May SouthPark 2023

Experience

It’s the perfect time to enjoy a picnic in one of the most gorgeous public gardens in Charlotte. Stroll The Duke Mansion’s 4.5 acres, then spread a blanket on the lush green grass, surrounded by spring beauties like tulips, azaleas, dogwoods and daffodils.

Our picnic package is for two people and offers four different menu options, a bottle of wine or champagne, and additional add-on items. Forget your blanket? No worries — our Elliston wool picnic blanket with a Duke Mansion engraved leather strap is available in the gift shop and makes a beautiful take-home gift. Contact us to make a reservation.

In addition to our picnic offerings, The Duke Mansion offers an array of packages, from photography to proposals. Contact us today to learn more.

MONDAY - 1/2 off all wines by the glass-- choose from over 200 and create your own tastings

TUESDAY-THURSDAY - 1/2 off select international wines by the glass and 3-course around-the-world wine pairing dinner menus for $60 per person

SATURDAY AND SUNDAY - Brunch served from 10:30-3pm.... Join us for Mother’s Day (ps book early) WINE

FROM THE EDITOR

Spring in Charlotte is a whirlwind — our calendars have been packed with events like Charlotte SHOUT! and Charlotte Wine + Food Week, garden tours and galas galore. Parks and patios are hives of activity as we’re all eager to savor spring before another scorching summer sets in. And this year, add a new concert series to the mix, as SouthPark After 5 continues this month, Thursday evenings at Symphony Park (learn more and check out our full calendar of events on page 60).

This month, I asked our staff and contributors: From greenways to golf courses, patios to pickleball courts, where in Charlotte do you most enjoy spending time outside in spring?

Michelle Boudin, contributor: I love doing 5Ks, and there’s one every weekend this time of year in Charlotte. It’s a great way to see different parts of the city, get your steps in — and the money always goes to a good cause.

Jennings Cool Roddey, contributor: I love stringing up a hammock at [Colonel Frances] Beatty Park along the water.

Asha Ellison, contributor: My favorite way to spend spring days in Charlotte is exploring the hidden gardens in Fourth Ward. Oh, and I love

street festivals and live music uptown wherever I can find them!

Ben Kinney, publisher: Getting a few rounds in at Carolina Golf Club if I can, and taking a daily run up and down Commonwealth Avenue in Plaza Midwood, or a hike near my parents’ place in Meadows of Dan, Va.

Vanessa Infanzon, contributor: When I can sneak away for an hour or two, I head to the Whitewater Center. I rent a paddle board and take one of my usual routes on the Catawba River. I look for Great blue heron, turtles and if I’m lucky, huge gar swim next to the board. I return to the world refreshed.

Cindy Poovey, account executive: Walking through Jetton Park on Lake Norman. SP

IN THIS ISSUE:

1 – Contributor Asha Ellison, second from left, dines at Chef Lisa Brooks’ home as part of the Mattie’s Front Porch dinner series. Asha shares one of Chef Lisa’s beloved family recipes (page 26).

2- Contributor Jennings Cool Roddey has a newfound passion for pottery. On page 40, Jennings rounds up a list of adult art classes in Charlotte.

3- Interior designer Anna Davis helps her clients transition from traditional to modern in their new Foxcroft home (page 100).

4- Tools of the trade: Artist Chris Clamp’s east Charlotte studio (page 108).

5- Visitors admire an orchid wall at Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden (page 90).

BLVD.

26 | cuisine

Tale of the plate: Chef Lisa Brooks’ duck and sausage gumbo

30 | food + drink

From tango lessons to sunrise yoga, Giddy Goat is much more than a coffee shop.

36 | brand we love

Cheese, please! Piedmont Pennies founder Becca Wright

40 | art

Adult art classes: Charlotte studios offer painting, pottery, glass blowing and more

44 | day trips

Seven Carolina lavender farms offer pick-your-own experiences, date nights and festivals.

50 | givers

A heart-wrenching diagnosis leads a family to start a nonprofit to help those in need.

54 | weddings

Charlotte couples say, “I do.”

58 | around town

What’s new and coming soon in Charlotte

60 | happenings

May calendar of events

DEPARTMENTS

67 | creators of N.C.

Author Lee Smith’s 15th novel just might be her last.

71 | art of the state

The reclusive Mel Chin creates deeply engaging artwork at an international scale.

75| simple life

A botanical tradition carries on.

79 | bookshelf

Notable new releases

83 | well + wise

Building resilience, to undergo hardship and still be OK

117 | swirl

Parties, galas and events around Charlotte

128 | gallery

A new community series uses film as a platform to spark discussion, action.

ABOUT THE COVER:

An Epidendrum orchid photographed at UNC

Charlotte Botanical Gardens by Peter Taylor

FEATURES

84 | Rise together by Michelle Boudin

11 Queen City women making big moves

90 | Beguiling blooms by Sharon Smith photographs by Peter Taylor The allure of orchids never fades.

100 | Down to a fine art by Cathy Martin photographs by Dustin Peck Anna Davis designs a modern home with bold accents for Foxcroft empty nesters.

108 | Sentimental still life by Cathy Martin photographs by Peter Taylor Artist Chris Clamp captures simple objects with complex technique.

113 | Adventurous Istanbul by Michael J. Solender

Travel: The centuries-old crossroads of the world offers imaginative culinary experiences, cultural splendor and Turkish delight at every turn.

Heather Bryant, PA-C, Jonathan Kulbersh, MD, Courtney Whitley, FNP-C, Amanda Piligian, PA-C

1230 West Morehead St., Suite 308 Charlotte, NC 28208 704-523-6987

southparkmagazine.com

Ben Kinney Publisher publisher@southparkmagazine.com

Cathy Martin Editor editor@southparkmagazine.com

Sharon Smith Assistant Editor sharon@southparkmagazine.com

Andie Rose Creative Director

Alyssa Kennedy Art Director alyssamagazines@gmail.com

Miranda Glyder Graphic Designer Whitley Adkins Style Editor

Contributing Editor David Mildenberg

Contributing Writers

Michelle Boudin, Wiley Cash, Jim Dodson, Asha Ellison, Vanessa Infanzon, Juliet Lam Kuehnle, Page Leggett, Liza Roberts, Jennings Cool Roddey, Michael J. Solender

Contributing Photographers

Mallory Cash, Daniel Coston, Justin Driscoll, Amy Kolo, Dustin Peck, Peter Taylor

Contributing Illustrator Gerry O’Neill

ADVERTISING

Jane Rodewald Sales Manager 704-621-9198

jane@southparkmagazine.com

Cindy Poovey Account Executive 704-497-2220

cindy@southparkmagazine.com

Scott Leonard Audience Development Specialist 704-996-6426

Sarah Fligel Marketing Specialist

Brad Beard Graphic Designer

Letters to the editorial staff: editor@southparkmagazine.com

Instagram: southparkmagazine

Facebook: facebook.com/southparkmagazine

Twitter: twitter.com/SouthParkMag

Owners

Jack Andrews, Frank Daniels III, Lee Dirks, David Woronoff in memoriam Frank Daniels Jr.

David Woronoff President david@thepilot.com

WINDOW AND PATIO

DOOR REPLACEMENT

Experience personalized service that brings our custom-built products direct to your home. Get started with a free, no-obligation quote.

blvd.

people, places, things

SPRING SPLENDOR

Don a fabulous hat or fetching fascinator and enjoy Champagne, a three-course lunch and botanical art: On May 17, Hats in the Garden returns to Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden in Belmont after a four-year hiatus. The party is modeled after the popular Frederick Law Olmsted Awards Luncheon, better known as simply the “Hat Luncheon,” in New York City’s Central Park, according to event co-chair Pam Stowe. The nonprofit 380-acre botanical garden will be bursting with springtime blooms, and local artist Kirk Fanelly’s inlaid cut-paper works will be on view. A host table for eight costs $1,600; individual tickets are $200. Learn more at dsbg.org. SP

PHOTOGRAPH BY VIRGINIA DUNN PHOTOGRAPHY

TALE OF THE PLATE:

Duck and sausage gumbo

CHEF LISA BROOKS

by Asha Ellison

One of the most intimate things you can do is feed someone, and Charlotte’s own Chef Lisa Brooks does it with heart and soul — which is also the name of her personal chef service. Wilder to some, she cooks for strangers in her own home through her Mattie’s Front Porch dinner series.

The author, caterer, mentor, mother and Food Network Chopped finalist is all about nourishing bellies and fostering community through wholesome Southern hospitality, the kind that brings diverse people to the dining table to authentically connect with each other. Named in honor of her grandmother Mattie, the dinner series provides a space — and a place — where folks may arrive as strangers but leave as friends.

“It’s where my love for food and cooking for people came together,” Brooks says. “My mom would throw these amazing dinner parties when I was growing up, and my grandmother would feed the extended family on Sundays,” she adds.

As with preparing any good gumbo, dinner at Chef Lisa’s house forces guests to slow down and enjoy the moment. It takes time. While she and her team of culinary mentees tango around the kitchen — chopping, stirring, frying and plating an array of themed or exquisite multicourse meals — Brooks hopes her party guests get to know each other better. Sounds of deep laughter, stories shared, and a beautiful display of culminating worlds, cultures and personalities are all part of the experience. Brooks also hopes guests feel a few things through her cooking.

“It’s a way to express love and give you a sense of home, abundance and security,” she says.

And there’s nothing warmer, more comforting or soul-soothing than a hearty bowl of Chef Lisa’s duck and sausage gumbo, a recipe she chose to share for its intentionality. According to Brooks, an exemplary gumbo requires care and patience.

“[Gumbo is] one of those dishes that can’t be rushed,” she

BOTTOM PHOTOGRAPH BY JAMES WARD

BY AMANDA RICHARDSON;

blvd. | cuisine

says. “It embodies everything I love about real Southern cooking. The duck and sausage gumbo is unique because it has no seafood, and the richness of the shredded, roasted duck is simply decadent.” Surely, this is the flavor of love.

Duck & Sausage

Gumbo serves 8

Ingredients

2 cups flour

2 cups vegetable oil

1 cup diced white onions

½ cup diced celery

1 cup diced green bell pepper

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons peanut oil

3 bay leaves

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon crushed dried thyme

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon celery seeds

1 pound andouille sausage

2 quarts chicken stock

1 pound shredded roast duck

½ tsp filé powder

Salt and black pepper, to taste

Hot pepper sauce, to taste

Fried okra for garnish

Directions

In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, combine flour with vegetable oil to make a roux. Stir continuously to make sure the mixture does not scorch until a dark brown color with a nutty aroma is achieved. This cannot be rushed — gumbo takes patience!

In a heavy stock pot, sauté onions, celery, peppers and garlic in peanut oil until vegetables are soft, approximately 15 minutes. Add spices, duck, sausage and chicken stock. Mix to combine. Slowly add 2/3 to 1 cup of roux, 1 tablespoon at a time. Once it reaches the proper thickness, add filé and stir. Lower heat and simmer for another half hour before serving. SP

Chef Lisa with her grandmother, Mattie

CAT’S GAME II, 2023, Oil on Linen Mounted on Panel, 16 x 16 inches

FROM

Perk up!

by Page Leggett

photographs by Justin Driscoll

The first thing you notice about Carson Clough is his niceness. He’s running a little late for our meeting at Plaza Midwood’s Giddy Goat Coffee Roasters, a shop the Charlotte Latin alum co-founded with long-time family friends Lisa and Rhyne Davis. “I’m so sorry,” he says upon arriving with his yellow Lab, Calder. “ADHD.”

He’s disappointed I’ve already bought an iced vanilla latte. “I wanted to treat you,” he says, sitting down and asking if I’m comfortable before we start talking coffee.

Today, Clough discusses blending and roasting beans like an expert, but he wasn’t always a coffee aficionado. He drank it in college only during exams. When he graduated from Florida Tech’s MBA program (he jokes that his degree was in surfing), Davis asked him to join him and his wife, Lisa, in a new venture. Davis and Clough’s dad, Barry, had been business-school classmates.

Davis knows the coffee business: His family ran Concord-based S&D

Coffee & Tea until selling it in 2016 in a $355 million deal. S&D sold coffee to McDonald’s and Bojangles, among other companies.

“Rhyne was already a pro,” Clough says. “I started looking into the industry and thought it was really cool. There are a lot of aspects to it — business, science, social — and I liked all of them.”

Giddy Goat takes its name from an Ethiopian fable in which goats feasted on a “magical plant that fueled them with energy and happiness.” The shop opened in 2019 in bustling Plaza Midwood with an amenity many area retailers lack: a parking lot.

Clough immersed himself in coffee culture. “I spent a year and a half on business development, learning about roasting and the chemical reactions that take place, grind sizes, different origins,” he says. But coffee that’s roasted on the premises a key component of the business model is not the only thing setting this coffee shop apart.

TANGO LESSONS AND SUNRISE YOGA TO LOCAL ART AND HANDMADE EMPANADAS, GIDDY GOAT IS MUCH MORE THAN A COFFEE SHOP.

Carson Clough, Enzo Pazos and Clough’s pup, Calder

WHAT’S COOKIN’?

“Not a lot of coffee shops have the luxury of having a kitchen,” Clough says before touting the accomplishments of Tony Tognarelli, Giddy Goat’s culinary director, and Enzo Pazos, team captain. “They had this idea of bringing together Argentinian-style empanadas and coffee in the morning.”

“They’re baked — not fried — and all the fillings are made from scratch. They’re served warm. We want to provide a cool and convenient experience. We want to be quick without decreasing the quality.”

All the sweet and savory items, including pastries, sandwiches and salads, are freshly made in house except for one — an energy bar called Yon Bons made by customer and avid runner Jamey Yon.

Giddy Goat’s second level offers additional seating plus a bar serving beer, wine and cocktails, a two-sided fireplace and a rooftop terrace. The space can be rented for parties and events. The shop also offers occasional live music, Tango Tuesdays and sunrise yoga on Wednesdays at 7 a.m.

Giddy Goat’s primary offering makes its way onto the bar menu in the form of a coffee martini. In addition, their cold brew is served in espresso martinis at several local restaurants and bars, including its Plaza Midwood neighbor, The Workman’s Friend.

What else sets Giddy Goat apart? It has its own dog park. And there are rotating art exhibitions hanging upstairs, in the stairway and in the restrooms. (In college, Clough helped artist friends place their art in restaurants and bar restrooms in Chapel Hill. He found public restrooms to be a great venue for selling art.)

