Durham Magazine April 2021

APR I L 2021 D U R HAM M AG. COM

14th ANNUAL HOME & GARDEN ISSUE

MAKE IT MOD AN INSIDE LOOK AT 3 STRIKING MODERNIST HOMES

ART HOUSE This Hope Valley home is stunning in both its architecture and impressive collection of artwork.

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magazine

APRIL 2021 VOL 14 NO 2

durhammag.com    EXECUTIVE MANAGING EDITOR

Amanda MacLaren amanda@durhammag.com

EDITORIAL

ASSISTANT EDITOR

Hannah Lee

EDITOR, CHAPEL HILL MAGAZINE EXECUTIVE EDITOR, CHATHAM MAGAZINE

Jessica Stringer

Nominate the incredible kid(s) in your life by submitting a photo, name, and a brief caption.

Nominations will be accepted throughout the month of April, and the photo with the most votes will win a prize!

To learn more, visit DurhamMag.com

MANAGING EDITOR, CHATHAM MAGAZINE

Anna-Rhesa Versola

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT & DIGITAL EDITOR

Marie Muir

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

Renee Ambroso

EDITORIAL INTERNS

Meredith Alling, Janet Alsas, Aubrey Austin, Grace Beasley, Claire Burch, Chiara Evans, Nicole Moorefield, Aashna Shah, Madeline Taylor and Greta Travaglia CONTRIBUTORS

Brandee Gruener, Tianna Spears and Morgan Cartier Weston

ART

Presented by:

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Kevin Brown

JUNIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER & PRODUCTION COORDINATOR

Lauren Wilkinson PHOTOGRAPHER

John Michael Simpson CONTRIBUTOR

Jean Carlos Rosario-Montalvo ART & PRODUCTION INTERN

Hailey Haymond

Advertising

For advertising inquiries, email advertising@durhammag.com Melissa Crane melissa@durhammag.com Lauren Phillips lauren@durhammag.com Kem Johnson kem@durhammag.com Chris Elkins chris@chathammagazinenc.com PRODUCTION MANAGER

Lizzie Jones

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Dan Shannon danshannon@durhammag.com VICE PRESIDENT OF PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT

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Educating students in TK-12 http://trinitydch.org/durm

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Durham Magazine is published by Shannon Media Inc. Subscriptions, $38 for two years, are available at durhammag.com.

To purchase copies, call 919.933.1551.

april

contents DEPARTMENTS & COLUMNS 6 Letter from the Editor 8 Go.See.Do. Our top events for April 16 Noted What we’ve heard around our city ...

20 Molding My Creativity Author Tianna Spears focuses on her own selfjoy and encourages others to do the same 22 Staycation, All I Ever Wanted Ideas for entertainment and fun a little closer to home 26 Dining Guide 87 Engagement & Wedding Tying the knot, Bull City-style

DURHAM INC.

72 Networking 2021 Annual Meeting presented by the Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOHN MICHAEL SIMPSON

HOME & GARDEN

36 Thoroughly Modern Durham Our cutting-edge home designs are the envy of the Triangle 54 Full House The Combs family continuously adds on, both to their home and to their menagerie of pets 58 Made in Durham Feel right at home with these 10 local products

74 Biz Briefs 78 Commercial Office Space in the Post-’Demic Some hesitation among tenants but, for the most part, Durham is ‘still bullish’ on the office 82 3 Killer Home Offices … plus a study that inspires recurring happy hours

PEOPLE & PLACES

14 Book Harvest’s 10th Annual Dream Big Book Drive

60 Can You Dig It? Tips from local experts for perfect plantings and year-round yard care

15 North Carolina School of Science & Mathematics’ 29th Annual Native American Powwow

62 Come and Grow Briggs Avenue Community Garden continues to nourish minds and bodies after 10 successful years

SPONSORED CONTENT

24 Healthy Durham Providing equitable access to affordable housing and how it translates to our community’s well-being 53 Adopt A Pet These two guinea pigs are waiting on their forever homes with the Animal Protection Society of Durham

USA Today’s Best Beach in North Carolina

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Now it’s time to BookTheCoast.com and visit North Carolina’s Southern Outer Banks.

North Carolina’s

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Flying High

LOVE

Your Carpet

I

did a thing, y’all. I bought plane tickets. To Europe. Paris, specifically. For fun.

I know what you’re thinking – I’m out of my mind, right?

I was getting ready to book my first trip out of the country ever this time last year and, well, you all know what happened next.

But for the first time since then, I’m feeling optimistic! Durham’s COVID-19 case numbers continue to drop, more of my friends and family are getting their first (or second) vaccine doses, and people are still following safety protocols of staying distanced and masked. In fact, there’s a whole movement to get us over the finish line: Back on the Bull.

The gist is that we all get vaccinated when it’s available to us, continue to wear masks and support local businesses. I’ve taken the pledge at backonthebull.com – you can learn more about it on page 19 – so join me in making this promise to help Durham’s recovery and renewal.

Truth be told, I’ve enjoyed a good bit of this vast amount of time at home. I found myself saying, “Hey, I’ve looked into buying that ceiling fan,” in the Hershfields’ modernist home on page 42 thanks to all the home improvement projects my partner and I have taken on this year. I spent some lazy days with my two cats, Leo and Georgie, though my small pack has nothing on the Combs’ growing brood of pets (page 54). And I fully plan on taking the advice of the landscaping experts on page 60 as we decide what to plant for spring in our very soggy yard.

And maybe I’ll take the advice from our staycation article on page 22 and book an afternoon tea at the Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club in preparation for my European escapade. With so much hope on the horizon, I am ready to say “au revoir” to the despair of the past year and “bonjour” to adventures ahead.

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T HE COVER

Photo by John Michael Simpson

 @amanda_maclaren amanda@durhammag.com

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Musical Bites APRIL 1, A PRIL 1 5, A PR IL 29

The Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle creates a performance and food show with the Durham Food Hall and the Verona Quartet through a series of virtual episodes that feature live music by the quartet and highlight chefs creating dishes that complement the music. The proceeds from the event will benefit these organizations.

go see do

Spring Oratorio: ‘Faith and Love and Hope Abide’ APRIL 11 Duke Chapel presents its

annual concert – centered on the theme of faith, love and hope – virtually this year.

The online program features the Duke Chapel Choir, the Duke Vespers Ensemble and the Duke Evensong Singers in a series of performances, including the world premiere of newly commissioned pieces interspersed with poetry and commentary.

OUR TOP EVENTS FOR APRIL EVENTS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE; CHECK WITH ORGANIZERS PRIOR TO ATTENDING Compiled by Aubrey Austin

‘Mining the Personal’ APRIL 19-JUN E 1 9

Annie Nashold presents paintings with an exuberant color palette

alongside Cedar Grove ceramicist Mimi Logothetis’ achromatic imagery in sculptural and functional porcelain at Horse & Buggy Press and Friends. Both artists utilize narrative and drawn imagery in their works. In addition to the new exhibit, the gallery hosts a trunk show from April 30 to May 2 featuring jewelers, flowers and clothes by local makers.

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Durham From the Heart

APRIL 7, APRIL 14, APRIL 21, APRIL 28 Downtown Durham Inc.

brings back this free virtual performance series with local musicians every Wednesday at 1 p.m. The series is currently slated to run through the end of June. Follow #durhamheart for up-to-date details. 

TRANSFORM YOUR SMILE WITH INVISALIGN! As top 1% Invisalign providers, Smith & Heymann Orthodontics can give you the smile of your dreams without braces! Visit smithandheymann.com to schedule your FREE initial consultation with our expert team in the Durham community.

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Mebane 1107 S. 5th St., #200 Mebane, NC 27302

Roxboro 424 N. Madison Blvd., St., A Roxboro, NC 27573

919.493.4911

PRESENT

S

Pinwheels Dayz

FAMILY F UN WEEK ENDS

Exchange Family Center invites you to a whole month of activities, fun, and games!

Ever y Sa turd 04/ a 03, 4/10 y in Ap 04/ ril! , 24 04/ 17,

Pinwheels Dayz is an annual community event in support of Durham's children and families.

Donate today to receive admission.

Limited openings.

Some of the events: Join EFC on a scavenger 04/03 Scavenger hunt to find pinwheels around Durham!

Hunt

04/17 Drive-In Movie

Come out for a family friendly feature film! We will have food and beverage for purchase.

For more info call 919-321-0657 or email familyfunday@ exchangefam ilycenter.org

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Go See Do

Durham Bulls Opening Day APRIL 6

Everyone’s favorite hometown team is back, baby! The Bulls released their spring schedule, including this first game against the Gwinnett Stripers at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, which ends 572 days without Durham Bulls baseball. The team hosts 70 home games and plays 142 games in total. Durham Bulls Vice President Mike Birling says he is ecstatic to welcome fans and players back into the park and looks forward to “an exciting and safe season.”

Library Fest APRIL 5-10 Durham County Library celebrates National

In Conversation: Tift Merritt & Allison Russell APRIL 16 Duke Arts and Duke Performances presents an introduction by

the artists involved in “Hungry River,” a work in progress. Tift Merritt, Allison Russell and playwright and cultural worker Nina Angela Mercer explore the emotional history of a segregated North Carolina asylum through song and storytelling in this collaborative performance that shows how the past informs views of race relations, poverty, criminalized margins and the stigma of mental illness today. The showing – an invitation for shared narrative and community response – is free and open to the public over Vimeo.

The event is free, but space is limited.

Pavel Haas Quartet A PR IL 24

The renowned Czech string ensemble, which has won six Gramophone awards, pairs Beethoven’s Quartet in F Minor with Martinů’s Seventh for a virtual concert presented by Duke Performances.

Ticket holders will be provided with a Vimeo link to stream the show, which is available to view for 72 hours.

(Clockwise from top left, page 8): Musical Bites photo by Kaupo Kikkas; Spring Oratorio: ‘Faith and Love and Hope Abide’ photo courtesy of Duke Chapel (Clockwise from top left, page10): Durham Bulls photo by Briana Brough; Library Fest photo by Emma Trim; Claxton Powell Music Festival photo by Steven Whitsitt; Pavel Haas Quartet photo by Marco Borggreve

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Library Week with live events on Zoom, which includes a community reading program featuring discussions with authors Brit Bennett (pictured) and Yaa Gyasi, artist Volkan Alkanoglu and YouTuber Daniel Davis, among others, plus a cosplay contest, gaming nights and a live 3D printing demonstration and tutorial. DCoL also highlights its business services department, makerspaces, the North Carolina Collection, its gaming and media center and its outreach to the Hispanic community.

Claxton Powell Music Festival A P R I L 3 0 - M AY 2 Bull City Music School hosts

a virtual event to celebrate underrepresented composers through education, performance and engaging dialogue. Participants engage in a series of events, from master classes and performances to professional development. The events are open to music educators and musicians seeking greater opportunities for themselves and their students.

Lincoln Community Health Center Foundation Virtual Luncheon M AY 7

The preventive and primary health care facility celebrates 50 years of service with a virtual luncheon and fundraiser. The live event takes place from 1 to 2 p.m. with the option to purchase a boxed lunch from the Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club. The program will feature musical performances by Nnenna Freelon, John Brown and Lois Deloatch, and guest speakers including Eileen Watts Welch, Rep. David Price, Duke University Chancellor for Health Affairs and Duke University Health System President and CEO Dr. Eugene Washington and Mayor Steve Schewel.

Join us for the Emily K Center

Mother’s Day (Un)Ball

• Hear from Coach Mike Krzyzewski • Be inspired by our students • Bid on exciting auction items • Register for a chance to win a raffle prize

Saturday, May 1, 2021 – Online

Tickets are FREE but registration is required. Visit www.emilyk.org/mdb to learn more and register.

Sponsorship opportunities are still available. Contact events@emilyk.org to learn more.

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2020 Scents of Spring PHOTO BY ROY RICE PHOTOGRAPHY

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people &places 4

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Dream Big Book Drive More than 500 cars drove through Durham Central Park on Martin Luther King Jr. Day for Book Harvest’s 10th annual Dream Big Book Drive. Community members donated 40,753 new and gently used children’s books – 55% more books than last year – and 127 people volunteered as book drive captains – up 76% from 2020 – during the contactless drive-thru event. Book Harvest also gave away nearly 1,000 backpacks filled with children’s books for families to take home. “These incredible numbers make clear that our community stands with our children to keep learning alive,” says Ginger Young, founder and executive director of Book Harvest.

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1 Book Harvest board member and Dream Big Book Drive event organizer Ann Leininger. 2 Ginger Young and Benay Hicks, Book Harvest communications manager.

3 Jorge Amador and Roddrick Thomas of Two Men and a Truck, one of 64 businesses that sponsored the event. 4 Book Babies Lead Coach Kenitra Williams. 5 Book Harvest Advancement Director Isabel Geffner.

6 Wool E. Bull takes a break with a book.

Native American Powwow

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The North Carolina School of Science & Mathematics hosted its 29th annual Native American Powwow virtually on Feb. 6.

The public event featured traditional Native American dancers, musicians and artists from across North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. A group of NCSSM students who wanted to educate others on the traditional teachings of their culture started the celebration in 1992. “This powwow is such an important tradition and celebration for us at NCSSM,” Chancellor Todd Roberts said in the virtual video. “ … While a virtual powwow is certainly not the same as the one we host on our campus, it does allow us all to come together in spite of COVID-19 to celebrate the amazing culture of the eight Native American tribes in North Carolina.”

1 Rob Andrews, NCSSM associate director of admissions, and Zoey Locklear, this year’s motivational speaker from the Coharie tribe. 2 Kaya Littleturtle presented the “honor song” over video.

3 NCSSM Chancellor Todd Roberts.

We’ve grown a lot since our humble beginnings in Northgate Mall. If you haven’t visited our 12.5 acre campus at Lakewood Shopping Center, PREPARE TO BE AMAZED!

Our Artist’s Marketplace features over 60 local artists annually

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noted

noted.

GIVING BACK WGU North Carolina donated 200 bags of

school supplies during a Food Giveaway Friday event at Bethel Family Worship Center on Jan. 22. The school supplies were distributed to the Feed Them Foundation.

The Durham Bulls and Capitol Broadcasting Company established a partnership with United Way of the Greater Triangle in February to support the nonprofit’s mission to eliminate poverty and promote social mobility. The corporate-nonprofit collaboration will use storytelling to bring awareness to the work of organizations helping to rebuild vulnerable communities. “This new partnership will further build on the work being done and awareness we can bring to [United Way’s] valuable and much-needed work in our community,” says Nick Bavin, director of corporate partnerships at the Durham Bulls.

“2020 has exacerbated many of the issues [that] United Way is working hard to combat every day, and so we are happy to play a part in assisting them in 2021. We know 2021 will be an exciting year watching the ‘comeback’ take place in our community, not least here at the [Durham Bulls Athletic Park], so we look forward to hosting events that will benefit the United Way and their partners.”

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Send us your news!

WHAT WE’VE HE ARD AROUND OUR CIT Y …

Compiled by Greta Travaglia

The Emily Krzyzewski Center raised $18.85 million during its three-year Game Changer Campaign, surpassing its $15 million goal.

The center serves as a nonprofit college access hub, and the funds raised from the campaign doubled the center’s endowment, created new scholarships, funded a building expansion and exponentially increased the number of students it can serve. “I cannot thank our community enough,” says Mike Krzyzewski, Duke Men’s Basketball coach and founder of the center. “Their support made this possible.

It is my hope that, thanks in large part to this campaign, the Emily Krzyzewski Center will be able to support Durham students for many years to come.”

The Animal Protection Society of Durham raised $10,710 during its annual Movers for Mutts campaign in October 2020. The fundraiser’s sponsor, Two Men and a Truck, matched all donations up to $5,000. Donors for this year’s fundraiser could purchase pet cutouts to place in the stands at Duke and N.C. State football games, enter a raffle or donate supplies.

North Carolina Central University’s Career and Professional Development Center received

a $100,000 grant in February from the State

From births to awards to new biz and more –

Email noted@durhammag.com

Employees Credit Union Foundation to provide 20 students with paid internships. This is the second year the SECU Public Fellow Internship Program, which is available to rising sophomores and juniors, has offered NCCU undergraduate students from various academic areas the chance to learn about and engage with rural communities in North Carolina through 10-week internships. “The SECU Public Fellows Internship Program provides NCCU an opportunity to enhance its strategic experiential learning initiatives that support growth in rural counties,” says Shannon Morgan Keith, NCCU assistant director of experiential learning.

Durham Children’s Initiative hosted a

successful Holiday Zone event in December 2020, which brought toys to children throughout the city. This annual event gives families the opportunity to shop for free holiday gifts for their children. DCI adjusted this year’s event in compliance with COVID-19 safety measures, so families could select gifts for their children virtually and pick them up via drive-thru. Pictured are Hayden Bryant, Avery Bryant and Isabella Fitzpatrick, who helped give out the gifts to some 275 families and a total of 460 children.

The Beaver Queen Pageant, Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association’s

biggest fundraiser of the year, is currently accepting submissions for contestants to compete in the 2021 virtual pageant. If you are interested in participating, fill out the interest form at bit.ly/BQP2021

by April 15. Watch the pageant and vote for your favorite contestant at beaverqueen.org. Voting will begin in late April and continue through June.

ARTS & CULTURE The Full Frame Documentary Film Festival received a $20,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts in February. The film festival presents a selection of the best nonfiction films each year, uniting viewers and documentary enthusiasts from around the world. The 24th annual festival takes place June 2-6.

In February, Dilsey Davis was one of six filmmakers chosen for the Hindsight Project, a new initiative emerging from a collaboration among PBS North Carolina documentary series Reel South, Firelight Media and the Center for Asian American Media. The Hindsight Project supports BIPOC filmmakers living in the South and U.S. territories who create short films exploring the experiences of communities of color through migrations, movements and cultural shifts in the South and Puerto Rico. Dilsey Davis’ project, “Now Let Us Sing,” focuses on an interfaith, interracial choir in Durham, which uses African American sacred music to create

ON A HIGH NOTE Soprano Andrea Edith Moore collaborated with fivetime Grammy-winning producer Elaine Martone to release her debut album, “Family Secrets: Kith & Kin,” with the help of composer Daniel Thomas Davis. The ensemble includes Andrea, pianist Lisa Kaplan, cellist Nick Photinos, oboist Bo Newsome, violinist Elizabeth Phelps, actress Jane Holding and conductor Timothy Myers.

Daniel Thomas Davis intermingles original texts by renowned authors from the South, exploring small-town secrets of murder, humor, gossip, regret and forgiveness. His composition features Southern sounds like fiddles and banjos, crossing genre lines through the collaboration of a diverse group of musicians. Andrea says the album is a very unique piece that speaks to people as a community and the stories that they hold inside.

“There’s something that anyone can find in it because we all have secrets,” Andrea says. “We all notice things that are going on around us.” Andrea points to a quote from author Allan Gurganus – “Can’t we each be saved from our worst selves?” – as one of her favorites featured on the album. She hopes that people may ask themselves that very question. “Family Secrets: Kith & Kin” is available on Spotify. safe spaces for racial healing and community building. The film follows the choir through its struggles during the pandemic to “grapple with the emotional roller coaster of trying to sing as one unit while living miles apart.”

More than 1,800 residents voted online in January for their favorite art designs for the City of Durham’s Club Crossing Project.

Local artist Candy Carver was selected as the winning finalist to soon make West Club Boulevard safer with her new crosswalk art concept. Candy will work with community members and stakeholders to refine her initial designs to transform the intersection of West Club Boulevard and Glendale Avenue. The project budget includes $5,000 for these ongoing community engagement activities with an additional budget of $10,500 for the installation process and materials.

Broadway at DPAC was renamed Truist Broadway at DPAC, honoring SunTrust Broadway’s partnership with the event venue since 2008. DPAC also announced new dates for its 11 rescheduled and new Broadway shows, including “The Band’s Visit” (Oct. 5-10), “Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations” (Dec. 7-12), “Hadestown” (Feb. 22-27, 2022), “To Kill a Mockingbird” (Aug. 2-7, 2022) and more. Season seat members will have the opportunity to add “Hamilton” (May 17-June 5, 2022) to their season package before the start of public sales.

