B E CAU S E YO U WO U L D M OV E M O U N TA I N S F OR M OM E N T S , J U S T L I K E T H E S E .
Carolina Mountain & Lake Keowee Real Estate in Seven Private Club Communities Exciting New Amenities, Lakefront Homesites & Turnkey Homes Recently Released Plan Your Real Estate Tour
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864.326.4420
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cliffsliving.com/southpark
I N S P I R I N G I N EV E RY D I R E C T I O N Obtain the Property Report required by federal law and read it before signing anything. No federal agency has judged the merits or value, if any, of this property. This is not an offer where registration is required prior to any other offer being made. Void where prohibited by law. In South Carolina, Cliffs Realty Sales SC, LLC, 635 Garden Market Drive, Travelers Rest, SC 29690 and 3430 Walhalla Highway, Six Mile, SC 29682, Lauren Fine Buckland, Broker-in-Charge. In North Carolina, Cliffs Realty Sales NC, LLC, 1908 Brevard Road, Arden, NC 28704, Lauren Fine Buckland, Broker-in-Charge. Copyright: © 2021 Cliffs Land Partners, LLC. All rights reserved.
H OO K E R
®
FURNITURE
2 Showrooms To Serve You As You Create The Home Of Your Dreams.
Voted #1 Furniture Store In South Charlotte
We Design. You Enjoy.
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Pineville-Charlotte NC • 11735 Carolina Place Parkway • Phone 704.910.4045 • Mon - Sat 9:30 am - 7 pm Sun noon - 6 pm Hickory NC • Hickory Furniture Mart • Phone 828.322.3471 • Mon - Sat 9 am - 6 pm Closed Sunday
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WINE &DINE LAKE NORMAN | BLAKENEY | SOUTHPARK | ASHEVILLE
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Join us at our SOUTHPARK location for HALF OFF ALL BOTTLES OF WINE every Tuesday. DINE-IN or CURBSIDE-TO-GO. Reserve wines included. 704-343-0131 | 5970 FAIRVIEW ROAD
MAKING FRIENDS, CREATING SMILES. Three Leaf is now in SouthPark! We are excited to bring our special brand of patient-centered orthodontics to a community we love. With convenient hours, flexible payment options, and advanced technologies, Three Leaf Orthodontics is built around caring for friends like you. Dr. Shane Markey is a Board Certified Orthodontist, with the knowledge and skill to treat a wide range of oral health issues related to the alignment of teeth and jaws. Whether it’s braces or Invisalign, our combination of state-ofthe-art technology, quality care, and a kind, experienced team creates a pleasant journey toward amazing results.
SOUTHPARK 3151 Apex Drive, Suite 102E, Charlotte, NC 28211
When Dr. Markey decided to open the office of his dreams, he had two criteria: it had to be filled with kindness and have a culture focused on the patients. As a native of Ireland, Dr. Markey looked to his roots and found inspiration in the symbolism of a three-leaf shamrock: hospitality, friendship and fun. We think you’ll notice the difference at Three Leaf Orthodontics. We invite you to schedule a complimentary consultation at our beautiful new facility at Apex-SouthPark. Let’s start your journey toward the healthy, beautiful smile you deserve.
WAXHAW 8412 New Town Road, Suite A, Waxhaw, NC 28173
704-727-6868 | www.threeleafortho.com
FROM THE EDITOR
O
CATHY MARTIN EDITOR
editor@southparkmagazine.com
ne of the things I remember most about my dad was the stack of National Geographics he kept next to his armchair, beneath an end table with a dish full of lemon drops, his favorite candy. I remember sprawling on the floor with copies of the magazine — probably before I had even learned to read — and poring over the photos from across the world. I’m not sure I can say Nat Geo sparked my lifelong love of magazines, but it’s certainly an early and vivid memory. Another is the endless hours spent flipping through the pages of Southern Living — my mom subscribed for the recipes. In high school I discovered my own favorites in Rolling Stone and Harper’s Bazaar. Rolling Stone was edgy and cool, while Bazaar was stylish and aspirational. Later, I discovered Outside, Travel + Leisure and others — really, I’d read just about any magazine I could get my hands on, including whatever local publications were available. All of them opened my eyes to a world far beyond small-town North Carolina where I grew up. Then came the internet, and we all know what happened next. Still, every time I go on vacation, I head to a local store to pick up a few titles I don’t already subscribe to. The last time, a couple of years ago at the beach, I could barely find the tiny sliver of a section dedicated to magazines at the far end of a grocery-store aisle. Sadly, print media companies operate on budgets that are a fraction of what they were a couple of decades ago. (For a fascinating look at the last few years of that golden era of magazine publishing, read former Gourmet Editor Ruth Reichl’s page-turning memoir, Save Me the Plums.) Recently, I met a local high-school student who was considering majoring in journalism when she heads to college next year. I beamed as she shared how much she loves reading magazines — and the tactile experience of holding the printed copies in hand. It was refreshing, since many other teens seem unable to pry their eyes away from their phones long enough to read anything printed on paper. (As the mother of two young adults, I can verify this.) Thankfully, she’s not alone! So, we editors, publishers, writers and photographers carry on. While we might not be able to take you to the far corners of the world like National Geographic, behind the scenes of runway shows in Paris and Milan like Bazaar, or backstage at concerts like Rolling Stone, we hope we can offer a glimpse inside places you haven’t been and into the lives of interesting people and visionaries who contribute to the fabric of this wonderful city. People often ask me what’s the best part of my job, and my response is always this — it keeps me connected with the local creative community, whether working alongside some of the city’s most talented photographers and writers, or sharing stories of Charlotte artists, designers, chefs and more. Their passion for what they do is contagious, and I hope that translates in these pages. SP
SP behind the scenes
The crew visited Aiken in South Carolina’s horse country for our cover style and travel feature. Left: Contributing photographer Chris Edwards, model Spencer Kane, Palmetto Club employee Kevin Spann and style editor Whitley Adkins.
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The Mark of Distinction in World Class Home Building™ Charlotte (704) 889.1600 Charleston (843) 801.1600 www.kingswoodhomes.com
C H A R LO T T E C H A R L E S TO N World Class Living
Peggy Peterson Team NATALIE PINDER ALLEN 704-249-7723
KIM ANTOLINI 704-608-3831
MICHAEL BAKER 704-526-9510
HEATHER BONNER 704-756-1394
KATY BRADFIELD 704-965-5968
MAREN BRISSON-KUESTER 704-287-7072
BUSH | THOMAS TEAM 704-904-1212
STEVEN CHABEREK 704-577-4205
COOK | PIZZO TEAM 704-236-1135
SUZANne COWDEN 704-301-1012
MICHAEL EMIG 704-999-9309
LISA EMORY 704-724-3504
TOM FISHeR 704-213-1556
HARPER FOX 704-804-0101
DANA GALLI 843-655-4023
ERIC GAMBLE 704-942-4104
BRIDGET GRAVES 704-560-2311
SHERYL HALLOW 704-907-1144
Maren Brisson-Kuester Team PATTY HENDRIX 704-577-2066
JESSICA JENKINS 704-607-9389
CHRISTY HOWEY 704-996-0484
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WENDY KENNEY 704-579-2554
h m p ro p e r t i es .c o m
BETH LIVINGSTON 704-778-6831
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RAY LYLES 704-488-9099
SUSAN MAY 704-650-7432
LIZ M C INTOSH 704-488-6224
ANNA MEDICA 704-620-2047
CALVIN MITCHENER 704-787-6252
VALERIE MITCHENER 704-577-8200
RIVERS & CHIP MOON 704-619-9693
JJ OLSZOWY 704-649-3540
PEGGY PETERSON 704-904-6279
KEVIN J. POTTER 704-962-8889
ADRIENNE PRIEST 704-957-0171
JUDY RAGHAVAN 704-807-9970
JIMMY RANDLE 704-651-1955
JOCELYN ROSE 704-975-9900
TIERNAN ROSE 561-706-5450
SALTON TEAM 704-315-9515
KIM SHEEHEY 704-612-3210
ANNE SPENCER 704-264-9621
HELEN ST. ANGELO 704-839-1809
STACEY STOLAR 704-400-1539
PETER J. THEVAOS 704-576-5673
LISA WILFONG 704-909-5062
MEG WILKINSON 704-906-5747
MARGARET WOOD 704-904-6022
SHARON YOXSIMER 704-819-2567
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June
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DEPARTMENTS 25 | Blvd. Closet crush with J.Crew stylist Ebonie Foster; urban sketcher Mike Daikubara; first look at the new La Belle Helene; Chef Anthony Smith beats the odds; Atrium Health’s unsung hero
81 | Simple life Just as my father did, I’ll try to keep my child’s heart.
85 | Bookshelf Notable new releases
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116 | Swirl Parties, fundraisers and events
120 | Gallery Studio Cultivate’s pop-up art installation is made in the shade.
86 ABOUT THE COVER Model Spencer Kane photographed by Chris Edwards at the Green Boundary Club in Aiken, S.C. Styling by Whitley Adkins; hair and makeup by Meredith Wetzel for Bella Faccia in Augusta, Ga. For wardrobe credits, see page 109.
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signature homes renovations additions
Charlotte and Boone
andrewroby.com 704.334.5477
making it home since 1950
A T O
LEBR
CE E
YEARS Y DING I L CE EN
G SEVEN IN HOMEB T F XC E L U L E
O S T . 1 9 5
G E N E R A L C O N T R AC TO R
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FEATURES 86 | Market growth by Ben Jarrell • photographs by Michael Hrizuk The Matthews Community Farmers’ Market celebrates 30 years.
94 | Traditional with a twist by Catherine Ruth Kelly A collaborative team of designers brings new life to an old house in Myers Park.
104 | Southern splendor by Cathy Martin • photographs by Chris Edwards • styling by Whitley Adkins Once a winter retreat for elite Northerners, Aiken, S.C., exudes a sophisticated small-town charm.
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AWAKE MINI FACE LIFTS
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We Invite You To Auction!
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 Andie Rose Art Director Lauren M. Coffey Graphic Designer Alyssa Rocherolle Graphic Designer Whitley Adkins Style Editor Contributing Editors David Mildenberg, Taylor Wanbaugh Contributing Writers Michelle Boudin, Wiley Cash, Jim Dodson, Allison Futterman, Ben Jarrell, Raymond C. Jones, Catherine Ruth Kelly, Page Leggett, Michael J. Solender, Emiene Wright Contributing Photographers Mallory Cash, Daniel Coston, Justin Driscoll, Chris Edwards, Michael Hrizuk, Amy Kolo, Peter Taylor Amanda Lea Proofreader _______________
Bristol Figures of the Four Seasons, Circa 1775 . Est. $10,000-15,000
ADVERTISING
TH E S ARAH BE L K G A M B R E L L COL L EC T IO N O F E URO PE A N P O R C E L A I N A U C T IO N
Thursday, June 24 at 10am
E X HIB IT IO N
June 19 - 21
C ATA L OGU E
View and bid at DOYLE.com
Jane Rodewald Sales Manager 704-621-9198 jane@southparkmagazine.com Scott Leonard Account Executive/Audience Development Specialist 704-996-6426 scott@southparkmagazine.com Sharon Smith Marketing Specialist Brad Beard Graphic Designer _______________
Discover the advantages of Buying & Selling at Doyle! Our Specialists are currently accepting consignments. Please contact us to schedule a private in-person or virtual appointment. Hilary H. Pitts DoyleNC@Doyle.com
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Published by Old North State Magazines LLC. ©Copyright 2021. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited.
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Volume 25, Issue 6
Smiles so gorgeous, you’ll want to broadcast them to the world
Actual Patient
Sheri Lynch, national radio personality, flashes a smile designed just for her by Dr. Patrick Broome. Your custom smile is waiting at Charlotte Center for Cosmetic Dentistry. Visit destinationsmile.com for our virtual consultation options or call 704-364-4711.
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Bankers from Towne Right Here in Town. “ If your business doesn’t have access to a business banker right here in Charlotte, then let’s talk. Towne bankers are easily accessible – always available – and right here in town.”