Lisa Davis, who trains the baristas, runs the shop’s art program. “She likes to be behind the scenes,” Clough says, “but she’s crucial to the operation.”

MAKING THE G(ROUNDS)

Clough compares the world of coffee to craft beer culture.

“It’s fun going to different breweries and trying their lagers, their IPAs,” he says. He’s often trying out different coffee shops to sample what others are offering. Clough is so nice, he doesn’t seem to consider other coffee shops competitors. He’s trained at many of them. “Queen City Grounds has helped me big-time,” he says. “They do a great job, and their roaster is an actual rock star.”

Sourcing is key, according to Clough. “The farmer has done all the work,” he says. “Making a good cup of coffee starts with the farmer. By the time you get green coffee (the natural color of the bean) — if you’ve done a good job sourcing it — then it’s just a matter of making it better.”

He’s learned to roast by watching other roasters in action. “I’ve seen all these different styles and, from there, developed my own,” he says. “There are certain tasting notes, a certain acidity, a certain body — and it’s up to the roaster to pull that out,” he says. “The analytical side of me enjoys that.”

But he adds, “My palate is still developing. I’ve got room to grow.”

PROTECTING MOTHER EARTH

Giddy Goat has already expanded. A satellite location inside the Dowd YMCA will soon add more food offerings. “We’re keeping it simple but will have more grab-and-go, healthy options,” Clough says. “And we’re getting into the smoothie game.”

The Y is an obvious spot for expansion, given both Clough’s and Pazos’ penchant for fitness. (Clough played lacrosse at UNC Chapel Hill and is a triathlete; Pazos is a swim coach and triathlete). “We do what we can to incentivize cycling,” Clough says. “We offer bike benefits — if you bike here, you get a discount.”

He lives close enough to bike to work. “But Señor Four Legs here keeps me from biking as much as I want,” says Clough, who wears a prosthetic leg, pointing to his service dog Calder.

The shop’s healthy focus extends to the health of the planet.

blvd. | food + drink

Giddy Goat composts and recycles, and uses compostable to-go containers and eco-friendly cleaning products.

“We don’t even have a dumpster,” Clough says. “I don’t know of any other restaurant that doesn’t have a dumpster. We only have rollout trash cans, recycling bins and compost bins.”

THE WORLD OF COFFEE

Giddy Goat imports beans from all over the world, including Guatemala, Costa Rica, Rwanda, Peru, Kenya, Brazil, Colombia and Ethiopia.

The shop has recently begun blending beans from different origins. “It takes some skill to put together a blend,” he says. “Just because you have two great coffees doesn’t necessarily mean putting them together will improve them.”

I ask Clough if, now that he’s developed a sophisticated palate, there’s any coffee he can’t abide. His answer was characteristically nice.

“No,” he says. “If I go to someone’s house and they keep Folger’s in their freezer, that’s fine with me. It’s the experience that’s important. I can taste a difference between the beans roasted using Folger’s and the beans we roast here. It’s two different business models, and being able to tell the difference is really cool. But one is no better than the other.”

And finally, I wondered: “What makes a good cup of coffee?” His answer? “The person serving it.” SP

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BRAND WE LOVE: PIEDMONT PENNIES

Cheese, please!

BECCA WRIGHT TURNS A BELOVED FAMILY RECIPE INTO A BURGEONING GOURMET SNACK BRAND.

by Cathy Martin | photographs by Amy Kolo

Running a commercial bakery was far from Becca Wright’s mind when she enrolled in the MBA program at UNC Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler Business School in 2019.

But the idea for Piedmont Pennies had been baking since 2016, when the Burlington native drew up an unofficial business plan after sharing the crunchy, cheesy snacks — based on a cherished family recipe — as holiday gifts while working at Deloitte Consulting in Washington, D.C.

“I made Pennies in my Dupont Circle row house for my clients,” Wright says. Impressed, they asked, “Where did you get these? Did you buy them at Whole Foods?” Wright recalls.

Soon after, the Carolina grad returned to Chapel Hill to pursue her MBA, with concentrations in entrepreneurship and venture capital. When Covid derailed plans for an in-person internship at Facebook (now Meta) in Menlo Park, Calif., the idea of turning Piedmont Pennies into a bona fide business returned.

“I had so much free time at home, and I was working on the Instagram [account for Piedmont Pennies] behind the scenes,”

Wright says. After completing her virtual internship for the social-media behemoth and mulling a full-time job offer, she quietly launched the brand online in September 2020, renting a commercial kitchen in Chapel Hill.

With the holiday season approaching, the business exploded. “I had my MBA friends in there hand-pinching Pennies from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. People were shipping them as gifts, because no one was buying stuff in person,” says Wright, who then faced a difficult career choice.

With momentum for the brand building, she declined the Facebook offer and decided to make Piedmont Pennies her full-time occupation. “I thought, I just really want to try this. If I’m going to do it, it’s going to be now,” she says. She moved to the Queen City in December 2020 with her husband, Coble, a Charlotte native.

Cheese straws, or pennies, are a holiday staple in many Southern households. Wright’s gourmet version is based on her late grandmother’s recipe, tweaked by her father after her “Grandbetty,”

who lived in Rocky Mount, developed arthritis and could no longer “pinch” pennies. The flour is milled by Lindley Mills in Alamance County, where Wright grew up, and the cartons are made in Charlotte.

A $50,000 grant from NC IDEA, a private foundation that assists entrepreneurs, in fall 2021 helped propel the brand further. Today, Piedmont Pennies has five employees, and its products can be found in about 300 stores in 25 states. Priced at $15 for a 12-ounce carton, the snacks are better suited for entertaining and gifting than everyday snacking. They are also popular as wedding favors and corporate gifts, and customized packaging is available.

Trusting others with her beloved family recipe has been one of the biggest challenges, Wright says. Being patient while the business grows is another. While Wright spends plenty of time darting around trade shows and promoting the brand (she was on Good Morning America last September), you’re just as likely to find her in Piedmont Pennies’ west Charlotte kitchen. “I’ll go in and

put on an apron and help package,” Wright says. “But that keeps you humble and close to the product.”

Pennies are available in two varieties, the Original with a mildly spicy “Carolina kick” and a more fiery Spicy Chipotle. New products and flavors are in the works, says Wright, who’s always plotting the next step. She attributes her work ethic to her family — her mom and dad, a retired radiologist, have supported her from the start, helping fill orders and make deliveries during busy surges. “I think there’s a lot of entrepreneurial spirit in my family, and a lot of grit, creativity, optimism — all the things that help you, at least in the first couple years of starting a company,” Wright says. “Humble, but hungry.” SP

Piedmont Pennies snacks are sold in more than a dozen local shops, including Reid’s Fine Foods, Paper Skyscraper, The Buttercup, Common Market and Swoozie’s. Order online at piedmontpennies.com.

Becca Wright’s Piedmont Pennies are sold online and at Reid ’s Fine Foods, shown here, and other specialty shops

ALEXANDER JENKINS

MEGHAN CONNOR-SHLETON

AMY LOTHROP

ASHLEE DURRANCE

ASHLEY SMITH

BETH LEWIS

BETH PARKER

DAWN FRANCHINA

DEIA FOLEY

HEATHER MACKEY

JENNIFER OTIS

JOHANA TROUTMAN

MARY SORIA

MISSY HIGHSMITH

NATALIE AMALONG

PAIGE MOODY

TORI JONES

CAROLINE GRARD

CHRIS CAREY

KATHRYN THIGPEN

MARY SIMPSON

BRIAN HOSEY

LINDSEY MYERS

CHRISTINA PROVETT

GAIL CRAVEN

JANE ANNE MCDERMOTT

NICOLE LOPEZ JENNIFER LEE

LISA ZEDERBAUM

JANE ANNE MCDERMOTT

MOTIVATED BY CLIENTS. DRIVEN BY FAMILY. WELCOMING YOU HOME.

Try something new

ADULT ART CLASSES: CHARLOTTE STUDIOS OFFER WORKSHOPS AND CLASSES TO LEARN PAINTING, POTTERY, GLASS BLOWING AND MORE.

by Jennings Cool Roddey

Handmade ceramic mugs, bowls and plates found their way into my stocking every Christmas while I was in college. I always loved unwrapping a new piece of pottery to add to my collection. Some pieces looked uniform — others strayed in design and color.

I always wanted to learn to make pottery pieces, but I never knew where to start. Plus, I never considered myself artistic. It wasn’t until about a year ago that I connected with a ceramic artist who was opening her own studio. She taught me a few tricks of the trade, and I watched several YouTube videos to fine-tune my skills.

I was hooked. I now have several handmade housewares that I have added to my collection. I bought my first wheel a few months ago, and my kiln purchase came quickly after.

There’s no telling what a one-to-three-hour adult art class could lead to. Several studios in Charlotte offer workshops and courses for those wanting to test the waters.

Arts+

drawing, painting, collage, jewelry-making, music cost: varies various locations, artsplus.org

Arts + is best known for its youth classes and summer camps that provide arts and music instruction for students from all socioeconomic backgrounds. But the nonprofit offers adult classes, too, including a six-week Painting (Gesture + Geometry) class from May 1- June 12 at its uptown location. From watercolor painting workshops to six-week jewelry-making classes, Arts+ offers a variety of ways for adults of all skill levels to learn something new. Popular music choices for adults are guitar, bass, piano, drums and ukulele, though instruction is not limited to those instruments. Individual music lessons start at $31 per session.

LEFT PHOTO BY PETER TAYLOR; RIGHT PHOTO BY JENNINGS COOL RODDEY

A Better Path to Family Health Care:

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Are the days long gone, when the family physician knew you personally, saw the entire family, could even make house-calls? The kind and quality of medical attention you hope for is available here in Charlotte.

Dr. Gary Klein, now part of the WellcomeMD medical practice, uses the most advanced lab tests and focuses on lifestyle, stressors, and environmental exposures to avoid, treat or reverse health issues. His 30-year career in medicine spans a wide spectrum from emergency medicine to hormone therapy. Dr Klein describes his style of practice as “very collaborative,” working together with each of his patients to develop personalized wellness plans that include holistic and preventative solutions.

Dr. Klein and all WellcomeMD physicians see half the number of patients that most concierge physicians do... which means that they always have time for you. Our

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In a world of hard-to-get health care, shifting focus to that preventative care is key. Now is the time to secure a doctor who has the time and tools to provide personalized care to help you achieve optimal health. Our doctors are proficient in all areas of primary care, as well as functional, integrative and holistic medicine, and anti-aging/regenerative medicine.

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WellcomeMD’s Membership Care offers:

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Charlotte Art League

figure drawing, dance, writing

cost: $15-120+

4237 Raleigh St., charlotteartleague.org

At Charlotte Art League, a nonprofit gallery and organization that’s been around since 1965, adults of all ages can create a personal experience by signing up for open studio time, dance classes and other unique offerings, such as pinhole-camera workshops. The organization also plans to offer healing art programs for veterans, older adults and trauma survivors as a nontherapeutic outlet for fostering community.

Clayworks

ceramics

cost: free - $298

4506 Monroe Rd., clayworksinc.org

During July and August, the nonprofit studio will offer an eight-week session for adults of varying skill levels to learn the ins and outs of ceramics. Beginners can sign up for a wheel-throwing or handbuilding survey class. Those with a little more experience can opt for a class on ceramic surface design or a sculpture class. Clayworks also offers free workshops to students of all ages (including families, seniors and adults with disabilities) through its Culture Blocks programming held in libraries and recreation centers in Mecklenburg County, funded by the county.

Central Piedmont Community College

painting, mosaics, acrylics

cost: $175-260

multiple locations, cpcc.edu/programs/ personal-enrichment

Central Piedmont provides personal-enrichment classes for students to learn more about floral design, cooking, art and more. This summer, CPCC will offer watercolor, mosaics and basic acrylic classes. Keep an eye open in the fall and next spring for additional courses. Call customer service at (704) 330-4223 to register.

Holt School of Fine Art drawing, painting

cost: $295-420

Three locations: 315 Main St., Suite 4A, Pineville; 620 Oakhurst Commons Dr., Suite 302; 610 Jetton St., Suite 180, Davidson; holtschooloffineart.com

Adults of various skill levels can sign up for summer programs at all three locations of Holt School of Fine Art, including a new Davidson studio. Weekly classes (sessions are nine weeks) are suitable for beginners and intermediates and explore still-life and other drawing techniques, eventually moving up to oil painting. The studio also offers workshops, including figure drawing, portrait drawing and painting, landscape painting, and watercolor painting. (Note: Not all workshops are offered at each location.)

Hot Glass Alley

glass blowing

cost: $90-300

438 Atando Ave., hotglassalley.com

If you have ever wondered how glass pieces are made, Hot Glass Alley offers a three-hour, one-on-one lesson that covers all the basics. During the class, you will learn the process, terminology and history of glass blowing. For those more interested in learning how to make jewelry or smaller pieces, the studio’s flameworking lesson covers manipulating glass using torch heat.

The studio also hosts “Make Your Own” days, when anyone age 9 and up can make a small piece during a 30-minute class, and date nights, when adults 21 or older can create and enjoy beer, wine or a nonalcoholic drink and a charcuterie board from Amelie’s French Bakery.

The Little Studio

ceramics

cost: $105-450

3432A The Plaza, thelittlestudioclt.com

The Little Studio caps its 5- and 8-week wheel-throwing classes at five people, allowing students and instructors to get plenty of hands-on guidance. Class spots tend to fill quickly; however, the studio also offers private two-hour evening lessons for groups of one to six. SP

ALLEN TATE SOUTHPARK

Looking for lavender

SEVEN CAROLINA FARMS OFFER PICK-YOUR-OWN EXPERIENCES, DATE NIGHTS, FESTIVALS AND MORE, ALL WITHIN ABOUT TWO HOURS OF CHARLOTTE.

by Vanessa Infanzon

People have benefited from the lavender plant’s medicinal qualities for more than 2,500 years. It’s also been used as a disinfectant, an insecticide and a perfume. The scent of lavender, a member of the mint family, represents romance and calm. “Lavender elicits a sense of peacefulness and tranquility,” says Sandie Dee, owner of Little Big Sky Flowers in Kings Mountain, about 45 minutes west of Charlotte. “I’ve always been drawn to it. It’s one of the best smelling plants in our region. The beauty of it is as captivating as the smell.”