The Eno River Association recently revived its “Eno Journal,” which has been published by the organization intermittently since 1973 but has been dormant since 2000. Its latest iteration, “Ribbons of Color Along the Eno River: The History of African Americans and People of Color Living on the April 2021

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noted

Attention, foodies: Pick up a copy of “Classic Restaurants of Durham” by Patrick Cullom of Raleigh and Chris Holaday, who lives in Durham and is the author of a number of books, including “Southern Breads,” as well as several on baseball. The book tells the story of Durham’s unique food history and profiles 50 longtime restaurants that helped shape the city’s dining scene. It also features a foreword by Don Ball, director of operations at the Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club and JB Duke Hotel.

WHAT AN HONOR Durham ranked No. 9 on a list of cities with people who have the best worklife balance, according to a report from SmartAsset that was released in January.

Durham earned its spot from a study that accounted for commute times, walkable areas, entertainment, housing costs compared to income and more.

In February, attorney Anabel Rosa and her work with the local Latinx community was featured on an episode of “The Jabot,” a podcast from the Above the Law media team. Anabel founded the Hispanic Latino Committee, which works to stop the spread of COVID-19 among Durham’s Latinx 18

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population, after feeling like the community wasn’t receiving full representation. This particular episode of “The Jabot” discusses the intersection of women and the law, and Anabel speaks about her work fighting for Latinx causes in state and local governments and the interconnectedness of her policy work and her career in law. The episode is available on Spotify and Apple Music.

establish, maintain and constantly grow and improve this amazing public resource. Every bridge, boulder hop across mud pits, fallen tree cut or resting bench that we passed reminded us of all the efforts so many have put in year after year to make this available for everyone to enjoy and discover.”

Durham ranked No. 20 on a list of the best places in the country to get married, according to a WalletHub study released in February.

The study compared more than 180 U.S. cities across 20 indicators of cost-effectiveness, convenience and enjoyment.

Mayor Steve Schewel and several local businesses coordinated together last fall to create the Tom Bonfield Scholarship Endowment to honor former City Manager Tom Bonfield. The endowment will cover half of the cost of attending Durham Technical Community College annually for one student who is enrolled in the University Transfer program and interested in government or policy.

The El-Genk family completed the Mountains-to-Sea Trail 40 Hike Challenge in January, hiking all 40 “Great Day Hikes” on the MST over a seven-month period.

The El-Genks began hiking in May, gaining a sense of purpose and structure during the unprecedented changes brought on by the pandemic. “There is something on the trail for everyone of all ages, abilities and interests,” says Hussein El-Genk, who, along with his wife, Nashua Oraby, and their kids, Zakariyya, 12, Ayyub, 10, Kareema, 8 and Rasheed, 6, explored the trail communities and the history, culture, geology, industry and nature surrounding them. “We would love to see others take on this challenge of diverse hikes across our beautiful state. We are immensely grateful for the hard work to

PHOTO BY BETSY BROWN

Eno,” is the culmination of a two decadeslong effort by the association to discover, research, recruit writers and publish this collection of first- and secondhand stories of those who have lived in the Eno watershed.

It is now available for purchase online and through local retail shops like The Regulator Bookshop.

Real Leaders magazine announced the winners of its 2021 “Top Impact Companies” from around the world in January.

Participate Learning, which provides equitable global education programs to K-12 schools, including Durham Public Schools, was ranked No. 51 on the list among gamechangers such as Tesla, Beyond Meat and 147 other well-respected impact brands of all sizes from a variety of industries.

ON THE MOVE Fenita Morris-Shepard

was named chief legal counsel for N.C. Central University in February. She serves as the chief legal advisor to NCCU’s chancellor and the board of trustees. She also directs the university’s office of legal affairs. Fenita received her bachelor’s degree from UNC-Chapel Hill and went on to earn a Juris Doctor from NCCU. She boasts an extensive background in law, having served as counsel at Phelps Dunbar as well as in the Clinton administration as assistant U.S. attorney in the Civil Division in the Eastern District of North Carolina.

Brenda A. Howerton joined

PHOTO COURTESY OF JOSEPHINE MCCRANN

Durham Technical Community College’s Board of Trustees in January for a second time, replacing recently retired Ellen Reckhow for the remainder of the term. Brenda, who earned her bachelor’s in management from Shaw University and a certification in executive coaching from N.C. State, currently serves on the Durham County Board of Commissioners (her fourth term) along with several other local, state and national boards and commissions. “I’m excited to rejoin the Durham Tech Board of Trustees during such a pivotal and dynamic time for community colleges,” Brenda stated in a press release.

“Having served previously on the board, I know Durham Tech is instrumental in providing education and career opportunities for Durham and Orange counties’ residents.”

Threehouse Studios relocated to 1505

Morehead Ave. in March and brought back

in-person classes for the first time since March 2020. The woman-owned-and-operated studio offers a variety of yoga, dance and aerobic classes for participants of all skill levels.

Letters Bookshop, which also marks its seventh

anniversary this year, plans to relocate to 116 W. Main St. beside Gurley’s Pharmacy in late spring. The two-story building will offer a more spacious area for browsing and socializing.

Claymakers Arts is relocating to 451 S. Driver St. from its former location in

the DIY District, where it was located for some 20 years. As of press time, the arts organization has not announced when it will reopen. “Unfortunately, we’ve run into some construction delays, so for the time being, Claymakers remains closed while our renovations crew continues to work to finish the job,” it posted on Instagram on Jan. 20. “... know that we are working hard to reopen as soon as we can.”

the community, including elected officials, faith leaders and small business owners, many of whom advocated their support for the pledge in videos on its website. “I took the Back on the Bull pledge because I love Durham,” Mayor Steve Schewel says. “We are going to beat COVID-19 together, and this is the way to do it.”

MARKING MILESTONES

The Durham Convention Center achieved Global Biorisk Advisory Council STAR accreditation, the gold standard for prepared facilities, in February. Through establishing protocols and procedures, expert-led training and assessing a facility’s readiness, GBAC STAR verifies that the Durham Convention Center implements best practices to prepare for, respond to, and recover from outbreaks and pandemics.

The Durham County Board of Commissioners voted to approve a $15 minimum wage for non-certified public school employees in January. This raises wages for employees like bus drivers, custodians and cafeteria workers by about $1,200 a year.

Durham Public Schools employees received salary increases with their January paychecks in addition to back pay for July 2020 through December 2020 in February.

Mayor Steve Schewel announced in January that the Durham Police Department is now in full compliance with Campaign Zero’s 8 Can’t Wait initiative. The national pledge promises to review and reform use-of-force policies, redefine public safety and work to combat systemic racism within law enforcement.

“During these very challenging times, as our community expects us to keep them safe, we will do our very best to foster trust and transparency as we serve the public,” Durham Police Chief C.J. Davis says.

The Durham Recovery & Renewal Task Force launched a “Back on the Bull” pledge in February as part of its ongoing health and safety campaign in response to COVID-19.

The pledge encourages residents to wear face masks even after vaccination, support local businesses responsibly and get the vaccine when available. The pledge has already gained increasing support from members of

The Durham Bulls signed an agreement in February to continue as the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays, extending the partnership through the 2030 season.

The Durham Bulls organization approaches its 23rd season as the Rays’ affiliate, posting a 1,688-1,456 record, including 18 winning seasons. “The City of Durham, the Bulls staff and the constant support throughout the Triangle have established an optimal environment for our players to prepare themselves for the big leagues,” says Erik Neander, Tampa Bay Rays senior vice president. “Our partnership remains as strong as ever after 20-plus years, and we couldn’t be happier to have them as our Triple-A affiliate as we begin the newest phase of minor league player development.”

Witherspoon Rose Culture, which provides

services including installation, maintenance of rose bushes for customers, celebrates its 70th anniversary this year.

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in HER words

Molding My Creativity

BY TIAN N A SPEARS

“I

’ve decided to give myself permission to focus on my joy.”

I stared at the December 2020 issue of Vogue, the image of Beyoncé in a hot pink outfit, hair parted in the middle. I thought about her quote for weeks; the strength and power in these words above. The art of giving herself permission to refocus, address her needs and place emphasis on herself. On only herself.

How many of us ask for permission from others but never grant it to ourselves?

My mind normally races first thing in the morning. There is my todo list: The dog must be fed and walked, laundry folded, pending emails are in need of response, and a dishwasher to empty. I wonder, how

O RI G I N A L LY FR OM LO S A N G E L E S,

T H E AUT H O R WAS

RA I S E D I N D U R HAM. S H E H A S WRI TTEN F O R A M E R ICA N DIPLO M ACY ,

LO S A NGE L E S

T IM E S, M ATA DOR N E T WO RK A ND PO L IT ICO, A N D

WA S F E AT URED O N A B C N E WS,

B US I N E S S I N SI DER , C N N , N P R, P RI ’ S

T H E WO RL D A ND

I N T H E NE W YO R K T IM E S. T I A N NA I S

T H E F O UN D E R OF A STO RY T E L L I NG CO L L E CT I V E

WE B S I T E CA L LED

T I A N N A’ S C RE ATI VE A N D C RE ATO R OF

T H E B LO G “ WHAT’ S UP WI T H T I A N NA.”

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often do I take a moment and visualize the radical, sustainable, healing and creative way I want to live my life?

How often do I focus on my joy?

I started slowing my mornings down.

I made a mental note of one thing I was excited about each day that was not tied to work, family and friends – just to me.

Turns out, there were several things I was excited about: watching the Audre Lorde documentary, “Audre Lorde – The Berlin Years 1984 to 1992,” exploring the new walking trail I discovered in my south Durham neighborhood, and rereading “Giovanni’s Room” by James Baldwin.

Moving at this gentler pace is … different. When I pour my coffee in the morning, I ask myself what I’m doing, how the coffee smells, and I pause to feel the warmth of the mug in my hands. I take a deep breath, light my favorite candle and lean back in my chair before I start my day.

I find it easy to get stuck, as a writer, from a lack of creativity or writer’s block. I spend all of my time now at home with my Lab mix instead of laughing with friends on our

in HER words

favorite corner sofa at Cocoa Cinnamon on Geer Street. Lack of new experiences and face-to-face conversation made my writing feel stagnate.

I am discovering ways to move my body, exercise my mind and make sure that I take a break from blue light in this new normal. Being a writer is a part of me, but not me in entirety. It’s something I do; it’s not who I am. But I wonder – what is work and what is play? What happens when the two collide?

I desperately craved something else to do with my hands, to stretch myself in a way that I had not experienced before – anything that did not involve a computer screen. One evening, I saw someone tweet: “Seth Rogan’s growth in pottery is making me emotional.” Below the sentiment were side-by-side photos of Seth’s pottery in 2019 vs. 2020. It turns out that Seth joined

a pottery class to make ashtrays and now showcases his multicolored vases.

I know what you’re thinking, and yes, I was so inspired by Seth Rogan’s pottery that I signed up for a pottery class at the Durham Arts Council. I bought a pottery kit and a multi-pocketed sky-blue apron. I love pockets!

It is liberating to be excited about something new. So often we are taught that what we do should have a dollar sign attached to make it valuable or worthy, and that passions and hobbies must become businesses. Our work does not have to define our being, nor does it have to be a passion. We are free to characterize work for ourselves. We must remember that we are allowed to expand. We must give ourselves grace while doing so.

I will focus on my joy in a sky-blue pottery apron on weekday afternoons.

What new adventure awaits you?

The world always looks

brighter

from behind a smile

Martha Ann Keels, DDS, PhD Dylan S. Hamilton, DMD, MS Erica A. Brecher, DMD, MS

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april 2021

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If you are dreaming of afternoon rituals across the pond …

Dress up and take tea like the British at three local establishments. Step into the world of high society at the Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club, which offers a traditional tea where guests can enjoy finger sandwiches, sweets and scones surrounded by the accoutrements of fine dining.

Elevate your teatime by upgrading to the Tea Royale served with a glass of Champagne, mimosa or Kir Royale.

In Chapel Hill, The Carolina Inn provides a traditional menu with a twist served in its Piedmont Dining Room.

Southern ingredients make the sweet and savory treats, and homemade scones with jam, lemon curd and clotted cream feel closer to home. The Fearrington House Restaurant in Pittsboro blends influences in its afternoon tea, combining British fare with French- and Southern-inspired treats. Kids can also enjoy a fancy afternoon out, as the restaurant has an option for them as well. For those looking to observe the time-honored ritual at home, Takeout for Two afternoon tea is available on Saturdays with a new menu every week.

Masks and reservations are required at all three.

staycation, all I ever wanted

B Y MADELIN E TAYLOR

hile no one wants to jinx their vacation plans in 2021 by mentioning taboo words like “pandemic,” “canceled” or “quarantine,” it is a reality that many people might not be ready for full-fledged traveling. Thankfully, there is plenty to do in and around the area to satiate the wanderlust that inevitably kicked in months ago. Discover these local opportunities for adventure, dining and entertainment that will make everyone feel like they’ve finally gotten over their cabin fever.

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Get outside, but up the ante with more extreme or unconventional adventures found in and around the area. Xtreme Park Adventures in Durham sends explorers across 3,000 feet through the canopies at 35 mph, and there’s a 60foot free fall at the end. The 11 zip lines are just a few of the activities on the park’s campus – laser tag, paintball, gem mining, escape rooms and a high ropes course can keep you entertained any day of the week. Zip lining is available for kids as young as 3, and reservations are required.

The Professional Disc Golf Association has a course at the UNC Outdoor Education Center that is open to the public. It features long fairways, water hazards and elevation changes, as the course was converted from an old golf course.

If you’re more at home on the water, link up with Frog Hollow Outdoors, a Durham-based adventure company that offers both self-guided and guided tours, skills instruction and clinics for kayaking, canoeing and stand-up paddleboard. Or take the bald eagle tour on Jordan Lake that launches from Farrington Point Boat Ramp in search of the national bird. Jordan Lake is one of the largest summertime nesting sites for bald eagles in the southeastern U.S., so paddlers can sometimes glimpse one in late March, April, May and June.

PHOTO BY KRISTIN PRELIPP, KPO PHOTO

If you haven’t yet rescheduled your hiking trip out west ...

PHOTO BY DICK CICONE

travel

If you couldn’t get a ticket to watch the Masters in Augusta ...

Book tee time at any of these local courses that each offer a unique golfing experience. Head out for a round of golf before or after your tea at Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club, or visit Hillandale Golf Course, the oldest course in Durham, which was revamped in the ’60s by famous golf course designer George Cobb. The Occoneechee Golf Club in Hillsborough not only has 18 challenging holes, but also supplies a helpful tip for each hole on its website. The Occoneechee Women’s League has a weekly meetup for players of all levels. Finally, The Preserve at Jordan Lake, a Davis Love III signature course, hosts a pro-am tournament that encourages a day of competitive play on April 10 before a watch party for the Masters.

Break out of your routine and take advantage of family-friendly activities to keep the kids busy while also learning something new. The Museum of Life and Science in Durham employs a reservation-only, timed entry system alongside a new check-in process to keep crowds at a minimum. While not every exhibit is open, more than 15 attractions are still available for both kids and parents to enjoy, including the Magic Wings Butterfly House, Dinosaur Trail and the Aerospace/Launch Lab. Kidzu Children’s Museum reopened in November 2020 with increased safety protocols, including members-only mornings with staggered check-in times and limited capacity. Kidzu advanced to a new phase of reopening in February, so nonmembers can get in on the in-person play. Farther south, M&M Alpaca Farm allows reservations for tour groups of no more than six people with sanitizing or hand washing required at certain points. Guests can explore the farm and meet the show-winning alpacas. A tour guide will explain how to raise and care for these animals, and guests have the opportunity to feed and pet them. Masks are required for all experiences.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MUSEUM OF LIFE AND SCIENCE

If you canceled your 2020 trip to Disneyland ...

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PROVIDING EQUITABLE ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND HOW IT TRANSLATES TO OUR COMMUNITY’S WELL-BEING I N PA RT N E R S H I P W I T H

CITY OF DURHAM | COUNTY OF DURHAM | DUKE UNIVERSITY | DUKE UNIVERSITY HEALTH SYSTEM | DURHAM CAN | DURHAM PUBLIC SCHOOLS DURHAM CONGREGATIONS IN ACTION | GREATER DURHAM CHAMBER OF COMMERCE | INTERDENOMINATIONAL MINISTERIAL ALLIANCE LINCOLN COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER | PROJECT ACCESS OF DURHAM COUNTY | PARTNERSHIP FOR A HEALTHY DURHAM TRIANGLE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | THE INSTITUTE

G

as leaks, rust, mold and lack of heating are all issues that residents in low-income housing recently faced, says Atinuke Diver, the executive director of Durham CAN (Congregations, Associations and Neighborhoods). People are living in “conditions that many of us would find not only intolerable and inhumane, but also a threat to health,” Atinuke says, which is why demanding accountability around chronic repair issues in low-income housing communities is one of Durham CAN’s priorities.

“Severe housing problems” as established by the Healthy North Carolina Task Force 2030, such as poor maintenance, are a social determinant of health. Housing falls under the umbrella of physical environmental factors, which account for 10% of the impact on health outcomes – length and quality of life – according to the Task Force’s January 2020 report. “Homes have always been an essential component of wellness,” says John Killeen of DataWorks NC, “for individuals and communities as well.”

“Housing costs, housing quality or no housing have a dramatic and direct outcome on people’s health,” says Peter Skillern, executive director of Reinvestment Partners, an agency active in housing and community development. Reinvestment Partners currently provides

F I N D A C O M P L E T E L I S T O F H E A LT H Y D U R H A M P A R T N E R S AT

safe housing for the homeless and those transitioning out of rehabilitation programs through the Hotel to Home project. It provides 32 rooms at the Carolina Duke Inn, where people can recuperate on their way to permanent housing – just one example in the very broad scope of solutions to folks finding affordable places to live. “Within that [issue of] affordable housing is a variety of different needs,” Peter says, such as transitional housing or specific health needs of one population.

Evictions are another issue that Durham CAN seeks to address. “There were folks like Durham Human Relations Commission and Legal Aid [of North Carolina] who had already identified that Durham had an

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eviction crisis,” Atinuke says. Peter Gilbert, supervising attorney with Legal Aid, leads the Eviction Diversion Program that partners with Duke University School of Law’s Civil Justice Clinic to provide legal help for Durham residents who are facing eviction. “Housing stability, and instability, have a huge impact on health,” Peter says. Moving forcibly on a short time frame creates stress that affects everyone in the household, including children. “And the lack of community support and the severing of neighborhood bonds that results from an eviction can also have health impacts,” Peter adds. In 2020, the City of Durham increased its support of the Eviction Diversion Program to $500,000.

The COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated the stress and possible health impacts of an eviction. “You can’t stay home if you don’t have one,” Peter says.

Durham CAN seeks to increase housing stability by supporting efforts to place a moratorium on eviction, including North Carolina’s former Chief Justice Cheri Beasley’s order to halt eviction hearings and emergency orders to stay all pending evictions and create a new mediation program for evictions.

Durham CAN also focuses on low-income housing landlords’ “accountability around redevelopment,” Atinuke says. “The Durham Housing Authority, [for instance] has a plan to redevelop all of its properties over the next decade,” she explains, “and we’ve been pushing to see radical transparency around that.” This redevelopment will occur through the Rental Assistance Demonstration Program. John of DataWorks NC explains that the program began in order “to get private money involved to start maintaining [public housing] properties. The lack of investment in the maintenance of local public housing properties is most visible in places like McDougald Terrace, which has repeatedly failed inspections for years. “We have a very persistent and prevalent problem of unhealthy housing,” John says.

