January SouthPark 2025

TREATING EVERY GAME L IKE HIS FIRST. GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO WEARS THE CHRONOMAT.

WE BUILD WITH CARE

FROM THE EDITOR

We’re all obsessed with health and wellness come January of each new year. Taking stock, shedding bad habits (and picking up “good” ones), starting and sticking to healthy routines. Thankfully, there are folks in Charlotte who think about wellness year-round, so they’re there here for us when we need a little nudge.

In this issue, contributor Michelle Boudin highlights two Queen City entrepreneurs who developed products that promote a healthy lifestyle — Hope Skouras, aka the “Lemon Lady,” behind The Whole Hope, and Jamey Yon, the creator of Yon Bons — along with Morgan Smorgala, who acquired Sweet’s Elderberry from the Charlotte mom who created it and has since doubled the brand’s store presence (page 75).

Elsewhere, Krisha Chachra explores the viral head-spa trend — which is actually based on ancient Asian practices — and where to experience it in Charlotte (page 28). In our travel section, Vanessa Infanzon highlights the countless spas and outdoor activities in sunny Scottsdale, Arizona (page 94). And therapist Juliet Kuehnle is here with her

semi-monthly dose of mental-health musings, this time with steps we can take to manage the most common U.S. mental-health concern: anxiety (page 58).

While we’re out there crushing our fitness goals and working to achieve our healthiest outcomes, sometimes life has other plans. At times like those, it’s essential to have great healthcare professionals by our side.

In this month’s SouthPark Sit-down, Natalie Dick interviews Dr. Richard White, Atrium Health’s rock-star surgical oncologist who’s known as much for his bedside manner as his surgical expertise (page 18).

Stay healthy, SouthPark! SP

1–A cozy rattan hanging chair for a girl’s room designed by Pep and Palm (page 24)

2 and 3–An interview with Dr. Richard White of Atrium Health (page 18)

4 and 5–First look at Albertine, the new uptown restaurant from Joe and Katy Kindred (page 40).

IN THIS ISSUE:

CATHY MARTIN

January

2025 ARTS PREVIEW

60 | True story by Page Leggett

Art imitates life in a few of our 20 best bets for the first half of the new year.

FEATURES

75 | Be well by Michelle Boudin photographs by Richard Israel

3 Queen City entrepreneurs offer products aimed at keeping Charlotte healthy and fit.

82 | Rebuilt to last by Catherine Ruth Kelly photographs by Laura Sumrak Jess Ebert of Four Story Interiors helps a Charlotte family update their Foxcroft home with distinct, personalized spaces.

TRAVEL

91 | Escape to Soda City by Asha Ellison

A weekender’s guide to Columbia, South Carolina

94 | Desert daze by Vanessa Infanzon

Escape the winter chill, schedule some spa time and immerse yourself in the great outdoors with a visit to Scottsdale, Arizona.

SPECIAL SECTION

106 | Business North Carolina’s Top Doctors

Top-ranking specialists in the Charlotte region

BLVD

18 | southpark sit-down

Dr. Richard White’s “remarkable adventure”

24 | interiors

Pink, purple and all things girly: Pep and Palm designs rooms for sisters

28 | wellness

Head spas: the newest relaxation trend in Charlotte

32 | work life

SouthPark’s tallest office towers get a glow-up.

38 | authors

In her new book, Bernadette Joy offers tips for managing money better in 2025.

40 | cuisine

Albertine: first look at Joe and Katy

Kindred’s uptown Mediterranean jewel

44 | food + drink

Peruvian roots and Queen City charm at Sumaq Coffee

48 | around town

What’s new and coming soon in the Queen City

50 | happenings January calendar of event

DEPARTMENTS

55 | bookshelf January’s new releases

56| simple life

A tale of the most perfect storm

58 | well + wise

Anxiety happens: Learning to counter the “fight-or-flight” response

123 | swirl

Parties, fundraisers and events around Charlotte

128 | gallery

A world-renowned artist brings his bold, colorful designs to a new store at SouthPark Mall.

ABOUT THE COVER:

A Foxcroft home designed by Jess Ebert of Four Story Interiors. Photograph by Laura Sumrak; styling by Ashley Hotham Cox (story on page 82).

Say “I do” to SouthPark!

Don’t miss the opportunity to be a part of Weddings by SouthPark this spring. Reach brides- and grooms-to-be in this targeted, beautiful issue of wedding inspiration and resources.

Publication date: Spring 2025

Space deadline: March 1

Contact Jane Rodewald at 704-621-9198 or Cindy Poovey at 704-497-2220 to learn more. Visit us online at southparkmagazine.com/advertise

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Whitley Adkins Style Editor

Contributing Editors

David Mildenberg, Michael J. Solender

Contributing Writers

Michelle Boudin, Krisha Chachra, Natalie Dick, Jim Dodson, Asha Ellison, Vanessa Infanzon, Catherine Ruth Kelly, Juliet Kuehnle, Page Leggett, Caroline Lubinsky

Contributing Photographers

Daniel Coston, Justin Driscoll, Richard Israel, Laura Sumrak

Contributing Illustrator Gerry O’Neill

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Owners

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Published by Old North State Magazines LLC. ©Copyright 2025. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Volume 29, Issue 1

UNRIVALED LUXURY

blvd.

people, places, things

PATTERN PLAY

After clearing the holiday clutter, it’s time for a home refresh. To help, House of Nomad recently debuted a retro-inspired line of wallpaper, fabrics and made-to-order pillows. HON’s second custom collection launched in October with styles based on the designers’ own sketches and paintings. True to HON’s ethos, the patterns are inspired by travel memories, such as the Topo, a mirage-like print reminiscent of the Peruvian landscape (available in three colors) and Medina Maze, influenced by Marrakech’s historic medina (offered in five colors). 4401 Barclay Downs Dr., #132, houseofnomaddesign.com SP

SOUTHPARK SIT-DOWN

DR. RICHARD WHITE

The renowned surgical oncologist reflects on his “remarkable adventure” and the lasting relationships he’s made with cancer patients and their families.

by Natalie Dick | photographs by Richard Israel

Have you ever had someone come into your life at just the right place and just the right moment? Their presence may be brief, yet the impact on your life is profound.

For me, that person is Dr. Richard White. He was my father’s surgical oncologist from the late 1990s to the early 2000s. At the time, White was relatively new to Charlotte, recruited by Carolinas HealthCare System (now Atrium Health) for his expertise in the then-emerging field of immunotherapy. My dad was battling metastatic kidney cancer, and Dr. White’s innovative trials offered us hope. But it wasn’t just his medical skills that touched my family — it was Richard White, the man, that meant the most. Turns out, we aren’t alone.

“Nobody was interested in immunotherapy in the beginning,” White tells me over lunch at Reid’s Fine Foods SouthPark. It’s rare for White to take time for a meal in the middle of the day. “In the last 10 years, it has taken off,” he continues between bites of his Cobb salad. “It’s changed the entire landscape of cancer care in ways we never imagined. Now, immune-based therapies are widespread throughout the cancer field.”

White’s career has also changed considerably in his 30 years at Atrium Health. He is now the chief of surgical oncology, an endowed professor of surgery, and co-director of the Barbara Levine Breast Center and the Cutaneous Malignancy Program at Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute. And that’s just scratching the surface of his exhaustive list of responsibilities.

While we’ve run into each other once or twice in the 22 years since my father passed away, we’ve never had the opportunity to catch up properly. It feels like just yesterday that he and

my dad were playfully sparring over something between discussions about his treatment. White has a talent for that — making each patient feel special.

“One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is that it’s relationships that matter most. That’s why I chose to become a cancer surgeon,” he explains. “I get to know people in one of the most important times in their lives, and it’s an absolute honor and privilege to share those experiences with them.”

THE HUMAN TOUCH

White’s credentials are impressive. He earned his medical degree from Columbia University and completed his residency at Georgetown University before pursuing a fellowship in surgical oncology and immunotherapy at the

National Cancer Institute. He’s served on numerous boards and received countless awards, including the American Cancer Society’s St. George National Award for his contributions to combating cancer.

While patients often come to White for his surgical prowess, many are equally moved by his bedside manner. Kind and considerate, he takes a genuine interest in each patient as an individual, not just a case. Often described as a “masterful listener,” White ensures that all his patients’ questions are answered — he calls them personally if he senses they need reassurance.

“I always make it a point to be there when the patient is being put under anesthesia, and in certain circumstances, I will hold their hand,” he says. “When you are lying there and staring at the ceiling, it’s one of the most terrifying moments of your life. I remind my residents and students that what we do in those four walls is one of the most sacred things that can happen between humans. We’re about to change this person’s life forever. That is an incredible gift that should never be taken for granted.”

A rarity among surgeons, White has the uncanny ability to clearly explain complex issues even in the most unsettling circumstances while instilling confidence and optimism in his patients.

“It’s critically important to break that tension and to relate to people. Humor does a lot of that,” he says. “It turns the temperature down in the room and humanizes everybody.”

Humor also provides comfort during uneasy times. White has a routine riff he shares with patients just as they are about to undergo a procedure under local anesthesia. “There is lots of numbing medicine with a needle followed by a scalpel,” he says. “No one wants surprises then, so I like to start by saying that there will be no surprises here. As far as I can tell, there are only three good surprises. If you can name another one, we’ll add it. The list consists of an unanticipated tax refund, the sex of a child at birth and a hole-in-one.”

Top left: Cobb salad with romaine lettuce, bacon, hardboiled eggs, tomatoes, blue cheese, avocado and buttermilk ranch. Top right: Turkey bacon avocado sandwich with cheddar, lettuce, tomato and roasted garlic aioli on baguette.

CALLED TO ONCOLOGY

Growing up in Tenafly, New Jersey, White was inspired to pursue surgical oncology by his parents’ battles with cancer. His father was an attending surgeon at Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons before he died of metastatic melanoma when White was only 5 years old. His mother, who raised him along with his younger brother and sister as a single parent, was diagnosed with breast cancer at 47.

“I think about my parents all the time. I don’t remember much about my dad, but from what I have read and what his friends have told me, he had a good sense of humor. So did my mom,” White recalls. “My mother worked a lot, but she was incredibly generous. It was important to her that we received the best education possible and aspired to achieve our goals.”

He inherited their strong work ethic and was focused on his future from the time he was a young boy. His mom made sure of it.

“Every morning after waking up, my mom would ask, ‘What’s the plan for today?’” he tells me with a big grin.

His current plans include continuing to lead his division as the Richard L. White, Jr., MD Distinguished Chair in Surgical Oncology at Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute. It was established in 2019 through a $1 million anonymous gift from one of his grateful patient families. The donors have since doubled their contribution, and White recently had the opportunity to meet and thank them personally.

“I had no idea who it was from. They didn’t expect anything in return. They just wanted to help make a difference,” he explains. “It’s enabled us to expand our innovative research, educational opportunities and special projects that may lead to new therapies.”

Immunotherapy trials have increased significantly during White’s tenure at Atrium Health. That’s led to improved survival rates, White says.

“When I first started, most patients assumed they were going to die. Now, we have options for the vast majority of individuals,” he says optimistically. “In the 1960s, the five-year survival rate for most cancers was about 40%; today, it’s well over 70%. This is a remarkable shift, and immunotherapy has played a significant role, especially for diseases that are resistant to chemotherapy.”

This year, White begins a new professional chapter as he focuses on the growth of the cancer program throughout the combined Atrium Health/Advocate Aurora Health system. The groups merged in 2022 to form Advocate Health, the fifth-largest nonprofit health system in the United States. Headquartered in Charlotte, the combined organization operates in six states: Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Wisconsin and the

Carolinas. Wake Forest University School of Medicine is the academic core of the new system.

“We are extremely fortunate. With our new relationship with Wake Forest, we’re adding a layer of basic science research and medical school education that puts us in a terrific position for the future,” White says. “There are very few reasons one would ever need to leave Charlotte for healthcare. That’s transformational for our community.”

A REMARKABLE ADVENTURE

“I didn’t know where Charlotte was when I was recruited in the mid-1990s,” White admits, sheepishly. Three decades later, he can’t imagine living or working anywhere else and considers his time in Charlotte a “remarkable adventure.”

“When I first got here, we were trying to build a comprehensive cancer program. We’re now part of a National Cancer Institute-approved cancer program and one of the largest breast cancer care programs in the United States,” he says. “I took a chance, and it turned out to be the best decision I could have ever made because it has allowed me to teach, conduct research and provide clinical care in ways I couldn’t have done anywhere else.”

Through the years, White has received plenty of plush offers to take on leadership roles elsewhere but says he’s never given it a second thought.

“Gene Woods, the president and CEO of Atrium Health, asked me a few years ago why I’ve stayed. I told him it’s because of our mission for all,” White says. He pauses to reflect and then continues emphatically, “Unquestionably, we take care of everyone. That commitment isn’t found everywhere in the country.

“What’s the saying: Do something you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life? I love what I’m doing. It is an absolute blessing and gift to intersect with people’s lives and help them through cancer. I hope to continue doing this for as long as my wife and boss will allow me.” SP

WATCH: Want to know what White believes is the toughest part of his job? Scan the QR code to learn more.

TAKE FIVE

Music in the OR: I always tell the circulating nurse, CRNA and scrub tech to choose the music, as long as it isn’t heavy metal. We listen to a fair amount of country music.

Any bad habits you can’t seem to break? Working. A couple of years ago, my wife said, “You’ve been working 80-hour weeks since we met. Do you think you can dial that back now?” So now, I work about 60-65 hours a week. In the last couple of years, I have focused much more on spending time with my family and relaxing on weekends.

Favorite food: Anything sweet! I eat my meals just to have dessert afterward. My wife makes mind-blowing chocolate cakes.

Time off: My wife and I love to travel and see how other people live. This summer, we’re going to the Canadian Rockies. We’ve also been discussing a trip that starts in Anchorage, goes around the Aleutians, enters the Bering Strait and ends up in Nome. It would be an opportunity to experience Alaska, complete with zodiacs, microscopes and scientific discussions about ice flows.

Something about you that would surprise people: I’m considered a world expert on French fries. I taste-test French fries from all over the world. So far, the best ones I’ve had were in New Zealand and Australia; they were made with fresh oil, super crispy and served piping hot. Café Monte in SouthPark also makes fantastic “string” variety fries.

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Antonelli and Peyton combined designer elements like a Thibaut butterfly-themed wallpaper with an IKEA pendant for a mix of high and low. The hanging chair is from Anthropologie.

ALL THINGS GIRLY

The designers of Pep and Palm create fun, feminine spaces for their youngest clients — on an expedited timeline. by

Cathy Martin

W

hen these homeowners found out they were relocating from Kansas City to the Queen City, they wanted their two daughters’ rooms to be move-in ready the day they arrived.

Less than three months before the move, the couple reached out to Britni Antonelli and Kelsey Peyton, the Charlotte interior-design duo that goes by Pep and Palm. The newly built home in Mammoth Oaks offered a blank slate for Antonelli and Peyton, who were tasked with designing the girls’ bedrooms, ensuite bathrooms and walk-in closets.

“We started by interviewing the girls and understanding what colors and things

A closet workspace is brightened with wallpaper by Thibaut.The desk chair is from RH Home.

Above a dresser from PB Teen, a mirror from Stray Dog Designs is flanked by lamps by Old World Designs.

 A Coley Home bed, with pillows by Furbish Studio. Teal lamps by Couture Lamps sit atop nightstands from West Elm.

Real quality beach time.

Spend a little more time enjoying the beach with the ones you love and a little less time fighting for your spot in the sand at North Carolina’s uncrowded coast.

they liked,” Peyton says. (On the list: “glitter, glam and all things girly,” among others.)

The clients wanted to ensure that each of the rooms were tailored to the girls’ individual personalities. “The parents were not that involved, so it is truly a reflection of the girls’ taste,” Peyton says.

Next, the designers provided wallpaper and paint samples and let the girls choose the basis for the design.

“We kept all selections youthful, fun and functional,” the designer says. “We also carefully selected only items that would be available to ship ASAP, as we had to meet a very tight timeline.”

The designers mixed quality pieces that can stand the test of time with more budget-friendly accessories that can be replaced as the girls’ tastes evolve. “Investment pieces automatically elevate budget finds when carefully curated in a space,” Peyton notes.

The result is a personalized, put-together design that can carry the girls through middle school. SP

 The designers used wallpaper throughout the girls’ rooms. “It is such an easy way to add color, youthfulness and a sense of play to an area,” Peyton says. The tulip wallpaper is by Schumacher. The rattan headboard from IKEA adds texture. Pillows are by Furbish Studio, and the lamps are Regina Andrew.

 The lacquered desk is from Anthropologie; the gold chairs are from Elk Home. A fun fringed lamp was sourced from Target.

 In the closet, a heart-print wallpaper by Schumacher with art by Windy O’Connor

CROWN CARE

Now trending: Head spas in Charlotte offer top-notch scalp treatments for relief and relaxation. by

Krisha Chachra

One of the top-trending wellness treatments starts with caring for your head. The ancient Asian practice of scalp massages and head spas, recently popularized in the West largely through TikTok and Instagram, has spawned new facilities across the country — and Charlotte is no exception.

Sometimes referred to as a facial for your hair, scalp massages have been used in Japan for centuries to balance the body’s energy by stimulating blood flow from the head. In India, Himalayans over 3,000 years ago used scalp massages as part of their Ayurvedic medicine system to connect the mind and body. Massaging the head and scalp is said to not only de-stress the body but also strengthen hair — and deepen connections between family members who groomed each other.

“We believe there is a strong connection between people through human touch,” says Anna Pham, owner of Passion Head Co. based in University City. “You can feel the good energy translate from our hands to the pressure points on your head that can relieve stress.”

Kecia Purser, owner of year-old The Head Spa Sanctuary in Steele Creek, recently leased the Samuel Younts House in downtown Pineville to expand her services. This 5,000-square-foot historic home built in 1873 will allow the sanctuary to offer larger group experiences.

rituals that combine deep-cleansing techniques with soothing massage practices. Before treatment begins, a specialist takes close-up photos of your hair follicles and scalp. Following an analysis, a treatment plan using plant-based exfoliants and organic hair products is determined.

“You can see a huge difference from the before and after pictures, where the scalp goes from red and flaky to almost translucent and glossy,” says Michelle Miranda, a head spa specialist. “We like to say that a scalp treatment is like tending the soil to grow a healthy garden — in this case, the garden is your hair.”

The Head Spa Sanctuary has 60-, 90- and 120-minute treatments, with the latter including a mini-facial and the use of jade tools in the scalp massage. All treatments include mist therapy, a Japanese onsen eye mask and time under a soothing waterfall head bath. Guests can enhance their experience with Champagne, tea or fruit.

In the new location, The Sanctuary will add locker rooms and cozy robes along with a massage room with four zero-gravity chairs. They’ll also introduce a new luxury offering — a multi-handed treatment where up to five specialists work on your face, each arm and foot at the same time.

PASSION HAIR CO.

Several head spas in the area distinguish themselves by offering various services, add-ons, tools and techniques. Here are a few to consider.

