Waxhaw Flyers BOUNCE with special kids
Daily bus ride to Charlotte ‘great’ CMC-Union ‘births’ a new specialty center
November / December 2014 www.UnionLifestyle.com
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Union Lifestyle PO Box 1064 Monroe, NC 28111-1064
UNION
Lifestyle Editor
Nancy E. Stephen
Contributing Writers Deb Coates Bledsoe Susan Radford
Photographers
Deb Coates Bledsoe Rick Crider Nancy E. Stephen Ron Vilas
Union Lifestyle
A publication of Cameo Communications, LLC PO Box 1064 Monroe, NC 28111-1064 (704) 753-9288 www.UnionLifestyle.com
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On the cover
Addison Moore, a member of the Waxhaw Flyers’ Bounce team, is assisted by teen volunteers. Photo by Rick Crider
5
Santa tells his
Contents November / December 2014 t Vol. 4, No. 1
22
Life lesson:
ever-so-private
A humorous but true
6
24
secrets.
look at the facts.
Special needs
Russian coach finds
on cheer team.
in Union County.
10
26
children find home
gymnastics glory
Coppersmith finds
Chefs give new twists
light fixtures.
its leftovers.
niche with custom
12
Riding the bus to
Charlotte is what
these adults want.
on holiday meal and
28
You can find
BBQ heaven in Stallings.
CMC-Union ‘birthing’ a new women’s center 14 $57 million facility adds modern space 26and services. 14 American 16 Ark Obstetrician calls new centerEntertainment ‘the best I’ve seen’ showcases abounds in Union 17 Pediatrics center cares for 400 children in first 9 months exotic animals. this season. 21 Hospital president not through with CMC-Union progress.
Union Lifestyle l November / December 2014 3
L
300-plus stories later, Union Lifestyle starts its fourth year
ife is full of change. But then, you knew that. Union Lifestyle enters its fourth year with this edition, which is amazing to me. Has it really been that long? We’ve published 18 editions with more than 300 articles on interesting people in the county. That’s a lot of interesting people, but it doesn’t begin to touch upon the potential. We’ve got a long way to go if we feature every person! You might think that’s realistic, but I’m a traditional journalist – I believe everybody has a story. Some have two, three or four. As an example, Susan Radford who wrote this edition’s Life Lessons, has appeared in Union Lifestyle twice before – once in a story about her role as a TV extra in Homeland and once contributing comments to a story about junior cotillion. I’m often asked, “Where do you get the story ideas?” Anywhere and everywhere would be the answer. My husband used to call me – affectionately, I hope – a 2-year-old. Everything interests me, and I’m always asking who, what, when, where and why. A Facebook post on Land of the Waxhaws netted the story on Waxhaw Flyers’ Bounce cheer team, which is a heart-warming story about children with special needs and their own cheer team.
A visit to Downtown Monroe’s Art walk prompted the interview with coppersmith Mick Aderholt. A brief story in a newspaper about Southeastern Gymnastics prompted the story on Russian coach turned American coach Ludmilla Shobe. How did she get to Weddington from Russia, I wondered. And I was simply curious about who rides the bus to Charlotte every day. The only way to learn the answer was to show up at 6:30 a.m. to meet the riders. Oh, and I went to the North Pole to interview Santa. There will never be a time when there are no more interesting people to write about, at least not for me. What’s your story? As we ease into 2015, you’ll see a change to Union Lifestyle. We’ve published six times a year for the first three years, but our schedule will go to four times a year with the next edition. Why the change? It’s a combination of two reasons. One, the magazine takes a lot of time from a small staff, and we want to spend more time on our stories. The second reason is personal. I’d like to travel more than I can with the current publication schedule. If you have an existing mail subscription to Union Lifestyle, don’t worry; you will receive your full six editions, even extending into 2016 if necessary. I hope you continue to enjoy the magazine and email me story ideas on our county’s Editor@UnionLifestyle.com fascinating people. Cheers!
Did you know . . . Last year, the American Red Cross responded to 70,000 disasters Your Union County chapter helped 61 families after a disaster, primarily house fire. collected 5,041 units of blood. taught 1,351 people lifesaving skills. delivered prepardeness info to more than 12,000 people. Whether it’s helping a family recover after a home fire, providing lifesaving training or preparing the next generation to cope during an emergency – you are the one who makes it all possible. Because of your donations, our local chapter and volunteers are able to work around the clock to prepare for and respond to emergencies. Please help us bring food, shelter, comfort and hope to people who need it! You can send a check or visit us at redcross.org/monroe to use your credit card.
We simply can’t do it without you. Volunteers deliver the Red Cross mission. Please consider volunteering to help. 4 Union Lifestyle l November / December 2014
Union County Chapter 608 E. Franklin Street Monroe , NC 28112 704-283-7402 redcross.org/monroe
The ‘real’ Santa Claus
Away from public view
Santa Claus is a philanthropist of the highest degree. He secretly delivers toys and goodies once a year to good little boys and girls around the world without asking for anything other than a smile in return. And he always hits his deadline! Santa and his favorite reindeer, Rudolph, have the delivery process down pat. He currently is in negotiations with international mail and package carriers as well as shipping companies to present broad-based best practices seminars for top management. Santa doesn’t like to toot his own horn, but stresses that most companies are doing delivery services totally wrong. He currently has a contract with U.S. Airways to provide more efficient flight patterns around the world, and Mrs. Claus is working with other airlines to secure more contracts. It costs a lot, you know, to buy supplies for all the toys Santa gives away, even when he shops sales with coupons, so he’s in a money-making plan. Childhood ambition: I wanted to fly any way that I could. At first, I took a plane. But since Pan Am stopped its route to the North Pole, I had to find my own flying machine. It’s my handy, dandy, super-dooper, environmentally safe green machine, except I painted my sleigh red. That’s my favorite color. Guilty pleasure: Late night cookies, preferably chocolate chip, accompanied by a glass of milk. Guilty splurge: A gazillion cookies at Christmas. But knowing that my health must be extraordinary since I don’t have any backup Santas to take my place in the case of, say, an intestinal issue, I go on a diet on January 1, just like the rest of you. I’ve been asked to join the Biggest Loser on TV, but I don’t think anyone wants to see me in my skivvies. Even Mrs. Claus doesn’t like that look! Inspiration: Asteroids! They move through the sky so fast! If I could channel their energy through the reindeer, I could move faster on my rounds and spend more time at each house, maybe meet a few children. Challenge: Squabbling among the reindeer! You think “The Real Housewives” are rough? You should hear these guys snipe at each other 364 days of the year – “My antlers are bigger than yours and they’re real,” “Your haunches are too big,” “You told Santa a lie about me!” But they do pull together on Christmas Eve, when it counts. Lemons to lemonade story: I discovered Rudolph centuries ago when he was just a tyke. Even then his nose glowed, much to his consternation. People used to laugh and call him names. I knew instantly that his physical – I won’t call it a defect – attribute would be hugely beneficial to me on those foggy nights so common to Christmas Eve. I offered him a job, and after a bit of negotiation, he joined the reindeer team as the leader of the pack. It’s what you call a win-win situation. Greatest joy in life: Mrs. Claus. Ha! You thought I’d say the kids. But you know, behind every successful man is a great woman. And behind every 364-day stay-at-home man is a wife who can get on his nerves, so I want to be politically correct. But really, the kiddy-poos are a great joy, too. Most overused expression: Ho, ho ho! Big surprise, right?
BOUNCE!