Durham CAN is working to shed light on maintenance issues and make progress toward eviction reform and accountability. “Our health as a community is interdependent,” Atinuke says, stressing that affordable housing has an impact on all Durham residents.

– by Renee Ambroso

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taste NORTHERN DURHAM / NEAR I-85

GUESS ROAD Earth To Us Latin and American vegan dishes including cauliflower wings, garlic tostones, arepas and more.

1720 Guess Rd., Ste. 18; 919-908-1000 Gocciolina Upscale Italian fare with fresh specials featured on a prix-fixe dinner menu in the dining room or at outside tables. This wildly popular restaurant has graced our Best Of list again and again. 3314 Guess Rd.; 919-973-4089; gocciolina.com Hog Heaven Bar-B-Q Homestyle Eastern barbecue, fried chicken and seafood. Enjoy with a giant glass of iced tea. 2419 Guess Rd.; 919-286-7447; hogheavenbarbecue.com Hong Kong Chinese Restaurant Hong Kong-style dim sum, plus authentic Szechuan, Canton, Peking and Hunan Cuisine. 3003 Guess Rd.; 919-479-8339; hongkongdimsumindurham.com Jimmy’s Famous Hot Dogs Old-fashioned burgers, fries and a mean Carolina-style dog. 2728 Guess Rd.; 919-471-0005; jimmysfamoushotdogs.com La Cacerola Cafe & Restaurant Honduran specialties such as pupusas and chorizo asado. 2016 Guess Rd.; 919-265-7916; lacacerolanc.com Thai Spoon All the trappings for a delicious experience: pad thai, drunken noodles and curries. 3808 Guess Rd.; 919-908-7539; thaispoon1nc.com HILLSBOROUGH ROAD Bennett Pointe Grill & Bar There’s something to please all palates on the large menu of this multi-regional American restaurant. 4625 Hillsborough Rd.; 919-382-9431; bpgrill.com El Jefecito Exceptionally fresh tacos, quesadillas and burritos. 4910 Hillsborough Rd.; eljefecitofoodtruck.com Rockin’ Rolls Sushi Express All-you-can-eat sushi, soup, salads, appetizers like spring rolls, crab rangoon and gyoza, plus entrees including teriyaki and hibachi dinners. 3405 Hillsborough Rd., Ste. E; 919-251-8822; rockinrollssushi.com/durham Shanghai Restaurant Established in the 1980s, this Cantonese restaurant offers both Americanized and authentic dishes. 3433 Hillsborough Rd.; 919-383-7581; shanghaidurham.com

Advertisers highlighted in yellow *Details are subject to change.

Check restaurant websites and social media channels prior to visiting.

HILLANDALE ROAD Bleu Olive High-quality comfort food incorporating local ingredients and Mediterranean flair. Family operated and chef-driven. 1821 Hillandale Rd.; 919-383-8502; bleuolivebistro.com BR El Corral Mexican Restaurant Authentic Mexican faijitas, tacos, enchiladas and a great chorizo queso dip. 1821 Hillandale Rd., Ste. 8; 919-309-4543; elcorralrestaurantnc.com Melo Trattoria & Tapas Classic Italian – think spaghetti and meatballs and chicken parmigiana – meets tapas. 1821 Hillandale Rd., Ste. 3; 919-384-9080; melotrattoria.com Pomodoro Italian Kitchen Homemade sauces on fresh-made pizzas, pastas and other Italian favorites. 1811 Hillandale Rd.; 919-382-2915; pomodoroitaliankitchen.info NORTH POINTE DRIVE The French Corner Bakery Curbside pickup available for artisan breads, crafted tarts and pastries, plus lunch.

2005 North Pointe Dr., Ste. B; 919-698-9836 MORE NORTHERN DURHAM DINING Alpaca Peruvian rotisserie chicken. Need we say more?

302 Davidson Ave.; 919-220-9028; alpacachicken.com Bullock’s Bar-B-Cue A staple in the community since 1952, serving up soul in Eastern-style barbecue, Brunswick stew and fried chicken. 3330 Quebec Dr.; 919-383-3211; bullocks-bbq.com Dogwood Bar & Grill American fare including burgers, sandwiches, soups and salads, plus larger entrees like baby back ribs, shepherd’s pie and penne alle vodka. Try the House Nachos (chips are made in-house) and the spinach salad. 5110 N. Roxboro St.; 919-973-2342; dogwoodbarandgrill.com Goodberry’s Frozen Custard All-natural frozen custard with a variety of topping options. 3906 N. Roxboro St.; 919-477-2552; goodberrys.com Picnic Order the pulled pork, of course, but also the fried chicken, mac and cheese, and hushpuppies.

1647 Cole Mill Rd.; 919-908-9128; picnicdurham.com BR

Silver Spoon Restaurant A large menu of breakfast favorites like strawberry waffles and omelettes, plus sandwiches, pastas, salads and kids plates. 5230 N. Roxboro St.; 919-479-7172; silverspoonnc.com Skrimp Shack Fast casual seafood restaurant serving addictive shrimp, fish and a variety of other fried and grilled seafood. 3600 N. Duke St., Ste. 28B; 919-477-0776; theskrimpshack.com

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KEY BR

Brunch Outdoor Seating Full Bar Kid’s Menu Beer & Wine

Taqueria Los Amigos Mexican and Honduran food.

Takeout available. 3810 N. Duke St.; 984-888-0950

NEAR DOWNTOWN

BROAD STREET Cloche Coffee Serving coffee drinks made with Larry’s Coffee as well as tea, chai and other assorted drinks and snacks in a bright space filled with plant life. Get your coffee fix to go or savor each sip on its outdoor patio.

721 Broad St.; 919-748-3333; clochecoffee.com Joe Van Gogh Grab to-go coffee at this local coffee shop that sources quality beans for superior coffee.

1104-B Broad St.; 919-286-4800; joevangogh.com The Loop Restaurant Burgers, thin-crust or cauliflower crust pizzas and hand-dipped milkshakes. 1116 Broad St.; 919-408-7448; thelooprestaurant.com Wellspring Cafe Salad and hot bar in the Whole Foods Market. Also serves sandwiches, pizza and sushi.

As of press time, the salad bar is temporarily closed.

621 Broad St.; 919-286-2290 BULL CITY MARKET The Mad Hatter’s Café & Bakeshop The artisan café and bakery celebrates the sweet things in life. Scratchmade cakes, cupcakes and pastries, organic salads, sandwiches and wraps, with breakfast all day and delicious brunch every weekend. Espresso, juice and organic smoothie bar as well as local beer and wine selection. 1802 W. Main St.; 919-286-1987; madhatterbakeshop.com BR ERWIN ROAD Early Bird Donuts Doughnuts, biscuits, croissant breakfast sandwiches and coffee. Try the cinnamon sugar doughnut. 2816 Erwin Rd., Ste. 101; 984-888-0417

Heavenly Buffaloes Chicken wings (bone-in and boneless) as well as vegan wings in more than 25 rubs and sauces, including peri peri and Jamaican jerk. Plus waffle fries! 2816 Erwin Rd., Ste. 205.; 919-797-2456; heavenlybuffaloes.com Hook & Reel Cajun Seafood & Bar Specialty seafood boils, raw bar, fish baskets, po’ boys and sliders.

2608 Erwin Rd., Ste. 104; 984-439-8651; hookreel.com/location/durham Itaewon Grill Build-your-own Korean barbecue bowls for takeout with a variety of meats or meat substitutes, toppings and sauces. 2608 Erwin Rd., Ste. 132; 919-864-9742; itaewongrillkbbq.com MediTerra Grill Mediterranean and Lebanese cuisine, offering gyros, kabobs and curry. 2608 Erwin Rd., Ste. 136; 919-383-0066; mediterranc.com Naan Stop Indian Cuisine Authentic Indian cuisine with dishes like daal makhani, paneer tikka masala and biryani. 2812 Erwin Rd., Ste. 103; 919-891-3488 & 919-797-2100; naanstopduke.com NOSH “Eclectic foodstuffs” like “Mike’s Breakfast Pizza,” “Coach’s Queso” sandwich and the brown derby chopper salad. As of press time, temporarily closed.

2812 Erwin Rd., Ste. 101; 919-383-4747; noshfood.com BR Saladelia Cafe @ Hock Plaza The cafe offers simple and honest food prepared with authentic, local and seasonal ingredients. Espresso, juice and organic smoothie bar, yum-on-the-run pastries, gourmet sandwiches, salads and soups. Enjoy on its outdoor patio. 2424 Erwin Rd.; 919-416-1400; saladelia.com BR

Smashburger Unique burgers smashed on the grill, chicken and salads. 2608 Erwin Rd., Ste. 116; 919-237-1070; smashburger.com Sushi Love Specialty sushi rolls, such as the “Honey Love” roll topped with mango and kiwi, as well as other Asian cuisine favorites. 2812 Erwin Rd., Ste. 204; 919-309-2401; sushilovedurham.com ERWIN SQUARE Guasaca Arepas, salads and rice bowls with South American flavor. 2200 W. Main St., Ste. A100; 919-294-8939; guasaca.com Local 22 Kitchen & Bar Upscale Southern-inspired cuisine, with emphasis on food sourced within a 30-mile radius and local brews. 2200 W. Main St.; 919-286-9755; local22durham.com BR Parizade Sophisticated Mediterranean food like grilled bronzino, Australian lamb chops and pan-fried Roman dumplings. 2200 W. Main St.; 919-286-9712; parizadedurham.com Shuckin’ Shack Oyster Bar Seafood restaurant serving up shrimp, oysters, fish-n-chips, surf-n-turf dinners and more. 2200 W. Main St., Ste. A140; 984-219-7337; theshuckinshack.com NINTH STREET DISTRICT Alpaca Peruvian rotisserie chicken. Need we say more?

703-A Ninth St.; 919-908-1597; alpacachicken.com

Banh’s Cuisine Vietnamese and Chinese dishes with great vegetarian specials. Currently open for takeout, with patio tables available. 750 Ninth St.; 919-286-5073 The Durham Filling Station Breakfast fare, like madefrom-scratch biscuits, any style of eggs, famous pinto beans, burgers and upgraded hot dogs. 617 Hicks St.; 919-797-1006 Blue Corn Cafe Authentic Latin-American fare with fresh, organic ingredients. 716 Ninth St.; 919-286-9600; bluecorncafedurham.com Burger Bach Signature New Zealand grass-fed beef burgers and fresh-cut fries. 737 Ninth St., Ste. 220; 919-973-4416; theburgerbach.com Chicken Bee Korean fried chicken as well as other dishes like bibimbap, kimchi fried rice and bulgogi.

810 Ninth St., Ste. 129; 984-888-5561; chickenbee.com Cocoa Cinnamon Signature hand-brewed coffees and lattes to-go, like the “Future Nostalgia” latte with cinnamon and anise from their seasonal menu.

2627 Hillsborough Rd.; cocoacinnamon.com Cosmic Cantina Authentic Mexican cuisine with vegan options. House-made mole and corn tortillas. Pair with a margarita pitcher. 1920 Perry St.; 919-286-1875; cosmiccantina.com Dain’s Place This pub’s fare is centered on its awardwinning “thick and juicy and juicy and thick burgers.”

754 Ninth St.; 919-416-8800; dainsplace.bar Del Rancho Mexican Grill Authentic Mexican lunch and dinner menu with a full-service bar. 730 Ninth St.; 919-286-5330; delranchomexicangrill.com Devil’s Pizzeria & Restaurant Handmade pizzas, pastas, wings, strombolis, subs, calzones and desserts with daily specials. 742 Ninth St.; 919-286-3090; devilspizza.menufy.com Elmo’s Diner Homemade Southern classics with breakfast favorites like cinnamon apple waffles and biscuits and gravy served all day in a casual, family-friendly setting. 776 Ninth St.; 919-416-3823; elmosdiner.com BR Happy + Hale Healthy salads, bowls, breakfast, smoothies, cocktails and cold-pressed juice.

703B Ninth St.; 984-439-1790; happyandhale.com

BR

Heavenly Buffaloes Chicken wings (bone-in and boneless) as well as vegan wings in more than 25 rubs and sauces, including peri peri and Jamaican jerk. Plus waffle fries! 1807 W. Markham Ave.; 919-237-2358; heavenlybuffaloes.com International Delights Authentic Mediterranean & Palestinian-Lebanese inspired cuisine including pita wraps, gyros, falafel, kabobs and baklava.

740 Ninth St.; 919-286-2884; iddurham.com Juju Asian fusion tapas like steamed barbecue Kurobuta pork belly and chicken fried oysters. Try the crispy Brussels sprouts! 737 Ninth St., Ste. 210; 919-286-3555; jujudurham.com BR

Lime & Lemon Indian Grill & Bar Northern and southern Indian specialties including Gobi Manchurian, Paneer Tikka, Chicken Tikka and Hariyali Murg Kebab.

811 Ninth St.; 919-748-3456; limenlemonnc.com BR

Locopops Gourmet frozen pops in a variety of rotating flavors like lavender cream, strawberry lemonade and malted milk ball. 2618 Hillsborough Rd.; 919-286-3500; ilovelocopops.com Metro 8 Steakhouse Classic American steakhouse with an Argentinian flair. Pair empanadas with a filet mignon or crab-stuffed shrimp with a churrasco steak.

746 Ninth St.; 919-416-1700; metro8steakhouse.com Mi Calvillo Authentic Mexican fare open for carryout.

748 Ninth St.; 984-219-1642 Moe’s Original BBQ Barbecue sandwiches, platters and Southern-styled sides such as cornbread and baked beans. 2014 Hillsborough Rd.; 919-237-1004; moesoriginalbbq.com/durham Monuts Scratch-made doughnuts, pastries, English muffins, bagels and breakfast sandwiches. Try the bagel and lox. 1002 Ninth St.; 919-286-2642; monutsdonuts.com BR Pincho Loco Latin-flavored ice creams, milkshakes, popsicles and more. Flavors like tequila, Tiger Tail (Mexican vanilla and chocolate), guava, tamarind and more. 1918 Perry St.; 919-286-5111; pincho-loco.business.site Secrets Pho and Noodle Bar Traditional Vietnamese dishes including stir-fry and noodle bowls.

810 Ninth St., Ste. 130; 984-888-5111; secretsphoandnoodlebar.com Triangle Coffee House Coffee and pastries with selections like vegan blueberry muffins. 714 Ninth St.; 919-748-3634; trianglecoffeehouse.com Vin Rouge French bistro-style dinner with regular oyster specials and Sunday brunch. Get the hanger steak and frites! 2010 Hillsborough Rd.; 919-416-0466; vinrougerestaurant.com BR ZenFish Poké Bar A healthy, fast-casual restaurant serving poké (raw fish) in made-to-order bowls containing rice, quinoa or salad, and toppings of your choice, available for takeout. 810 Ninth St.; 919-937-9966; zenfishpokebar.com NEAR DUKE Fairview Dining Room Seasonally inspired contemporary cuisine with selections like coffeerubbed duck breast and seared NC flounder.

Located inside the Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club.

3001 Cameron Blvd.; 919-493-6699; washingtondukeinn.com MarketPlace JB Duke Hotel’s main restaurant, now offering a takeout menu, is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. 230 Science Dr.; 919-660-6400; jbdukehotel.com

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dining guide

DOWNTOWN

CENTRAL PARK & WAREHOUSE DISTRICTS The Accordion Club Late-night bar serving beer, hot dogs and green chile stew, plus breakfast burritos on Sundays. 316 W. Geer St. The Blue Note Grill Fantastic barbecue, ribs and live music.

709 Washington St.; 919-401-1979; thebluenotegrill.com Boxcar Bar + Arcade This bar and arcade offers more than 70 arcade games (temporarily not available for play at this time), a full bar including 24 craft American drafts (and a wide variety of local beer, liquor and wine), private event space and a Neapolitan-style pizza kitchen. 621 Foster St.; 984-377-2791; theboxcarbar.com/durham

NEWS BITES Lagoon, a bar embodying a late ’70s and early ’80s tropical ambiance, is slated to open this spring at Boxyard RTP. The concept from Lawrence BBQ owner Jake Wood will offer a cocktail menu focusing on “leisure beverages,” including alcoholic slushies and fruity drinks. To complement the drink menu, Lagoon will serve snack barstyle food including Jake’s own Lawrence BBQ. “To me, ‘leisure time’ means I am momentarily not tied down to the everyday worries or responsibilities,” Jake says. “I can escape from the reality that is the hustle and focus on enjoying myself and taking things a little bit slower.”

Cocoa Cinnamon Signature handbrewed coffees and lattes, such as the “Dr. Durham” with maca root and black lava salt. 420 W. Geer St.; cocoacinnamon.com Cucciolo Osteria Italian fare like pastas with house-made noodles, antipasti and porchetta.

601 W. Main St.; 984-243-8744; cucciolodurham.com Dame’s Chicken & Waffles Chicken, waffles, shmears. ’Nuff said. 530 Foster St.; 919-682-9235; dameschickenwaffles.com BR

Durham Food Hall All vendors open for takeout. 530 Foster St.; 919-908-9339; durhamfoodhall.com •

Afters Offering solely desserts.

Try the fun dessert flights.

•

Everything Bagels Locally sourced gourmet bagels with a seasonally standard menu.

•

Ex-Voto Fresh tacos and tamales.

•

Locals Oyster Bar and Seafood Butchery North Carolina seafood featuring everything from crab cakes to shrimp sausage.

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Lula and Sadie’s A modern take on Southern cuisine highlighting local produce with dishes like scalloped potatoes and hot cakes.

Rise Southern Biscuits & Righteous Chicken implemented a heated locker system at its downtown location to expand COVID-19-safe contactless takeout order options. The lockers are designed in the form of stacked glass cubicles, which keep food hot until customers are ready to pick up their orders and also reduces customer and employee interaction. Rise founder Tom Ferguson plans to expand the new technology to other franchise locations if the system proves successful.

• Napoli Pizzeria and Gelateria Neapolitan wood-fired pizza, small plates, salads and artisanal gelato.

• Old North Meats and Provisions A seasonal menu of house-made cured and smoked meats, fish and pickled veggies.

• Auctioneer Bar Seasonal cocktails, curated beer, wine and spirits meant to highlight local breweries.

Foster Street Coffee Coffee house on the ground floor of Liberty Warehouse apartments that uses curated coffee beans from around the world for its classic concoctions as well as local produce for housemade smoothies. 530 Foster St., Ste. 2; 919-797-9555; fosterstreetcoffee.com Fullsteam In addition to its well-known “plow-to-pint” beers, Fullsteam now serves bar snacks, sandwiches, small plates and kombucha. Try the Pulled Pork Sandwich and the Spicy Carolina Dip Chicken with a side of deviled eggs. 726 Rigsbee Ave.; 919-682-2337; fullsteam.ag Geer Street Garden Simple, downhome fare in a cozy atmosphere.

They make a mean “Dark and Stormy,” and be sure to order “The Pile” to split with the family!

644 Foster St.; 919-688-2900; geerstreetgarden.com Hutchins Garage Grandma-style pizza, salads and sandwiches.

402 W. Geer St.; 984-219-6578 King’s Sandwich Shop Serving up hot dogs, burgers, fries and shakes since 1942. 701 Foster St.; 919-682-0071; kingssandwichshop.com Rise Southern Biscuits & Righteous Chicken Rotating menu of doughnuts and biscuits available for takeout and delivery. For vegetarians, the fried green tomato biscuit is hard to beat.

401 Foster St.; 984-439-2220; risebiscuitsdonuts.com BR Parts & Labor Dishes meeting many dietary needs, including veggie samosas, “Hipster Poutine” and falafel. 723 Rigsbee Ave.; 919-901-0875; partsnlabor.com BR

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Plum Southern Kitchen & Bar Southern small plates and big bar

by Lisa Callaghan and Chef Kevin Callaghan.

501 Washington St.; 919-351-6446; plumdurham.com

• Liturgy Beverage Specialty coffee, tea and chocolate company focused on single origin beverages.