THE HEAD SPA SANCTUARY

With its new Pineville location slated to open in March 2025, The Head Spa Sanctuary has an air of luxury and comfort. It’s also the only head spa in Charlotte certified in Japanese Yume

Passion Hair Co. founder Pham remembers her mother and grandmother in Vietnam using head massage techniques to address pain.

“These methods were passed down from generation to generation, and now I feel I am called to help share this experience with my community in Charlotte,” she says.

Passion Hair is a true passion project for Pham. She and her team are licensed cosmetologists but wanted to expand their services to include authentic Vietnamese head spa treatments.

“We had clients come in suffering from migraines and headaches, and when we massaged their scalp using techniques I learned in Asia, the tension was released and they would cry out loud in relief,” she explains. “I just knew I wanted to share this relaxation experience with everyone.”

Starting with one treatment table in 2021, Passion Hair has since expanded to five beds. After a five-minute consultation, customers choose from a 60-, 70- or 90-minute service that includes hair washing; scalp, neck and shoulder massages; and mini-facials. Add-ons include extra massage time, a lymphatic facial or a blowout to finish the experience.

“The technician really scrubbed the scalp and used every minute massaging with care using the strength of her fingers,” says client Nithya Joseph. “It reminded me of the authentic head massages we’d get in India — plus the beds were so comfortable.”

Pham believes the passion her team has for the process results in healthier benefits for her clients. “People report that they have the best sleep after a head spa service and lymphatic facial with us,” she says. “Better sleep leads to better health.” SP

OTHER QUEEN CITY HEAD SPAS

SAGE HEAD SPA

With a single massage bed, Sage Head Spa offers an intimate, personalized experience inside Salon LoftsSouthPark. The room is cozy and warm, with a faux fireplace and heated bed. Treatments by esthetician Brianna Gibbs range from an hour to 75 minutes. One option includes a luxurious oxygen mask that softens and hydrates the face. Another offers a jelly mask with LED blue or red-light therapy to address acne, wrinkles, aches and pains. Add-ons include dermaplaning, hot stones, paraffin hand treatments and deep conditioning. Gibbs uses peppermint oil with a cool towel producing an “icy-hot” feeling to relax muscles or ease pain.

HEAD SPA CHALET

Family-owned Head Spa Chalet is located at Salons by JC-Providence Commons. Focusing on deep cleaning using high-end shampoo and conditioning oil, treatments range from 60 to 90 minutes and can be experienced solo or as a couple. A scalp scrub and massage are included in the 90-minute service, and an optional hair analysis is available 30 minutes prior to service.

The local practice with statewide honors.

Once again, Tryon Medical Partners is proud to have been recognized by our peers among North Carolina’s Top Doctors, in every specialty area. When a practice is built on creating stronger relationships, it means every patient can enjoy the benefits of personalized attention and award-winning care.

Dr. Daniel Aquino Dr. Anne Barnard Dr. Francisco Bautista Vitiello

Allen Brantley

Jason Carnes

Dr. Kym Furney

Dr. Alicia Cole Dr. Jacob Coleman Dr. Peter Copsis

Dr. Meredith Dasher

Dr. Charles Ferree

Dr. Erin Stone Dr. Ehrlich Tan Dr. John Tenini

Dr. Charles Upchurch Dr. Julianne Weidner Dr. Caroline Wilds Dr. Jill Zouzoulas

Dr. Jennie Hauschka

Dr. Erin Hodges Dr. Kent Holtzmuller

Dr. Caroline Pierce

Dr. Alison Johnson

Dr. Tina Kennelly Dr. Eric Landis Dr. Adam Ligler

Dr. Patricia Roddey Dr. Gary Rolband Dr. Ryan Shelton

Dr. Scott Smith

Dr. Michael McCartney

Dr. Justin Miller Dr. Dale Owen, Jr.

Dr. Christopher Ferris

Dr. Laura McGirt

Dr. Martie (Jewell) Price

NEW HEIGHTS

SouthPark’s tallest office buildings get a glow-up.

by Cathy Martin

Chances are, you’ve driven past the twin Towers at SouthPark on Fairview Road a zillion times without giving them a second thought.

The office campus — SouthPark’s tallest at 13 and 14 stories high — made headlines last summer when Bobby’s Burgers by Bobby Flay, a new restaurant from the celebrated chef and TV personality, opened there. Located in the former Zoe’s Kitchen space, the fast-casual spot consistently draws a brisk lunch crowd.

But Bobby’s Burgers isn’t the only thing new at Towers at SouthPark. Just weeks after the restaurant’s soft opening in July, the building unveiled the completion of a two-year, $20 million facelift — the first major renovation since the towers opened in 1998 — that goes well beyond the restaurant known for its signature Crunchburgers and milkshakes.

Visitors might forget they’re in SouthPark upon entering the renovated towers. Dated entrances have been replaced with streamlined, modern facades. Former dark granite

lobbies are now bright and airy, with modern globe pendant lighting. A long-vacant office space has been converted into a 4,000-square-foot tenant lounge with a coffee bar, a conference room for 30+ and a smaller boardroom. An on-site fitness center was completely overhauled and doubled in size.

The renovations came after Detroit-based Crestlight Capital acquired the property from CalSTRS, the California State Teachers Retirement System, in 2022 for $192.5 million. Crestlight also rebranded the campus, which was formerly known as SouthPark Towers.

“Everything worked great, but she just needed a new modern look,” says CBRE’s Stephanie Spivey, who handles leasing for the Towers at SouthPark along with Joe Franco and Kris Westmoreland. Spivey was heavily involved with the renovation project, working alongside Redline Design Group and Barringer Construction.

The design team sought a California modern aesthetic with lighter wood tones and subtle pops of texture and color — not

too sterile, yet not too bold, according to Spivey.

“We didn’t want anything too loud because we’re not South End,” Spivey says. “You don’t want to scare away the more traditional user. But then again, you want to appeal to the younger generation as well that can walk in and be proud of where they work. It’s not your grandfather’s office building.”

One of the newest tenants is Oakworth Capital Bank, a Birmingham, Alabama-based bank that opened its Central Carolinas office in the Queen City in late 2023. SouthPark was a no-brainer for the bank’s first North Carolina location.

“Having been in banking in this market for 37 years, SouthPark, behind downtown, is what I’d call the financial hub of the city,” says Oakworth’s Tim Beck. As the bank’s Central Carolinas market leader, Beck is responsible for brand-building in the new location. The Greensboro native’s resume includes stints at Bank of America, SouthTrust Bank, BB&T, First Horizon Bank and Aquesta Bank.

As a “boutique” bank with a defined audience, Beck says many of their clients either live or do business in the SouthPark area. He also lauds efforts by SouthPark Community Partners to increase visibility in the neighborhood, noting the recent rollout of the free Skipper ridesharing service and The Loop, a pedestrian-friendly 3-mile urban trail.

Bobby’s Burgers opened at Towers at SouthPark in July

Middle: Previously dark granite lobbies were updated with a lighter, brighter aesthetic. Below: A new tenant lounge with a “California modern” aesthetic.

Once completed, The Loop will connect the district with a circular path that’s distinct from linear urban trails like South End’s Rail Trail. Towers at SouthPark is directly adjacent to The Loop.

“With the things SouthPark Community Partners is doing to bring connectivity to the market, SouthPark just felt right for us,” Beck says.

With some office buildings in the area beginning to show their age, the proposed renovations at Towers at SouthPark sparked interest after Beck viewed project renderings. Oakworth’s prototypical office is light, bright and modern, Beck says, and the updated building design transitions well with the bank’s first-floor location. Accessibility and amenities such as covered and surface parking, the fitness center, and common areas were also factors.

“It’s those little things that do matter to associates,” Beck adds.

Bobby’s Burgers opened its corporate office off Rexford Road in SouthPark about three years ago. “When we have franchisees enter our brand, they visit the SouthPark restaurant for training,” says Anne Pritz, chief marketing officer at Bobby’s Burgers. Franchisees and managers spend several days at the restaurant to learn recipes and how to operate according to brand standards.

“When selecting our flagship location, the Towers at SouthPark offered the ideal backdrop to serve both office tenants and community members, situated in the heart of Charlotte’s most prestigious office and shopping district,” says Dan Beem, chairman of Bobby’s Burgers. “SouthPark has proven to be the perfect home for Bobby’s Burgers by Bobby Flay’s headquarters and flagship restaurant.”

Following the successful debut of Bobby’s Burgers, the Towers are looking to add more restaurant tenants. The former 6100 Café, a no-frills breakfast and lunch spot, shuttered last year after the couple who ran it retired. The building’s owners hope to replace it with a coffee vendor that’s “a little more modern and hip,” Spivey says. They’re also hoping to land another restaurant to fill a former ground-level office space near Bobby’s Burgers.

It’s all part of what Spivey refers to as an “amenities arms race.”

“While folks are pushing return-to-office, many employers are looking for best-in-class amenities, and I think that is a package that we have well delivered at the Towers at SouthPark,” Spivey says. SP

Top photo: Entrances and plazas were updated with a clean, modern look. Middle and below: Oakworth Capital Bank is one of the newest tenants at Towers at SouthPark.

MONEY TALK

Whether building a nest egg or whittling down debt, diving into our personal finances can feel downright daunting. Here’s how one financial coach in Charlotte says we can manage our money better in 2025.

by Sharon Smith

Bernadette Joy is comfortable talking about something most of us are not: money. Beyond financial expertise, her friendly, encouraging approach makes a challenging topic easier to tackle.

“I still talk about investing. I still talk about emergency funds,” Joy says, pointing to the importance of tried-and-true financial practices. “But I want to frame it in a way to make it more palatable for people to at least give it a shot.”

As a contributing expert to Forbes, CNET and CNBC, Joy has grown a national brand centered around no-shame, realistic financial advice. She moved to Charlotte more than a decade ago and built a business coaching a diverse clientele ranging from high-earners to those climbing out of debt. Her new book, CRUSH Your Money Goals, shares smart money habits in a conversational style that feels like she’s right there coaching you in person.

The book starts with Joy explaining how she paid off $300,000 in debt over three years and leans into her experience as a first-generation Filipina American. There’s empathy, humor and yes, real-life strategy. CRUSH is an acronym for her financial freedom plan.

“Especially for the new year, my advice for people is start with ‘C,’” she says. “C” stands for “curate your accounts.” Joy says organizing and streamlining your accounts will create an uncluttered view of your finances. “People need to visibly, tangibly see what they have,” Joy says, so they can have an accurate picture of their net worth. One app she recommends to manage everything in one place is Monarch Money.

As part of curating, Joy suggests giving every account a meaningful name and distinct purpose. This can be creative. One client named a retirement account “Sippin’ Pina Coladas” to be fun and motivational. Naming an account also helps identify duplicates — saving time and fees. Then, prioritize. Joy says 20% of your money should be directed toward accounts that will produce the most gain.

While Joy could talk about money all day, she wants her clients to talk about finances with the people who matter most. She knows it’s tough to initiate discussions about the transfer of wealth between parents and children, expectations and wishes. “I’m just 39 years old, but in doing that estate plan for myself, it really informed me on what kind of questions to ask my parents.” SP

Joy has several speaking engagements and seminars on the calendar in 2025. Learn more at crushyourmoneygoals.com

Joy is pictured with loved ones after receiving her MBA from UNC Chapel Hill in 2016.

FIRST LOOK:

ALBERTINE

Passion and precision shape Joe and Katy Kindred’s uptown Mediterranean jewel. by Michael J. Solender | photographs by Justin Driscoll and courtesy Albertine

There’s a fire in the kitchen when I arrive at Albertine, uptown’s polished and popular new Mediterranean fine-dining venue helmed by Joe and Katy Kindred.

It turns out there is a fire in the kitchen every night here. A peek behind the pass into the open kitchen yields views of flames lashing upward toward meats, fish, vegetables — even babkas (more on that later). Open-fire cooking is one of the many features the Kindreds are excited to bring to Center City in their new restaurant.

Albertine is the fourth concept and sixth eatery for the Davidson-based culinary power couple. Their eponymous Kindred, the wildly successful Davidson neighborhood haunt, debuted 10 years ago. Hello, Sailor in Cornelius, a nod to Carolina fish camps, followed in 2017. Next came Milkbread, a casual café with three locations — including one adjacent to Albertine.

ONLY ONE KINDRED

Success begets success in the hospitality business, and the Kindreds’ foray into uptown’s fine-dining scene is a result of being recruited directly by Duke Energy to anchor its new headquarters building. The power company initially approached the couple in 2022 about opening an outpost of their flagship Davidson restaurant in the new space, Katy Kindred explains.

“Conceptually, there’s only going to be one Kindred, ever,” Katy says. “It’s the mothership, designed to tell our evolving story as a couple, and as chef (Joe) and sommelier and front-of-house manager (Katy). That will continue as we do more projects and stretch ourselves creatively.”

Instead, they created Albertine — the name is an homage to Queen Charlotte’s mother — specifically for the uptown location and the guests they expect to serve there.

Thoughtful design features add up and make a bold statement, signaling to diners they are in for an elegant affair. Upon entry, there’s the striking herringbone wood floor and emerald green, marble-backed bar drawing guests toward the adjacent dining room. Moss-green upholstered chairs and tufted banquettes ring well-spaced tables, and the room glows warm with a coffee-, cream- and earth-toned palette. Soaring ceilings hide specially designed acoustic elements that absorb rather than reflect sound, so diners don’t have to shout to be heard.

A BROAD SPECTRUM OF FLAVORS

While many diners equate Mediterranean cuisine with Italian and Greek influences, chef Joe and chef de cuisine Mark Machanic bring the entire basin into play with spice blends, tech-

niques and flavor profiles from northern African nations as well. Moroccan, Libyan and even Yemeni flair is found on this ambitious menu alongside Italian, Turkish and Greek flavors — all integrated with the Carolinas’ finest produce, proteins and seafood.

“One of the things that separates the food at Albertine versus Kindred and our other concepts is I get to cook with live fire for the first time in years,” Joe says. “There are so many different flavors that I can draw from.”

Still, Kindred is a southern chef at heart, and this orientation shines throughout. Diners find touches like the Duke’s mayonnaise he blends with charred tuna bits in a velvety taramasalata. His razor clams with Pedro Ximinez vinegar make use of pot liquor left over from cooking dried beans or greens. The menu may stretch across continents, but it remains rooted in the South.

Rock crab with creme fraiche and persimmon

FROM CHILLED TO GRILLED

Six sections comprise the main menu, beginning with chilled seafood — a favorite of the Kindreds. Poached Georgia deep-water shrimp are accompanied by a sharp and creamy black mustard toum, a Lebanese-style, garlic-forward aioli that’s chef Joe’s Mediterranean riff on southern cocktail sauce.

A baker’s dozen meze dishes tempt diners with small snacks, dips and spreads that are great as stand-alone bar food or a mixand-match first course. The chilled, colorful crudités are accompanied by crazy-addictive sourdough man’oushe flatbread. Charred on the wood-fired grill, these crispy, flattened rounds are dusted with a confetti of pungent spices (think: a Middle Eastern everything bagel vibe) that lends a savory back note for the spreads and dips.

Our selection included the herbaceous green schug — a Yemeni harissa-like spread with cilantro, seeded jalapeno and coriander — along with Turkish white anchovies and black-eyed pea hummus. Whipped feta with sumac and extra virgin Greek olive oil is simple, cool and tangy — a nice complement to the spicier fare. Zaalouk, a smoky Moroccan eggplant and tomato spread, is a cross between baba ganoush and a pesto, served with cool carrots and crisp cauliflower for dipping. One heartier meze is the chorizo-stuffed medjool date served with a peanut muhammara (a spicy sauce of blended peanuts and Aleppo peppers) and flecks of country ham — it combines savory, salty and spicy in each bite.

The grill section of the menu extends from hanger steak to

a short rib to a game-bird mixed grill. With a healthy coating of green tahini, a meaty grilled halibut crisps up nicely on the outside while remaining moist and flaky on the inside.

DRINKS AND SWEETS

Spicy food requires soothing libations. Wine director Danny Ike fixed me up with a spirit-free Fleur Monsieur — pineapple and lime juices, orgeat, and ginger beer that tamed the heat and was both piquant and sweet. Ike and Katy Kindred, who is a trained sommelier, have developed a sophisticated beverage program with cocktails, mocktails and a wine list that includes Italian and Iberian labels with accessible price points and a deep wine-by-the-glass program.

Then there is the babka — chocolate, milkbread babka — grilled on the hearth and served with a date-caramel sauce, Nutella, amontillado sherry and labneh ice cream. Soft, crispy, smoky and creamy, it will challenge any dessert in Charlotte to a duel — and win.

Albertine is a fun restaurant for people-watching — there is clearly a lot of energy in the room. There’s a highly choreographed orchestra at work here, from the hosts who greet and seat guests and the aquamarine tunic-wearing servers to the kitchen team and, of course, Katy and Joe.

It’s a restaurant the city deserves. SP

Albertine is located at 525 S. Tryon St., Suite 125, on the first floor of Duke Energy Plaza. albertinerestaurant.com

Chocolate milkbread babka with a date-caramel sauce

Crispy pickle-brined hot quail

BECKY MCGRATH TEAM

LEIGH C. CORSO

LUCY BUTLER GROUP

CHRISTIE HANSEN

THE HUNEYCUTT TEAM

CHIP JETTON

HEATHER MONTGOMERY

KALIE KOIVISTO

LINDA HENLEY

SARA ROCHE TEAM

LINDSAY REDFERN

CINDI HASTINGS TEAM

TREY SULLIVAN

LISA WARREN

HEATHER WOLKING

TUCK TEAM

LISA RUPP

PERUVIAN ROOTS, QUEEN CITY CHARM

Family-owned Sumaq Coffee on South Boulevard is a not-so-hidden gem.

by Caroline Lubinsky

Sumaq, the Quechua word for the beautiful fulfillment of life, sums up the light-filled coffee shop on South Boulevard that goes by the same name. Walking inside, you’re greeted by the steady hum of guests chattering, rattan seating, plenty of plants and a coffee menu spelled out on a letter board. There’s a food menu, too, if you’re in the mood for a pastry or sandwich.

The design is bright and airy, and that’s exactly what owner Alicia Amparo Silinski envisioned when Sumaq opened its doors three years ago.

“It’s simplicity,” explains Silinski, a Peru native who runs the coffee shop with other family members. “From the beginning, we wanted to have a clean and open space that portrays our childhood home without having to overload it with decorations. We wanted to create an environment in which our coffee, drinks and food are the main protagonists.”

And their food and drink certainly are the main characters. I’m partial to their iced vanilla latte (I come in so often, the staff knows my name and order) and the cheesy Sumaq waffle, with a tangy guava sauce for dipping.

Besides a healthy slate of coffees including cappuccinos, pour overs and cold brews, Sumaq also offers matcha, lemonade, tea and chicha morada: The native Peruvian drink made of purple corn, fragrant spices and fruit is another homage to Silinski’s home country.

If you’re a first-timer, the owners recommend trying the bestselling Sumaq Latte, made with a not-too-sweet homemade brown-sugar simple syrup and cinnamon. From the food menu, the Wasi (which means “house” in Quechua) sandwich is a good bet: bacon, chicken, caramelized pineapple, melty cheese and a pepper sauce on toasted bread.