Sam Beard
Waxhaw Flyers forms cheer team for special needs kids
Nicholas Boccio
Addison Moore
W
hen you walk in the door of Waxhaw Flyers on Sunday afternoon about 5 p.m., your first impression might be of a five-ring circus. But then you quickly see that it’s organized chaos with excitement and energy bubbling over at five separate activity stations around the floor. It’s the weekly session for the Waxhaw Flyers All-Star Cheerleading special needs team, which is called Bounce. And bounce the kids do. Their excitement is almost palpable. With parents primarily on the sidelines, children who have physical, emotional
Text by Nancy E. Stephen Photos by Rick Crider
The Bounce team
6 Union Lifestyle l November / December 2014
or intellectual disabilities do what other children do while enjoying special one-onone attention. “It warms my heart; it’s a dream since I first opened the gym,” says Rori Burke, co-owner with Susan Gower. “We would go to a competition and see special needs children competing, and we knew that’s what we wanted to do. It’s been a vision that we’ve had for quite some time.” Sam Beard saw his older sister’s competitive cheerleading, so when mom Beth offered Sam the opportunity to cheer, he was all for it. “It was his choice. “With some other sports, I have to do some pushing,” Beth says, “but not here. He has a lot of independence. This is a physical activity that he enjoys.” Sam, a fourth-grade student at New Town Elementary who plays football in the Challenger league, was caught in a dilemma recently at a game, his mom says. “He was torn about where he wanted to be,” she explains, on the field with the players or on the sidelines with the cheerleaders.
Cheerleading has been Brittney Casteel’s dream, says mom Kim. “I didn’t know this even existed until her physical therapist (Kelly Helms) told me about it. And now we can’t miss it. “It lets her fit in with her peers. She thinks she’s accomplishing something, which she is. It means the world to me; it’s awesome to have. “She can get out of the wheelchair and do things, not be confined to the wheelchair all day.” Brittney is paralyzed from the waist down due to spina bifida, but she still enjoys tumbling. When doing a forward rollover on the floor, three assistants do the rolling for her – one tucks her head under while the others roll her over. She also does a handstand against the wall with aid.
Aidan Harbold
Meghan Weir
years in Matthews before coming to Waxhaw Flyers. “She absolutely loves it,” says mom Heather.
“It gives her mobility that she usually doesn’t have,” her mom says. “She gets to be just a kid, and that’s really important to her. “
Aidan Harbold, a 13-year-old at Cuthbertson Middle School, “talks about cheer all week long,” says his mother Tracy. “I think he likes the environment with teenage girls” – students at the center who volunteer each week with the Bounce students.
Jordan Todd
“He wants to feel a part of something, part of a team.” Because of his autism, she says Aidan has “so few opportunities to participate in any sport. On a regular team, things happen too quickly and he can’t keep up. Here, he feels successful. It’s an activity that he can do.”
Jordan Todd, a 17-year-old at Porter Ridge, cheered off and on for three
“She likes that she can come and be herself, be independent.” Jordan performs cartwheels, rolls, and backbends and currently is working on headstands against the wall.
In addition to the skills, flexibility and balance that she’s learning, “it’s the experience for our kids; they don’t get to do this all the time,” her mom adds. “The kids and coaches are awesome. The volunteers are incredible, coming out here and sacrificing their time, encouraging our kids.”
Chris Boccio, mother of Nicholas Boccio, 12, drives to Waxhaw from Mint Hill each week, but says the drive “is absolutely worth it. Cheering “has given him a lot of self-confidence. It’s worth it.” Meghan Weir, 10, was just diagnosed with ponto cerebellar hypoplasia, a terminal illness with a life expectancy of 20 to 25 years. For 10 years, her mom Missie and physicians knew only that she was severely afflicted with a genetic disease, but the diagnosis was elusive.
Union Lifestyle l November / December 2014 7
Missie is determined that Meghan experience life to its fullest. “I want her to have as normal a childhood as she can have.
Brittney Casteel
“In a lot of ways, she’s a typical 10-year-old. She likes makeup and jewelry and being around other kids. This is one of the few places she gets to go where she can be with other kids,” Missie explains. Being confined to a wheelchair without verbal skills doesn’t limit Meghan’s enjoyment of cheering. When Bounce is making a formation with their arms overhead in a V for victory position, volunteers are right beside Meghan, moving her arms in the same position. “Every thing she does is assisted,” her mom says.
The weekly sessions are important to Meghan. “When I put her outfit on her, she knows we’re going to cheer. She loves it. “But her favorite part is competition with lights and music and being in front of everybody.”
Parents pay $25 a month in Bounce, which includes uniform and instructional time. On a typical Sunday, the room is filled with participants with a wide range of conditions and twice as many volunteers to assist. Most volunteers are the Flyers senior level girls, all teenagers in high school. But Brad Powell, a former Clemson cheerleader, and physical therapist Kelly Helms also volunteer.
Bounce participates in a special needs division of cheerleading competitions. Assistants are fully involved in the minute and a half program, assisting children into positions and maneuvers. At the end of the performance, “everybody stands up and cheers – for every single team,” says founder and co-owner Rori Burke. “It’s one of the most incredible things I’ve seen.” Each special needs participant also takes home a trophy. Waxhaw Flyers opened its Bounce class just this year with four students. “The next weekend, two more came, then more and more,” says owner Rori, who hopes for even more participants. “Nothing would make me happier than to have 20 more students.”
Every day, we are creating a life like yours for people with developmental disabilities.
The Arc provides advocacy, education and support to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.
You can help.
A tax-deductible donation to The Arc helps us provide
services to approximately 350 individuals each year.
Contributions can be mailed to: 1653-C Campus Park Dr, Monroe, NC 28112 Donate online at www.thearcisthere.org Call us at 704.261.1550
8 Union Lifestyle l November / December 2014
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It’s never the same thing.’ I
Coppersmith’s custom work keeps him busy.
Text and photos by Nancy E. Stephen
’m not an artist or designer, but if someone shows me a picture, I can make it.”
Mick Aderholt’s statement might suggest that his hand-crafted copper lanterns are not art, but one glimpse at his product belies that thought.
The Monroe native is relatively new to copper craft, having come to the specialty after college, bank and sales jobs for a couple of years, then 24 years in surveying. “I had intended to stay in the business world somewhere,” Mick says, but in 1989, he “up and moved” to South Carolina’s low country where he built a house and met an old gentleman by the name of John Gant. Gant is a well-known for his copper lanterns. “I ran in to him, and we started talking. When I went by his shop, I was amazed that people could do that with their hands.” And Mick was off and running with a new business. Although he didn’t have a mortgage on his new house, thanks to the sale of his “huge” collection of confederate buttons, “I was flat broke.”
His apprenticeship, if you will, was building simple box frames for Gant part time out of a shop at his house. As his business and skill grew, so did his reputation for outstanding custom work.
A few years back, he returned to Union County and brought his handcraft business with him.
“First thing, I had to come up with designs of my own, which took me about a year,” he says. Within the year, he had created 12 different styles of lighting fixtures to offer, both interior and exterior designs.
“I do mainly custom work,” Mick says, “but I have a basic inventory here,” he says of his workshop which no longer is in his home, “some lower and medium priced lights that people can come in and see.”
10 Union Lifestyle l November / December 2014
His lights aren’t inexpensive, not like those you might find in a big box store. But they are gorgeous and some are massive. And they’re primarily one of a kind, often for what he calls “mega houses” in Charlotte. One house project was for 31 outdoor lights, each 34 inches tall and with 165 soldered pieces. “I stayed on this job pretty much for eight months.” Immediately after, he created 26 lights for a 16,000-squarefoot house in Georgia.
One fixture can take six days to make and cost up to $1,825. Copper is expensive, currently about $7 a pound, and fixtures can weigh upwards of 30 pounds.
In between the large custom jobs, “I do sell single lanterns. If it’s in stock and I have the patterns, that’s no big deal. But if it’s custom, it takes a lot of time.”
Even the custom projects have a large range of complexity. “I might do one light for a post in the front job, or a entire landscaping project.”
The variety of work is interesting, Mick says, “it’s never the same thing.”
His copper product is raw copper, which means it will start to change color overnight. “It goes dark brown, depending on moisture and sunlight. It eventually will acquire a greenish patina, but that takes a long period of time.”
Mick’s lights are pristine; nary a visible connection of material. Although each light has more than 100 solders, you don’t see any of it because he solders on the inside. “That’s what takes the time: that’s the true craftsmanship of it.” Lights can be wired for electricity or for gas and are as safe as any light you might find in any store. His lights are ETL tested,
market. Not so when he was in South Carolina, he says.