Charles Bartz, Senior Vice President Commercial Banking Officer TowneBank Charlotte Charlotte resident since 1991
6337 Morrison Blvd. (704) 644-4001 | TowneBank.com Art by Susan Grossman / courtesy Jerald Melberg Gallery
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Discover properties in Charlotte compass.com Compass is a licensed real estate broker under the name “Compass South Carolina, LLC” in South Carolina and under the name “Compass” in North Carolina and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. All material presented herein intended for informational purposes only. Information is compiled from sources deemed reliable but is subject to errors, omissions, changes in price, condition, sale, or withdrawal without notice. No statement is made as to accuracy of any description. All measurements and square footages are approximate. This is not intended to solicit property already listed. Nothing herein shall be construed as legal, accounting or other professional advice outside the realm of real estate brokerage.
blvd. people, places, things
EXQUISITE OBJECTS Before Sarah Belk Gambrell died last July at 102, the Belk department-store heiress was well-known in Charlotte for her philanthropy — the Mint Museum, Opera Carolina, and Queens and Johnson C. Smith universities were among the many local beneficiaries of her generosity. But Gambrell was also an avid and sophisticated collector of European and Asian porcelain. This month, New York City-based Doyle will auction more than 140 lots of Gambrell’s European porcelain collection, including rare 18th-century pieces by Chelsea, Bristol, Longton Hall, Meissen, Vincennes, Vienna and others. “Mrs. Gambrell was a beloved member of the Charlotte community and a distinguished collector whose connoisseurship of early porcelain is evident in her remarkable collection,” says Hilary Humphrey Pitts, a regional adviser for the auction house. Gambrell’s Asian porcelain collection, furnishings and art will be auctioned in September and October. The European collection can be previewed June 19-21 at doyle.com, and the auction will be livestreamed at 10 a.m. on June 24. Pictured: Vincennes porcelain fond bleu lapis jardiniere on stand (estimate: $10,000-$20,000)
southparkmagazine.com | 25
blvd. | style
CLOSET CRUSH:
Eboney S. Foster by Whitley Adkins photographs by Amy Kolo
E
boney Foster works full time as a technology consultant in Wells Fargo’s mortgage division, but she is most recognizable to Charlotte fashion lovers as a part-time stylist at J.Crew. “I used to think I loved clothes, but the more I got into it, what I really love is the fabrics and textiles — all the silks, jacquards, heavy poplin, taffeta, tulle, sequins,” says Foster, 42. “I’m very nostalgic about certain fabrics, because when I was growing up my mom would take me downtown where the Belk department store used to be. In the basement, you could buy cut fabric. She would always go to the fashion shows at Montaldo’s uptown. You would have lunch, and all the ladies would come out in designer fashions. I remember touching the dresses and picking out fabrics. I don’t buy anything without touching it.” When it comes to brands, Foster has a clear favorite. “Ninety-eight percent of my wardrobe is by J.Crew. Only 11 pieces in my wardrobe are not J.Crew,” says Foster, who joined the preppy retailer seven years ago. “I try to wear other stuff, but nothing works like J.Crew for me. I hunt down the old stuff on Poshmark and other sites.” Foster loves the brand so much she and a friend run an Instagram account (@blackinjcrew) featuring Black people wearing the brand. Foster, who lives in east Charlotte, credits Ariene Bethea of Dressing Room Interiors with helping her source home decor, including the hot pink desk in her closet. “I’ve always had my closet together, but I did not always have my house together. A friend of mine recommended that I reach out to Ariene. … She’s been on the journey with me through this.” Comments have been lightly edited for length and clarity. How do you describe your personal style? Tomboy-gaudy — think Zsa Zsa Gabor meets Ellen DeGeneres. I love things that are loud and boisterous, but I love men’s tailoring — I need it to be very exact and drape well. There are a lot of pants and always a button-down shirt. If I’m ever in a dress, it’s almost always paired with sneakers or flats. I also really love sweatsuits. Cashmere is near and dear to my heart — you should have two cashmere sweatsuits. Also, you need sequins — and you need to wear them every day and all the time — and camouflage, with your sequins. You just need it — all the shiny things. You have quite the sneaker collection. The thing that is near and dear to my heart is my Nike collection, specifically my Jordan 1’s. I only wear Jordan 1’s — no other Jordan is acceptable. It’s classic, like a classic Mustang. I am also partial to old-school racers, like waffle racers — anything that looks like an old-school running shoe.
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“I love the Hugh Hefner lounge look, so I’m really into pajamas and loafers,” Eboney Foster says. “I have so many silk pajama sets — there’s probably at least nine of them. I love it, because I just want to feel relaxed, like I’m just floating.”
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blvd. | style
Do you have any hero pieces? There’s a top — it’s actually a sample, and there are only three of this shirt. [Former J.Crew president] Jenna Lyons owns one. [The Duchess of Cambridge] Kate Middleton owns the other. My second hero piece is everybody’s favorite: a skirt that also came from [a J.Crew] sample sale. I have two of them — one is tulle and khaki, and I also have one that’s taffeta. My favorite tee right now is From Charlotte With Love, because I am from here. J.Crew used to make bridal, and I have a bridal tux that at some point I am going to wear. Tell us about those amazing specs. My statement piece is my glasses. I have my vintage Cartier frames and my Guccis that wrap all the way around. Whenever I have a Zoom meeting, I wear those. Is that a Bill Cosby sweater?! My prized possession is my Coogi sweater. Yes, like Bill Cosby used to wear. Do you have any help? It’s important to have someone you trust with your wardrobe. I’m fortunate to have my friend Von (Yvonne Arnold), who was a merchandiser for J.Crew for 10 years. So if I get to a place where I feel stuck with my look or my clothes, I walk away and whatever she says get rid of, I trust it. If she gets rid of it, I didn’t need it. Do you have a favorite era in J.Crew fashion? The Jenna years — 2012-2014 — are my favorite. It’s the era where a lot of people think J.Crew went wrong, but it’s the era I think was the greatest — J. Crew was at fashion week. I always joke and say the women who could afford designer clothing had 28
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Phoebe Philo at Celine — we had Jenna at J.Crew. She is literally my Phoebe Philo. Fashion advice: 1. Wear your sh*t. You’re never going to get another chance. Stop saving it for an event or dinner. If you’re going to the doctor’s office, get dressed up. If you’re going to take your driver’s license picture, get dressed up. 2. You should smell like you look. If you look like a thousand bucks, you need to smell like a thousand bucks. My favorite scent is Creed original. 3. Don’t get hung up on the size of clothes — if it fits you, buy it. If you’ve got to buy a size 16, buy it. If it’s a 22 and you want to wear it as an oversized dress, just buy it. Just buy what makes you feel absolute joy. What closet organization tips do you have? I used to buy jeans haphazardly. Now, I’m limited to the number of hooks I have. There are roughly 25 hooks — that’s all the pants I can have. Also, it’s important to be able to see your clothes, because if you can’t see your clothes, you don’t wear them. Store away what you don’t wear. I have a substantial coat collection in another closet. Finally, I follow the Roy G. Biv rule when it comes to organizing my closet according to color. Favorite reason to get dressed up: I woke up. Favorite place to go dressed up: Ariene (Bethea’s) shop, and take pictures of myself in my outfits! And to just hang out with my friends, especially a dinner date with the girls. SP
1420 Saratoga Woods Drive | Waxhaw, North Carolina | PremierSothebysRealty.com
For your style brought to life Your home is more than a building or an address. It’s where you experience life, connection, and growth. The real estate company you choose to represent your property should be as exceptional as you are, and as your next chapter is going to be. In North Carolina, only Premier Sotheby’s International Realty offers unrivaled service and limitless opportunities. If you are thinking of selling, now is the perfect time. Call us today for a private consultation at 704.248.0243. Premier Sotheby’s International Realty 716 East Boulevard | Charlotte, North Carolina 28203
Asheville | Banner Elk | Blowing Rock | Charlotte | Lake Norman | Linville Ridge Sotheby’s International Realty® and the Sotheby’s International Realty logo are registered service marks used with permission. Each office is independently owned and operated. Equal Housing Opportunity. Property information herein is derived from various sources including, but not limited to, county records and multiple listing services, and may include approximations. All information is deemed accurate.
blvd. | style
“I don’t have a work wardrobe and a personal wardrobe. I dress this way all the time,” Foster says. “I go to work in sequins. I go to work in a tulle skirt. ... and nobody blinks. They’re just used to it now.”
THIS OR THAT Sneakers or flats? Sneakers, though I will spend every last dime I have saved for a good pair of flats. Fun fact: I took a pair of Gucci loafers and married them to a pair of Birkenstocks. My friends affectionately call them the GucciStocks. Sunglasses or earrings? Sunglasses, if I had to pick, because sometimes you can’t wear sunglasses and earrings. Stripes or polka dots: Both — put them all together. Favorite print: Floral, specifically chinoiserie. Anything with chinoiserie on it, I’m here for it. Skirts or pants: That’s hard — real hard. Skirts. Favorite color: I don’t consider myself girly, but I love bright colors. Neon pink, neon green and chartreuse/highlighter-yellow green. Favorite accessory: Earrings. I only have a handful of necklaces. They’re all near and dear for some reason — they’ve either been gifted to me, or someone thought of me for it.
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Retire Your Perception of a
Senior Living Community.
Seniors today don’t have to give up an active, rewarding lifestyle to enjoy
the peace of mind that comes from right-sizing their home and having continuing care in place should they need it. We are redefining senior living. Whether for yourself or for a loved one, call to schedule a visit to discover all that our community has to offer.
4 8 01 B A RC L AY D OW N S D R I V E , C H A R LOT T E , N C 2 821 0 A Life Plan Community offered by Liberty Senior Living
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980.224.8540
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T H E B A RC L AYATS O U T H PA R K . COM © 2021 The Barclay at SouthPark
PRESENTING
Pe a c e o f M i n d
K i a wa h G e ts Yo u
k i a w a h i s l a n d . c o m / s o u t h p a r k
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8 4 3 . 4 1 0 . 3 9 9 8
Obtain the Property Report required by Federal Law and read it before signing anything. No Federal or State agency has endorsed or judged the merits of value, if any, of this property. This is not intended to be an offer to sell nor a solicitation of offer to buy real estate in any jurisdiction where prohibited by law. This offer is made pursuant to the New York State Department of Law’s Simplified Procedure for Homeowners
Featured Kiawah I sland R eal Estate Listings 1 0 9 B l u e H e ro n Po n d Roa d listed price: $329,000
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acreage: 0.41
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13 3 Fl y way D r i ve
view: Marsh
121 H a l o n a L a n e listed price: $3,200,000
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sq ft: 3,586
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acreage: 1.15
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sq ft: 10,500
beds: 9
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baths: 9
316 To m Wa t s o n L a n e
beds: 5
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baths: 5
202 Chi n a b e r r y L a n e listed price: $329,000
listed price: $19,000,000
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view: Marsh
listed price: $395,000
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acreage: 0.39
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view: Lagoon
1 0 5 3 S h ove l e r C o u r t listed price: $995,000
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sq ft: 1,067
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beds: 3
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baths: 2
For more than four decades, Kiawah Island Real Estate has been the trusted resource for those who seek the Kiawah lifestyle, helping more than 13,000 Kiawah buyers find their perfect Kiawah property.
Associations with a De Minimis Cooperative Interest (CPS-7). The CPS-7 application (File No. HO16-0007) and related documents may be obtained from the sponsor. This project is registered with the State of New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance Real Estate Commission. Obtain and read the NJ Public Offering Statement before signing anything (NJ Reg#16-15-0011 and 0012). An affiliate of Kiawah Partners.
blvd. | artists
Quick draw URBAN SKETCHING IS MORE THAN AN ART FORM — IT’S A MOVEMENT. CHARLOTTE’S MIKE DAIKUBARA SHARES HOW HIS CREATIVE PURSUIT BECAME A PASSION.
W
by Michael J. Solender
hile ever-present cell phones capture the rarest — and sometimes the most mundane — of life’s moments, urban sketcher Mike Daikubara prefers a more conventional medium. When he wants to record a scene that catches his fancy, Daikubara pulls out a slim sketch pad, a finetipped pen and a tiny tray of watercolors. A peek at his drawings reveals subjects as varied as a chicken sandwich at an alfresco lunch or a field of sunflowers encountered on a nature walk, their golden-rimmed crowns craning skyward. “There’s something about being in the moment and capturing that instant, on location, through location — not through photos, computer screens or from the imagination — but through observation,” Daikubara says. “It is very satisfying for me.” Daikubara, 52, is used to incorporating free-form drawing into his industrial design work as a design manager at Electrolux. With a degree in industrial design from Pratt Institute and an MBA from Marquette University, Daikubara moved from Boston to Charlotte in 2018 to work for the Swedish appliance-maker. “At work, it’s always been important for me to visually commu 34
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nicate quickly,” Daikubara says. “It doesn’t have to be beautiful, but it needs to be able to communicate. That’s why I started carrying a sketchbook — to be able to draw faster, which meant sketching. From there it turned more into a passion.” His enthusiasm led to the discovery of a global group of like-minded individuals, who at their core are captivated by quick, in-the-moment sketches drawn on location. Launched in 2009 by Seattle-based illustrator and journalist Gabriel Campanario, the nonprofit Urban Sketchers organization today has about 300 chapters worldwide. When Daikubara learned about the group a decade ago, he leapt at the chance to meet other sketchers and ultimately become part of a community where he finds legions of kindred spirits. “I accidentally found out about Urban Sketchers a week before the [group’s annual] symposium in 2010,” says Daikubara, who was born in Japan and came to the U.S. at age 5. “It just completely blew me away. I’m like, ‘Wow, there are people like me that enjoy doing this.’ I thought I was by myself. I immediately signed up, and a week later I was in Portland [Ore.].”
blvd. | artists Though urban sketchers come from a wide variety of backgrounds and disciplines, they enjoy a camaraderie both with other local artists and with the greater network of global sketchers and fans. “We draw on location, slow ourselves down, connect with our communities and share a greater sense of life around us by capturing an [immediate] sense of place,” says Uma Kelkar, a San Jose, Calif.-based sketcher and executive board member of Urban Sketchers. Kelkar met Daikubara at an Urban Sketchers conference as co-instructors in a workshop. Both Daikubara and Kelkar are quick to point out that urban sketching should not be confused with plein-air (a French term for painting in the “open air” or outdoors). Urban sketchers don’t pose models, compose scenes or artificially influence what they sketch. By quickly sketching what’s right in front of them, the temporal and fluid nature of the scene is part of the appeal. “We don’t, for example, draw teacups,” Kelkar says. “We draw teacups in a tea stall, on the street as a part of a larger story and look to give more information about place.” Daikubara emphasizes the urban connection. “Many times, sketches are very, very quick, because the settings tend to be citybased, and often with people in the scenery,” says Daikubara, who occasionally annotates his sketches with text and diagrams. For Daikubara, quick might mean completing a sketch in as little as 5 minutes. “If it’s an ink drawing and I know the person is going to get up and move or the car’s going to drive away, it could be anywhere from five to 15 minutes.” Watercolor sketches with splashes of color take longer, 20 minutes to 25 minutes. “Where I feel happy, if I could spend that much time, is usually around 45 minutes. It ulti-
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blvd. | artists mately depends on the subject and the mood.” A key characteristic of the urban-sketcher ethos is sharing techniques and ideas with both novices and experts alike. In addition to teaching local workshops, earlier this spring Daikubara began teaching a three-session outdoor Urban Sketching class through Central Piedmont Community College’s continuing education program. Daikubara “sets the hook” for his students by having them start with a subject that’s very accessible, Kelkar says. “Mike has unbounded enthusiasm combined with a very grounded reality of what he can do,” Kelkar says. “Mike’s work is so approachable — this is his way of teaching, too. While teaching a workshop in Chicago, he had his students visit hot dog stands where he had them start with this easy shape to draw, only then progressing to include the scene around it. Starting with the downtown Chicago skyline would have been daunting, but Mike saw a way to ease people into a comfort zone.” For Daikubara and tens of thousands of urban sketchers across the globe, bonding with one another through their pastime is a consuming force — even when they are time zones apart. “It’s just part of your life,” Daikabura says.