BR

Heavenly Buffaloes opened a second Durham location at 2816 Erwin Rd. in January. The new location, located near Duke University’s West Campus, offers a larger space and indoor and outdoor dine-in options.

The Pit Eastern North Carolina-style and Lexington-style barbecue, plus appetizers and salads.

321 W. Geer St.; 919-282-3748; thepit-durham.com

BRIGHTLEAF DISTRICT Clouds Brewing American favorites with a German flair. Featuring an amazing craft beer selection and brunch on the weekends. 905 W. Main St.; 919-251-8096; cloudsbrewing.com The Federal Pub fare with bistro panache. Try the “Fe Burger au Poivre.” Offers takeout plus a side patio on Albemarle Street. 914 W. Main St.; 919-680-8611; thefederal.net BR GoJo by Goorsha Ethiopian coffees and teas as well as lunch and sandwiches. 910 W. Main St.; 919-588-4660; goorshadurham.com Goorsha Ethiopian dishes like shiro chickpea stew and tibs (sauteed meat in spices). 910 W. Main St.; 919-588-4660; goorshadurham.com It’s a Southern Thing Kitchen and bar serving traditional Southern dishes with a twist, like jalapenobrined fried chicken; a half-beef, half-bacon meatloaf; and both traditional and vegan barbecue. 605 W. Main St.; 919-294-9632; itsasouthernthingdurham.com BR

James Joyce Irish Pub and Restaurant Traditional pub food and snacks like brisket cheese steak and Reuben sandwiches. 912 W. Main St.; 919-683-3022; jamesjoyceirishpub.com BR Maverick’s Smokehouse and Taproom Range of barbecue and smokehouse fare as well as Memphis rubbed pulled chicken, wings and smoked sausage. 900 W. Main St.; 919-682-8978; maverickssmokehouse.com Peabody Pizza Co. Specialty pizzas, calzones, stromboli, pasta and salad. 810 W. Peabody St.; 919-797-2554; peabodypizza.com Rose’s Noodles, Dumplings & Sweets East Asian fare like ramen, steamed buns and sandwiches, plus pastries - rhubarb galette, anyone? - and daily dinner specials available for takeout and outdoor dining. 121 N. Gregson St.; 919-797-2233; rosesdurham.com BR Saint James Seafood Raw bar featuring daily selection of oysters, peel-and-eat shrimp and more. Menu also includes seafood towers, Lobster Newberg, shrimp and grits, and Calabash platters.

As of press time, temporarily closed. 806 W. Main St.; 984-219-7900; saintjamesseafood.com Torero’s Mexican Restaurant Authentic Mexican cuisine. Try the ceviche de camaron. 800 W. Main St.; 919-682-4197; torerosmexicanrestaurants.com

dining guide

CITY CENTER DISTRICT Alley Twenty Six A craft cocktail bar, the addition of a kitchen now offers burgers, sandwiches and sliders available for takeout. Dine in the alley while enjoying cocktails, beer and wine. Visit the Mixers & Mercantile shop next door. 320 E. Chapel Hill St.; 984-439-2278; alleytwentysix.com Annexe The sister bar of Bar Vigile features a dance floor, a menu of snacks, turntables built into the bar and pink Champagne on tap. As of press time, temprarily closed. 105 S. Mangum St., Ste. 1; 919-973-3000; annexedurham.com Bar Virgile Artfully crafted beverages paired with an ever-changing lunch, dinner and small plates menu.

The bar is open for dine in or curbside pickup offering its well-loved cheeseburger, fried oysters and more.

105 S. Magnum St.; 919-973-3000; barvirgile.com Beyu Caffè Coffee shop, restaurant and bar with beignets, buffalo wings and mushroom burgers.

341 W. Main St.; 919-683-1058; beyucaffe.com BR Bull City Burger & Brewery Offering local beef burgers with all components from bun to barbecue sauce made in-house. 107 E. Parrish St.; 919-680-2333; bullcityburgerandbrewery.com Bull McCabes Irish Pub Pub food and bar snacks like nachos, burgers and wings. 427 W. Main St.; 919-682-3061; bullmccabesirishpub.com

recipes + local events + foodie news

eat& drink

CONVIVIO This Italian restaurant and wine bar serves locally sourced meat butchered in-house. 104 City Hall Plaza, Ste. 100; 984-219-1961; convivio.wine COPA Cuban-inspired tapas and cocktails. Try the Chuleta a lo Guajiro, a country-style pork chop, with a mojito or daiquiri. 107 W. Main St.; 919-973-0111; copadurham.com Counting House Fresh seafood using local, highquality ingredients. Bar and lounge with housemade cocktails. 111 Corcoran St.; 919-956-6760; countinghousenc.com Dashi Traditional ramen shop and izakaya offering takeout and outdoor dining. 415 E. Chapel Hill St.; 919-251-9335; dashiramen.com Dos Perros Sophisticated Mexican cuisine; plates include carnitas, flautas veganas and pollo relleno.

Don’t skip on the guac! 200 N. Mangum St.; 919-956-2750; dosperrosrestaurant.com Indian Monsoon Restaurant & Bar The best of Indian, from North Indian samosas to Southern-style dosas.

105 W. Morgan St., Ste. 100; 919-908-1800; monsoondurham.com BR Jack Tar and the Colonel’s Daughter Updated takes on traditional diner fare. 202 Corcoran St.; 919-682-5225; jacktardurham.com BR

wood-fired pizza • housemade pastas sammies • salads • desserts

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Jeddah’s Tea Organic, fair-trade and vegan-friendly teas. 123 Market St., Ste. A; 919-973-3020; jeddahstea.com

El Rodeo Mexican Restaurant in downtown’s Brightleaf Square closed on March 28 after 32 years in business. “We have tackled a few obstacles in the past years: We’ve been through a fire, had staff complications, but unfortunately there’s one obstacle we couldn’t survive – rent increase during a pandemic,” the restaurant posted on Facebook. “We will be looking to relocate but taking our time to find a location.”

Juicekeys Organic juice and smoothie bar. 110 N. Corcoran St.; 919-695-3027; juicekeys.com Kingfisher Owners Sean Umstead and Michelle Vanderwalker transformed the space behind the cocktail bar into a pop-up burger bar called QueenBurger, which serves “smash burgers” two ways – double-stacked beef patties and house-made veggie and vegan burgers – alongside Kingfisher cocktails, plus wine and beer. To-go cocktails can also be ordered from Kingfisher. 321 E. Chapel Hill St.; 919-908-9429; kingfisherdurham.com

Oakwood Pizza Box of Raleigh is slated to open an on-site location at Ponysaurus Brewing Co., where it will cook and serve pizza for takeout and dine in.

Ponysaurus is also roofing its second-story patio in anticipation of more dine-in guests.

Littler As of press time, temporarily closed. Offering Wine and Provisions boxes through online ordering, as well as take-and-bake dinners for two. 110 E. Parrish St.; 919-374-1118; littlerdurham.com Loaf Oven breads and pastries.

Counter Culture Coffee, pain au chocolat and cumin gruyere loaf.

111 W. Parrish St.; 919-797-1254; loafdurham.com PHOTO COURTESY OF PONYSAURUS BREWING CO.

Fast-casual eatery Farmside Kitchen is slated to open in the heart of Research Triangle Park in early April. The grains-andgreens bowl-forward menu offers a range of dietary considerations, from keto to vegan and everything in between.

M Kokko Casual chicken entrees including the fried chicken sandwich, ramen and “KFC” wings.

311 Holland St., Ste. B; 919-908-9332; m-restaurants.com/m-kokko M Pocha Korean tapas including Kimchi “Army Stew,” Malaysian fried rice, steamed spicy pork belly buns and more. 101 E. Chapel Hill St.; 919-294-9177; m-restaurants.com/m-kokko M Tempura Traditional tempura omakase-styled food, featuring select seafood and seasonal vegetables, as well as rich meats like Iberico pork from Spain.

111 Orange St.; 919-748-3874; m-restaurants.com/m-tempura

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Mateo Acclaimed menu of tapas and small plates by chef Matthew Kelly. Now offering a Tapas-TakeAway menu including tapas kits for two or four and pan-made paella in pizza boxes – you keep the pan!

109 W. Chapel Hill St.; 919-5308700; mateotapas.com Mothers & Sons Trattoria Handmade pasta, classic Italian meat dishes, antipasti and contorni (vegetables and sides).

The enoteca next door houses Alimentari at Mothers & Sons, which offers to-go sandwiches, fresh pastas, sauces and Italian specialties during the day and is also used as overspill seating for the trattoria to encourage social distancing. 107 W. Chapel Hill St.; 919-294-8247; mothersandsonsnc.com Neomonde Authentic Mediterranean food, including a variety of vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options. 202 Corcoran St.; 919-680-1886; neomonde.com

Luna Rotisserie & Empanadas South American cuisine meets the American South. Wood-fired rotisserie meats, Andean-inspired braises, empanadas.

112 W. Main St.; 984-439-8702; lunarotisserie.com

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M Sushi Quality sushi from seasonal seafood, daily menu changes and creative rolls like “Unagi Maki” with barbecue eel and fried garlic. 311 Holland St.; 919-908-9266; msushidurham.com

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Chapel Hill Restaurant Group opened its latest venture, LuLuBangBang, for indoor dining on Feb. 23. The restaurant, located at 5418 Page Rd., offers pan-Asian street food and tiki drinks made by chef/ partner William D’Auvray, who previously operated the fried chicken spot Lula’s in downtown Chapel Hill.

Tobacco Wood Brewing Co. of Oxford is slated to open a taproom and American gastropub in a business park west of RTP this spring.

The woman-owned brewery leased 4,700 square feet in the Meridian Business Park off Highway 55. This will be Tobacco Wood's second location. The brewery was founded by Army veteran Mara Shelton in 2018.

April 2021

Ninth Street Bakery Organic breads, pastries and lunch available for takeout. Grab a “Wheel of Steel” (peanut butter, raisins and oats).

136 E. Chapel Hill St.; 919-688-5606; ninthstbakery.com BR The Oak House A Cafe featuring Caballo Rojo coffee, Jeddah’s Tea, fine wines and craft beer.

126 W. Main St.; 919-339-1384; oakhousedurham.com The Parlour Available for takeout and delivery. Try handmade ice cream in rotating flavors like cookies and cream, salted butter caramel and sweet potato.

117 Market St.; 919-564-7999; theparlour.co The Patio Unscripted Hotel’s poolside bar featuring a range of cocktails and gourmet bites including salads and burgers.

202 N. Corcoran St.; 984-329-9500; unscriptedhotels.com BR

Pizzeria Toro Wood-fired pizza with selections like spicy lamb meatball with kale, fried eggplant ricotta and soft eggs on white pizza. Also, ricotta dumplings!

105 E. Chapel Hill St.; 919-908-6936; pizzeriatoro.com Pie Pushers Grab a slice of staples like the cheese or pepperoni, or try out one of the specials, like the “Pace Car.” 117A W. Main St.; 919-294-8408; piepushers.com BR Pokéworks Hawaiian-inspired poké with a menu featuring signature “works” like the Spicy Ahi bowl, or customized poké burritos, bowls or salads made with your choice of protein, mix-ins, toppings and sauces.

122 W. Main St.; 919-973-3372; pokeworks.com Pompieri Pizza Neapolitan pizza joint with a familyfriendly approach. Try the “Drunken Horse” pizza with beer crust and house-made sausage. 102 City Hall Plaza; 919-973-1589; pompieripizza.com Pour Taproom Pay-by-the-ounce beer, wine and cider taps, plus tasting board, sandwich and kids’ options. 202 N. Corcoran St., Ste. 200; 919-251-8985; durham.pourtaproom.com The Restaurant at The Durham Locally sourced Southern cuisine crafted by chef Andrea Reusing.

Selections include beef tartare and spring pie with asparagus and mushrooms. The Roof at The Durham focuses on shared plates. Reservations are required.

Arrive at your selected time; a host will greet you and conduct a contactless wellness check. 315 E. Chapel Hill St.; 919-768-8831; thedurham.com/dining Rue Cler French bistro-style cuisine with lunch, brunch and dinner showcasing fresh ingredients.

401 E. Chapel Hill St.; 919-682-8844; ruecler-durham.com BR Saltbox Seafood Joint Local seafood delivered fresh from the Carolina coast and served griddled or fried in a straightforward manner. 608 N. Mangum St.; 919-908-8970; saltboxseafoodjoint.com Spanglish Latin-inspired dishes, bowls and empanadas for lunch and dinner, as well as a full breakfast menu. 104 City Hall Plaza, Ste. 101; 984-219-7168; eatspanglish.com Sweets by Shayda Pastries, macarons, chocolates.

105 W. Morgan St., Ste. 105; 919-454-4015; sweetsbyshayda.com Taberna Tapas Paella, flatbreads, bacon-wrapped dates, gambas. 325 W. Main St.; 919-797-1457; tabernatapas.com Table South Kitchen and Bar Breakfast, lunch and dinner, located in the Durham Marriott City Center.

201 Foster St.; 919-768-6000 Thai @Main Street Classic Thai dishes including tom yum soup, curry, pad thai, drunken noodles and more.

317 W. Main St.; 984-219-7444; thaiatmainstnc.com Toast Italian paninis and soups. The warm goat cheese with honey and peppercorn crostini is our favorite. 345 W. Main St.; 919-683-2183; toast-fivepoints.com

dining guide

Viceroy Fusion restaurant featuring dishes like jeera wings as well as traditional butter chicken. 335 W. Main St.; 919-797-0413; viceroydurham.com AMERICAN TOBACCO DISTRICT Boricua Soul Puerto Rican-meets-Southern soul-food dishes like chopped barbecue-filled empanadas, arroz con gandules, maduros and mac and cheese “just the way Grandma makes it.” Takeout only, outdoor seating available. 318 Blackwell St.; 919-902-0520; boricuasoulnc.com Mellow Mushroom Pizza, hoagies, calzones and salads made using fresh ingredients. 410 Blackwell St.; 919-680-8500; mellowmushroom.com/store/ durham NanaSteak Offers various cuts of beef and steaks, plus other meats like salmon and tuna steaks and pastas like beef short rib ravioli. 345 Blackwell St.; 919-282-1183; nanasteak.com BR Only Burger Build-your-own burger options and sides like bacon-wrapped mac and cheese squares.

As of press time, temporarily closed. 359 Blackwell St.; 919-237-2431; onlyburger.com Parker and Otis A gift shop, plus grab-and-go coffee, tea and sandwiches. 324 Blackwell St., Bay 4; 919-683-3200; parkerandotis.com Saladelia Cafe @ ATC Simple and honest food prepared with authentic, local and seasonal ingredients. Espresso, juice and organic smoothie bar, yum-on-the-run pastries, gourmet sandwiches, salads and soups. As of press time, temporarily closed.

406 Blackwell St.; 919-687-4600; saladelia.com Tobacco Road Sports Cafe American dishes like “Country Frizzled & Drizzled Chicken” made with local ingredients; overlooks the Bulls’ stadium. 280 S. Mangum St.; 919-937-9909; tobaccoroadsportscafe.com EAST DURHAM J. Lights Market & Cafe Breakfast, lunch and all-day items, like a breakfast wrap or confit chicken with crispy sweet potatoes. 800 Taylor St., Ste. 9-152; 984-244-7103; jlightsmarket.com Pierre ToGo Haitian- and Jamaican-inspired cuisine.

2100 Angier Ave.; 919-808-7447; pierrofoods.com Nolia Family-centric space offering coffee, available for takeout. Also serving Jeddah’s Tea and kid-friendly drinks. 1004 Morning Glory Ave.; noliacoffee.com Sofia’s Pizza Neighborhood pizza shop open for takeout. 2201 Angier Ave.; 984-219-3656; sofiaspizzadurham.com Two Roosters Handcrafted ice-cream shop serving takeout only with the hopes of adding patio reservations in the near future. 800 Taylor St.; tworoosters.com

WEST-CENTRAL DURHAM

DURHAM-CHAPEL HILL BOULEVARD (15-501) Blaze Pizza Pizzas with made-from-scratch dough and healthful ingredients. 5320 McFarland Dr.; 919-251-6095; blazepizza.com

Duck Donuts Warm, made-toorder doughnuts and coffee. Watch your doughnut being hand dipped and topped right in front of you.

5320 McFarland Dr., Ste. 140; 919-973-1305; duckdonuts.com El Cuscatleco Salvadoran and Mexican dishes including Arroz con Pollo. 4212 Garrett Rd.; 919-401-5245; elcuscatlecodurham.com Fiesta Ole Mexican Restaurant Buffet, enchiladas, fajitas, burritos and other classic Mexican dishes.

4600 Durham-Chapel Hill Blvd., Ste. 40; 919-489-6468; fiestaolenc.com Foster’s Market Fresh breakfast selections, sandwiches and salads.

Pick up brunch, grocery items or its weekly family dinner.

2694 Durham-Chapel Hill Blvd.; 919-489-3944; fostersmarket.com BR

Guglhupf Bakery, Cafe and Biergarten German-inspired cuisine and artisanal bakery.

Restaurant dishes include housecut noodles, wiener schnitzel and pan-roasted duck. Takeout bakery items, essential groceries, plus beer and wine. The outdoor patio is also open for brunch. 2706 DurhamChapel Hill Blvd.; 919-401-2600; guglhupf.com BR Kanki Steak, chicken and seafood cooked on hibachi grills, plus an extensive sushi menu. 3504 Mt. Moriah Rd.; 919-401-6908; kanki.com Mariscos Los Cabos Bar & Grill Mexican restaurant featuring a variety of seafood options like fish and shrimp tacos, ceviches and more. 4020 Durham-Chapel Hill Blvd.; 919-748-4290 Namu Restaurant and Coffee Bar Bulkogi Truck and Bo’s Kitchen food trucks combine to bring casual Korean eats, local beer, wine and specialty coffee. 5420 DurhamChapel Hill Blvd.; 919-251-9794; namudurham.com The Refectory Cafe Dal, chili, salads and soups. 2726 DurhamChapel Hill Blvd.; 919-908-6798; therefectorycafe.com BR

Rise Southern Biscuits & Righteous Chicken earned a spot on QSR Magazine’s Annual 40/40 List for 2021: American’s Hottest Startup Fast Casuals.

The list focuses on restaurants persisting amid the pandemic that are set up to thrive in this “new normal.” Rise, which is waitstaff-free with a quick service line, makes for a fast and safe inand-out food stop where guests can choose from a wide variety of made-from-scratch biscuits and doughnuts.

Matt Bumpas moved from Seattle to Durham in 2019, looking for locations to open his ice cream shop. He began baking cakes to combat boredom at the beginning of the pandemic. After friends started requesting custommade cakes, Matt slowly transitioned Sweet Bumpas from an ice cream shop to his own custom cake business.

Sweet Bumpas has since taken off, leading Matt to expand his cake options and hire a kitchen assistant.

Durham Distillery’s Conniption Navy Strength gin has now earned the title of "Best American Navy Strength Gin" at the World Gin Awards for three consecutive years. Also this year, all three of Durham Distillery gins were recognized in their category, with the Barrel-Aged Series No. 1 earning a silver medal and the American Dry earning a bronze medal.

The Palace International temporarily closed on Feb. 27 after 14 years at its current location on Broad Street. “We found out two weeks ago that our landlord has decided not to renew our lease,” the restaurant posted on Instagram on Feb. 18.

“We were unable to negotiate a lease extension, giving us only 30 days to move out.” Its team is currently looking for a new space and say they “have every intention to reopen The Palace and to pick up where we've left off.”

Fullsteam Brewery won a 2021 Good Food Award for its pear and sumac saison, which is made with foraged ingredients.

The saison, part of Fullsteam's Pierre Delecto limited-release series, marks the eighth Good Food Awards victory for the Bull City brewery. The Spicy Hermit also won for its green garlic kimchi, and Valley Brook Farms medaled for its strawberry habanero pepper jelly. There were only 11 winners selected from North Carolina.