Mick’s reputation keeps him busy with work, but in the beginning, he spent hours “riding around Charlotte, talking to contractors.” In four or five hours, he could make about nine good contacts. Although he typically works directly with homeowners – “They make the call on the lights” – contractors and interior designers refer a lot of business to him. Even lighting stores make referrals. Working on large projects with 10 or 12 identical fixtures can become tedious, but overall, Mick enjoys his work.
similar to a UL label, which was an extensive and expensive process – approximately $11,000 – and requires a costly quarterly review, too.
Mick sent a model of each light to the testing facility, where the wiring and sockets were checked for UL standards and a heat test determined maximum wattage for each size. Each of his lights carries an interior label of certification, which Mick says the inspectors look for in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg
“Sometimes I get frustrated, but when I get the finished product, I can stand back and feel good.”
Call Mick at (704) 221-1470 to request a brochure or discuss a project, or email him at mickader@hotmail.com.
You can help us end hunger & homelessness
We provide food, shelter and a pathway to permanent housing in Union County.
Last year’s successes
Family Homelessness
74 families and children with 4,943 motel stays Rental assistance for 50 families 71% stabilized to permanent housing
Hunger Relief
(704) 289-5300
What does it take to end homelessness?
You!
Your tax-deductible donation will change a life! Mail contributions to 311 E. Jefferson St., Monroe, NC 28112 or donate online at www.UnionShelter.org
43,935 prepared meals in our soup kitchen Meals served without question to all who attend. 441 food boxes distributed to families with homes
Homelessness
296 homeless adults with 7,526 overnight stays 24% find permanent housing Case management for jobs Sober living & chores Union Lifestyle l November / December 2014 11
I
Adult bus riders find friendships along
Text and photos by Nancy E. Stephen
t’s not easy to get a teen driver to ride the bus to school, but for some business people, riding the bus is their choice. In the dark of early morning, starting at about 6 a.m., business people wait in their cars in two county shopping center parking lots with coffee mugs in their hands, waiting for the 74X (Union County Express) bus to take them downtown Charlotte. They love the bus ride for varying reasons. “There’s no wear and tear on the car; my insurance went down because I’m not commuting; there’s no need for parking uptown. And I don’t have to sit in traffic; I can do whatever I want,” says Jodie Anton, who works for a law firm in Charlotte. She rides the 7:10 a.m. bus every day
from the Kmart center in Monroe and returns on the 4:43 p.m. bus. “My company offered to pay 100 percent of the cost on public transportation,” which anyone who pays to park in uptown knows is a good deal. Donna Whitmore-Sexton moved from driving to riding about seven years ago because of the cost of parking. “I used to drive in every day and park in a pay-per-day lot. When the CIAA tournament came to town, the parking went from $6 a day to $15 a day. So I thought, ‘I’m just going to buy a oneweek pass and just see if I like it.’ And I never went back to driving. I love it, love it.” Saying she may have driven in five times in the last seven years, Donna adds, “It’s super easy for me. Jodie Anton “I either play games, read a book or one-hour bus talk to my friends. I’ve made a lot of Donna Whitmore-Sexton boards the bus at friends on the bus that we socialize with outside of riding the bus.” Kmart while it’s still dark.
12 Union Lifestyle l November / December 2014
g with low cost and stress-free travel
Indian Trail, says bus riding helps the stress factor as well as the budget. “It’s easier and cheaper; you don’t have to pay for parking or gas. Bus fare is probably what gas would cost but you don’t have to pay for parking.” He spends his time reading, listening to music and occasionally sleeping. The return ride is therapeutic, says Barbara. “You have your downtime to transition from work, which is very nice. And it allows you time to read all those magazine subscriptions that you have.”
Jodie says some riders experience anxiety at first, wondering how they will survive without their car. “You get so you don’t want to drive your car,” she says. If you need to move around within Charlotte, “you can take a local bus or the light rail to get around town.”
Jodie and her husband, who also rides the bus, grocery shop once a week after work, so on that day, they drive to Indian Trail and leave the car there.
and her husband, who ride the bus together to Charlotte each day, say the ride is very convenient. Jodie agrees that friendship is a perk of riding the bus. “You kind of become a family because you spend that much time with them. We used to play Trivial Pursuit or cards before we all got smart phones. “When one of our bus riders died suddenly, we all went to the funeral – we’d gotten that close.” Barbara Stephans says the bus “is more economical – the cost of gasoline and parking and stop and go traffic, which is really hard on your nerves. It’s nice to relax.” She has the optimum situation for a bus rider. “The bus drops me off in front of my office. It’s just terrific.” Saying she drives maybe five percent of the time, Barbara Stephans often reads a Barbara gets a lot done book while riding the bus, while when bus riding. “I do so Dana Walker, right, listens to music many things. I read, I write old-fashioned handwritten and sometimes naps. letters, plan my day, plan menus, make shopping lists . . . sometimes I play a game on my cell phone. I try not to talk on my cell phone. Most people don’t talk on their phone, especially in the morning. People are pretty quiet.” Jeremy John, who catches the bus at Union Towne Center in
“It’s really nice to go up and down the bus lane, when others are stopped because of an accident. With Charlotte’s stop and go traffic, it takes the stress out of it. It’s very convenient. I wouldn’t go back to driving for anything,” Jodie says. The best part, says Donna, is “I’m not driving on Independence Boulevard. That’s the absolute best!”
“Once you start riding, you don’t want to give it up,” Jodie adds.
Tickets on the 74X are $4.40 one way, with those 62 and up paying $2.20. A monthly-unlimited pass is $176, and a 10-ride pass is $25.75. Buses depart and return from Kmart in Monroe and Union Towne Center in Indian Trail for the one-hour trip. Visit charmeck.org/city/charlotte/CATS.
Union Lifestyle l November / December 2014 13
CMC-Union opening $57 million expansion
O
Text and photos by Nancy E. Stephen
n November 17, Union County will have a new Women and Children’s Center with bells and whistles to complement extraordinary care. The opening on the Carolinas Medical Center-Union campus marks the end of a two-year project and $57.2 million investment by Carolinas HealthCare System (CHS) into Union County healthcare. While the size of the project is impressive – 87,000 new square feet and 22,550 square feet renovated – the project is much more than construction, according to Mike Lutes, president of CMCUnion.
“It’s much more than bricks and mortar. With each improvement or addition, we’re moving from a community hospital to a tertiary level hospital. Keeping patients close to home in Union County makes it better for them and easier on their family.”
The current project was completed in segments, with the last portion – the Women and Children’s Center – opening November 17.
A newly removated pediatric unit opened last fall, offering specialized pediatric care in a renovated section of the existing facility.
14 Union Lifestyle l November / December 2014
The women’s portion of construction is new construction and offers a fresh approach to labor, delivery and recovery. It promotes a family-centered care environment with the security of a hospital and the comforts of home. From pediatric and adolescent care to obstetrics and gynecologic surgery, the center will offer a full continuum of women’s and children’s healthcare services that will meet the needs of women and children through every stage of their lives. Mike says the added services and capacity were designed to not just grow services in Union County, but to serve as the eastern hub of CHS. “We’re drawing patients from as far away as Richmond County.” The hospital in Anson County, which sits between Union and Richmond counties and opened as Carolinas HealthCare System Anson in July, does not have as extensive capabilities that CMC-Union offers.
Why a new Women and Children’s Center?
If you look at the six counties around Mecklenburg, Union County has the highest percentage of women in childbearing ages, Mike explains. “With the county growing again, it’s natural that we focus on these services. We have a tremendous number of pediatric patients in the county who shouldn’t have to go into Charlotte to have specialized services. “This is just one step as we grow towards CMCUnion transforming from a community hospital to a tertiary hospital.” The Women’s and Children’s Center is important
Artist renderings of the new addition, above, and the bistro/family lounge in the new women’s center. for another reason. “Women are the decision-makers in healthcare,” Mike says. “If they come to CMC-Union and experience great care, they will maintain the medical relationship for the rest of the family.” And he’s certain that they will experience great care.
“Our new level of labor, delivery and recovery services – they’re not matched by anyone else, and there are fine touches in the new facility.”
