways, thanks to a slew of recipes provided from local restaurants—including Canapé’s own lip-smackin’ fried variety, perfect for any down-home, Southern meal.

TOOLS NEEDED:

Figure 3

• Colander.

• Choose a sharpened knife: Boning (curved at tip), utility (slightly bigger than a paring knife) or chef’s knife (my preference).

• Large cutting board.

• Towel.

Choose a bird, preferably organic, and make sure it’s thawed.

Pull out all of its innards from the neck (giblets, liver, etc.) and thoroughly wash inside and out in a colander in the sink so all blood releases.

1

Lay down dampened towel and put cutting board on top so it doesn’t slide. Face bird toward you, breast side up, on the board.

2

First take the wings off by finding the second joint and slicing through the alteration; repeat on other side.

3

Figure 2

4

Turn the bird 180 degrees so its bottom is now facing you. Find the space between the leg and the breast, and slice the skin. Pop out the back bone from the socket of the chicken thigh, and feel in back for the hip bone. Slice with knife on the outside of the bone and go all the way down to separate.

Repeat on the other side.

Turn body 90 degrees so the bird is now sideways.

Lift up its rib cage to slice through skin. Slice extra skin off and go directly down to chop off the spine from the body (save it for stock).

5

6

Turn the bird another 90 degrees until bottom of breast faces you, and cut off excess skin on back.

7

Find the breast bone and slide the knife on left side of the breast; slice through all the way down.

8

Find the wishbone at top of the breast to align the knife atop the breast, and press down on the top steel of the knife to break.

9

Follow the contour of rib cage with tip of the knife, but push wishbone out to separate from the meat. Follow with the knife all the way down ‘til you find the shoulder bone and cut through.

JUNE - DECEMBER, 2013 | DEVOUR 25

Figure 4

EAT

Figure 8

13 10

Breast and small drumstick need to be separated. With skinside down, find where the meat and drummie meet and slice through. Repeat with other breast and drummie.

14

Save the body of the bird for stock.

You’re left 12 pieces: two wings, two small drummies, two drumsticks, two breasts, two tenderloins, two thighs—perfect for frying, grilling, sauteeing and such.

Figure 5

Figure 9

11

With breast skin-side down, find the tenderloin. Lift and slice tenderloin off breast. Repeat with other breast.

To separate large drumstick and thigh, find the articulation in where the two meet (between fat and meat beside the head of the drumstick), and slice through. Repeat with other drumstick and thigh.

12

Figure 10

Figure 7

Figure 11

Figure 12

See recipes for chicken on next page.

26 DEVOUR | JUNE - DECEMBER, 2013

EAT Chicken Laab Salad

Courtesy of Chef Larry O’Conner, Thai Spice

Pan Seared Chicken With Balsamic-honey syrup, roasted peppers, and goat cheese

Courtesy of Chef Thomas Sullivan, Shell Island Restaurant

Traditional Thai dish most common in the Northeastern region of Thailand.

Served with tri-colored Israeli couscous and grilled vegetables. (serves 6)

Ingredients: Ground or finely chopped chicken breasts Ground roasted rice Sweetened vinegar Lime juice Thai sweet chili sauce Soy sauce Green Onions Cilantro Salt and pepper Chopped romaine lettuce Red onions Shredded cabbage Shredded carrots

Ingredients: 6 trimmed chicken cutlets (about 6 oz. each) 1 cup + 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 1 cup dry white wine 1/3 cup chopped shallots 1.5 qt chicken broth 1 cup honey 1 tablespoon corn starch 1 each-red, green, and yellow pepper 2 cups Italian herb dressing (vinaigrette)

Directions: Saute ground chicken in a pan until thoroughly cooked. In a mixing bowl, combine the chicken, red onions, green onions, cilantro, ground rice, sweet chili sauce, sweetened vinegar, lime juice, soy sauce, salt, and pepper. Toss all ingredients until they’re properly mixed. On a separate plate, prepare the bed of the salad with chopped romaine lettuce. Add shredded cabbage and carrots. Pour the content from the mixing bowl onto the salad plate. Top salad with additional green onions and cilantro.

Directions: Marinate chicken in dressing for 1-2 hours For sauce: Reduce vinegar, wine, and shallots in saucepan by 2/3 Add chicken broth and honey, simmer 15 minutes Dissolve cornstarch in remaining 2 tablespoons of vinegar and stir into boiling broth mixture. Let thicken and simmer for two minutes. Remove from heat but keep warm.

To roast peppers: Preheat oven to 350° Rub peppers with olive oil and place on baking sheet. Roast for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and place in brown paper bag for five minutes to steam. Cut peppers in half, remove stems and seeds. Peel the skin from the pepers and cut in Julienne (thin strips).

For chicken: Preheat grill. Rub excess marinade onto chicken and place on grill small side down first. Make cross marks by turning. Don’t overcook. Place on plate and ladle syrup over chicken. Garnish with Julienned peppers. Add slice (or two) of goat cheese and sprig of fresh rosemary or thyme.

JUNE - DECEMBER, 2013 | DEVOUR 27

Fusion Sushi Comes Alive

Sunny Maki Combo Specials 3 Sushi Rolls for $10.95 before 7 p.m. every day

48 decadent options including Shrimp Tempura, California, Spicy Mango, Baked Blue Crab Roll

LUNCH: Mon-Fri: 11am to 2:30pm Sat-Sun: 11:30am to 2:30pm DINNER: Mon-Thurs: 5pm-10pm Fri-Sat: 5pm-11pm Sun: 5pm-9pm

141 N. Front St. • Downtown Wilmington • (910) 833-7272 SunnySushiAndLounge.com

Devour Book Club

Meets the last Tuesday of the month at 6:30 PM at Old Books on Front St. 249 North Front Street Downtown Wilmington

July - The Cassoulet Saved our Marriage - Caroline Grant & Lisa Harper August - The Last Days of Haute Cuisine - Patric Kuh September - Cocktails and Conversations form the Astral Plane - Joel Finsel October -Cookery and Dining in Imperial Rome by Apicius November - How to Cook a Wolf M.F.K. Fisher December - Holiday Party with Favorite Children’s Food Literature Passages January - An Everlasting Meal Tamar Adler February - My Life in France Julia Childs March - Stalking the Blue Eyed Scallop Eulell Gibbons April - Catering to Nobody - Dianna Mott Davidson May - The Fortune Cookie Chronicles Jennifer 8 Lee June - Cooked Michael Pollan 28 DEVOUR | JUNE - DECEMBER, 2013

Truffle sosommé (so-sue-mé)

c

BY Joel Finsel ● Devour contributor, mixologist and author of ‘Cocktails and Conversations from the Astral Plane’

ast in the piano glow of fading candles, the end of the evening lingered alive in specks of conversation as I swept the floor among the gimlet-eyed. Hiding behind my work, I made my eavesdropping rounds. One woman, who’d out-wined her friend four glasses to two, repeatedly insisted in a voice meant to shout down a crowd of naysayers, “No. No. No. In tantric, your heartbeats need to match up...”

A gray-haired couple sat leaning forward over the bar, each with an arm around the other, whispering to each other. Every now and then the woman giggled and his chuckle chirped shortly after. They reminded me of a teenage romance that could never be, finally finding fruit.

Keeping on, I locked in around a group of three: two men and a woman. All strangers initially, each arrived during the slow build up to the 7:30 grind four or five drinks/hours ago. The woman worked in film—costumes, I’d guess. The older gentleman, who’d bought the last bottle, consulted corporations. The younger gent in a bow-tie, now loosened, probably hailed from lawyer stock.

Each placed dinner orders before the dining room began to bulge, forcing upon us their overflow of guests. Service slowed as drink tickets piled up, but these three managed to land ahead of the curve and developed a lax camaraderie.

“Raw egg?!” the woman asked, scanning our cocktail list. Duty bound, both men turned at the same time, charging her up.

MIXOLOGIST AND WORDSMITH: Joel Finsel whips up a Cilantro Sour at Manna, where he mans the bar and finds inspiration for writings of “Cocktails and Conversations.”

“It is possible to stand around with a cocktail in one’s hand and talk with everyone, which means with no one.” —Jerzy Kosinski

● Photos by Trent Williams JUNE - DECEMBER, 2013 | DEVOUR 29

IMBIBE “The Chicago Fizz was a fog“OK, only the females search cutter,” I explained, “a gloomfor truffles...” lifter, a corpse-reviver. People “Yes.” drank Fizzes to resurrect the Seeing where he was leading morning-after.” her, the older gentleman cut in.

“I’ll try one,” she said, and “So it would have you believe the men congratulated her, that male humans who like trufeach with his own story of crazy fles, on some primordial level, things consumed on the road. are attracted to other men, Now, hours later, having come since the chemical comes from into their cups, they’d suddenly the sex glands of other males.” broke new ground over the Uproarious laughter covered aphrodisiacal powers of cilanmy retreat around them. tro. Here’s what I overheard and “Yes,” the younger man said. collected in hurried scribbles on “I smell truffles and it’s unctua pile of cocktail napkins found ous; it is of the sex—and not wadded up in a pant pocket the the kind of sex I want to be on following morning: board with.”

“Your sosommé was soup,” “It’s musky and deep,” the she said, nodding to the older woman agreed. “And it’s kinda gentleman. “And mine was raw like....” tomato. What’s yours?”

“Yeah,” he continued, “And The younger man leaned forto me, everything connoted by ward, then sat back, battling female sex, I’m good with—like with something, before he fiwhen I metaphorized cunnilinnally said, “Truffles.” His small gus, it was in the direction of audience made the outraged snack foods. There are a lot of “The Chicago Fizz (left) was a fogfaces the unknown context of parallels. Salt-and-vinegar chips their conversation required. are called crotch-chips for a reacutter, a gloom-lifter, a corpse-reviver.

Feeling the need to defend son...” himself, he sat up straight, “Are you saying that a womPeople drank fizzes to resurrect the eyes bulging. “Here’s why: an tastes like salt and vinegar?”

First, they’re all farmed by she asked. “Because that’s what female pigs.” morning-after.” —Joe Finsel men taste like, mustard and vin“Yeah,” the woman said. egar.”

“And they’re delicious!”

“But wouldn’t that depend The older gentleman nodon the woman,” the older man ded. “My wife and I have paid broke in. “And on consumption?” $50 a plate for black truffle risotto and it was incredible!”

“Of course, if they’ve got something gross coming on....” she The younger shook his head. “I find something downright repul- started, confused. sive about them. Everyone treats them like this awesome delicacy, “No,” he said. “I mean, if you stop eating meat, you start to smell but they really just smell like...” it on everyone.”

“What?” she asked.