April 2021

Saltbox Seafood Joint A second location for the popular local seafood place. Fish delivered fresh from the Carolina coast and served griddled or fried in a straightforward manner. 2637 Durham-Chapel Hill Blvd.; 919-237-3499; saltboxseafoodjoint.com Sister Liu’s Kitchen Homestyle Northeastern Chinese food made by hand, like dumplings and Chinese hamburgers.

5504 Durham-Chapel Hill Blvd., Ste. 103; 984-244-3973; sisterliuskitchen.com Sitar Indian Cuisine Homemade Indian dishes at affordable prices; new outdoor seating.

3630 Durham-Chapel Hill Blvd.; 919-490-1326; sitar-indiancuisine.com BR Pure Soul Vegan menu featuring fried chicken options, barbecue and award-winning mac and cheese. 4125 Durham-Chapel Hill Blvd., Ste. 1; 984-219-6050 Tandoori Bites Indian cuisine with choices like tikka masala and goat curry, and an expansive menu with 17 different bread options. 5318 New Hope Commons Dr., Unit 201A; 984-219-7363; tandooribites.net Zweli’s Traditional Zimbabwean food and family recipes from owner Zweli herself with a number of options for vegans and vegetarians.

Sign up for its online cooking classes! 4600 Durham-Chapel Hill Blvd., Ste. 26; 984-219-7555; zwelis.com BR UNIVERSITY DRIVE Alpaca Peruvian rotisserie chicken.

Need we say more? 3726 Mayfair St.; 919-973-3707; alpacachicken.com The Boot Room Sandwich shop, soccer pub and event space.

Lunch, dinner or brunch is available to order online or in person.

2501 University Dr.; 919-748-3499; bootroomdurham.com Bull City Solera and Taproom Try the solera beer, along with everything from burritos to Italian tacos. Order online and pick up at the drive-thru or window.

4120 University Dr.; 919-908-0203; bullcitysoleraandtaproom.com

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Capital Seafood Market & Grill Fried catfish, porkchop sandwiches and collard greens. Raw seafood for sale. 1304 University Dr.; 919-402-0777 Don Gallo Taqueria Tacos, pupusas, tortas and horchata. 3411 University Dr.; 919-267-8226 Mi Peru Peruvian fare like ceviche mixto, asado and leche de tigre. 4015 University Dr., Ste. A1; 919-401-6432; miperucuisine.com Nana’s Upscale seasonal dishes influenced by Southern, French and Italian cuisine. The risotto is a must-try! 2514 University Dr.; 919-493-8545; nanasofdurham.com NuvoTaco Inventive taqueria featuring locally produced meats and veggies. Enjoy with margarita in hand. 2512 University Dr.; 919-873-3033; nuvotaco.com The Original Q Shack “Barbecue tender as a mother’s love,” includes signature chile-rubbed beef brisket and Carolina pork shoulder. 2510 University Dr.; 919-402-4227; theqshackoriginal.com Rockwood Dairy Bar Grab-and-go ice cream shop offering pints and quarts with unique and interesting flavors, including sorbets. 2514 University Dr.; 984-219-2744; rockwooddairybar.com Sake Bomb Asian Bistro Asian bistro and sake bar serving specialty rolls like the “Green Monster” with spicy yellow tail and tuna. 4215 University Dr.; 919-401-4488; sakebombdurham.com Saladelia Cafe + Catering Simple and honest food prepared with authentic, local and seasonal ingredients. Gourmet sandwiches, soups and salads, speciality entrees, and mezza platters, made from scratch with Mediterranean flare. Espresso, juice and organic smoothie bar as well as local beer and wine selection. 4201 University Dr.; 919-489-5776; saladelia.com BR Thai Cafe Authentic Thai cuisine like drunken noodles, curries and stir-fries. Don’t miss the coconut cake! 2501 University Dr.; 919-493-9794; thaicafenc.com WEST END & LAKEWOOD Cocoa Cinnamon Local coffee shop with signature hand-brewed coffees and lattes, hot chocolate and churros. Open for takeout with online and contactless ordering. 2013 Chapel Hill Rd.; cocoacinnamon.com Da Kine’s Kava Bar An assortment of Kava drinks that promote stress relief and mental well being. 1114-B W Chapel Hill St.; 919-864-8002; dakineskava.com GRUB Durham Serves up comfort food favorites with a twist like brioche doughnuts and beer-battered mushroom sandwiches. 1200 W. Chapel Hill St.; 919-973-3636; grubdurham.com The Honeysuckle at Lakewood A new location from the owners of Honeysuckle Tea House, serving wine, beer and mead as well as chef-driven, elevated bar food. 1920 Chapel Hill Rd.; 919-748-4687; thehoneysucklelakewood.com BR

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Local Yogurt Frozen yogurt treats, including dairy-free sorbet, all served in compostable products.

1114 W. Chapel Hill St.; 919-489-5900; localyogurtdurham.com FAYETTEVILLE STREET Chicken Hut 63-year-old institution with a reputation for perfectly seasoned and tender chicken. Open Monday through Friday for takeout. 3019 Fayetteville St.; 919-682-5697; chickenhutnc.weebly.com Sweet’s Smoothies Healthy smoothies and wraps.

2506 Fayetteville St.; 919-428-3200; sweetssmoothies.business.site MORE WEST-CENTRAL DURHAM Bull and Bean Fresh salads, breakfast and sandwiches like pulled pork-loaded hashbrowns and the turkey and brie sandwich. 3710 Shannon Rd.; 919-237-2398; bullandbeancafe.com BR Eastcut Sandwich Bar East Coast sandwich fare and salads, small plates, soups and sweets. As of press time, available for takeout and curbside pickup only.

Mainstays include chicken Parm, BLTs and roast beef sandwiches. 3211 Old Chapel Hill Rd.; 984-439-1852; BR eastcutsandwich.com Hope Valley Diner Diner food and breakfast all day with selections like chicken and dumplings, fried pickle chips, biscuits and gravy. 3710 Shannon Rd.; 919-419-0907; hopevalleydiner.com BR La Vaquita Taqueria Authentic Mexican restaurant serving tacos on homemade corn tortillas with traditional fillings like lengua (braised tongue) and carnitas. 2700 Chapel Hill Rd.; 919-402-0209; lavaquitataqueria.com New Tokyo Quick-service Japanese restaurant where everything on the menu – including hibachi-style dishes, sushi, udon and more – comes in under $10.

3822 S. Roxboro St.; 919-224-8811 Only Burger The food truck’s brick-and-mortar offers all the same build-your-own burger options and sides for takeout. 3710 Shannon Rd., Ste. 118; 919-937-9377; onlyburger.com Pop’s Backdoor South Fresh pizza and Italian cuisine, including calzones with homemade ricottamozzarella filling. 3710 Shannon Rd.; 919-493-0169; popsbackdoorsouth.com BR Randy’s Pizza Pizzas, garlic knots and stromboli. 1813 Martin Luther King Jr. Pkwy.; 919-490-6850; randys-pizza.com Roots Bakery, Bistro and Bar Southern meets Central American at this breakfast, lunch and dinner spot with “from the sea,” “from the ranch” and “from the garden” options. 4810 Hope Valley Rd.; 919-748-4739; rootsbistroandbar.com BR Urel’s Jamaica House Traditional Jamaican dishes like goat curry, jerk chicken, oxtails and ackee and saltfish.

3825 S. Roxboro St., Ste. 123; 919-251-8104

SOUTHERN DURHAM / NEAR I-40 WOODCROFT SHOPPING CENTER Chubby’s Tacos Fresh Mexican favorites like burritos, nachos and salads, as well as the “Chubbychanga.”

4711 Hope Valley Rd.; 919-489-4636; chubbystacos.com Joe Van Gogh Cozy and full of natural light, this local coffee shop sources quality beans for a superior coffee available for takeout. 4711-5A Hope Valley Rd.; 919-973-3950; joevangogh.com Pulcinella’s Italian Restaurant Southern Italian dishes available for takeout. Antipasto classico, baked ziti and tortellini alla panna. 4711 Hope Valley Rd.; 919-490-1172; pulcinellasitalianrestaurant.com Randy’s Pizza Pizzas, garlic knots and stromboli.

4810 Hope Valley Rd., Ste. 112; 919-403-6850; randys-pizza.com Smallcakes Signature cupcake flavors as well as seasonal specials, available for takeout or delivery. 4711 Hope Valley Rd.; 919-937-2922; smallcakesnc.com West 94th St. Pub Traditional pub fare: loaded fries, chili cheese tots and fish & chips. 4711 Hope Valley Rd.; 919-403-0025; west94thstpub.com Yamazushi Japanese fine dining, kaiseki-style, with seasonal menu changes and a multi-course menu as well as sake. 4711 Hope Valley Rd., Ste. 6-A; 919-493-7748; yamazushirestaurant.com SUTTON STATION Bocci Trattoria & Pizzeria Traditional Italian pastas, pizzas, crostinis and salads. 5850 Fayetteville Rd.; 919-206-4067; bocciitalian.com Bua Thai Cuisine Thai classics: pad thai, hot and sour soup, curries, Krapow lamb. Get your meal “Thai hot,” if you’re up to it! 5850 Fayetteville Rd., Ste. 101; 984-219-7357; buathaidurham.com Dulce Cafe Espresso, gelato and sandwiches.

Smoked salmon bagel, dulce Reuben and the “B-L-A-T.” 5826 Fayetteville Rd.; 919-797-0497; dulcecafedurham.com BR Nantucket Grill & Bar New England-style cuisine known for their desserts like the “Unbirthday” and coconut cake. 5826 Fayetteville Rd.; 919-484-8162; nantucketgrill.com LINCOLN PARK WEST Danny’s Bar-B-Que Hickory-smoked barbecue, ribs, fried catfish. 2945 S. Miami Blvd., Ste. 118; 919-806-1965; dannysbarbque.com Gussy’s Place Greek street food like gyro pita, Greek fries and baklava. 2945 S. Miami Blvd.; 984-439-8455; gussys.com Piper’s In The Park Soups, salads, hoagies and burgers with selections like curried couscous and “South of Here” turkey sandwich. 2945 S. Miami Blvd.; 919-572-9767; pipersinthepark.com

C H A P E L H I L L R E S TA U R A N T G R O U P

INTRODUCING THE NEWEST MEMBER OF OUR RESTAURANT FAMILY Serving Pan-Asian Street Food from Nationally Acclaimed Chef William D’Auvray Former Proprietor/Chef of bu.ku and Fins (“Best Restaurant in the Triangle” recipient – Greg Cox, News and Observer) Visit lulubangbangnc.com for hours and menu

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Fresh, Local Ingredients

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dining guide

Spicy Green Gourmet Cafe Sandwiches, soups, salads with specialities like California Turkey Flatbread. 2945 S. Miami Blvd., Ste. 126; 919-220-6040; spicygreengourmet.net HOPE VALLEY COMMONS Highway 54 Public House House-made burgers, N.Y.-style pizza, wings and potato chips. 1125 W. N.C. 54, Ste. 301; 919-401-8600; hwy54pub.com Denny’s Diner fare serving breakfast anytime, lunch and dinner. 7021 N.C. 751, Ste. 901; 919-908-1006; dennys.com BR Makus Empanadas A variety of meat, veggie and cheese empanadas, with vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options options. 1125 W. N.C. 54, Ste. 304; 984-888-5302; makusempanadas.com Sweet Charlie’s Thai-inspired hand-rolled ice cream and frozen yogurt. 1125 W. N.C. 54; 984-888-5101; sweetcharlies.com

NEAR SOUTHPOINT HOMESTEAD MARKET Bean Traders Coffee Coffee specialties and local pastries, including scratch-made waffles and pies.

105 W. N.C. 54, Ste. 249; 919-484-2499; beantraderscoffee.com City Barbeque Smoked meats, peach cobbler and hushpuppies. 208 W. N.C. 54; 919-237-9509; citybbq.com The Mad Popper Gourmet popcorn shop with flavors both sweet and savory. 105 W. N.C. 54, Ste. 259; 919-484-7677; themadpopper.com MILKLAB Organic rolled ice cream and bubble milk tea. 105 W. N.C. Hwy. 54, Ste. 265; 919-937-9798; milklabcafe.com Shiki Sushi Sushi and pan-Asian choices like “Bang Bang Shrimp,” gyoza dumplings and beef pho soup.

207 W. N.C. 54; 919-484-4108; shikitasu.com ZenFish Poké Bar Healthy, fast-casual restaurant serving poké (raw fish) in made-to-order bowls containing rice, quinoa or salad, and toppings of your choice. 105 W. N.C. Hwy. 54, Ste. 261; 919-294-9988; zenfishpokebar.com THE STREETS AT SOUTHPOINT AREA Bruster’s Real Ice Cream Hand-crafted ice creams, sorbets and sherbets in ever-changing flavors.

8200 Renaissance Pkwy., Ste. 1002; 919-237-3537; brusters.com People’s Coffee Specialty coffee, pastries and coldpressed juice. 7830 N.C. 751, Ste. 100; 919-924-0240; pplscoffee.com Harvest 18 Local, seasonal eats. Try the pimento cheese dip and brunch on the weekends.

8128 Renaissance Pkwy., Ste. 114; 919-316-1818; 18restaurantgroup.com/harvest-18 BR

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Rise Southern Biscuits & Righteous Chicken Order takeout from this daily-changing menu of doughnuts and biscuits. For vegetarians, the “Fried Green Tomato” biscuit is hard to beat.

8200 Renaissance Pkwy.; 919-248-2992; risebiscuitsdonuts.com BR Town Hall Burger and Beer Offerings like the “Carolina Burger” with pork belly and pimento cheese, barbecue salmon burger and fries poutine. 7830 N.C. 751; 919-973-0506; townhallburgerandbeer.com N.C. 54 Akashi Japanese Grill & Sushi Bar Hibachi, sushi and noodle dishes like bento boxes, yakisoba and spicy scallop roll. 2223 N.C. 54, Ste. RS; 919-572-9444; akashisushi54.com Kokyu Global street food like Bulgogi tacos and paneer bowls. 245 E. N.C. 54, Ste. 105; 919-251-9017; kokyubbq.com

RTP N.C. 55 Backyard BBQ Pit Barbecue and other Southern comfort foods like mac and cheese and Brunswick stew. 5122 N.C. 55; 919-544-9911; sweetribs.com Basera Modern, fine-dining Indian restaurant featuring a lunch buffet and tandoor grill. As of press time, temporarily closed. 4818 N.C. 55; 919-205-5050; baseraindiancuisine.com Big C Waffles Gourmet waffles, available for takeout.

2110 Allendown Dr.; 919-797-7576; bigcwaffles.com BR

Brigs at the Park Breakfast selections and sandwiches.

4900 N.C. 55; 919-544-7473; brigs.com BR Jamaica Jamaica Caribbean food favorites like jerk chicken, yellow rice and brown stew chicken. 4857 N.C. 55; 919-544-1532; jamaicajamaicartp.com Na’Mean Asian fusion, Korean barbecue sandwiches available for takeout. A KoKyu joint. 4823 Meadow Dr., Ste. 108; 919-699-4667; kokyubbq.com/nmean Sansui Sushi Bar & Grill Hibachi dishes and sushi rolls like “Spider Man” with crab and crawfish. 4325 N.C. 55; 919-361-8078; sansuisushi.com Sushioki Sushi burritos in traditional flavors, plus rolls with a Southern twist, like double-fried chicken. 4900 N.C. 55, Ste. 510; 919-405-7121; sushiokirtp.com Vit Goal Tofu Restaurant Korean dishes like fried dumplings, tofu soups and Korean barbecue.

2107 Allendown Dr.; 919-361-9100; vitgoals.com GREENWOOD COMMONS Benetis Restaurant Classic breakfast with a Mediterranean lunch buffet. 5410 N.C. 55; 919-806-0313; benetisrtp.com BR

Sarah’s Empanadas Homemade empanadas.

5410 N.C. 55; 919-544-2441; sarahsempanadas.com Tandoor Indian Restaurant Traditional Indian like veggie samosas, kababs and naan. 5410 N.C. 55; 919-484-2102; tandoorinrtp.com BR True Flavors Diner Upscale Southern diner open for takeout. Try the “Howling Moon” French toast made with Howling Moon moonshine sauce. Currently operating out of the diner, biscuit sandwich shop Debbie Lou’s offers protein options from chicken and duck to lobster, gator and kangaroo. 5410 N.C. 55; 919-316-7978; trueflavorsnc.com BR IMPERIAL CENTER Gusto Farm to Street Farm-to-table offerings including salads and pizza. As of press time, temporarily closed. 5431 Page Rd.; 984-219-2739; eatgusto.com LuLuBangBang Chapel Hill Restaurant Group’s newest venture features handcrafted Pan-Asian street food with fresh local ingredients. 5418 Page Rd.; 919-908-1851; lulubangbangnc.com MEZ Contemporary Mexican Creative Mexican dishes, based on traditional recipes with a fresh, healthy twist. 5410 Page Rd.; 919-941-1630; mezdurham.com Mr. Cheesesteak Cheesesteaks, fries and wings.

5400 S. Miami Blvd.; 919-991-1403; mrcheesesteak.com Page Road Grill Traditional American dishes, from housemade soup and bread to burgers to vegetarian options. 5416 Page Rd.; 919-908-8900; pageroadgrill.com MORRISVILLE G58 Modern Chinese Cuisine Traditional Sichuan and Cantonese flavors abound in sautéed flounder, fried grouper and steamed scallop entrees; a Western influence can be seen in dishes such as Chilean Sea Bass with brandy sauce and Cumin-Dusted New Zealand Lamb Chops. 10958 Chapel Hill Rd.; 919-466-8858; g58cuisine.com

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HO M E& GA R D E N

THORO UG HLY MODERN DURHAM

D

Our cutting-edge home designs are the envy of the Triangle B Y J . M I C H A E L W E LTO N

PHOTO BY LOUIS CHERRY

The author writes about architecture, art and design for national and international publications. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Metropolis and Dwell magazines. He is the author of “Drawing from Practice: Architects and the Meaning of Freehand,” and editor and publisher of a digital design magazine at architectsandartisans.com.

PHOTO BY JOHN MICHAEL SIMPSON

PHOTO BY JULI LEONARD

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urham’s pedigree for modern architecture is long, strong and enduring.

Consider the public realm: There’s George Milton Small’s 1957 Home Security Life building, once the city’s police headquarters on West Chapel Hill Street. A powerful piece of midcentury modern design, its future was uncertain for a time – but now it’s slated to be restored by the nationally known Fallon Company.

Its developers might look to downtown’s renovated Hill building on West Main Street for inspiration. It was designed in 1937 by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon, architects for New York’s Empire State Building, and transformed in 2015 into the 21c Museum Hotel by Deborah Berke Partners. Deborah, a gifted modernist, is the first woman to lead the Yale School of Architecture.

Then there’s architect Perry Langston’s 1968 Home Savings Bank on East Chapel Hill Street. It was also updated in 2015 by Los Angeles-based Commune Design studio, which transformed it into the sparkling Durham Hotel with a rock star rooftop lounge. Rounding out this downtown trio of modern hotels is the once-empty-and-forlorn 1962 Jack Tar Motel, now reborn and rebranded as Unscripted Durham on North Corcoran Street near West Parrish Street.

But modernism on Durham’s residential front is alive and thriving, too. Nowhere is that more evident than at Cassilhaus, a 2009 breakthrough design by Durham’s Ellen Cassilly Architect. At 4,100 square feet, the Duke Forest home is a mashup of home, gallery and artist’s studio – a concept that earned it a full-page feature in The New York Times.

On the following pages are three examples of the approximately 200 modernist homes in our neighborhoods.

Each in its own way responds to its site and the wants and needs of its owners. And each, like the monumental buildings in downtown’s public realm, is part of the reason why Durham’s innovative designs are a cut above the rest. 