“What I like about this community is we are all over the world. We share sketches online, tips and tricks and stories. It’s an incredibly open community. Urban sketching isn’t a hobby — it’s more of a lifestyle.” SP Follow Daikabura on Instagram @mikedaikubara or visit daikubara. com to learn more.
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blvd. | cuisine
French bliss FIRST LOOK: LA BELLE HELENE
n a Thursday evening in early May, the streets of downtown Charlotte felt almost … normal. The Charlotte Knights baseball team was back in action, families frolicked in Romare Bearden Park and the dining room at La Belle Helene was buzzing with enthusiastic guests. The French brasserie quickly became the talk of the town after opening in 2018, with its stunning interior featuring dramatic oversized chandeliers, antique mirrors, cozy brass accents and curved leather banquettes. It was run by food service company Elior North America’s Constellation Culinary Group, which suspended in-person dining at the restaurant last spring amid the pandemic and permanently shut its doors in October. Charlotte’s 5th Street Group, the team behind 5Church Charlotte and Sophia’s Lounge, relaunched La Belle Helene last month as “a refined brasserie serving French classics with a modern sensibility.” Partner and Chef Jamie Lynch is no stranger to French cuisine, having worked at Le Cirque 2000, Café Boulud and Tocqueville in New York City before moving to Charlotte in 2002. At La Belle Helene, the Top Chef alum has reimagined mainstays from the restaurant’s previous iteration while adding several original dishes. On the menu, you’ll still find rotisserie meats — garlic and herb 40
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chicken, porchetta, and duck a l’orange — along with new takes on foie gras, escargots and French onion soup. The meal starts with cream-cheese puffs — cheesy bite-sized pastries that will whet your appetite for the meal to come. Hors d’oeuvres range from moules de PEI (mussels in a saffron and Dijon broth) to steak tartare with pea greens Caesar. The oeufs Mimosa — a French version of deviled eggs topped with delicate caviar pearls — has already become a staff favorite, my server tells me. LBH’s take on the classic ratatouille — thin slices of zucchini and squash with a bright tomato “stew” atop an eggplant base — is served chilled and finished with a drizzle of basil oil for a light and zesty starter. Seafood lovers will find oysters, jumbo shrimp, Alaskan king crab and chilled Maine lobster, along with entrees like Carolina trout amandine; salmon with sweet peppers, sherry vinegar and a red-pepper emulsion; and loup de mer Barigoule — Mediterranean sea bass served over a bed of artichokes, bacon lardon, pearl onions and carrots with a light sauce. Boeuf Bourguignon is a heartier dish of braised short ribs, red wine, carrots, pearl onions, mushrooms and marble potatoes. Pastry Chef Michaela Moehring’s desserts don’t disappoint.
PHOTOGRAPH BY CATCH LIGHT STUDIO AND KYLE DUNCAN PHOTO
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Order La Citron and get your camera ready — crack open the lemon shell and watch the lemongrass mousse and lemon confit pleasantly ooze over the plate, playfully mimicking a cracked egg. The petit gâteau au chocolat — chocolate cake filled with dark chocolate mousse, orange chiffon and passion fruit cremeux — is sized perfectly for one, and the Madame Charlotte cake is made with layers of homemade ladyfingers, rose water, raspberry and lemon. Even if you skip dessert, you can still look forward to a little something sweet — bite-sized, melt-in-your-mouth madeleines are a delightful surprise at the end of the meal. When it’s time to pay the bill, you’ll notice something new at LBH and other 5th Street Group properties. In April, the restaurant group led by Lynch, Patrick Whalen and Alejandro Torio debuted a kitchen-tip initiative: Patrons will find a line on receipts to add an optional gratuity for kitchen staff. In addition, the 5th Street Group raised its minimum wage for all employees to $15 per hour. For all its elegance, the vibe at La Belle Helene is upbeat and unstuffy, with jeans-clad servers, champagne cocktails and lively music creating a convivial atmosphere that’s — dare we say — fun. And that’s something we could all use a little more of this year. SP La Belle Helene is open Tuesday-Saturday from 5 p.m. to close, with indoor and patio seating. Lunch and brunch will be added at a later date. Reserve a table at labellehelenerestaurant.com or at OpenTable. 42
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blvd. | cuisine
Spice of life ANGRY NANI’S AUTHENTIC INDIAN TEA AND SPICE BLENDS ARE BASED ON BELOVED FAMILY RECIPES.
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by Michael J. Solender
hen Smita Patel and Nimisha Srivastava teamed up in May 2020 to launch Angry Nani, a purveyor of Indian spice blends and teas, the mother-daughter duo looked to bring authentic flavors and recipes for foods Indian families have enjoyed for centuries to Charlotte. “My mom came to Charlotte from New Jersey two years ago after my father passed away,” says Srivastava, a research executive for a financial-services advisory firm. “She is an amazing cook, and friends and family simply love her food. She was constantly asked for recipes, her chutney, [her] tea and spice blends. We thought, ‘There’s an opportunity here.’ Angry Nani (a nickname for an Indian grandmother) grew out of that and gave Nani a new focus and purpose to take on as she settled here.” While the ‘angry’ moniker is a tongue-in-cheek reference to Patel’s strong opinions and direct communication style, she’s positively joyful when sharing recipes, food-preparation techniques and the purported ayurvedic health benefits of the various masalas (spice mixes) she handcrafts for her growing legion of fans. “Perceptions of what Indian food is like is evolving,” Srivastava says. “People are coming to recognize much of our food is vegetarian, naturally gluten-free and healthful. Through
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the freshness of ingredients and complexities of blended spices, incredible flavors result.” Nani, a retired pharmacologist, carefully creates custom blends that draw from the likes of dried red chiles, cardamom, nutmeg, coriander, fennel seeds, cumin seeds, bay leaves, garlic, turmeric, mango powder, black peppercorns, cinnamon, dried neem leaves and more. Her teas, or chai, meet Nani’s exacting quality standards, some coming from fifth-generation growers in India’s tea-growing region. Organic Chai Spice features ginger powder, cardamom, Ceylon cinnamon, nutmeg, clove and black peppercorn. The organic Assam Tea made using Nani’s CTC (cut-tear-curl) processing method is so special, its creators say, it is known as the tea “other teas are jealous of.” Two special kits — Biryani Rice and Pudla, a Gujarati-style savory crepe made with chickpea flour — are bestsellers and come with spices and step-by-step directions. Nani offers serving suggestions as well and, with an almost angry wink, wants customers to know, “If you don’t like it, you are doing it wrong.” Nani feels strongly about giving back, and a portion of the company’s profits contribute to the Nomi Network, an India-based organization that provides life- and technical-skills training for women at risk for human trafficking. SP WHERE TO BUY: Products start at $14 and are sold at angrynani. com. In season, you can find Angry Nani most Saturdays at the Uptown Farmers Market.
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blvd. | cuisine
Smart hustle SINCE HIS FIRST RESTAURANT JOB AT AGE 17, CHARLOTTE CHEF ANTHONY SMITH HAS WORKED TIRELESSLY TO BEAT THE ODDS IN A TOUGH BUSINESS. by Emiene Wright
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ife happens fast for Anthony Smith. The 33-year-old opened Chef’s Kitchen at Lake Wylie last year in the midst of the pandemic while running two other companies with business partner Taylor Bishop. In July, the partners plan to open a second Chef’s Kitchen in Pineville. It’s no surprise — over the course of his 16-year career in the culinary industry, Smith has shown a knack for finding opportunity in misfortune. Add in a preposterous workload and stacked odds, and you have his recipe for success. Smith was born in Chicago, the oldest of four. His dad, a Navy man from New York, leaned hard into instilling a sense of duty and responsibility in his son. “Everything he did was like a lesson,” Smith says. “He’d ask me, ‘Do you know why you did that, son?’ When he was home, it was all math equations and books and making sure you learned as much as you could so no one could say you didn’t know something.” The family moved often according to where his father was stationed: Virginia, California and Massachusetts before settling in Charlotte. Then, when Smith was 13, his parents divorced, leaving the family in his maternal grandmother’s care. It put a lot of weight on Smith’s shoulders. 46
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“My mom worked two and three jobs, so there was a lot of, ‘You’re the oldest, watch everyone.’ So I did,” Smith says. “But I was also rapping and playing ball and running the streets,” he admits. He attended Olympic and Myers Park high schools, participating in ROTC and looking forward to joining the military. But an unplanned pregnancy his senior year pushed him to drop out in favor of finding a job to support his new family. Just 17, Smith found work as a dishwasher at Bank of America’s executive fine-dining division. The stability was good, and the perks, like bringing home dinner every night, helped — but it wasn’t enough money. Smith asked for a raise and was denied. Instead, his boss took him off dishes and put him on prep work, chopping vegetables and making stocks. The learning curve was steep, as Smith had zero culinary experience. “Chopped was on TV, and everyone wanted to be a celebrity chef, but I had never even cooked at home. I learned everything right there,” Smith says. “They taught me how to hold a knife, dice and make everything authentic and in-house. Because I was at the bottom, I did everybody’s prep. [I was] making soups, salads and sandwiches but watching them make the fancy stuff, asking questions, clocking out but staying and pitching in.”
PHOTOGRAPH BY TODD YOUNGBLOOD
Taylor Bishop and Anthony Smith of Chef’s Kitchen
blvd. | cuisine
Their celebrity clients included Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Donald Trump and several Carolina Panthers players, which led Smith to a job cooking for the NFL team in 2015. When the team’s head chef had to step away for personal reasons, Smith was ready to step into the position. He takes a bit of credit for their success the next year. “I tell people the only reason they went to the Super Bowl [that season] was because I was cooking for them,” he says, laughing. Smith’s almost obsessive hustle did not slow down. He was still moonlighting as a caterer, preparing food for weddings and banquets, and with Bishop’s help began a meal-prep company servicing Charlotte and Atlanta. To drum up business, he followed personal trainers, gyms and other fitness experts on social media. “I liked and hounded everybody,” he says. He and Bishop gained dozens of clients and were making 300-400 meals a week, plus papering the city with close to 20,000 fliers a week. When his youngest son was born, Smith, a father of six, stayed at the hospital long enough to see the baby and agree on a name. Then, he left to distribute 2,000 fliers that night. Smith and Bishop contracted with apartment complexes to cater themed nights: Wine Down Wednesdays, Caribbean Fridays, Saturday brunches and Sunday pool parties, complete with DJs, beer sponsors and photographers. “It was going really well until Covid,” Smith says. Even established restaurants and caterers often survive on razor-thin profit margins, rarely more than 10%. The pandemic effectively kneecapped the catering business, shut down by so-
PHOTOGRAPH BY JUSTIN DRISCOLL
Over four years, Smith worked his way up to sous chef. He left Bank of America for a rapid succession of positions: helping UNC Charlotte establish its dining hall, working at Hawthorne’s NY Pizza in Elizabeth, then at Wells Fargo hospitality catering, where he cooked for thousands of businesspeople daily. “I know it looks weird on resumes, and people always disparage it as a practice, but job-hopping helped me learn a lot and home in on what I wanted,” Smith says. Smith was 23, and what he wanted was more excitement in his career. While his pay at Wells Fargo was excellent, “I was making potato salad and sandwiches for business lunches. It was killing me,” he says. “I realized I’d never been to college and I didn’t have a culinary degree. I could never be more than a sous chef.” This point was driven home in an interview with a veteran chef. After grilling him about mother sauces and how to build complex flavors, the man challenged Smith’s fitness to run a kitchen. “He told me, ‘A fortunate turn of events your whole life has led to you being a chef.’ He called me a kitchen manager and said, if my circumstances were reduced, would I still be a chef or just a line cook? A chef should be a chef wherever you go.” That jibe stuck in his ribs. Shortly thereafter, Smith took a position with a company that serviced private jets. He took a $50,000 pay cut in exchange for the title of executive chef, Smith says, hoping it would help him garner more respect. He hired a young Johnson & Wales University student who was just as brash and talented as he was, but with a flair for front-of-house operations and customer service. Taylor Bishop, at 20, became his right-hand employee.
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cial-distancing precautions and low occupancy limits. So, Smith cashed out his savings and flipped his business model completely, opening Chef’s Kitchen in South End in April 2020. The cozy location was takeout only, and the kitchen allowed him to continue the meal-prep business. Business was good — a little too good, even. Smith needed a bigger place and more staff to meet the demand. He found it in Clover, S.C., a 10,000-square-foot dining and banquet space right off the water. The original plan was to offer takeout only, but the price was so good on the former River Rat location he decided to open up a sit-down restaurant, too. The menu at Chef’s Kitchen Lake Wylie is sort of a Creole-Italian fusion. In addition to steak, wings and pork chops, entrees like salmon New Orleans, seafood Creole over wild rice, and scallop and shrimp caponata are also on the menu. “I take everything I learned over the years from French,
Southern and Creole cooking and put it into the menu,” says Smith, who recently announced plans for a second Chef’s Kitchen at Carolina Place Mall in Pineville. “A lot of people just want the title of chef without the work, the learning, the love. What I do, you can’t just go to a restaurant and know what it is. When I get in the zone, it feels like magic.” The menu changes frequently, because that’s how Smith gets his inspiration. “I just changed the menu two hours ago,” he says with a laugh. “I jot it all down and send it to my partner. I get up at 2 or 3 in the morning and text her ideas. She’s like, ‘Whatever. We’ll see.’” SP
“A lot of people just want the title of chef without the work, the learning, the love. What I do, you can’t just go to a restaurant and know what it is. When I get in the zone, it feels like magic.”