Silinski came to the United States in the early 2000s to start a new life after hearing family members speak about better opportunities in America.

“The idea of Sumaq was born when years ago I noticed that there was no place to have a peaceful meeting in the area,” she explains. “Once I was able to develop this project, I also wanted to portray a piece of my childhood home in the design, incorporating touches of my culture in the menu, which is why many of our items have Quechua names.”

Silinski created Sumaq to be a space where people from all walks of life can gather for a business meeting or a casual meetup with friends. As a remote worker, I often find myself drawn to Sumaq’s comforting environment multiple afternoons a week. Local celebs have been known to frequent the shop, like Charlotte FC forward Kerwin Vargas, with his family in tow.

So, what’s ahead for Sumaq? Silinski doesn’t rule out expansion, but she and her family aren’t imminently focused on it. Instead, they want to be purposeful about next steps — and how the shop can have an impact on their native Peru.

TIFFANY REEDS BLUE FINK’S DAVID

“We’re in the process of involving ourselves more deeply with native communities in Peru,” Silinski says. “We want to offer a window of growth and exposure to Peruvian local coffee production and bring it to the tables of Sumaq.” SP

Sumaq Coffee is located at 6259 South Blvd. sumaqcoffeeclt.com

TIFFANY & CO.

REEDS JEWELERS

BLUE NILE

FINK’S JEWELERS

TIFFANY & CO. REEDS JEWELERS

BLUE NILE

DAVID YURMAN

FINK’S JEWELERS

DAVID YURMAN

shop + spa

Framebridge opened two Charlotte stores, in Myers Park at 2839 Selwyn Ave. and in South End at 1930 Camden Rd., Ste. 100. Framebridge launched in 2014 as a stylish, online alternative to pricey custom frame shops and now has 31 U.S. stores.  Ann and Sid Mashburn will open this year at Specialty Shops SouthPark. Sid, a former designer for J.Crew, Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger, and Ann, a former fashion editor at Conde Nast and J.Crew stylist, opened the first Sid Mashburn menswear store in Atlanta in 2007. Ann Mashburn’s womenswear followed in 2010. The stores feature casual to formal styles with timeless silhouettes.  BRITTO, a store selling home goods, apparel and collectibles inspired by the art of Romero Britto, opened at SouthPark (learn more on page 128).  Mood House owner Cristina Wilson acquired Toccare, the Dilworth day spa founded by Caci Di Russo in 2013. Di Russo remains on the staff as an esthetician, and the spa’s services remain unchanged.

eat + drink

Rooster’s Wood-fired Kitchen opened its fourth North Carolina location at the Bowl at Ballantyne. The restaurant, which highlights regionally sourced ingredients prepared with French techniques, unveiled a new outdoors-inspired interior design with lighter wood tones, tall ceilings and plenty of natural light. The first Rooster’s opened in Winston-Salem in 1992 as Noble’s Grille.  Salata Salad Kitchen opened at Apex SouthPark. The fast-casual restaurant offers built-to-order salads and wraps.  Napa Bistro & Wine Bar, from the same restaurant group as Napa on Providence, opened at Stonecrest.  Mere’s gourmet shop in Dilworth closed at the end of December.  Wentworth & Fenn closed its Camp North End bakery.

Rooster’s Wood-fired Kitchen

Rooster’s Wood-fired Kitchen

Ann and Sid Mashburn

January HAPPENINGS

Women of Land and Smoke: Photographs by Graciela Iturbide and Maya Goded through Aug. 10

This exhibition at Mint Museum Randolph features more than 50 photographs by the Mexico City-born artists who have been professional colleagues for more than 35 years. Their works are primarily focused on women from indigenous communities from Los Angeles to Chile. mintmuseum.org

Duke’s Mayo Bowl

Jan. 3

It’s the Virginia Tech Hokies versus the Minnesota Golden Gophers in this 23rd annual college bowl game at Bank of America Stadium. Tickets start around $70. charlottesports.org

Twelfth Night at Charlotte Museum of History

Jan. 4 | 6-9

p.m.

Enjoy local spirits at this annual party featuring live music, moonshine-making demos and cooking demos in the museum’s newly restored log kitchen. This event is for ages 21 and up. Tickets are $40; museum member tickets are $30. charlottemuseum.org

Hamilton

Jan. 7-Feb. 2

The acclaimed Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda returns to Charlotte, and tickets are going fast. Hamilton follows the rise of founding father Alexander Hamilton as he fights for honor, love and a legacy that would shape the course of a nation. It’s all set to a score that blends hip-hop, jazz, R&B and Broadway. Tickets start at $49.50. blumenthalarts.org

Queen’s Feast: Charlotte Restaurant Week

Jan. 17-26

During this semi-annual promotion, restaurants across the 11-county Charlotte region offer prix-fixe menus at special discounted rates. Visit charlotterestaurantweek.com to view menus and participating restaurants.

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey presents the Greatest Show on Earth

Jan. 17-19

Yes, the highwire and trapeze acts are still

part of the show, but this modernized production also features new acts by acrobats, aerialists and BMX riders. Tickets start at $20. Spectrum Center. ticketmaster.com

Science on the Rocks

Jan. 17

This adults-only evening of science and socializing takes you inside Discovery Place Science for an after-hours museum experience, with a cocktail in tow. General admission tickets are $22 and must be purchased in advance. discoveryplace.org

Kevin Hart: Acting My Age

Jan. 17-19

The comedian and actor seems to be everywhere and added more shows to his Charlotte stop to meet demand. This year, Hart received the Kennedy Center’s annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Ovens Auditorium. ticketmaster.com

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Parade

Jan. 18 | 9:30 a.m.

A Charlotte tradition, this year the parade will march down Tryon Street beginning at Ninth Street and end at Brooklyn Village Avenue. More than 100 community groups, marching bands, and step and drill teams will participate. charlottenc.gov

Randy Travis: More Life Tour

Jan. 23 | 7:30 p.m.

The country singer, who suffered a life-changing stroke in 2013, will be joined by vocalist James Dupré, along with his

Twelfth Night at Charlotte Museum of History

longtime touring band. Expect to hear hits including “Forever and Ever, Amen” and “Three Wooden Crosses.” Ovens Auditorium. Tickets start at $30. ticketmaster.com

Vitamin Strings Quartet: The Music of Taylor Swift, Bridgerton and Beyond

Jan. 23

As heard in the Netflix smash, Bridgerton, VSQ presents classical crossover at its best with cutting-edge renditions of pop hits. Tickets start at $29. Sandra Levine Theatre at Queens University. etix.com

Black Notes Project

Jan. 24-25

This music festival with a jazz theme celebrates Black music through two evening concerts and a family-friendly show on Saturday afternoon featuring the Charlotte Symphony Youth Orchestra. Sainted Trap Choir and a jazz tribute to Prince are also part of the lineup. Ticket prices vary. blumenthalarts.org

Charlotte Hornets vs. Los Angeles Lakers

Jan. 27 | 7 p.m.

Expect extra buzz at this game as the Hornets host LeBron James and the Lakers for their second matchup in January. Ticket prices vary. ticketmaster.com SP

Scan the QR code on your mobile device to stay updated on events at southparkmagazine.com.

JANUARY BOOKS

Notable new releases compiled by Sally

Brewster

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix

They call them wayward girls. Loose girls. Girls who grew up too fast. And they’re sent to Wellwood House in St. Augustine, Florida, where unwed mothers are hidden by their families to have their babies in secret, to give them up for adoption, and — most important of all — to forget any of it ever happened. Fifteen-year-old Fern arrives at the home in the sweltering summer of 1970, pregnant, terrified and alone. Everything the girls eat, every moment of their waking day, and everything they’re allowed to talk about is strictly controlled by adults who claim they know what’s best for them. Then Fern meets a librarian who gives her an occult book about witchcraft, and power is in the hands of the girls for the first time in their lives. But power can destroy as easily as it creates, and it’s never given freely. There’s always a price to be paid … and it’s usually paid in blood.

Head Cases by John McMahon

FBI Agent Gardner Camden is an analytical genius with an affinity for puzzles. He also has a blind spot on the human side of investigations, a blindness that sometimes even includes people in his own life, like his beloved 7-year-old daughter Camila. Gardner and his squad of brilliant-yet-quirky agents make up the Patterns and Recognition (PAR) unit, brought in for cases that no one else can solve. When DNA links a murder victim to a serial killer long presumed dead, the team springs into action. A second victim establishes a pattern, and the murderer begins leaving a trail of clues and riddles especially for Gardner. And while the PAR team is usually relegated to working cold cases from behind a desk, the investigation puts them on the road and into the public eye, following in the footsteps of a killer. But with the perpetrator somehow learning more and more about the team at PAR, can they protect themselves and their families before it’s too late?

How to Sleep at Night by Elizabeth Harris

Meet Ethan and Gabe. A devoted couple for years, they have successful careers, an adorable daughter and a house in the New Jersey suburbs. Sure, they may have drifted to different ends of the political spectrum, but their marriage still has its spark. Then one night, Ethan makes an announcement: He wants to run for Congress as a Republican — but only if he has progressive Gabe’s blessing. For weeks, a slightly queasy Gabe struggles between supporting his husband and maintaining his own lefty ideals. In a nearby town, suburban mom Nicole wonders what happened to her younger self — living in

New York City, freely dating men and women, and on a path to a career in the art world. Nicole feels like an accessory in her husband’s life, like she’s given up on the goals she had for herself. Then an old flame — Ethan’s sister Kate — reenters her life unexpectedly. A political reporter at a major newspaper, Kate has reached the top of her profession. But the adrenaline rush of chasing a story has lost its thrill. When Nicole — the woman who broke her heart — slides into her DMs just as her brother starts his controversial congressional run, Kate’s life is thrown into a tailspin that threatens to derail the success she’s worked so hard to achieve.

Three Wild Dogs (and the truth): A Memoir by Markus Zusak

What happens when the Zusak family opens their home to three big, wild, street-hardened dogs — Reuben, more wolf than hound; Archer, blond, beautiful, destructive; and the rancorously smiling Frosty, who walks like a rolling thunderstorm? The answer can only be chaos: There are street fights, park fights, public shamings, property damages, injuries, hospital visits, wellness checks, pure comedy, shocking tragedy and carnage. There is a reckoning of shortcomings and failure, a strengthening of will, but most important of all, an explosion of love — and the joy and recognition of family.

The Lotus Shoes by Jane Yang

In 1800s China, tightly bound feet, or “golden lilies,” are the mark of an honorable woman, eclipsing beauty, a rich dowry and even bloodline in the marriage stakes. When Little Flower is sold as a maidservant — a muizai — to Linjing, a daughter of the prominent Fong family, she clings to the hope that one day her golden lilies will lead her out of slavery. Not only does Little Flower have bound feet, uncommon for a muizai, but she is extraordinarily gifted at embroidery, a skill associated with the highest class of a lady. Resentful of her talents, Linjing does everything in her power to thwart Little Flower’s escape. But when scandal strikes the Fongs, both women are cast out to the Celibate Sisterhood, where Little Flower’s artistic prowess catches the eye of a nobleman. His attention threatens not only her improved status, but her life — the Sisterhood punishes disobedience with death. And if Linjing finds out, will she sabotage Little Flower to reclaim her power, or will she protect her? SP

Sally Brewster is the proprietor of Park Road Books, 4139 Park Rd., parkroadbooks.com.

THE ISLAND BABY

A tale of the most perfect storm by

Jim Dodson

January is a special month in our family. That’s because three members of our scattered tribe are January babies. It could have been four if I hadn’t missed my due date by two days and wound up being a February groundhog.

My late father’s birthday is the 18th, and my mother’s the 24th. But our oldest child’s birthday on the 28th holds the true winter magic. Back in September 1990, as we lay in bed looking up at the stars through the skylight on our first night in our house on Bailey Island, my first wife, Alison, said quietly, “Let me have your hand.”

She placed it on her belly and, sure enough, for the first time ever, I felt something flutter, soft as a hummingbird.

“That’s him,” I whispered in awe.

“Or her,” she said.

Friends were concerned when we told them we planned to move to an island off the Maine coast for the winter while beginning construction of our house on the mainland.

In good weather, they pointed out, the hospital was a good 45-minute drive away — across two adjoining islands, over three narrow bridges and through three tiny villages. In bad winter weather, the trip had been known to take hours.

From Labor Day to June, only about 300 souls inhabited the durable rock island where we set up housekeeping in a fine cottage, which provided us with a 20-mile view of the coast. News spreads fast on a small island, and within days of our arrival we’d met the folks who ran the community store, the postmistress, several lobstermen and a

chatty gentleman named Bob, sort of the island’s de facto mayor and charge d’affaires of information and snowplowing.

“When the snow flies, the drifts can get pretty wicked out here,” he explained, and turned pale when we mentioned we were in the family way — due in early February. “I’m awfully glad you told me,” he said seriously. “We’ll keep an eye on you.”

A few days later, a lady at the store slipped me a scrap of paper with a phone number and said, “I heard about your situation. Call anytime if you need to — Herman’s got four-wheel drive.” Not long after that, one of the local lobstermen pulled me aside and said, “I’ve got a boat that’ll chew through anything. Just give a holler.”

Such nice folks, those island souls.

While we settled in to wait for the baby, they prepared for winter snow, fixing drafts, hooking up plows, topping up the woodpile and getting buckets of sand ready. I realized how much mariners loved the drama of winter storms. Hard weather makes good timber, as they say in the north country.

There was a dusting of snow two days before Christmas, followed by wind, arctic cold and nothing more. While the islanders scanned the skies for telltale flakes, we scanned a baby book for boy names. Everyone — I mean everyone — was certain we were going to have a boy, including yours truly.

“How about Herman,” I suggested.

Alison laughed. “You mean after the four-wheel guy?”

“More as in Melville, the great-white-whale guy.”

Given our location, I suggested other strong nautical names, including Noah, Davy Jones, Billy Budd and Horatio Hornblower — “Hank” for short. Alison merely smiled and shook her head.

As the winter deepened and the delivery day approached, only my wife and my dad believed the baby would be a girl. In the meantime, the islanders grew visibly tense from the absence of snow. Snowplows sat idle; the boys around the stove grumbled over their morning coffee at the community store.

It turned out, in fact, to be the unsnowiest winter on the island in a century. Just our luck. Poor islanders. By early January you could feel their desperation to push snow and fling sand. A few days before the month’s end, Alison joked that our baby would arrive with a snowstorm.

Her mouth to God’s ear.

That Friday night, as we were dining at our favorite restaurant in town, it began to snow like mad. Mainers live for the winter’s first good snow. You could see the relief on their faces. “Better late than never,” our waitress cheerfully declared as she delivered dessert. “Hate to waste my new snow tires!”

Moments later, Alison’s water broke. We left our dessert behind and went straight to the hospital down the block.

The delivery doctor said we still had several hours to go. So, as mother and baby settled in, I drove out to the island to get some clothes and feed the dog. By the time I got there, a blizzard was in full force and even my four-wheel-drive Blazer had difficulty navigating our unplowed lane.

It took another two hours to get off the island, over the bridges and back to the hospital. By the time I climbed the final hill into town, the snow had stopped and a brilliant sunrise bathed a silent white world in golden light. It was a sight I’ll never forget.

I got to my wife’s side 10 minutes before the baby arrived.

The next afternoon, we brought our newborn home. The snow was so deep, we had to park at the community store and slide down the hill on our rumps to our cottage doorstep.

Stamping around, folks on the island were downright giddy. Bob was deeply relieved. Snowplows roared and news of the birth quickly spread. Everyone who peeked at our new arrival wanted to know what we named our sweet island lad.

“Margaret Sinclair,” I proudly told them. Maggie for short — after both of her grandmothers.” SP

Jim Dodson is a writer in Greensboro. Find his weekly writings and musings at jwdauthor.substack.com.

Anxiety is a universal experience, though it doesn’t manifest the same way for all of us. Some feel anxiety as a flutter of nerves before public speaking, while others encounter it as a constant weight in their chest (it’s me, hi). According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, more than 40 million U.S. adults have an anxiety disorder and about 7% of children 3-17 experience anxiety each year, making it the most common mental-health concern in the U.S. Understanding our relationship with anxiety — the ways we respond to, manage and perceive it — can be a powerful first step toward coping with it in a healthier manner. Shifting our approach from battling anxiety to understanding it makes us better equipped to manage it effectively.

It’s important to remember that anxiety isn’t inherently bad. It’s an automatic response our body uses to protect us. Anytime we perceive a threat, our “fight-or-flight” response kicks in to prepare us for action and to keep us safe. We don’t always need this activated response, yet our bodies can’t tell the difference. If we start recognizing the physical experience of anxiety as a cue our body is giving us, we can approach anxiety with curiosity instead of fear or intimidation. We can ask what it might be telling us and decide whether or not we want to listen. If we remember that just because a thought pops into our head doesn’t mean it’s true, we can decide to challenge an irrational thought or “un-Velcro” an unhelpful one from our mind.

Our relationship with anxiety is personal, shaped by our life experiences, core beliefs, genetics, brain chemistry and ability to cope. Many of us have an automatic judgment of anxiety that causes us to immediately want to avoid it. And, of course we do! It’s uncomfortable. Others may try to “power through” and ignore or suppress anxious feelings. Still others get mad at themselves for

ANXIETY HAPPENS

But we can learn how to counter the “fight-or-flight” response.

by Juliet Lam Kuehnle

feeling anxious, thinking that it makes them weak. Often, these responses increase the intensity of the anxiety and make us feel as though we can’t trust ourselves with the feeling.

As we begin to view anxiety as a response that we have more agency over than we think, we actually learn to better tolerate it. We can learn to allow ourselves to simply feel whatever comes up, without judgment. We can remind ourselves that it’s temporary — and we can develop skills to move through it.

The most effective skills that counter the “fight-and-flight” response tend to be those that engage the parasympathetic nervous system — also called the “rest-and-digest” response:

• Deep breathing, particularly with a longer exhale than your inhale

• Progressive muscle relaxation: tensing and releasing each muscle group

• Mindful movement like gentle exercise or yoga

The goal isn’t to completely rid ourselves of anxiety but to change how we relate to it by learning that it doesn’t have to control us.

Juliet spoke with Haley Weaver, a Charlotte native and author of Give Me Space But Don’t Go Far: My Unlikely Friendship With Anxiety. Below are excerpts from their interview, lightly edited. When did you learn you had a relationship with anxiety?

I always knew, though I didn’t always have the language. In every part of my life, it’s been present. It took me a while to learn it was something I needed to work with and not against. I am learning to foster a loving relationship with this thing I’ve perceived as negative for so long.

“I think what’s helped

reframing

You call it a friendship. Why?

I think what’s helped me with my reframing of anxiety is reminding me that at its deepest core, it wants to keep me safe. That feels like a really good friend. Anxiety doesn’t always have the nuance or ability to tell me the fear for me in a way that’s helpful. Sometimes I have to back it up and say, I know you want me to feel safe and feel OK. There are also definitely points — like in any friendship — that can get toxic, but the root is in safety, so I also have empathy for my anxiety.

How do you depict your anxiety in your work?

The way I illustrate my anxiety is a little scribble. I chose this because anxiety feels like a massive tangle that I have to parse through to get what’s at the core instead of just the jumble of

thoughts and worries. It’s like a meatball or rain cloud with big giant eyes to convey worry.