Late May through June provides the best chance to see lavender blooming in the Carolinas. For farms with pick-yourown experiences, Dee recommends arriving early in the morning when it’s cool and the bees are less active, and bringing sharp pruning shears or scissors if the farm doesn’t provide them.

While Little Big Sky Flowers isn’t generally open to the public, the farm is on Cleveland County Arts Council’s annual Garden & Outdoor Living Tour on June 3. As part of this self-guided tour, visitors can wander the 4 acres of blueberries, flowers and lavender and can purchase fresh bouquets. Dee also sells two varieties of lavender — Phenomenal and SuperBlue — at the Mount Holly Farmers Market and the Foothills Farmers’ Market in Shelby.

Searching for lavender blooms and products this season?

Try one of these farms, all within driving distance of Charlotte, perfect for a day trip.

Sunshine Lavender Farm

Chestnut Cabin Farm

DALLAS LAVENDER LANE

FARM

driving distance: 40 minutes

Start the lavender season with the fourth annual Bloom Fest on June 3 and 4. It’s a celebration of the harvest season when the blooms are in full color. Visitors enjoy music, local vendors and Lavender Lemonade Slushies, made with a lemon-lavender simple syrup. Parking is $5 per car, and admission is free.

937 Old Willis School Road, Dallas | dallaslavenderlane.com

LATE BLOOMERS FLOWERS

FARM

driving distance: 1 hour, 30 minutes

The DIY crowd can pick their own lavender in June at this farm. Late Bloomers, owned by sisters Barbara Cason and Stacy Sikes, focuses on Grosso French lavender, a variety that works well for culinary and aroma purposes. Visitors receive shears and a basket and pay per bundle of lavender (what you can wrap your hand around). The

sisters harvest what’s left for lavender and honey soap, lavender-filled bookmarks, sachets and, new this year, a lavender syrup for cocktails, for sale at the field and at Elkin Farmers Market.

1143 Cool Springs Church Rd., Elkin | facebook.com/people/Late-Bloomers-Flower-Farm

ELF LEAF LAVENDER FARM

driving distance: 1 hour, 45 minutes

Weekends are for picking lavender at Elf Leaf Lavender Farm — scissors and a basket are provided to visitors. Essential oils, lotions and sprays are available in the farm’s store. The farm also carries a selection of lavender-themed pottery by South Carolina and Virginia potters. Try the lavender honey ice cream, made from the farm’s honey, and culinary lavender. On date nights, couples enjoy a picnic basket filled with cheese, crackers and fruit while listening to live music in the lavender field.

141 North Campbell Road, Landrum, S.C. | elfleaffarm.com

Lucy Mae Lavender Farm

Sunshine Lavender Farm

Late Bloomers

Chestnut Cabin Farm

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY LUCY MAE LAVENDER FARM

TOP LEFT

PHOTO COURTESY CHESTNUT CABIN; LEFT

PHOTO BY STACY SIKES; RIGHT PHOTO BY S.P.

MURRAY

CHESTNUT CABIN LAVENDER FARM

driving distance: under 2 hours

Stop by the Wilkes County Farmers’ Market at the Yadkin Valley Market Place in North Wilkesboro from 7:30 a.m.- noon on Saturdays for lavender products from Chestnut Cabin Lavender Farm. Milton and Louine Teague handmake linen sprays, lotions, sachets, soaps and tea. Bundles of lavender, seven varieties including culinary (English) and French lavender, are also available. Chestnut Cabin is open to the public by appointment only: For a view of the farm’s 2,000 plants, call ahead for details about what’s in bloom and admission costs.

Farmers market address: 1309 Rawhide Rd., Millers Creek | 910258-3227 | chestnutcabinlavenderfarm.square.site

LAVENDER OAKS FARM

driving distance: 2 hours

For all things lavender, head to the 60-acre Lavender Oaks Farm, which was inspired, in part, by co-owner Karen Macdonald’s visit to lavender fields in Provence, France. Sign up to attend the Lavender Festival on June 4. Pick-your-own begins on June 1 – bring scissors and don’t miss the meditation path through the pasture leading to the lavender fields. A new boutique carries lavender syrups, lavender balsamic vinegar, lavender-infused jams, salts and more. Known as Mrs. Lavender, Macdonald leads “Culinary Lavender Lunch & Learn” four times a year. Guests enjoy Macdonald’s lavender recipes and learn about the farm’s nine varieties of lavender.

3833 Millard Whitley Rd., Chapel Hill | lavenderoaks.farm

TWIN CREEK LAVENDER FARM

driving distance: 2 hours

Visit Twin Creek’s General Store Barn between May 24 and July 4 on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays for sweet floral-infused treats such as lavender lemonade and lavender ice cream. Cut bunches of lavender with scissors provided by the farm and shop for handmade products for bed, bath, body and pets.

4638 Midway Rd., Williamston, S.C. | twincreekslavender.com

SUNSHINE LAVENDER FARM

driving distance: just over 2 hours

Tour the farm and enjoy lavender-themed picnics during the June Bloom Lavender Festival on June 3 and 10. The farm offers workshops such as glass-blowing, fiber art, and barn-quilt painting classes during June Bloom and throughout the year. All events require tickets.

Hurdle Mills, N.C. | sunshinelavenderfarm.co

Note: Many events are driven by when the lavender plants bloom. It changes from year to year, depending on temperatures and weather. Check farm websites and social-media platforms for hours of operation, farm guidelines about pets and children, event details, and inclement-weather closures. SP

Sunshine Lavender Farm

Sunshine Lavender Farm

Lucy Mae Lavender Farm

Sunshine Lavender Farm

SUNSHINE LAVENDER FARM PHOTOGRAPHS BY S.P. MURRAY BOTTOM PHOTO COURTESY LUCY MAE LAVENDER FARM

Shine on

A HEART-WRENCHING DIAGNOSIS LEADS A FAMILY TO START A NONPROFIT TO HELP THOSE IN NEED.

by Michelle Boudin

Jane Harrell always knew she’d change the world. The 17-year-old just didn’t realize her impact would be felt long after she was gone.

“Our daughter was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer in March 2021,” says her father, Mike Harrell. The captain of her lacrosse and tennis teams — and a beloved big sister to Sam, Max and Piper — was given just months to live.

“It was devastating,” Mike says. “You can’t even describe it. Not being able to help your kid is crushing — it’s the worst feeling.”

“Five months from diagnosis to death,” recalls her mom, Jane Harrell, of her namesake daughter. “It was a heck of a hard journey for her. She was more concerned about us and the family, but she gradually went blind, had a catheter, her bowel and bladder quit working … but somehow, she kept us laughing.”

The Harrells spent those five months soaking up every second with their oldest child, and she spent that precious time making plans to be sure she left her mark. “It was a five-month journey to get her to heaven,” her mother explains. “It was not about believing a miracle couldn’t happen, but also being realistic.”

The journey started when the younger Jane came home from boarding school for spring break and admitted to her mom, an internal medicine doctor at H3 Healthcare, that she hadn’t been feeling like herself in recent months. Her vision was off, and she was dizzy and sometimes fell. Having Googled her symptoms, the teen was concerned she had a brain tumor and worried about the effect that would have on her family, so she kept it to herself.

Her mom immediately took her for an MRI. Once the scan confirmed the devastating diagnosis, doctors advised the family to go home and be together for what little time they had left.

“Jane’s Fund started that night,” her mother remembers. “She came and got on the bed with Mike and me, and she looked at me and said, ‘Why do you think this is happening to me?’ I said, ‘You’re the brightest light I’ve ever known. We don’t know what’s going to happen, but I know good is going to come of this.’ And she said, ‘I thought I was going to grow up and change the world.’ And I said, ‘Somehow, you will.’”

From an early age, the younger Jane was always giving back. She filled backpacks with supplies for kids in need, helped out at the men’s shelter and kept bags full of toiletries in the car to give to people on the street.

Jane and Mike Harrell with their children, Max, Sam, Jane and Piper

ALLEN TATE SOUTHPARK

CHARLOTTE | $2,690,000 6207 Glynmoor Lakes Drive Jean Benham | 704.363.2938

CHARLOTTE | $1,750,000 1213 Wareham Court Gay Dillashaw | 704.564.9393

CHARLOTTE | $559,000 1322 Jules Court Lauren Campbell | 704.579.8333

CHARLOTTE 8250 Indigo Row SasserFritz Team | 704.975.9577

blvd. | givers

With that giving spirit in mind, in early 2022 the family formally launched Jane’s Fund, a nonprofit that works with local social workers, schools and health care professionals to identify families in need and then quietly fulfill those needs. They quickly raised hundreds of thousands of dollars.

“We work with children and families who are struggling and in pain and give them financial support,” Jane says. “We got a call that a kid was dying of cancer, and the family has hourly jobs they can’t afford to miss so they can’t spend time at the hospital. So we paid off their mortgage.” They’ve done that a few times, often anonymously.

“It’s one of the worst things you can ever go through,” Mike adds. “We were fortunate to have supportive coworkers and flexible jobs and be able to spend that last five months together as a family. A lot of people are not in that situation. There’s a lot of financial burden that comes with this … we don’t want anybody to ever have to worry about paying a mortgage.

“We can’t cure the child, but there’s hopefully a little bit of hope for that family that we’re giving to them,” Mike adds.

Helping families facing pediatric cancer is one of five core focus areas for Jane’s Fund, all topics that mattered to Jane. Sports, dental care, education and camps are the others. They have worked with local schools to send kids to summer camp, and made sure students had laptops to take to college.

So far, they’ve completed 35 projects. Jane herself had a hand in one before she died, helping a hospital worker who was insecure about his smile get braces. Since then, Jane’s Fund has helped other kids in need of dental work, paying to help reconstruct kids’ smiles.

“We’re just starting, but our hope would be that we help as many families as we can and continue to do what Jane would have wanted us to,” her father says. “Little Jane always dreamed about having a positive impact, and through this nonprofit, hopefully we’re able to serve the purpose she wanted and let her spirit live on through others.” SP

To learn more about Jane’s Fund, visit shinelikejane.org.

“It was a five-month journey to get her to heaven,” Jane’s mother explains. “It was not about believing a miracle couldn’t happen, but also being realistic.”

Dreamy I do’s

Our special publication Weddings by SouthPark

just hit stands, featuring all the delightful details and picture-perfect photos of seven Charlotte couples’ weddings — from Bubba and Amanda Wallace’s romantic New Year’s Eve nuptials to a breathtaking Alaskan elopement. Our new issue also breaks down how to budget for your big day, and shares how to show a little local love when presenting friends and family with welcome baskets, reception favors and other gifts. See more online at southparkmagazine.com/weddings, or pick up a copy at fine retailers in south Charlotte. And follow on Instagram @weddings_by_southpark, where we share even more magical moments.

Atisha Patel & Michael Utsey

May 10, 2022 | Knik Glacier, Alaska

A ceremony atop a 25-mile Alaskan icecap proves perfectly out of this world for Atisha and Mike.

photograph by Kristian Irey

Amanda & Bubba Wallace

Dec. 31, 2022 | JW Marriott Charlotte

NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace and bride Amanda say yes to 2023 and each other with a stunning New Year’s Eve celebration. photograph by Anastasiia Photography

Elizabeth & Brooks Stamper

May 7, 2022 | North Corner Haven, Lancaster, S.C.

Rain on their wedding day does little to dampen spirits at this gorgeous, festive fête on the farm.

photograph by Gayle Brooker

Charlotte & Hardin Lucas

October 8, 2022 | Blowing Rock

The mountain landscape serves up a beautiful backdrop for native Charlotteans Hardin and Charlotte.

photograph by Katheryn Jeanne Photography

Sammy & Blaise White

April 2, 2022 | First United Methodist Church

Charlotte & Mint Museum Uptown

A true-blue matchup on their wedding day adds to the fun for this sensational spring wedding uptown. photograph by Kristin Byrum

Sarah & Josh Carter

June 25, 2022 | Separk Mansion, Gastonia

Pretty in pink: a celebratory affair for Sarah and Josh in a romantic, idyllic garden.

photograph by Megan Travis

Belle & Chase Cowart

October 7, 2022 | Nantucket, Mass.

