blvd. | givers

Community Farmers’ Market and the Charlotte Regional Farmers Market by answering questions and giving out educational materials at a booth. An online Horticulture Help Desk is available to county residents with questions about pests, plants and other gardening topics.

“You can call or send in questions and we’ll respond with specific answers,” Trlica says. “One of the questions might be, ‘Here’s a photo of my tree. I planted it three years ago, and it was doing great. All of a sudden, it’s dying. What’s wrong?’”

The group also partners with teachers by connecting gardening to art, literature, music and science. In early 2019, Jessica Bethea was teaching sixth-grade science at Cochrane Collegiate Academy, a public 6-12 school in east Charlotte. Through a connection with the science facilitator, Bethea reached out to EMG to help develop hands-on activities for her students to learn about the plant life cycle.

EMGs worked with the students to plan and plot a garden in three planter boxes. Together they planted fruits and vegetables such as Brussels sprouts, cabbage, herbs, sweet potatoes and tomatoes. “[The volunteers] were instrumental in showing how particular plants grow well with other plants,” says Bethea, now an instructional designer at Central Piedmont Community College. “[The students] got to see the process of building the garden and then engaging in building the garden.”

Cochrane Collegiate’s garden continues to flourish. It’s a talking point for the school community, and students and staff not directly involved with the garden have asked to participate. Bethea attributes some of the success to how the EMGs interacted with the students. “[The volunteers] gave everyone a role, so everyone felt included,” Bethea says, “and that made the students a lot more comfortable working with them and asking questions.” SP

Learn how to become a Master Gardener, ask a question or request a community garden consultation at mastergardenersmecklenburg.org

Raise A Glass

North Carolina breweries snagged 13 medals in the 2023 World Beer Cup Awards competition, held May 10 in Nashville, Tenn. Charlotte’s Sugar Creek Brewing won Gold for its Quad BelgianStyle Abbey Ale, while Pilot Brewing earned silver for its Pub Ale Extra Special Bitter. Huntersville’s D9 Brewing took home a bronze award for its German Chocolate Cake beer, and Lenny Boy Brewing earned bronze for its Spaghetti Handshake Hoppy Lager. The World Beer Cup is organized by the Brewers Association, the not-forprofit trade association for small and independent American brewers. The 307 medals awarded were selected from more than 10,000 entries from 2,376 breweries in 51 countries.

Featured Cocktail

Salted Mango Cooler

Duckworth’s Grill & Taphouse

On The Move

Duckworth’s is best known for its wide beer selection and solid pub fare, but the cocktail menu boasts a range of classics (Whiskey Sour, Manhattan) and seasonal concoctions, like this tropical-inspired drink. The Salted Mango Cooler combines Flor de Caña aged rum and Kraken Black Spiced Rum with a house-made salted mango syrup, Tiki bitters and pineapple. Enjoy it at one of Duckworth’s six locations around town, including its newest at Piedmont Town Center.

Kaley Laird is the new executive chef at Mimosa Grill. The chef, pastry chef and culinary consultant trained at the Culinary Institute of America, and her resume includes stints at Thomas Keller’s Bouchon Bakery in Napa Valley and Rhubarb, The Rhu and Benne on Eagle in Asheville. Most recently, Laird was executive pastry chef at Copain Bakery. “We’re really amping up the theme of Southern farm-totable with a return to more Southern-influenced dishes,” she says. “Look for smoked collard greens and house-smoked meats like our tea-brined smoked chicken and pastrami.” The upscale Southern-inspired restaurant opened uptown in 1996.

Now Open

 Goldie’s, a live music venue and restaurant, opened in LoSo. The 6,400-squarefoot space has three food menus (sandwiches, hot dogs, burgers and New York-style pizza), two bars, two patios and a main stage with live music nightly. 3601 South Blvd. goldiesclt.com

 Sycamore Brewing reopened in South End next to the site of its original taproom. The new two-story, 10,000 square-foot space has a second-floor patio with an Airstream food truck and skyline views. There’s also an 11,000-square-foot beer garden. An onsite café serves coffee, pastries and breakfast sandwiches. A new food menu features shareables, sandwiches, pizza and more. Sycamore is open seven days a week from 7 a.m.-midnight. 2151 Hawkins St., sycamorebrew.com

 Gourmand Market debuted at Apex SouthPark. The upscale food market and coffee bar also has a full bar serving craft cocktails, beer, wine and small bites. 4425 Sharon Rd., Ste. S120, gourmandmkt.com

 401 Social opened on the ground floor of the Embassy Suites by Hilton, across from the Charlotte Convention Center in uptown. On the menu: Mediterranean salmon, Greek roasted chicken, flatbreads and other shareables. 401 E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., 401-social.com

 Horace’s Hot Fried Chicken is now available in SouthPark. The fried-chicken outlet started uptown as a ghost-kitchen concept from Burke Hospitality Group.

Horace’s menu of fried chicken, wings, sandwiches and biscuits (Saturday breakfast only) is available for delivery or pickup at Harper’s SouthPark Tuesday-Saturday. 6815 Fairview Rd. horaceshotchicken.com

 HBX Burger, a ghost kitchen from Chef Michael Bowling of Hot Box Next Level Kitchen in Concord, opened in South End. HBX’s burgers, wings and sides can be ordered through Door Dash, Grub Hub and Uber Eats. 500 Summit Ave. hotboxnc.com SP