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Chef’s Kitchen serves dinner Wednesday-Sunday at 5301 Hwy. 557, Clover, S.C. A second Chef’s Kitchen at Carolina Place Mall in Pineville is expected to open in July. Follow Chef’s Kitchen on Instagram @chefskitchenclt; chefskitchencatering.com
PHOTOGRAPH BY JUSTIN DRISCOLL
blvd. | cuisine
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blvd. | authors
Funny guy FAMILY AND FRIENDS ARE FODDER IN CREATIVE GURU DAVID OAKLEY’S NEWEST BOOK. by Allison Futterman
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avid Oakley is known as one of Charlotte’s best creative minds, but the leader of BooneOakley advertising agency is also a gifted writer, full of quick wit and laugh-outloud-funny quips. A clue to his sense of humor can be found in his job description on the company website: president, creative director, parking attendant. Since the agency’s launch in 2000, BooneOakley’s clients have included MTV, the Charlotte Hornets and Outer Banks tourism. The agency is also responsible for the ubiquitous “It’s Bo Time” slogan for the Bojangles chicken-and-biscuits chain. Oakley’s creativity extends to his latest book, Nobody Eats Parsley: And other things I learned from my family. In a series of personal essays, he recounts stories from his life, many involving friends and family — stories like “the time David went to an X-rated drive-in without realizing his parents were in the next car,” reads Oakley’s book description. In the follow-up to his first book, Why Is Your Name Upside Down? Stories from a Life in Advertising, the father of two shares his experiences in a style that is both humorous and touching. Comments were edited for length and clarity. Have you always had such a good sense of humor? I’ve always been kind of a joker. I find humor in everyday life, in all kinds of things — like changing my birthday on Facebook to April 1. I got 114 birthday wishes on April Fools’ Day! It really should be my birthday. I’m surrounded by funny people — my sister, my Aunt Hallie, my wife, Claire, and her family. My dad liked to joke around to get a reaction out of people. He was a well-known potter, and his work was even displayed at the Smithsonian. Sometimes when he was doing pottery demos, he would throw a big porcelain vase and the ladies who were watching would say how beautiful it was. Then he’d say, “this one’s not perfectly centered,” and [he] would just smash it, shocking them — then he would crack up laughing. How did you approach writing about people you know? Very carefully, LOL. I don’t want to write anything that would upset anyone, and I never write anything that’s mean-spirited. I just poke a little fun at them. Actually, the easiest person to make fun of is me — I’m a mess. How does your family feel about your stories? It makes me smile when you ask that, because my kids would probably say, “Dad thinks he’s so funny.” I think my family is proud of me. All the stories are about them. But they’d tell you
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that I embellished and exaggerated on some of the stories. You’re a two-time author. Are there more books in your future? I might do another one in a year or two. I really do enjoy writing. When the pandemic first happened, I was too freaked out to write. But then I realized that I had all this extra time at home. And it turned out that I was able to write a lot during the pandemic. What’s your writing routine? I try to write early in the morning. (Usually before 8:00 a.m. or my first cocktail of the day, whichever comes first.) I started journaling when I lived in New York. Back then, I tried to write for 20-30 minutes a day. Now I just write stuff down that I see and hear most every morning and leave it alone for a while. Then I come back to look at it fresh and see if it can fit with something else to create a short essay. Do you think Charlotte has a strong creative community? I think Charlotte’s got an amazing creative community. And by creative, I don’t just mean advertising. I mean the culinary scene, the art scene, music. I’ve seen Charlotte become a truly vibrant city that’s evolved a lot in the 25 years I’ve been here. I’m happy to call Charlotte home. I love it here. All we need now is a casino in the Gold District. Nobody Eats Parsley: And other things I learned from my family is available at online booksellers and at Park Road Books, Paper Skyscraper and Main Street Books in Davidson.
A totally different dining experience in SouthPark awaits. From the menu to the design, the owners of 800° Woodfired Kitchen hand-picked every detail for Phillips Place, its flagship location in the Carolinas. With locations worldwide, 800° is known for its artistry and innovation in cooking with wood fire. Nearly everything on the menu is cooked in a custom-made, rotating 800-degree oven. Owners Steven Jensen and Kyle O’Brien say it gives their pizzas, burgers, and filets the right flavor and flair. At the back of the restaurant, customers can continue their evening out at Bar One for late night cocktails. The intimate lounge with upscale finishes serves a full dinner menu, then transitions to a late night menu after 11 p.m. Jensen and O’Brien say there is nothing in the SouthPark area like the pairing 800° and Bar One. The lounge is a nod to Jensen’s years in Hollywood working in the entertainment industry. “I wanted to bring that to Charlotte - a little bit of my past to my present,” says Jensen.
blvd. | makers
Farming, she wrote A CHARLOTTE-AREA WRITER AND HER HUSBAND MOVE TO THE COUNTRY, PROVIDING A HAVEN FOR ANIMALS AND, THROUGH THEIR HANDMADE BATH PRODUCTS, A HAVEN FOR HUMANS, TOO. by Page Leggett
“I
’m staring out my window at the Quackertons,” writer Jodi Helmer tells me. The Quackertons are the ducks she and her husband, Jerry Porter, recently introduced to their 3-acre farm in Albemarle, about an hour east of Charlotte. “I love thinking that people are appreciating a small piece of our farm in a different way than they would normally experience a farm product,” says Helmer, whose work has appeared in National Geographic Explorer, Smithsonian.com, NPR and others. “We call it farm-to-bathtub.” She’s referring to the handmade bath salts, scrubs and lotions she and Porter make from the flowers and herbs they grow. They sell them on their Etsy shop, Naughty Donkey Farm, a nod to their rescue donkey, Waylon Jennings. “When we rescued Waylon Jennings, he was almost feral,” Helmer recalls. “He was too young to be gelded. Our friends’ little girl was over one day, and she wanted to feed our goats. Waylon Jennings kept pushing the goats out of the way. She told him, ‘You’re a naughty donkey,’ and it stuck.” Waylon has since been gelded and therefore tamed — but he’s gone blind. “He’s not running after the smaller farm animals anymore,” Helmer says. “But he’ll bite you in a red-hot second if you’re not careful.” Here, it doesn’t matter how much an animal misbehaves or how feeble it gets. The animals on this Stanly County farm “don’t have to earn their keep in any way, shape or form,” Helmer says. 54
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Bobby Wildermuth, robertbobbyart.com
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blvd. | makers
“The chickens, all named for country music stars or songs — Rosanne Cash, June Carter Cash, Naomi Judd, Pam Tillis, Jolene and Ruby — provide us with eggs, which we eat or give away. The five rescue goats provide us with amusement. We jokingly call them ‘pasture art.’ They’re fun to look at, and they’re great stress relievers.” Helmer and Porter have long taken in rescue dogs, and they tended a vegetable and herb garden as big as their small Charlotte yard allowed before moving to the country in 2016. After they moved, they had a lot more space for rescue animals, flowers and veggies. At the time we spoke, they were growing lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, onions, kale, Brussels sprouts — and loofah. (We’ll get to that shortly.) “Originally, our plan was to grow ingredients for tea,” says Helmer, who has written six books, including Growing Your Own Tea Garden and Protecting Pollinators: How to Save the Creatures That Feed Our World. “I have always plucked things from the garden for our table, and I’m a big tea drinker,” she says. “And when I was doing research for the book, I thought: We could turn this into a small tea company. The actual tea plant, Camellia sinensis, grows well in North Carolina. That was our plan — until I started researching laws around making food products. We would’ve had to rent a commercial kitchen, and it just opened up this whole other level of crazy. We did not want to go down that road.” With scents such as vanilla-coffee bean, green tea-mint and rosemary-lemongrass, you may wish these bath products were edible. While researching her book on tea, Helmer would pin tea recipes on a Pinterest board. She came across bath teas and discovered “this whole other world where people were using ingredients from their gardens in bath and body products.” The hobby farmers were 56
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already growing a number of the necessary ingredients — lavender, rosemary, mint and roses. “The idea of me making beauty products was funny,” Helmer says. “I’m a very natural girl. My idea of makeup is Chapstick. But this is stuff that I use. I love a good bath. When we renovated this house, I insisted we put in a big clawfoot tub.” Helmer started experimenting, making bath salts to give as gifts. When she posted a photo of the salts on Facebook, several people asked if they could buy them. “And I said, ‘Why, sure you can,’ and it snowballed from there.” The couple had an Etsy shop they opened in 2019 to sell Porter’s handmade wood products — barnwood angels, trays made from reclaimed wood, and others. Now, they both sell their wares on Etsy. They share the labor on the farm, too. “Jerry tends most of the garden,” Helmer says. “He makes all of the bath bombs, because they’re very tricky to make, and I do not have the patience. I do the salt and sugar scrubs, and he cuts and peels the loofahs. It’s a team effort.” Cuts and peels loofahs? “I didn’t realize there would be a demand,” Helmer says. “I thought everybody knew that loofahs were an easy-to-grow plant.” (Um, no.) “They grow on a vine, like a cucumber, and you take them off the vine and wait for them to dry.” Helmer and Porter are expanding their cut-flower gardens as well. “The plan is to have once-a-month open houses where people can pick flowers, make their own bouquets, buy vegetables and interact with the animals.” Just watch out for Waylon Jennings. SP Soak up the farm. Find Naughty Donkey bath products on Etsy at NaughtyDonkeyFarm. Stay updated on the Quackertons, Waylon Jennings and the rest of the menagerie on Instagram @naughtydonkeyfarm
SouthPark WAVERLY LAKE NORMAN
E ASTOV E R
ENGLISH GARDENS
3612 English Garden Drive
252 & 254 Huntley Place
Charlotte, NC 28226
Charlotte, NC 28207
6 BR | 7.1 BA | 7,561 SQ. FT. | $3,590,000
4 BR | 3.1 BA | 3,750 SQ. FT. | $975,000
Spectcular 3.78 acre estate near SouthPark with an
Fantastic lot in the heart of Eastover with a
architecturally stunning interior & wonderful out-
1973 contemporary home. Great opportunity
door living spaces. An entertainer’s dream home!
renovate or build a new home. Two fireplaces.
SANDRA SINGER 704-231-8575
MEG WILKINSON 704-906-5747
S OLD | D ILWORTH
UNDER CONTRACT | SOUTHPARK
T H E AR LI NGTON
2220 Lyndhurst Avenue
4620 Piedmont Row Dr, #313
Charlotte, NC 28203
Charlotte, NC 28210
3 BR | 2.1 BA | 1,577 SQ. FT. | Sold $559,000
2 BR | 2 BA | 1,515 SQ. FT. | $425,000
Lovely 2 story townhome-style condo end unit
Light-filled corner condo with the largest floor
with windows on 3 sides, great plan, recent
plan in the complex. Gourmet kitchen, huge
updates, & a 2-car garage. Fantastic location!
covered terrace, office, and secure parking.
MELANIE COYNE 704-763-8003
PATTY RAINEY 704-534-0096
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Quiet impact CALLIE DOBBINS BRINGS SKILLS DEVELOPED AS A NEONATAL NURSE TO HER ROLE AS THE TOP ADMINISTRATOR AT LEVINE CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL. by Raymond C. Jones photograph by Peter Taylor
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I
t’s a safe bet that most everyone in Charlotte has heard of the Levines. Leon Levine, founder of the Family Dollar discount-store chain, established his namesake foundation in 1980 to give back to the community. And one of the highest-profile institutions to benefit from its philanthropy is Atrium Health Levine Children’s Hospital. Since opening its doors in 2007, the 234-bed hospital has provided lifesaving care to more than 130,000 patients. For this reason, the hospital’s name — like the Levine name — has become a household word. But if you ask 100 people to tell you who runs the hospital, chances are at least 99 of them will give you a blank stare. The top administrator’s name, in fact, is Callie Dobbins, and, despite her relative anonymity, as facility executive she has more impact on children’s health than pretty much anyone else in the city. Dobbins is one of the few women to manage such a large and complex facility. Most hospital administrators are male, with business backgrounds and formal degrees in hospital administration. Dobbins spent most of her pre-administrative career as a nurse. A North Carolina native, she was born in Asheville, grew up in Hickory and earned her first nursing credential at UNC Chapel Hill. She confesses she did not fit the stereotype of the 3-yearold child who gets an early jump on a nursing career by nurturing dolls and playgroup friends back to health with a toy medical kit. Nonetheless, she has always enjoyed being around children and was drawn to pediatrics when she began her formal training. Dobbins, a neonatal specialist, has demonstrated a passion for saving premature babies since taking her first nursing job at Atrium Health some 20 years ago. She ultimately became manager of the neonatal intensive care unit at Levine Children’s Hospital and moved from there to the top administrative position in 2014. Justifiably proud of her clinical background, she still introduces herself to patients, families and visitors as a nurse. They may only discover the true scope of her responsibilities if it later comes up by chance. “To the extent I have any ‘street cred’ with families and staff,” she says, “it’s not because of my title. It’s because people know I understand the science behind our treatments and the intricacies of how things work.” Clearly there are a lot of “intricacies” involved in overseeing such a broad array of critical services. Since Levine Children’s Hospital
opened as a freestanding facility, NICU services have grown far more sophisticated. The same is true for cancer, cardiac and trauma care, organ transplants, and other key services. For example, the hospital recently announced the completion of its 100th pediatric heart transplant. “The vision that drove the Levines was keeping people with serious medical conditions off of airplanes,” Dobbins says. “The Levines understood the stress that occurs when a child is seriously ill. They wanted local families to focus 100% on treatment and zero percent on travel and logistics.” Dobbins is proud of the growth that has allowed Levine Children’s Hospital to match the services offered by nationally recognized counterparts. “People at those facilities scratch their heads when they see what we’ve done here in just 14 years,” she says. “It took some of these other children’s hospitals a hundred years or more to build up to their current capabilities.” Indeed, Levine Children’s Hospital has attracted patients from 48 states and a dozen foreign countries, including Africa, Asia, Australia and even tiny Tonga. Asked to name “the best thing” about her job, Dobbins gives a threepart answer. “I love seeing our people start new programs from scratch. I enjoy mentoring clinical staff and helping them to be more creative. And I love seeing children with really serious problems get good results. “We put kids on soccer teams who might never have walked again. We put kids in classrooms who might never have gone back to school. We enable kids with near-fatal conditions to return to their families and flourish as productive citizens. Our work has impact for generations to come.” Dobbins emphasizes, nonetheless, that some of her very best memories stem from the years she spent working the floor as a NICU nurse. “When a newborn’s life is hanging by a thread,” she says, “their families not only need your technical expertise but a huge amount of emotional support as well. You become part of the family’s fabric. “I still get Christmas cards, for example, from families I worked with years ago, and I’ve even gotten Christmas cards from former preemies who are now in college. If you can’t get motivated by that, you need to go home!” SP
“To the extent I have any ‘street cred’ with families and staff, it’s not because of my title. It’s because people know I understand the science behind our treatments and the intricacies of how things work.”