A dreamt-about wedding day comes true in Cape Cod.

photograph by Emily Elisabeth

For more wedding inspiration, head to southparkmagazine.com/ weddings or scan the QR code. Follow on Instagram @weddings_ by_southpark SP

blvd. | around town

 Hestia rooftop restaurant opened at Ballantyne Village, perched atop Panorama Tower on the 16th floor. The restaurant has 180-degree views and serves modern Asian fare including omakase, maki rolls, sashimi/nigiri and oysters. Splurge item: a dry-aged Wagyu Supreme Tomahawk for $399. 14819 Ballantyne Village Way, hestiarooftop.com

 Mood House massage studio will open a second location at Oakhurst Commons, a mixed-use development on Monroe Road. Founder Cristina Wilson opened Mood House in Dilworth in 2021. The new 3,000-square-foot studio will offer massage, infrared sauna and a private patio. thisismoodhouse.com

 Historic Latta Arcade in uptown is rebranding as The Alley, with a new aesthetic inspired by European shopping arcades. Four tenants plan to debut locations at The Alley this year: The

Dumpling Lady, Felix Empanadas, Wentworth & Fenn bakery and Gather Flower Studio. thealleyclt.com

 Goldie’s, a live-music venue in lower South End, is slated to open this spring. The 6,400-square-foot space will have a cocktail bar, unique food options including a late-night hot dog cart, and multiple patios. 3601 South Blvd., goldiesclt.com

 Chef David Burke has assumed operations of Port City Club in Cornelius. The renamed Port City Club by David Burke is the celebrity chef’s third Charlotte area restaurant, joining Red Salt and Cloud Bar at uptown’s Le Meridien. Menu highlights include some of Burke’s signature items, including the Lobster Dumplings, maple-glazed Clothesline Bacon and Cake Pops. portcityclub.com

 Lumi School of Musical Theater opened at 705 International Dr. The studio offers performing-arts classes for children ages 18 months and up, including dance, vocals, acting and musical theater. lumischoolofmusicaltheatre.com SP

Hestia’s Torched Wagyu Roll

Hestia

Rendering of The Alley

Rendering of Mood House

Port City Club by David Burke’s Lobster Dumplings

BECKY MCGRATH TEAM CHRIS T. BLACK

CAY CRAIG

LUCY BUTLER

MELISSA COLLINS LEIGH C. CORSO

LINDA HENLEY THE HUNEYCUTT TEAM CHIP JETTON LAINA KAFITI HEATHER MONTGOMERY

LINDSAY REDFERN LISA RUPP SARA ROCHE TEAM LISA WARREN HEATHER WOLKING

May HAPPENINGS

Events + activities

Wells Fargo Championship

May 1-7

Rory McIlroy, Max Homa, Patrick Cantlay and other top players will compete for a $20 million purse as the tournament returns to Quail Hollow Club. Ticket prices vary. wellsfargochampionship.com

Seal at Ovens Auditorium

May 4

The Grammy-winning British singer-songwriter known for hits like “Kiss from a Rose” embarks on a 30th anniversary world tour. Ticket prices vary. ticketmaster.com

North Carolina Open pickleball tournament

May 4-7

Register as an amateur player or purchase a spectator ticket to watch the pros at this four-day event at LifeTime Fitness. 11220 Golf Links Dr., ppatour.com

Kings Drive Art Walk

May 6-7

Stroll among art, crafts and music at this annual spring event along Little Sugar Creek Greenway between East Morehead Street and the Pearl Park Way bridge. Free to attend. festivalinthepark.com

Art in the Garden

May 6-7

Tour six private gardens in Elizabeth, Eastover, First Ward and Montclaire and shop for outdoor decor, plein-air paintings and ceramics at this annual event from Charlotte Garden Club. Tickets are $20 for club or Mint Museum members, $30 general admission. charlottegardenclub.com

Carolina BBQ Festival at Camp North End

May 7

Join pitmasters from across the Carolinas for a tasting, live music and more. The lineup includes Asheville’s Elliott Moss, Lewis Donald (Sweet Lew’s), Garren Kirkman (Jon G’s) and Michael Letchworth (Sam Jones). Beer, wine and cocktails will be available for purchase. Tickets are $75; VIP tickets are $150. carolinabbqfest.org

Janet Jackson: Together Again at PNC Music Pavilion

May 12

The iconic pop star will be joined by rapper Ludacris on her three-month, 33-city North American tour. Tickets start at $39.95. livenation.com

SouthPark After 5 is making Thursdays in SouthPark a little more entertaining. Through May 25, Thursdays from 5-9 p.m., Symphony Park is home to live music, food trucks and drinks, plus hands-on art experiences. The series, developed by SouthPark Community Partners, is family- and dog-friendly. On May 4, Yacht Rock Revue will take the stage at the Wells Fargo Championship Tee-Off Party. Ticket prices start at $20. The three remaining concerts (May 11, 18 and 25) are free to attend. No outside food or drink. southparkafter5.com

PHOTOGRAPH BY AUSTIN CAINE

The Secret Gardens of Fourth Ward

ALLEN TATE SOUTHPARK

CHARLOTTE | $1,071,000 2849 Hillsdale Avenue David Huss | 704.634.9682

CHARLOTTE | $875,000 12652 Lahinch Court Marlyn Jamison | 704.363.4432

SPRING FEVER

Marvel: Universe of Super Heroes at Discovery Place Science opens May 14

This exhibition traces the stories of iconic characters such as Captain America, Spider-Man and Black Panther and features more than 300 Marvel artifacts, including costumes, props and original artwork. It’s the show’s only stop in the Southeast. Adult tickets are $44; children 2-18 are $39. discoveryplace.org

An Evening with Branford Marsalis/Romare Bearden Revealed May 14 | 7 p.m.

This JazzArts Charlotte special edition features the Grammywinning saxophonist performing his works inspired by Charlotteborn artist Romare Bearden at Knight Theater. Tickets start at $30. blumenthalarts.org

Reel Out Charlotte at Independent Picture House

May 17-21

The Queen City’s annual LGBTQ film festival returns after two years of virtual and small-scale events. Tickets are $10 per screening; all-access passes are $45. charlottepride.org

The Secret Gardens of Fourth Ward

May 20-21 | noon to 4 p.m.

Historic Fourth Ward’s annual spring tour includes food and cocktail tasting at gardens and restaurants along the way. Day-specific tickets are $30, or a weekend flex ticket is $40. Fourthwardclt.org

Paramore at Spectrum Center

May 23 | 7 p.m.

The early 2000s emo rock band comes to Spectrum Center following the release of their sixth album, This is Why, along with special guests Bloc Party and Genesis Owusu.

The Wizard of Oz at Booth Playhouse

May 26-27

This year-end showcase presented by faculty and students at Charlotte Cirque & Dance Center is inspired by the classic tale. Tickets are $17-25. cltcirquedancecenter.org SP

Scan the QR code on your mobile device to view our online events calendar — updated weekly — at southparkmagazine.com.

ALLEN TATE REALTORS ® SOUTHPARK

Silver Alert is Lee Smith’s 15th novel, and, if you believe her, it’ll probably be her last. How can this be true? How can the writer who gave us Ivy Rowe of Fair and Tender Ladies and the Cantrell family from Oral History be done with crafting memorable characters with expansive histories?

If this is true, if Silver Alert is indeed Lee Smith’s last novel, then at least readers will be left with several new characters to remember. There’s Dee Dee, a buoyant young aesthetician under an assumed name who’s in Key West to hide from a past she can’t shake. There’s Dee Dee’s client Susan, a wealthy woman who seems too young to be locked in the throes of dementia. And then there’s Susan’s husband, Herb, a tough old guy from up north who, with his swollen prostate and weak bladder, can’t help but long for the days of his youth.

Silver Alert is everything readers want from good storytelling and sharply drawn characters; the book is alternately hilarious

Beads on a string

SILVER ALERT WITH LEE SMITH

by Wiley Cash | photographs by Mallory Cash

and heartbreaking, wise and lighthearted, sly and deeply profound. It’s the kind of novel that only Lee Smith could write, and it will remind readers to be thankful that she has given us so many.

The idea behind Silver Alert came to Lee a little differently than the ideas that spawned her previous novels. Several years ago, when she and her husband, writer Hal Crowther, were driving back to Hillsborough from a winter vacation in Key West, they began spotting signs on U.S. 1, alerting readers with the words “Silver Alert,” complete with the make and model of a vehicle. Neither Lee nor Hal had ever heard of a Silver Alert, but they’d seen Amber Alerts that are issued when a youth goes missing, and they soon pieced it all together. They pieced together a story, too.

Jewelry by Perry’s Diamond & Estate Jewelry

“We decided that it was an elderly guy who found a set of car keys in an old golf shoe, and he’d taken off in his car with the mani-pedi girl from the assisted-living place,” Lee says.

Lee and Hal speculated about where the man would stop on a trip that might end up being his final burst of freedom.

“There’s never been a more natural plot,” Lee tells me. “That’s the number one plot in literature: ‘Somebody takes a trip.’ And number two is, ‘A stranger came to town.’”

If there’s a stranger who’s come to town in Silver Alert, it’s Dee Dee. She’s from the mountains of North Carolina, and her cheerful beauty belies the dark secrets of a life of poverty that has been suffered in the shadows of sex trafficking. She seems to be the only person who can settle Susan during her bouts of confusion, a continuous struggle that has overwhelmed Herb, whose existential angst is fueled by grieving for his wife and the sense that their life together is over.

“Bless her soul,” Herb thinks on the novel’s opening page, “and damn it all to hell.”

Herb’s sarcasm and cynical nature, especially after his and Susan’s kids stage an intervention and force the couple into selling their home to move into an assisted-living facility, could have easily soured the reader’s soul — at one point the narrator even says that Herb “hates everybody that’s young, everybody that’s having fun.” But Lee doesn’t allow that to happen, because soon even Herb is buoyed by Dee Dee’s infectious optimism, and it’s that optimism that inspires Herb to abscond with his yellow Porsche, Dee Dee riding shotgun.

I ask Lee how she so convincingly wrote a character like Dee Dee, someone who maintains her spirit in spite of the trauma and struggle in her past.

“Well, I think in part that is a form of self-defense,” she says. “It’s a way of putting a little shell around yourself.”

In the novel, Dee Dee has spent time at the fictional Rainbow Farm in northern Florida, which is a home for women who are hoping to escape life on the streets. It’s the kind of place that Lee knows pretty well after working with organizations like Thistle Farms outside of Nashville, Tenn. The nonprofit helps women survivors of prostitution, trafficking and addiction by providing them with a place to live and job-skills training. While at Rainbow Farm, Dee Dee learned to be an aesthetician, something that felt natural to Lee, who admits, “I love the beauty shop type of stuff.”

Dee Dee’s work and her relationships with new friends like Susan and Herb lead her to believe that the terrible fates of life are far behind her and getting farther away every day, even if they do still exist somewhere in her past. Throughout the novel, Lee brings the reader’s attention to this time continuum, including one moment when Dee Dee is watching moonlight move across a deck, thinking, “I am happy I’m so happy I will remember this for the rest of my life.” The book’s narrator steps in at that moment to add “and she would too.”

If Dee Dee is living in the moment while thinking about the future, Herb is living in the past while dreading what’s ahead. While

he attempts to care for Susan, he continually “feels himself slipping back, back, back through time” to his first love, a woman named Roxana, whom he met when they were children in Buffalo.

Given Susan and Herb’s predicament of being forced into assisted living, it would be easy to read Silver Alert as a kind of an elegy to aging, but I read it as the opposite. I read it as a celebration of life along the time continuum. It’s about the past, present and future existing in the space of our minds regardless of what our bodies are doing.

“I find incredible solace in that,” I tell Lee.

“Yes,” Lee says. “Here I am, almost 80 years old, and I think this might very well be the last novel I write. But I still have everything existing in me just like you said, all these ideas and memories are still there. You can do that with a novel.

“But things are sort of coming to me now in smaller scenes and short stories, smaller things like beads on a string, and you can see that in this book.”

If you were to look back over the novels that Lee has published, beginning with her debut The Last Day the Dogbushes Bloomed in 1968, you could see the beads on a string, the long continuum that has taken her from her hometown of Grundy in the Virginia mountains down to Hillsborough, and various parts of the state where she’s lived and worked.

In her early work, I tell her, Lee seemed to investigate and chronicle her native southwest Virginia. In her more recent works, the author seems to be investigating her place in the larger world.

Lee agrees.

“I write my fiction very much from real life. And so, when I had those closer ties to the mountains, that’s what I wrote about. And some of the other places I’ve lived since then that have interested me.”

Beads on a string. The long continuum. Grundy, Hillsborough, Key West, and the incredible characters and stories born from these places. It’s all there in Lee Smith’s novels, and regardless of whether or not she ever writes another one, it always will be. SP

Wiley Cash is the Alumni Author-in-Residence at UNC Asheville. His new novel, When Ghosts Come Home, is available wherever books are sold.

Creative genius

THE RECLUSIVE MEL CHIN CREATES DEEPLY ENGAGING ARTWORK AT AN INTERNATIONAL SCALE. by

Liza Roberts

porary art and challenging assumptions about the forms it can take, the issues it can address, and the settings it can inhabit,” the Foundation said in announcing its decision.

“When people ask about what inspires you,” Chin says, “I no longer speak in terms of inspiration but of being compelled. Because how could you not?” The issues that compel him are not necessarily new, he points out, but they’re in the news, which provides new opportunities.

The only visual artist in North Carolina ever to win a MacArthur Genius award, Mel Chin manages to hide in plain sight in his home state, where only the most art-informed even know he’s here.

Tucked into Higgins, a distant corner of Yancey County near the Tennessee border, this world-renowned artist has space and time for his creativity to expand and his engagement with the wider world to ignite. His massive public sculpture, augmented-reality, subversive video, collage and interactive installations address issues as wide-ranging as climate change, political division, the environment, community health and the Black Lives Matter movement.

Chin says his conceptual work is a tool for civic engagement and a way to raise awareness of social issues. Through art, he believes questions can be asked and possibilities raised in uniquely effective ways. “I have always described the practice of art as providing an option, as opposed to an answer,” he says, sitting back in the shade of a porch at his stone house. Ivy and overgrown shrubs blur its edges as the Cane River rushes nearby.

He was here in 2019 when the MacArthur people called to tell him of his remarkable award, including its no-strings-attached check for $625,000. Chin “is redefining the parameters of contem-

Remote as he is, much of Chin’s work is done in collaboration with others, near and far. His 60-foot-tall animatronic sculpture Wake, which resembles both a shipwreck and a whale skeleton, was created with UNC Asheville students and was installed in Asheville’s South Slope after forming the focal point of a larger installation in Manhattan’s Times Square. There, it was accompanied by Unmoored, a mixed-reality mobile app he designed with Microsoft that depicted the square as if it were 26 feet under water, submerged by rising sea levels. It was one of several installations in a New York City-wide survey of Chin’s works in 2018.

The creative expression of scientific information and the use of technology to inspire empathy is a Chin hallmark. One ongoing project uses plants to remediate toxic metals from the soil; a Mint Museum installation used oceanographic data to create “cinematic portraits” of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans; and a viral, community-based work circulates hand-drawn hundred-dollar bills to draw attention to lead contamination in soil, water and housing. “You could say that I’m involved with the process of bridging science and community,” he says.

Community in the traditional sense seems far removed from his remote corner of the world, but Chin’s dogged social conscience, regular travel, wide network and the connected reality of 21st-century life keep him plugged in. He’s turned the stately 1931 stone mansion at the center of his compound into a rambling archive and workshop for his many artistic pursuits. The mansion was originally built as a library and community center for the creation and distribution of local crafts. It became part of a regional study on poverty and was visited in 1934 by Eleanor Roosevelt; it also served as a school and was used as a birthing hospital. The place had fallen into disuse and disrepair when

PHOTOGRAPH BY LISSA GOTWALS

Chin acquired it in the late 1990s as an inexpensive place to store his work. A few years later, he left New York, where he had lived for many years, and moved here himself — not into the mansion, but into the relatively modest house a few feet away, one originally built for the hospital’s chief doctor.