“Really?” the younger asked.

“Think of it this way,” he back-pedaled. “Aside from the way they “Yeah. Every time you meet someone, you can tell whether or not look, truffles grow two-to-three feet underground in the gnarled they eat meat.” roots of oaks. Female pigs must have great snouts to find them. But “Get your man some cilantro and pineapple,” the younger guy why are they attracted to them in the first place? Because truffles chimed in. “I hear that makes us smell better.” contain the same chemical produced in the male boars’ sex glands.”

“Oh, no, my man doesn’t need pineapple,” she said. “I’m 42 and He had their attention now. “But that’s not even the freakiest he’s 26. He’s just fine the way he is.” part. Turns out the same musky substance is produced in human sex His joke lingered. “Just in case you ever need to turn up the volglands. It’s actually secreted from our armpits.” ume...”

Downing a large sip of wine, the woman’s eyes widened.

“No, the speakers are just fine! But in the long term, am I “It’s true,” the older man said. “It’s amazing how close our genetic gonna marry this guy? No. He’s a chapter in my book. My make-up is to pigs.” sister’s always saying, ‘Why are you dating this guy? Sure he “That’s crazy!” she said, holding back her outrage. “You’re basi- treats you great, but it’s never going to work out.’ But I’m like, cally saying we like truffles so much because they remind us of our ‘The chapter’s not over yet. Right now I’m on page 355. It’s not own B.O.? over until 560. That’s how I live my life.’”

“So-sue-me!” the young guy said, lifting his arms up triumphantly.

“That’s a hell of a chapter!” the older man exclaimed.

“And it gets even weirder.”

“He’s been a great read! I live my life by sharing it with differ“How so?”

30 DEVOUR | JUNE - DECEMBER, 2013

ent people. Sure, I have my core group of friends, but some of the characters change. That’s the way I am. And my sister can’t wrap her mind around it because she’s been with the same guy forever and she’s got her kids and her house, and all those people are the same, and they all make sense.”

“It’s a different world,” the younger one said. In his eye I caught a glimpse of whoever lived on the other side of his wedding band back home.

“My sister can’t understand why I don’t want what she has.

It’s not that I don’t want a husband and a family, it’s just that I haven’t gotten to that chapter yet. So, right now, I’m having a great time with a younger guy who likes to go climbing and do hot yoga. I’m having fun. He brings out the best in me. Wants me to be healthy and strong. Be vibrant and huff cilantro.”

Laughs, again, all around.

The older man raised his glass. “Here’s to huffing cilantro.”

“He’s the guy who makes me want to sniff out the truffles.

And six months from now, I’ll probably be dating someone else who likes to read, and sit back and watch TV, but right now, I’m not in that mode. So—wait, I take mine back. I like younger guys with hard bodies who challenge me, so-sue-me!”

Cilantro Sour

1 egg white 1.5 oz. cilantro-infused vodka* ½ oz. fresh lemon juice ½ oz. fresh lime juice ½ oz. fresh orange juice ¾ oz. demerara simple syrup * Empty about a cup of vodka from a full bottle to make room for 1-2 cups of fresh, rinsed cilantro. Allow the herbs to extract their flavor into the vodka, like a tincture, shaking the unrefrigerated bottle every few hours. After a day or two, try a little.

Combine ingredients in small tin shaker and dry shake without ice to emulsify the egg white.

Add ice. Shake again, vigorously, for 20 seconds until the tin begins to ice over on the outside. Strain over fresh ice in a highball glass. Garnish with a sprig of fresh cilantro and a limepeel twist big enough to spritz the oils around the glass rim and surface of the cocktail.

Chicago fizz

1 oz. aged rum 1 oz. Port wine ½ oz. fresh lemon juice one raw egg white 2 oz. club soda or seltzer Combine ingredients in small tin shaker and dry shake without ice to emulsify the egg white.

Add ice. Shake again, vigorously, for 20 seconds until the tin begins to ice over on the outside. Strain over fresh ice in a highball glass. Garnish with a lemon twist big enough to spritz the oils around the glass rim and surface of the cocktail.

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Homebrew Mania

Beer lovers delight in frothy experiments

BY Bethany Turner ● Devour and encore assistant editor, bethany@devourilm.com From the time the first beer was canned in 1935, to the establishment of America’s first microbrewery since Prohibition in 1976, our nation’s brew-making gets more innovative by the year. Today, both brewers and customers search not for the next biggest hit but rather the next tasty experiments. The results often provide a frothy plethora of flavors and styles of beer. The craft brewer’s hold on the market is as evident in its annual sales growth: With the retail dollar value in 2012 estimated at $10.2 billion—up from $8.7 billion in 2011—pub-goers are braver, testing new tastes in their bottles and drafts. More so, many expand the urge to pursue home creations.

The art of homebrewing seemingly expands from bold trials in the kitchen, whether working with unusual spices or finding value in the quality of fresh ingredients.

Mixing grains, hops, and even fruits and herbs straight from the backyard becomes a delicious science experiment. It’s a method for expanding knowledge continuously— with a much better payoff than a student loan. Devour sat down with three local homebrewers to discover the draw to their craft and what they’ll brew next.

Photo above of homebrewer Mike Barlas. ● All photos courtesy of the homebrewers.

32 DEVOUR | JUNE - DECEMBER, 2013

IMBIBE Mike Barlas, 32

Adventure-seeker, with hobbies in gardening, cooking, running, golfing, hiking, swimming, occasionally sky- or scuba-diving.

Devour (D): What’s your favorite style of beer?

Mike Barlas (MB): This question is a bit like opening a can of worms. I enjoy drinking a variety of brews depending on season, setting, what’s on the menu, etc. I like sipping on a big stout or barley wine in the fall and winter, paired with a hearty stew or crock-pot meal. You can’t beat a good pilsner or kolsch-style beer in the summer, after cutting the grass or working in the yard. Belgian strong ales and the sour flanders and lambics always bring a smile to my face. But as a true American, I love hops. So, I’d have to say that my favorite style is a well-balanced pale ale or India pale ale (IPA). They seem to transcend season and setting, pairing well with any situation or meal.

D: Tell us about your first encounter with homebrewing.

MB: About six years ago, a good friend ordered a homebrewing kit, and I had the great fortune of being able to sit in on some of his first brews. I was immediately hooked. At the time I had already broken free from the light lagers and was enjoying craft beer regularly, but brewing opened the floodgates. It became a magical process filled with fantastic smells and tastes. These experiences sparked the desire to know what was actually happening throughout the brewing and fermentation processes, to learn as much as I could about the multitude of ingredients and techniques, and to further investigate the world of craft and imported beer.

D: So how did your first beer-brewing experience go?

MB: At first, I was just following instructions, and didn’t really know what was happening or why I was doing what I was doing.

After a few brews, things begin to make more sense. There are a ton of books and online sources, but the best thing about brewing is how open brewers are in sharing their knowledge and experiences. Also, I have learned you don’t always end up with exactly what you are trying to produce, but it usually tastes great anyway.

I started brewing using extract [the use of malt extract allows the home-brewer to skip the mashing process, moving directly to the boil and fermentation], and continued for about six months. I then made the move to all-grain brewing [the inclusion of milled malted grain, which must go through the process of mash, where the grain meets water, and enzymes in the malt break down the starch into sugars, producing wort. Wort will be fermented by the brewing yeast to produce alcohol.] While extract brewing is great and can make very tasty beer, all-grain gives the brewer additional flexibility in ingredients and processes to fine-tune the finished product.

One of my favorite things about brewing and craft beer is the large variety of styles and flavors. It’s a blast to discover the origin and evolution of a particular style, or to experiment with a new process or ingredient. Recent brews include a saison with bitter orange peel and a single hop, Nelson Sauvin pale ale.

D: What’s the most experimental brew you’ve made?

MB: Some of my favorites include a honey-jasmine blond ale, using hand-picked and dried jasmine from my front porch. Also, an all-North Carolina pale ale made with six-row malt from Riverbend Malt House, which were grown and malted in NC, and Cascade hops that were grown by the Holmes Brothers in Asheville, NC. Also, I am currently bottling a dandelion wine I made with hand-picked dandelion from my yard, which has been aging since last April.

D: What would you like to brew next?

MB: I have been on a quest to brew the prefect IPA for my taste.

I also still have a few sacks of grain from Riverbend Malt House.

So, I think an IPA made with all-NC grains will be the next project.

“I love to brew beer that I like to drink, and share it with my friends and family.

It’s a great hobby, and I only see myself getting better with time” —Kyle Fidalgo D: Any grand goals? Perhaps in entering contests or taking your brew out of the house?

MB: I don’t have any current plans to enter any competitions but have in the past. I think they are a really great way to get feedback from people who know and love beer. On some level, every homebrewer has daydreamed about going pro. I can’t say I haven’t thought about it or looked into it. The brewing industry is highly competitive and requires a lot of know-how and dedication.

One thing is for sure, brewing and craft beer will always be a part of my life, whether it’s at home or part of a larger operation.

Kyle Fidalgo, 26

IT network coordinator and MBA student at UNCW, with hobbies in running, spending time with family and friends, and pondering what to be when he grows up.

D: Could you pick a favorite style of beer?

Kyle Fidalgo (KF): This is a tough question. It really depends on my mood at the time—sounds hokey but true—what season we are in, and who I am enjoying my beer with. In spring, I lean toward funky Belgian beers on one extreme and the hop bombs— referred to as West Coast-style IPAs—on the other. They are both very refreshing in their own different ways and go down really easily in warmer weather for me.

I started off being a hophead at heart, so I always come back to really hoppy beers. But I love to explore various styles almost constantly to really get a feel for the seemingly unlimited variations of flavor and aroma that brewers are able to impart in beer.

JUNE - DECEMBER, 2013 | DEVOUR 33

IMBIBE As for the people aspect, I’ve found that enjoying a pint at Wilmington Homebrew Supply 94405 Wrightsville Avenue) has led to meeting some really awesome people—and even led me to find my current position.

While most conversations begin with brewing or beer in general, you find yourself drifting onto other topics— and who knows where the conversation goes. In my own experience, the social aspect of beer has brought so many people together that usually wouldn’t have crossed paths, and led to some really strong friendships and relationships, which is an amazing thing.

“I had no ideas the quality of beer that

D: What fun ingredients have you used in the past?

KF: I have played around some with oaking beers and adding coffee to beers, which to date have been about the most experimental ingredients I have used. I brewed an imperial oak-aged oatmeal coffee porter, which is a bit of a mouthful to say but was incredibly tasty. I added oak cubes and coffee to add some complexity to the beer about a week before packaging.

I also currently have a 100-percent wild ale fermenting, which is something I am excited to be able to try in the coming weeks.