southparkmagazine.com | 59
1719 Queens Road West
Charlotte, NC 28211
Charlotte, NC 28207
Offered at $2,149,000
Offered at $1,795,000
Old Foxcroft Amy Peterson 704-533-2090
Myers Park Kemp Dunaway 704-458-6997
1901 Truman Road
2306 Club Road
Charlotte, NC 28205
Charlotte, NC 28205
Offered at $999,000
Offered at $750,000
Plaza Midwood Tiffani Dallas 732-492-0113
Plaza Midwood Tony Nicastro 704-615-5553
3040 Luke Crossing Drive Charlotte, NC 28226
LD
SO
Offered at $399,900
Springs Village Rebecca Hunter 704-650-4039
We have buyers for your home.
ALLEN TATE SOUTHPARK
2601 Woodbrook Lane
blvd. | givers
Training techies AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF DIGI-BRIDGE, ALYSSA SHARPE IS HELPING BUILD CHARLOTTE’S TECHNOLOGY WORKFORCE OF THE FUTURE. by Michelle Boudin
A
lyssa Sharpe, the executive director of Digi-Bridge, a nonprofit focused on STEAM (Science, technology, engineering, arts and math) education, doesn’t have to look very far for inspiration. Her 3-year old daughter is already showing an aptitude for science. “She’s obsessed with building things, and she’s already better on an iPad than I am,” Sharpe says. Sharpe took over as director of Digi-Bridge in August 2019 when founder David Jessup left to go to law school. Jessup started the organization in 2014. Sharpe had been heading up another nonprofit, Project Scientist, before leaving for a consulting job where Digi-Bridge was a client. Neither Project Scientist, which works to get more girls involved in science and technology, nor Digi-Bridge seemed like an obvious fit, Sharpe admits. She graduated with a degree in advertising and public relations from the University of Central Florida but went to work for Teach for America. The organization moved her to Charlotte, where she taught first grade at Windsor Park Elementary, a Title 1 school in east Charlotte. She says that experience turned her into a lifelong educator and advocate for better education for all. “I just saw that students had potential, but it was not always matched with opportunity, and that wasn’t fair. I had an interest in science because I saw kids loved it, but there was never time during the school day for it.” The mother of two reached out to Discovery Place to get train-
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ing and certification and eventually joined Project Scientist, helping that organization expand nationally. But she wanted to have more of an impact in Charlotte — that’s what drew her to Digi-Bridge. Digi-Bridge was founded to help train both students and their teachers at the intersection of education and technology. Over the years, the group has added after-school programs, Daddy-daughter code-in events and more. The organization was more important than ever in 2020 as students were suddenly forced into online schooling and people across Charlotte started to realize not all kids had computers — or even internet access — at home. “It can be easy for people in Charlotte to stay in their bubble, and this year forced us to think about how the pandemic impacted low-income students far worse than others because of a lack of access to technology,” Sharpe says. “We had to get uncomfortable and learn what our neighbors’ needs were and figure out ways to really support them.” The team at Digi-Bridge worked with community partners to help ensure every Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools student had WiFi access. Sharpe says during the pandemic, enrollment skyrocketed at their after-school programs, with some sites doubling in size. “It has been really fulfilling. 2020 was our best year ever in terms of fundraising because people saw the need and wanted to deliver. I’m really proud of that and all that we’ve done to serve students.” It’s a cause every Charlottean should get behind, Sharpe says. “We’re growing the future workforce. Every other day, there’s a new tech company growing their headquarters or presence in Charlotte, and research proves we have to grow students’ interest at an early age and get them in the tech pipeline. We are working with 1,500 students at 10 schools right now, and those are the students that are eventually going to take over jobs at the tech companies that are growing here in Charlotte.” SP
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blvd. | around town
Looking ahead
Eat & drink
Three Amigos, the Central Avenue Mexican grill and cantina from the owners of Sabor Latin Street Grill, planned to open a second location at Colony Place in south Charlotte. threeamigoscharlotte.com uGreenville, S.C., Tex-Mex restaurant Tipsy Taco opened at Stonecrest. tipsytaco.net uFat Cat Burgers + Bakeshop opened in the former Fran’s Filling Station location in Dilworth, adding a walk-up doughnut window and a menu serving burgers, fried chicken, salads and more. Instagram @fatcatburgersclt
Shop
On Oct. 22-24, Charlotte will host the inaugural Black Food & Wine Festival at Camp North End, with ticket sales launching this month. More than 75 Black chefs, artisans, farmers, brewers and more are expected to participate in the three-day festival, which is inspired by the Harlem Renaissance, organizer Subrina Collier says. Subrina and her husband, Chef Greg Collier of Leah & Louise, above left, planned the experience after recognizing a void in the festival scene that excluded many Black chefs and their food. “Rather than telling other festivals to include us more, we decided to stop asking and create our own,” she says. Participants include Atlanta chef/author Todd Richards, Asheville chef Ashleigh Shanti, and three Top Chef alums: Tiffany Derry, Chris Scott and Keith Rhodes. Local chefs joining the lineup include Lindsay Williams of Davidson Wine Co. and Michael Bowling of Hot Box Next Level Kitchen. Festival highlights include a family friendly Chuckwagon Carnival with food trucks, rides and entertainment; the Cotton Club Festival, including chef demos and a tasting experience; the Savoy Jazz Brunch with chef stations and live music; and chefs’ dinners. Follow on Instagram @blackfoodandwinefestival and visit blackfoodandwinefestival. com for tickets and more information.
Moxie Mercantile, right, opened its third local boutique in downtown Matthews. Michelle Castelloe, a former brand director at Anthropologie, opened the first store in Plaza Midwood in 2015, selling clothing, vintage goods, original art, jewelry and home decor, followed by a second location in Davidson. The 2,700-square-foot Matthews store at 159 N. Trade St. is Moxie Mercantile’s largest, offering new brands such as Farm Rio; Young, Fabulous and Broke; Brooklyn Candle; and Ophelia and Indigo. uFree People Movement, BOSS and Vince planned to open in late May at SouthPark Mall. Golden Goose plans to open this month next to Neiman Marcus. uTexas bootmaker Tecovas opened next to Madewell at Atherton Mill. SP
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SouthPark WAVERLY LAKE NORMAN
SOLD
SOUTHPARK
ROSEWOOD at PROVIDENCE
SOUTHPARK
FOXCROFT
2715 Loch Lane
2823 Providence Road, #263
2342 Rock Creek Drive
2430 Lemon Tree Lane
Private 2+ acre estate | 7BR/7.3BA | Pool Sold Price: $5,200,000
Luxury condo | 3BR/3.1BA | Great views $1,750,000
Private 2+ acre estate | 5BR/6.3BA | Pool $5,590,000
1 acre | 4BR/3.2BA | Gorgeous kitchen $2,695,000
UNDER CONTRACT
MORROCROFT ESTATES PROVIDENCE COUNTRY CLUB
MYERS PARK
ELIZABETH 2021 E. 9th Street Circa 1929 | 4BR/3.1BA | Basement $1,275000
4505 Fox Brook Lane
11801 Dan Maples Drive
1700 Brandon Road
Gated | 5BR/6.1BA | Spectacular views $4,675,000
Spectacular custom home | 4BR/3.1BA $919,900
Stunning | 6BR/5.1BA | Carriage House $3,295,000
MYERS PARK
BEVERLY CREST
MYERS PARK
ASHTON RIDGE
2438 Overhill Road
2809 Cavan Court
200 Hermitage Road
6834 Providence Lane W.
Exquisite | 5BR/6.1BA | Pool/Guest House $3,500,000
Rare opportunity | 5BR/4.1BA | 0.67 ac. $899,000
Meticulously renovated | 4BR/4.1BA | 0.51 ac. $3,295,000
Built in 2019 | 4BR/3.1BA | Open plan $950,000
VALERIE MITCHENER 704-577-8200
PEGGY PETERSON 704-904-6279
PATTY HENDRIX 704-577-2066
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SUSAN MAY 704-650-7432
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Charlotte
Carolina Collectibles
Saturday, October 2 from 9am - 4pm at PBS Charlotte Verbal Valuations Provided By
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BUT ONLY THE BEST MAKE IT IN HERE
On the pursuit for the best in craft beer? Discover more at Brewers at 4001 Yancey: a craft house featuring award winning craft brews from along the East Coast and provisions allowing you to eat as well as you drink. Visit us: brewersat4001yancey.com • 4001-A Yancey Rd, Charlotte, NC 28217 68
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Live from The Burrow ROOTS DUO CHATHAM RABBITS REINVENT THE DREAM. by Wiley Cash • photographs by Mallory Cash
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merican roots music is rife with compelling and talented duos — think Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner, June Carter and Johnny Cash — but few have been as charmed or charming as Austin and Sarah McCombie of the North Carolina band Chatham Rabbits. The two first met in 2014 at a concert they attended separately, and within a few years they were rattling around the country together in a 1986 Winnebago, headlining concerts of their own. It’s an old story based on an even older dream: Start a band with your best friend, sell everything you own, make a living with your music. But for Chatham Rabbits, that dream came true, and the most genuine thing about that dream is the music itself. In marriage and in music, Austin and Sarah blend their individual histories into a shared musical experience. Years ago, Sarah first took the stage as a member of the South Carolina Broadcasters, a musical trio that harkened back to the bygone days of the Grand Ole Opry and AM radio country classics. Meanwhile, Austin played keyboards and guitar for an electro-pop band called DASH. Given their backgrounds, how would Chatham Rabbits describe their musical marriage?
“We’re not purists,” Austin says. “And we’re certainly not the hippest,” Sarah adds. “But we’ve been able to belong nowhere and everywhere at the same time,” which is to say that Chatham Rabbits have always been able to create a musical home, both for themselves and for their fans. The duo’s first album, All I Want From You (2018), was written in Bynum, an unincorporated community between Pittsboro and Chapel Hill, where Austin and Sarah could sit on the porch of their old mill house and survey the entire village of tightly packed homes, a vantage point that revealed their own ties to the close-knit community. The music — with Sarah on banjo, Austin on guitar, and the two splitting lead vocals and sharing harmonies — reaches out to the listener while reaching back in time in search of stories. Their latest album, last year’s The Yoke is Easy, the Burden is Full, is carried by the same gorgeous melodies, harmonies and delicate instrumentation, but it possesses a more introspective quality, which makes sense considering that the album was written when the couple moved to their 11-acre farm in Siler City. In these songs, the Rabbits use contemplation as incantation, inviting the listener to sit quietly with Austin and Sarah as they reflect on their shared life southparkmagazine.com | 69
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and their families’ histories. If their debut album was a means of reaching out to connect with a larger community, then their more recent album is a guided, dreamy meditation on turning inward. Whether they’re reaching out or looking in, Chatham Rabbits have always invited listeners to join them. They’ve recently invited listeners to join them on their farm, too, where a new barn has been repurposed to host outdoor concerts that allow for the requisite 6 feet of social distance between pods of attendees. On a Saturday in early May, Austin and Sarah are both smiling behind masks as they move through the preconcert crowd, catching up with old friends and meeting new fans for the first time. The two are refreshingly approachable, remembering people’s names and asking after their children and families. He’s wearing a navy-blue button down and khaki pants; she’s in a navy-blue dress that once belonged to her great aunt. Though there are speakers hanging from the rafters and a lighting system illuminates the instruments and microphone on stage, there are plenty of reminders that this is still a working farm. Saddles and bridles hang on the wall. Chickens meander through the crowd. In the nearby pasture, a black cow named Petunia rubs her back against an old tree. 70
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“The barn was halfway built when the pandemic hit and all of our shows were being canceled,” Austin says. “At the time, the barn floors were going to be dirt, and the builders were about to enclose the
walls. We asked about pouring a concrete floor, and we learned that it would cost the same amount to pour the floor as it did to put up the walls. We chose the floor.” That kind of quick decision-making
A TRADITION OF KNOWLEDGE AND TRUST Gay Dillashaw 704-564-9393 gay.dillashaw@allentate.com
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6700 Fairview Road, Charlotte, NC 28210
has served the band well during the pandemic, which has rocked the music industry, but Chatham Rabbits have found ways to adapt. “When the pandemic hit, we were about to release a new album, and we spent a week worrying about the world and feeling sorry for ourselves,” Sarah says. “Then we got busy figuring out how to make it work.” The two used funds from their Patreon crowdfunding platform to buy a Sprinter van and a flatbed trailer. Off they went, playing outdoor shows in neighborhoods across the state and into Virginia and South Carolina in support of the new album that was supposed to have been celebrated in concert halls across the country. “We’ve probably played 100 shows from the back of that trailer,” Sarah says. Once the barn was finished and the state’s health restrictions allowed it, they decided to test the waters by holding six live concerts throughout the summer in the space they’ve named The Burrow. Tickets sold out in less than three days. As the state’s coronavirus numbers improved, Chatham Rabbits released more tickets, which sold out in mere minutes. The resilience and flexibility required by the past year has influenced the songwriting for their new album, to be released in coming months. “Many of the songs are reflections of us being at home together for an entire year,” she says. “It’s about our life on the farm, shifting friendships, and the way we had to come to terms with our foundations being rocked.” As Austin and Sarah take the stage, the air is charged with energy and a giddy sense that something is returning to the world, whether it be live music or summertime or the feel of a cold beverage in your hand and the weight of a sleepy child on your lap. After welcoming the crowd to the inaugural show at The Burrow, Austin and Sarah open with a song from their first album titled “Come Home.” Attendees take off their masks, settle into their beach chairs, and — for the rest of the evening — do just that. SP Wiley Cash is the writer-in-residence at the UNC Asheville. His new novel, When Ghosts Come Home, will be released this year.
