Our Town

THE USUAL OUR

“It seems only children attract other only children.”

-Sally Creech, founder of the Solo Sis ters group (in the fr ont row, second fr om the right)

“SALLY STARTED IT,” SAYS KAY SCHOELLHORN, laughing as she welcomes a seemingly neverending stream of fr iends into her Hayes Barton home. Ranging in age fr om 21 to 90, these women are all only children, and they’re here for their monthly meeting of the Solo Sisters, a group founded by Raleighite Sally Creech, herself an only child. “I grew up with a lot of only children at the end of the war,” Creech says. Wartime meant many parents married and had children later in life; one child was a reality rather than a choice. As Creech and her fellow only children got older, Creech says, she realized they had to handle sickness, aging parents, and other challenges without immediate family support. In January 2008, Creech decided to gather the other only children she knew for a glass of wine and fellowship. Th ey found, unsurprisingly, that they had a lot in common. Th ey tended to be independent, unfl appable, and proud. Many, like Creech, a well-known real estate broker, had been quite successful. Th ey’d heard all of the only-child bad press, and poo-pooed it. (One of her favorite examples – it makes Creech laugh out loud – is a quote fr om turn-of-the-century child psychologist Granville Stanley Hall: “Being an only child is nothing short of a disease.”) United by the conviction that their no-sibling status was a point of pride, and eager for the fr iendship of other only-child women, they quickly became to one another something they’d never had: sisters. “I know these ladies will be here for me,” says Leah Friedman, one of the younger members. Th ese days, there are about 100 Solo Sisters; thier monthly meetings rotate among members’ houses. Some bring wine, some bring hors d’oeuvres. Every month, Creech reads something about only children, and every month, they check in with one another about their lives. “Over the years we have provided comfort and support to each other,” says member Debbie Robbins. “It makes me think how nice it would have been to have siblings!” –Liza Roberts

“More than anything, we’re here for the beignets.”

–Arlton Cangelosi, Mr. A’s Beignets food truck owner

IF YOUR FEBRUARY PLANS DON’T INCLUDE A TRIP TO NEW Orleans for Mardi Gras, you can laissez les bons temps rouler at home with a bite of one of Arlton Cangelosi’s beignets and a sip of his chicory coffee. The New Orleans native learned beignet-making at 18, when he was hired to manage a New Orleans beignet franchise, French Market Doughnuts. The pastries are a Louisiana staple, made with deep-fried choux pastry (a lighter-than-dough paste made of water, sugar, butter, and eggs), then covered in sugar and served hot for breakfast or as a treat. Cangelosi, who now lives in Apex, serves his hot from his Mr. A’s Beignets food truck, which can usually be found at 400 N. Salem St. in Apex, and at food truck rodeos, festivals, and Carolina RailHawks games. Cangelosi and his wife moved from the Big Easy to North Carolina 18 years ago. After retiring from a long postal service career, he figured it was time for another gig. “My wife told me I couldn’t sit at home,” he says with a laugh. He wanted to serve classic New Orleans cuisine in his adopted state, and beignets were the obvious choice. In December 2015, his food truck was born. “I’m glad I went with my choice,” he says. “I get to see people smile all day when they’ve never had a beignet before and they’re trying it for the first time.” Cangelosi has plenty of regular customers who come by daily for fresh beignets and chicory coffee – he estimates he sells about 900 pastries a week. That’s a big number considering Cangelosi makes each one himself, by hand. He knows he could save time and churn out more if he did it with a machine, but he won’t sacrifice quality. To him, it’s not about the money – it’s about the people and the experience. “I wanted it to be more personal,” he says. “I don’t want it to be work – I had a job. If you don’t enjoy it, it’s not fun.” Customers are greeted by name, and Cangelosi doesn’t have employees, just family members and friends who work next to him in the truck. “We hang out,” he says happily, stirring beignets simmering in oil. “This is the one job where you get to play with food.” –Mimi Montgomery

Wednesday - Friday 7 a.m. - 12 noon, Saturday 8 a.m. - 12 noon; truck usually found at 400 N. Salem St., Apex; squaredoughnuts.com photograph by RAY BLACK III