I am using a wild yeast strain known as “Brettanomyces” that is a contaminant to beer and wine when you don’t want it there.

Several commercial breweries have been running pure-culture fermentations with quite a bit of success recently, and I thought I would try my hand at fermenting a batch with that yeast. I expect to get some really interesting Belgian characteristics with some tropical-fruit notes, funky barnyard notes (better than it sounds), and a really lively carbonation profile to produce a great beer that will only get better with age.

could be made at home” —Brian Lantz

D: How did you get started in homebrewing?

KF: A little more than two-and-a-half years ago, my wife asked me what I wanted for Christmas. I honestly had no clue what I wanted but had been exploring craft beer for some time. I didn’t know anything about homebrewing at the time, but I was experimenting with new beers constantly. I was developing an interest for different cooking techniques as well—brewing seemed like a natural extension.

D: What brews have you done in the past?

KF: Currently, my set-up is a 5-gallon all-grain system. It really allows me to control all aspects of the brewing process, which I like. As of right now, I have only stuck to brewing ales, given the temperature requirements of fermenting most of them is around 68 degrees, which can be done with minimal effort—but is so important for good beer! Some styles include: IPA, ESB [extra special bitter], imperial stout, American brown ale, dunkelweizen, saison, Belgian tripel, Belgian dark strong—the list goes on.

A new addition to my homebrewery (a recently built kegerator) may open up the opportunity to try lagering some beers. I would love to be able to brew a maibock, which is one of my favorite lager styles. [Lager fermentation temperatures range from 45 to 55 degrees].

D: From what brew experiences have you learned the most?

KF: A few of the first things I learned was the importance of sanitation and keeping a steady fermentation temperature to produce a great product. Understanding those two aspects just about guarantees a tasty beverage time and time again.

There are a few recipes I always come back to, whether I repeat the beer or tweak ingredients a bit. One of those recipes is for a saison, which I have gone through five or six iterations of, and it is a great beer to have around in the warmer weather. Another recipe is for a West Coast-style IPA, for which I keep the base recipe consistent, and use it as a baseline to experiment with various hopping methods and varieties. It has proven to be a favorite among those who have tried it.

The most important thing I’ve learned, however, ties to a stint of brewing some potent imperial stouts and porters through the winter. Over the course of fermentation, the yeast produces a 34 DEVOUR | JUNE - DECEMBER, 2013

head of foam over the beer called the “krausen.” The more vigorous the fermentation, the higher this head can get, and sometimes it can even exceed the limits of the vessel it is being contained in. Let’s just say I had two explosive fermentations back to back, which cost me two trips in two weeks to rent a Rug Doctor in an attempt to clean up imperial stout from my carpet. Both beers turned out great, though. That’s what counts!

D: What would you like to make next?

KF: The next beer I would like to brew is modeled after Russian River Brewing Company’s Belgian dark strong sour called “Consecration.” I have about 5 pounds of local plums I would like to add to it, and some souring bacteria and wild yeast to really make a complex beer. The only downside is it takes a lot longer than brewing standard ales and won’t be ready for seven to 10 months.

D: Will you enter your brews into any upcoming contests?

KF: I enter the Front Street Brewery homebrew competition each year, which is a great way to get some feedback and share your beer with like-minded homebrewers from the area. They host a really great party after the competition. We get to try the entries and get direct feedback from people.

I’d like to eventually send some of my homebrew to the National Homebrew Competition, run by the American Homebrewers Association. It would mean a lot to medal in that competition because I would be competing with literally thousands of homebrewers.

That being said, I love to brew beer that I like to drink, and share it with friends and family. It’s a great hobby and I only see myself getting better with time. The best part about is you constantly are learning either new techniques or aspects of the process that keeps brewing fresh and exciting.

IMBIBE Brian Lantz, 34

Network engineer, with hobbies in beach volleyball, photography, cooking, eating and fishing

D: What is your favorite style of beer to drink and why?

Brian Lantz (BL): An American pale ale. It’s a beer that is brewed with a majority of pale malts and with higher-than-average hop additions. Most pale ales are light in color, piney or citrus in flavor from the hops, and in the 5-percent ABV [alcohol by volume] range. It’s a refreshing beer that can be enjoyed year-round without sitting heavy or overwhelming the palate.

D: How and why did you get started in homebrewing?

BL: I have always enjoyed beer, but it wasn’t until a friend, Keith Harabin, started brewing that I started to appreciate good beer.

The first few beers he made really surprised me; I had no idea the quality of beer that could be made at home. I finally took the leap and bought a starter kit from an online retailer.

While everything needed was there to brew, it was very difficult getting fresh ingredients from halfway across the country. Like any good recipe, fresh ingredients are the key to a great final product.

Thankfully, soon after I started, Wilmington Homebrew Supply opened. I would say my interest in homebrewing peaked with the support and community that revolves around the atmosphere at the store. I have never been involved in a hobby in which everyone is so eager to see the collective group as a whole improve like homebrewers.

D: What brews have you done in the past? Tell us about those experiences and what you learned.

BL: I have brewed quite a few different styles of beer: IPAs, double IPAs, stouts, Russian imperial stouts, pale ales, hefeweizen, saison, ESB, many varieties of Belgians, etc. My first brew was an amber ale extract recipe kit. I had a friend help me with the first couple of brews, so I didn’t have too many mess-ups.

The most important things I learned during the first couple of brews were: 1. Sanitize everything; it is your primary goal. Without proper sanitization you are wasting your time and money.

2. You are going to boil-over—be prepared ahead of time.

3. Can you follow basic instructions? If the answer is yes, you’re going to make good beer.

4. As all brewers will tell you: RDWHAHB (Relax, Don’t Worry, Have A Homebrew).

I have brewed extract, partial-mash and all-grain. While I brew all-grain exclusively now, there is a time and place for each. Extract

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is perfect for the apartment brewer who doesn’t have much space and still may be a little apprehensive about the brewing process.

It has a lower start-up cost from an equipment standpoint, and as long as you have a pot and a stove you can make beer.

Partial mash is a way to get more complex flavors by taking greater control over the grain bill. Partial mash is also a great way to learn the steps of the all-grain method without as much of an investment financially. This way you can determine if all-grain is for you before making the commitment.

All-grain is the ultimate control over brew, but it requires larger and more specialized equipment than extract brewing. If you have the space to brew outside and enjoy the desire to control every aspect of the process, all-grain is probably right for you.

D: What are some of your most interesting creations?

BL: I like to play around with ingredients and experiment with my own technique. Homebrewers are a very experimental group of people, from brewers that put an entire pizza in the mash, to oyster stouts. If there is an ingredient that can be put in a beer, it’s probably been done. As for my own “experimental” beer, my favorite was a Russian imperial Kahlua stout. It was infused with a three-year-old homemade Kahlua and coffee. It turned out not only to be a beer that was easy to drink, but it made one heck of a White Russian as well!

D: What will be your next beer?

BL: I’m planning on brewing an American witbier with blueberries and raspberries—a red, white and blue beer to celebrate July 4th. It sounds like a good idea; we’ll see how that turns out. Worst case scenario, I’ve got 5 gallons of beer.

DM: What’s your take on homebrew contests?

BL: I am always on the lookout for a contest to enter. They provide a wealth of feedback on my brews, which is tough to get from anywhere else. It’s great to get friends’ feedback, but sometimes I’m just not sure if they are just being nice or if they really like the beer.

D: How about going pro?

BL: I would love to take my brewing out of the house. I think anyone who has been bitten by the homebrew bug, and becomes passionate about making good beer, would love the opportunity to brew on a commercial scale. My personal dream is a small brewery with a taproom near downtown Wilmington. I can’t think of a better way of spending my days than brewing beer with my friends and sharing that beer with the community.

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JUNE - DECEMBER, 2013 | DEVOUR 35

UN

CORKED! Reviews and rambles on vino

Easy Sipping Whites and Rosés: Exploring Loire Valley and Provençe

BY Brian Victor ● Devour columnist and co-owner of The Olive Café and Wine Bar Whether hosting barbecues, leisurely al fresco dinner parties, picnic concerts at Airlie Gardens during warm Friday evenings, or looking for the perfect autumnal pairing at Thanksgiving dinner, Provençal rosés and easy drinking Loire Valley whites make a great fit across many seasons. They’re crisp, fresh, and dry to keep you wanting for the rest of the meal, no matter the temperature outside. While I’m a confirmed red-wine drinker, in summer outdoor settings with food or by the pool, I lean toward chilled, dry rosés from Provence. They have the complex flavor of a great red without any brooding tannins, and they are crisp and thirstquenching. In the wine quandary that is Thanksgiving, Provençal rosés and Loire whites have enough acid to balance the sweet and fatty components and push forward flavors. Think rosé for spicy appetizers or roasted nuts, then Loire Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc varietals to stand up to the myriad flavors of savory turkey and herbed dressing, tart cranberry sauce, marshmallow on yams, and apple pie.

Loire Valley Whites The Loire river valley is often referred to as the “Garden of France,” and wines from this region are both lesser known and less expensive than other regions of France. The region stretches in an arc from Nantes on the central Atlantic coast in the west to Sancere in the east (directly south of Paris). The river has a significant effect on the microclimate of the region, which adds the extra few degrees of warmth to make it ideal for vineyards, vegetable fields and fruit orchards. It also has some of France’s most beautiful castles.

In many ways, Loire Valley was the archetype of the crisp, acidic, light, fruity style of white wine. The pure, fresh Sauvignon Blancs from Sancerre, Pouilly and Reuilly became the models 36 DEVOUR | JUNE - DECEMBER, 2013

for Bordeaux whites like Graves, and the crisp, zingy newworld Sauvignon Blancs of New Zealand, Chile, Spain and South Africa.

There are four main wine areas in the Loire. As one moves from west to east, the white grape varieties shift from Muscadet to Chenin Blanc to Sauvignon Blanc. In the western-most region, around the city of Nantes, Muscadet (also known as Melon de Bourgogne or Melon Blanc) predominates and has a remarkable lack of flavor. Simple, fresh, and dry with low acid and a slight nutty or honey flavor, Muscadet is at its best as a quaffing wine for seafood and fish.

The finest are bottled directly off their lees (the dead yeast cells remaining after fermentation that impart toasty, nutty scents, depth of flavor and freshness), and the labels are marked “Mis en Bouteille sur Lie.” Wines from the Sevre-et-Maine district are as tasty.

The next region centers around the cities of Angers and Saumur, best known for its rosé wine in the form of Rosé de Angou or Rosé de Loire, mostly made from Gamay or Cabernet Franc grapes, respectively.