SUMMERTIME June 21 - August 21
Featuring Works By Romare Bearden Chrisopher Clamp Raul Diaz Wolf Kahn Lee Hall Thomas McNickle Robert Motherwell
625 South Sharon Amity Road Charlotte, NC 28211 704-365-3000 gallery@jeraldmelberg.com www.jeraldmelberg.com M-F 10-6 Sat 10-4 Romare Bearden, IN THE GARDEN, 1974, 36 x 29 1/4 inches from the Prevalence of Ritual Suite
GLASS BLOWN ARTISTRY Charlotte’s Only Hot Glass Studio and Gallery
WE HAVE YOU COVERED FOR FATHER’S DAY From home decor to a round with your glass putter to the 19th hole
Accent Pieces, Wall Installations, Chandeliers, Pendant Lights, USGA Glass Putters, Rock Glasses, Stem Ware and Decanters JACOB “JAKE” PFEIFER | 438 ATANDO AVENUE CHARLOTTE, NC 28206 | 980.209.9284 | HOTGLASSALLEY.COM
southparkmagazine.com | 73
blvd. | calendar
June H A PPEN I NGS
NOTE: Please check in advance with venues and event organizers to confirm details and hours.
Events + activities Seltzer World Festival Join the East Coast’s first seltzery, Summit Seltzer in Wesley Heights, for a unique seltzer-tasting experience. Admission includes samples — more than 75 local and national seltzer and craft beers will be available — a souvenir glass, music and games. June 5, noon-7 p.m.; tickets start at $35; 2215 Thrift Rd., Suite B, summitseltzer.com GRACEFest Celebrate the 120th anniversary of Grace on Brevard, a historic building and former church that’s now an event center and part of the Brooklyn Collective. The two-day festival includes speakers, an arts and crafts exhibition, musicians and more. Timed tickets are $10-$20 and space is limited; June 4-5; southendarts.net African American Heritage Festival Celebrate the Charlotte Museum of History’s reopening at this family-friendly festival, a combination of virtual and in-person events including performances by Charlotte Ballet and JazzArts and a talk by former Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx. Free, but tickets to in-person events are limited and must be reserved in advance; June 7-12; charlottemuseum.org Jazz at Victoria Yards Summer Concert Series Uptown’s new concert series features regional jazz musicians and food trucks. June 11, 2:00-5:30 p.m.; tickets are $20 in advance, $25
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at the door; 408 North Tryon St; thejazzarts.org Metropolitan Bridal Expo at Charlotte Convention Center Plan your wedding with top vendors from the Carolinas and Georgia. (Bonus: One lucky bride will win a full wedding package.) June 12, 1-5 p.m.; $10 admission; metropolitanbridalexpo.com Charlotte Symphony’s Hotel California: A Salute to the Eagles at Belk Theater Experience the Eagles’ timeless hits, including Grammy-winners like “Take it Easy,” “Heartache Tonight” and “Hotel California.” June 18, 7:30 p.m.; charlottesymphony.org The Great American Campout at Anne Springs Close Greenway Pack up your gear and enjoy kayaking, live music and fireside hot dogs at Lake Haigler. June 19-20; costs TBD; ascgreenway.org Father’s Day 5K Whether you’re a dad yourself, a dad-to-be, running with dad or in honor of a dad, all are welcome to kick off Father’s Day weekend with a jaunt through Ballantyne. June 20; registration costs vary by signup date; runsignup.com/Race/Events/NC/Charlotte/ FathersDay5Kcharlotte River Jam at U.S. National Whitewater Center One of Charlotte’s favorite summer concert series events is back. Bands perform live in the middle of the world’s largest human-made whitewater river. Bring a blanket or some chairs and enjoy the show. Thursdays-Saturdays through September, 7-10 p.m.; free, $6 parking per car; usnwc.org
SOLD
UNDER CONTRACT
FOR SALE
Myers Park
Myers Park
Myers Park
2064 Queens Road E.
231 Brandywine Road
1234 Wareham Court
4 BR | 4.2 BA | 4,818 sq. ft.
4 BR | 5.1 BA | 4,846 sq. ft.
3 BR | 3.1 BA | 3,043 sq. ft.
Classic 1.5 story brick home with slate roof on a beautiful 0.57 acre lot. Gorgeous floor-toceiling windows & hardwood floors throughout. Grand formals, incredible wood paneled Great Room, chef’s kitchen, Guest Room down, 3 renovated baths, in-ground saltwater pool.
Custom built in 2017 with high-end craftsmanship & gorgeous hardwoods & moldings throughout. Open plan w/a gracious foyer, formals, chef’s kitchen, & family room w/coffered ceiling, built-ins & fpl. 3rd floor w/BR or bonus room, play room & rec room. 3 car garage.
Fully renovated by John Bourgeois in Myers Park’s gated Whitehall community. Wonderful plan with high ceilings and amazing natural light throughout. Extensive new cabinetry & millwork in den, LR & DR. Finished basement with two offices & wine cellar. Private brick terrace.
S o l d P r i ce : $ 2 , 375 ,0 0 0
$ 1 , 8 49,0 0 0
$ 1 ,1 9 5 ,0 0 0
THE SALTON TEAM Brokers / Realtors ® | Top Producers Listing & selling homes for over 45 years combined. Lynn Salton
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Rusty Salton
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blvd. | calendar Museums + galleries
From Charlotte. Knows Charlotte.
Working for his Real Estate clients since 1995. Be a Hero... Mentor!
Linwood Bolles Realtor® Broker
704.905.5732
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In Process: Eleanor Annand This solo exhibition at Hodges Taylor gallery features new work by the Ashevillebased artist. Using paper, felt and steel, Annand defies and defines the grid, evidences her intuition with design, and negotiates materials with an open mind. Through June 30; hodgestaylor.com Art After Dark at Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts+Culture Don’t miss this art-meets-music event for hands-on art workshops and a jazz battle led by Harvey Cummings. Stop by the opening of the Choose Your Weapon exhibition in the Hewitt Gallery, which chronicles the historic protests of summer 2020 with photographic imagery shot by photographer E. Mackey. June 4, 6-10 p.m.; ganttcenter.org It Takes a Village: Charlotte’s Artist Collectives at Mint Museum Randolph In celebration of the vibrant, grassroots art happening throughout Charlotte, The Mint Museum is collaborating with three of Charlotte’s innovative art collectives: BLK MRKT CLT, Brand the Moth and Goodyear Arts in an exhibition featuring works by 27 collective members. June 12-September 26; mintmuseum.org Immersive Van Gogh at Camp North End The brushstrokes and details of Van Gogh’s imagination are brought to life in this highly-anticipated display. June
Hugh McColl’s Chapter Two The twenty years Hugh McColl’s spent since stepping down as Bank of America CEO belies the notion that irrelevancy is a part of retirement.
“ “
McColl, 85, still plays a pivotal role in making North Carolina a better place. Beyond the Bank makes that crystal clear.” – Business North Carolina
Building a great bank has been upgraded to building a better community. (McColl) still has the energy and courage to believe he has much to offer in making the world a better place. What a legacy!” – Harvey Gantt, Charlotte civic leader and former mayor NEW FROM
On sale at Park Road Books, Charlotte; Scuppernong Books, Greensboro; Hub City Bookshop, Spartanburg; Books & Beans, Rocky Mount; The Country Bookshop, Southern Pines; and Battery Park Book Exchange, Asheville.
A new book by Howard E. Covington Jr. available online at: howardcovingtonbooks.com
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17-September 12; tickets start at $39.99 for adults, $24 for children; vangoghclt.com France Jodoin & Lynn Johnson at Shain Gallery France Jodoin’s painting is intuitive and instinctive, with the focus of her works being on the concept of time and the brevity of life itself. Lynn Johnson’s goal in her work is to entice the viewer to linger for a while and discover something unexpected. June 25, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; shaingallery.com SP
— compiled by Amanda Lea
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|simple life
Kid of wonder JUST AS MY FATHER DID, I’LL TRY TO KEEP MY CHILD’S HEART. by Jim Dodson
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or years, I’ve joked that my late father was an adman with a poet’s heart. He never failed to quote some ancient sage or dead philosopher when you least expected it. As a know-it-all teenager, alternately amused and mortified by his endlessly upbeat personality, I gave him the nickname “Opti the Mystic.” It took me growing up to finally realize what an extraordinary gift he was to me and anyone lucky enough to know him. When I was still pretty small, he hung two framed items on my bedroom wall. One was the poem “If” by Rudyard Kipling, maybe the best life and career advice a father ever gave his son or daughter on how to walk with kings but keep the common touch. The other was a quote by the ancient Chinese philosopher Mencius, a student of Confucius: “The great man is he who does not lose his child’s heart,” which confused me until my dad explained: “Philosophy is designed to make you think. Some might think it simply means you should guard your child’s heart from growing cynical about life. I think it means that it’s wise to keep your own childlike sense of wonder — whatever age you are.” My parents also gave me a set of the How and Why Wonder Books, a popular illustrated series designed to teach history and science to young people in the 1960s. The volumes made me take the idea of wonder quite seriously. My mother said she always “wondered” what I was going to ask her next. In truth, I was something of a wondrous pest. I wondered typical kid things, like why the sky was so blue and why I had to wear shoes to church in summer — why I even had to go to church in summer, when the outdoor world was so green and inviting. Naturally, I wondered about what made the seasons change and the stars move and where hurricanes come from. When a mountainous press foreman at my dad’s newspaper informed me that we lived smack in the middle of something called “Hurricane Alley” in Mississippi, I ordered a hurricane emergency kit from National Geographic in case one struck our coast. To my regret — though probably good fortune — no hurricane came. Thanks to the How and Why Wonder books, I became an avid reader at age 5. But I often wondered about things the wonder
books couldn’t explain. Like why Mr. Sullivan, who lived alone two houses down, was suddenly building a bomb shelter in his backyard — and why he believed “Russian spies were everywhere.” Or what the vacation Bible school teacher was talking about when she said, “Jesus sees everything you do and writes it down for later.” It made Jesus sound like a Russian spy, not a prince of peace. When I asked her what “for later” meant, she explained that the list Jesus keeps would determine who would — or wouldn’t — be “saved from eternal hellfire.” I wondered why Jesus would keep such an awful list. About that same time, during the presidential election of 1960, I wondered why my mother voted for Sen. Kennedy and my father for Mr. Nixon. “Someone had to cancel out your father, honey,” my mom explained with a laugh. “Every now and then, even he makes silly decisions.” On a beautiful Friday afternoon three years later, Mrs. Brown, my favorite teacher, suddenly left the room and returned with red and swollen eyes, dismissing us an hour early. Someone had shot and killed the president. I spent the next week glued to the TV set, wondering. Looking back, I sometimes wonder if that’s the moment modern America began to lose her innocence, as some historians like to say, and if that’s when I decided I would become a journalist like my old man — if only to find out how and why. No wonder I spent the first decade of my career writing about the terrible things human beings do to each other, reporting on everything from unrepentant Klansmen to corrupt politicians, Atlanta’s status as America’s murder capital to the South’s growing racial tensions. As I approached 30, I feared I might be prematurely burning out — i.e. losing my sense of wonder. But something saved me in the nick of time. One spring southparkmagazine.com | 81
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|simple life afternoon I went out to write a simple story about an inner-city baseball league and got recruited to coach a team called the Orioles for the next two seasons. More than half the kids on my team came from one of the city’s bleakest housing projects. I made a deal with their parents and grandparents to drive them home after every practice and game. I also bribed them with milkshakes from a local joint called Woody’s CheeseSteaks if they promised to behave like gentlemen on and off the field. They did just that. I bought a lot of milkshakes over those two years. We never lost a game. Those kids — the “Mob that Became a Team,” as Reader’s Digest would call them — restored my lost sense of wonder. After that second season, I turned down a dream job in Washington for a much simpler life on the bank of a winding green river in Vermont, where I got a pup, taught myself to fly-fish, read every book of philosophy and poetry I could lay my hands on, and lived in a small cottage heated by a woodstove for a year. It was my private Walden Pond. My heartbeat slowed. I fell in love with the winter stars again. And that next spring, I recovered my passion for golf by playing the same course Rudyard Kipling played when he lived in the town, not long after he wrote “If.” I realized that life truly is a wondrous circular affair — that everything you’ve loved is always with you, waiting to be born again, and that nobody — not even Jesus — is keeping a list like a Russian spy. Here’s proof of the universe’s wondrous circularity: Not long ago, one of the players from the team that saved me called out of the blue. “I’ve been trying to find you for years,” Pete said. “I finally found you and your books on the internet.” Pete and his teammates are in their early 50s now, grown men with their own careers and families. We’re planning a reunion. A few weeks ago, Pete sent me a photograph of himself standing in front of Woody’s CheeseSteaks. His hair is gray, but he looks the same. I may look a little older, I told him, but I’m still a kid of wonder, too. SP
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June books
|bookshelf
NOTABLE NEW RELEASES compiled by Sally Brewster
The Premonition: A Pandemic Story, by Michael Lewis Michael Lewis’s previous book, The Fifth Risk: Undoing Democracy, presciently asked readers the question — what if government agencies tasked with managing catastrophes failed to prepare for an unanticipated impending crisis? When Lewis heard news of the coronavirus spreading worldwide, he called his sources for The Fifth Risk and was alarmed when they told him that they were concerned by the government’s failure to contain the virus and the spread of disinformation. Lewis interviewed more people to get a better picture of what was unfolding during the beginning of the pandemic. In this nonfiction thriller, he follows three central characters — a biochemist, a public-health worker and a government employee who worked in the White House — as they try to avoid catastrophe and prevent future pandemics.