Prior to the new center, women about to give birth started in a private room, but transferred to a different bed for the actual birth. A few hours after delivery, the mom then moved to a recovery room. And the family trailed behind.
In the new facility, families will experience a birthing suite. Each room will support the patient and infant through every step from admission until both go home. No moving from bed to bed or room to room.
The baby, if healthy, will remain in the mother’s room, in a dedicated area with warming lights and any medical equipment needed for his care.
A second section of the room is termed the support zone, where nurses will keep their supplies and equipment. Previously, such equipment and supplies could be lying on the same counter as the husband’s cell phone or snacks.
A third area is called the family zone. Following very detailed conversations with nursing staff, who are most frequently in the room, the family area now features a loveseat that converts into a sleeper for a family member, charging zone for multiple electronic devices, small refrigerator for snacks and a very large window that stretches the length of the room.
“We’ve created large rooms to make it really special; we wanted to give the room a home feel, and I think that’s exactly what we’ve done,” Mike says. In the common area, a family lounge complete with bistro and electric fire logs gives family another room to stay in when mom needs some alone time. A play area features electronic games to entertain the kids, while another area tucked around a corner provides a quiet area for adult calls and computer time. “Our family lounge area is probably not offered in the market, including Charlotte,” Mike says. The women’s center itself is very different from the existing model that placed individual rooms around one nursing station. The new center features three nurses’ stations, each monitoring eight private rooms. “This places the nurses much closer to their patients, which automatically improves the level of care,” commented Denise White, chief nursing officer. Medical supplies and equipment are housed at each station, keeping nurses from running up and down the hall to gather supplies as need. “The level of care that we currently provide is excellent,” Mike says, “but the care team model is really going to improve patient experience.
Union Lifestyle l November / December 2014 15
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Obstetrician calls new center ‘the best I’ve seen’
Moms who delivered their first child in the old center will be surprised when they deliver again in the new. “They won’t think omen who deliver their babies at the new Women and they’re in the same hospital,” Dr. Horton exclaims. “It’s a Children’s Center at CMC-Union may think they’ve gone to a completely new experience – separate entrance and a feel that’s hotel. But rest assured, not only is the facility outstanding in less of a hospital, more of a hotel.” aesthetics, it’s also outstanding in quality of care. Private rooms are “three times the size of my office,” he says. To physicians and nurses, quality of care relates to not only the “They’re massive” – a size needed to accommodate the patient’s mother and baby, but extends to the family. bed, flat screen TV, seating near a window, mini-fridge, clothes In the current unit, moms labor in one bed, transfer to another for valet, private bathroom, electronics charging station and delivery and transfer again after about overnight two hours to a regular hospital room. accommodations for families. In the new facility of 24 suites, the process is much different. The patient “This is a really will enter through a separate entrance, different way of avoiding navigation through the main delivering facility, then be admitted and healthcare,” Dr. evaluated, plus go through labor and Horton says proudly. delivery in the same private hospital Patients choose who room. In addition, she’ll remain in the is in the room during same room throughout her hospital delivery. “Some want stay with her baby in the room as their children there to much as she wants. see the sibling born, “It’s like a high-end hotel,” and sometimes that’s explains Dr. Ben Horton, an obdoable. The old ‘12 Dr. Ben Horton, left, calls the center’s suites gyn at Union Obstetrics and and under can’t visit’ “like a high-end hotel.” Gynecology who worked with rules aren’t in play.” CMC-Union in designing a “It’s about having the experience that the patient wants to have. If center that provides the best that’s what will make their experience better and we can physical and emotional care accommodate, we’re happy to do so.” possible. For deliveries requiring special care, specialized C-section “It’s a very homey environment, operating rooms are nearby as well as a special care nursery for a much different environment for babies who need medical monitoring and specialized service, the entire family to experience. I think you’re going to see that such as premature or low-weight babies. The special care nursery families enjoy that type of environment to deliver.” is staffed 24 hours a day by board-certified neonatalists, nurses The all-inclusive concept has been around for 10 to 15 years, he and respiratory therapists. explains, but not locally. Families had to go outside the county to For premature infants who require an even higher level of care, have these amenities, which brought an inherent concern. CMC-Union’s affiliation with Levine Children’s Hospital at “The biggest worry that patients express is ‘will I deliver on the Carolinas Medical Center ensures prompt access to the most way to the hospital?’” the obstetrician says. “A 50- or 60-minute advanced medical care. Helicopter and ground transportation to drive to a hospital (in downtown Charlotte) can be harrowing CMC are available around the clock. experience for the mom.” Now expectant moms don’t have to Even with babies in the special care nursery, families will enjoy have that concern. private family-bonding rooms during the baby’s stay and a nesting room for the last night. Design of the unit required “a lot of brainstorming sessions, walk through (of the existing center) and recognition of potential Denise White, chief nursing officer, describes the nesting room. logistic issues. Once we started the process, we recognized “It’s a great concept because we have babies in our special care aspects that wouldn’t work as effectively as we wanted. nursery for multiple weeks, being monitored by staff all the time. “It’s been 20 years since I delivered my first baby,” Dr. Horton Now it’s time for mom to take the baby home, and that’s very says, “and I’ve seen a lot of changes. This is the best I’ve seen. scary for parents. We have amenities that weren’t even thought about five years ago “The nesting room gives parents a room to spend the last night and a lot of technical improvements that will make it easier for us taking care of the baby themselves, while knowing that there’s a to deliver care. resource nearby if they need it. We educate them and support them through their baby’s hospital stay, but staying that last night “The approach of having evaluation, labor and delivery, surgery builds their confidence. And it allows us to see their level of and gynecology, pediatrics and post-partum care in one comfort. department is amazing.”
16 Union Lifestyle l November / December 2014
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Pediatrics center cares for 400 children in first 9 months n the first nine months of 2014, CMC-Union’s pediatric hospitalist team in the new pediatrics unit saw more than 400 children. The number is confirmation of what hospital executives and medical staff already knew – Union County needed a pediatric hospital team and unit. The unit was the first step in the Women and Children’s Center, which will be fully open on November 17. Housed in a renovated wing of the existing hospital, the pediatric unit provides advanced care for children in an area designed just for them, away from the adult acute care and surgical floors. Dr. Allyson Boodram, medical director of the pediatric hospitalist program at CMC-Union, is proud of the care she and other hospitalists from Levine Children’s Hospital provide locally in the unit. “I’m very impressed with the vision that CHS had to help elevate pediatric care for kids across North Carolina. They had a simple mission statement – keep children closer to home. There was a need for a good pediatric unit here.” Prior to the CMC-Union unit opening Dr. Allyson Boodram in fall 2013, children were transferred to Levine Children’s Hospital at Carolinas Medical Center in downtown Charlotte for conditions that could be treated locally – if there had been a pediatrics unit. When children were transferred to Charlotte, families were pulled in two directions – at home with other siblings and at the hospital with the sick child. “We now can keep kids in school and provide a greater quality of life for our patients, parents and siblings,” she said. “Our duty as professionals is to provide for our patients. But we’re thinking about the whole family’s quality of life. Driving to Charlotte can result easily in a two- or three-day absence from school and from work.” With the local unit, parents can easily take turns at home, at the hospital and at work.