However, the Angou region produces whites from the Chenin Blanc grape. Chenin Blanc is one of the latest ripening (thus, difficult to grow) grapes that far North, but it imparts a wonderful flavor and aroma profile with skin contact after the crush. The classic from this region is Savennières, which is one of the most steely and dry whites in the world. It has flavors of greengage plums, minerals, quince and apple leaves.

Moving eastward, the third major region is Touraine, which has the mildest climate in France.

Touraine primarily is planted with Chenin Blanc grapes, which take their highest form in Vouvray wines. Because of the mild climate conditions, the grapes can push to more maturity, and the range of Vouvray expression can vary from bone dry to full and sweet.

Most people find Vouvray’s fruitiness and balanced acidity to be thirst-quenching rather than cheek-stinging. They are excellent when paired with food, and they can play the full range of food, from chevre to poultry with herbs to almond cake with blood-orange zest.

Just steer clear of fish.

The eastern end of the Loire Valley—also referred to as the “Central and Upper Loire”— tends to be heavily planted in Sauvignon Blanc. Originally the model for new-world Sauvignon Blancs, wines from Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé, tend to be more flinty, chalky and light, with less

IMBIBE gooseberry or tropical-fruit notes. They are wellbalanced, focused, fresh and round.

Lesser quality Sancerre can be flabby and flat, so the good stuff will require a quite a few shekels—but it’s worth it! The best are domain-bottled wines, which are labeled “Mis en Bouteille au Domaine.” They are great picnic or appetizer wines, and go well with everything from fresh goat cheese, to vegetables and dip, to rich fish dishes, all of which can make other wines taste sour.

In California, they make a wine in similar style to Sancerre, called “Fumé Blanc.” Be careful not to confuse the Pouilly-Fumé with Pouilly-Fuissé, which is a wine from Burgundy and made of Chardonnay grapes with a clear oak overtone.

Characteristically, winemaking in the Loire generally avoids barrel aging and malolactic fermentation. Thus, they will taste steely rather than oaky and never buttery. Loire wines also are made with a high, yet balanced, acidity to highlight tangy, fresh, crisp flavors when the wine is young. From between 2 to 5 years of age, the wines tend to go through a “dumb phase” when their flavors are drastically toned down. So, these wines are often better in the first two years after production, or in more rare cases after significant cellaring.

Recommended Bottles: 2010 Domaine de l’Auriere Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur Lie Pale yellow with greenish highlights and an intense floral bouquet with overtones of spice and fruit. Dry, crisp green apple and light citrus.

2010 Domaine de la Garniere—Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur Lie Paly yellow, this Muscadet is elegant, round, and fresh with scents of lemon, wet stone and slate minerality.

2007 Nicolas Joly Savennières Roche aux Moines Clos de la Bergerie Deep golden color. Rich aromas of sweet dried fruit, marmelade, butterscotch, and smoky earth. Excellent acidity, good balance, rich texture, and a long finish going completely dry.

2010 Les Lys Vouvray Pale lemon color, youthful nose of stone fruit, lemon, a hint of honey. On the palate, it has intense flavors that are much more orange citrus-based than the nose, plus a little pear, with a steely minerality.

2010 Domaine de la Rossignole Essentiel Sancerre Rich white stone fruit and apple citrus (think poached pears and juicy green apples). Floral with overtones of struck flint, and a finish of sea breeze and lime sorbet.

2009 Didier Dagueneau Sancerre Les Mont Damne White peach, lime, nut oils, and chalk dust. Sweet-saline flavor of lobster-shell reduction. A smoky red currant, peat, and flinty finish.

2011 Quintessence Pouilly-Fumé Fragrant and refreshing with white stone fruit and acacia flower aromas, round and slightly creamy in mouth, with a delicate “smoky” tint.

Provençal Rosés I know, some of you started to cringe at the notion of rosés, conjuring up memories of Lancers and Mateus. Or even worse, the White Zinfandel craze of the ‘80s and ‘90s. Rosés were, like Blue Nun or Liebraumilch, the sweeter, easy-drinking entry wine. While we might like to forget White Zin ever was a trend, in many ways we’re lucky it was. Its commercial success saved the old Zinfandel vines in California from being ripped up and replanted with Cab-

ernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chardonnay. Otherwise, we would never have the pepper and berry bramble—quintessentially, American, old-vine red Zinfandels most people love these days.

Nonetheless, nothing quite gets me as excited about wine as when a new crop of Provençal rosés start to roll out onto shelves.

I’m not talking about a sea of semi-sweet plonk rosé wine; I’m referring to the admirable dry, fruity, refreshing and stylish wines that take on the full expression of their primary grapes: Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault, Cabernet Franc, Mourvédre, and Carignan. These wines are fantastic with food.

Imagine being in an open-air café in Aix-en-Provence with olive tapenade, crusty bread, Niçoise salad, pissaladière, chilled soup, or pan bagnat. Does it get any better?

Southeastern France has a long tradition of pink wine that is both respected and versatile because of the excellent soils, sunny climate, great varietals and expertise in making rosé. They are masters, but producers in Loire, Spain and Italy also are making excellent rosés.

Some Provençal rosés are quite pricey, like Domaine Ott, Domaine Tempier, and most from the region of Bandol. Yet, there are a number of reasonably priced and excellent wines for the taking. Many of the best rosés are made by a method called “saignée,” wherein the juice is drained off immediately at crush to retain only the slightest blush from the red skins. The juice does not remain in contact with the skins during fermentation.

Recommended Bottles: 2011 Chateau d’Esclans Whispering Angel The new benchmark for Provence and the darling of last year’s Cannes Film Festival. Pale peach in color, this rose is elegant, powerful, and fresh with plenty of crisp strawberry fruit and delicate flavors of dried cherry, licorice, cream and spice. Finishes with notes of dried mango and hints of sage honey. 73 percent Grenache and Rolle, 9 percent Cinsault, 8.5 percent Syrah, 5.5 percent Mourvedre.

2012 Sacha Lichine Single Blend Bright, blush color with soft strawberry and raspberry nose. It is both full and balanced and has a mouthwatering, zesty, dry finish.

100 percent Grenache.

2012 Commanderie de la Bargemone Coteaux D’Aix en Provence Very pale with plenty of melon, orange peel, wild strawberries, mountain herbs, and floral aromas to go with a medium-bodied, racy palate that is both rich and fresh. One of the premier estates in Provence. 40 percent Grenache, 32 percent Cinsault, 15 percent Syrah, 13 percent Cabernet Sauvignon.

2012 Domaine de Fontsainte Corbieres Gris de Gris Salmon pink with expressive notes of raspberry, cherry, and freshly picked strawberries followed by exotic aromas of pineapple and mango. 70 percent Grenache Gris and Grenache Noir, 10 percent Mourvèdre, 10 percent Carignan and Cinsault.

2012 Pink Pegau The first rosé from Laurence Féraud of Domaine du Pegau, one of the very top Châteauneuf producers. Pale pink/salmon in color, with peach, floral, vanilla, and red fruit aromas. Bone dry, with a crisp, mouth-watering acidity leading to a long, toasty, spicy mineral finish. 100 percent Cinsault.

2012 Domaine Saint André de Figuière Salmon color with notes of strawberry, grapefruit, and white pepper. Dry finish. 50 percent Mourvèdre, 25 percent Cinsault, 25 percent Grenache.

JUNE - DECEMBER, 2013 | DEVOUR 37

The spiritual influence of food

BY Amanda Greene ● Devour contributor; editor and managing coomunity partner of Wilmington, Faith & Values, wilmingtonFAVS.com

b

reaking bread is a sacred trust.

And in a sacred setting, it’s about giving your best to those who worship with you each Sunday morning, Friday or Wednesday night. It’s about giving your best to honor the deity you worship—a physical token you imbibe to show dedication and commitment to serve.

In the Southern Baptist church community, breaking bread can mean a picnic on the worship grounds, under oak trees and full of chocolate merengue pie, banana pudding, deviled eggs, chicken salad and fried chicken, served on long, pressed wooden tables.

Nancie McDermott, a Chapel Hill food historian and author of 10 cookbooks, including “Southern Pies: A Gracious Plenty of Recipes, from Lemon Chess to Chocolate Pecan,” still fondly remembers the yearly gatherings during childhood. Attending Cane Creek Baptist Church in Orange County in Hillsbourough, they respected a tradition called “Third Sunday in May,” similar to a homecoming or dinner that many Baptist churches still host.

“People drove to church, left all the food in the trunk of the car through a good twoplus hours of worship service,” she tells, “and then unloaded it on to tables, which were built out of wood and wire, [and set up] under the trees in the side yard of the church. We loved this as children, and I still do. It was a break from our usual morning Sunday-school-and-church routine, and I loved visiting my grandparents. I have always loved food and eating, so it was a highlight of the year for me, even though we had to sit through an unusually long service with lots of preaching and no air conditioning to get to the meal. Worth it.”

38 DEVOUR | JUNE - DECEMBER, 2013

RELIGIOUS FULFILLMENT: (Above) Sticky rice, beans and rice rolls are wrapped in banana leaves for the communal lunch at Chua Tung Lam’s opening ceremony in January. (Below) Chua Tung Lam’s largest golden Buddha is surrounded by flowers, fruits and vegetables during each prayer day. Photos by Amanda Greene/WilmingtonFAVS.com.

“In the Lord’s Prayer, the first petition is for daily bread. No one can worship God or love his neighbor on an empty stomach.”

—Woodrow Wilson

During the Muslim holy month of Ramadan last summer, each scraped the bottom of the dish. “You can best believe everyone night was spent breaking the day’s fast with fellow Muslims at went to that dish first,” Jefferson says. “My daughters will still call the Wilmington Islamic Learning Center, a white farmhouse off me every year and ask, ‘Now, what’s in that dish again?’”

Wrightsville Avenue. Over plates of seven-vegetable couscous or Jefferson believes church suppers had a greater purpose than just simmered lamb and, yes, fried chicken, the women and children exchanging recipes. “What it really did for us, as we were growing of the mosque sat cross-legged around the floor upstairs to dis- up, was to cement the relationship we have with the family of God,” cuss the events of the week. They focused on how their children she explains, “and that gives you a second family to connect with, were handling their first attempts at fasting for the holy month. as well as your own.”

The men ate their meals in the separate prayer room on the first During Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, the making of a floor. Together, it was also marking another day of penitent fastbraided egg bread, called “challah” is part of a passing down of ing, prayer and learning the Koran.

Jewish stories to the community.