Chin says he was drawn to this part of the country not just for space and the chance to live deeply within the

natural world, but also by the region’s history of racial injustice and his own lifelong commitment to fighting it. The American-born child of Chinese immigrant parents, Chin grew up in Houston in the 1950s, worked at his parents’ grocery store in the city’s predominantly African American Fifth Ward, and became aware of and thoughtful about issues surrounding race from an early age.

“To be engaged in the world,” he says, “it’s OK to be in places where the engagement is very real and uncomfortable.” Lately, that engagement transcends geography. “It’s an important time,” Chin says. “We’re at this bridge. It’s about consolidating a commitment to actually begin again, listen more and reorient actions, and respond.” The role of an artist, he says, is to “excavate” the questions such issues provoke, provide a starting point, and draw collective attention. Still, Chin points out that from his perspective, the “job description of artist” is constantly evolving: “People think it’s kind of funny when I say that I’m still trying to be one, to be an artist. But I mean it, actually.” SP

Wake, 2018

Revival Field (Diorama), 2019, mixed media, 40 x 66 x 8 in PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF FREDERIK MEIJER GARDENS & SCULPTURE PARK

Cadillac Joe

WHILE HIS AZALEAS ARE LONG GONE, THE LEGEND LIVES ON.

by Jim Dodson

As spring broke this year, I had a startling realization: I may be turning into Cadillac Joe.

His real name was Joe Franks. Mr. Franks and his delightful wife, Ginny, and their two boys, Joe Jr. and Chuck, lived across the street in the old neighborhood where I grew up. I was good friends with the Franks boys. My mom was one of Ginny Franks’ closest chums.

Big Joe was a highly respected lawyer in town, though that’s not what made him something of a local legend. Every spring, the Franks family lawn burst spectacularly into bloom with luscious beds of mature azalea bushes Joe had planted and groomed. During the peak blooming stage, usually around Easter, a constant stream of cars cruised slowly past his house just to take in the impressive floral show — rather like people do at Christmastime to look at over-the-top lighting displays. And thanks to several hundred pink and white dogwood trees that bloomed along the street just as the Franks’ yard exploded in color, Dogwood Drive lived up to its name, including a magnificent Cherokee Brave (pink) and Cherokee Princess (white) that proudly stood for more than half a century.

Over the years, our street — and the Franks house in particular — found its way into numerous newspaper feature sections

and a host of top gardening magazines, including a couple of big spreads in Southern Living magazine. What made the show bigger than life was that most Sunday mornings throughout spring and summer, Big Joe Franks lovingly washed or waxed his Cadillac in the Franks family driveway while playing the music of Frank Sinatra. His neighbors must have been fans of Ol’ Blue Eyes because nobody I know of ever complained. My mom even took to calling him Cadillac Joe. Looking back, I’m half convinced Cadillac Joe’s music is the reason I have a thing for Sinatra today.

“Dad sure loved that Cadillac and his azaleas,” Joe Jr. confirmed with a booming laugh when I tracked him down by phone. “And, of course, Sinatra. That was the music of his life. Waxing that Cadillac and growing those azaleas were his passions,” said Joe, who is semi-retired and now lives in Danville, Va.

“So how are your azalea bushes doing?” I asked him.

“I don’t have my dad’s thing for growing them, but I do have a Cadillac Escalade just like Dad. And I recently picked up a second one, an ATS two-door coupe. Really nice.”

I wondered if Joe had any idea how many azalea bushes his dad, who passed away in 2001, planted and groomed to perfection.

“At least 250,” Joe said, explaining how Big Joe’s favorites were red, white and pink azaleas. “If you recall,” he added, “there was

a huge peach-colored one by the front porch. It was probably 7 or 8 feet tall.”

I remembered this bush and almost hated to inform him that the bright young college professor who owns the Franks house today is growing artichokes where Cadillac Joe worked his magic each spring.

“Yeah, by the time my mom was ready to give up the house,” Joe told me, “the plants were showing their age and had probably seen their better days. I guess they just dug them up.”

“Don’t worry,” I said, pleased to inform him. “I think I might be channeling Cadillac Joe these days.”

Six years ago, my wife Wendy and I moved back to Dogwood Drive, purchasing an old house that sits two doors from the one where I grew up. As she got to work restoring the house’s interior, I got to work outside. To date, I’ve planted more than 30 trees in my yard, including five dogwoods, a trio of southern redbuds and several cherry trees that outrageously bloom every spring. I’ve also planted 24 azaleas and 17 hydrangeas.

A garden-loving psychologist wouldn’t be wrong in suggesting that I’m rebuilding the blooming street of my boyhood. I hail from an old Carolina clan of farmers, gardeners, preachers and storytellers, after all, and grew up hearing legends of the dogwood tree’s origin, one of which holds that long ago the dogwood was a mighty tree used to make the cross on which Jesus was crucified. Because of its role in the death of Christ, the legend goes, God both cursed and blessed the little tree. It would never again grow large enough to be used as a cross for a crucifixion. Yet it would also produce beautiful flowers in the spring, just in time for Easter, with petals shaped like a cross, clustered berries resembling a crown of thorns, and specks of red that symbolized drops of blood.

Over the half a century since I’d lived on our street, most of the dogwoods disappeared from yards. In fairness, dogwoods generally only live anywhere from 40–70 years, and the beauties I remember were probably at least already middle-aged. Even so, we count no more than 15 dogwood trees on the entire street.

For that matter, azaleas are also dramatically thin on the ground these days. Maybe they are just too finicky for casual gardeners and the new generation of busy young families that inhabit the neighborhood to keep up with, requiring annual trimming, fertilizing and mulching in order to flourish.

In truth, I was never terribly keen on planting dogwood trees and azaleas bushes until we moved back to Dogwood Drive, at which point a mysterious desire overtook me. Perhaps I am becoming Cadillac Joe 2.0?

Little Joe Franks was pleased when I mentioned this botanical phenomenon. “That’s great,” he said. “Now all you need is an old Cadillac and the music of Sinatra!”

He may be right. For the moment at least, an aging Subaru and Mary Chapin Carpenter will have to suffice. Maybe someday I will be remembered as the legend of Outback Jimmy. SP

Jim Dodson is a New York Times bestselling author in Greensboro.

May books

NOTABLE NEW RELEASES

compiled by Sally Brewster

The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese

Spanning the years 1900 to 1977, The Covenant of Water is set in Kerala, on the south Indian coast, and follows three generations of a family that suffers a peculiar affliction: In every generation, at least one person dies by drowning — and in Kerala, water is everywhere. At the turn of the century, a 12-year-old girl from Kerala’s long-existing Christian community, grieving the death of her father, is sent by boat to her wedding, where she will meet her 40-year-old husband for the first time. The young girl — and future matriarch, known as Big Ammachi — will witness unthinkable changes over the span of her extraordinary life, full of joy and triumph as well as hardship and loss, her faith and love the only constants. A shimmering evocation of a bygone India and of the passage of time itself, The Covenant of Water is a hymn to progress in medicine and to human understanding, and a humbling testament to the difficulties undergone by past generations for the sake of those alive today.

Fourteen Days edited by Margaret Atwood

Set in a Lower East Side tenement in the early days of the Covid-19 lockdowns, Fourteen Days is a surprising and irresistibly propulsive novel with an unusual twist: Each character in this diverse, eccentric cast of New York neighbors has been secretly written by a different, major literary voice, from Margaret Atwood and Douglas Preston to Tommy Orange and Celeste Ng.

One week into the shutdown, tenants of the apartment building have begun to gather on the rooftop and tell stories. With each passing night, more and more neighbors gather, bringing chairs and milk crates and overturned pails. Gradually the tenants — some of whom have barely spoken to each other — become real neighbors. In this serial novel, general editor Margaret Atwood, Authors Guild president Douglas Preston, and a star-studded list of contributors create a beautiful ode to the people who couldn’t get away

from the city when the pandemic hit. A dazzling, heartwarming and ultimately surprising narrative, Fourteen Days reveals how, beneath the horrible loss and suffering, some communities managed to become stronger.

A Line in the Sand by Kevin Powers

One early morning on a beach in Norfolk, Va., a dead body is discovered by a man taking his daily swim — Arman Bajalan, formerly an interpreter in Iraq. After narrowly surviving an assassination attempt that killed his wife and child, Arman has been given lonely sanctuary in the U.S. as a maintenance worker at the Sea Breeze Motel. Now, convinced that the body is connected to his past, he knows he is still not safe. Seasoned detective Catherine Wheel and her newly minted partner have little to go on beyond a bus ticket in the dead man’s pocket. It leads them to Sally Ewell, a local journalist as grief-stricken as Arman by the Iraq War, who is investigating a corporation on the cusp of landing a multibillion-dollar government defense contract. As victims mount around Arman, taking the team down wrong turns and toward startling evidence, they find themselves in a race, committed to unraveling the truth and keeping Arman alive — even if it costs them absolutely everything.

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

Authors June Hayward and Athena Liu were supposed to be twin rising stars. Athena’s a literary darling. June Hayward is literally nobody. Who wants stories about basic white girls, June thinks.

So when June witnesses Athena’s death in a freak accident, she acts on impulse: She steals Athena’s just-finished masterpiece, an experimental novel about the unsung contributions of Chinese laborers during World War I. So what if June edits Athena’s novel and sends it to her agent as her own work? So what if she lets her new publisher rebrand her as Juniper Song, complete with

an ambiguously ethnic author photo? Doesn’t this piece of history deserve to be told, whoever the teller? That’s what June claims, and the New York Times bestseller list seems to agree. But June can’t get away from Athena’s shadow, and emerging evidence threatens to bring June’s (stolen) success down around her. As June races to protect her secret, she discovers exactly how far she will go to keep what she thinks she deserves.

Building: A Carpenter’s Notes on Life & the Art of Good Work by Mark Ellison

For 40 years, Mark Ellison has worked in the most beautiful homes you’ve never seen, specializing in rarefied, lavish and challenging projects for the most demanding of clients. He built a staircase that the architect Santiago Calatrava called a masterpiece. He constructed the sculpted core of Sky House, which Interior Design named “Apartment of the Decade.” His projects have included the homes of David Bowie, Robin Williams and others whose names he cannot reveal. He is regarded by many as the best carpenter in New York. Building tells the story of an unconventional education and how fulfillment can be found in doing something well for decades. Ellison takes us on a tour of the lofts, penthouses and townhomes of New York’s elite, before they’re camera-ready. In a singular voice, he offers a window into learning to live meaningfully along the way. SP

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

June 10, 2023

Olde Providence Racquet Club

3:00 pm – 9:00 pm

■ Register to play a round-robin style tennis competition

■ Winning players in each division paired with local tennis pros for a championship round

■ Prizes awarded throughout the day

■ A terrific day of tennis for a great cause!

Event sponsors

SouthPark After Five

Music + Food + Art

Free happy hour concert series in the neighborhood this spring. Thursdays through May 25

Symphony Park

Building resilience

UNDERSTANDING STRENGTHS, FACING FAILURES AND MAINTAINING STRONG RELATIONSHIPS HELP US WHEN FACING HARDSHIP.

by Juliet Lam Kuehnle

Aprimary factor that is foundational to our wellness is resiliency. My guess is that you’ve already demonstrated a lot of resilience throughout your life. But resilience, since it’s not a personality trait, can also be learned and strengthened. Resiliency is the ability to undergo hardship and still be OK — to bounce back after periods of stress. A person does this thanks to their inherent strengths, personal resources, belief in themselves, and their perspective on problems.

The meaning we assign to things is largely influenced by our sense of self and belief in our own resiliency. When a bad thing happens, our belief about what happened impacts how we navigate it. Being able to separate what happened from the meaning we assign to it is an essential tool of resilience. For example, let’s say you get a negative performance review at work and your boss has made several suggestions for improvement. You might jump to conclusions about how this means you’re the worst employee ever, you’re stupid, and you’re going to get fired. Or, you can widen the lens, put the performance review in the context of your strengths and weaknesses and see it as an opportunity for growth. Being resilient means that we’re able to catch the meaning-making of any situation so as to remain objective and optimistic about pulling through.

Another primary resilience factor is psychological flexibility: learning to hold thoughts and emotions loosely so as to have the ability to act on our longer-term values, no matter the short-term impulses. Therapists often compare this to the image of a tree being blown around in the wind by a storm and ultimately being righted when the wind passes. Humans are this way, too. We may be tested and pushed, but we are best served to trust in our innate abilities — along with skills we can build — to bounce back.

We can learn to have a good grasp of our strengths to help us get through inevitable setbacks. A lot of people downplay their strengths or simply aren’t aware of them since perhaps they’re taken for granted. To better understand our strengths, we can consider how

we show up well in our various roles (as partner, coworker, parent, sibling, friend, etc.). We can also ask people close to us what they observe and think we’re good at. Finally, we can look at a strengths inventory online to identify words that feel true to who we are. Recognizing our strengths means we’re more attuned to our true selves and that we also know our weaknesses. Understanding both means we know what to leverage and where to ask for help, which all helps build our resilience.

Bea Moise, author of Our Neurodivergent Journey and parenting coach says: “Resilience lives in the intersection of success and failure. To become resilient, you must have both. Many psychological factors can help with how an individual processes failures; home, social, or community support are all things that help build resilience. However, recognizing that failure is a key component is critical.” Facing our failures helps build our resilience because we know we’re giving things our all and growing in the process. It’s quite freeing to learn to be authentic as you grasp shortcomings, big wins and everything in between. This takes off undue pressure and allows us to be more self-aware.

Lastly, building and maintaining strong relationships aids in our resiliency. Pursuing connections that allow us to be vulnerable and honest makes us feel less alone. We learn to appropriately lean on others, strengthening our ability to trust and love. In turn, this allows us to be a positive support for others, as well. Once again, social relationships prove to be key in our psychological wellness. We’re all in it together! SP

Juliet Kuehnle is the founder/owner and a therapist at Sun Counseling and Wellness. Kuehnle’s first book entitled Who You Callin’ Crazy?!: The Journey From Stigma To Therapy debuts this month. Follow along on Instagram @YepIGoToTherapy for updates. You’re also invited to attend an “End the Stigma” book launch party on May 7 from 2-5 p.m. Visit yepigototherapy.com/pages/book for more information.