Pediatric patients not only need specialized physicians, they need an entire realm of specialized care, which the new unit provides. “As a pediatrician, I know that kids aren’t little adults,” Dr. Boodram says. From the entire process of being sick, being admitted, treated and discharged, children are now treated differently from adults. “It’s a scary situation for both parents and the child (to be admitted to a hospital.) Both have fears, although they’re different, and our dedicated staff can anticipate and calm those anxieties – that’s really important.” When children were interspersed among adult patients in the general hospital, “it would be pretty overwhelming,” Dr. Boodram says. The new pediatric unit has 13 private rooms with special furniture and artwork to make children feel more comfortable plus other amenities that cater to young patients and their families, such as a playroom equipped with games, toys and a TV/DVD, childapproved color scheme, kid-friendly menu that includes pizza, hamburgers, chicken nuggets and fries. And, of course, parents can stay with the child the entire time. The dedicated unit is not just a boon to the family and patient; it has given pediatricians and nurses a higher efficiency of care and ability to deliver care. Vanessa Shaller, assistant vice president of operations, says care is automatically elevated with a pediatric team. “It’s not just our boardcertified pediatricians and PALS certified (Pediatric Advanced Life Support) nurses who provide specialized care in the unit. It’s also our lab, respiratory and pharmacy teams.” Vanessa says the pediatrics team worked with all hospital departments to develop protocols that work best with children. “When we’re caring for kids, it’s quite different.” “There’s a pediatric champion in each department who advocates for pediatrics,” adds Dr. Boodram. “We created a protocol for all the services that we need.” For example, prescription doses are weight based for children, and different medicines frequently are used. When a child is seen in an adult hospital, pharmacists may not be fully aware of those differences and may not have the specific medicines readily available. Quality of care could be at risk. “We thought through typical diagnoses and medicines that we frequently use, discussed different delivery systems such as oral suspension versus pills that we crush,” Dr. Boodram says.
Proud to be a part of CMC-Union’s Women’s and Children’s Center project. 704-289-8482
Improving the Carolinas one project at a time.
Union Lifestyle l November / December 2014 17
Coordination with the lab has prompted quicker results. “Now we don’t have to send some tests out,” she says, which speeds up the results and recovery – the ultimate goal. “The beauty of the pediatric hospitalist program is that the expertise is here. It’s definitely changed. Families that have come through our doors are grateful for the ease of life and care with us there.” The CMC-Union unit can care for children with illnesses that affect most of the population. Pediatric illnesses often vary with the season. For example, respiratory issues, such as bronchiolitis, asthma and viral illnesses, are common in fall and winter.
The hospitalists also frequently see GI issues, such as reflux, and a general diagnosis called apparent life-threatening events, situations that the caregiver witnesses, but have resolved by the time the child sees a pediatrician or hospitalist.
The hospitalists also frequently see GI issues, such as reflux, and a general diagnosis called apparent life-threatening events, situations that the caregiver witnesses, but have resolved by the time the child sees a pediatrician or hospitalist. When parents report episodes of their child turning blue or not breathing, for example, the child may be admitted to the pediatric unit for observation in a hospital setting with monitors. The average length of stay for children is 24 to 36 hours. The pediatric unit is a step between primary care physicians and the tertiary care that Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte can provide. Levine provides “pediatric care for anything you can imagine,” she says.
CMC-Union’s connection with the Levine facility and rotation of hospitalists between the two facilities translates into constant connection with the 30 areas of pediatric medicine Levine provides.
“If a kid is sick and needs some subspecialty consultation, we can facilitate that care with our contacts at Levine. As long as they don’t have to be physically at Levine, we can offer the same level care in Union County as in downtown.”
18 Union Lifestyle l November / December 2014
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‘I always wanted to be involved with I’m proud that we have
enise White, chief nursing officer at CMCUnion, saw her job grow dramatically when the new Women and Children’s Center was first imagined. And she wouldn’t have it any other way. Her role as administrator overseeing the project began in pre-design meetings with the architects who wanted an idea of what the hospital wanted and has carried through to its planned Denise White, left, chief nursing officer, ch opening. adult inpatient care. “We needed key staff at the table during those meetings, talking about what would be nice, what did we need? We started pulling the people to the table from the very beginning,” she says. The obstetrics unit overall and its 24 individual rooms were designed with exhaustive input by the nursing staff, some of
Birthing suites have a wall of mirrors, sleeping space for dad, as well as electronics charging station, flat-screen TV with DVD and other hotel-like amenities. Announcing every new baby are ceiling lights in the lobby that change from pink to blue.
a project designed by the providers. this in Union County.’
whom visited the hospital furniture company in Indiana to sleep in birthing beds and to select room furniture that would work most efficiently. Each private room was designed with separate family, patient, clinical and infant spaces to keep medical “stuff” in one area and amenities easily available for visitors. The unit itself also was designed by nurses, which Denise calls “far more efficient.” As opposed to one nursing hats with Donna Dawkins, director for station for all 24 rooms, the new unit is divided into three teams caring for eight rooms each. Each care team has a nursing station with equipment, medication and nourishment rooms, instead of one big unit. “We did a step study during the design process,” Denise says, which showed that nurses were walking up and down the hall to
gather equipment, medications and snacks for the patient, which took away from patient care time. “Even though the square footage of the center is much bigger, the footprint for nurses is about half. “If we can keep our nursing closer to the patients, that’s what we need to do, make them a lot more accessible to patients. Everything was designed to make the staff more efficient, be closer to the bedside.” That includes a new technology support system. “Where patients typically pressed the call button to talk to someone at the nurses station, who located the assigned nurse, who went to the patient room to determine need and finally walked back down the hall to obtain whatever supply and return with it to the patient, for example, that system is gone. “We now have a really cool call system that sends messages to the nurses’ cell phones; that’s much more efficient.” The center has its own gift shop called the Lullabye Shop, which features gifts for moms and babies and incorporates a lactation center, with assistance available and equipment for sale or rent. Denise is proud of the new facility. “I’ve been in healthcare for a long time, always in obstetrics, that’s where I grew up in nursing. I always wanted to be involved with a project designed by the providers. I’m proud that we have this in Union County. “When we say world-class, it really is. I can’t see anything that we could have done differently. I’m proud that our staff could see it from an idea to reality. That’s huge to me.”
Union Lifestyle l November / December 2014 19
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Obstetric nurses can’t wait to see their
bstetric nurses at CMC-Union are excited about the new Women and Children’s Center. And they should be. Many of them helped determine what was needed in the new unit and where, even down to the location of toilet paper and shelves in the private bathrooms.
Lynda Junghans, a 43-year registered nurse, explains. “The toilet paper should be higher up so that new mothers don’t have to bend over.” That may seem obvious, but “standards” typically place all paper in the same location in every bathroom. “It’s the little things.” Tammy Abel, nurse manager for women’s services, is happy that the individual patient rooms are bigger and separated into patient, family, clinical and baby spaces. “It’s a bigger space, and everything has its own place,” she says. “We’re providing familycentered care, with the baby staying with its mom most of the time. When the babies are stable enough, we have room for baby, dad and mom to stay in the same room.” “Having the baby stay with the mom as much as possible optimizes the bonding,” says Valerie Smith, a labor and delivery registered nurse.
The nurses emphatically endorse mommy-baby contact. “Skin to skin contact after delivery is immediate,” Tammy says. “Studies have shown how beneficial that is, how it regulates the baby’s vital signs and helps hormonal levels.”
Lynda remembers when babies were “brought in just four times a day for their mother to feed them. Then it was back to the nursery. No one was allowed to be in the room when the mother had the baby.” Women weren’t given epidurals, but medicine “that made them very drowsy so they didn’t know what was going on. They didn’t remember the birth.” Only in the 1980s were dads allowed in the birthing room. A few years later, “we used to do skin to skin bonding for an hour, From left, nurses Lynda Junghans, then take the baby for measuring Cindy Walden look forward to the and weighing,” remembers Cindy for patients. Walden, special care nursery nurse. “Babies tended to go to the nursery to warm up for stabilization. You’d see cribs lined in the nursery. Now you see the nursery empty if they’re stable enough to be with mom. It’s an amazing thing.” As a new mom, Valerie says, “I can’t imagine it any other way. The changes will be wonderful with that extra bonding. I think the patients are really going to enjoy it.”
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When babies are premature or need special care, they stay in the special care nursery, sometimes for as long as nine weeks. Even then, space was created for parents to have bonding time alone with their infant. Most moms with an easy birth leave the hospital within 36 to 48 hours, but if the baby is not able to leave, the hospital lets the mom stay with the baby and take care of it. With the maternity unit divided into three care teams, each caring for eight rooms, nurses won’t have Tammy Abel, Valerie Smith and to walk far to gather equipment or new center and its ease of care medicines. “That keeps the nurse closer to the patient, giving patientcentered care,” explains Tammy. “That’s a big thing. The layout will make us efficient in our operation and enhance the patient experience dramatically. “As the years go by, each of us has learned skills from other nurses and is able to assist in almost any situation. We want to have as much continuity as we can have; we want to keep the family and nurse together throughout the stay.”