Food in worship often becomes a blessing, decoration and offerAccording to Elisabeth Luard’s book “Sacred Food”: “When ing. For Vietnamese Buddhists, at the new Chua Tung Lam Temple off Gordon Road, fruits, vegetables and flowers are an offering to slashed like the rungs of a ladder, it reminds the people of Jacob’s the Buddha, placed in succulent displays before the many golden direct ascent into heaven, which speaks of the possibility of eternal statues at the temple. But the sticky rice rolls, spicy broth tofu soups life; when baked in the form of a bird with spread wings, it is at once and sweet bean cups served to worshipers after prayer services are the protector of the people and represents the Lord’s promise to Jerusalem as a bird defends its nest.” a way to congeal the widespread regional Vietnamese community.

A candlelight meal has become the centerpiece of the twice“That’s what the expectation is from the Buddha for us,” temple member Han Van says. “We put on the altar all kinds of fruits and yearly Marriage Enrichment course at First Baptist. Couples meet vegetables. It’s a blessing. It’s for instruction, romantic dinabout all respect to the Budners and real conversation.

“Bread for myself is a material question. Bread dha. It makes us feel happier.

Brenda Jefferson coordinates We pray with the Buddha, and the food for those events, too. for my neighbor is a spiritual one.” —Nikolai Berdyaev we make our offer to him.”

“Over a meal, people seem Entering Temple Baptist to open up,” she adds. “That Church Activity Center last was what Jesus did. He had November for the Cape Fear Cultural Association of India’s annual meals with his disciples and people he met, and the pressure was Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights, a beautiful mandala ringed in taken off. Meals take the threat away from relationships when you tea lights greeted visitors. Called a “rangoli,” the mandala is a floor have something else that’s the center point.” painting made from dyed, finely ground semolina rice flour and She learned the peacemaking lesson at church suppers long ago. poured into intricate designs. Leland resident Vira Rana learned to “We very much do believe in eating around the table,” Jefferson connect the flour to a sacred art form as a teen in her native Gujarat, says.

“For sure, that’s how you build community. The food was extra, India.

“The tradition passes from one generation to the next,” Rana but the people were the main thing. We made sure we ate some of says. “It brings the good luck in the family or in the house. I did the each dish and told them how wonderful it was. It was like an encourfirst one myself at age 16. We do it specially on Diwali. Back in India, agement. And, of course, we would all go home way overfed.” we do one each day of the festival. It took almost two hours to do.”

Symbolic of the impermanence of life, the rangoli art form has its own story. When a the son of a king’s high priest died, Lord Brahma asked the king to paint a portrait of the boy on a wall so he could breathe life into him. Thus, a new art form connected to Hindu worship created a celebration of life.

Sometimes foods in worship settings connect us to memories.

That’s what the warm smell of rose water does for Southport resident Shida Mali. Though she doesn’t make any particular foods regularly for Baha’i celebrations today, Mali holds close the memory of rose-water dishes, which were served on holy days in her native Iran.

“I remember the essence of rose water,” she notes. “We used that in all of our special occasions. Our parents would pour a little essence of rose water on our hands, and every room of the house would smell of this beautiful fragrance during Baha’i holy days. They would cook a lot of it in Persian foods in the New Year in Iran.”

The rose water is a tradition—connecting her to a place she hasn’t seen since her family left Iran in 1969.

The creamy combination of chocolate and vanilla pudding, Cool Whip and cream cheese over a buttery pecan crust, is called “Chocolate Delight”—something once known as “Better than Sex.” According to Brenda Jefferson, polite ladies didn’t say that sort of thing at church.

The dessert has become a staple supper dish for the First Baptist Church member. When her mother passed away a few years back, Jefferson asked to keep the family Bible and her mom’s special recipe. Her mother would bring the Chocolate Delight to all Baptist church gatherings. The confection remains connected to her mother’s memory and all of the church gatherings and spoons that JUNE - DECEMBER, 2013 | DEVOUR 39

Let’s Talk GMOs

The importance of knowing what you eat

BY Evan Folds ● Devour contributor and owner of Progressive Gardens, www.progressivegardens.com Eating is a sacred act. It satisfies, brings us joy and nourishes all at the same time.

But we have become disconnected from our food. Over 90 percent of the average food budget for US families is spent on foods that are processed and altered in order to sit on a shelf or evoke a certain color or texture. In other words, it’s not really “food.” The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) currently approves over 3,000 food additives for uses such as flavoring or preservation. One of the fundamental human privileges is the right to know what we eat. Sure, it seems like a simple concept, but it turns out the food freedom you think you have is further from freedom than you may have imagined. Adding artificial preservatives to food is one thing, but we have gone a step further to where we are now genetically altering plants and animals to our design. They’ve become known as genetically modified organisms or GMOs. 40 DEVOUR | JUNE - DECEMBER, 2013

FEATURE The most amazing part? If you want to the US is grass, with 40 million “There are now only five companies know if a food product from the grocer is acres. That’s more than three genetically modified, in the US it’s not retimes corn, which has 13 milthat control 60 percent of the seed quired to be listed on the food label. The lion acres under irrigation and FDA approves GMOs to be sold without the next largest crop. If you do globally, by enforcing patents on a label, even though in a recent survey 82 the math, you will see that if evpercent of Americans endorse labeling, ery person in the US moved to while only 9 percent say they should not Texas, we could all have an acre living organisms. When what we be labeled. of land.

A GMO is created through the inserAnother is that it produces higheat is owned and controlled by tion of DNA from a foreign organism er yields, but it has actually been into the host organism. It uses genetic proven that acreage under diverse corporations, this takes us further engineering in the hopes of improving non-monoculture production is the crop for human benefit. Real-world an order of magnitude more proaway from our food.” —Evan Folds examples include a bacteria gene beductive and nourishing than the ing spliced into soybeans, or a flounder monocultures championed by gene being inserted into a tomato.

GMO approaches. Besides, we The main GMO crops are corn, soy, canola, cotton and sugar beets. could feed 800 million people a year with the grain we feed to liveA full 88 percent of corn, 93 percent of soy, 75 percent of papaya and stock in the US annually.

94 percent of cotton that are not certified organic contain genetically In other words, we have to put things into perspective before we modified organisms. allow our intelligence to get too far ahead of ourselves by interrupting All processed foods contain GMOs in the form of meals, oils and Mother Nature. GMOs have never been thoroughly tested, and there sweeteners, like high fructose corn syrup, because they are subsidized is growing evidence that GMO crops are affecting our health. GMO by the government to be the cheapest ingredients. In late 2012, the wheat is blamed by many to be facilitating the rapid rise in gluten FDA gave approval for GMO salmon to enter the food market. intolerance. GMOs are also implicated in the increase in allergies and What does that mean exactly? Well, just about everything on your exposure to toxic biocides. plate is being targeted next.

Rather than more food, an artificial approach to nature creates GMOs are not created by nature, but engineered by man. To some debt and pollution. For instance, after the onset of GMO farming this may be no big deal, but to most, it’s crossing the line into Fran- in India, seed costs increased 8,000 percent and the use of pestikenfood. They are so pervasive in the food system that unless you ate cides went up 30 times.

100 percent organic or homegrown food yesterday, you can be sure Many go to jail and others commit suicide to escape the circumthat you ingested GMOs. stances. In India, more than 160,000 farmers have killed themselves Everybody has to eat, so global agriculture is a huge business. The since 1997 due to conditions directly attributed to global agricultural astronomical profits generated by global companies, like Cargill, Bay- companies pushing GMO technology. er and Monsanto, come primarily through direct sale of GMO seeds To be sure, the reason farmers are only growing one crop is not a and plants, and also by creating products that complement their reflection of choice. It’s a reflection of the closure of choice.

GMO offerings.

There are now only five companies that control 60 percent of For instance, Monsanto invented a chemical called “glyphosphate” the seed globally by enforcing patents on living organisms. When in 1973; you may know it as RoundUp. New studies are linking it to what we eat is owned and controlled by corporations, this takes us cancer, autism, Parkinson’s and many other horrific health problems. further away from our food.

The authors of the study said it may be “the most biologically disThe sad irony is that the “food” we eat is actually underminruptive chemical in our environment.” Yet, people spray it on their ing our own food diversity and health. It only creates enormous landscapes everyday and buy it on the shelf at a big-box store. profits for global agricultural companies. This can be changed if Monsanto then went on to develop GMO RoundUp-ready soy- we focus on nutrient density by growing food in home gardens beans that are designed to withstand the treatment of the poisonous and supporting local farmers, and by using the influence of our chemical. So, they invented living organisms that can survive the stress buying power. of being doused with the toxic soups they create.

If we all started to purchase and eat food based on an intention and That may be a brilliant business model, but it’s bad for people and desire for nourishment, everything would change tomorrow. the Earth.

So, ask your server or chef where their ingredients come from, enSo given the above scenario, why are GMO foods still unlabeled? gage your supermarket to carry more conscious natural and “organic” Quite simply: People would not eat it. In fact, the growth or sale of foods. Be a farmer, start a garden.

GMOs has been outlawed in many countries around the world where The argument for GMOs comes down to an endorsement of the labeling is mandatory. It also doesn’t help that former Monsanto em- idea that humanity can improve upon nature and the value of intelployees and associates have been routinely appointed to key posi- lectual property through the patenting of life. tions in the FDA and US Department of Agriculture.

The argument against GMOs comes down to choice. It would Plus, there are enormous amounts of money and investment spent not be right to prevent people who wanted to eat GMOs the opby GMO companies lobbying their position. GMOs are marketed as a portunity to do so, but given the coercion and collusion involved benevolent tool for feeding the world and answering growing popu- in the issue, it is hard to argue that those who wish to avoid it are lation and poverty issues, which is a tough argument to debate. not offered an equal choice through mandatory labeling.

One argument is we are running out of farmland, but the reality is, Make up your mind. The decision of how our food freedom plays we have plenty of space. For example, the largest irrigated crop in out comes down to you and what you put into your mouth.

JUNE - DECEMBER, 2013 | DEVOUR 41

TO

READ! Cookbooks and other reviews

Devouring the Family Tree:

Book of essays help recall our connection to food and family

BY Gwenyfar Rohler ● Devour columnist, freelance writer and business owner of Old Books on Front Street The Cassoulet Saved Our Marriage Edited By Caroline M. Grant and Lisa Catherine Harper Roost Books 2013

“The Cassoulet Saved Our Marriage” is the title essay of an intriguing new collection of food writing, edited by Caroline M. Grant and Lisa Catherine Harper, the creators of the blog Learning to Eat. Twenty-nine writers have contributed pieces and accompanying recipes, mostly culled from their own family experiences. That’s at the heart of what this book explores: family relationships with food. As with collections, there are essays that are truly forgettable. But there are pieces that stuck with me long after reading.