What do you hope readers will get from your book?

I want them to feel comforted. I’m not an expert by any means; this is truly just my experience. What I’ve always loved about memoirs is when the author is vulnerable and raw about their experience, so I hope it helps others feel less alone and less ashamed. I also hope readers can imagine their own mental-health team and have a visual structure for what’s going on inside. SP

Juliet Kuehnle is the owner and a therapist at Sun Counseling and Wellness. The full interview featuring Haley Weaver can be found on Instagram @YepIGoToTherapy or wherever you stream podcasts.

True story

Art imitates life in a few of our 20 best bets for the first half of 2025. Bright Star, Parade, Mary Jane and Breach of Peace turn real events into powerful drama. by Page Legget

Truth can be stranger than fiction. And the truth — or one artist’s version of it — makes a good foundation for a play, song, art exhibition or stand-up act. For the next few months, Charlotte audiences can see a number of works inspired by actual events.

In Breach of Peace (Children’s Theatre), the playwright was inspired by the Freedom Riders’ activism in support of desegregation. Parade, the hit revival coming to the Belk Theater, tells the tragic story of Leo Frank, a Jewish man in the South tried and convicted for a heinous crime most scholars agree he didn’t commit.

Not all true stories are heavy. Stand-up comics like Kumail Nanjiani (The Fillmore) and Kevin Nealon (Comedy Zone) mine their own lives for funny bits to include in their acts. On Valentine’s Day at The Gantt, Heide and Dr. Oscar Groomes — world travelers, wine lovers and philanthropists — will share stories from their globe-trotting adventures alongside wines from their own cellar.

Unfortunately, there’s not enough space here to list every cultural happening we’re excited about. But you probably already know about Hamilton (Jan. 7 – Feb. 2), Billy Joel and Sting (May 10), Shakira (May 13), Metallica (May 31) and the second annual Lovin’ Life Music Festival (May 2 – 4).

The truth of it is: There’s a lot worth seeing in early 2025.

January

Bright Star, Matthews Playhouse, Jan. 17-Feb. 1

Art imitates life in this musical based on a true story. When a farmer and Civil War veteran finds a days-old baby by a Missouri railroad track, he and his wife nurse the infant back to health. The folk song, “The Ballad of the Iron Mountain Baby,” is based on that tale. Steve Martin and Edie Brickell used it as the basis for

Bright Star, a love story set in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. The musical was also inspired by the pair’s Grammywinning collaboration, the 2013 bluegrass album Love Has Come for You. In Bright Star, literary editor Alice Murphy meets soldier and aspiring writer Billy Cane, who’s just returned from World War II. She begins to recall buried memories, leading her to confront and make peace with her past. Charles Isherwood of the New York Times lauded the “yearning ballads and square-dance romps rich with fiddle, piano and banjo.” Paula Baldwin directs the production that’s recommended for ages 12 and up. Tickets are $18-20. 100 E. McDowell St. matthewsplayhouse.com

Jim

Lauderdale, The Evening Muse, Jan. 16

The Troutman native and UNC School of the Arts alum has won two Grammys, released 34 albums and been honored with the Americana Music Association’s Wagonmaster Lifetime

Achievement Award. His career got off to an auspicious start in 1991 when two titans of Americana music — Rodney Crowell and John Leventhal (Rosanne Cash’s ex- and current husbands, respectively) — produced Lauderdale’s solo debut, Planet of Love. His songs have been recorded by The Chicks, Vince Gill, Patty Loveless and George Strait, who’s recorded 14 of them! You can hear evidence of his upbringing in Due West, South Carolina, where his dad was a minister and his mom was a choir director in songs like “I Met Jesus in a Bar”: Man or angel, son of God/He did not tell me who he was, but I knew/In that least expected place/I saw heaven in His face. Tickets start at $18. 3227 N. Davidson St. eveningmuse.com

Kumail Nanjiani: Doing This Again tour, The Fillmore, Jan. 17

You may know the Pakistani-born funnyman as Dinesh from “Silicon Valley,” the HBO comedy co-created by Mike Judge. Or

The company of Parade

you may know him from The Big Sick, the autobiographical 2017 rom-com he starred in and co-wrote with wife Emily V. Gordon. (The indie film was nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay and grossed over $40 million.) Or perhaps from “The Colbert Report,” “Portlandia” or the 2021 Marvel Studios film, Eternals, co-starring Salma Hayek and Angelina Jolie. But he got his start as a stand-up comic — first at an open mic at Grinnell College and later in Chicago. Now, he’s returning to his roots for the first time in a decade. His observational comedy touches on horror movies, video games, memory and occasionally, politics. Tickets start at $56.50. 820 Hamilton St. fillmorenc.com

February

Mary J. Blige: The For My Fans Tour, Spectrum Center, Feb. 6

The queen of hip-hop is not just a dynamic performer; she’s also a songwriter, actress and entrepreneur who founded her own label, Matriarch Records. Her latest album, Gratitude, dropped in November, just a month after she was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. In 2017, Blige became the first person nominated for an acting and songwriting Academy Award in the same year for her supporting role in Mudbound and for writing the original song, “Mighty River,” featured in the film. She started out in 1988 as a back-up singer before releasing her debut album, What’s the 411?, in 1992. She performed at Super Bowl LVI in 2022 with rappers Dr. Dre, Eminem, Snoop Dogg and others, and in 2023, Rolling Stone ranked her as the 25th greatest singer of all time. Special guests NeYo and Mario join her on the 27-city tour. Ticket prices vary. 333 E. Trade St. ticketmaster.com

2025 ARTS PREVIEW

Virginia Jaramillo: Principle of Equivalence, Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, Feb. 6 – June 8

Charlotte is the last stop for this traveling exhibition, organized by the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art in Kansas City, Missouri. The first retrospective of the Mexican American artist’s long career provides a comprehensive look (more than 60 works dating back to 1964) at the career of the El Paso, Texas, native who grew up in Los Angeles. Jaramillo’s large-scale abstract paintings and handmade paper works explore the relationship between Earth and the metaphysical. Her childhood ambition was to be an archeologist — look for her fascination with ancient cultures in her work, as well as her interest in physics, the cosmos, mythology and modernist design. Free with museum admission. 420 S. Tryon St. bechtler.org

Carmen, Opera Carolina, Feb. 6-9

Don José, a naïve Spanish soldier, is seduced by the tempestuous gypsy, Carmen. He leaves his childhood sweetheart and the military for her. Not one to be tied down, Carmen soon abandons him for the charismatic bullfighter, Escamillo. This is a love triangle with disastrous consequences. Georges Bizet’s four-act opera shocked Paris audiences when it debuted in 1875. Bizet didn’t live to see Carmen become one of the most beloved and oft-performed operas in the canon; he died after just the 33rd performance. It’s in French with English captions. Tickets start at $23. Belk Theater, 130 N. Tryon St. carolinatix.org

Mary Jane, Three Bone Theatre, Feb. 7-23

With the support of a diverse community — including a nurse, a music therapist, a Buddhist nun and a Hasidic Jewish woman

Jim Lauderdale

Kumail Nanjiani

Virginia Jaramillo (American, born 1939), Teotihuacan Studies, The Plane Where the Heavens Touch the Earth, 1997, linen fiber with hand-ground earth pigments, 32 3/4 x 34 7/8 inches framed, Courtesy of the artist, Hales Gallery, and Pace Gallery. ©Virginia Jaramillo. Image courtesy of the artist and Hales Gallery, and Pace Gallery.

March

Breach of Peace: The Freedom Riders of 1961, Children’s Theatre of Charlotte, March 22-30

On May 24,1961, 12 brave citizens boarded a Trailways bus in Montgomery, Alabama, bound for New Orleans. The Freedom Riders, as they came to be known, set out to desegregate buses by showing how “separate” was anything but “equal.” Hundreds more would follow their lead, even though they were risking their lives for the cause of freedom. Mike Wiley’s powerful one-man show is based on the accounts of participants involved in the early struggle for Black equality. Wiley, who’s written plays about Emmett Till and Jackie Robinson, earned an MFA from UNC Chapel Hill and is a professor of documentary and American studies at Duke University and UNC. This one-act, 60-minute show is appropriate for kids 7+. Tickets start at $23. Wells Fargo Playhouse at ImaginOn, 300 E. 7th St. ctcharlotte.org

Parade, Blumenthal Arts, March 25-30

Leo and Lucille Frank are newlyweds struggling to make a living in Georgia. When Leo, a factory manager, is accused of a horrific crime, it tests the Jewish couple’s marriage and their faith. Parade, a dramatization of Leo’s 1913 trial, conviction and imprisonment, premiered on Broadway in 1998. The revival won the 2023 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical, and Michael Arden won a Tony for his direction. Parade has quite a pedigree; it was co-conceived by 21-time Tony Award-winning legend Harold Prince (West Side Story, Cabaret, Phantom of the Opera) with a book by two-time Tony Award winner, Pulitzer Prize winner and Academy Award winner Alfred Uhry (Driving Miss Daisy) and music and lyrics by three-time Tony winner Jason Robert Brown (The Bridges of Madison County, The Last Five Years). Parade brings this shameful story, which attracted national attention in the early 1900s, to a new generation. Tickets start at $30. Belk Theater, 130 N. Tryon St. carolinatix.org

2025 ARTS PREVIEW

Violet, Theatre Charlotte, March 28-April 13

“The Ugliest Pilgrim” became the late Doris Betts’ most widely reprinted short story. But nothing else Betts — a Statesville native and professor emerita at UNC Chapel Hill — wrote has had the staying power of that story, first published in 1969. It became the basis for Violet, a 1981 film adaptation that won an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short, and later a 1997 Off-Broadway musical. Set in 1964 during the early days of the Civil Rights Movement, Violet is the story of an embittered young woman whose face was disfigured in a childhood accident. Believing a TV evangelist can heal her, she embarks on a bus trip from Spruce Pine to Tulsa, Oklahoma. Along the way, she encounters a young Black soldier who teaches her about love, courage and real beauty. Ticket prices vary. 501 Queens Rd. theatrecharlotte.org

April

Max Weinberg’s Jukebox, Cain Center for the Arts, April 18

The longtime drummer for Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band and former bandleader on Late Night with Conan O’Brien and The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien has been touring, on and off, with a four-piece band since 2017. In this free-wheeling, crowd-pleasing show, Weinberg invites the audience to create the set list, in real time, that he and his bandmates — two guitarists and a bassist — will play that night. The crowd yells out their song choices, and the band obliges. Expect to hear everything from The Dave Clark Five to Led Zeppelin to, of course, Springsteen. Tickets start at $55. 21348 Catawba Ave., Cornelius. cainarts.org

ANNIE LEIBOVITZ/ WORK, Mint Museum

Uptown, April 27-Aug. 10

In a career spanning more than 50 years, she’s photographed everyone from Tom Cruise and Meryl Streep to John Lennon and the Royal Family. In this immersive exhibition that combines photographic prints with digital displays, viewers can follow along in the creative journey of legendary portrait photographer Annie Leibovitz, from her early black-and-white work to her more recent conceptual portraits. Free with museum admission. 500 S. Tryon St. mintmuseum.org

Annie Leibovitz, Patti Smith, Electric Lady Studios, New York City, 2007. Photo courtesy of the artist ©Annie Leibovitz.

2025 ARTS PREVIEW

May

Samara Joy, Blumenthal Arts, May 7

At just 25, Samara Joy already has a Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album (Linger Awhile) and another for Best New Artist. She won those in 2023. In 2024, she won her third Grammy, this time for Best Jazz Performance. The Bronx native loved classic R&B even as a child and got her start in her church’s gospel choir. It was during her studies in SUNY Purchase’s jazz program that she won the 2019 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, which made the jazz world take notice. So did her 560,000 Instagram followers. She sings old-school jazz in the vein of some of her idols — Vaughan, Nancy Wilson, Ella Fitzgerald. Tickets start at $35. Belk Theater, 130 N. Tryon St. carolinatix.org

Sunday in the Park with George, QC Concerts, May 9-10

Inspired by Georges Seurat’s masterpiece, “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte,” Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine wrote this musical about life, love and the power of art. In the show, a fictionalized version of Seurat obsessively tries to finish his massive and intricate masterpiece using the pointillism technique he devised while struggling to maintain a romance with his lover, Dot. A century later, Seurat’s great-grandson, an artist also named George, struggles with creative burnout himself — until he

discovers the key to his future by examining the past. The musical, which debuted on Broadway in 1984 with Mandy Patinkin in the lead, won a Pulitzer Prize and was nominated for 10 Tony Awards. Tickets start at $18. Booth Playhouse, 130 N. Tryon St. qcconcerts.com

Wilco, The Amp Ballantyne, May 15

Wilco, the Chicago-based alt/indie/rock band composed of the remaining members of the band Uncle Tupelo, got their start in 1994. The lineup changes frequently, and the list of former members is as long as the list of current ones. But Jeff Tweedy and whatever bandmates are with him are known for an ability to play diverse genres and for the diverse setlists at their live shows. Wilco is touring in support of their 2024 EP, Hot Sun Cool Shroud. Lawn seats are $50; reserved seating starts at $75. 1115 Upper Ave. ampballantyne.com

Teddy Swims: I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy Tour, Skyla Credit Union Amphitheatre, May 15

The singer formerly known as Jaten Collin Dimsdale was introduced to soul music by his dad when he was a kid in Conyers, Georgia. The soulful Swims (he took the name from the internet acronym which stands for “Someone Who Isn’t Me Sometimes”) became “internet famous” in 2019 and 2020, when fans took note of the powerful cover songs he’d post on his YouTube channel. His version of Shania Twain’s “You’re Still the One,” which he dedicated to his mom, has been viewed more than 191 million times. Swims’

Samara Joy

2023 single, “Lose Control,” reached the top 10 in several countries. He’s now famous enough to be playing the iconic Red Rocks this August. But he’ll stop in Charlotte first. Ticket prices vary. 1000 N.C. Music Factory Blvd. skylacuamp.com

Bernstein & Copland, Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, May 16-18

Two giants of the American songbook on the same bill? Yes, please. It’s fitting to honor them together. They enjoyed a 50year friendship, and both sought to make classical music accessible and enjoyable to all. Leonard Bernstein was a composer, conductor, pianist and humanitarian who wrote the music for the Broadway musical, West Side Story, and the classic film, On the Waterfront. Aaron Copland had as many titles as Bernstein — composer, conductor, pianist, teacher. “Appalachian Spring” and “Fanfare for the Common Man” are among his best-loved compositions. Conductor Laureate Christopher Warren-Green returns to lead the CSO’s season finale. Anthony McGill, principal clarinetist for the New York Philharmonic — where Bernstein served as music director — performs Copland’s jazz-inspired Clarinet Concerto. Tickets start at $26. Knight Theater, 430 S. Tryon St. charlottesymphony.org SP

ABRAHAM VERGHESE

Wilco

THE 2024 NARI Rot Y AWARDS

Remodeler of the Year Greater Charlotte

Every year, the Greater Charlotte chapter of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry recognizes the outstanding innovation, craftsmanship and excellence of area contractors with the RotY (Remodeler of the Year) awards. A special thanks to Queen City Audio, Video & Appliances and Ferguson Bath, Kitchen & Lighting Gallery for serving as diamond sponsors, as well as all of the generous corporate sponsors and NARI members who make this event possible. An independent panel of judges from across the country reviewed submissions to select the 2024 NARI RotY winners. On the following pages, you’ll find the award-winning projects for the Charlotte region. Learn more at naricharlotte.com

Entire House Over $1,000,000 – Springdale Custom Builders with Alison Hall Architect

1. Basement Over $250,000

Trigg Builders LLC and team members Harkey Tile & Stone and Stephanie Calderon Interiors

2. Commercial Interior Andrew Roby Inc.

3. Entire House $250,000 to $500,000 Keen Building Co.

4. Entire House $500,000 to $750,000 Simonini Homes LLC

5. Entire House Over $1,000,000 Springdale Custom Builders with team member

THE WINNERS

6. Entire House Under $250,000 Val Collective

7. Residential Addition Over $500,000

Andrew Roby Inc. with team members The Art of Stone and Pinnacle Roofing & Exteriors, Inc.

8. Residential Addition Under $250,000 Hummingbird Home Renovation

9. Residential Architectural Design Over 500 sq. ft. Charlotte In-Vironments Inc. with team members Queen City Audio, Video & Appliances, Harkey Tile & Stone, Ferguson and J. Landon Lighting

Alison Hall Architect

Entire House Over $1,000,000 – Springdale Custom Builders with Alison Hall Architect

Residential Addition Over

$500,000 – Andrew Roby, Inc.

Residential Historical Renovation

$250,000 and Over – Alair Homes Charlotte

10. Residential Architectural Design Under 500 sq. ft.

Alison Hall Architect Inc. with team member IDE Structural Engineers

11. Residential Bath $100,000 to $150,000

Turner Contracting Services with team members Harkey Tile & Stone and Stephanie Calderon Interiors

12. Residential Bath $40,000 to $70,000 Beyond Home Services

13. Residential Bath $70,000 to $100,000

Hopedale Builders Inc. and team members Harkey Tile & Stone and Shower Doors of Charlotte

14. Residential Bath Over $150,000

Simonini Homes LLC and team member Harkey Tile & Stone

15. Residential Detached Structure Springdale Custom Builders

16. Residential Exterior $100,001 to $200,00 0 DiFabion Remodeling Inc.

17. Residential Exterior $100,001 to $200,000 Simonini Homes LLC

Entire House $250,000 to $500,000 – Keen Building Co.

Residential Bath $70,000 to $100,000 – Hopedale Builders, Inc.

18. Residential Exterior Over $200,000 DiFabion Remodeling Inc. with team member IDE Structural Engineers

19. Residential Historical Renovation $250,000 and Over

Alair Homes Charlotte

20. Residential Historical Renovation Team $250,000 and Over Flourish Interior Design with team member Harkey Tile & Stone

21. Residential Historical Renovation Under $250,000 Hansen’s Renovations with team members Palmetto Tile of North Carolina, Shower Doors of Charlotte, Harkey Tile & Stone and Ferguson

22. Residential Interior $100,000 to $250,000 Hummingbird Home Renovation with team members Cambria and Cosentino

23. Residential Interior $250,000 to $500,000 DGK Design + Build

24. Residential Interior Feature under $50,000 DiFabion Remodeling Inc.

25. Residential Interior Under $100,000 DGK Design + Build

26. Residential Kitchen $100,000 to $150,000 Keen Building Co.

27. Residential Kitchen $150,000 to $200,000 Beyond Home Services

28. Residential Kitchen $50,000 to $100,000 DGK Design + Build

29. Residential Kitchen Over $200,000 DGK Design + Build

30. Residential Landscape & Outdoor Living over $250,000 Alair Homes Charlotte with team member Window & Door Pros

Award-winning design isn’t just our achievement; it’s the standard we bring to every client. At Charlotte In-Vironments, we specialize in creating custom kitchens, baths, and living spaces that reflect your family’s unique needs and lifestyle.

Let our team help you fall in love with your home all over again.