What’s in the center?
t 24 suites for labor, delivery and after the baby is born, with flat-screen TV, mini fridge, private bathroom and overnight accommodations for families t Separate entrance for moms-to-be and their families, allowing them to go directly to the point of care without having to navigate through the main facility t Special care nursery staffed by board-certified neonatologists with private family-bonding rooms for babies needing extra care t Specialty retail shop with gifts for new mothers and babies t Comfy family-style waiting lounge, complete with a fireplace, bistro, Internet café and children's play area t Lactation center with breastfeeding support and guidance during and after the hospital stay, in-room consultations and an area located inside the specialty gift shop
M
Hospital president not resting on laurels y vision, when I came here six years ago, was to build around hearts, women and cancer,” says Mike Lutes, hospital president. “When you look at the Women and Children’s Center, this is the culmination of that vision. If you serve those three areas, it naturally snowballs into other areas.” The Edwards Cancer Center, Mike Lutes in the family lounge. an affiliate of Levine Cancer Institute, received a three-year accreditation with commendation from the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer, which only 25 percent of U.S. cancer treatment programs earn. In recent years, the hospital also partnered with the Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute to develop a interventional cardiology program. “For us to create a pediatric unit or cardiology advanced care or cancer center on our own wouldn’t have been possible without these partnerships,” Mike says. “For us to be integrated into the Levine cancer program means county residents can participate in clinical trials and research previously only offered in Charlotte.” The hospital also hired a spine surgeon and began providing inpatient dialysis. “What we’re doing as far as adding higher levels of service is what everyone wanted. The fact that we’ve done it in less than three years is remarkable, but we couldn’t do without CHS.” “Healthcare is changing at a rapid pace. We’ve positioned CMCUnion to be part of the solution.”
Changes at the existing facility
In addition to the new Women and Children’s Center, additional areas of CMC-Union’s north side of campus saw renovations and expansions to better serve patients. t A new main entrance and expanded lobby t 25 new medical/surgical beds t Additional patient and visitor parking t New, modern glass façade that is now the new exterior face of the hospital
Union Lifestyle l November / December 2014 21
A list of one-line life lessons that should really be no-brainers
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By Susan Radford
lesh colored leggings look terrible on everyone, especially if they are tucked in UGG-lys.
You are either the kind of person who cracks up watching toddlers have tantrums or you're not. I think we know which one I am. Throwing a cigarette on the ground is indeed littering.
Someone who will verbally abuse people in the service industry is not someone you want in your life. Along those same lines, think twice before going on a second date with a bad tipper. They generally can't be rehabilitated and it will get on your nerves eventually.
"Cheap," when used to describe a person, is never a good thing. If you marry someone who is out of their twenties, you'd better like them exactly how they are because they are no longer trainable. Repairs cost more than maintenance, floss, wear sunscreen and
use the best skincare products you can afford.
Every time you walk in your dentist’s office and loudly proclaim that you "hate coming to the dentist," a tooth fairy dies.
{
l i fe o s s le
If you threaten your child with a whuppin’, then whup him. Same goes for grounding or taking away privileges. If you don't follow through, you lose all credibility. Relationships are never 50/50 all the time. Sometimes they're 60/40, sometimes 100/0, but they need to average out to 50/50ish. And that includes friendships.
If your criteria for friends includes "being perfect," you're either going to have very few or very fake friends. If you don't love your friends when they screw up, you didn't really love them to start with.
Have fun, lots of fun. When you are happy, you are nicer to be around. One thing is for sure, my obituary will not say "momma sacrificed everything for her family; she was always cooking and cleaning and gave up having any kind of life so that we could have homemade Rice Krispy treats." No martyrs live here. If you are a woman and you have no women friends or a man with no men friends, that's a red flag.
22 Union Lifestyle l November / December 2014
If you only hear one side of any story, you need to understand that there are usually at least two more.
If you let your children hear you say mean things, they will think it's OK to say mean things. Take any opportunity you have to travel. Take your kids some of the time. People who say "I've never spent a night away from my kids" get a raised eyebrow from me, which I shouldn't do because, you know, wrinkles. I feel the same way when sick/ headachy folks WON'T TAKE A PILL.
I think everyone should periodically look back over their old Facebook posts and calculate how many of them are negative. If everyone is out to get you/ harm you/ screw you over every single day, the problem might be you.
} s n o
No matter how good someone's life looks, they are probably dealing with some crap so don't be envious.
Take your kids to some brick and mortar spiritual place on a regular basis. It will shape them more than sports or jobs or sleeping in.
If you constantly belittle your partner, it just makes you look bad. After all, you picked them.
Susan Radford is a 50-something with an obviously snarky sense of humor. She’s a part-time aesthetician and model plus TV extra in Homeland, above. But she’s a full-time mom who’s suffered from empty nest syndrome since her only child, Grace, went off to college in the fall.
Union Lifestyle l November / December 2014 23
Russian gymnastics coach loves teaching in America
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Ludmilla Shobe, left, works with a student at Southeastern Gymnastics. Deb Coates Bledsoe photo
24 Union Lifestyle l November / December 2014
By Deb Coates Bledsoe
ot everyone can be an Olympic competitor, but gymnastic coach Ludmilla Shobe’s passion is centered on much more than just Olympic hopefuls. “No all may be Olympic champions, but it makes me happy when a student does the best she can do. That’s my Olympics.” Ludmilla, a Russian who is the head coach of the competitive gymnastic teams at Southeastern Gymnastics in Weddington, loves her job, one she has held for more than a decade. “I love to work with every child. I just love kids. I love to open in each child something that the child doesn’t know she has. I would love to help every child be a better citizen, a better person.” Ludmilla says students can learn life lessons through gymnastics. “It helps kids better prepare for real life. Life is not easy. It’s not always going to be smooth. You’ve got to be prepared. “You have to work hard to get what you want in life,” she adds. “You teach the child that you will do that cartwheel or that roll a million times and finally you will be rewarded, finally you’ll get that medal. That’s what it took to get that medal. “There is a lot of repetition, a lot of following directions, listening to the coach. If you fall down, you do it again; you fall down, you do it again. Finally you get it and what a special feeling that is.” It’s not all just about winning, either. “I’m teaching them we’re all human. I’m trying to teach my kids to be happy for anyone who is better than you. You need to feel sorry for someone who didn’t do as well. If you work hard, you deserve to win. If you didn’t work hard, I don’t expect them to do as well.” Ludmilla is no stranger to winning, however. She was very excited this year to find out that her gym, Southeastern Gymnasium in Weddington, was named the 2014 USAG National Club of the Year. “The best gym in America! I say ‘Wow.’” Her experiences in the winning circle started early in her career. In 1988 and 1989, she coached three-time Olympian Svetlana Boguinskaia in the USSR. In 1991, at the age of 26, she took a job as a gymnastic coach in the U.S. In 1995, she opened the Southeastern Gymnastics, but later sold it to friends, continuing to work as the head coach. She was named the N.C. Coach of the Year in 2007, Region Eight Coach of the Year in 2010, Region Eight Club of the Year in 2012 and inducted into the Region Eight Gymnastics Hall of Fame. Even though her career began in Russia, most of her career has been in the United States. Teaching gymnastics in Russia has one major difference. The gymnastic training is free, but there is a selection process and only the very best make the cut. “In Russia, everything belongs to the government. They pay your salary and you have to show results. That’s why you select the
best kids, the most talented. That’s why continued until she was 14. “My coach the Soviet Union has been so successful asked me to stop being a gymnast and to for so many years. Gymnastics in coach.” Soviet Union was unbeatable for many That’s when she coached three-time years. Olympian Svetlana Boguinskaia in the “I love teaching in America because it USSR. They continue to be close does give the opportunity to every friends. “I’ve known her since she was 5 child. I’m happy America gives this years old,” she says. opportunity to all kids.” “Her name is still recognized in the As for the difference in children from gymnastics world. She now lives in Russia and America, it’s simple. There Houston. We’re now best friends.” is no difference. “It doesn’t matter what nationality you “A kid is a kid, everywhere in the are, what language you speak, what age world. A 7-year-old is a 7-year-old you are, what religion you are, we’re all anywhere in the world. An 18-year-old the same deep inside. If you love what is an 18-year-old. I don’t see it any you do, and you put in hard work and different. passion, you will be a success.” “There are kids who love to work hard Ludmilla says an essential part of her and there are kids who need to be success is her husband, David, and her taught how to work hard. There are kids two children, Victoria and Alexander. who are strong and there are kids who Ludmilla Shobe, right, coached world-famous “They always support me in my work, have problems and we have to take care Olympic gymnast Svetlana Boguinskaia early in and what I do. It makes my life so much of them.” happier. her career. More than 160 students are on “Without them it would not to be same.” competitive teams at the gym, and more than 1,000 in recreational classes. Deb Coates Bledsoe, a former newspaper editor, is a Ludmilla became a gymnast when she was 8-years-old and freelance writer and photographer.