Rise together

11 WOMEN WE’RE WATCHING

by Michelle Boudin

Women in the Queen City are making big moves, and many attribute their success to the support from other women lifting them up and cheering them on — proving that Charlotte is more of a Golden Girls than a Mean Girls kind of town. Some, like Sil Ganzo, Meggie Williams, Sarah Baucom and Carrie Barker, splashed onto the startup scene several years ago and are now poised to take their brands to new heights. Others are now hitting their stride. All are making Charlotte a more vibrant, generous and creative place to live.

communications catalyst for Charlotte is Creative, artist

THE CULTURE CHAMPION

A talented artist herself, 25-year-old Makayla Binter spends her days working to help other Charlotte artists get recognized — and get paid work opportunities. Binter came to Charlotte in 2016 to attend Davidson College before spending time as a Hearst Teaching Fellow at Charlotte Country Day School. That’s where she met her new colleagues, Matt Olin and Tim Miner, the founders of Charlotte is Creative. Binter runs CIC’s social media channels and scouts the city for emerging artists and creatives to promote. Binter is also hard at work creating her own art: She’s painting a mural at the Black Student Union at her alma mater and another for the town of Matthews. She also serves on the board for the Talking Walls Mural Festival.

THE MOOD BOOSTER

Melissa Martin travels the globe as a member of an international floral design team for a top event planner, while also running her own successful flower and design business in Charlotte. The 1999 Providence High School homecoming queen and Queen City native spent time in Raleigh and New York City before moving back home eight years ago to launch her company, Proper Flower. Beyond events, Martin says Proper Flower also will soon offer floral and craft workshops. “We hope to collaborate with different artists of all mediums to provide an ever-changing creative outlet,” she says. Martin, 41, says she still pinches herself when she walks around her massive warehouse. A women’s networking group she joined when she first started her company continues to be a source of inspiration, she says. “Each of us is always encouraging other women in business to come to check out our awesome networking group, lift each other up and help support each other with the struggles of starting and running a business. I continue to surround myself with inspirational, motivational and hardworking women.”

Melissa Martin owner, Proper Flower

Makayla Binter

Sil Ganzó founder and executive director, ourBRIDGE

THE GREETER

What started as a single after-school program for children of immigrant families in 2014 has expanded to include partnerships at local schools — and will soon debut an entirely new line of services. Sil Ganzo, 40, launched ourBridge as a place for newly settled kids to learn English, make friends and adjust to their new community while still holding tight to their own culture. The Buenos Aires native is a self-described no-nonsense advocate. “I never cared about making friends to get ahead, because the only way I believe I can get ahead is by making sure all our immigrant families have the same opportunities,” she says. “I am a strong-principled person. If it doesn’t feel right, I will not participate. If I believe something is wrong, I will make sure others see it, too.” Along with helping start a refugee camp in Kenya, Ganzo and her team will soon open the Charlotte Center for Newcomers, a 6,000-square-foot building on the Aldersgate campus where newly-arrived families from across the world will find help navigating everything from schools to health care as they begin their new lives in Charlotte.

Tracy Montross regional director of government affairs, American Airlines

THE PUBLIC-AFFAIRS PRO

It is the world’s biggest airline at one of the busiest airports in the country, and Tracy Montross is in the middle of it all. The 40-year-old mother of two works with state and local governments and tourism groups on behalf of American Airlines in seven states, including Charlotte, the airline’s second-busiest hub. Montross moved to the Queen City in 2008 to attend graduate school at UNC Charlotte and has been involved in the community ever since, serving as chief of staff for former Mayor Anthony Foxx from 2011-2013 and on multiple boards, including the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority, Women Executives and the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance. With two toddlers at home, Montross says she’s able to do it all thanks to the support from her husband – a full-time dad who also works as the wine director at Rosie’s Wine Garden.

“Yoshi”

THE MIXOLOGY MAVEN

As a freelance mixologist and bar consultant, Yoshi Mejia, 35, makes a point to work with small venues and women- and minority-owned businesses. She’s been in Charlotte since 2013, but didn’t officially launch her company, Super Yosh Cocktails, until last fall. “Creating my own lane that no one can take away from me has not been easy,” Mejia says. “However, I wouldn’t have it any other way. In a male-dominated industry, I seek no one’s approval but the opportunity to give more flavor, perspective and representation to the ever-growing cocktail scene in Charlotte.” As an instructor at The Cocktailery, she also loves teaching others her craft. “My love language is service, so being able to pour, literally, into others, [and to] provide an experience that makes people look forward to my next event or class, makes my heart very full.”

Davis

THE COMMUNITY CREATIVE

From sneakers to parks to giant murals, DeNeer Davis is leaving her mark across Charlotte and beyond. Born and raised in the Queen City, Davis, 35, was a student working toward a degree in exercise and sports science and recovering from an ACL injury when she discovered art. Her paintings are full of bright colors and uplifting messages. She recently finished a number of projects with the Carolina Panthers, including a mural she worked on with highschool students and a pair of coach’s shoes as part of the NFL’s “My Cleats, My Cause” program highlighting players’ and coaches’ charities of choice. A documentary about her life just wrapped shooting, and she’s working on several more murals around town. Davis is also hoping to do more work with students. “My favorite project to date has been the basketball court at Kimbrough Park in Statesville,” she says. “Every day, the kids would get off the school bus then come to the park and paint with me. They told me I brought life and love back to the community, and a reason to want to go to the park and have gatherings. That was meaningful to me.”

Yashira

Mejia owner, Super Yosh Cocktails, and instructor at The Cocktailery

DeNeer

artist

Liz Ward founder and owner, Give Impact Advisory Services

THE WAYMAKER

“My love for my hometown is what drives me to show others how they, too, can leave a lasting impact on the Charlotte community,” says Liz Ward, founder of Give Impact. The advisory-services firm helps clients maximize their resources to positively impact the lives of low- to moderate-income families in the Charlotte area through real-estate initiatives. Ward, 38, lives in SouthPark with her husband and kids but grew up bouncing around eight different homes. As the daughter of a CMS teacher, she can relate to those struggling to meet their own basic needs — it’s why she created Give Impact in 2020. “I had a ‘life is too short’ moment and realized that it was potentially now, or never,” says Ward, who worked in banking and commercial real estate finance before launching Give Impact ”I felt called to use my gifts to help the city in a unique way.” So far, that’s translated into advising in the placement of more than $22 million in private capital designed to help with upward-mobility initiatives across the Queen City.

April Whitlock head of corporate citizenship/executive director, LendingTree Foundation

THE CORPORATE CONNECTOR

April Whitlock is on her second stint working at LendingTree, this time running the company’s nonprofit foundation and, in the process, working to change the way the city of Charlotte views philanthropy. Whitlock created the foundation’s first nonprofit cohort, bringing together 10 organizations and lifting them up with financial help, strategic guidance and encouraging them to work together to do even more good.

“LendingTree had a corporate foundation for several years but didn’t have a cohesive strategy, so my role was to develop our philanthropic strategy for the foundation and our corporate community engagement,” Whitlock says. “What sets us apart is our focus on providing unrestricted grants to emerging nonprofits while supporting them with capacity-building resources and social-capital connection.” The 53-year-old mother of three attends eight to 10 community events a week and serves on multiple boards, but she says it’s all part of the job. “One of the advantages of the work that I do is being engaged in the community and helping with connections between corporate and the community. Our hope is that LendingTree will continue to be a model for a different way to do corporate philanthropy in Charlotte.”

Meggie Williams founder and chief executive officer, Skiptown

THE PET-CARE PROPONENT

What started as a simple dog-walking business has grown into a high-tech company that’s about to be replicated in cities across the country. Meggie Williams started Skiptown in 2016 and was the company’s first dog walker. Thanks to a $27 million investment in late 2022, Williams and her husband are on track to open 30 Skiptown locations in the next five years, starting with Houston, Denver and Atlanta. Williams, 35, says she bootstrapped the business for the first year and a half until she realized the need to perfect the technology. The next step was partnering with apartment complexes to build on-site day care and boarding facilities. “We were the first company to partner with apartments in this way,” Williams says. “The success of those apartment services prompted us to look for a standalone facility where we could offer our suite of high-end services — and the idea for the Skiptown ecosystem was born.” Skiptown’s flagship location in South End opened in early 2020 with a private dog park, day care and boarding center, along with a popular dog bar, where dogs and their owners can enjoy a drink and some playtime.

Sarah Baucom + Carrie Barker

co-founders,

Girl Tribe Co.

THE RETAIL ROCK STARS

Baucom and Barker have built the ultimate girl tribe, literally. The Charlotte natives, who met at Charlotte Catholic High School and today live two minutes from each other in Cotswold, started their company almost a decade ago with just $200 and a mission to empower other women entrepreneurs. Known first for their graphic tees and then for their hugely successful pop-up shops, the women opened their first brick-and-mortar store in 2017. They now have three shops, with four more set to open in the next two years. Girl Tribe employs 50 women and just opened its own production facility. By year-end, the founders expect to produce 100% of their own branded products. “As our company has grown quickly in the past 18 months, we have really focused internally on culture, leadership and development for our employees,” Baucom says. “Right now we are laser-focused on creating a team that can grow into their own leaders as we are training the next generation of creative women.” SP

Burrageara Francine ‘Roseglow’ at Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden

UNDERSTANDING ORCHIDS

• It’s the largest plant family, with 30,000+ species.

• Most are epiphytes (they grow on trees).

• They have a mirror image.

• They’re fragrant with a range of scents, from coconut to decaying matter.

• Moth orchids, or Phalaenopsis, are the most common houseplant orchids. They will rebloom from the old spike.

• They symbolize love, beauty, refinement and fertility.

Miltoniopsis Breathless ‘Brilliant’

Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden

“You can’t just wing it with orchids,” says Mary Duke, orchid curator at UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens. But, we can all be successful orchid caretakers at home, if we follow the rules, Duke says.

“I always tell people, when you get an orchid, just research that one orchid and learn everything you can about that one orchid — and then it’s not so overwhelming,” Duke says.

“You’re gonna be fine,” she adds with a reassuring smile.

Duke, who is also a registered nurse, says she grew up close to nature in northern Virginia. When she needed a break from critical care, she found the plant and gardening worlds interesting and therapeutic. Fourteen years later, she’s a walking encyclopedia on orchids and has shared that knowledge the past six years with visitors to the McMillan Greenhouse.

As she walks among zones filled floor-to-ceiling with tropical orchids, Duke points out different features within the

Miltoniopsis Lemon Drop ‘Bright Eyes’, cool-growing orchids indigenous to the high-elevation regions of the Andes Mountains

Lysudamuloa Red Jewel ‘Hilo Girl,’ a Lycaste hybrid

Paphiopedilum Taylor Hershey, an orchid genus native to Southeast Asia, often called ‘Lady Slippers’

Phalaenopsis, an orchid genus native to Southeast Asia, pictured with Tillandsia air plants

collection. “These are Phalaenopsis, or the moth orchid. These are the most common orchids that you’ll find … and they’re the easiest orchids for people to grow,” she says about a grouping of potted orchids near the entrance. They prefer filtered sunlight and might bloom for up to four months.

By sight and by the numbers, orchids are impressive. They are the largest family of plants, with more than 25,000 species and 100,000-plus hybrid varieties. Most are epiphytes, which means they grow on trees with exposed roots that reach out and cling to branches. Others are terrestrial and thrive along streams. Some bloom for many weeks. Then there’s the highmaintenance vanilla orchid, from which the sought-after bean used in flavorings and extracts is harvested. Each flower blooms for about eight hours.

At Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden in Belmont, it’s not unusual to find orchid enthusiasts roaming the Orchid

Cymbidium, an orchid genus native to tropical regions in Asia and Australia

Oncidium Lemon Heart, native to the New World Tropics: South and Central America, Mexico, West Indies. These tiny flowers are often called ‘Dancing Ladies.’

Cattleya hybrid, middle right, and Cattleya hybrid, Ports of Paradise ‘Gleneyrie Green Giant,’ below right. Cattleyas are native to Central and South America. Their flowers typically bloom for 2-4 weeks, depending on the environment.

Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden

Jessica Collins, Orchid Conservatory manager, oversees and curates the collection of 2,500 orchids at Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden.

CARING FOR ORCHIDS

• Do not water orchids with ice cubes, which can shock and damage the roots.

• Research your orchid’s climate and light preferences.

• Use fast-draining potting media, like a bark-based mixture.

• Overwatering leads to root rot.

• Most orchids prefer indirect sunlight. Insufficient light is a common reason for failure to rebloom.

Epidendrum orchid

UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens

Conservatory’s three greenhouses to take pictures and get inspiration.

“I really love the idea of them being like natural pieces of art,” says Jessica Collins, manager of the conservatory. “I think that’s why they translate really well in photographs, because they have an ability to transcend nature. There’s almost a sculptural quality to them.”

With a degree in environmental science and time spent studying tropical ecology in the Costa Rican rainforest, Collins says she enjoys the “hands-on” application of her education as curator of the collection. She’s drawn to the intense colors and shapes of cool-growing orchids. “They’re also known for being temperamental, but I’ve really liked working with them and taking on the challenge.”

But she’s not a home gardener. “I think most of us with horticulture degrees, we work with plants all day and don’t have a lot of time for our own plants,” Collins laughs.

Phragmipedium, a type of slipper orchid native to the tropical Americas

Phalaenopsis, or ‘moth orchid’

Dendrobium mini

Yellow dendrobium

UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens

Duke is the same way. Instead, they pour their expertise into exotic gardens that delight and attract thousands of visitors every year. SP

SEE FOR YOURSELF: Check hours before visiting the gardens. With a wide variety of orchids, plants are in bloom throughout the year. Peak season is generally late winter through early spring.

Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden

6500 South New Hope Rd., Belmont dsbg.org

UNC Charlotte Botanical Garden 9090 Craver Rd. gardens.charlotte.edu

Want more orchid inspiration? Duke recommends the American Orchid Society and N.C. Piedmont Orchid Society as online resources.

Encyclia, an epiphytic orchid

Phalaenopsis, or ‘moth orchid’

Howeara orchid

Vanda, native to East and Southeast Asia, known for intense colors

Dendrobium, native to Southeast Asia

DOWN TO a fine art

ANNA DAVIS DESIGNS A MODERN HOME WITH BOLD ACCENTS FOR FOXCROFT EMPTY NESTERS.

by Cathy Martin | photographs by Dustin Peck

A painting by Russ Warren creates a striking backdrop in the breakfast nook. The table and drum light fixture are from Made Goods; the chairs are Vanguard.