Dream Girl, by Laura Lippman Successful novelist Gerry Andersen has moved to Baltimore to be near his ailing mother. He has barely settled into his duplex penthouse when his mother dies. Then, Gerry slips and falls down a dangerous staircase. His injuries are so severe, he’s confined to bed and cared for by round-the-clock nurses. Befuddled by painkillers, Gerry’s mind drifts back over episodes in his life: his childhood, the highs and lows of his three marriages, his book tours and teaching jobs. One night, he receives a phone call from a woman claiming to be Aubrey, a character in his first novel, Dream Girl. The calls persist, as do shadowy nighttime appearances of a woman. He scrambles to separate truth from possible hallucinations until the morning he awakes to find a woman undeniably dead in his bed. Lippman is in top form for this wonderful guessing game of a novel.
The Ride of Her Life: The True Story of a Woman, Her Horse, and Their Last Chance Journey Across America, by Elizabeth Letts The incredible true story of a woman who rode her horse across America in the 1950s, fulfilling her dying wish to see the Pacific Ocean. Annie Wilkins, a 63-year-old farmer from Maine, embarked on an impossible journey when her doctor told her she had two years to live. She had no relatives, and she had lost her family farm to back taxes, so the doctor offered her a place in the county’s charity home. She declined, bought a cast-off brown gelding named Tarzan, donned men’s dungarees, loaded up her horse and headed out. Between 1954 and 1956, Annie, Tarzan and her dog, Depeche Toi, journeyed more than 4,000 miles through America’s big cities and small towns, meeting ordinary people and celebrities from Andrew Wyeth to Groucho Marx. A heartwarming and nostalgic book.
Noise: A Flaw in Human Judgement, by Daniel Kahneman, Olivier Sibony and Cass R. Sunstein Psychology professor Kahneman (Thinking, Fast and Slow), business professor Sibony (You’re About to Make a Terrible Mistake!) and legal scholar Sunstein (Too Much Information) team up for this fascinating exploration of the bias and “noise” that cause errors in human judgment. Noise, they write, is “variability in judgments that should be identical” that, when combined with one’s own biases — conscious or not — can cause human error. The authors offer noise-reduction strategies and suggest breaking down complex decisions into “multiple fact-based assessments”; avoiding group discussions; and appointing a “decision observer” to identify bias. The result is dense and complex, but those who stay the course will be rewarded with an intricate examination of decision-making and sound judgment. SP
Sally Brewster is the proprietor of Park Road Books at 4139 Park Road. parkroadbooks.com southparkmagazine.com | 85
Market growth
THIS YEAR, THE MATTHEWS COMMUNITY FARMERS’ MARKET CELEBRATES ITS 30TH ANNIVERSARY. EVERY SATURDAY, SHOPPERS FROM HOME COOKS TO PROFESSIONAL CHEFS STROLL SIDE BY SIDE, EAGERLY AWAITING THE SEASON’S BOUNTY. by Ben Jarrell • photographs by Michael Hrizuk
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or locals, the Matthews Community Farmers’ Market is a place to connect with neighbors, regional growers and artisans. What began with fewer than a dozen vendors has blossomed into a thriving hub of more than 50, with a busy Saturday morning at the market now hosting about 1,200 visitors. Astonishingly, four original farmers remain. Sammy Koenigsberg of New Town Farms in Waxhaw is one of those farmers. The group also includes Jenifer and Dean Mullis, who run Laughing Owl Farm in Richfield. Two farms have been passed down to sons — Keith Mundie of Big Oaks Natural Farm and Jim Mundorf of Nut Hill Farms. “We have a whole slideshow from those early years,” Koenigsberg says. “Dean had a mullet. I had hair. We all fit back in that little space where I am. That’s where we started.” In August of last year, my wife and I moved with our daughter to the township of Matthews, a quiet suburb in southeast Mecklenburg County with a population of about 32,000. Despite a busy workweek and a baby keeping us always elated but oftentimes exhausted, our weekends begin by packing up the stroller and making our way to North Trade Street, the main thoroughfare through downtown. Being recent transplants from Charlotte, the Matthews Community Farmers’ Market has been an anchor point for our family — a place where we start our grocery list, plan
healthful meals and create tradition. But the farmers market brings more than fresh produce and baked goods to downtown Matthews, which itself has enjoyed a revitalization in the three decades since the market opened. It grows togetherness and sells the idea that we don’t need to venture far to find health and happiness.
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oenigsberg, who owns New Town Farms with his wife, Melinda, created the market in 1991 after consulting with friend Kevin Carpenter, a volunteer member of the Downtown Matthews Inc. committee responsible for enlivening the district. Modeling other producer-only markets like the one in Carrboro outside Chapel Hill, Koenigsberg wanted to feature farms and artisans within a strict 50-mile radius. Now in its 30th year, the market is a landmark in the heart of the community. Renfrow Hardware has leased the land to the market for the last 30 years — at a dollar a year. Owner David Blackley says Koenigsberg was crucial in bringing the vision to bear. “We used to have all of our meetings around the potbelly stove up there, in the early days,” Koenigsberg says. “David — very much as a gardener himself — bought into the idea and sponsored us. We couldn’t have done it without him.” southparkmagazine.com | 87
New vendors arrive each year at the market, which is open Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon. This year’s crop includes Cairn Coffee Roasters, Corrado Gelato, Honeybear Bake Shop, JF Chocolat, Magpies, Old Hickory Woodworking, Peaceful Meadows Farm, Street Fare Farm, Team Rose Bread and Whisper Creek Farm. Sammy Koenigsberg, shown in this archive photo, above, and in July 2020, right, is one of the original vendors
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Koenigsberg grew up with his father, Nathan, on the 50-acre farm in Waxhaw (11 miles south of Matthews), planting a row of willow oaks that now tower above the gravel road leading to his 4 acres of growing fields. In spring and again in the fall, it’s roots and greens — from carrots to beets to lettuces to collards. On a ride through his fields in late April, Koenigsberg points to his daughter, Noey — one of the couple’s eight children who grew up on the farm — tending rows of cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, kale, Brussels sprouts and other brassicas. But it’s during the summertime when the market truly shines. “Summer for us means tomatoes,” Koenigsberg says. Heirloom varieties from Cherokee Purples to small Sungolds are sold alongside Southern staples such as squash, cucumbers, eggplants and cantaloupes. Heritage chickens at New Town Farms forage for bugs and grass, get plenty of exercise, and in turn, build fat and flavor. Similarly, Koenigsberg raises a particularly wild breed of heirloom pigs called Ossabaws. A favorite of Southern chefs and pitmasters, these hogs are turned into everything from breakfast sausage to Boston butts for local barbeque enthusiasts. While Koenigsberg uses the farm as his primary means of income, other vendors like Keith Mundie of Big Oaks Natural Farm, whose father, Fred was one of the original vendors, do it for the love of the market. Over the years, it’s been a family effort as Mundie
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worked alongside his wife, son and daughter to offer seasonal produce from arugula to okra to tomatoes. “We all work full-time jobs. This is just a hobby,” Mundie says. “I enjoy coming up here. Yes, it’s hard work. But I don’t like sitting around the house watching TV.” Longtime market manager Pauline Wood retired in 2017, allowing Paulette Wilkes, a baker who operated a patisserie stall at the market, to take over management, along with assistant manager Jessica Thomas, previously a volunteer. One of their first initiatives was to designate the market as a 501(c)(3), allowing for tax-deductible donations. Wilkes also worked with state and local government officials like Abby Wyatt, food security coordinator for Mecklenburg County Public Health, to allow SNAP payments for use in the market. Wilkes says this has been critical over the past year. “These were people who were not being served by us,” Wilkes says, pointing out that the market is on track to more than double its SNAP sales from 2020. “It’s a more diverse community we’re now serving. People call it their ‘happy place.’”
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hile I’m talking with Koenigsberg, a woman leaving the market yells over the crowd, “Bye, Sammy!” Koenigsberg replies, calling her by name. “Bye, Kaitlyn. Good to see you!” It’s like that when you’re at the Matthews Community Farmers’ Market. You go for fresh-picked fruits and vegetables, artisanal breads and vegan donuts, and handmade goods from wooden cutting boards to ceramic coffee mugs. But you keep coming back for that comforting feeling, for the realization that no matter where everybody is during the week, no matter how busy we get, there’s a place we can slow down and be with each other on another warm Saturday morning. SP
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ON THE FARM A moveable chicken coop at New Town Farms in Waxhaw produces fertilizer for the large oaks owner Sammy Koenigsberg and his father planted years ago and compost for use in the fields. Birds are separated between “egg layers” and those grown for the meat. It’s the “dual-purpose” breeds, as Koenigsberg puts it — heirloom birds like Black Australorps, Dominiques and Rhode Island Reds that produce both eggs and plump meat — that are disappearing from the American farming landscape. “Those were a part of the old small farm America,” he says. Redbro chickens, a variety that came out of the Label Rouge system in France and was brought to America in the early 2000s, is a slow-growing breed prized for its meat. “When farms incorporated the factory system, they narrowed it down to the most productive breeds — Leghorns for eggs and the White Cornish Cross for meat. So, over 99% of the chickens raised for meat are all one breed.” Meat grown faster has less flavor, “a blank canvas, like tofu, reliant on what you’re cooking with it. That’s what we’re used to,” Koenigsberg says. He took a different approach with his small family farm, and that effort pays off with a richer, more delicious meat.
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Traditional with a twist A COLLABORATIVE DESIGN TEAM BRINGS NEW LIFE TO AN OLD HOUSE IN MYERS PARK. by Catherine Ruth Kelly
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PHOTOGRAPHS THIS PAGE AND PREVIOUS PAGE BY MICHAEL BLEVINS
Antiques and a vintage rug mix with modern pieces in the living room. Above, acrylic chairs from Weiman Home are accented with a Brunschwig & Fils fabric, with custom window treatments by Kravet. Right, leather accent chairs and a cocktail table from Highland House create an elegant seating area.
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llen and Jordan McCarley were thrilled when they found a 1936 Federal-style house on a picturesque, tree-lined street in Myers Park, but they knew it would need to be renovated to meet the needs of their growing family. “We loved the street and loved the historical aspect of the house, so we wanted to update it yet maintain that traditional look,” explains Ellen McCarley. The McCarleys engaged Urban Building Group, which had helped them with their previous home renovation, to lead the project. “There was a lot of value in what was there, so we wanted to work with the existing structure and improve upon it to meet the needs of the family,” says Amy Kachin of Urban Building Group. Kachin and Ryan Windt, both senior designers at UBG, worked together to develop the construc-
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PHOTOGRAPHS BY MICHAEL BLEVINS
The renovation of the 1936 Federal-style home earned Urban Building Group a 2020 NARI Contractor of the Year award for the greater Charlotte area. A chandelier by John Richard anchors the cheery breakfast nook, right, with a custom banquette and grasscloth wallcovering by Seabrook Designs/ Wallquest. The interior designer was Patti Allen of Allen & James Interior Design.
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PHOTOGRAPHS BY MICHAEL BLEVINS
tion plan, maintaining the original footprint of the house while taking advantage of the backyard elevation change to add square footage. The small, unfinished basement was extended and now accommodates a garage, wine room and pool cabana with a full kitchen and covered outdoor sitting area. The updated main floor kitchen, about twice its original size, connects to a spacious family room that leads to a covered outdoor lounge with a dining area. By raising the roof pitch, they were able to add living space on the third floor, including a playroom and workout area. “We nearly tripled the square footage of the original house,” Windt says, “but you would never be able to guess how much living space there is because it’s very unassuming from the front.” While the existing structure was left intact, the exterior was significantly updated. The McCarleys selected a creamy white paint to cover the red brick facade. The arched front entry with a single door was replaced with an angular limestone surround and custom milled double doors, adding a contemporary flair. The increased height of the third floor created a more dramatic slope to the roof, which is shingled in Canadian western red cedar. “The roof pitch completely changed the street presence of the house and gave it a grander scale,” Kachin says. “A simple change like that can have such a large impact.” The McCarleys enlisted Patti Allen of Allen & James Interior Design to bring
The family room, opposite, opens onto a large upstairs porch. Window & Door Pros of Charlotte installed the home’s custom doors and windows. In the dining room, this page, wallpaper and draperies in a Brunschwig & Fils pattern provide a stunning backdrop for the bold chandelier by Visual Comfort.