The title essay, for example, is written in the form of four letters between a married couple (Deobrah Copaken Kogan and Paul Kogan), in which they discuss the possibility of divorce. Through their letters the writers plead with each other to recognize what they have together, using the preparation of a cassoulet as a metaphor for their shared history. Even after reading the recipe (which had my lips smacking with anticipation), I wondered, Did they stick it out? Did they split up? The reader is left to hope and pray for a desired outcome, much like a cook once the pan is in the oven.

My favorite essay was “A Case for Soul Food” by Deesha Philyaw, which explores not only the evolution of food choices and habits in America over the last two generations, but also the perceptions of food. Philyaw recounts her informed decision with the onset of pregnancy to eat much more healthily than she had been brought up to do. Her two children enjoy salads and eat organic food. Then, one asks her what soul food is. She wonders how her her daughter could not know what soul food is.

Philyaw explores with great candor the connotation and evolution of this comfortable style of cuisine and the important connec42 DEVOUR | JUNE - DECEMBER, 2013

tion it has for her identity. She points out how she grew up in a multi-generational household, where she learned to cook not from a book but from being in the kitchen with her female relatives. Sadly, her adult relatives are gone, and she is the last living link her daughters have to her side of the family.

Instituting a monthly “Soul Food Night” becomes a way for Philyaw to connect her daughters with her memories of their grandmother and greatgrandmother—to make these people, whom the children have never met, real and influential touchstones of their lives.

Her writing is beautiful and evocative. As a vegetarian since elementary school, I never thought that reading about fried chicken would make me hungry and teary-eyed simultaneously.

But her writing so clearly recalled the sounds and smells of when I was kneeheight in Grandma Tucker’s kitchen; not getting too close to the hot pan of grease, where the frying chicken sizzled and popped on lazy summer weekend afternoons.

Many essays in the last third of the book are devoted to the trials and tribulations of families coping with food and personalities.

Parents explore the world of PTAs and taking snacks to school (fraught with way more trouble than those of us childless people ever imagined.)

In other essays, parents worry about their children’s eating habits. In “White Food Disorder” Dani Klein Modisett, a survivor of an eating disorder, takes her son to the pediatrician because he won’t eat any fruits or vegetables. Her genuine fear and anxiety rockets off the page. I found myself pleading with her son in my head: “Just one carrot, come on…”

“Shared Books and Shared Tables” by Libby Gruner might have been written by my mother, recounting her side of the story. It begins describing the lovely world of shared family dinners and bedtime stories, two rituals also staples of my own upbringing.

Gruner clearly loves children’s literature and excerpts entire meal passages from “The Chronicles of Narnia” and “The Wind in the Willows.” Not only was it delightful to revisit those moments of

FEATURE

literature, it was surprising to see how evocative they are.

“The Wind in the Willows” had me planning a picnic basket lunch at Greenfield Lake with cold sandwiches and lemonade so tart my mouth puckered at the thought. Then Gruner discusses her daughter’s decisions to become a vegetarian and the impact it has on their ability to eat as a family. Immediately, I was flooded by the image of my mother standing in the kitchen, her hands pressed against the counter, looking at the floor in defeat saying,

“I am tired of making three separate dinners each night!” Gruner makes the struggle so clear: the importance to keep this ritual of daily family communion together in the face of busy schedules, while balancing growing children’s wants and needs.

“The Cassoulet Saved Our Marriage” is a wonderful collection that will put readers back in touch with their own families’ connections to food—both positive and negative. It will inspire reflection on the most important aspects of our food traditions.

TASTY LEFTOVERS Books we love to indulge in again and again!

The Last Days of Haute Cuisine

By Patric Kuh Viking 2002

Patric Kuh’s “The Last Days of Haute Cuisine” claims to be a history of the rise and fall of the French restaurant in America, an evolution of fine dining, if you will. Like many people, I have been dazzled by fine-dining restaurants for much of my life: an accessible moment of luxury for the middle class. But it did not begin that way. Kuh carefully recreates the luxurious and exclusive world of Le Pavilion at The World’s Fair in New York, the opportunity to bring The Ritz and all its glamour, including socially and financially tiered seating with corresponding tiered menus. Kuh makes it come alive and puts the reader right in the swirl, with the sounds, sights and the celebrities! Reading the evocative text, I started mentally putting together a costume, and imagining my grand entrance and slow progress toward the best seat in the house.

Yet, Kuh carefully discusses the real game-changer for fine dining: the rise of the credit card. Prior to, high-end restaurants had house accounts and sent monthly bills to their patrons. Part of what this allowed for a restaurant was the ability to genuinely select who could eat there based upon whether or not the restaurateur would extend credit. It ensured exclusivity. Once the credit card became ubiquitous, it all went the way of the past, making these tastes of luxury accessible to suburbanites.

Kuh’s detailed and lush descriptions of Le Pavilion and Le Cirque, and the social hierarchy that directed seating in their dining rooms, provide vivid scenes of life with famous restaurateurs, like Henri Soulé. He takes big, mythic personalities and makes them vulnerable, real people with flaws and aspirations. It’s incredible to read about the uncertainties of some of the most successful entrepreneurs the food world has known.

Kuh’s real gift lies in his humor. His description of a cleaverwielding disagreement in France is a hoot—resulting in the

kitchen staff sliding into the dining room and out the front door, on a smear of cream and pastry.

As a person who has never worked in a restaurant kitchen, he really brings to life a world that is closed off to many but nonetheless alluring.

Of course, the part that everyone wants to read about are the royals and the celebrities who frequented the exclusive restaurants. What are the behind-the-scenes stories of King Edward VII? Why did the Kennedy clan virtually live at Le Pavilion and then vanish overnight? These nuggets are the sizzle that sells the real history and information in this book, the proverbial steaks.

An Everlasting Meal

By Tamar Adler Scribner 2011 Tamar Adler’s “An Everlasting Meal” is the kind of cookbook for which I yearn. Though, it’s not a cookbook in the sense of recipes, ingredients lists and instruction, ending with a pronouncement about the number it will serve, “An Everlasting Meal” is Adler’s written conversation with the food she is preparing and the reader she is serving.

It is beautiful, evocative and hunger-inducing. From the opening chapter, “How to Boil Water,” to the last chapter, “How to End,” it is gorgeously conceived. Adler’s way with words is delightful: “Two eggs in the morning is a hearty breakfast but three is an orgy,” or “An omelet is an egg’s comeuppance.”

The entire book is a plea to return to cooking at home. Slowly, quietly, Adler argues that, with a little thought, one can begin cooking a meal, and use the leftovers and by-products from it in different forms or fashions all week. She makes it sound so simple, so inspiring and almost holy.

For cooks who have lost interest in their own kitchens, or in the beauty of simple food, pick up “An Everlasting Meal.” Not only will it keep stomachs growling with anticipation by the third page, by chapter two they’ll fling open the door to the pantry, ready to make it all work the way Adler describes.

JUNE - DECEMBER, 2013 | DEVOUR 43

Culinary calendar of events • events & happenings • NC BLUEBERRY FESTIVAL Celebrate the historic, economic and cultural significance of blueberries in the southeastern region of our state. Entertainment and artisans nestled around the courthouse square. Antique cars line the streets of Burgaw; food vendors, one of a kind arts and crafts, and blueberries!

More than 20 events ranging from the street fair to a recipe contest, barbeque cook-off, a 5K run, special exhibits and more. Sat., 6/15, 9am-9pm. Pender County Courthouse Square, Burgaw, NC. 910-2594844. www.ncblueberryfestival.com

linary adventure into your event. Experience North Carolina as never before. Corporate team-building services and customized events available. 6/22: Fun on the River. A paddle to Eagles Island, launching from Dram Tree Park at the end of Castle Street, 3100 acres situated between the Cape Fear and Brunswick Rivers.

Viewing flora and fauna; after we return to Dram Tree Park, we will gather at Ted’s Fun on the River, adjacent to Dram Tree Park for a little relaxation, fun, music, food and drink! $70, including food, beverage, guided tour and kayak rental; $55 w/own kayak. deena@ncecoodysseys.com. 407-247-5516

A TICKET TO TASTE

Brewing presents Port City Rib Fest on the

Ticket to Taste—an evening to enjoy the flavors of Burmese and Iraqi cuisine, 9/6, 6:30-9pm, for Interfaith Refugee Ministry. Brian Mayberry of Dixie Grill will devise a 3-course meal inspired by the flavors of Myanmar (Burma), Iraq and Columbia, home countries of our refugees. Serving first-course breakfast, followed by a lunch and a dinner, influenced by the flavors and dishes native cuisine of the countries of IRM’s clients. Hosted by WECT-Fox News reporter Jon Evans. St. James Parish Episcopal Church Perry Hall. Corner of Dock and 4th strees. 910 264-7244 or Ticket2taste@gmail.com. $25. www. ticket 2taste.com. Interfaith Refugee Ministry – Wilmington provides resettlement services to legal refugees who come to the US at the sponsorship of the State Dept. of the United States.

banks of the Cape Fear River, downtown

TASTE OF HAMPSTEAD WINE FESTIVAL

NC ECO ODYSSEYS North Carolina Eco Odysseys partners with local businesses to create unique adventures by introducing history, activity, and cu-

port city rib fest 8/9-11: AKA Entertainment and Good Vibes

ILM. National BBQ teams from TX to TN and locals, will compete against each other for bragging rights. Many of the “Ribbers” have been featured on Food Channel, TLC and Discovery Channel’s “Pitmasters.” 700 N. Front St. $7 adults, $5 seniors, children free. Lunch admission, $1, 11am-3pm only; Sat., 11am-11pm; Sun, noon-5pm. No pets, weapons, coolers or outside food; lawn chairs welcome. www.portcityribfest.com.

44 DEVOUR | JUNE - DECEMBER, 2013

The Greater Hampstead Chamber of Commerce started this tradition in 2009, and it became an instant favorite for both the community and visitors looking to experience the local fare! Get your palates ready for a terrific sampling of culinary delights provided by our area restaurants and an inspired selection of extraordinary wine and craft beers from our wineries. Add entertainment and this venue is a perfect opportunity to get to know the locals and experience our southern hospitality. Please check our website for location and time. Reservations Recommended. Sat., 9/21, 7-9:30pm. 910-270-9642. www.hampsteadchamber.com

3RD CARE PROJECT GALA 3rd Annual CARE Project Gala, hosted by Frances Weller and Johnnie Sexton, 6-11pm, Sat., 9/21. The Terraces on Sir Tyler, 1826 Sir Tyler Dr. Over 20 Wilmington area restaurants donating amazing food, cash bar and beer donated by Good Vibes Brewing with wine donated by Country Vintner. Featured entertainment by Bibis Ellison. Tickets: janpeelle@aol.com or 704-996-8244

ENCORE RESTAURANT WEEK

FESTIVAL LATINO

around Wilmington, from 10/23-30 only.