Jeanna Holmes, Owner & Recipient of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry’s 2024 “Designer of the Year” Award Charlotte In-Vironments, Inc.

Be well

3 Queen City entrepreneurs offer products aimed at keeping Charlotte healthy and fit

by Michelle Boudin | photographs by Richard Israel

For better or worse, when the calendar flips to Jan. 1, most of us resolve to do better in the new year. Experts say resolutions often don’t last, but three local entrepreneurs make it easy to focus on wellness year-round. Yon Bons is a line of protein bites you can literally grab and go. Both Sweet’s Elderberry and The Whole Hope make getting an immune boost as easy as taking a swig of syrup or pouring a glass of water. In a broader sense, all three are working to make Charlotte a healthier, happier place to live.

Making lemon-aid

THE WHOLE HOPE

Hope Davis Skouras fully embraces her nickname: The Lemon Lady. The owner of The Whole Hope, Skouras turned her morning ritual of drinking a warm cup of lemon water into a wellness brand people across Charlotte have come to love.

Skouras was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, a condition that causes inflammation and swelling in the digestive tract, as a teenager. She suffered a flare-up after her third child was born, which led to an interest in functional medicine and holistic healing. Skouras became a certified holistic health coach and launched The Whole Hope in January 2024.

“I started The Whole Hope because I wanted to help people,” Skouras says. She earned the “lemon lady” nickname after she began sharing with others her morning routine of drinking lemon water to start each day. “I was sharing the benefits of it all, and I kept hearing people say they wanted to do this but they [didn’t]

have the time. So we started testing out recipes in our kitchen.”

She developed a lemon-shaped frozen swirl tablet formulated with organic lemon juice, ginger, honey and non-GMO turmeric. When dissolved in a warm cup of water, the tablets help with digestion, detoxification, immune support and hydration, Skouras says.

“Lemons are high in citric acid, so they’re a great detoxifier. ... It also has vitamin C, which is a great immune booster. Turmeric is an extra antioxidant boost, and the honey just helps with the taste — it adds a little extra sweetness.”

The products are sold online at thewholehope.com with local pickup — Skouras hopes to launch shipping in 2025. They’re also sold at reBalance Fitness and Nutrition and at Reid’s Fine Foods in Myers Park and SouthPark, where they routinely sell out, she says.

“It feels overwhelming in the best way. It feels like I’m doing something I didn’t necessarily plan, like I’m aligning with the bigger purpose of the ‘why’ behind having Crohn’s disease … It feels reassuring to think that we’re gonna turn something bad around and help people along the way.”

Protein power

YON BONS

Jamey Yon has been a competitive triathlete since he was a student at Clemson University in the 1980s. The 24-time Ironman and founder of TRiYon coaching service always experimented with nutrition, but Yon struggled to find an allaround good-for-you snack that could also fuel his training. Working out of his home kitchen, Yon began experimenting to develop a product that was macro-balanced, with the right amount of protein, carbs and fat.

“I was coaching other athletes, and they started to ask about them and started eating them,” Yon says. That was 2018, and Yon realized he was onto something. Before long, he began working out of a commercial kitchen and teamed with a local packing company, Golden Grains Baking, to make protein bites that he calls Yon Bons.

“It was really about seeing what worked and what didn’t work — and what worked with the tummy as far as products that would fuel you without upsetting your system.” As a father of five, he also wanted to make as clean a product as possible. “Our products have no peanuts, no soy, no dairy … I wanted to check all of those boxes.” Yon Bons are also gluten-free and made without preservatives.

All the products have the same basic ingredients: egg whites, coconut flour, sunflower-seed butter, raw honey, organic maple syrup and spices. The original Yon Bon — the blueberry flavored Berry Fast — is the brand’s bestseller. But Yon is excited and optimistic about his newest launch: a lemon flavor that is already getting rave reviews.

Since the products are preservative-free and have a relatively short shelf life — Yon Bons should be consumed within about a week or stored in the refrigerator, Yon says — the majority of the snacks are sold directly to consumers via the website, yonbons.com. While Yon remains focused on his coaching business, he says he’d eventually like to partner with a large retailer to carry Yon Bons, introducing them to a broader audience.

“It was such a fun process to involve my whole family in creating the original Yon Bons. These last few years, the process of creating more flavors and products has just added to the excitement and reward … To see our product sold and enjoyed on the open market is truly a satisfying process.”

Super-fruit savvy

SWEET’S ELDERBERRY

Just over two years ago, Morgan Smorgala, a Charlotte mother of two, bought Sweet’s Elderberry, the wellness-products company started a decade ago by Stephanie Rickenbaker. Since then, the number of stores selling Sweet’s immune and digestive support products has more than doubled. Smorgala recently inked a deal that will place Sweet’s products on shelves in 103 Wegmans grocery stores.

Rickenbaker founded the company in 2015 after a family health crisis led her to begin focusing on the links between diet and disease. She posted on a Facebook mom’s group about the elderberry syrup she’d been making in her kitchen. Interest in the group soared, and Sweet’s was born.

Smorgala was part of that Facebook group, and in 2022 bought the business when Rickenbaker decided to sell it. Smorgala admits there has been a learning curve. “When I first started, I had no idea what I was doing.” She attributes much of the company’s growth to becoming certified USDA organic. “That assures our customers that we have super-clean products.”

The elderberries in Sweet’s Syrup come from Europe, where they are widely grown and have been used for medicinal purposes for generations. “Elderberry is a super fruit,” Smorgala notes, with anti-inflammatory properties and loaded with antioxidants. “And it’s something quick and easy you can take for your overall health and wellness, from cardiovascular health to immune system, joints and inflammation.”

Sweet’s is best known for its best-selling elderberry syrup with honey, but Smorgala says its shrub — a 2022 Good Food Award winner — is a close second. “It has apple cider vinegar for gut health support. More and more people are understanding the link between our guts and our brain, and people are looking for help with gut health in addition to immune support.”

Sweet’s Elderberry products are sold online at sweetselderberry.com and at dozens of local stores, including Berrybrook Farms, Laurel Market, Common Market and Rhino Market.

“Customers know what they’re getting with our brand and what they’re putting in their bodies,” Smorgala says. “This is a berry that’s so good for you and so versatile.” SP

Rebuilt to

Jess Ebert of Four Story Interiors helps a Charlotte family update their Foxcroft home with distinct, personalized spaces for adults and children.

The family room sitting area is centered around a burl

by

Catherine Ruth Kelly | photographs by Laura Sumrak | styling by Ashley Hotham Cox

wood coffee table by Made Goods.

A black octagonal table by Noir greets guests in the entry hall. Visual Comfort’s Fontaine chandelier adds a minimalist, modern aesthetic to the space.

After nearly 10 years of marriage and three children, these non-native New Yorkers opted to leave Bronxville, New York, and reestablish their home base in Charlotte. The move brought them closer to family and to the wife’s southeastern roots.

SOURCES

INTERIOR DESIGN: Jess Ebert, Four Story Interiors

CONTRACTOR: Knight Residential Group

ARCHITECT: Sean Green

“I was actually born in Charlotte, and we spent most summers at the beach in Debordieu,” shares the homeowner. “Since both of us have family here, it felt like the perfect place to relocate with our girls.”

The couple settled into a traditional Georgian-style home on a treelined street in Foxcroft in 2018. After four years in the home, including the housebound days of the pandemic, they were ready to adapt the space to their family’s lifestyle. After a bit of research and a couple of referrals, the homeowners selected Jess Ebert of Four Story Interiors to guide them through the process.

“I wanted someone who is transformational,” the homeowner says. “Someone who could take a boxy white traditional house and turn it

A Soho Home chandelier illuminates the dining room, where blue velvet CB2 chairs surround the table.

Large steel doors by Clark Hall mark the entrance to the living room, where an abstract painting by the homeowner’s mother hangs above the sofa.

wallpaper adds texture on the ceiling.

Nobilis’ Fresco

The coffee table is by Burke Decor.

Left: Custom reeded wood accents the vanity in the powder room. A Kohler ombre faucet is nestled into the marble, fabricated by Art of Stone

Above: The living room color palette is subdued with pops of color, including the lavender drapery fabric by Holland & Sherry.

A hammered iron bench by Gabby, finished in aged brass, sits at the foot of the bed in the primary bedroom. The curved white sofa is by Interlude.

A porcelain slab from Walker Zanger accents the wall in the primary bathroom. Brass cabinet hardware is from Bird Hardware.

into something a bit more modern and hip, and Jess was the perfect person for the job.”

The homeowners’ main goal was to build out the third-floor attic to create a playroom for their three daughters, who range in age from 7 to 13. They also wanted to update all the bathrooms and laundry room and refresh the decor throughout. Ebert’s first order of business was to determine how they lived in their home and how it could be adapted for their family.

“My goal was to truly capture their family’s personality and unique design story,” says Ebert, who started Four Story Interiors in 2015. “Through a deep creative dive, we uncovered a style that seamlessly blends a classic foundation with modern touches, intentional use of color, art and playful design details.”

The most dramatic transformation was the third-floor attic. The homeowners had envisioned a playroom for their daughters that

would evolve with them as they grow. Opting for a more subdued, sophisticated color palette, Ebert maximized the space by creating a built-in desk for homework, a craft area in a window nook, a walk-in closet for storing toys and games, and a tiny playhouse carved into the eaves.

“When designing for children, I think not only about who the kids are today, but who they’ll grow into tomorrow,” Ebert explains. “It’s easy to switch out art or pillows, but the core pieces have to stand the test of time — they need to evolve right alongside the family.”

On the first floor, Ebert reimagined the dining room, drawing

Above: Visual Comfort’s Cambre chandelier contributes to the midcentury-modern vibe in the playroom.

Top right: Three playful astronaut photographs — one for each daughter — hang above the sofa in the playroom. The geometric pillow fabric is by Imogen Heath.

Below: A custom Dutch door carved into the eaves of the playroom leads to a tiny secret playhouse.

Green plaid wallpaper by Teresa Roche Textiles adds a playful touch in the third-floor bunk room.

Left: In the mudroom, custom lockers are painted a dark gray, Iron Mountain by Benjamin Moore. Each locker offers hooks, shelves and USB chargers to help keep the children organized.

inspiration from the soft hues of an existing rug and creating a statement with bold blue chairs and a colorful abstract painting. She artfully refreshed the living room to create an elegant-yetpractical space. The homeowners wanted to reclaim this room, which pre-renovation had been the children’s playroom, as an adult hangout. Ebert designed sleek built-in shelves with a desk along one wall, added steel doors to the entrance and included a game table with chairs in a corner.

“They envisioned something chic and sophisticated, but I encouraged them to balance beauty with functionality,” Ebert says.

Throughout the process, Ebert worked closely with her clients and met with the children to get a sense of each girl’s personality before devising plans for their bedrooms. The highly customized project resulted in beautiful, bespoke rooms tailored to meet the family’s needs.

“Jess was very intentional with her plan for our house,” the homeowner says. “She didn’t just create pretty rooms but also created useful spaces that enhance our everyday lives.” SP

Top left: A floral fabric by Rebecca Atwood frames the windows in a daughter’s room. All Modern’s pink velvet chair is paired with an Anthropologie desk

Top right: An upholstered four-poster bed by Serena & Lily provides charming comfort in a daughter’s room. Drapery and lumbar pillow fabric by Rebecca Atwood.

Escape to Soda City

A weekender’s guide to Columbia, South Carolina

by Asha Ellison

The South Carolina midlands are known for many things: lush forests and rolling hills; the long, lazy and rippling Saluda River; landmarks that connect the region to the American Civil and Revolutionary wars; and sites that tie its residents, and the nation, to the cultural and political movements that followed them. The midlands are enchanting. And they are also home to the state capital of Columbia.

As the state’s second most-populous city, perhaps best-known for University of South Carolina football and pimento cheese, Columbia is also a gathering place for the culturally curious and the adventurous. Located just 90 miles south of Charlotte, “Soda City,” as Columbia is affectionately called by its residents, teems with vibrancy and energy.

Keep reading for a tried-and-true weekend itinerary for discovering what Columbia has to offer.

STAY

Located in the heart of downtown Columbia, Hotel Trundle is a 41-room boutique property that places the city right at your feet. Housed in a renovated Western Auto shop, the two-story hotel retrofits the city’s golden-era industrial aesthetic with whimsical, regal pops of color, and dresses it up with modern flair.

In each room, you’ll find cozy robes and slippers to help you feel at home. If that doesn’t do the trick, the complimentary continental breakfast — prepared by the James Beard Award-nominated staff at City Grit — just might. And make sure you claim your welcome beverage, a glass of wine or beer, at check-in.

After winning local and national awards for adaptive reuse and design after it opened in 2018, the hotel ranked No. 6 among U.S. boutique hotels on the 2024 USA Today 10Best Reader’s Choice Awards.

While you’re there, take your time and look around the hotel to uncover hidden gems. There’s a Columbia word search puzzle hidden in plain sight, and a piece of the original building is framed and displayed just like artwork.

GOOD TO KNOW: Self-park in the hotel’s guest parking lot for $18/day or in the city parking deck directly across the street.

EAT + DRINK

• Lula Drake Wine Parlour leaves the traveler in search of an exquisite dining experience in awe. Led by proprietor and head sommelier Tim Gardner and executive chef Rachael Harrison, Lula Drake brought Columbia its first James Beard Award in 2024 for Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program. The seasonal food menu ranges from cheese and charcuterie boards to shareable salads, apps and pastas. The wine parlor and the trailblazing woman for which it is named share an intoxicatingly haunting history — and a future full of culinary prowess and delight.

GOOD TO KNOW: There’s a full cocktail bar, too — order the “luxuriously fragrant” Red Cloche Spritz.

• Whether you’re hungry for American comfort food, in the mood for live music, or you want to bowl your heart out, you can do all three at The Grand on Main. This is a lively and social place in a renovated 1900s vaudeville house and theater that’s ideal for both group and solo travelers.

GOOD TO KNOW: The wings and zucchini fries are a great idea. And try not to look too surprised when a robot runs your food — just act natural.

• Delicious handcrafted ice cream awaits as the perfect after-dinner treat or reward for an afternoon stroll. A local favorite, Sweet Cream Co., also sells cakes, frozen treats, coffee and artisanal sodas.

GOOD TO KNOW: If you’re indecisive like me, get the scoop on their daily flavors online ahead of your visit so you can walk right in and order with confidence.

Hotel Trundle

Columbia Museum of Art

Lula Drake Wine Parlour

Red Cloche Spritz at Lula Drake

EXPLORE

• Soda City Market is reason enough to fall in love with Columbia. The weekly market — open year-round — covers five city blocks each Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., rain or shine. The market averages more than 200 weekly vendors selling handmade goods, fresh flowers and produce, an abundance of multicultural and ethnic street foods, and more. It’s a favorite destination for locals and visitors alike.

WHILE YOU’RE THERE: The market is a must-visit while in Columbia — just get up and go.

• Columbia Museum of Art takes the cake with a remarkable permanent collection and prestigious national exhibits that showcase the work of some of the world’s most renowned artists. Set a couple of hours aside so that you can work your way through each exhibit without haste.

WHILE YOU’RE THERE: Radiant Vision, an exhibition with more than 250 works from New York pop artist Keith Haring, is on view through Feb. 15.

• The South Carolina State Museum is out of this world! No, really — it houses a planetarium with live shows of the Columbia sky. South Carolina’s largest museum features four floors of permanent and rotating exhibits that cover prehistory to the current day. Housed in the first textile mill to ever fully run on electricity, you can also view fossils and retired steam engines and learn about the history of South Carolina.

WHILE YOU’RE THERE: Through Feb. 28, see Arora, a planetarium show to experience the Northern Lights. SP

The Grand on Main

South Carolina State Museum

Sweet Cream Co.

Soda City Market

DESERT DAZE

Escape the winter chill, schedule some spa time and immerse yourself in the great outdoors with a visit to Scottsdale, Arizona.

by Vanessa Infanzon

Cacti rising from the ground, like desert sentries, give Scottsdale, Arizona, an otherworldly appearance. Mountains in the distance beg to be climbed — there are rugged trails for visitors to bike or hike for panoramic views from atop.

Founded in 1894 and named for Winfield Scott, a former United States Army chaplain, Scottsdale, boasts more than 300 days of sunshine each year and an average high of 68 to 78 degrees during the winter months. Although the city’s slogan is “The West’s Most Western Town,” visitors also are drawn to the area for its restorative environment.

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West

WELLNESS OPTIONS ABOUND

Scottsdale’s lodging includes resorts and boutique hotels with spas, casitas (small cottages) and luxury amenities. Many, like Andaz Scottsdale Resort & Bungalows, The Hermosa Inn and Hotel Valley Ho, showcase midcentury-modern designs and historic ties to the area.

The Phoenician’s three-story spa approaches relaxation, fitness and beauty through bodywork therapies, facials and massages, earning the Forbes Travel Guide’s Five Star Award for five consecutive years. The Hungarian Moor Mud Detox, an 80-minute full body exfoliation and mask, is the spa’s newest offering. A Wellness Weekend,

Jan. 17-19, provides meditation and yoga sessions, a farm-to-oven cooking class, and a wellness-themed market. For Galentine’s Weekend in February, BOGO treatments will be available.

The Scottsdale Resort & Spa, a Hilton property, features body services, facials, and massages at the Luna Spa. Winter specials running through Feb. 28 include a spearmint stone escape massage, caramel brûlée café body scrub and merry berries facial. Each month, the resort highlights mini spa treatments, sunset yoga, art classes and live music.

For an immersive experience, guests at the CIVANA Wellness Resort & Spa enjoy healthy cuisine and classes such as Chakra

Tom’s Thumb Trail Desert Botanical Garden

yoga, walking meditation and myofascial release, a therapy technique centered around identifying trigger points to reduce pain. The spa offers energy healings, facials, massages and Watsu water massage, a combination of stretching and twisting in a private pool.

The Spa at The Boulders Resort & Spa Scottsdale celebrates the region’s Native American influences with a tipi cleansing ritual and a labyrinth walk. Guests can personalize their experiences with therapeutic wellness treatments that promote restoration, emotional healing and renewed energy. The Desert Zen package includes a Swedish massage, an organic signature facial and a chef-curated lunch in the spa café.

If a spa stay isn’t a requisite, Caesars Republic Scottsdale, an expansion of the Caesars brand in Las Vegas, opened in 2024 with two restaurants including Luna by Giada, a concept developed by chef and cookbook author Giada De Laurentis. Indulge at Sunday brunch with made-to-order frittatas, waffles, a carving station, roasted salmon and bottomless mimosas. The 11-story hotel overlooks Camelback Mountain and is close to golf courses and hiking and horseback-riding trails.

WANDER THE DESERT

A sketch of the Guggenheim Museum sits on a drafting table inside Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West , the iconic architect’s winter home. At one time, architecture students worked in the on-site design studio under Wright’s direction. Now, the estate is operated by the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation and offers guided and self-guided audio tours, photography workshops and sunset events on the 500-acre property.

Visitors can choose from a variety of outdoor adventures, from hot air balloon rides and kayaking to biking to hiking. Hot Air Expeditions’ early-morning ride launches just after sunrise; baskets accommodate groups of 10 to 20 passengers. The excursion includes breakfast and a Champagne toast and one hour of flight time over the Sonoran Desert.