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PHOTOGRAPH LEFT BY MICHAEL BLEVINS, PHOTOGRAPH RIGHT COURTESY URBAN BUILDING GROUP
the interiors to life. Allen and her business partner, Stephanie James, are based in High Point. “Ellen and Jordan wanted a bright, happy home that was highly functional with no rooms off limits to their three boys,” Allen says. “We used a lot of cheerful greens and blues and a lot of performance fabrics.” Though the McCarleys favor a traditional style, they wanted their house to feel fresh — not formal. Ellen McCarley worked closely with Allen to select light fixtures, furniture and fabrics that would imbue a young, modern vibe to the couple’s cherished antiques and collectibles. The result is a clean, classic look that is still comfortable and livable. “It’s the biggest compliment to me when I see my clients fully living in their homes and enjoying every inch of the space,” Allen says. And that is exactly what they do. The McCarleys moved in just before Christmas in 2019, only a few months before the pandemic began. The swimming pool and landscaping were finalized in April 2020. “We had no idea how good the timing would be,” McCarley says. “Because of the pandemic, this house has been totally lived in — we use every room and especially love the outdoor spaces so we could still entertain and see friends over the last year.” SP
The upstairs porch, opposite, provides an airy space for outdoor dining, with a Kingsley Bate table and Gloster teak dining chairs. A previously unfinished basement was extended and now houses a garage, wine room and pool cabana, above. The landscaping and hardscaping was completed by Myron Greer, while Lombardo Swimming Pools installed the pool.
To view more photos of this home, visit southparkmagazine.com.
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travel | weekend getaway
Southern splendor ONCE A WINTER RETREAT FOR ELITE NORTHERNERS, AIKEN, S.C., EXUDES A SOPHISTICATED SMALL-TOWN CHARM. written by Cathy Martin • photographs by Chris Edwards styling + production by Whitley Adkins • hair and makeup by Meredith Wetzel for Bella Faccia, Augusta, Ga. model: Spencer Kane for Directions USA Model + Artist Management
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La DoubleJ Bellini dress, $795, and Rejina Pyo Nane bag, $595, both from Showroom; Mignonne Gavigan earrings, $165, Charlotte’s. Photographed at The Willcox in Aiken, S.C.
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Acler Reflection cutout dress, $595, Marion Parke Larkspur asymmetrical stiletto sandals, $325, Freya Sunrise hat, $230, all from Showroom; Twine & Twig cowrie collar necklace Edition 1, $295, TwineandTwigStyle. com. Photographed at The Palmetto Club in Aiken, S.C., with service attendant and 24-year employee Kevin Spann.
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ipping cocktails in the spacious, wood-paneled lobby of The Willcox in Aiken, S.C., it’s easy to imagine the lively scene here a century ago. That’s when local society was dominated with names like Astor, Vanderbilt, Ziegler and Whitney. Plenty of showbiz folks spent time in Aiken, too, from Bing Crosby to Jimmy Stewart to Fred Astaire. It’s a Wednesday evening in April, and the 22-room inn is abuzz with locals and overnight guests, some wearing dresses and sport coats, others in casual or golf attire. The vibe is elegant yet relaxed, with twin stone fireplaces on opposite sides of the room, well-worn antiques, and plenty of cozy seating nooks where groups gather for drinks and small bites or dinner. The setting evokes a sense that not much has changed here since The Willcox opened in 1900. Oh, but if these walls could talk. There are so many stories in this town of about 30,000 — like the one about a special tunnel dug into the hillside behind The Willcox for Franklin D. Roosevelt, a frequent visitor, to privately disembark from his train before taking the secret elevator to his third-floor suite. Likewise, there is plenty of local lore about the goings-on behind the walls of Aiken’s 100 or so “cottages” — estates built by business tycoons and their families from the Northeast in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Known as the winter colonists, they were drawn to Aiken to escape snow, ice and tuberculosis that ravaged the country until the mid-1900s. Much like Pinehurst and the Sandhills region of North Carolina, the temperate climate and fragrant longleaf pines were believed to have healing qualities.
Frank & Eileen button-up shirt, $258, and Acler Sutherland skirt, $350, Showroom; T. Marie Designs earrings, Charlotte’s, $60; Luchesse boots, stylist’s own.
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Isabel Marant flutter poplin shirt, $685, and velvet embroidered popover, $945, both from Capitol; Hunter Bell Hooper skirt, $325, and Krewe Laveau Nylon crystal sunglasses, $315, both from Charlotte’s; Coach gladiator sandals, stylist’s own. Photographed at Hitchcock Woods, a 2,100-acre urban forest in Aiken, S.C.
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With them, the colonists brought their favorite pastimes, too. As a farming community, Aiken’s population was familiar with horses for utilitarian purposes, but the town soon became — and still is — a hub for equestrian sports. There are at least 40 polo fields in Aiken County alone. Stroll through town — nearly everything here is within walking distance — and eventually paved roads give way to dirt paths. In the equestrian district, you’re just as likely to pass riders on horseback as cars and walkers. At a busy intersection along Whiskey Road, a main thoroughfare in town, a traffic sign reads, “Yield to horses in the intersection.” Here and throughout the historic district, many of the stately homes built for another era have been carefully maintained and restored. Homes required a minimum of 20 rooms to meet society standards, according to Marty Bailey, who’s lived in town for 12 years and runs a local tour business, Tailored Tours of Aiken. Others no longer stand, but the gates and walls that once surrounded them remain. One such estate was Dinsmore Cottage, which was home to one of Aiken’s most prominent residents — Evalyn Walsh McLean, wife of Edward McLean, one-time publisher of The Washington Post, and owner of the Hope Diamond. McLean wore the 45-carat jewel everywhere she went, according to Bailey’s research, even allowing her Great Dane and English standard poodle to don it at house parties, rollicking affairs where guests might be found playing “Find the Hope.” One of the oldest and certainly one of the largest estates in Aiken is Joye Cottage, a 60room home that once belonged to New York financier William C. Whitney. Nearby you’ll find Banksia, a sprawling 17,000-square-foot mansion
Dorothee Schumacher Tree of Life skirt, $840, and blouse, $540, Rejina Pyo Sofia bag, $495, and Marion Parke Larkspur asymmetrical stiletto sandals, $325, all from Showroom; Teressa Foglia hat, Capitol, $1,350. Photographed at the Green Boundary Club in Aiken, S.C. The private club was built in 1927 as a winter cottage for William Ziegler Jr., owner of Royal Baking Powder Co.
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Celine logo jersey tee, $415, Alexandra Golovanoff sweater, $895, and Isabel Marant high-waisted oversized trouser, $595, all from Capitol; Rachel Comey Jackson tote, $375, Showroom; Illesteva sunglasses, Charlotte’s, $250. Photograph opposite taken at Whiskey Alley restaurant in downtown Aiken, S.C.
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named for the Lady Banks roses that grow here. It’s now the Aiken County Historical Museum, filled with collections related to the town’s history. A few steps from the museum is Hitchcock Woods, a 2,100-acre urban forest with 70 miles of sandy trails for pedestrians and equestrians. Events here include fox hunts (hounds follow an artificially laid scent instead of actual live foxes) and the annual Aiken Horse Show, a tradition dating to 1916. Golf was another favorite pastime of the winter colonists. For 51 weeks of the year, the prestigious Palmetto Club — the second oldest continually operated 18-hole course in the U.S. — is open to members only. But during Masters week, when golf fans flock to the region (Aiken is a half-hour drive from Augusta National), the club founded in 1892 allows nonmembers to tee it up and hit the greens, recently restored by course architect Gil Hanse. There are public courses too, including the Aiken Golf Club. Completed in 1915, the course sits near the site of the former Highland Park Hotel, a posh 125-room inn that was destroyed by a fire in 1898. Around this time, several of the locals convinced Frederick Sugden Willcox, a Highland Park employee originally from Cheshire, England, to open The Willcox with his wife, Elise. Today, The Willcox lives up to its motto as the “living room of Aiken.” Guest rooms are spacious and elegantly furnished with antiques and luxurious linens. There’s a spa offering massages, body treatments and facials; an outdoor pool; a lobby bar and a chef-driven restaurant with menus ranging from small bites to heartier
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entrees to delectable desserts. Guests can dine inside or outside on the porch or by the pool; or find a cozy spot in the lobby and enjoy cocktails and shareables like the salmon crudo, lobster nuggets with a Chinese black bean sauce and Tiki-style Brussels sprouts with cashews, coconut and cilantro. At the end of the day, you can sit back and relax in one of the rockers out front, or inside on one of the plush Chesterfield sofas, and envision a world where business moguls and their families mingled with film stars and Southern aristocrats. A bygone era, but after a couple of days in this small Southern town, it’s easy to understand Aiken’s appeal. SP
WHILE YOU’RE THERE: The drive to Aiken from Charlotte is about two hours and 15 minutes. Steps from The Willcox is downtown, where you’ll find shops, boutiques and restaurants. The Alley is a lively pedestrian plaza with taprooms and eateries, including Whiskey Alley, serving elevated pub fare in a casual setting. Betsy’s Round the Corner is a local favorite for breakfast and lunch in a diner atmosphere. For a grab-and-go breakfast or lunch, New Moon Café serves small-batch roasted coffee, breakfast sandwiches and burritos, paninis and salads in a quirky downtown spot. Home cooks will love Plum Pudding, a shop filled with kitchen wares, including dinnerware by Vietri, Juliska and C.E. Corey, along with wine, snacks and other gourmet packaged goods. For something sweet, pop into La Parisienne Bakery and sample macarons, dacquoise, opera, croissants and more. (Don’t miss their Le Tout-Chocolat – a crispy chocolate base with hazelnut praline and chocolate mousse.) Other Aiken treasures include Hopeland Gardens, a 14-acre preserve where you can stroll among the live oaks, crepe myrtles, camellias and reflective pools and fountains.
Dries Van Noten skirt, $935, and Jody Candrian etched sterling bolo with Paiute agate, $1,250, both from Capitol; Xirena Channing shirt, $166, Poole Shop; Rejina Pyo Sonny bag, $620, and Marion Parke Harvey gladiator sandal, $550, both from Showroom; Krewe Laveau Nylon crystal sunglasses, $315, Charlotte’s. Photo opposite taken at The Willcox.
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|swirl A monthly guide to Charlotte’s parties and galas
Brian Rutenberg Point of Pine
April 30, Jerald Melberg Gallery
Elizabeth Fagg and Leigh Rogers
Jodi and Jeff Salter
Michelle and Will Yeldell
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Gaybe Johnson and Heather McArthur
Steve and Beeland Voellinger
Alicia Leeke and Laura Tyler
Liz Miller
South Carolina native Brian Rutenberg opened Point of Pine, his latest show of abstract landscape paintings, to an eager crowd of patrons.
Martha and Clay Dunnagan and Lucy Stephens
Michael Peter and Britany Lins
Stephen and Dana Hagood and Brian Rutenberg
PHOTOGRAPHS BY DANIEL COSTON
Lynette and Melody Crowe
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VIDEO COURTESY OF SAFEALLIANCE/SCREEN CAPTURES BY DANIEL COSTON
IMAGES COURTESY OF UNCF/SCREEN CAPTURES BY DANIEL COSTON
A monthly guide to Charlotte’s parties and galas
2021 UNCF Mayors Masked Ball benefiting UNCF of the Carolinas March 20
Dwight Gibson
Mayor Vi Lyles
Dr. Trevor Allison and Megan Allison
The Mayor’s Masked Ball returned in a grand, albeit virtual, fashion. Mayor Vi Lyles welcomed guests, and the event closed with exclusive appearances by Samuel L. Jackson, Stephanie Mills and Chaka Khan.
Grazell Howard
Dr. Strutha Rouse and Dr. Kelley Rouse
Tina and Kevin Henry
Tiffany Jones and Michael Boyd
Fighting for Women with Fashion benefiting SafeAlliance March 25
Fifteen of Charlotte’s top doctors, nurses and others took to the virtual runway for this year’s event, while raising more than $90,000 for SafeAlliance, which assists those impacted by domestic violence and sexual assault.
Lindsey Houk
Maureen Beurskens
Dr. Natasha Adams-Denny
Cheslie Kryst
Dr. Dennis Kokenes
Dr. Gaurav Bharti
Lauren R. Timmons
Dr. Jeremie Walker
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CALL TODAY TO SCHEDULE A COMPLIMENTARY WARDROBE CONSULTATION WITH A TO COORDINATE YOUR WARDROBE WITH A NEW AMAZING BELLEZZA LOOK!
SOUTHPARK STYLIST
|swirl A monthly guide to Charlotte’s parties and galas
Blumenthal Salute to Women March 20, Spirit Square
PHOTOGRAPHS BY DANIEL COSTON
Ellie Morgan
Wilford Austin and Tamcemah Brown
Jessica Williams
Ohavia Phillips
April Porter and Andre Jones
Blumenthal Performing Arts Center celebrated Women’s History Month with an afternoon concert filled with some of the city’s brightest female musicians.
Julius Franz and Zoa Ordonez
A Night at the Drive-In
benefiting Atrium Health Foundation April 10, Charlotte Motor Speedway
PHOTOGRAPHS BY DANIEL COSTON
This year’s Atrium gala turned into a giant drive-in event at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Patrons enjoyed the music of Blues Traveler and The Gene Woods Soul Alliance from the comfort of their cars.
The Gene Woods Soul Alliance
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| gallery
MADE IN THE SHADE
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PHOTOGRAPH BY JUSTIN DRISCOLL
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nstallation artist Kathryn Godwin of Studio Cultivate brought a big pop of color to The Metropolitan with her latest commission, creating a backdrop for countless selfies over the last few weeks. “Umbrella Alley” was inspired by similar umbrella canopy projects across Europe, Godwin says. “[The] installation was a little challenging — rigging cable wire is always a bit of a process. The wind in the area is a whole other factor that we’ve not dealt with on previous projects, but each project we execute is unique and always a new learning experience,” Godwin says. More than 100 umbrellas were installed in early April at the Midtown shopping center and will remain up through June 30. “We just love bringing magic and joy to spaces in unexpected ways and have loved seeing the community’s reaction to this one,” says Godwin, who started Studio Cultivate in 2013, creating unique art installations for popup events, storefronts, parties and more. “We hope to be able to bring some more delight to Charlotte in the future.” SP
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Escape to the Lake
Lake Norman’s Premier Yacht Club is closer than you think.
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