Love doesn’t have to hurt.
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Union Lifestyle l November / December 2014 25
Chef Paul Verica, owner and chef of Heritage Food & Drink, is known for his bent on embracing the farm to table movement. The Waxhaw restaurant’s menu changes at least once a week based what is available locally. Chef Paul created these two sides to accompany your Thanksgiving turkey. He says the Brussels sprouts are on his holiday table every year. Enjoy!
Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Thyme 4 servings 8 ounces of Brussels sprouts 3 ounces bacon or uncured pork belly 16 fluid ounces of chicken stock 4 fluid ounces of white wine 2 sprigs of fresh thyme 2 tablespoons of butter Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste Clean the Brussels sprouts, remove any damaged leaves, trim the bottom and then cut in half from top to bottom. Dice up the bacon or pork belly into a small dice. Heat a sauce pan, add the bacon and let it cook until crispy, strain and remove excess fat. Add 1 tablespoon of the fat back to the pan and then add the Brussels sprouts, flat side down and season lightly with salt and pepper. Let the sprouts sear and get a little color on them. Then add the white wine and the fresh thyme and let the wine reduce to a glaze, then add the chicken stock and let the sprouts simmer for about 10 minutes or until almost all of the liquid is gone…you want about 2 ounces of liquid left in the pan.
dinner and
Add the butter, mix well, adjust seasoning, remove the thyme sprigs and serve
Orange, Ginger, Pecan Glazed Sweet Potatoes 4 servings 12 ounces sweet potatoes Zest and juice of 1 orange 1½ teaspoons of freshly grated ginger root 2 ounces dry white wine 4 ounces of chicken stock 2 tablespoons of butter 1 ounce olive oil Pinch of sugar 2 ounces pecan halves Salt and freshly ground pepper Clean the sweet potatoes, peel and slice into ½ inch thick round pieces Bring a pot of water to boil and then add the sweet potatoes, cook for about 5 minutes depending on thickness, you want to cook them until they are just soft to the touch. Be careful not to overcook them as they will become mushy and soft. Once they are cooked, remove them from the pan and shock them in ice water to stop the cooking process. Zest and juice the orange and reserve. Grate the ginger root and add to the orange juice and zest. Heat a sauté pan, add ½ of the butter and the oil. Once it starts to brown add the sweet potatoes and lightly season with salt, pepper and pinch of sugar. Add the wine, orange juice, zest and ginger root and reduce by ½ then add the chicken stock and reduce to a glaze Add the remaining butter and pecans and toss lightly and then season with salt and pepper. Visit Paul’s restaurant, Heritage Food & Drink, at 201 W. South Main Street, Waxhaw, NC. Call for reservations (not required but advised) at (704) 843-5236 and visit him online at HeritageFoodAndDrink.com.
d leftovers
Sylvia Anton is Union County’s Eclectic Personal Chef who prepares meals for you in your own home, ready to eat or ready to freeze. She prides herself on preparing variety dishes that use all of your fresh produce. No more waste from spoiled produce, freezer burn or outdated dairy products. Chef Sylvia created this lighter version of the leftover turkey sandwich for the day ofter Thanksgiving. Enjoy!
Turkey Salad Lettuce Wraps If you feel that your turkey has been seasoned to your liking, then omit the below spices with the exception of orange marmalade. 2 cups of finely diced turkey 1 stalk of diced celery
Don’t over process or the meat will become mealy and won’t blend well with the other ingredients. Place turkey in a mixing bowl, toss in celery. In another bowl add yogurt and blend in marmalade. Add in celery salt and sage and blend. Add cranberries and toss then dress with the yogurt marmalade mixture. Serve in lettuce cups. This is very healthy and refreshing.
1½ tsp celery salt (great with poultry) ½ teaspoon ground sage ¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/3 cup dried cranberries(re-hydrated in cranberry or orange juice) or fresh whole cranberries(if you have those leftover) 1/3 cup Greek yogurt 1 tablespoons orange marmalade Toasted pecans(optional) Butter lettuce or bibb lettuce Place cranberries in a pot and cover with either orange or cranberry juice. Turn on the heat and simmer until the cranberries plump up. This may take about 15 minutes. Drain cranberries and set aside. In the meantime, prepare the turkey: To make your life easier, if you have a food processor add the turkey into it and pulse until your desired texture.
You can make this ahead of time. With the exception of the celery and yogurt, it can be frozen. If you have a lot of turkey left over, dice it, season it and freeze it. Then when you’re ready, thaw it out and add celery and yogurt mixture. These can be prepped in advance, unlike sandwiches made with bread, lettuce will not become soggy. So if you are packing lunch for your children, this is perfect to make in the morning. To learn more about Eclectic Personal Chef Sylvia’s in-home culinary service, visit eclecticpersonalchef.com at (704) 650-5767. Services offered include customized meal planning, grocery shopping, meal preparation, packaging and freezing individual meals, clean up, cooking classes and wine tastings.
W
Rock Store Bar-B-Q: It’s a multi-napk Everything is ready to go; no waiting needed.
hen you open the front door at Stallings Rock Store Despite historic regulations, Bar-B-Q, you know you’re in for a treat. The aroma of founders Jay Mondock and barbecue simply wafts through the Bubba Chavis have air. If you’re there after 7 p.m., you found the way to also experience the smell of the next Eating Out smoke some of the day’s barbecue being smoked. best pork, beef and in Union This little restaurant, which seats chicken around. And about 30, is housed in a 1930 rock the sides are not to building. Most of their traffic, however, is takeout. The evening be ignored, either. we visited, a steady stream of customers picked up orders to The a la carte menu is broken go, and they were in and out the door within minutes. into sandwiches, plates, family special, rib, sides, bulk and sauces. (An oddity that we like is that the menu prices include tax and are even numbers, such as $4 – just a quirk of ours.)
Not only is the ’cue good, the prices are also. Chopped pork, beef brisket or pulled chicken sandwiches are $4 to $4.50, and a $6 sandwich combo features the pork, one side and a drink. Chicken or beef combos are just $6.50.
Plates come with a sandwich bun and your choice of two BBQ ribs with Brunswick stew, plus mac and cheese. sides for $8 or $8.75,
Here’s the skinny
Ambiance: It’s nice to sit and eat inside or out, if the weather is agreeable, but the restaurant’s forte obviously is in takeout. In nice weather, picnic tables are covered with bright umbrellas. Menu: It’s what a BBQ menu should be. Plenty of choices, including ’cue in bulk, and enough BBQ-appropriate sides to keep anyone happy. Catering is available. Quality: The meats are prepared every day at Stallings and
the Marshville, Locust, Waxhaw and Mint Hill locations.
28 Union Lifestyle l November / December 2014
Editor Nancy Stephen digs into ribs, leaving sauce on her fingers, face and, yes, even her arms. Ron Vilas photo.
Service: Very quick. Easily within two minutes! Value: Great value. Dine in or take out. Will we return? Oh, yes.