A dramatic backlit backsplash is a focal point in the kitchen.

Designer Anna Davis began with a nearly blank canvas when the Foxcroft homeowners tapped her to lead the interior design of their new-construction house. It helped that she was already familiar with their aesthetic: Davis had previously helped her clients update their longtime Morrocroft Estates home before listing it for sale.

“When I worked with them in Morrocroft, they were very traditional,” Davis says. “It was hard for them to step out — and it scared them at first to step out.” Heavy dark wood paneling and ornate architectural details — typical of many fine homes built in the ’90s and early 2000s — dominated the 14,000-square-foot estate. “But I pushed them,” says

Pendants by Julie Neill hang over the kitchen island; the counter stools are by Vanguard.

Davis, whose eclectic style leans more modern with bold accents, “and they loved the final picture there.”

By contrast, the couple’s new home, built by Grande Custom Builders, presents clean lines and a brighter, airier aesthetic. Since the couple had sold their previous home furnished, bringing just a few cherished belongings with them to the new home, Davis was able to start with virtually a clean slate.

“Art to me in a space makes the biggest impact,” says Davis, who minored in studio art while earning her bachelor’s in interior design at Meredith College. “We reused [the homeowners’ existing] art, but we were able to bring in some contemporary vibes,” she says. Having grown up in a very traditional home, the designer likes blending for-

mal, traditional oil paintings with contemporary works for a unique look. In the foyer, for example, she had one of the homeowners’ existing oil paintings reframed and brought in a bold abstract painting by South Carolina artist Brian Rutenberg, sourced from Jerald Melberg Gallery.

In the adjoining family room, Davis designed a custom blue-lacquered shelving unit to display collectibles and add a pop of color to the otherwise neutral space. A vibrant landscape painting by Charles Basham energizes the space, while a pair of bold, minimalist serigraphs by American artist Charles McMurray balances the aesthetic.

Flowing from the family room, the spacious kitchen is anchored by a large leathered stone island, flanked by Vanguard counter stools with an inverted pleat detailing.

Custom shelves and a vibrant painting by Ohio artist Charles Basham, sourced from Jerald Melberg Gallery, brighten the neutral-toned family room.

A pair of serigraphs by artist Charles McMurray from Hodges Taylor Gallery make a bold statement outside the dining room.

An abstract painting by Brian Rutenberg adds a dash of bold color in the foyer.

A dramatic backlit slab over the Wolf range is a showstopper, while the Russ Warren painting in the breakfast area on the opposite side of the room is equally eye-catching. Davis and the husband instantly loved the painting sourced from Hodges Taylor Gallery, the designer says, but the wife took a little convincing. She eventually came around, and now it’s one of the more striking spaces in the home. SP

SENTIMENTAL

STILL LIFE

PAINTER CHRISTOPHER CLAMP FINDS BEAUTY IN SIMPLICITY, CAPTURING ORDINARY OBJECTS WITH COMPLEX SKILLS WHILE EVOKING A POWERFUL SENSE OF NOSTALGIA.

by Cathy Martin | photographs by Peter Taylor

Chris Clamp has a specific fondness for vintage objects — and his paintings evoke a nostalgia that can transport viewers back into their memories. So it’s fitting that the artist, in his east Charlotte studio, works on a pair of sturdy antique easels previously owned by other accomplished painters — one that belonged to renowned South Carolina portrait artist Michael Del Priore, who Clamp considered a friend, and another to British artist Hannah Gluckstein.

“They have an energy, like a spirit to them,” Clamp says while showing me around his home studio, which is sprinkled with vintage toys, games and figurines that have appeared — or might soon appear — in his paintings.

“You can work on anything — I mean, essentially I could make an easel just by putting some lumber against the wall. It’s a little more inspired,” says the artist, whose fifth solo exhibition at Jerald Melberg Gallery, Far From Home, is on view through June 3.

Clamp grew up in Leesville, S.C., a small town in Lexington County, where farming and factory jobs at nearby textile mills were the primary vocations. A vivid childhood memory: colorful scraps of plush velvet scattered around the house from the JB Martin factory, where his parents once worked.

His passion for art grew when he attended Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C., where he earned a BFA with a concentration in painting. “I had an amazing experience there, because I came from a very small area,” Clamp recalls. “When I came to Winthrop, all the other kids had portfolios with slides and photos and all this stuff, and I didn’t have anything.”

But rather than feeling less than, Clamp was thrilled to finally be in the company of other like-minded souls. “I was so excited to see all these kids that were like me, that had this interest in art. I could see how talented they were, and it just inspired me to really work hard.”

On a college trip to New York City, Clamp was introduced to the work of realist painter Stephen Brown and was immediately taken with his paintings of everyday objects —

It’s important for people to take their time when looking at Clamp’s paintings, Melberg says, in order to notice subtle details that are incredibly difficult to achieve, like an oh-so-faint shadow or the delicate curvature of an object

an onion, a ball of twine, a jar of olives. “I [had been] trying to paint in a more expressive, aggressive way,” Clamp says. “These paintings were so sensitive, and I thought that is what I want to do … just really embrace the beauty of something in these simple objects.”

That realization coincided with a school assignment for a narrative still life painting. Clamp recalled his grandfather’s barn back in Leesville, which he still visited on trips home to see his family. Clamp’s grandparents had helped care for him and his brother while their parents worked shift work. The barn was chock-a-block of ordinary and peculiar items his grandfather had acquired over the years.

“As a kid, I used to play with things — it was so magical,” Clamp says. As he grew older, and after his grandfather passed away, the objects held a deeper significance. “It started to kind of give me a little bit of a direction that seemed important to me — painting these objects that I’ve known for a long time,” Clamp says.

Meanwhile, he learned about professional art installation through a job at a campus art gallery, which he parlayed into a position as an art handler at Jerald Melberg Gallery, where he worked for 15 years, after graduation. After a short stint with a New York-based fine-art logistics company, he launched his own fine-art services company in 2019.

All along, he continued painting still lifes. During a 2019 summer residency at Tryon Center for the Visual Arts (now McColl Center), Clamp created a series called Object as Portrait. Each of the 12-inch-square paintings represented someone he knew by depicting an object very closely associated with them. Several are inspired by family, including a painting titled “Lava.”

“My grandfather worked on his tractor a lot, and his hands would get very dirty with grease and oil from the repairs. He would use Lava soap, and I found an old, unopened box of Lava soap on one of my visits. That is when I painted ‘Lava.’” A painting of a broken mug, given to him by a friend, was a self-portrait, Clamp says. “I had experienced a lot of terrible things around the time I painted this.” The mug rests on a swath of red velvet, a nod to his family history.

During this time, Clamp was also designing and building out his home studio, and once complete in July 2021, he took a monthlong break from his art-services business to simply paint. That’s when, with encouragement from his fiancé, Lauren Piemont, he had a revelation. Recalling his old friend, Del Priore, who passed away in 2020, he started questioning the trajectory of his life. “When am I going to take the chance to do the things I want to do in life?” he thought.

Fortunately, he already had several commissions in the works. One was a job creating illustrations for an interactive children’s book titled The Sun Comes Up. The clever puzzle book by Greensboro’s Mitchell Parsons tells the story of a little sailor boy who plays a game of chase with the sun — the reader must fold or unfold the “pages” in the

CAT’S GAME II, 2023 Oil on Linen Mounted on Panel 16 x 16 inches

COURTESY JERALD MELBERG GALLERY

right sequence to continue the story. For the illustrations, Clamp painted the author’s own cherished childhood toys — a teddy bear, Flipper and Cecil the Seasick Sea Serpent, among others. Several of Clamp’s studies for the book are on view in the new exhibition.

Today, Clamp peruses antique and thrift stores searching for unique objects, and his works sometimes take a more playful turn.

“Some are just curious objects,” like vintage fortune teller cards or an old chess set in a cardboard box, weathered with age. Many of the items he’s drawn to remind him of his childhood in rural South Carolina, like a delicate cat figurine with a red bow around its neck that reminds him of his grandmother. “Their house was full of tchotchkes and little things like that. And this looks like something that she would have had.”

Other times, he’ll create a subtle narrative, or add an element to “activate” the canvas — a falling feather or butterfly in flight. “Song of Sixpence,” a piece he’ll debut in the current exhibition, depicts a whimsical tin toy based on the old English nursery rhyme. A black bird hovers above the toy, in the shape of a pie, suggestive of an impending intrusion.

Melberg calls the painting “a tour de force.”

“I think that [Clamp] has a very acute way of seeing that some of the rest of us don’t have,” says Melberg, who opened his gallery in the early 1980s after serving as chief curator at The Mint Museum. He offered Clamp his first solo show in 2006. It’s important for people to take their time when looking at Clamp’s paintings, he says, in order to notice subtle details that are incredibly difficult to achieve, like an oh-so-faint shadow or the delicate curvature of an object.

“He’s able to capture an essence that I think is astonishing,” Melberg adds. To help achieve that, Clamp uses oil-based paints that are more translucent than many modern pigments, requiring numerous, time-consuming layers to produce the desired effect — a technique similar to that used by Brown, the artist who inspired him on that early trip to New York.

The exhibition showcases a variety of Clamp’s works, from simple renderings of curious objects like a retro video game controller to more nuanced paintings of vintage items, like an old tin yarn container.

“To me, they’re so simple,” Melberg says of Clamp’s paintings, “but so profound.” SP

Far From Home, a solo exhibition featuring works by Christopher Clamp, will be on view April 29 - June 3 at Jerald Melberg Gallery. The opening reception takes place on April 28 from 6-8 p.m. Clamp will also be in the gallery for Coffee & Conversation at 11 a.m. April 29. 625 S. Sharon Amity Rd., jeraldmelberg.com

COURTESY JERALD MELBERG GALLERY

Study for CHASING THE SUN II, 2022 Oil on Linen Mounted on Panel, 8 x 8 inches

EXOTIC YET ACCESSIBLE, THE CENTURIES-OLD CROSSROADS OF THE WORLD OFFERS IMAGINATIVE CULINARY EXPERIENCES, CULTURAL SPLENDOR AND TURKISH DELIGHT AT EVERY TURN.

by Michael J. Solender

Few world cities carry the historic, geographic or strategic significance of Istanbul, Turkey’s most storied metropolis. Istanbul is the only city on the globe spanning both the European and Asian continents, and has long been the epicenter of trade, culinary, cultural and thought exchange between Europe, the Arabian Peninsula, the Mediterranean Basin, Russia, the Balkans, Iran and beyond.

One of the world’s busiest channels, the tiny Bosphorus Strait, halves the city once known as Constantiople into two major sections and serves as the only seafaring passage linking the Mediterranean and Black seas. The city’s location as a global port and geographic hub has forever cemented its place as a center of commerce, interchange and discovery.

A raucous cacophony of cultural and historic influences is inescapable for today’s visitor and, in fact, is the primary attraction. This is especially true when it comes to Istanbul’s explosive culinary landscape. With more than 15 million full-time residents and an equal number of annual visitors, there are a lot of hungry people in The City on the Seven Hills, and gastronomic delights are found on every corner. Here’s how to best enjoy the adventure.

START ON THE STREET

Begin on the Asian side of the city, where many of the working-class locals live, shop and eat, for an authentic look at daily Turkish life. Most likely you’ll traverse the Bosphorus Bridge (officially named the 15 July Martyrs Bridge, though rarely referred to as such).

An impressive span with spectacular city and sea views, it was built in the mid-1970s to connect the two sides of the city which previously were navigated solely by ferry.

It’s best to discover the sprawling port and vast Kadikoy neighborhood with a licensed guide like Eser Sedef. A knowledgeable historian, cultural savant and Turkish gastro-expert, Sedef will ensure your visit is special. She’s adept at darting into tiny alleys for the best Turkish coffee, navigating street stalls for authentic dishes such as midye (mussels stuffed with rice and aromatics), and serving as ambassador of unfamiliar fare such as freshly baked simit. This popular roll resembles a flattened bagel — crunchy on the outside, soft and chewy inside — and is often served with a semi-firm, feta-like goat or sheep’s-milk cheese, sliced tomato, and cucumber.

Kadikoy’s narrow and cobbled streets offer a masala of fragrant enticements, from kestane kebap (roasted chestnut) vendors and bazlama (Turkish flatbread) artisans to the aromatic teas for sale on every corner. It’s easy to spend an entire day here poking around various food stalls, flower shops, wine bodegas, cheese shops, chocolate ateliers, and scores of mom and pop retailers offering linens, clothing, jewelry, crafts and gifts.

Turkish street snacks to taste include lahmacun, the ubiquitous, impossibly thin flatbread flecked with spicy minced lamb and baked in a woodfired oven. Doner, Istanbul’s beloved portable sandwich with spiced grilled lamb, beef or chicken, is served in a pillowy flatbread accompanied by grilled tomatoes, onions and bitter greens. Grilled and spiced corn known as koz misir is extremely popular: This

Bosphorus Bridge

slightly sweet, slightly savory treat is served on the cob with its own stalk handle for easy consumption.

MEZE, MEZE AND MORE MEZE

Turkish meze — a woefully inadequate catch-all phrase for scores of snacks or starters — is the culinary social lubricant to almost every meal in Turkey. Nearly every restaurant, from the ultra-casual to the Michelinstarred, serves a dozen or more meze plates — hot and cold; spreads, bites and salads. Elaborate or simple, meze is abundant — often six or more shareable plates appear on the table as soon as you are seated. While meze paired with flatbread can easily stand in for a wonderful meal, be sure to save room for the main course — with Turkish tables, there’s always more to come.

There’s no better introduction to the simple-yet-sophisticated splendor of Turkish meze than at chef Musa Dağdeviren’s Ciya Sofrasi

Dağdeviren is a traditionalist whose mission is to honor and showcase dishes, ingredients and techniques of his grandparents’ and great grandparents’ generation. “Turkish food represents a melting pot of influences,” he says through an interpreter. “So many flavors, spices, ingredients and techniques are being lost to trends and time. I’m working to preserve what I grew up with, know and love.”