McDowell Sonoran Preserve, a more than 30,000-acre desert habitat, grants access to hiking trails with varying lengths and levels of difficulty. The Bajada Nature Trail loop is under a mile, ADA accessible and includes interpretive exhibits. The 4.5-mile Gateway Loop presents a moderate challenge and expansive desert views.

Hot Air Expeditions

Cycle on the greenway through the Sonoran Desert with REI Co-op Adventure Center, or sign up for half-day or daylong kayaking or standup paddleboard excursions. Guides share history and point out the local flora and fauna.

At the Desert Botanical Garden in nearby Phoenix, historic plants including the oldest cactus in the world can be viewed from accessible paths across the park’s 140 acres.

Gertude’s, the garden’s on-site restaurant, boasts a “farm and pasture-to-plate” menu for respite and refueling between the garden’s six trails. Reservations are highly recommended.

GETTING THERE: American Airlines offers daily nonstop flights from CLT to Phoenix, with a flight time of under five hours. Scottsdale is 25 minutes from the airport by car. SP

Clockwise from top: Poolside seating at The Phoenician Pools; a casita patio at The Phoenician; a guestroom at The Scottsdale Resort & Spa; Luna Spa Zen Garden at The Scottsdale Resort & Spa

LIVING SENIOR

With the new year comes a time of reflection and for some, a time to change. Retirement living looks different today, with beautiful, innovative communities designed just for seniors. In this special section featuring our advertising partners, we showcase the stunning living spaces, tailored amenities and comprehensive care available to seniors in the Charlotte area.

The Cypress | Inspire by Liberty | The Sharon at SouthPark Trinity Oaks | Windsor Run

The Cypress is Charlotte’s premier Life Plan Community, sitting on 65 sunkissed acres in the heart of beautiful SouthPark. With the feel of a high-end resort, The Cypress offers residents a warm and vibrant community, best-inclass amenities, fantastic cuisine, lush outdoor spaces, and countless opportunities for social, physical and mental enrichment. The only thing you’ll long for is more time in your day.

One of the biggest differentiators between The Cypress and other Life Plan Communities is also one of the best: home ownership. When you live at The Cypress, you own your own home, only without any of the headaches of being a homeowner. You and your family will receive all of the equity and appreciation opportunity that come with owning your own home, while we handle all the maintenance of your property, as well as upkeep of the glorious lakes, trails and grounds.

When it comes to creating your ideal living space, the choices are all yours at The Cypress. Our cottages are charming private homes with traditional yards and garages, ranging from 1,800 to 4,000+ square feet. Our villas are luxury condominiums. Eleven different floor plans feature one- and two-bedroom designs, from 800 to beyond 2,500 square feet. Typical features include high ceilings, hardwood floors and balconies or porches. Plus — and this is a big plus indeed — you’ll have access to exceptional medical care and facilities right on campus. Schedule a tour to see it all for yourself.

Live with joy and purpose at The Sharon

Nestled in the heart of SouthPark and home to more than 300 residents, The Sharon at SouthPark is a leader in senior residential living for those 60+. In recent years, our 28-acre community has undergone an exciting transformation that includes beautiful, new residential buildings and amenity spaces, the comprehensive Weisiger Health Center and Hicks Wellness Clinic, and renovated and expanded dining areas with culinary choices for every mood and taste.

The Sharon campus

At the entrance to The Sharon’s urban campus stands The Deerwood, our newest residential building featuring 42 state-of-the-art independent-living apartments with spacious, modern kitchens, floor-to-ceiling windows and private balconies/terraces. The Heritage Apartments, Terrace Apartments, Magnolia Villas and 20+ cottages offer additional independent-living options, with a range of floor plans, beautiful views and convenient services. Beyond the stylish interiors and abundant amenities, you’ll discover lush gardens with peaceful water features, extensive walking trails and a new half-acre

community park. Shaded, breezy terraces and private gazebos provide perfect spots to host family and friends, read or sit quietly surrounded by nature’s beauty.

Ever-changing for our residents

At The Sharon, everything we do centers around a commitment to enrich the lives of those we serve, ensuring they live with joy, purpose and well-being. Our next phase of expansion — scheduled to begin in 2028 — will continue that mission, with the addition of 64 independent-living apartments, a new fitness facility featuring a state-of-the-art pool, and mixed-use office and retail space.

The Early Advantage Program

To accommodate the growing senior community, The Sharon recently added The Early Advantage Program, a limited, new residency tier that offers flexibility and benefits to future residents who have joined The Sharon Club Priority List. Future residents can continue living in their off-campus homes while enjoying access to The Sharon’s resident amenities, such as health and wellness, healthcare, rehabilitation and therapy services, recreational and educational programs, and dining and catering facilities. Early Advantage members also receive high-priority status for future moves to The Sharon campus.

“At The Sharon at SouthPark, our goal is to maintain a community in which we help our residents get the most out of life, at any age or ability,” says Ann Marie Ladis, director of sales and marketing at The Sharon. “Our culture revolves around living life with vitality and being one’s best self. The Early Advantage Program is a testament to that promise.”

Contact us to learn more about The Sharon or arrange a personalized tour. We look forward to showing you our beautiful community — the perfect blend of tranquility and urban sophistication — located just steps away from some of Charlotte’s best dining, shopping and entertainment.

Enjoy Active Senior Living at Trinity Oaks

Celebrate all seasons of life at Trinity Oaks! Our welcoming community is perfect for retirees seeking warmth and relationship. Explore our scenic 50-acre campus and enjoy the beauty of Salisbury. Our amenities are tailored to your lifestyle, offering an ideal setting for the next chapter of your life. Come and see for yourself.

Visit our website at TrinityOaks.net to learn more about our Independent Living residences, Assisted Living, Health & Rehab, and Memory Care or you can scan the QR code or call 704-603-9202.

Trinity Oaks is an affiliate of Lutheran Services Carolinas in Salisbury, NC.

Senior Living at Windsor Run gives you more!

Gain a community filled with extraordinary benefits—at a value that may surprise you! We’re Southeast Charlotte’s premier destination for vibrant senior living. Here, you’ll enjoy more amenities, more services, and additional levels of care for more peace of mind.

Get more value for your money

Does your house come with a professional chef? How about a fitness center and indoor pool? Here, you’ll dine on chef-prepared meals, enjoy dozens of clubs and activities, and experience amenities that a house just can’t offer.

Experience more peace of mind

North Carolina’s most respected doctors in 62 specialties are presented in this annual report published by SouthPark’s sister publication Business North Carolina. Those cited were selected by their peers with a goal of saluting the state’s leading medical practitioners.

Methodology and disclaimer: This report was produced by DataJoe Research, a software and research company specializing in data collection and verification. The Lakewood, Colorado-based company conducts various nominations across the United States on behalf of publishers. To create the “Top Doctors” list, DataJoe Research facilitated an online peer-voting process, also referencing government sources.

DataJoe then tallied the votes per category for each doctor to isolate the top nominees in each category. After collecting nominations and additional information, DataJoe checked and confirmed that each published winner had a current, active license status with the state regulatory board. If DataJoe was not able to find evidence of a doctor’s current, active registration with the state regulatory board, that doctor was excluded from the list.

In addition, any doctor who has been disciplined, up to the time frame of our review process for an infraction by the state regulatory board, was excluded from the list. Finally, DataJoe presented the tallied result to the magazine for its final review and adjustments.

We recognize that there are many good doctors who are not shown in this representation. This is only a sampling of the huge array of talented professionals within the region. Inclusion in the list is based on the opinions of responding doctors in the region and the results of our research campaign. DataJoe takes time and energy to ensure fair voting, although we understand that the results of this survey nomination are not an objective metric. We certainly do not discount the fact that many good and effective doctors may not appear on the list.

DataJoe uses best practices and exercises great care in assembling content for this list. It does not warrant that the data contained within the list are complete or accurate. DataJoe does not assume, and hereby disclaims, any liability to any person for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions herein whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident or any other cause. All rights reserved. No commercial use of the information in this list may be made without written permission from DataJoe

For research/methodology questions, contact the research team at surveys@datajoe.com.

ALLERGY IMMUNOLOGY

S. Nicole Chadha Carolina Asthma & Allergy Center Charlotte

Caroline Hobbs Atrium Health Allergy Asthma & Immunology Charlotte

J. Gray Norris Carolina Asthma & Allergy Center Charlotte

Vandana Patel Carolina Asthma & Allergy Center Gastonia

Ekta Shah Atrium Health Allergy Asthma & Immunology Charlotte

ANESTHESIOLOGY

Kathryn Chance SCA Health Charlotte Surgery CenterWendover Charlotte

Jenny Dhingra Scope Anesthesia of North Carolina Charlotte

Troy Gingerich Southeast Pain & Spine Care Monroe

Brent Holway SCA Health Charlotte Surgery CenterWendover Charlotte

Freeman Jackson Jr. Providence Anesthesiology Associates Charlotte

Raza Khan Atrium Health Pineville Pain Management Charlotte

Katherine Nicholas East Carolina Anesthesia Specialists Gastonia

Jeff Plotkin Scope Anesthesia of North Carolina Charlotte

Farrukh Sair Providence Anesthesiology Associates Charlotte

James Winkley Providence Anesthesiology Associates Charlotte

Rob Worth Scope Anesthesia of North Carolina Charlotte

CARDIOLOGY

Craig Clinard Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute Charlotte

Michael Elliott Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute Charlotte

David Framm Tryon Medical Partners Charlotte

Theodore Frank Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute Charlotte

John Holshouser Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute Charlotte

Daniel Koehler Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute Lincolnton

Troy Leo Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute Charlotte

K. Dale Owen Jr. Tryon Medical Partners Charlotte

Dermot Phelan Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute Charlotte

Brian Powell Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute Charlotte

Geoffrey Rose Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute Charlotte

Jonathan Schwartz

Jai Singh

Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute Charlotte

Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute Charlotte

CARDIOTHORACIC SURGERY

John Frederick Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute Charlotte

Jeffrey Hagen Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute Charlotte

Eric Skipper

Medhat Takla

Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute Charlotte

Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute Concord

CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE

John Fedor

Sanjeev Gulati

Joseph Mishkin

Cheryl Russo

Hadley Wilson

Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute Charlotte

Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute Kenilworth Charlotte

Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute Charlotte

Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute Charlotte

Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute Charlotte

COLON AND RECTAL SURGERY

Bradley Davis

Kevin Kasten

Atrium Health General & Complex Abdominal Surgery Charlotte

Atrium Health Gastroenterology and Hepatology Charlotte

COSMETIC SURGERY

James Harper Graper Harper Cosmetic Surgery Charlotte

CRITICAL CARE MEDICINE

Stephen Cochran

Michael Green

Douglas Haden

Atrium Health Pulmonary Critical Care Consultants Charlotte

Atrium Health Jan & Ed Brown Center for Pulmonary Medicine Charlotte

Atrium Health Pulmonary Critical Care Consultants Charlotte

Michael Haley Atrium Health Pulmonary Critical Care Consultants Charlotte

Lisa Lindauer Novant Health Tele-Intensive Care Monroe

Thomas Przybysz II

Justin Swartz

DERMATOLOGY

Atrium Health Pulmonary Critical Care Consultants Charlotte

Atrium Health Jan & Ed Brown Center for Pulmonary Medicine Charlotte

April Boswell Atlantic Dermatology Charlotte

Marc Carruth Carolina Skin Surgery Center Charlotte

Meredith Dasher Tryon Medical Partners Charlotte

Hazem El-Gamal Charlotte Dermatology Charlotte

Sasha Haberle Metrolina Dermatology & Skin Surgery Specialists Charlotte

Jennifer Helton Steele Creek Dermatology Charlotte

Erin Hodges Tryon Medical Partners Charlotte

David Lane Dermatologic Surgery of the Carolinas Charlotte

Laura McGirt Tryon Medical Partners Charlotte

Gilly Munavalli Dermatology Laser & Vein Specialists Charlotte

Daniel Parsons

Tara Parsons

Atrium Health Dermatology SouthPark Charlotte

Atrium Health Dermatology SouthPark Charlotte

Martie Price Tryon Medical Partners Charlotte

Patricia Roddey Tryon Medical Partners Charlotte

DIAGNOSTIC RADIOLOGY

Christina Chaconas Charlotte Radiology Charlotte

Scott Hees

Shannon Hill

Michael Lavelle

Charlotte Radiology Charlotte

Charlotte Radiology Charlotte

Charlotte Radiology Charlotte

James Oliver III Charlotte Radiology Charlotte

Rober Raible Charlotte Radiology Charlotte

Amy Sobel Charlotte Radiology Charlotte

Robyn Stacy-Humphries Charlotte Radiology Charlotte

Taylor Stone Charlotte Radiology Charlotte

EMERGENCY MEDICINE

Bradley Anglemyer Mid-Atlantic Emergency Medical Associates Charlotte

David Callaway Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte

Emily MacNeill Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte

Daniel Martinie Mid-Atlantic Emergency Medical Associates Charlotte

Jason Mutch Mid-Atlantic Emergency Medical Associates Charlotte

Erin Smith Mid-Atlantic Emergency Medical Associates Charlotte

ENDOCRINOLOGY DIABETES AND METABOLISM

Francisco Bautista Vitiello Tryon Medical Partners Charlotte

D. Allen Brantley Tryon Medical Partners Charlotte

Kelli Dunn Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte

Adva Eisenberg Novant Health Endocrinology Charlotte

Stacy Goldbaum Atrium Health Endocrinology SouthPark Charlotte

Jyoti Rao Atrium Health Endocrinology SouthPark Charlotte

Gary Rolband Tryon Medical Partners Charlotte

Raymond Stadiem Atrium Health Endocrinology SouthPark Charlotte

Charles Upchurch Tryon Medical Partners Charlotte

FAMILY MEDICINE

Lauren Bennett-Ale Hull Atrium Health Primary Care Carmel Family Medicine Charlotte

Jenny Chen Atrium Health Primary Care Mint Hill Commons Family Medicine Mint Hill

Lavanya Desai Atrium Health Primary Care Cabarrus Family Medicine China Grove

Steven Gilchrist Novant Health Steelecroft Primary Care Charlotte

Milton Hester Novant Health Crown Point Family Physicians Charlotte

Melissa Jones Priority Care Charlotte

Susan Ladd-Snively Chestnut Family Practice Matthews

Michael McCartney Tryon Medical Partners Gastonia

Benjamin Missick Novant Health Blakeney Family Physicians Charlotte

Augustus Parker IV Novant Health Blakeney Family Physicians Charlotte

Brent Penhall Novant Health Lakeside Family Physicians - Langtree Mooresville

Benjamin Simmons Atrium Health Primary Care Union Family Practice Monroe

Caroline Stephens Gaston Family Practice Gastonia

Christopher Vieau Atrium Health Primary Care Union Family Practice Monroe

Craig White Davidson Family Medicine Davidson

Geoffrey Wrinkle Atrium Health Primary Care Carmel Family Medicine Charlotte

Brian Wysong Gaston Family Practice Gastonia

GASTROENTEROLOGY

Amit Aravapalli Tryon Medical Partners Charlotte

John Clements Lake Norman Medical Group Mooresville

Stephen Deal Carolina Digestive Health Associates Charlotte

Christopher Ferris Tryon Medical Partners Charlotte

Eric Hilgenfeldt Tryon Medical Partners Charlotte

Kent Holtzmuller Tryon Medical Partners Charlotte

Jason Lewis Atrium Health Gastroenterology and Hepatology Charlotte

John Moore III Charlotte Gastroenterology & Hepatology Mooresville

Thomas Pacicco Atrium Health Gastroenterology and Hepatology Charlotte

Rebecca Rawl Charlotte Gastroenterology & Hepatology Charlotte

Gardiner Roddey Charlotte Gastroenterology & Hepatology Charlotte

Martin Scobey Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte

D. Scott Smith Tryon Medical Partners Charlotte

GENERAL SURGERY

Vedra Augenstein

Atrium Health General & Complex Abdominal Surgery Charlotte

Erin Baker Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute Charlotte

Aaron Bergsman Surgical Specialists of Charlotte Huntersville

Bryan Blitstein Surgical Specialists of Charlotte Huntersville

Ashley Britton Christmas Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte

B. Todd Heniford

Kent Kercher

Atrium Health General & Complex Abdominal Surgery Charlotte

Atrium Health General & Complex Abdominal Surgery Charlotte

Cynthia Lauer Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte

Terri Martin Surgical Specialists of Charlotte Charlotte

Natalie Nowak Surgical Specialists of Charlotte Matthews

Lee Pederson Surgical Specialists of Charlotte Charlotte

Lynnette Schiffern Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte

Donald Stewart Atrium Health General Surgery Lincolnton

Kristin Wagner Surgical Specialists of Charlotte Charlotte

Eric Wallace Surgical Specialists of Charlotte Matthews

Leslie Webster III SCA Health Charlotte Surgery CenterWendover Charlotte

GYNECOLOGIC ONCOLOGY

Jubilee Brown Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute Charlotte

Erin Crane Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute Charlotte

Janelle Fauci Novant Health Cancer Institute Charlotte

R. Wendel Naumann Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute Charlotte

Allison Puechl Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute Charlotte

HAND SURGERY

Christopher Chadderdon OrthoCarolina Charlotte

Erika Gantt OrthoCarolina Charlotte

Glenn Gaston OrthoCarolina Charlotte

John Gaul III OrthoCarolina Charlotte

Bryan Loeffler OrthoCarolina Charlotte

Julie Woodside

OrthoCarolina Gastonia

HEMATOLOGY

Edward Copelan Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute Charlotte

Reed Friend Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute Charlotte

Nilanjan Ghosh Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute Charlotte

Michael Grunwald Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute Charlotte

Gregory Knight Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute Charlotte

Mary Ann Knovich Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute Charlotte

Jonathan Levine Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute Charlotte

Kathryn Mileham Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute Charlotte

Brittany Ragon Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute Charlotte

Danyu Sun Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute Charlotte

Peter Voorhees Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute Charlotte

HEPATOLOGY

Andrew DeLemos Transplant and Liver Center Charlotte

Mark Russo Transplant and Liver Center Charlotte

HOSPICE AND PALLIATIVE CARE

John Barkley Atrium Health Hospice & Palliative Care Cabarrus Kannapolis

Boris Krivitsky Atrium Health Multispecialty Palliative Care Clinic Charlotte

Shenita Moore Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute Matthews

Armida Parala-Metz Atrium Health Supportive Oncology Clinic Charlotte

Beth Susi Atrium Health Supportive Oncology Clinic Charlotte

INFECTIOUS DISEASE

Joseph Lang Atrium Health Infectious Disease Kenilworth Charlotte

Michael Leonard Atrium Health Infectious Disease Kenilworth Charlotte

Lewis McCurdy Atrium Health Infectious Disease Kenilworth Charlotte

Heather Michael Novant Health Infectious Disease Specialists Charlotte

Katie Passaretti Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte

David Weinrib Atrium Health Infectious Disease Kenilworth Charlotte

INTERNAL MEDICINE

Daniel Aquino Tryon Medical Partners Charlotte

Lorri Ayers Atrium Health Perspective Health & Wellness Charlotte

Anne Barnard Tryon Medical Partners Charlotte

Erika Bono Atrium Health Primary Care Charlotte Medical Clinic Charlotte

Jason Brancato Atrium Health Perspective Health & Wellness Charlotte

Faye Campbell Novant Health Ballantyne Medical Group Charlotte

Jason Carnes Tryon Medical Partners Huntersville

Iris Cheng Atrium Health Primary Care Charlotte Internal Medicine Charlotte

Alicia Cole Tryon Medical Partners Charlotte

Gregory Collins Atrium Health Primary Care Randolph Internal Medicine Charlotte

Peter Copsis Tryon Medical Partners Matthews

Jay Fernando Carolina Physicians Group Charlotte

Charles Ferree Tryon Medical Partners Pineville

Kelly Forb Carolinas Hospitalist Group at Atrium Health Pineville

Michelle Foster Novant Health Southern Piedmont Primary Care Monroe

Kym Furney Tryon Medical Partners Pineville

Scott Furney Atrium Health Primary Care Charlotte Internal Medicine Charlotte

Jane Harrell H3 Healthcare Charlotte

Vicki Cathy Ho Carolinas Hospitalist Group at Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte

Lane Knox Jacobs Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte

Prashanth Kamath Atrium Health Perspective Health & Wellness Charlotte

Tina Kennelly Tryon Medical Partners Charlotte

Benjamin Kirk Atrium Health Primary Care Charlotte Medical Clinic Charlotte

Eric Landis Tryon Medical Partners Pineville

Adam Ligler Tryon Medical Partners Charlotte

Justin Miller Tryon Medical Partners Matthews

Elizabeth Perry Signature Healthcare Charlotte

Caroline Pierce Tryon Medical Partners Charlotte

John Sensenbrenner MDVIP Charlotte

G. Ryan Shelton Tryon Medical Partners Charlotte

Joshua Shoemake H3 Healthcare Charlotte

Alyson Shogan Atrium Health Perspective Health & Wellness Charlotte

John Tenini Tryon Medical Partners Charlotte

Kanika Varma Atrium Health Primary Care Charlotte Medical Clinic Charlotte

Hala Webster Tryon Medical Partners Charlotte

Julianne Weidner Tryon Medical Partners Charlotte

Caroline Lee Wilds Tryon Medical Partners Matthews

David Yancey Carolinas Hospitalist Group at Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte

INTERVENTIONAL CARDIOLOGY

William Downey

Glen Kowalchuk

Michael Rinaldi

Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute Kenilworth Charlotte

Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute Kenilworth Charlotte

Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute Kenilworth Charlotte

MATERNAL AND FETAL MEDICINE

John Allbert Novant Health Maternal-Fetal Medicine Charlotte

Aaron Matthew Dom Atrium Health Women's Care Maternal Fetal Medicine Charlotte

Rebecca Pollack

Lorene Temming

MEDICAL

Jing Ai

Asim Amin

Jennifer Atlas

Atrium Health Women's Care Maternal Fetal Medicine Charlotte

Atrium Health Women's Care Maternal Fetal Medicine Charlotte

ONCOLOGY AND HEMATOLOGY

Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute Charlotte

Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute Charlotte

Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute Charlotte

Gregory Michael Brouse

Kathryn Brownlee

Earle Burgess

Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute Monroe

Novant Health Cancer Institute Charlotte

Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute Charlotte

Z. Luke Farmer Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute Monroe

Julie Fisher Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute Charlotte

Gary Frenette Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute Charlotte

Arielle Heeke Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute Charlotte

Bei Hu Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute Charlotte

Kunal Kadakia Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute Charlotte

Greg Knight Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute Charlotte

Ashley Sumrall Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute Charlotte

Antoinette Tan Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute Charlotte

NEPHROLOGY

Paul Blake Metrolina Nephrology Associates Charlotte

Kathleen Doman Nephrology & Hypertension Consultants Charlotte

Matthew Elliott Metrolina Nephrology Associates Charlotte

Chris Fotiadis Metrolina Nephrology Associates Charlotte

Nancy Jo Gritter Metrolina Nephrology Associates Charlotte

Gregory Merten Metrolina Nephrology Associates Charlotte

Kimberly Yates Metrolina Nephrology Associates Huntersville

NEUROLOGICAL SURGERY

Anthony Asher Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine Associates Charlotte

E. Hunter Dyer Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine Associates Charlotte

Martin Henegar Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine Associates Charlotte

Erin Kiehna Novant Health Pediatric Neurosurgery Charlotte

Jonathan Parish Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine Associates Charlotte

Mark Smith Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine Associates Charlotte

Mark Van Poppel Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine Associates Charlotte

Scott Wait Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine Associates Charlotte

NEUROLOGY

Liya Beyderman Charlotte Neurological Services Charlotte

Jill Conway Novant Health Multiple Sclerosis Care Charlotte

Andrea Diedrich Atrium Health Neurology Charlotte

Danielle Englert Doggett Atrium Health Neurology Specialty Care Charlotte

Ryan Gleason Atrium Health Neurology Charlotte

Ilona Humes Atrium Health Neurology Concord

Kaiwen Lin Atrium Health Neurology Charlotte

Michael Schecter Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte

Rajdeep Singh Atrium Health Neurology Specialty Care Charlotte

NUCLEAR MEDICINE

Shawn Quillin Mecklenburg Radiology Associates Charlotte

OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY

Allison Bell Atrium Health Women's Care Charlotte OB/GYN Charlotte

Mark Bland Novant Health Rankin OB/GYN Charlotte

M. Kathryn Bohmer Atrium Health Women's Care Eastover OB/GYN Charlotte

Ingrid Bullard Novant Health Rankin OB/GYN Charlotte

Grant Campbell

Daphne Capek

Ginger Dickerson

Jada Fambrough

Atrium Health Women's Care Copperfield OB/GYN Harrisburg

Atrium Health Women's Care Eastover OB/GYN Charlotte

Atrium Health Women's Care Eastover OB/GYN Charlotte

Atrium Health Women's Care Eastover OB/GYN Charlotte

Amy Fletcher Thrive Carolinas Charlotte

Jennie Jarvis Hauschka Tryon Women's Center Charlotte

Emily Hutcheson

Astrid Jain

Jennifer Kalich

Leslie Lindner

Atrium Health Women's Care Eastover OB/GYN Charlotte

Atrium Health Women's Care Eastover OB/GYN Charlotte

Atrium Health Women's Care Eastover OB/GYN Charlotte

Atrium Health Women's Care Charlotte OB/GYN Charlotte

Elizabeth Moran Premier Gynecology & Wellness Charlotte

Laura Pekman

Sarah Pollock

Christie Secrest

Aviva Stein

Atrium Health Women's Care Charlotte OB/GYN Charlotte

Atrium Health Women's Care Eastover OB/GYN Charlotte

Atrium Health Women's Care Charlotte OB/GYN Charlotte

Atrium Health Women's Care Charlotte OB/GYN Charlotte

Erin Stone Tryon Women's Center Charlotte

Charles Termin Atrium Health Women's Care Charlotte OB/GYN Charlotte

Smitha Vilasagar Vilasagar Gynecologic Surgery Charlotte

Robert Wicker Jr. Atrium Health Women's Care Charlotte OB/GYN Charlotte

Kathryn J. Hull Wood Novant Health Providence OB/GYN Charlotte

ONCOLOGY

Chasse Bailey-Dorton Atrium Health Supportive Oncology Clinic Charlotte

Daniel Haggstrom Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute Charlotte

Jimmy Hwang Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute Charlotte

OPHTHALMOLOGY

William Branner III Horizon Eye Care Charlotte

Galen Grayson Atrium Health Ophthalmology Care Charlotte

David Greenman Greenman Eye Associates Charlotte

Herb Greenman Greenman Eye Associates Charlotte

Joseph Krug Jr. Horizon Eye Care Charlotte

Casey Mathys Charlotte Eye Ear Nose & Throat Associates Charlotte

Vandana Minnal Horizon Eye Care Charlotte

Nehali Saraiya Charlotte Eye Ear Nose & Throat Associates Charlotte

ORAL AND MAXILLOFACIAL SURGERY

Brian Farrell Carolinas Centers for Oral & Facial Surgery Charlotte

John Nale Carolinas Center for Oral & Facial Surgery Charlotte

ORTHOPEDIC SURGERY

Scott Burbank OrthoCarolina PIneville

Bruce Cohen

Kent Ellington

OrthoCarolina Foot & Ankle Institute Charlotte

OrthoCarolina Foot & Ankle Institute Charlotte

Jeffrey Kneisl

Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute Charlotte

Claude Moorman Atrium Health Musculoskeletal Institute

Sports Medicine Charlotte

Matthew Ohl OrthoCarolina Charlotte

Joshua Patt Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute Charlotte

Shadley Schiffern OrthoCarolina Shoulder & Elbow Center Charlotte

Kevin Stanley OrthoCarolina Mooresville

ORTHOPEDICS

Michael Bates OrthoCarolina Charlotte

Michael Dockery OrthoCarolina Charlotte

Nady Hamid OrthoCarolina Shoulder & Elbow Center Charlotte

J. Bohannon Mason OrthoCarolina Hip & Knee Center Charlotte

James McDonald OrthoCarolina Mooresville

Patricia McHale OrthoCarolina Gastonia

Jonathan Riboh OrthoCarolina Cartilage Restoration Institute Charlotte

Bryan Springer OrthoCarolina Sports Medicine Center Charlotte

OTOLARYNGOLOGY EAR NOSE THROAT

John Blumer

Daniel Brickman

S. Brett Heavner

Steven Hong

Hunter Hoover

Darrell Klotz

Brendan O'Connell

Michael Sicard

Charlotte Eye Ear Nose & Throat

Associates Charlotte

Charlotte Eye Ear Nose & Throat

Associates Charlotte

Charlotte Eye Ear Nose & Throat

Associates Huntersville

Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute Charlotte

Charlotte Eye Ear Nose & Throat

Associates Charlotte

Charlotte Eye Ear Nose & Throat

Associates Charlotte

Charlotte Eye Ear Nose & Throat

Associates Charlotte

Charlotte Eye Ear Nose & Throat

Associates Matthews

PAIN MANAGEMENT

Puneet Aggarwal

Atrium Health Musculoskeletal Institute Sports Medicine Charlotte

Kevin Costello Southeast Pain & Spine Care Charlotte

Russell Davenport Southeast Pain & Spine Care Charlotte

James Hancock Jr. Atrium Health Cabarrus Pain Management Concord

Jon-David Hoppenfeld Southeast Pain & Spine Care Charlotte

Ankur Manvar Integrative Pain & Spine Institute Charlotte

Richard Park Southeast Pain & Spine Care Charlotte

Jason Ravanbakht Atrium Health Cabarrus Pain Management Concord

Binit Shah Carolinas Pain Center Huntersville

Siddarth Thakur Atrium Health Musculoskeletal Institute Sports Medicine Huntersville

Shaun Williams Atrium Health Cabarrus Pain Management Concord

Joanna Wroblewska-Shah Carolinas Pain Center Huntersville

PATHOLOGY

Kiran Adlakha Carolinas Pathology Group Charlotte

Jared Block Carolinas Pathology Group Charlotte

Robert Burks Carolinas Pathology Group Charlotte

Arthur Cohen Presbyterian Pathology Group Charlotte

Akosua Domfeh Carolinas Pathology Group Charlotte

Abigail Goodman Carolinas Pathology Group Charlotte

Edward Lipford Carolinas Pathology Group Charlotte

Chad Livasy Carolinas Pathology Group Charlotte

Chad McCall Carolinas Pathology Group Charlotte

Trisha Shattuck Carolinas Pathology Group Charlotte

Elton Smith Jr. Carolinas Pathology Group Charlotte

Carol Weida Carolinas Pathology Group Charlotte

Angela Wu Carolinas Pathology Group Charlotte

PEDIATRIC ALLERGY IMMUNOLOGY

Jennifer Caicedo Carolina Asthma & Allergy Center Charlotte

Emily Langley Carolina Asthma & Allergy Center Charlotte

PEDIATRIC CARDIOLOGY

Richard Boruta

Joseph Paolillo

Atrium Health Levine Children's Heartest Yard Congenital Heart Center Charlotte

Atrium Health Levine Children's Heartest Yard Congenital Heart Center Charlotte

Matthew Schwartz Atrium Health Levine Children's Heartest Yard Congenital Heart Center Charlotte

Nicholas Sliz

Gonzalo Wallis

Atrium Health Levine Children's Heartest Yard Congenital Heart Center Charlotte

Atrium Health Levine Children's Heartest Yard Congenital Heart Center Charlotte

PEDIATRIC ENDOCRINOLOGY

Lisa Houchin

Jakub Mieszczak

Mark Vanderwel

Atrium Health Levine Children's Endocrinology Charlotte

Atrium Health Levine Children's Endocrinology Charlotte

Atrium Health Pediatric Endocrinology & Diabetes Specialists Charlotte

PEDIATRIC GASTROENTEROLOGY

Ricardo Caicedo

Atrium Health Levine Children's Specialty Center Gastroenterology Charlotte

Jason Dranove Atrium Health Levine Children's Specialty Center Gastroenterology Charlotte

Tiffany Linville

Victor Pineiro-Carrero

Atrium Health Levine Children's Specialty Center Gastroenterology Charlotte

Atrium Health Levine Children's Specialty Center Gastroenterology Charlotte

Ameesh Shah Atrium Health Levine Children's Specialty Center Gastroenterology Charlotte

PEDIATRIC ORTHOPEDICS/ORTHOPEDIC SURGERY

Brian Brighton OrthoCarolina Charlotte

Virginia Casey OrthoCarolina Charlotte

Christian Clark OrthoCarolina Charlotte

Michael Paloski OrthoCarolina Charlotte

Brian Scannell OrthoCarolina Charlotte

PEDIATRIC OTALARYNGOLOGY ENT

Joshua Levine

Jonathan Moss

Sajeev Puri

Charlotte Eye Ear Nose & Throat Associates Charlotte

Charlotte Eye Ear Nose & Throat Associates Matthews

Charlotte Eye Ear Nose & Throat Associates Charlotte

PEDIATRIC SURGERY

Daniel Bambini Pediatric Surgical Associates Charlotte

Graham Cosper Pediatric Surgical Associates Charlotte

Paul Kirshbom Atrium Health Levine Children's Heartest Yard Congenital Heart Center Charlotte

Thomas Maxey Atrium Health Levine Children's Heartest Yard Congenital Heart Center Charlotte

Thomas Schmelzer Pediatric Surgical Associates Charlotte

Karl Welke

Atrium Health Levine Children's Heartest Yard Congenital Heart Center Charlotte

PEDIATRICS GENERAL

Amina Ahmed Levine Children's Hospital Charlotte

Jeffrey Cleveland

Atrium Health Levine Children's Charlotte Pediatrics Matthews

Lubna Elahi Atrium Health Levine Children's University Pediatrics Charlotte

Lawrence Hurst Atrium Health Levine Children's Gastonia Children's Clinic Gastonia

Stephanie Kwon Atrium Health Levine Children's Charlotte Pediatrics Charlotte

Amanda Lanier Atrium Health Levine Children's Perspective Pediatrics Charlotte

Anitha Leonard Atrium Health Levine Children's Arboretum Pediatrics Charlotte

George Manousos Atrium Health Levine Children's Charlotte Pediatrics Matthews

Rhonda Patt Atrium Health Levine Children's Charlotte Pediatrics Charlotte

Jodie Prosser Atrium Health Levine Children's Charlotte Pediatrics Matthews

Stephen Renfrow Atrium Health Levine Children's Charlotte Pediatrics Charlotte

Amy Ryan Novant Health Eastover Pediatrics Charlotte

Kasey Scannell Novant Health Pediatrics Symphony Park Charlotte

Anna Schmelzer Atrium Health Levine Children's Charlotte Pediatrics Charlotte

Andrew Shulstad Novant Health Pediatrics Symphony Park Charlotte

Robert Silver Atrium Health Cabarrus Concord

Charles Smoak Atrium Health Levine Children's Charlotte Pediatrics Charlotte

PHYSICAL

MEDICINE AND REHABILITATION

William Bockenek Carolinas Rehabilitation Charlotte

Alexander Chasnis OrthoCarolina Huntersville

Dana Conley Carolinas Rehabilitation Charlotte

Kelly Crawford Carolinas Rehabilitation Charlotte

Nathan Darji Carolinas Rehabilitation Charlotte

Sima Desai Carolinas Rehabilitation Charlotte

Michael Dove Atrium Health Musculoskeletal Institute Sports Medicine Charlotte

Terrence Pugh Atrium Health Supportive Oncology Clinic Charlotte

Vishwa Raj Carolinas Rehabilitation Charlotte

John Welshofer Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine Associates Charlotte

PLASTIC AND RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY

Peter Capizzi Capizzi MD Charlotte

Ashley Chandler Charlotte Plastic Surgery Charlotte

Enam Haque Queen City Plastic Surgery Charlotte

Joseph Hunstad HKB Cosmetic Surgery Huntersville

Jean-Francois Lefaivre

Atrium Health Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Charlotte

Thomas Liszka Ballantyne Plastic Surgery Charlotte

John Robinson Atrium Health Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Charlotte

Edward Teng

PODIATRY

Atrium Health Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Charlotte

Kevin Molan Foot & Ankle Specialists of the MidAtlantic Charlotte

PSYCHIATRY

Jillianne Grayson Grayson Psychiatry Huntersville

Rabiya Hasan Atrium Health Behavioral Health Charlotte

David Litchford Jr. Atrium Health Behavioral Health Charlotte

Scott Lurie Scott N. Lurie MD Charlotte

Kevin Marra HopeWay Charlotte

Jonathan McKinsey

Atrium Health Behavioral Health Psychiatry & Counseling Concord

J. Allen Melvin Allen Melvin MD Charlotte

Jason Peck HopeWay Charlotte

Anne Richardson North Charlotte Psychiatry & Wellness Charlotte

April Schindler Renown Psychiatry Charlotte

J.W. Wallace Eastover Psychiatric Group Charlotte

PULMONARY MEDICINE

Benjamin Bringardner

John Doty

Atrium Health Jan & Ed Brown Center for Pulmonary Medicine Charlotte

Atrium Health Jan & Ed Brown Center for Pulmonary Medicine Charlotte

Azeem Elahi Caromont Health Gastonia

Daniel Howard

Scott Lindblom

Jaspal Singh

John Wynne

Atrium Health Jan & Ed Brown Center for Pulmonary Medicine Charlotte

Atrium Health Jan & Ed Brown Center for Pulmonary Medicine Charlotte

Atrium Health Jan & Ed Brown Center for Pulmonary Medicine Charlotte

Atrium Health Pulmonary Critical Care Consultants Charlotte

RADIATION ONCOLOGY

William Bobo

Stuart Burri

Christopher Corso

Carolina Fasola

Derek McHaffie

Benjamin Moeller

Roshan Prabhu

Hadley Sharp

Matthew Ward

William Warlick Jr.

Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute

Radiation Therapy Center Charlotte

Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute

Radiation Therapy Center Charlotte

Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute

Radiation Therapy Center Charlotte

Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute

Radiation Therapy Center Charlotte

Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute

Radiation Therapy Center Charlotte

Southeast Radiation Oncology Group Charlotte

Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute

Radiation Therapy Center Charlotte

Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute

Radiation Therapy Center Charlotte

Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute

Radiation Therapy Center Charlotte

Southeast Radiation Oncology Group Charlotte

RADIOLOGY

Deborah Agisim Charlotte Radiology Charlotte

Ryan Aronberg Mecklenburg Radiology Associates Charlotte

Emmanuel Botzolakis Mecklenburg Radiology Associates Charlotte

C. Peter Chang Charlotte Radiology Charlotte

Brad Mitchell Charlotte Radiology Charlotte

Vishwan Pamarthi Mecklenburg Radiology Associates Charlotte

Jonathan Perry Mecklenburg Radiology Associates Charlotte

Daniel Wallihan Charlotte Radiology Charlotte

REPRODUCTIVE ENDOCRINOLOGY

Ashley Eskew Atrium Health Fertility Center Charlotte

Kathryn Goldrick Atrium Health Fertility Center Charlotte

Bradley Hurst Atrium Health CMC Women's Institute Charlotte

Michelle Matthews Atrium Health CMC Women's Institute Charlotte

Tolga Mesen Carolinas Fertility Institute Charlotte

Rebecca Usadi Atrium Health CMC Women's Institute Charlotte

RHEUMATOLOGY

Alison Johnson Tryon Medical Partners Huntersville

Andrew Laster Arthritis & Osteoporosis Consultants of the Carolinas Charlotte

Leslie Ranken Atrium Health Rheumatology Charlotte

Amanda Wakeley Atrium Health Rheumatology Charlotte

Manika Zeri Atrium Health Rheumatology Charlotte

Jill Zouzoulas Tryon Medical Partners Charlotte

SLEEP MEDICINE

Jacob Coleman Tryon Medical Partners Huntersville

Kimberly Mims Atrium Health Sleep Medicine Charlotte

Michael Reif Atrium Health Jan & Ed Brown Center for Pulmonary Medicine Charlotte

Ehrlich Tan Tryon Medical Partners Charlotte

SPINE SURGERY

Byron Branch Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine Associates Concord

Anthony Kwon OrthoCarolina Charlotte

Matthew McGirt Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine Associates Charlotte

Alden Milam OrthoCarolina Charlotte

Vincent Rossi Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine Associates Charlotte

Bradley Segebarth OrthoCarolina Charlotte

William A. Branner, III, MD

Joseph H. Krug, Jr., MD

Vandana R. Minnal, MD

With seven Carolinas locations, the doctors and staff of Horizon Eye Care are proud to provide exceptional care to patients throughout the region.

SPORTS MEDICINE

Kevin Burroughs

Antonio Howard

Dana Piasecki

Atrium Health Musculoskeletal Institute

Orthopedics & Sports Medicine Concord

Atrium Health Musculoskeletal Institute

Sports Medicine Charlotte

OrthoCarolina Charlotte

Catherine Rainbow Atrium Health Musculoskeletal Institute

Sports Medicine Charlotte

SURGICAL ONCOLOGY

Ilan Avin Novant Health Carolina Surgical Charlotte

Meghan Forster Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute Charlotte

Lejla Gusic Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute Charlotte

Joshua Hill Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute Charlotte

David Iannitti Atrium Health Hepatobiliary Surgery Charlotte

John Martinie Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute Charlotte

Zvonimir Milas Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute Charlotte

Jonathan Salo Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute Charlotte

Deba Sarma Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute Charlotte

Malcolm Squires Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute Charlotte

Peter Turk Novant Health Cancer Institute Charlotte

Amy Voci Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute Charlotte

Richard White Jr. Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute Charlotte

Congratulations to our Radiologists North Carolina Top Doctors 2024

THORACIC SURGERY

Christopher Cicci

UROLOGY

Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute Concord

Peter Clark Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute Charlotte

Manish Damani Urology Specialists of the Carolinas Charlotte

Jacques Ganem

Michael Kennelly

Urology Specialists of the Carolinas Charlotte

Atrium Health Women's Care Urogynecology & Pelvic Surgery Charlotte

Stephen Riggs Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute Charlotte

Angela Schang

Atrium Health Urology Kenilworth Charlotte

VASCULAR SURGERY

Frank Arko Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute Charlotte

Jason Burgess Surgical Specialists of Charlotte Charlotte

Peter Ford Vascular Solutions Charlotte

Ashish Jain

Erin Murphy

Novant Health Heart & Vascular Institute Charlotte

Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute Venous & Lymphatic Pineville Charlotte

REMARKABLE RESULTS, EXCEPTIONAL CARE

The new year marks a time of transformation for many people, a chance to reset and establish goals and healthy habits that make us look and feel our best. For some, that may include a visit to a facial plastic surgeon or a plan for cosmetic treatments. We spoke with double board-certified facial plastic surgeon Dr. Jonathan Kulbersh of Carolina Facial Plastics to learn more about what’s new in the industry and what to consider if you’re thinking about having something done.

Q: Why choose Carolina Facial Plastics?

A: We provide a team of cosmetic experts, a fully accredited, state-of-the-art surgery center, and a luxurious private recovery retreat in the heart of SouthPark. We use only board-certified anesthesiologists. My background includes a five-year head and neck surgery residency at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, followed by fellowships in facial and plastic reconstructive surgery and oculoplastic surgery.

I refined my skills by training with multiple world-renowned facial plastic surgeons in Beverly Hills — including Dr. Paul Nassif of TV’s “Botched” — and learned that the key to long-lasting patient relationships comes from exceeding expectations and delivering unparalleled, natural-looking results. Our team has decades of experience, and we take really good care of people. The end result: We have lots of happy, satisfied patients.

The specialization of our practice is a distinct difference that sets Carolina Facial Plastics apart from others. We focus 100% on cosmetic treatments for the face, providing an unmatched, laser-focused level of expertise.

Q: What are some of Carolina Facial Plastics’ newest procedures?

A: We’re the first in Charlotte to offer the BBL Heroic laser. It treats everything from age spots to rosacea and dull complexion, but it’s faster than other lasers and requires less recovery time. It uses the latest technology to get even better results in just one to two sessions, rather than the five to six sessions other lasers require. It’s a game-changer in the laser world.

We also have a new natural filler, a bio-stimulating gel, that we will be using instead of dermal fillers, especially underneath the eyes for dark circles and bags. This gel is created from your own blood and platelets. Patients like it because it uses their own natural composition rather than synthetic materials.

Q: What should people consider when choosing a facial plastic surgeon?

A: You want to look at results through before-and-after photos and learn about the physician’s reputation by reading online reviews and asking friends and those in the medical community. A surgeon’s experience and training are essential. And lastly, verify that surgeries are performed in an accredited surgical center by board-certified facial plastic surgeons and anesthesiologists.

Q: What is the most rewarding part about being a facial plastic surgeon?

A: The best part for me is going over patients’ before-and-after photos. The joy that I see patients experience and the improvement in their quality of life and confidence is priceless.

Q: There are so many treatments available now to enhance one’s appearance that it can feel overwhelming to decide what’s best. How do you and your staff help guide patients on what’s right for them?

A: We start first by listening to understand each individual’s concerns and goals. Once we understand those, our vast experience and knowledge allow us to present the most effective tools and options available. Often, the decision is driven by a patient’s ability for downtime and financial considerations. We work with each person to determine what fits best with their lifestyle and will give them the desired outcome.

Q: Many people worry about the recovery associated with cosmetic procedures. What are some of the best options to enhance or maintain your appearance that require little or no downtime?

A: For patients with a busy lifestyle, we often recommend using a combination of facial lasers and injectables, like Botox and fillers, to help improve the contour of the face and smooth wrinkles. Many laser treatments have minimal to no downtime and greatly improve the health and appearance of the face and neck.

Q: Some fear cosmetic procedures may make them look fake or alter their appearance too much. How does Carolina Facial Plastics address these concerns?

A: Our goal is to make people look better, not different, and we do this by enhancing or restoring balance and proportions. It should be done in a way that no one can tell that someone has had anything done.

VIA HEALTH PARTNERS

COMPREHENSIVE CARE FOR THOSE LIVING WITH SERIOUS ILLNESSES

viahp.org

Formerly Hospice & Palliative Care Charlotte Region, VIA Health Partners is a nonprofit organization that has been operating since 1978, providing end-of-life care to 38 counties across North and South Carolina.

Voted the #1 hospice in the Charlotte area, we have one focus: the comfort of our patients. VIA offers hospice care wherever a patient calls home, and if acute, aroundthe-clock care is necessary, our six hospice houses allow for that in our familiar, homelike setting.

Each VIA Health Partners patient receives tailored treatments designed to alleviate pain and symptoms unique to their diagnosis. Our specialty programs offer palliative care for those living with a serious illness, dementia care, Veteran-centric care, pediatric care, grief support and more.

Along with our core staff, VIA Health Partners has a dedicated after-hours team made up of 55 clinicians to ensure availability 24/7, 365 days a year. More than 400 volunteers are also utilized to bolster the VIA Health Partners mission.

To find out more, call us at 704.375.0100 or visit our website.

Levine & Dickson Hospice House - Huntersville

ENSEMBLE DENTAL ARTS

MODERN, SOPHISTICATED DENTISTRY IN SOUTHPARK

For Dr. Woo Choe, cosmetic dentistry blends two of her greatest passions — artistry and science — to create exceptional results.

A classical pianist since the age of 6, Dr. Choe holds degrees in both physics and general dentistry, graduating from UNC’s Adams School of Dentistry. With more than two decades of experience in cosmetic and restorative dentistry, her new boutique office in SouthPark, Ensemble Dental Arts, is patient-centered and relationship-based.

“Patients deserve high-quality dentistry with a gentle and artistic touch,” Dr. Choe says. “I truly care about getting to know the patient and value building a long-term relationship. My practice is not the cheaper, faster, high-volume dental practice where patients are just numbers. I want clients to experience outstanding dental care in a comfortable and beautiful atmosphere.”

Works by local artist Pedjman Mohammadi line the walls of Ensemble Dental Arts, and Dr. Choe and her staff operate the practice with intention, scheduling a limited number of appointments each day to allow more time with patients. Dr. Choe practices conservative dentistry, recommending not only the best — but necessary — treatment options.

“Finding a dentist you can trust who provides reliable service is a winning combination,” she says. “My goal is to make patients feel confident and better than when they walk in.” To do so, she evaluates a person’s whole face, from their teeth anatomy to overall aesthetics, ensuring the look and functionality for successful oral health.

Ensemble Dental Arts is now welcoming new patients. Experience sophisticated cosmetic and restorative dentistry at its best.

Woo J. Choe, DDS

DARLENE MEW EMBARK

ON A JOURNEY TO TRANSFORM YOUR LIFE

For adults with ADHD — especially women as they transition through perimenopause and beyond — life can feel overwhelming, unorganized and chaotic. For those who have experienced trauma, anxiety can be paralyzing.

“A lot of these folks have come to adulthood believing there is something wrong with them or that they should’ve done things differently,” says Darlene Mew, a Charlotte health and wellness coach who specializes in working with adults with ADHD and those with trauma/PTSD. “I love being a part of their transformative journey, helping them thrive and learn grace for themselves.”

Darlene has nearly 20 years’ experience in counseling. She has a Master of Science in clinical mental health and extensive training in PTSD/trauma, anxiety and ADHD/Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). She has also served on the faculty of Southern Adventist University in Chattanooga, Tennessee, as a psychology professor.

After going through menopause in her late 30’s, Darlene was officially diagnosed with ADHD, giving her unique insights into what it’s like to experience perimenopause while also having an ADHD brain.

Comprehensive coaching plans are tailored to individual desired outcomes. Darlene uses techniques such as imagery, hypnosis and somatic experiencing to create lasting change. She also offers single-visit intensives designed to overcome PTSD and trauma. “Coaching and therapy move you forward, creating a road map for success,” Darlene says. “My goal is to help my clients to optimize their lives.”

Schedule a complimentary virtual consultation and take the first step toward a more fulfilling life.

STARR VITALITY & WELLNESS

AN INTEGRATIVE APPROACH TO WHOLE-PERSON WELLNESS

Dr. Carter Starr, a graduate of Yale University and Medical College of Virginia, has spent her life focusing on health and wellness and wants to help you be your healthiest.

Board certified in emergency and sports medicine, her new concierge lifestyle medicine practice, Starr Vitality & Wellness, specializes in whole-person wellness, education and preventive care. Customized care includes coaching on health, nutrition and sleep; anti-aging strategies for better skin, hair and joint health; and guidance on medications, supplements and nonoperative therapies for knee preservation.

Dr. Starr also offers wound care — including stitches — saving members costly, time-consuming visits to urgent care or the emergency room.

A cancer survivor at 31 and lifelong athlete who suffered a serious rowing injury at Yale, Dr. Starr understands how it feels to be a patient and to overcome sports injuries. “You cannot take a healthy tomorrow for granted,” she says. “Attention to detail and preventive maintenance can keep you looking and feeling good for a long time, if you know the right things to do.”

Appointments are available in the clinic, by phone or via telemedicine for patients in the Carolinas and include vacation care. “Patients deserve a doctor who takes the time to listen and to answer questions to provide a thorough understanding of their health concerns.” Dr. Starr will use her 20 years of experience to maximize your overall wellness.

Schedule a complimentary introduction with Dr. Starr today to start the new year off right!

Heal Joint Pain Without Surgery

swirl

A monthly guide to Charlotte’s parties and galas

Bella Notte

benefiting Opera Carolina Belk Theater

Nov. 16

One of the city’s longest-running and most prestigious galas celebrates 20 years. Patrons dined and even danced on the Belk Theater stage, making it a night to remember. photographs by Daniel Coston

Mahroo and Kerr Putney

Alan and Allison Welch

Joye Blount and Jessie Knight Jr. Noi Vang and Irina Toshkova

Lee Kennelly and Liz Hilliard

Andre and Nakisha Procope

A monthly guide to Charlotte’s parties and galas

Bee Something for Bee Mighty Gala

Quail Hollow Club

Oct. 26

Friends and supporters dined, danced and bid on auction items, all to help NICU families thrive as their babies grow.

photographs by Daniel Coston

Kaylan and Jeff Alderson

Caroline and Tucker Griffith

Harris and Nancy Ralston

Suzanne Alvarez, Katie O’Connor, Hillary Ash

Chris and David Allen

Paul and Beth Taylor

A monthly guide to Charlotte’s parties and galas

Magic of Love Gala

benefiting Dahlia Grove

Myers Park Country Club

Oct. 24

This evening of fine food and inspiring words helps the nonprofit in its work to help employ and empower survivors of human trafficking. photographs by Daniel Coston

Bill Godwin and Lauren Burns

Courtney Cook and Michael Morley

Kurt and Laura Coleman

Jessica Abram and Julia Rafferty

Amy and Frank Scibelli

Neely Verano and Emily Oliver Gayle Smith

Yevette Christy

swirl

A monthly guide to Charlotte’s parties and galas

Ties & Tails Gala

benefiting Humane Society of Charlotte Revelry at Camp North End Nov. 2

Animal lovers came out for a fun evening that raised more than $440,000 to help animals being cared for by HSC. photographs by Daniel Coston

Fall EnrichMINT Forum

benefiting Mint Museum Auxiliary Mint Museum Uptown Nov. 20

Photography director Ivan Shaw, who helped lead Vogue fashion coverage for 20 years, was joined by moderator Laura Vinroot Poole for a conversation reflecting on his illustrious career. photographs by Adam Eugene

Jeri Thompson and Chris Bennett

Susan Fuller and Kurt Bouley

Ashley and Rick McRae

Terri Wilhelm and Jenny Nguyen

Wanda Woodley and Jim Hodson

Amy Moore, Kim Salsbury, Ivan Shaw, Jillian Bank, Laura Vinroot Poole

Rivers Williams, Felipe Edmiston, Savannah Amerson, Jordan Prada

Hope Leak and Meredith Chapman

A monthly guide to Charlotte’s parties and galas

Verse & Vino

benefiting Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation

Charlotte Convention Center

Nov. 7

More than 1,400 book enthusiasts and library supporters dined and listened to bestselling authors share their personal stories: Essie Chambers, Emiko Jean, Edward Lee and Jessica Shattuck. photographs by Daniel Coston

Wells Fargo Kickoff

Benefiting Charlotte Wine + Food Foundation For The Carolinas Oct. 2

This 11th annual showcase of fine wine and food featured Maison Joseph Drouhin wines and raised nearly $160,000 for local children’s charities: A Child’s Place, Augustine Literacy Project, Digi-Bridge and Wayfinders.

photographs courtesy Charlotte Wine + Food

Makayla Johnson, Lauren Deese, Shreya Gangaram

Larry Suggs and Bob Peters

Jamie and Bryan Gerrard

Duncan and Emily Muil

Ariail Barker and Melissa Brannan

Jenni Gaisbauer and Marcellus “MT” Turner

Sidney Logan Echevarria and Eboni Lewis

Eric Frazier and Tonya Jameson

HAPPY PLACE

BRITTO, the lifestyle brand featuring contemporary pop artist Romero Britto’s bold, colorful work, opens at SouthPark Mall.

by Michael J. Solender

They say money can’t buy happiness, but a new retail store at SouthPark Mall aims to challenge that notion. BRITTO, a collection of home goods, décor, apparel and gifts featuring the stylings of artist Romero Britto, opened in December.

The Brazilian-born, Miami-based founder of the Happy Art Movement, Britto, 61, considers it his mission to “inspire happiness, fun, love and optimism around the globe through unique art and vibrant colors.”

It’s the tenth retail store for the renowned artist and only the third location outside his home base in Florida. (He opened stores in Atlanta and New Jersey in November.) At about 4,000 square feet, the store located near Belk is one of BRITTO’s larger footprints.

Britto’s work is immediately recognizable for his use of bold primary and pastel colors; his cubist, graffiti-esque style; and thick black borders framing elements within his work. His everyday scenes depict people, plants, animals and shapes, from butterflies and flowers to marine life and intriguing geometric patterns. He’s teamed with Disney, PepsiCo, Apple, Mattel, Hasbro, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, the NFL and FIFA World Cup on commissions and collaborations.

“I came from an impoverished family in Brazil,” Britto said in an interview with SouthPark Magazine ahead of the store opening. “As I traveled the world with my exhibitions, I met thousands of people who kept telling me how happy my work made them feel. Teachers told me they used my work to inspire children with art projects. I never thought my art could spark such a feeling. I created the Happy Art Movement to carry this feeling forward.”

Though original Britto paintings and sculptures can command tens of thousands of dollars, the artist is intent on making his work accessible to as many people as possible. He says that’s why he collaborates with so many brands and creates a wide variety of collectibles, with many objects in his stores priced below $50. Shoppers will find apparel including T-shirts, socks and ties; home decor such as blankets, candles and coasters; and collectibles including pet items, puzzles, toys and umbrellas. The store also features prints, drawings and original paintings.

“Art is too important not to share,” Britto says. “Not everyone can visit a museum or gallery. For me, to bring my art to those who might not otherwise have access is inspiring.” SP

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