Stallings Rock Store Bar-B-Q 3116 Old Monroe Road, Stallings Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Call after 7 p.m. to ensure there’s still barbecue left. www.RockStoreBarBQ.com
k in kind of place.
and half rack rib plates are $14. We tried everything but the chicken.
The beef brisket and pulled port with both very tender and moist, and our diners sampled two of the restaurant’s four sauces. Both sauces were sweet and tangy and a great complement to the BBQ.
One frequent diner typically orders the pork sandwich, which she says is “always perfectly cooked with a slightly smoky flavor. It's moist and tender and so well flavored that I prefer it without sauce.”
Our half-rack of ribs fell off both sides of the plate, so a full rack must be huge. The pork ribs were slathered in a rich slightly sweet thick sauce and were tender and filling – yummy, to be exact. The menu features traditional “fixins” – baked beans, both red and white cole slaw, cornbread and Brunswick stew, plus less frequently seen mac & cheese and cucumber & onion salad. Perceptions differed on the Brunswick stew, which is tomatoey and full of veggies. One diner loved it; the other didn’t as much. The red slaw was a hit, while one diner thought the white
slaw was a little heavy on the dressing. Interesting, though, the white slaw is “store bought” because the owners don’t think they could make it better while the red is homemade.
The cucumber and onion salad was deemed very good as was the mac and cheese. We highly recommend ordering the cornbread to accompany any plate. It’s slightly sweet, very smooth and not gritty, warmed and has no need for butter or jam. It’s great alone.
The Rock Store’s dessert menu consists of one – homemade banana pudding ($1.75/ $4.50) which should not be missed. It’s Grandma’s recipe and what we call “a keeper.” One diner called it “awesome.” It’s a little different from what you experience in many southern restaurants. The vanilla wafers don’t overwhelm the pudding, and the banana flavoring is throughout. It’s not just vanilla pudding with cookies and fruit. The restaurant is obviously a local favorite – lots of people stopped by to pick up dinner on their way home. Definitely a place to return to!
Union Lifestyle l November / December 2014 29
21
It’s A Wonderful Life 14: Girls Night Out (Accessories Party) 30: Union County Playmakers
Alliance for Children 5 p.m. – 8 p.m. 105 Cedar Street, Monroe (704) 226-1407
15:
things to do in Sweet Union
Rosehill Artist Showcase The Inn at Rosehill & Rosehill Stables 6623 Prospect Rd., Monroe; 4 p.m. – 9 p.m. (704) 764-3989 innatrosehill@yahoo.com
23:
* requires advance registration
November
8: Pottery Sale and Exhibit
10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Ceramics and pottery crafted by area artists. Demonstrations, entertainment, raffles and more. Indian Trail Cultural Arts Center (704) 821-2541
9: Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana
3 p.m., $25/$15 child Recommended for ages 10 + Batte Center at Wingate University
Union County Christmas Parade Downtown Monroe Pre-parade performers at 1:15 p.m Parade begins 2 p.m. (704) 226-1407
28:
Holiday Festival of Lights Starts Nov. 28; Free. More than 75,000 lights illuminate downtown. www.waxhaw.com
29:
Lake Park Lights 4019 Lake Charles Way, Indian Trail This year’s show will run through Dec. 31. www.LakeParkLights.com (704) 962-5106
A pay what-you-can event. St. Paul’s Episcopal Church Parish Hall 116 S. Church St., Monroe (704) 238-3394
December
5: Senior Citizens Christmas Party
Waxhaw celebrates its senior citizens with a town-sponsored Christmas Party held the first Friday in December. www.waxhaw.com
5:
Stallings Christmas Tree Lighting & Tree Parade, 5:30 p.m.
5,6: Waxhaw Women’s Club
Holiday Tour of Homes Dec. 5 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. Dec. 6 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Purchase tickets on event days at The Waxhaw Woman's Club. (200 E South Main St.) for $20 or call ahead for will call tickets at $15. (704) 843-3493.
Sound the trumpets! We’re in the holiday mood.
Celebrate Valen ne’s Day
Celebrate the spirit
U p Close & Pe r s o n a l
of the season with Union Symphony.
Sunday, Dec. 7
A Festival of Carols
Union Symphony Orchestra & Central United Methodist Chorus 5 p.m., Free 801 S. Hayne St., Monroe
Friday, Dec. 12 Holiday Fantasia
Union Symphony Youth Orchestra 7:30 p.m., $6, $18 Marvin Ridge High School
Union Symphony is pleased to have Richard Rosenberg as artistic director and Tom LaJoie as music director of the Youth Orchestra.
Sunday, March 29 Symphony & Psalms
Union Symphony Orchestra & Wingate University Singers 4 p.m., $18-$28 The Batte Center
Sunday, April 26 All In The Family
Union Symphony Youth Orchestra 4 p.m., $6, $18 Marvin Ridge High School
at an elegant concert, dinner, dance & auc on.
Saturday, Feb. 7 at 6 p.m. $100 a person Premier tables available.
Rolling Hills Country Club Music by Union Symphony Reserve at 704.283.2525. Black and white a re
Reserve tickets at 704.283.2525. www.UnionSymphony.org
This project is supported by the Union County Community Arts Council and the Grassroots Program of the North Carolina Arts Council, a state agency.
30 Union Lifestyle l November / December 2014
5: Weddington Tree Lighting
5 p.m. Rain date December 6 Please bring a new toy and/or non-perishable food item. Pictures with Santa for $5 Weddington Town Hall 1924 Weddington Road (704) 846-2709
6:
GingerSnap 5K & Girls on the Run Over 1,500 runners take to the streets of Waxhaw. www.waxhaw.com
6,7: The Birth
Storefront Theatre Saturday, Dec. 6 at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 7 at 2:30 p.m. $15; Waxhaw Presbyterian Church 8100 Old Waxhaw Monroe Road, Waxhaw (704) 243-7283
7:
7: Lake Park Tree Lighting
Town Center Gazebo Park 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Music by Faith United Methodist Church and Union Academy
7: A Christmas Concert
Union Symphony Orchestra & Central United Methodist Chorus 5 p.m., Free Central United Methodist; 801 S. Hayne St., Monroe
7:
Union County Christmas Parade Downtown Monroe Pre-parade performers at 1:15 p.m Parade begins 2 p.m.
12: Holiday Fantasia
Union Symphony Youth Orchestra 7:30 p.m., $6, $18 Marvin Ridge High School
Indian Trail Parade, Tree Lighting 3 p.m. Parade (Indian Trail Road) 4 p.m. – 6 p.m. Free activities Poetry Open Mic (Crossing Paths Park) 6:30 p.m., Free 4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Free photos With Santa and Mrs. Claus
13:
Poems may be originals or a favorite by another author; light refreshments. sdidier@admin.indiantrail.org (704) 821-2541
14:
Waxhaw Christmas Parade Features local school marching bands, entries and floats by hundreds of businesses and members of the community. After the parade, have a snack with Santa. www.waxhaw.com
18-21:
‘Twas The Night Before Christmas by Union County Playmakers A mouse is stirring – because Santa missed his house last year. Dec. 18 – 20. 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 21 at 2:30 p.m. St. Paul’s Episcopal Church Parish Hall 116 S. Church Street Monroe, NC $15 adults, $12 Sr./Students CarolinaTix.com or call (704) 238-3394.
Union Lifestyle l November / December 2014 31
IN T RO D UCI NG
THE NEW Women and Children’s Center at Carolinas Medical Center-Union
It’s So Much More Than You’re Expecting WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT DURING YOUR STAY:
AS YOUR CHILD GROWS, YOU’LL HAVE ACCESS TO:
t Expert
t
Board-certified pediatricians
t
Children’s Urgent Care in Monroe
t
Pediatric hospitalists
physicians at Union OB/GYN
t Custom-designed t Cozy t
suites and a private entrance
family-style waiting lounge
Special care nursery
TAKE A VIRTUAL TOUR OR FOR MORE INFO
CarolinasHealthCare.org/NewCenter SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT
with an OB/GYN physician or pediatrician 704-512-4351