OUR Town GAME PLAN

“This is a great place for them to come play. We built this for all children.” –Dionne Lester, volunteer leader of the Sassafras All Children’s Playground renovation at Laurel Hills Park “It didn’t start out being a massive project,” says Dionne Lester, the driving force behind the $2.3 million Sassafras All Children’s Playground at Laurel Hills Park that includes equipment accessible to kids with disabilities. The three-and-ahalf-acre site has been in the works for eight years and garnered the support of institutions including the Frankie Lemmon School and Development Center, the City of Raleigh, and the Kiwanis Club, but Lester says it started in the pediatrician’s office waiting room. There, Lester connected with other parents of children with disabilities. Her daughter, Danielle, was born with both cerebral palsy and a strong will, and Lester remembers recounting how frustrated Danielle would get when “we’d go out to play and there were things she couldn’t do on her own without assistance from me or her dad. Other parents were sharing their frustrations, too.” Spurred by this community need, Lester discovered Laurel Hills Park, a playground built for all children. Unfortunately, its 1991 construction rendered it outdated. “We know a lot more about the benefits of play now,” Lester says, “and also how to structure it for every developmental need.” By training, Lester is an engineer, and she runs a business services management group. “I’m a project manager,” she explains, which helped her rally the troops to renovate the playground. The renovation project was welcomed widely. “Raleigh Parks and Recreation was supportive from day one. It snowballed. One conversation led to another led to another. As we assembled the team, we decided to dream big.” They arrived at a massive overhaul with top-of-the-line play equipment and other features, such as a basketball court with height-adjustable hoops. The Frankie Lemmon School and Development Center offered to be the undertaking’s fiscal agent. “It went from, ‘Oh, wouldn’t it be nice to have this’ to jaw-dropping. People opened their hearts and put in so much time and effort.” After eight years of planning, fundraising, and building, the Sassafras playground was dedicated in November. Lester says the many years of work were worth it, as indicated by the reception from the adolescent community, including her now-teenage daughter. “My daughter is in a walker and her best friend, Deanna, is in a wheelchair. The affirmation for me was on the day of the grand opening. We’re out there, and I’m in the middle of a conversation with Deanna. She cut me off and said, ‘Yeah, well, Ms. Lester I’ve gotta run. I’ve got to go play,’ and takes off in her wheelchair. Isn’t that fabulous?” –J.A.

“The people who are single (in the Triangle) are really good quality people. They are smart; they are successful, educated people; they have good jobs. I like to think I’m helping them screen through all the foolishness.” –Angela Kelley, owner, A+ Introductions

NECESSITY WAS THE MOTHER OF INVENTION WHEN Angela Kelley started her business. The Apexbased clinical researcher had become exhausted by the apps and websites that promised to help a 30-something woman like herself find a serious relationship. She’d tried the Tinders, OKCupids, and eHarmonys of the viral world and they weren’t for her. “I didn’t feel like there was really any other alternative for people who didn’t want to do online dating,” she says. “If you don’t hang out in bars and stuff like that, it’s hard … You get to a point where you’re out of resources, because all your friends are married with kids.” She decided to take matters into her own hands, and in 2014, founded A+ Introductions, a matchmaking service. The human element is the most important aspect of what she does: She calls her business “the anti-Tinder.” She meets with Triangle- based men and women one-on-one to assess their personalities and to learn what they’re looking for, and keeps her client pool (typically mid-30s and serious about finding a real relationship) at about 100 so she knows them all by name. She’s also rigid about background checks and a code of conduct. An aligning of personalities and value systems is more important than physical attractiveness, Kelley tells her clients. To ensure this, Kelley doesn’t provide photos of potential matches prior to a first date. “We all want the Brad Pitts and the Denzel Washingtons,” she says. “I also have to help people be realistic about what they really, really want and what they really, really need.” Seriousness aside, Kelley wants customers to remember that, at the end of the day, dating is supposed to be fun. “I gauge my success as to whether people feel they’ve had a good time on their date, and whether they’re willing to go on a second date.” Of course, February is a busy time for love. Kelley calls it “cuffing season,” those cold winter months when people want to find someone special with whom they can cozy up. Her services are in higher demand around this time, but she’s quick to give a pep-talk to those looking for love. “Don’t give up. Be persistent … don’t settle. Don’t feel like you’re less-than if you’re not matched up. Eventually you will be if you want to be.” She laughs. “Optimism is my thing … It’s helpful to have somebody in your corner.” –Mimi Montgomery

Aplusintroductions.com photograph by CHRISTER BERG