Ciya is a casual eatery with a wood-burning oven cranking out flatbreads and meze, staffed by career servers who know hospitality. The wide selection of meze awaiting diners features bakla ezmesi, the bright green fava-bean spread with yogurt and dill; kiz guzeli, a beetroot, garlic, yogurt and olive salad spiced with sumac that’s sublimely piquant; and zaatar salad, a bright, acidic medley of pomegranate, orange and walnuts. Kabak cicegi dolmasi — plump zucchini flowers stuffed with sautéed onions, herbs and rice — are flash-fried to crispy golden brown, tempura-style.

Dağdeviren says he has more than 160 recipes for dried eggplant alone, emphasizing an ingredient rarely seen on western tables. One such version, kuru patlican dolmasi (baby eggplant stuffed with rice, walnuts, herbs and spices), is stewed in a tomato sauce to yield flavors both exotic and familiar. Dishes keep coming here until diners wave the white flag, but why would you? Even the simplest dishes like roasted-carrot hummus (havuc tarator) are addictive and delight with African and Mediterranean flavors.

UNFUSSY FINE DINING

This year, 53 Istanbul restaurants were recognized by Michelin in the renowned dining guide’s inaugural foray into the city. Two that won’t break the bank are casual yet elegant and offer innovative (yet accessible) takes on contemporary Turkish cuisine.

Mevlut Ozkaya, a first year “Michelin Young Chef” award recipient, puts open-fire cookery at the heart of the dining experience at Murver, a stunning eatery overlooking the Bosphorus. Guests enjoy creative dishes like octopus in ash with sour pomegranate vinaigrette, clover-smoked lamb shoulder, and grilled bonito with fennel, sweet potato and mandarin orange. Buzzy, busy and visually arresting, Murver is a top see-and-be-seen hot spot.

Alaf, awarded a Bib Gourmand by Michelin (a “best value for money” recognition), bills itself as a “nomads” restaurant. Translation: It wows diners with explosive flavors packed into tiny, sexy bites artfully composed with influences from Kurdish, Armenian and Yezidi cultures. I’m still dreaming of the knockout dessert of chocolate mousse-stuffed, crisp-fried chili pepper floating in a spiced mulberry sauce.

Don’t leave Istanbul without a visit to the famed Karakoy Gulluoglu dessert spot, an imperial shrine to the multilayered king of pastry in

Turkish meze Alaf

Turkey: baklava. Istanbul’s Gulluoglu family, now in its sixth generation, continues the tradition of hand-making this 40-layer flaky pastry packed with goodies such as pistachios, walnuts, honeyed syrup, clarified butter and aromatic spices.

CULTURAL EXPLORATION

Istanbul’s cultural riches are vast, enough to fill months of itineraries. Topping any list is the Hagia Sophia. The one-time Church of the Holy Wisdom, this 1,500-year-old structure is today a mosque and offers visitors near unfettered access to architectural and design splendor. Nearby, the fabled Blue Mosque, built 1,200 years later, is awe-inspiring in its tilework, exterior beauty and instructive lessons in the Muslim faith.

A visit to the Yerebatan Cistern reveals the largest surviving underground water storage structure in Istanbul. Discover lessons in ancient engineering ingenuity, survival and artistry at this massive underground cavern, which today is home to concerts, art installations and ongoing archaeological digs.

Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar and Spice Market are sprawling sensory feasts that require advance planning and meeting coordinates in case you get separated from your group. The Grand Bazaar spans more than 330,000 square feet and is home to more than 4,000 shops. It covers 64 streets with 36 different access points, making it one of the largest markets in the world. Peruse Turkish carpets, jewelry, leather goods, ceramics, confections, coffee, tea and spices.

AGATHA CHRISTIE SLEPT HERE

Pera Palace, Istanbul’s oldest and most iconic luxury hotel, has welcomed guests to the heart of the city since 1892. Originally built to host guests embarking on the fabled Orient Express rail journey, the art nouveau-styled grand dame has accommodated the likes of Hemingway, Hitchcock and mystery writer Agatha Christie. Christie, who resurfaced here after famously being reported missing for 11 days in 1926, is alleged to have written her classic tale Murder on the Orient Express at Pera Palace, one of her favorite hotels.

Guests today thrill at the palace’s historic Old World touches, accompanied by contemporary flair. They are treated royally with indulgences such as afternoon tea in the Kubbeli Lounge, smart cocktails and period entertainment in the Orient Bar, luxe guest rooms and suites, and an attentive staff.

TAP INTO YOUR INNER SULTAN

Nonstop touring and noshing in Istanbul can leave one weary. There’s no more decadent remedy than an authentic hammam, or Turkish bath. Top-rated Ayasofya Hurrem Sultan Hamam is situated near the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia and pampers with glorious, marbled interiors, skilled attendants, and luxurious mineral-rich waters to deliver a personalized spa adventure second to none. SP

GETTING THERE

While Charlotte Douglas International Airport doesn’t currently offer nonstop flights to Istanbul, Atlanta’s HartsfieldJackson does via Turkey’s national airline, Turkish Airlines. The carrier’s business-class offerings, which include an in-flight personal chef, lay-flat seats and comprehensive entertainment system, make for extra comfortable travel.

Grand Bazaar

Hagia Sophia

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HEARTest Yard Ungala

February 27, 2023

Guests walked the red carpet and smiled for the camera to support this charity event hosted by Panthers legend Greg Olsen and Steak 48. The HEARTest Yard raised $275,000 to help families of children with congenital heart defects.

Betsy Mack Rinke and Sean Rinke

Jimmie and Chandra Johnson

Kevin and DeLana Harvick

Regan Smith and Graham Smith

Nicole Tepper and Linda Reich

Greg Olsen

Jonathan and Natalie Stewart

Jose and Mary Armario

David and Nicole Tepper

Jeff Gordon

Greg and Kara Olsen

Marcus and Cassi Smith

Tammy and Matt DeBoer

Luke Kuechly

ON VIEW THROUGH JULY 2, 2023

MINT MUSEUM UPTOWN AT LEVINE CENTER FOR THE ARTS

Fifty stunning designs celebrating four centuries of fashion and 50 years of The Mint Museum’s Fashion Collection.

Fashion Reimagined: Themes and Variations 1760s-NOW is generously presented by Wells Fargo Wealth & Investment Management and the Mint Museum Auxiliary. Additional support is provided by Bank OZK. The Mint Museum is supported, in part, by the Infusion Fund and its generous donors. IMAGE: Oscar de la Renta (Dominican, 1932-2014). Evening Gown with Jacket (detail), Spring 2011, silk. The Mint Museum Auxiliary’s Gift to the Costume Collection. 2011.43a-b

Mint Museum Uptown

at Levine Center for the Arts

500 South Tryon Street Charlotte, NC 28202

704.337.2000 mintmuseum.org

@themintmuseum

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Dancing With the Stars of Charlotte

March 4, 2023

Charlotte Ballet’s annual gala returned for a huge evening at Knight Theater and Bechtler Museum of Modern Art. Posey Mealy won the People’s Choice Award, and Danielle Edwards took home the Judge’s Choice award.

Martin Olsen and Mary C. Curtis

Kieth Cockrell dancing with Sarah Lapointe

Posey Mealy and Luke Csordas

Kieth Cockrell and family with Sarah Lapointe

Jane Lockwood and Kim Henderson

Danielle Edwards and Maurice Mouzon Jr.

Beverly Ladley and Juan Castellanos

Rob Engel and Nadine Barton

Caroline Hicks and Roman Harper

Brandon Gandy and Isabella Franco

Tricia Parrish and Caroline Stedman

Posey Mealy and Luke Csordas

Ann Tarwater and Midge Barron Angela and Jesse Cureton Aundrea and Stephen Wilson

Alex and Alexandra Myrick

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Wish Ball

February 24, 2023

Wishes came true at this year’s annual Make-A-Wish ball at The Westin. The blue-tie gala raised more than $1.7 million and featured Hornets legend Muggsy Bogues, who surprised a child with his wish.

Digi-bridge Futureshaper Design Experience

March 15, 2023

Hornets Guard Kelly Oubre Jr. joined 15 CMS middle-school students at Spectrum Center as they shared their eyewear designs created with 3D technology, as part of a partnership with Digi-Bridge and Honeywell to promote STEAM learning.

Ohavia Phillips Riley and Robin Fields

Gerald and Nilou Henderson

Hornets guard Kelly Oubre Jr.

Jennifer and Jerry Schroeder Muggsy Bogues and Wish Kid Xander

Kim Henderson and Evelyn McLoughlin Jack and Robin Salzman Carl and Christi Armato

Lydia, Amanda and David Haufler

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The Echo Foundation

25th Anniversary Celebration

March 5, 2023

To celebrate 25 years of effecting positive change in global humanitarian issues, patrons gathered at Knight Theater to honor Dr. Aaron Ciechanover, who received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, and Gene Woods, CEO of Atrium Health, for his leadership in health care.

Under Contract

This gorgeous, cozy SouthPark cottage features vaulted ceilings, custom millwork, and fabulous chandeliers. Open plan with updated kitchen. Wonderful light throughout. Primary suite on main with updated bath. Loft/Bonus Room. Screened porch, deck, patio, and private backyard.

Lauren Judson and Martha Daniel

Mary Lou Babb and Sally Robinson Tom and Susan Ross

Kirstin Ashford, Electa McPherson and Kellie McGregor

Dr. Joan Lorden Carolyn and Sam McMahon

Eugene Woods, Stephanie Ansaldo and Dr. Aaron Ciechanover Rohit and Shraddha Mehta

Stephanie Ansaldo, Chanel Davis and Stacey Schanzlin

Diane Lumpkin Peery and Ervin Gourdine

Said Gusic and Dr. Lejla Hadzikadic Gusic

SHUMARD OAK LANE | OAK RUN

$640,000

Bobby Wildermuth, robertbobbyart.com

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Dream On 3 Dream Gala

January 28, 2023

Supporters of Dream On 3, which makes sports dreams come true for seriously ill children, filled Founders Hall and honored two local businesses, Ascendum and Young’s Body Shop, for their community support.

Come “play to learn”

at Myers Park Baptist’s Through-the-Week Preschool!

As one of the most established preschools in Charlotte, we offer a quality educational experience with a focus on kindergarten readiness. Through a play-based curriculum, we provide a half-day program for 1-year-olds through transitional kindergarteners that fosters cognitive, emotional, social and physical growth.

Visit Myers Park Baptist and discover a welcoming, inclusive environment for families of all cultures, religions and race.

1900 Queens Road, Charlotte, NC 28207

bgeuss@myersparkbaptist.org

704-377-1683

Bela Gardner and Matt Shields

Dream Kid Aiden

Toni and Andrew Guillot

PHOTOGRAPHS BY JOSH BANNEN PHOTOGRAPHY

Williams family Chrissa and Jerry Blair

Fly Ty, with auctioneer Austin Helms

Brandon Lindsey and Robert Kirk

Kevin Donnalley

Jennifer, Bryce and Steve Johnson

Matt and Krista Young

Colin and Mary Beth Taylor

Austin and Jennifer Rawlings Macen and Lynnae Stripling

Stunning newer home with impeccable finishes. Gracious 2-story foyer, study, paneled dining room, gourmet kitchen, scullery, private primary suite with luxury bath. Bonus room. Screened porch with fireplace. Private backyard with water feature. Circular drive. Whole house generator.

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Greater Charlotte Heart Ball

February 11, 2023

Patrons mingled around the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s Crown Ballroom, enjoying food and drink, an auction and live music.

Jason Lamoreaux and Ramona Holloway

Karen and Steven Kropp Todd and Robyn Albaum

Gary Michel and Chef Jeff Hunt

Kim and Leon Topalian

Rochelle Rivas and Angela Yochem

Shirley Cress Dudley and Michael Dudley honoree Mary Ward

Dr. Shirley Houston-Aluko and Dr. Yele Aluko

Angela and Jesse Cureton

Kurt and Laura Coleman

TALKIES

A NEW COMMUNITY SERIES AT INDEPENDENT PICTURE HOUSE USES FILM AS A PLATFORM TO SPARK DISCUSSION, ACTION.

In February, Charlotte’s Independent Picture House debuted the Community Impact Film Series, using movies as a catalyst for discussion, advocacy and action surrounding social issues impacting Charlotte and beyond.

The theater serves as home base for the Charlotte Film Society and screens mostly independent art-house and foreign films. IPH is the sole Charlotte-area theater focused exclusively on these films.

Yet the nonprofit hopes to engage its audience in more meaningful ways. In developing the quarterly Community Impact Series, it will focus on topical issues and bring together educators, nonprofit organizations, community groups, and local residents to spark dialogue through the power of film.

“Since our opening of the Independent Picture House last year, we’ve worked to expand what service to the community means for our organization,” says Rodney Stringfellow, CFS board member and chair of the collaboration and education committee. Stringfellow is a screenwriter and adjunct faculty member at UNC Charlotte, where he teaches in the film studies program. “In years past, the Film Society was known as a resource and supporter to local filmmakers. With a dedicated venue now, we have additional resources to serve the broader Charlotte community and address areas that are important to our neighbors.”

The first program in the series was the documentary, My Ascension, a challenging film about 16-year-old Emma Benoit’s suicide attempt that left her paralyzed but propelled her on a suicide-prevention mission.

“Mental health and suicide prevention are such timely and important issues to bring understanding and resources to,”

by Michael J. Solender

Stringfellow says. “We hosted the filmmaker, community mental health professionals from Hopeway, CMS [mental health services], and Eastover Psychological & Psychiatric Group in a panel discussion and Q&A session after the film.”

Two additional installments are planned for 2023. Topics for upcoming programs include women’s health and families, children and parenting. Stringfellow says IPH wants to hear from the community about areas they’d like to see addressed and films they should have on their radar that could be good catalysts for discussion and community involvement.

Community partners supporting the series include the City of Charlotte, Charlotte Art League and The Duke Mansion/ Lee Institute.

Programs in the film series are offered free of charge. “We don’t want to have obstacles or barriers to access,” Stringfellow says. “We love film and want to make the theater a community hub — not just to come and see fantastic films, but to use film to tie into issues and concerns within our community and identify resources we can all take advantage of.” SP

The next Community Impact Film Series event takes place on May 13 from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. and will be focused on women’s health. The day starts with a movement class, followed by a light brunch, a screening of award-winning short films, and conversation with filmmakers and community leaders. There will also be a market showcasing women-owned businesses. For more information, visit independentpicturehouse.org.

Rodney Stringfellow PHOTOGRAPH BY JENNIFER STRINGFELLOW