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HO M E& GA R D E N

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Ligh t a nd Fa mily Nea r D u ke Fo rest

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rchitect Louis Cherry looked long and hard at his client’s newly purchased split-level on a steeply sloping lot in a neighborhood filled with homes from the ’60s and ’70s not far from Duke Forest.

“We started with the notion of retaining the first-floor main level and some of the perimeter,” he says. “But as the project evolved, we discovered more problems with the existing structure and were only able to salvage the foundation.”

Louis designed a 4,000-square-foot home that’s mostly opaque on the street side and transparent at the rear. The idea was to allow

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PHOTO BY LOUIS CHERRY

PHOTO BY LOUIS CHERRY

HO M E& GA R D E N

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as much light as possible into the house and connect indoors to out – and to be unobtrusive. “There’s privacy – it’s discreet and simple, and also creates a neighborliness,” he says. “It’s not aggressive, but quiet in the way it sits among the trees in the neighborhood.”

His clients – a couple with children ages 6, 8 and 10 – wanted connections not just between nature and home, but between parents and children, too. Louis designed a built-in breakfast table and created family-friendly spaces where all can gather.

“There are a lot of sight lines and visual connections where the kids come in, and a balcony in the living spaces to create connections among the family,” he says. “There’s a strong vertical circulation from the basement up to the kids’ loft, all open with visual connections.”

It’s all the result of an inquisitive research process. Louis encourages his clients to talk about how they want to live in their house, rather than run through a list of rooms. “It’s an experience and a collaborative process to envision a lifestyle,” he says.

And here, it succeeded. “It is full of light and we love it,” one of the owners says. “I’ve been working from home during COVID in this beautiful space, and it’s wonderful.” 

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A N e w Gal l e ry i n H o p e Val l e y

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is a modernist who’s equally adept in the smaller world of residential additions. Case in point: a 500-square-foot extension for Susan Brill Hershfield and Michael Hershfield. Patrons of gallery openings at Cassilhaus, the Hershfields recently found themselves running out of room llen Cassilly

april 2021

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PHOTO BY JOHN MICHAEL SIMPSON

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PHOTO BY JOHN MICHAEL SIMPSON

HO M E& GA R D E N

PHOTO BY JOHN MICHAEL SIMPSON

Susan works in the couple’s shared office, which was designed

by Nick Strange of Hillsborough.

for art in their oft-renovated 1955 rambler in the Hope Valley neighborhood.

They mentioned their predicament to Ellen’s husband, Frank Konhaus, when he was delivering artwork. “Obviously, you ought to call Ellen about an addition,” he told them.

Familiar with Ellen’s gift for design after she converted their garden shed into a yoga studio, the couple followed Frank’s advice.

“We asked her to create a room that could be used for hanging art, with a lot of additional wall space,” Michael says. “She got rid of a room that had been a converted carport, and she created an addition to open into a sunroom with a fireplace.”

She also brightened up the space with soft northern light, retained views from kitchen to garden, and added a glass-enclosed window seat that punches through a wall. “It pops you out into space and gives another plane for displaying art,” Ellen says.

Then she brought in Hillsborough-based wood-whisperer Nick Strange to design an office with a desk of walnut, wenge, bubinga and figured maple. In a lily-gilding gesture, artist Martha Clippinger painted a mural on the exterior’s garden-facing wall.

Ellen essentially created a space where the couple can sit in the afternoon, admire their art and look out to a well-designed garden.

“She did what we asked her to do,” Michael says. 

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Photos: Marilyn Peryer

Grant Bizios Architecture is a residential architecture firm specializing in client-centered, sustainable design for new construction, additions, and renovations.

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HO M E& GA R D E N

AT H ome in Lyon Park

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nterior designer and Hylton

Daniel design + construction

Owner Alicia Hylton-Daniel’s first foray into the design/ build process took place in Durham’s Lyon Park neighborhood in 2016. A graduate of Meredith College with a decade of experience in commercial design, Alicia wanted to exercise her new general contractor’s license. She bought an abandoned house and lot and rethought what could be done with it.

She took out an existing structure, one that snugged up tight to the street. Then she inserted a twobedroom, 1,200-square-foot house deep into the site. “I tucked it in and pushed it back,” she says.

The original home was on a nonconforming lot, so she could add only 25% more space to the onestory home. She wanted a design that was grand but intimate, too. “I cut out a little terrace at the kitchen and dining room area at the center, so it doesn’t feel like a long, narrow

Nicole McCoy recently moved from dowtown into her new home in Lyon Park.

PHOTO BY JOHN MICHAEL SIMPSON

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3407 University Drive, Durham, NC 27707 | 919.490.4922 | TheKitchenSpecialist.com PREMIER DESIGN AND REMODELING FIRM SERVING THE TRIANGLE FOR OVER 29 YEARS

PHOTO BY HOLLY DWAN

PHOTO BY HOLLY DWAN

HO M E& GA R D E N

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box,” she says. “The bedroom is at the back, and there’s a Juliet balcony with no stairs.”

The home’s second owner is as crazy about her new home as its first owner, who was reluctant to leave when the family outgrew the space. Current owner Nicole McCoy is an accountant who teaches at N.C. A&T State University, a season ticket holder for the Durham Bulls and a member of First Calvary Baptist Church around the corner.

The home’s location is ideal for her, and its design fits her needs.

“It has well-built rooms that are large, the transom windows let in lots of light, and there’s privacy,” Nicole says. “There are hardwood floors throughout, each bedroom is a suite, and there’s still a half-bath.”

The ultimate compliment came when a Realtor who owned an abandoned house next door offered to sell it to Alicia. She bought it, then designed and built a complementary, distinctive three-bedroom, 2,300-square-foot home – and promptly sold it. “I thought about how to place the bedrooms so they’re private,” Alicia says. “And if someone is working from home at the front, that volume is wrapped in corrugated metal, while the rest is clad in cedar.”

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FU L L HOUSE The Combs family continuously adds on, both to their home and to their menagerie of pets B Y H A N N A H L E E | P HOTO GR AP HY BY JO HN MIC HAEL SIMPSON

brick home down Umstead Road, where the Eno River worms its way among hidden streets, camouflages itself behind monstrous oaks. A mailbox dangling under a galvanized metal rooster is the first indicator of life ahead. The long, U-shaped driveway leads to a bustling homestead complete with barking dogs, braying donkeys and crowing hens, blending together in a barnyard symphony. The animals nudge and dance around approaching guests, reminding them that, not 54

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The Combs family: Ken, Hunter, Liam, Kayla and Ericka with their Nigerian Dwarf goat, Echo, and donkey, Willow. april 2021

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LEFT Erika slowly integrates cow-themed designs and

art into the home as she attempts to convince Ken to add a miniature Highland cow to the family.

ABOVE Kayla cares for the family’s Lionhead rabbit, Pumpkin, who was adopted this past Thanksgiving.

even 15 minutes from downtown, a more rural life continues to ebb and flow.

Ericka Combs opens the house’s side door, letting the sounds of laughter and giggly screams escape.

It fills the quiet air of an unusually sunny day in February. Her children – Kayla, 14, Hunter, 11, and Liam, 9 – just wrapped up the virtual school day with their Voyager Academy teachers, and are ready to finally take advantage of a warm, dry day. The 3,500-square-foot home is big enough for the kids to escape one another, if they choose, in its separate nooks, like the makeshift play area at the front of the house or the massive living room with floor-to-ceiling windows. But on this day, the view of the family’s backyard farm is more alluring.

The 4-acre property set on rolling hills offered a special appeal that Ericka and her husband, Ken Combs, couldn’t resist. They bought the modern farmhouse in 2016 and have since added to their brood – think dogs, goats, pigs, ducks, chickens, donkeys, a rabbit and a turtle.

“With 50 animals, 25 employees, three kids, we stay busy,” says Ken, who co-owns and runs remodeling company CQC Home 56

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Ken and Ericka improved the flow of the original L-shaped kitchen into this modern farmhouse style that’s perfect for larger gatherings.

with Ericka. And on top of all that, there’s been a steady stream of home improvement projects that require the couple’s attention. They first asked their friends at Zarazua Painting to coat the home’s red brick exterior with an updated white-washed color. Then their pals at Triangle Landscape Supplies installed French drains, ripped out overgrown azalea bushes and brought in 15 yards worth of topsoil and new grass seed – all for the front yard. But Ericka and Ken complete their own home improvements, for the most part.

“There’s always something we’re working on,” Ken says. “Right now we’re in the process of redoing our septic system, putting in a pool for the kids, finishing the attic. The second bathroom is currently being remodeled. We already remodeled the master bathroom last year.

We did the kitchen two years ago. We love projects.”

Their penchant for fixing things goes beyond home renovations. They rescued most of their animals. Ken found their first chickens abandoned at a supply store; their dog, Zoe, was taken from a breeder’s home, infested with fleas. “I grew up in an orphanage,” Ken says, “and we didn’t have any pets. Ericka grew up in foster care.

She has always liked animals, and the kids have always liked them, too.”

It’s no surprise their family keeps on growing. Their home, and their hearts, were built for this. april 2021

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HO M E& GA R D E N Du r ham Candle

Each 10 oz. black, matte vessel contains 7.5 ounces of wax and a soulful blend of tobacco, cotton and whiskey, along with sleek wooden wicks. Each candle burns for 70-80 hours. Pro tip from Nouveau Central designer Cameron Renfrow: “When your favorite Bright Black candle burns out, reuse it as a flower vase.”

Bright Black $28

Da m ie n Cof f e e Ta ble

This made-to-order furniture piece is crafted from a single liveedge slab of black walnut and sits on four hand-turned walnut legs. It features black walnut butterflies and various figured walnut inlays.

Bull City Designs pricing starts at $4,500

M A DE IN DURHAM

Se e d Ve sse l in Wate r Blue ( Ta l l ) a n d Se e d Ve sse l in Wate r Bl u e ( S h o rt ) The pieces are sold separately, but they make a lovely pair and style beautifully when mixed and matched with other handblown pieces by Elijah Leed, adding a light, airy and structural element to your home.

Vert & Vogue $198 each

Feel right at home with these 10 local products B Y H A N NAH L E E

Nort h Carolina-Shaped Cut t i ng Bo ar d

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Da n cin g M e mory Bubble Mobile s

AHeirloom’s boards are made of strong, eco-friendly bamboo that’s organically grown in managed forests, an ecologically responsible alternative to the clear-cutting of old growth forests. It’s a unique gift that’s perfect for commemorating a special time and place.

This delicate and whimsical made-to-order piece can hang anywhere in your home. The mini silver disks dance at the bottom – a design inspired by Calder mobiles and created by mixed media artist River Takada-Capel.

Parker & Otis $39.99

Rivtak $52

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Dur h a m , N C P illo w

Nothing says Durham like, quite literally, a Durham pillow! The Durham Box, a seasonal guide to local products, sells this 12-by20-inch lumbar pillow filled with down inserts that reps the best city around and is perfect for any chair, bed, bench or sofa.

5 P o i nt s Gall ery Ar twor k

A bit of colorful history about the familiar downtown location featured in this oil painting: The corner building’s original brick facade was covered over with pink siding when it became the location for Montaldo’s, a high-end women’s clothier. A faint outline of the letters can be seen above the black awnings if you look closely at the building today.

The Durham Box $42

“Corner of Church and Parrish,”

by Anne Gregory 24x30 inches $2,400

Bode n Couch

This couch from Rowe Furniture features solid hardwood frames with sinuous spring suspension and three layers of high-density foam core that meets California’s green standards. There are more than 100 durable kid- and petfriendly fabrics to choose from – all of which are resistant to stains, odor and liquids (red wine included). It’s 90 inches long, 38 inches deep and 35 inches tall, but also available in 99 inches long and as a sectional.

Vintage Home South pricing starts at $2,716

6-i nch Cal at hea R attlesnake ( Cal at h e a l anc ifolia)

“Calathea Rattlesnake is having its moment in 2021!” says Megan George, creative director and chief maker at The ZEN Succulent. “Its patterned foliage with deep purple unleaf beautifully stands out in even the simplest pots.” Its springy leaves look like little rattlesnake tails (hence the name) and continue to beautifully fill in over time. It’s a great beginner’s plant – when its leaves droop, that means it needs filtered water. Pro tip from Megan: “This calathea hates water that is heavily chlorinated, which causes its leaves to brown on the edges, so make sure to use filtered water or tap water that has sat out overnight (which allows the chlorine to evaporate).”

Ha n dm a de Tum ble r s

The ZEN Succulent $24

Indio $30 each

Though not technically crafted in the Bull City, these cups are handmade out of dark brown stoneware clay and glazed in glossy white with pattern details that are carved freehand by Gretchen Quinn nearby in her downtown Raleigh studio. Her pottery is dishwasher- and microwave-safe and durably designed for everyday use.

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CA N YO U

DIG IT ?

Tips from local experts for perfect plantings and year-round yard care AS TO LD TO H A N N A H LEE

here do you start if you want

We had a very wet winter – what’s the best way to

to build a beautiful, natural

prevent a yard from turning into a permanent mud pit?

landscape?

Scott A good design. There is so much to consider from a drainage, sun vs. shade, aesthetics vs. function [standpoint]. A good designer can help you with all of this and make sure the plan you come up with makes sense and will meet the goals you are looking for.

Sheldon First, identify the existing conditions. Where do you have sun or shade? Where is it wet, normal or dry? Plants need to be matched to the correct growing conditions.

Au rora Clou ti er

For Garden’s Sake

Scott Pea rce For Garden’s Sake

What environmentally friendly practices should every homeowner live by?

Sheldon In order to have birds, the biomass needs to

be at least 70% native. Use native ground covers so you don’t have bare ground that can wash away or become filled with weeds. Don’t try to grow grass where it won’t grow well.

A n n M i lam

For Garden’s Sake

What’s the best way to prep your yard for summer?

Sheldon When you water plants or lawn, water deeply

and less frequently. This encourages the roots to grow deeper where they will find the water to handle hot and dry weather.

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Sheld on Ga lloway

Garden Environments

Scott No way to prevent this sometimes with the

frequency and amount of rain we have had, but a good place to start is to reduce the amount of water flowing into your lawn and beds by piping gutter downspouts underground so that water can be released elsewhere on the property.

Sheldon Make sure you grow plants everywhere you can. Plant roots can grow deep into the soil, helping to break it up so it can absorb more water.

If you have areas that stay wet, give up on the lawn and plant something that loves wet soil. There are many native shrubs and perennials that thrive in wet areas. The leaves will transpire, helping to remove the water from the soil into the air. Lawn grasses have notoriously shallow roots and therefore do little to help with wet soil.

What do bugs leave alone?

Scott Sterile plants usually. ... It depends on the type

of bug. Flowers attract pollinators, and diseased or ill-conditioned plants attract pests. Ensuring your plant has great drainage and soil will decrease its pest attractants. Flowering, fragrant plants tend to increase bees, hummingbirds, butterflies and other pollinators.

Sheldon If your garden isn’t being eaten, then it’s not part of the environment. The No. 1 food for baby birds is caterpillars. Caterpillars eat plants. You also have to

W H AT ’ S B EST FOR ...

A wet yard?

Ann Perennials: Japanese iris, Louisiana iris, Joe Pye weed, Asclepias incarnata (swamp milkweed) and Acorus. Ferns: lady fern, Christmas fern, Canna, Helianthus and Hibiscus.

Aurora Shrubs: Illicium, Itea, buttonbush, Clethra, dappled willow and Aronia. For trees – river birch, bald cypress, sweetbay magnolia and different types of willow.

A sunny one?

Ann Perennials: butterfly weed, Coreopsis, Echinacea, black-eyed Susan, Shasta daisy, Monarda, Phlox and Perovskia.

Aurora Shrubs: holly, Thuja, Abelia, blueberry, Cryptomeria, Podocarpus, Indian hawthorn, roses! Trees: cherry, fruit trees, evergreen magnolia, red maple, crape myrtle, bald cypress, willow, Thuja, juniper, ginkgo, Japanese snowbell, pistache and fringe trees.

A dry one?

Ann Agave, Yucca, sedum, Sempervivum, Delosperma, Gaillardia and rosemary.

Aurora Cephalotaxus and Nandina (sterile, non-invasive ones!).

For trees – ginkgo, oak, pine, juniper, red maple and elm.

A shady one?

Ann Perennials: ferns, hellebore, Anemone, columbine, Chelone, Heuchera, Hosta and Carex. Ground covers: mondo grass, Vinca and Leucothoe.

Aurora Shrubs: azalea, Pieris, Illicium, Camellia, Japanese maple, dogwood, redbud, buckeye and Franklinia.

have caterpillars in order to have butterflies. So, we don’t want to only plant things that don’t get eaten. The more people plant native plants, the less pressure there will be on the food chain.

What advice do you have for treating common pests, like Japanese beetles?

Sheldon With regard to insect pests, we prefer not to use chemicals

more than necessary. Usually healthy plants aren’t as susceptible to insect damage as plants under stress. If you can fix the underlying problem causing the plant to be stressed, then the damage is usually minimal. As said before, you have to have caterpillars in order to have butterflies, so expect and even welcome them eating your plants. They will usually recover. Chemical sprays will often kill caterpillars, bees and other beneficial insects. If a pesticide must be used, use what are called systemics. These are taken up into the “system” of the plant so only what feeds on the plant is killed. This should be a last resort.

What’s deer resistant?

Ann Nothing is deer proof! Young deer will taste most anything. But

agave, agastache, perovskia, rosemary, thyme, oregano, ornamental grass, columbine and digitalis are rarely browsed by deer.

Sheldon The lists vary as to what they won’t eat, and different herds seem to eat different plants, although many are a favorite to all of them.

I have recently seen deer eating things that used to be considered safe.

The problem is, the more we plant things they “won’t” eat, the hungrier they get, and the more they move to things they would prefer to not eat. But many native plants survive some browsing from deer because they have adapted for centuries. The more we destroy natural areas and the food [deer] like, the worse the problem will become.

What are some easy, colorful yard plants to purchase?

Ann For annuals – geraniums, Vinca, Angelonia, Lantana, Pentas,

Begonia, Coleus and Caladium. For perennials – daylilies, catmint, ferns, black-eyed Susan, Shasta daisy, Dianthus and Agastache.

Aurora For shrubs – abelia, Itea, Florida Sunshine Illicium ([make sure to plant in] shade), Weigela and Spirea. For trees – if you have a shady [backyard], few trees are more colorful than Japanese maple trees. For fall color – Itea, Fothergilla, witch hazels, pistache, red maples, Parrotia persica and dogwoods have great color.

Sheldon No plant is easy to grow if it is planted in the wrong conditions. So my answer would be, “It depends.” North Carolina has a wide range of weather, [and] native plants are often adapted to our changing weather conditions. The North Carolina Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill focuses on native plants and has a lot of resources for information about native plants. The more you match the plant to how it would grow in nature, the more success you will have. april 2021

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C O ME A N D GRO W Briggs Avenue Community Garden continues to nourish minds and bodies after 10 successful years B Y M O RG A N CA RT IE R WE STO N P HOTO G RA P H Y B Y JO HN MICHAE L SIMP SO N

ravel three miles south of downtown and you’ll find the flourishing Briggs Avenue Community Garden tucked among a mix of trees and industrial buildings.

“The garden has a score of different vegetables, an apiary and a fruit tree orchard,” says Christa Gibson, community outreach coordinator for the Durham County Cooperative Extension. Every county in North Carolina has a similar office – designed in partnership with N.C. State University and N.C. A&T State University – to extend agricultural and nutritional education as well as 4-H youth programs that improve economic and social 62

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Lots of helping hands came out to the Briggs garden in late February, including Mac Hulbert, Jamul Smith, Rawan Smith, 9, T’Challa Smith, 5, Erika Parker-Smith, Justin Berry, Cheralyn Berry, Beth Austin, Lilton Evans Jr., Derek Haynes, Tra Tran, Trang Tran, Peter Bent, Kathryn Hamilton, Gaebryl Vives, Rich Draney, Chelsea Pieroni, Yvonne Cozart, Skylar Cozart, 5, and Jack Anderson.