Sat., 11/9, and Sun., 11/10, 11am-6pm: Festival Latino is a cross-cultural celebration featuring cuisine from all over Latin America, music, dancing, kids fiesta and the great Mexican Hat Race! Mom and pop authentic Latino country cooking from Cuba, Colombia, El Salvador, Honduras, Puerto Rico and five different areas of Mexico! Ogden Park, 11am to 8pm. 615 Odgen Park Dr. lucyvasquez.amigos@gmail.com

Prix-fixe menus set at reasonable prices,

COMPETITION DINING SERIES

and all palates are sated, from French to

Got to Be NC Competition Dining Series travels statewide, pitting chefs against one another for the coveted red jacket and a $2k cash prize, plus a chance to compete in the Final Fire in Raleigh in November. Schedule: Jan., Fire on the Rock, Asheville; Fire on the Rock, Wilmington, Apr.; Fire in the Triad, Greensboro; July-Aug., Fire in the Triangle in Raleigh; Sept.-Oct., Fire in the City in Charlotte; Nov., Final Fire in Raleigh. Tickets: $59 plus tax and gratuity; finals are $69, plus tax and gratuity. www.competitiondining.com

Encore Restaurant Week features more than a dozen participating restaurants in and

Indian, Italian to American and all things in between. Just ask for the restaurant week menu and order away! Encore Restaurant Week Menu Guides are out at free-standing locations at beginning of October. www.encorerestaurantweek.com.

NC SPOT FESTIVAL The two day festival celebrates the spot fish, a staple of Hampstead!

Feast on spot dinners with all the fixings and other regional food. Enjoy arts and crafts as far as the eye can see, non-stop entertainment, fireworks and more. Sat., 9/28, 9:45am-10:30pm; Sun., 9/29, 9:45am5pm, Hwy 17 across from Deerfield in Hampstead, NC. 1-888-6999907. www.ncspotfestival.com

TASTE OF WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH Taste Of Wrightsville Beach, Sat., 10/12, and it will be held at MarineMax Boat showroom. A celebration of all the restaurants and hotels on the beach, with 28 food, wine and beer-tasting booths, and celebrity judges to announce Best in Show. People’s Choice award also given. Proceeds benefit WB Beautification project and Stop Hunger Now project. www. wrightsvillebeachfoundation.org/taste-of-wrightsville-beach

SEAFOOD BLUES AND JAZZ FEST Five-time Grammy award-winner Buddy Guy will headline the Pleasure Island Seafood Blues and Jazz Festival, 10/12-13, on Pleasure Island.

At age 76, Guy’s a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, a major influence on rock titans like Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and Stevie Ray Vaughan, a pioneer of Chicago’s fabled West Side sound, and a living link to that city’s halcyon days of electric blues. Opening: Slide Brothers’ gospel blues. Sunday features Wet Willie’s, with opener Randall Bramblett. Other blues and jazz groups on two stages over the two day festival, with food and beverages for sale and free KidZone, vendors and more. Tickets are just $40 in adv. for a two-day pass or can be purchased at the door for $50 for Saturday (Buddy Guy plays Saturday night) and $15 for Sunday. Kids 12 and under are free. 910-458-8434 or greg@pleasureislandnc.org.

AIRLIE OYSTER ROAST 10/18, 6 -11pm: Tickets are $75 each and include dinner, a peck of oysters and two spirituous beverages. Besides oysters, the menu features appetizers, Carolina BBQ and fish fry. A cash bar also will be available.

Heartbeat of Soul will provide live music on the main stage, and Sea Pans will entertain guests during the cocktail hour. Airlie Gardens, 300 Airlie Road. 910-798-7700. http://airliegardens.org

16TH ANNUAL POLISH FESTIVAL The 16th Annual Polish Festival will be held on Sat., 11/2, 11am-5pm, on the St. Stanislaus Church grounds, 4849 Castle Hayne Road (Hwy 117) Castle Hayne, NC. 910-675-2336. Featuring a new band, The Chardon PolkaBand, from Burton, OH.

• classes & workshops • SERVSAFE ServSafe Food Safety Certification classes; 6/9, 6/11, 6/23, 7/9, 7/16, 7/21, 8/6, 8/11, 8/18. All classes are from 9am-5pm. Call or email Jaime Chadwick, ServSafe Instructor & Proctor at 910-617-4791 or jcrisp728@ hotmail.com to reserve your seat.

CAPE FEAR WINE AND FOOD CLUB Cape Fear Wine and Food Club (memberships $15/year) classes are demonstrations. All classes include a generous portion of the menu items and wine pairing samples for adults. Takes place at Seasoned Gourmet, 1930 Eastwood Rd. • 6/13, noon: Southern Breakfast Essentials with Liz Biro $40. Learn the secrets to perfect grits, fluffy biscuits, and perfect poached eggs. • 6/22, 11am: Me Gusta Tacos $30. Crunchy and soft tacos filled with chicken, fish, veggies, and anything else we can come up with, plus pico de gallo and sauces to spice them up. • Event 6/26, 6:30pm: Class-y Shrimperoo – A Little Bit of Class, a Whole Lot of Party! $30. Traditional low-country boil and grill, with buckets of grilled and boiled shrimp, corn, and potatoes, served with an assortment of homemade sauces for dippin’. Beach music on the iPodl, beer and wine are available for purchase. The Seasoned Gourmet, 1930 Eastwood Rd. 910-256-9488. • 6/28, 2pm: Master It: Fruit & Veggie Carving $20.

Hands-on class to teach the basics in making playful, beautiful, edible decorations with fruit and vegetables. • 7/7, 2pm: Master It: Shrimp $25. Hands-on practice to properly clean shrimp and prepare them to perfection a number of ways, including sautéed, butter- poached, steamed, and grilled. • 7/9, 6:30pm: Catch the Food Truck with Chef Keith Rhodes $45. Secrets to some of the great dishes you can catch on his food truck. • 7/14, 2pm: Master It: Homemade Cow Tales and Tootsie Rolls $20. Hands-on class to make soft, chewy candies—a fun rainy-day project to share with the kids. • 7/18, 6:30pm: Shrimp on the Barbie with Liz Biro $45.

Liz shares her favorite grilled shrimp recipes. • 7/20, 11am: Southern Seaside Supper with Susan Boyles $40. Local summer favorites in one easy-to-prepare meal. • 7/24, 6:30pm: Full-Flavor Vegetarian Cooking with Liz Biro $45. Years of cooking for vegetarian friends have taught Wilmington food writer Liz Biro a thing or two about meatless meals. Get full-flavor tips and recipes. • 7/25, 2pm: Master It: Just the Frosting $30. Hands-on class covering all the basics of making your cake frosting smooth and beautiful, and learning a few tricks for piping embellishments onto the finished product for a nice presentation. Quick & Easy Buttercream Frosting, an offset spatula, pastry bag will be used. Take your spatula and your Baby Cake home to enjoy (serves 2-3). • 7/31, 6:30pm: French Riviera for Foodies with Susan Boyles $45. Menu inspired by classic French cuisine but made with local ingredients.

JUNE - DECEMBER, 2013 | DEVOUR 45

SUMMER 2013 KIDS’ COOKING CAMP

NONI BACCA WINERY

Wrightsville Beach Parks and Recreation has stirred up something just for them, a fun hands-on youth cooking camp for ages 7-13! Aims to teach kids creative and simple recipes that will encourage healthy living and good nutritional choices. All supplies and a daily snack are included in the fee. 1 Bob Sawyer Dr. www.townofwrightsvillebeach. com or (910) 256-7925 for registration information.

Noni Baca Wine Tasting Room is open seven days a week, offering wine tasting, wine by the glass or bottle. Sample some of our International, award-winning wines! Mon-Sat 10am-9pm; Sun, noon-5pm. $6/6 Tastes + $3/Souvenir Glass. $9/9 Tastes + $3/Souvenir Glass. • Every Tues. BFF Night and Thursday, 7pm: Good friends and customers gather to socialize, enjoy great wine, cold beer and music. Cheese plates for purchase. Reduced pricing on all of Noni Bacca Wine and great pricing on our craft beer line-up.

• tastings & things • DUPLIN WINERY 6/15: Club Member Adventure at the US Whitewater School in Charlotte. Ticket: $60/person (includes all outdoor activities and lunch at the facility) • 7/13, 3:30-7:45pm: Comedy Show with Jerry Carroll. Tickets: $45/person (includes tour and tasting) • 8/3, 10am-2pm: Ann’s Craft Class, Tickets: $35/person (w/lunch in bistro) • 8/10, 3:30-9pm: Golden Oldies, an evening of America’s favorite music of the ‘50s and ‘60s. $45/person (includes tour/tasting, dinner and performances).

• 8/17, 3:30-9pm: Murder Mystery, piece together the clues of this case in the interactive detective dinner show. Winning team receives a Duplin prize! Theme: Kill the Music $55/person (includes tour and tasting, dinner and show) • 9/7, 5-9pm: Grape Stomp celebration filled with music from Carl Newton and the 5th Avenue Band, grape stomping, wine tasting, and vineyard tours. $15/person for concert and stomp. • 9/14, 8-11am: 14th Fussell Family Breakfast, includes buffet in the bistro with the Fussell Family, as well as a private tour and tasting with the owners. Adults, $15 ; children, $8 (ages 4-12); free for kids 4 and under. • 10/19, 8:30am-3pm: Duplin Winery’s Run for Hope: Cancer Benefit for Women of Hope, cancer walk/5k to be held in vineyards at Duplin Winery to benefit the organization Women of Hope. Women of Hope is a nonprofit organization that focuses their funds on helping women and their families with the financial hardships after diagnosed with cancer. Music by the Jim Quick and Coastline band! $20/person- Mile or $30/person- Run; register at 8:30am.