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Rawan Smith, T’Challa Smith, Erika Parker-Smith and Jamul Smith harvest Swiss chard.

Lilton Evans Jr., one of the original founders of Briggs, holds a jar of honey produced by the garden’s bees.

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well-being throughout the state. “[Briggs] serves as a place for community members to learn about gardening, to grow their own produce and to grow produce for those in need,” Christa says.

Durham County Cooperative Extension’s office and a small army of master gardeners, donors and volunteers maintain Briggs’ 45-acre lot. “I like to say a community garden is 80% community and 20% garden,” says Cheralyn Berry, family and consumer sciences agent for Briggs. “You can teach anybody to grow food, but in a community garden like ours, what you do affects everyone around you.”

Each member or family is a plot owner, responsible for their garden bed. “A family can come in and say, ‘We’ve never put a seed in the ground before,’ and we provide the education, soil conditioners, pesticides, compost and my support, all for $50 a year,” Cheralyn explains.

Some folks pay an adjusted rate, depending on their individual circumstances, and the season normally runs from March to

Briggs Family and Consumer Sciences Agent Cheralyn Berry, 4-H extension agent Mac Hulbert and Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Kathryn Hamilton.

Thanksgiving. Last year, the pandemic changed that schedule. “We brought in all the new gardeners in 2020, and then we were shut down the second week of the season,” Cheralyn says. “But a lot of community members came forward to help grow food for others, and we were able to start delivering to those who need it most. So now we are yearround, because there are people really depending on us.”

Briggs volunteers stepped up to meet a need that’s grown since the start of the pandemic: delivering fresh produce to elderly and sick community members who are unable to leave their homes. “Last year we donated 1,300 pounds of produce to the Durham Technical Community College Campus Harvest Food Pantry,” Christa says.

Durham Tech students, apiarists and Girl Scouts earning their gardening badge are among Briggs’ volunteers. “I was a Girl Scout, so it’s a fun, full circle experience for me when they come out,” says Cheralyn. Anyone interested in volunteering is always welcome.

Farm to Table

B

riggs began in 2010 with just a handful of plots and a goal to provide agricultural education and reduce social disparities for Durhamites. “Access to fresh produce is one of the benchmarks for students’ success,” Cheralyn explains. After working in a similar role in Tucson, Arizona, she joined the Briggs team at the end of the 2015 season and focused on expanding the garden’s educational offerings for children and families.

Another key factor to the food equity equation is knowing how to prepare and eat what is harvested. Cheralyn normally leads a farm-to-fork youth camp, which is one of the program’s most

popular offerings. “In addition to teaching folks to grow food, we’re teaching them how to prepare it, too.”

At the start of the pandemic, “We had to reimagine what our summer programming was going to look like,” says Mac Hulbert, Briggs’ 4-H extension agent. “The kids are taken to multiple community gardens and farms, and get to gather produce and then learn to make meals from it. Unfortunately, we can’t do that right now, but we knew there had to be a way to give them the experience of working with fresh produce while keeping everyone safe from the virus.” The master gardener team brainstormed and, inspired april 2021

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LEFT Skylar Cozart and Rawan Smith

show off the food boxes that are delivered to seniors and to families in need. RIGHT Rich Draney checks in on the garden’s beehives.

by WWII-era waves of enthusiasm for home gardening, came up with the idea of “victory garden” kits for kids to pick up plants to grow at home.

Instructional videos and a master gardener hotline were included with the kits. “We distributed 90 kits of tomato, basil and peppers over the summer, and were able to continue that in the fall with 110 kits of broccoli, kale and lettuce,” Mac says. “A lot of those kits were also offered for free, because we wanted to make sure that the families impacted by COVID-19 who had lost jobs or income had an additional source

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ABOVE Beth Austin tends to the mint leaves.

She also made the hanging gourds, which will become homes for birds in the garden.

RIGHT T’Challa Smith and Derek Haynes plant sweet pepper seeds in the greenhouse.

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Gaebryl Vives picks a white egg turnip in the garden.

of fresh food.” The program was funded in large part by a community grant through Duke University.

Harvesting Knowledge

T

oday there are 53 active plot owners, including Kathryn Hamilton, who moved to Durham in 2014 and became an Extension Master Gardener Volunteer (EMGV) in 2015. “Part of being a master gardener is a requirement to ‘give back’ a certain number of volunteer hours every year,” Kathryn explains. “My very first volunteer effort was to weed one of Briggs’ larger beds that had become overgrown, and I immediately became a Briggs fan.”

Kathryn says the benefit of Briggs reaches beyond food; it serves as a research resource for both the Durham County Cooperative Extension and Durham County Master Gardeners. For example, Kathryn participated in an EMGV tomato grafting project last summer. “This was a fourmonth experiment designed to find ways for Durham residents to more successfully grow tomatoes,” she says.

The program had the added advantage of donating 275 pounds of tomatoes to those in

Cultivate Community

your sense of

Studies have found social connection and relationships with others to be key factors to longevity, health and happiness. At our intimate Life Plan Community, we are intentional about connecting people. We invite you to discover how the lifestyle at The Village at Brookwood can contribute to your sense of community.

Contact us to schedule a personal visit.

Managed by

Proud to be a part of

1860 Brookwood Ave. | Burlington

Call 800-282-2053 or visit VillageAtBrookwood.org

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need; Kathryn and her fellow master gardeners are now preparing to share their findings with the community. Information on better gardening and nutrition practices reaches the community through other special events, such as the victory garden program initiated in 2020 and the Bull City Gardener Workshops taking place this year at Briggs.

“The garden also serves as a resource for groups who want to start their own community garden and as an educational resource where unusual varieties [of plants] are grown to demonstrate them to avid gardeners and school kids alike,” Christa says.

Those “unusual varieties” include native plants that people might never have heard of before. Cheralyn’s long-term goals include transforming the uncleared green space adjacent to the garden plots into a natural “food forest.” “It will be a public park full of fruit trees where you can eat everything,” she says. Think papaws and persimmons, which are low maintenance, perennial and can be grown in any backyard. “I’m voraciously consuming information about fruit trees in the Piedmont region,” Cheralyn says.

“I want to be known as the urban fruit tree lady.”

Regular volunteers have inspired many new projects, too. “One person recently came to us about wanting to grow oyster mushrooms on straw culture,” Cheralyn says. “Volunteers keep coming back because they aren’t just helping us, they’re learning, too.

Ultimately, it’s all about getting people to work together to maintain the land and lift one another up.”

GET INVOLVED • Attend Briggs’ annual plant sale fundraiser April 24 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

• Take a gardening class. Virtual and in-person options will be offered throughout the year. Learn more at durham.ces.ncsu.edu.

• Follow

@BriggsAvenueCommunityGarden

on Facebook.

• Volunteer! Call 919-560-0526 to learn more.

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Networking 72 Biz Briefs 74

A on post c o m - pa me ndem rc ic pg. ial re outl 78 al e ook s ta te

PLU

DURHAM,

S!

INC.

Highlights from our talented and creative business community

Make the Most of Your Home Office Rachel Rivers maximizes her 60-square-foot space – it was once just a storage room – with thrifted finds that provide inspiration for her job as an interior/prop stylist.

Four Durhamites share how they’ve adjusted to the WFH lifestyle page 82 photo by john michael simpson

durham inc.

NETWORKING 1

2

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2021 ANNUAL MEETING

1 2021 Durham Chamber Chair Adri Maisonet-Morales.

The Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce presented its 2021 Annual Meeting from DPAC’s stage on Feb. 11. More than 350 people tuned into the virtual event to hear from business owners, stakeholders, and community and civic leaders. Chamber President and CEO Geoff Durham discussed the impact of COVID-19 on our community, specifically the health and wealth disparities across the nation, and how the Chamber pivoted to help businesses both big and small. Outgoing Board Chair and Duke Regional Hospital President Katie Galbraith followed Durham with reflections on 2020 and shared her thanks to frontline workers and small businesses, especially restaurants, for their “spirit of service.” Adri Maisonet-Morales, vice president of enterprise learning and development at Blue University for BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina, was named the 2021 Durham Chamber Chair.

2 Duke Regional Hospital President and the 2020 Durham Chamber Chair Katie Galbraith.

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3 Zweli’s Kitchen & Catering Co-Founder and Durham Chamber Board Member Leonardo Williams.

4 Durham Bulls Vice President of Baseball Operations Mike Birling.

8

5 Durham Chamber executive assistant Raven Gibbs and singer DL Zene closed the program with a special performance.

6 Mayor Steve Schewel.

7 Durham County Public Health Director Rodney Jenkins.

8 Durham Public Schools Superintendent Pascal Mubenga.

THE WAY FORWARD DDI UPDATE Taking stock: Where are we now?

Join Downtown Durham, Inc. for our 2021 Virtual Summit

EXPLORING THE POSTPANDEMIC LANDSCAPE

Wednesday, April 21

Industry Segment Presentations • • • • • •

Economic Overview Office Hospitality Retail Culture/Placemaking Diversity & Inclusion

Panel 1 What’s next for downtown’s key economic drivers?

Panel 2 What’s next for downtown’s major developments?

8:15 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Tickets: $35 BID stakeholder & volume discounts available.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Bruce Katz Author & Co-Founder of New Localism Advisors

Keynote The Way Forward

Find registration details & more information online at:

downtowndurham.com/SODD2021

durham inc.

BIZBRIEFS Compiled by Claire Burch

ON THE MOVE

Ryan Vet, cofounder of The Oak House at Durham and software startup Boon – which was recently acquired by CrowdfundNC – was named president of Newchip Accelerator in February. Vet leads more than 50 remote Newchip employees and six active, concurrent accelerator cohorts. Vet is one of multiple additions to Newchip’s team as the company expands to meet the need of new startups created

by COVID-19’s impact on the global economy.

The Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce welcomed Ryan Regan as its new vice president of economic development in February.

Regan most recently served as the director of business development at the Economic Development Coalition for Asheville-Buncombe County, where he led business recruitment activities in the Asheville area. His new responsibilities at the Chamber include consulting with local officials, community leaders and industry executives to promote economic growth through the expansion and

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retention of existing industry and the attraction of new industry into Durham County.

Customer Service and Office Liaison Raven Gibbs also expanded her role at the Chamber in February.

Gibbs’ responsibilities will now include more interaction with members, a key focus for the Chamber that is more critical than ever in this remote environment. “Since joining the Chamber, [Gibbs] has demonstrated both a willingness and an aptitude for engaging with members through high-level customer service and is an integral part of our team,” Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Geoff Durham said in a statement. “We are thrilled she will be able to apply these and other skills to her expanding role.”

Digital accessibility and inclusion company Ablr named Ronak Patel as its new director of operations and customer success in February. “Joining Ablr was a natural extension of my aspirations,” Patel said upon his hire. “I’m looking forward to blending my background with my passion for accessibility and disability inclusion. It’s my goal to drive the business while making an impact for people with disabilities.”

April 2021

ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

Veritas Collaborative and The Emily Program, two of the nation’s leading programs for eating disorders, merged in February. Veritas will lose its headquarters in Durham, and Emily Program CEO Dave Willcutts will run the combined company at its new headquarters in St. Paul, Minnesota. Veritas CEO Mike Browder will join the board of directors.

Durham seed developer Vindara was bought out

by Orlando, Florida-based vertical grower Kalera in a deal worth more than $23 million in February. The deal helps Kalera lower seed cost by internalizing production, potentially shortening the traditional plant breeding time of five to seven years to 12 to 18 months. Vindara will relocate to Orlando, where it will operate out of Kalera’s headquarters.

Chabad at Duke Undergrads bought The King’s Daughters Inn for $3.105 million in February. The hotel’s parent company, Memento Mori, filed for bankruptcy in 2018, and the inn ceased operations permanently in July 2020.

It went up for auction in September 2020.

MOVEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT

Longfellow Real Estate Partners acquired a 20-acre property next to its existing Discovery at Perimeter Park campus (pictured) in February.

The real estate developer and manager unveiled plans to construct four life science buildings on the property, which is located on Watkins Road in Morrisville. The development will be the company’s first ground-up lab project in Research Triangle Park. The buildings will contain research and lab spaces along with a coffee/bar lounge, community room, conferencing space and outdoor gathering areas.

GlaxoSmithKline and German biotech firm CureVac teamed up in a 150 million euro deal in February to jointly develop a new COVID-19 vaccine with the potential to address multiple emerging variants in one shot. The program began immediately with the target of introducing the vaccine in 2022.

Novozymes, a global biotechnology company located in Research Triangle Park, entered the biocontrol segment of agriculture in February with promising new technology that has potential

durham inc.

to control major pests that impact the agricultural industry and result in billiondollar damages. Novozymes also announced a strategic collaboration with FMC, a global agricultural sciences company, to research, codevelop and commercialize biological enzyme-based crop protection solutions for growers around the world.

On-demand digital printing company Spoonflower relocated from its former 25,000-square-foot space to a 110,000-square-foot factory at 3871 S. Alston Ave. in January. The move follows a year of record revenue growth; Spoonflower increased its global sales by 111%, driven by its number of new customers, customer retention rates and expansion of global revenue.

California-based construction management firm DPR Construction revealed plans to make Genesis, a 104-acre, build-to-suit commercial park in RTP, its regional headquarters.

The company, which will build a 100,000-square-foot “living laboratory,” is the first tenant to announce space at Genesis.

The new facility is slated to open next year.

Silicon carbide technology leader Cree announced on March 1 that it completed the previously announced sale of its LED Products business unit (“Cree LED”) to SMART Global Holdings Inc. SMART will now license and incorporate the Cree LED brand name into the SMART portfolio of businesses, and Cree will change its corporate name to Wolfspeed later this year. Cree will receive up to $300 million, which consists of a $50 million cash payment at close and a $125 million seller note to be paid upon maturity in 2023. Cree also has the potential to receive an earn-out payment of up to $125 million based on the revenue and gross profit performance of Cree LED in the first full four quarters post-transaction close. “The completed sale of Cree LED represents a major milestone in our transformational journey,

establishing the company as a pure-play global semiconductor powerhouse, well positioned to lead the industry transition from silicon to silicon carbide,” Cree CEO Gregg Lowe said in a press release.

Cisco developed a new cybersecurity certificate program for North Carolina Central University’s School of Business in February to support the continuing growth of its technology education.

The certificate program is open to business students and the wider community. “We truly appreciate the relationship we have continued to maintain with Cisco throughout the years,” School of Business Dean Anthony Nelson said. “The attention they have to areas that directly support innovation and student development has been a central driver to the quality of education we provide.”

of skincare; Founder Tracy Trellis, a professional makeup artist and skin expert; and Mariah Ewald, esthetician and waxing specialist.

Design firm Duda|Paine Architects completed its latest office project, The Roxboro at Venable, in February. The eight-story office and life sciences center – located inside the mixed-use Venable Center – features modern designs and health safety features, including touchless entry, air purification

Boxyard RTP, the 15,000-square-foot cargotecture currently under construction that will provide a unique year-round dining and shopping experience, announced a new addition to its lineup of vendors: Trellis Beauty, a clean beauty retailer, spa and beauty steam bar that opened its first brick-and-mortar location in Raleigh’s Lafayette Village in 2018. Pictured are Jade Myles, lead esthetician and director

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FORECASTING

Join Downtown Durham Inc. on April 21 from 8:15 a.m. to noon for its 2021 virtual State of Downtown Durham Summit. The event will explore the post-pandemic landscape for various industries, including retail, hospitality, offices and more. Panels will discuss what’s next for downtown’s key economic drivers and major developments, and keynote speaker Bruce Katz, author and co-founder of New Localism Advisors, will speak on “The Way Forward.” downtowndurham.com/SODD2021 The Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce hosts its 2021 Take No Bull Women’s Series differently this year. Instead of a day-long conference, the series is broken into quarterly talks, keynotes and panelists, all revolving around the theme of “Breaking Barriers.”

Following the March kickoff, the series continues on June 17 and Oct. 7 and concludes on Dec. 2. members.durhamchamber.org/ events/details/take-no-bull-breaking-barriers-march-8

GIVING BACK

Coastal Credit Union gave back more than $3.6 million in special dividends in February to eligible members through its Loyalty Bonus program.

The payout was shared among nearly 69,000 members, and individual members received anywhere from $5 up to $300.

CLOSINGS systems in elevators and openair sky terraces. It is slated to open in winter 2021 or in the first quarter of 2022.

AWARDS AND HONORS

BrainTap, a tech developer focusing on mindfulness, announced in February that its creator, Dr. Patrick K. Porter, was selected by the Interdisciplinary Association of Functional Neurosciences and Rehabilitation to receive the IAFNR Lifetime Achievement Award. The award is given to an individual who made a significant impact in functional neurosciences and rehabilitation.

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410 Medical Inc. received Frost & Sullivan’s 2021 Entrepreneurial Company of the Year Award for its fluid resuscitation devices in February. The award nominees were evaluated based on best practices in innovation and customer value criteria.

Legal tech startup Courtroom5 was named a SheEO U.S. Venture for 2021 in February.

Courtroom5 aims to provide a “do-it-yourself litigation support tool” to those who may not have access to a lawyer in court. The company will receive access to women’s investment group SheEO’s resources and connections, an honor awarded to only five organizations each year.

April 2021

Details at Brightleaf Square closed in mid-October 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Other stores and restaurants at Brightleaf recently closed their doors as well, including Mount Fuji, Morgan Imports and El Rodeo, the latter of which cited “rent increase during a pandemic” as its reason for shuttering.

Sarah Hill, owner of Hamilton Hill Jewelry, shared that she’s been grateful for some silver linings over the last year. “The beautiful courtyard at Brightleaf Square saved us during spring and summer,” Hill (pictured above) said. “We were able to meet with clients outdoors and even have little parties with cake and Champagne. That was lots of fun, and we’ll continue that as we can.”

Charlotte-based Asana Partners purchased the historic property in late 2019 – and with renovation underway, Hill said she’s “excited to see the results, including the opening up of the Main Street side,” and hopes to remain in the location, as do several of the Square’s other retailers, including Bull City Art & Frame Company, AR Workshop and Indio.

Home decor shop Bungalow closed in early February after three-and-a-half years in business. “It is my sincere hope that Bungalow will be able to re-emerge in some form in the future so please stay tuned,” Owner Celia Bradshaw said on Facebook.

Cultivate | Garden + Harvest, a partnership of Haven Ventures and Artistry In Plants​, closed in January after opening in September 2020. The nursery specialized in unique and native plants, indoor plants and art from local artists. Haven Ventures is now focused on a “modular manufacturing facility for different housing solutions,” Executive Director Drew Helms said.

sustaining local biz, one shipping container at a time

Be Like Missy

Skye Light Living PopBox Gallery

Yo u n g c o m p a n i e s c a n l e a r n and receive valuable feedback by interacting directly with customers via pop-up shops.

Thom Ruhe, CEO & President, NC IDEA

W

#SHOPLOCAL

Thirteen West

hat happens when two Durham-based nonprofits come together to shine a light on small businesses?

Inspired by the creativity of the Triangle’s women-owned businesses, NC IDEA and the Research Triangle Foundation worked together to create PopBox, a oneof-a-kind pop-up shop at Boxyard RTP. Each of the businesses on this page will take up a three month residence in a shipping container to bring you handmade candles, local art, curated clothing and luxe leather goods.

Learn more: boxyard.rtp.org/popbox

durham inc.

COMMERCIAL OFFICE SPACE IN THE POST-’DEMIC SOME HESITATION AMONG TENANTS BUT – FOR THE MOST PART – DURHAM IS ‘STILL BULLISH’ ON THE OFFICE

BY BRANDEE GRUENER

2m/ 6ft

orkers all over the Triangle remain holed up at home with their laptops. Offices sit empty while managers assess when everyone can return and what that will look like. Should open floor plans be walled off to prevent the spread of germs?