• 10/26, 3:30-9pm: Murder Mystery, piece together the clues of this case in the interactive detective dinner show. Winning team receives a Duplin prize! Theme: Country Fried Caper. $55/person (includes tour and tasting, dinner and show). • 11/14, 5-8pm: Club Member Thanksgiving Dinner, featuring a classic feast with the founders of Duplin Winery. Acoustic music, wine and friends. $35/person. • 11/16,22, 23, 29, 30, 3:30-7:30pm: Down Home Country Christmas, with music and comedy, feat. classic holiday music and contemporary songs; resident jokesters, “Roadkill Rufus” and “Junior Jackson” and those wild and crazy “Dixie Hicks.” $50/person + $2 tour and tasting. • 12/7, 9am2pm: Ann’s Art, $35/person (include bistro breakfast hors d’oeuvres and class). • 12/14 and 21, 8-10am: Breakfast with Santa. Adults, $15 ; children $8 (ages 4-12); free for kids 4 and under. • 12/6, 7(Club), 13, 14, 20, 3:30-7:30pm: Down Home Country Christmas, with music and comedy, featuring classic holiday music and contemporary songs; resident jokesters, “Roadkill Rufus” and “Junior Jackson” and those wild and crazy “Dixie Hicks.” $50/person + $2 tour and tasting. Duplin Winery, 505 N. Sycamore St. Rose Hill, NC. 800-774-9634

SILVER COAST WINERY Line & partner dance instruction in the Barrel Room, Wednesdays, 2:30-5pm, and selected Sundays. www.CountryLineDancing.com.

6680 Barbeque Road, Ocean Isle Beach, NC.

WILMINGTON WINE SHOP Join us to sample five new delicious wines we’ve brought in just for our customers during Free Friday Wine Tasting, 5-8pm. Have a bottle or glass of your favorite with friends afterwards in our cozy shop or on the back deck. And beer lovers don’t fret, we’ve got a fridge full of craft and microbrews. 605 Castle St. 910-202-4749. www.wilmingtonwine.net.

46 DEVOUR | JUNE - DECEMBER, 2013

RED BANK WINE Red Bank’s wine of the week, Sat., 1-4pm. 1001 International Dr. 910256-9480.

FORTUNATE GLASS Free Wine Tasting, Tues. 6-8 p.m. • Sparkling Wine Specials & Discounted Select Bottles, Wed. & Thurs. • Monthly Food & Wine Pairing Events. 29 South Front St.

CAPE FEAR WINE AND BEER Monday Flight Night: $18 for nine 4 oz. samples of local, nationallyrenowned & international brews. Also, Massage Monday: $10 for a 10-minute shift with our licensed, registered therapist Josh Lentz. • Tues., DIY Trivia with our host Greg Jaeger. Prizes include beer from us and gift certificates from AzioMedia and Memory Lane Comics. 9 PM. $1 off all glasses of wine, ciders, and mead. • Wed: YouTube Video Competition. Submit the wackiest, funniest, zaniest video & win a bomber of beer & a Chop’s Deli sandwich! Hosted by Captain Video.

9pm; select $10 pitchers. • Thurs: Beer Infusement Thursday. Come see what ingredients Randall the Enamel Animal is enhancing upon delicious beer. 9pm. Also, Thrifty Thursday: select $3 bottles and $1 off select draft. • Fri.: Bartender’s pick. You never know what you’re gonna get! • Sat.: Think local, drink local. $1 off all bottled NC beers. • Sun: Beer Church. Purchase select beer and keep your glass for free. 139 N. Front Street. 910-763-3377.

THE WINE SAMPLER Every week we have five wines available to taste during sampling hours, Thurs., 3-8 pm, Fri., 3-8pm, and Sat., 11am-7pm. Each week we arrange a set of five wines, which we offer a 10% discount as well toward purchase. 4107-C Oleander Dr. (910) 796-WINE (9463). thewinesampler.com

CANAPE POP-UP RESTAURANT Pop-up dinners held once a month on Sundays at San Juan Cafe, 3314 Wrightsville Ave. Menu made up of local ingredients; changes monthly and hosted by Chef Matthew Gould. Tickets: $35 and up for prix-fixe. www.canapeilm.com. 910-274-2012; available for private functions.

• markets & tours • FARMERS’ MARKETS

Fruits, vegetables, plants, herbs, flowers, eggs, cheese, meats, seafood, honey and more! Schedule: Poplar Grove, Wed, 8-1. Also features fresh-baked goods, pickled okra, peanuts and handcrafted one-of-a-kind gifts such as jewelry, woodcrafts and pottery. Poplar Grove Plantation, 910-686-9518. pgp@poplargrove.com. www. poplargrove.com • Riverfront Farmer’s Market open on Water St., downtown, every Sat., 8am-1pm. Food, arts & craft vendors and live music. www.wilmingtondowntown.com/farmers-market • Carolina Beach Farmer’s Market every Sat., 8am-1pm, around the lake in Carolina Beach. Free parking is provided. Vendors align the lake and an nflux of artists and crafters of all types; live music. www.carolinabeachfarmersmarket.com or email Janet Knott, carolinabeachfarmersmarket@gmail.com. • Wrightsville Beach

front street brewery BOURBON beer dinner Wilmington’s premier brewery will allow folks a tasteful pairing of their finest craft brews and bourbons with their chef’s culinary superiority in the kitchen during their Bourbon Beer Dinner on October 10th.

The menu will be revealed online at www.FrontStreetBrewwery.com where folks will also be able to purchase tickets. Plus, they offer tours of their brewery daily starting at 3 p.m. Just make an appointment at the host stand.

Farmers’ Market: 21 Causeway Dr. Fresh NC-grown produce, seafood and other locally produced consumables. A variety of unique craft vendors have also been added to the market this year. Monday, 8am-1pm, beginning the first Monday in May and continuing through Labor Day. • Town of Leland Farmers’ Market: Located at Leland Town Hall, this market is open every other Sun., 11am-3pm, through the month of Aug. This market is focused on local food and agricultural products. • Oak Island Farmers’ Market, Mondays, 7am-1pm through 9/9. Middletown Park, Oak Island • Southport Waterfront Market, Wednesdays, 8am-1pm, through 9/25. Garrison Lawn in Southport, NC. • St. James Plantation Farmers’ Market, Thurs., through 10/25, 4-7pm, at the Park at Woodlands Park Soccer Field.

CULINARY ADVENTURES TOUR Eat your way through Wilmington’s food history and delights! Culinary Adventures Tour with food writer/chef Liz Biro; under a mile, wear comfortable shoes. Top Chef Farmers Market Tour and Cooking Class, Heart of Downtown, Drinks Downtown, Downtown Brunch Stroll, Foodie Shopping Tour, custom and special group tours and more! $25 and up! www.lizbiro.com. 910-545-8055

TASTING HISTORY TOURS Tasting History Tours of Pleasure Island; guided walking tours. $25, www.tastinghistorytours.com. Afternoon of delicious food and education. 910-622-6046.

FSB BREWERY TOUR Learn how Front Street Brewery brews their beer. Tours given daily, 3-5pm, with brewer Kevin Kozak and assistant brewer Christopher McGarvey; samples provided. Tours take place at 3pm, 3:45pm and 4:30pm. Simply sign up at the host stand; 9 N. Front Street.

• clubs & organizations • FEAST DOWN EAST BUYING CLUB Enjoy the quality, value and convenience of the Feast Down East Buying Club. It costs nothing to join. The benefits are immeasurable. It is a great way to eat healthier, while knowing you support your local farm families and community. Start buying fresh local food, sourced from Southeastern NC farms. Choose a pick-up spot, and check out at the online cashier and you are done! www.FeastDownEast.org.

PORT CITY SWAPPERS Port City Swappers is a monthly food and beverage swap where members of a community share homemade, homegrown, or foraged foods with each other. Swaps allow direct trades to take place between attendees, e.g., a loaf of bread for a jar of pickles or a half-dozen backyard eggs. No cash is exchanged, and no goods are sold. Diversify your pantry and go home happy and inspired while meeting your neighbors! facebook.com/PortCitySwappers. 6/30, 7/28, 8/25, 9/29, 10/27, 11/24, 12/29.

FOOD PANTRIES Good Shepherd House Soup Kitchen, 811 Martin St. Pantry Hours: 6am-3pm everyday • Mother Hubbard’s Cupboards, 211 N. 2nd St. (910)762-2199. MTWFS,1-3pm • Catholic Social Ministries, 4006 Princess Dr. (910) 251-8130. Tues-Fri., 9-11:30am • First Fruit Ministries, 2750 Vance St. (910) 612-9353. Tues/Sat, 11am-1pm; Wed,10am-2pm.

• Bethany Presbyterian Church, 2237 Castle Hayne Rd. (910) 762-7824.

Wed, 11:30am-2pm. • New Covenant Holiness Church, 1020 Dawson St. (910)762-7376

FOOD BANK OF NC Established in 1980, the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina is a non-profit organization that provides food to people at risk of hunger in 34 counties in central and eastern North Carolina. In 200809, the Wilmington branch distributed over 4 million pounds to our four-county service area. Stop Summer Hunger (formerly Kids Summer Stock) is a community-wide food and funds drive held during June and July to provide the additional food needed to support these children and their families, as well as supporting summer meals programs.

Helps to fill the empty shelves of Food Bank warehouses in Durham, Greenville, New Bern, Raleigh, Sandhills and Wilmington during the summer when donations tend to slow down. www.wilmington.foodbankcenc.org

FREE MARKET AND FOOD NOT BOMBS Wilmington’s Free Market welcomes people to donate reusable housewares, music, car items, games, clothing, haircuts, blankets, and anything else of need! No barter or trade; everything is free! Do not leave items and run; take with you what does not get taken. Volunteers always needed to teach a short lesson on urban living, gardening, recycling, holistic remedies, or offer free haircuts, sew clothing—anything educational and or useful/helpful. The Really Really Free Market is held in conjunction with Food Not Bombs to provide free vegan and vegetarian meals to the hungry. Food is a right, not a privilege. All our food is donated, and anyone can donate! Meetups first Sunday each month at Greenfield Lake Park at picnic tables by the water. www.ilmfreemarket.moonfruit.com or FB group, “Wilmington’s Really Really Free Market & Food Not Bombs!”

HENRIETTA III CRUISES An elegant, 3-tiered boat offering sight-seeing, lunch and dinner cruises, sight seeing tours and a Sunset Dinner Cruise June-Aug. On the riverfront. April-Oct: Narrated sightseeing cruises 2:30pm 1-1/2 hours Tuesday-Sunday, Narrated lunch cruises 12:00 noon 1-1/2 hours Tuesday-Saturday. May-Oct: Murder Mystery Dinner Cruises, Tuesday & Thursday evening 2 hours 6:30 pm; Apr-Dec: Friday evening dinner cruises 2-1/2 hours 7:30 pm, Saturday evening dinner cruises 3 hours 6:30 pm. 343-1611. cfrboats.com

JUNE - DECEMBER, 2013 | DEVOUR 47

Come home to Casey’s Southern soul food at its finest!

Family

owned and o Larry a nd Ge perated by na Cas ey

5559 Oleander Drive • (910)798-2913 Between Dogwood Lane & French Street, across from the batting cages

“Voted BEST BUFFET, and SOUL FOOD by encore magazine readers”

48 DEVOUR | JUNE - DECEMBER, 2013