Do workers need to stay home except for meetings and collaboration? Should company owners continue paying rent on such a large space? After a year of working remotely, how much office space does the company really need?

Real estate brokers and property owners are holding their collective breath as they wait for tenants to make decisions, but the sluggish market hasn’t curtailed optimism for Durham’s future.

They remain bullish because

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of the city’s population growth, companies looking to relocate from other regions and major funding in life sciences. No one is certain what will happen to rents, but prices so far remain steady. Development timelines have lengthened, but investments in properties continue to happen. The market might be on pause, but it has held.

“The cost of capital is very low; there’s plenty of available

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capital, and we’re one of the sweetheart markets a lot of investors are looking for,” said Brad Wiese, president of Maverick Partners Realty Services.

Though his brokers have seen “very little movement or demand for leasing space during the pandemic,” the full-service commercial real estate firm has remained busy.

“Purchase of office space by owner-occupants and investors, in my opinion, is as strong or stronger than pre-COVID life,” Wiese said.

Still, many wonder if the work-from-home phenomenon will lead organizations to reduce their footprints. Scott

Selig, associate vice president for real estate for Duke University and Duke Health, is responsible for a real estate portfolio containing 4 million square feet. He estimated that Duke’s footprint could shrink by 25% over the next five years due to a more hybrid workforce and telemedicine.

Some projects, like the replacement of the old Macy’s

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building at Northgate Mall, have been on hold “because people don’t understand yet what a post-COVID environment looks like.” IT, billing and appointments are easily handled over the phone, though clinical spaces could continue to expand, albeit more slowly, because of Durham’s increasing patient population.

Despite his projections for Duke, Selig called the Triangle real estate market “very promising.” Companies looking to relocate from the Northeast or other regions have absorbed vacant office space and helped to maintain demand.

“The picture for Durham is very rosy,” Selig said. “You don’t have a high cost of living and high rent, so there are going to be a lot more inbound businesses moving to places like Durham and the rest of the Triangle as they want to get away from the issues of density and expense.”

THE OFFICE IS NOT DEAD … BUT WORKSPACES WILL CHANGE

“G

etting away from it all” gained new meaning after a year at home during a pandemic. Office workers could stay at home indefinitely, but many are ready to get outside of their own four walls.

Brad Corsmeier, executive vice president of the investor leasing group at CBRE | Raleigh, said he is beginning to hear from tenants in Durham and beyond who are contemplating that possibility.

His tenants have held onto their leases with the expectation of returning – CBRE | Raleigh indicates the majority of its owners recovered 94% of their rents, and subleasing remains low at about 3% of total inventory.

“They’re kind of dusting off their plans; they’re doing surveys of office space, evaluating with their

planners on what their workplace is going to look like,” Corsmeier said. Tenants have discussed walling off more offices or spreading out. Some have considered using less space with a hybrid workforce that rotates in and out of the office. But because of liability from COVID-19, most weren’t ready to make decisions yet. Corsmeier believed that those hesitations would begin to resolve this summer and projected a “really robust ’22 and ’23.”

“We don’t feel working from home is sustainable,” he said. “People ultimately want to get back to the office for collaboration and culture.”

Wiese at Maverick Partners agreed with that sentiment.

“I can speak for myself, certainly, having worked from home quite a bit,” he said “I am longing for the proverbial water cooler and the separation between home and work. I by no means think that we’re seeing the death of the office, but I do think until we collectively get things sorted out and folks are more comfortable moving around, it’s going to be a slow demand for coming and taking additional or new space.”

THE PICTURE FOR DURHAM IS VERY ROSY. YOU DON’T HAVE A HIGH COST OF LIVING AND HIGH RENT, SO THERE ARE GOING TO BE A LOT MORE INBOUND BUSINESSES MOVING TO PLACES LIKE DURHAM.” – SCOTT SELIG, DUKE UNIVERSITY

While many of the downtown tenants he works with like wide open spaces, Wiese said that he has had companies looking for more square footage during the pandemic so that they can wall off private offices.

“In the relatively near future, the pendulum will swing back, and we’ll see increased demand again,” he said.

Selig also said that Duke and other organizations must consider whether working from home was “good for longterm culture.” On the other hand, he wasn’t so sure that companies would begin rebuilding private offices.

“First of all, they’re very expensive, and second of all, people come to work because they want to be around people,” he said. “If they want to sit in an office, they can do that at home. I believe what you’re going to find is larger conference rooms and more meeting space that is more open or even outside.”

LIFE SCIENCES REAL ESTATE: A GROWING MARKET

O

ffice leasing remains tepid, but the region’s reputation for life sciences has driven a lot of investment.

Carolyn Coia, senior director of real estate for the Research Triangle Foundation of North Carolina, saw significant demand in 2020 for lab and life science properties in Research Triangle Park.

“RTP in general has a large life science population, and that market has just exploded in recent years for our region,” she said. “RTP has actually grown through COVID as a result of the life science market.”

RTP has made numerous announcements about new lab, office and manufacturing projects in Durham: ApiJect will build a 1 million-squarefoot facility to manufacture injection devices for vaccines.

Eli Lilly is also building a new manufacturing facility for pharmaceuticals. IPM Chirana, maker of critical care ventilators, selected RTP for its U.S. headquarters. And GRAIL, a company developing a blood test for cancer, began hiring for a new lab, office and warehouse.

So while subleases have increased and deals for small offices have dropped to probably 10% of what she saw before COVID-19, “RTP had a record transactional year in 2020,” Coia said. Office and lab rental rates remained the same, but life science purchase prices actually increased due to demand to get in the market.

Coia expected that growth will continue at the same pace for the next couple of years.

As for traditional office space, Coia figured demand would pick up gradually as vaccines roll out and tenants figure out what kind of space they need.

“In the meantime, it’s really hurt all the retailers, all the restaurants and all the various retail operations in the area of RTP, which before COVID was a great market,” said John Morris, president of Morris Commercial

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Inc. and owner of a retail property at Imperial Point on Page Road.

He said that retailers were hit much harder than his office tenants.

“But eventually it will come back,” he said, “and we’ve got such a great market, such a great area, that I’m very optimistic.”

DOWNTOWN EAGER TO SEE LIFE RETURN

B

efore COVID-19 hit, downtown was booming. In fact, there wasn’t enough office space to go around, according to Downtown Durham Inc. President and CEO Nicole Thompson. In the three years prior to the pandemic, downtown occupancy was at 97% or 98%.

“You want a little bit of wiggle room,” Thompson said.

“People need to expand; we just didn’t have the availability.”

Downtown got that breathing room last year.

Construction finished on an 11-story, glass-walled building containing more than 240,000 square feet of office and retail space at 555 Mangum.

Almost 25,000 square feet became available over by Durham Central Park at the Montgomery + Aldridge Building, a historic warehouse on Roney Street that was converted to office space.

Not all of the new office space was absorbed during the uncertainty of the pandemic, but Thompson hasn’t noted new vacancies or changes in real estate prices downtown.

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About 90% of office space was occupied in March, which she believed was a healthy number.

Still, downtown remains a ghost of its former self while workers stay at home. Arthur Rogers, principal of Eno Ventures, said it “sure has been sad” coming into his downtown office off of Parrish Street.

Rogers owns a mix of office, retail and restaurant properties downtown and around Durham.

Rogers had to renegotiate leases with some tenants to keep them in place, but he’s “still bullish on Durham” as even his “most cautious tenants are starting to come back.” But the lack of office workers downtown has been hard on those

april 2021

I AM LONGING FOR THE PROVERBIAL WATER COOLER AND THE SEPARATION BETWEEN HOME AND WORK. I BY NO MEANS THINK THAT WE’RE SEEING THE DEATH OF THE OFFICE.” – BRAD WIESE, MAVERICK PARTNERS REALTY SERVICES

who serve them.

“This pandemic has been so selective in who it really affects,” Rogers said.

Thompson said she spends most of her energy working to support the coffee shops, restaurants, retailers and more that have struggled mightily without daytime office traffic. Vaccines, the warming weather, the upcoming Durham Bulls season and a new DPAC schedule could provide some relief a few months from now.

In the meantime, Thompson started to hear “a little bit of interest” in downtown from new companies. More space is on the way

for those seeking it. The eightstory Roxboro at Venable will add more than 200,000 square feet of Class A office space and lab space near the American Tobacco Campus. Construction should be completed in early 2022. Another 100,000 square feet of lab space will become available as soon as this summer when Longfellow Real Estate Partners finishes overhauling the offices vacated by WeWork in the Durham Innovation District.

Capital Broadcasting Co. also announced a joint venture to develop the former University Ford dealership property into a mixed-use project that includes two office buildings with 313,000 square feet of leasable space. Construction will begin at the end of the year or in early 2022. And Thompson believes that other projects will come along.

“Downtown is still a hot market, and people want to be in the downtown Durham area,” she said. “I feel pretty good about what the future looks like. Right now we just have to get through the next couple of months.”

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durham inc.

3 KILLER HOME OFFICES ... PLUS A STUDY THAT INSPIRES RECURRING HAPPY HOURS

BY HANNAH LEE | PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOHN MICHAEL SIMPSON

ompanies of all sizes scrambled to get their employees adjusted to working from home when the pandemic caused shutdowns last March. The kitchen table became a permanent desk. The bed, once coveted for naps, now covered in paperwork.

More than a year later, some employees are encouraged to return to the office, though many have no desire to go back.

One in four Americans said they’re working remotely in 2021, according to Upwork’s “Future of Workforce Pulse Report” released in December 2020. That same report estimated that 36.2 million Americans will continue to work remotely by 2025, an 86.5% increase from prepandemic stats. We asked four Durhamites to show us their work-from-home setup and how they’ve adjusted to the lifestyle.

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‘LITTLE MUSEUM’

R

achel Rivers has mastered the art of prop amalgamation. Home goods accumulated over her years as an interior/prop stylist line every inch of available wall space in a narrow storage room that’s been converted into an office. When her petite 5-foot2-inch frame needs to grab a prop off the shelf for a photo shoot, she easily climbs onto her repurposed 60-inch school desk she found on Facebook Marketplace and reimagines the space in a matter of minutes.

What’s truly masterful about the makeshift office is the way she maximizes the space in the 60-square-foot room (if you can even call it a room). Rivers and her husband, Charles Rivers, moved into the Craftsmanstyle house downtown a year and a half ago; the home’s previous owners used the room for overflow, and the walls were painted a neon green.

“It was awful,” Rivers said. “I immediately painted it white.”

She followed that by adding a $60 antique secretary desk from a local thrift store, but that wasn’t enough to hold all her rattan baskets, paintings, books, pottery and trinkets. When the pandemic hit, Rivers invested more time into making the semi-storage/“sort of” office more practical for stay-at-home work. The addition of a few IKEA shelves did the trick.

“My husband calls it an orderly hoarder’s paradise,” Rivers said of her “little museum.”

“I don’t even know how to describe my style because my work and Instagram are full of bright colors, but my home has a lot of neutrals. I try to stay curious and notice whatever catches my eye.”

durham inc.

This storage room was always intended to be an office, but Rachel Rivers didn’t fully utilize the space until after the pandemic. Most of the items on the prop stylist’s shelves are used for photo shoots, including a rattan basket from The Uncommon Collector and sage from the Black Farmers Market.

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Allison Urban’s upstairs office was originally intended as a creative writing space, but the senior software engineer at Netflix loved it so much that it’s become her permanent office.

PLANT PARADISE

A

llison Urban is a loyal customer of Pine State Flowers – step into her office, and you can tell. Her Anthurium, zebra haworthia and rattlesnake plants are just a few species you’ll come across.

“In pre-pandemic days, I used to go to Pine State every other day,” Urban said. “If I had a stressful day at work, I would just walk over there. At one point, I had even more plants than this.”

Urban moved to Durham from Atlanta four years ago when her partner, Johnathan Lyon, got a job as a visiting researcher at Duke University.

So she went remote from her six-year office job at MailChimp. That meant finding a home with a suitable workspace. The upstairs room

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in their Tuscaloosa-Lakewood house settled that matter right away, and the natural lighting provided a perfect habitat for her green friends.

An in-house designer at MailChimp helped furnish the

april 2021

space with some pieces from Room & Board, but it wasn’t until early 2020 that Urban decided to wrap up the final touches – organizing.

Cue professional organizer Perri Kersh.

“It was just piles of stuff everywhere,” Urban said. “I was really overwhelmed to go through it all. So Perri helped me sort through everything, organize it and get the bookshelf set up. She helped me prime the space, and then it was the fun stuff of ordering the couch and painting.”

Her color choice for the walls came as no surprise: green.

“I know, it’s a lot, but I love it,” Urban laughs. Now that her office is full-grown, Urban uses the space for more than her new 10 a.m.-6 p.m. coding gig at Netflix. She also writes fiction in her free time – hence, the typewriter.

“I originally made [the office] because I wanted a place to write,” she said. “I thought it would be an encouraging space to do that. I liked it so much, I ended up working here, too.”

durham inc.

A LAWYER’S SANCTUARY

V

ernetta Alston used her home office a couple days a week in pre-pandemic times. But this room at the back of her house in Hope Valley became not only a space for quiet productivity, but also respite after a busy day of balancing work with parenting a restless infant and demanding toddler.

Rep. Alston, who was named to represent NC House District 29 in April 2020, usually works long hours. Her custom-built shelves and Carolina blue walls became a permanent backdrop for countless Zoom meetings over the course of the past year.

The legislator personalized the rows with stacks of nonfiction books and memorabilia

including her personal favorite, a photo of her grandparents kissing on a rooftop in Durham.

If you look closely, you’ll see a tri-fold poster board in the corner beside her desk. Its sole

purpose is to block the sight of children running past the room’s French doors. But there’s nothing disguising the sight of a more recent purchase: a sleek black and red Peloton bike.

“Due to the grace and generosity of my wife, Courtney Alston, it’s a space that I can manage and keep kid-free for the most part,” Rep. Alston said, “which helps me work. It helps me relax.”

It also helps that her office doubles as a den to watch sports on the weekend. And on the occasion she does work extra hours on sunny, warm days, another pair of doors opens to the backyard for the occasional breath of fresh air, and, more importantly, to watch her beloved kids, Reese, 4, and Davis, 6 months.

“I can just leave the door open, and I feel like I’m still a part of [their playtime],” Rep. Alston said, “which is nice. I really, really enjoy that.” 

ABOVE Vernetta Alston drew this family tree for Courtney Alston’s first Mother’s Day. It’s a welcome sight for Rep. Alston when she walks into her office. BELOW When the Alstons moved into the home, Rep. Alston got rid of their traditional furniture and opted for more modern pieces. She also lined the shelves with nonfiction books, including her current read, “The Color of Law.”

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TOP SHELF

S

teven McLelland didn’t think he’d ever need a home office, but here we are in his bourbon room complete with a desk and giant monitor squarely in front of the windows. He and his wife, Liz McLelland, moved into the Duke Forest home in March 2019. Rather than create an office space, the Duke Pratt School of Engineering executive in residence decided on a room dedicated to his collection of more than 20 whiskeys.

“We wanted a room where we could drink bourbon and whiskey after we have dinner parties,” Liz said. “We wanted to make it club-like and have that feel of an English pub.”

With that in mind, the couple hired Design Bank owner Craven Miller to turn that vision into a reality. He added texture and depth to the room with wood veneer wallpaper, custom leather chairs and built-in shelves – the perfect home for Steven and Liz’s books from his days on the MIT blackjack team and from her time studying

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ABOVE LEFT Steven is ready to return to his Duke office and get rid of this desk he temporarily planted in his study.

ABOVE RIGHT Liz, the family’s pup, Cali, and Steven relax in the study’s custom leather chairs. They found the table in the center of the room at Always Home Furniture Consignment. BELOW Steven’s passion for whiskey started with Scotch and his Irish family’s love for the drink.

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gender and sexuality at San Francisco State University.

The couple isn’t hosting parties like they used to, of course, and Duke postponed in-person classes and meetings indefinitely.

Now the room is Steven’s “default thrown-in-here office,” Liz said.

“We didn’t build a home office because I’m so

close to campus,” Steven said.

“I’m about 1.7 miles from my office, and I can walk the [Al Buehler Cross Country] Trail.

I was always like, ‘If I need to do work, I’ll just go to the office. I could be there in a few minutes.’ There was just no reason to have a crazy setup here, especially with laptops.”

“It’s been an amazing office,” he added, “but I’ll be glad to get rid of it.”

Though this wasn’t the original plan for the space, Steven jokes it’s the best Zoom background he could ask for.

“And if it’s a bad day, I can get to the whiskey,” he said.

kicker

engagement

Abraham Pernicka & Sarah Price

B Y JA N E T A L S A S | P HOTO GR AP HY BY K I V U S & CA M E RA , KIVU SANDCAME R A. CO M

Wedding Date August

21, 2021 Sarah, a UNC-Chapel Hill and Elon University alumna, works as a document review attorney for Dauntless Discovery. Abraham, a University of South Carolina alumnus, is a software engineer at Tanium in Morrisville.

Crossed Paths Sarah and Abraham met at a mutual friend’s party in 2013. “I looked toward the kitchen, and our eyes met,” Sarah says. “I couldn’t miss him. He was one of the tallest people there.” They built a friendship over six years until January 2019, when Sarah got up the courage to ask him out on a date. The couple knew they wanted to spend forever together after only a few months of dating.

Occupations

The Proposal On

Aug. 22, 2019, during the Beer, Bourbon & BBQ Festival in Cary, Sarah decided she couldn’t wait any longer.

She proposed that night with a ring that Abraham had pointed out a few weeks prior.

A month later the couple went on a hiking trip in Oregon where Abraham planned a counter-proposal. “It was the most beautiful and scenic place at Crater Lake National Park,” Sarah says.

Abraham got down on one knee and asked her to marry him with a ring that’s been in Sarah’s family for more than 95 years.

Now, “I Do” The couple set their wedding date for August 2020, but the pandemic altered their original plans. Sarah and Abraham instead opted for a small, intimate ceremony in Clemmons, North Carolina, with only immediate family. When it’s safe to do so, they will hold a reception at the Old Murphey School to dance, sing and celebrate their nuptials with extended family and friends.

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wedding

Caroline Bishop & Eric McEachern B Y C H I A RA E VA N S P HOTO G RA P H Y B Y C L AY AND DANI SO U Z A, P HOTO S B YC L AY. COM

Wedding Date July

19, 2020

Occupations Caroline is an assistant research practice

manager at Duke University School of Nursing, and Eric works as a senior software developer at GK Software.

Crossed Paths Caroline grew up in Chapel Hill; Eric, in Garner. Caroline and Eric had their first date in 2018 at Bean Traders after connecting through a mutual friend.

The Proposal Eric proposed to Caroline during a round of the couple’s favorite board game in January 2020.

Eric asked permission to move Caroline’s pawn during the first round of the game; while doing so, he surprised her by slipping a ring on top of it and asking her to marry him.

The Big Day The couple’s wedding took place at a private residence in Raleigh. Though small, the celebration far exceeded the couple’s expectations. Cathy Anna Events planned the day and supplied the flowers, bringing a romantic garden theme to life. Caroline and Eric shared their day with friends and family including maid of honor Megan Arthur, bridesmaids Jenna Bishop and Jennifer Hamm, best man Miguel Santiago, and groomsmen Geoffrey Bishop and Brian McEachern. Todd Moody Entertainment kept guests entertained throughout the evening.

Favorite Detail “All the decorations came together and accentuated the natural beauty of the home we were married in,” Caroline 88

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says. “The backyard … was in the shape of a heart and full of lush vegetation and beautiful flowers, which made for some really memorable photos.”

Favorite Moment “The moment I’ll remember forever is when I saw Caroline for the first look in her wedding gown,” Eric says.

Do you live in Durham and want your wedding or engagement featured in our magazine?

Email weddings@durhammag.com.

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