Finding Festival Food in Vanceboro
Photos and Images by Leanne E. Smith The Vanceboro Strawberry Festival & Rescue Day celebrates its namesake fruit, but it is also a fundraiser and outreach event for the Vanceboro Rescue Squad. The town has a population of around 1,000 people, and it is centrally located between several other Eastern NC towns, being about 26 […]
Saltbox Seafood Joint
Text and photos by Monique LaBorde I’ve visited Saltbox Seafood Joint three times in the past year, but I only recently made it there in time to eat. Saltbox opens at 11am and cooks seafood until they run out, which is usually around 5 p.m. On a busy day, Saltbox can run out of their […]
The Pit
The Pit BBQ in Durham, across from the famed Motorco, is part of the new Durham–a Durham of renovation and reinvention. The Pit is the perfect example of a business taking the traditions of a city steeped in Southern history, and presenting them with a modern aesthetic to a new generation. The Pit is gleaming […]
Allen and Son Bar-B-Que
Text and Photos by Lauren Fulcher and Monique Laborde In the big cities of NC, it’s easy to forget that you’re in the south. Especially in college towns like Chapel Hill, it’s hard to find authentic southern cooking. If you drive out though just a few miles from Franklin Street, there’s a little place called […]
First Local Berries of the Season
By Ray Linville Finding locally grown strawberries is a sure sign that spring has arrived. As I was driving in the Monkey Junction area of Wilmington on the last weekend in March, I noticed a berry stand that had been closed for months was open. North Carolina, the third largest producer of strawberries in the […]
The Art of Making Pupusas
by Joy Salyers There was so much to share from our visit to Manny’s Universal Cafe in Greensboro that we had to make two blog posts about it! Last week Evan Hatch told you about the owners, Manny and Margarita, and the amazing food we ate (and ate, and ate). This week, we have a […]
Manny’s Universal Cafe
by Evan Hatch The Southside neighborhood in downtown Greensboro, North Carolina, stands as a prime example of successful urban revitalization. Historic homes line the landscape, interspersed with historic businesses and combined commercial/residential properties. Urban planning experts often cite Southside as an example of renewal done right. A 2003 winner of the National Planning Award for Implementation from the […]
Taste the Redbuds
By Ray Linville The eastern redbud tree is one of the first heralds of spring. Underneath the pine trees of our state, this flowering tree creates a magnificent sight as temperatures begin to warm. Because the redbud is so prominent as an ornamental, we tend to overlook its role in our food culture. […]
Smokey’s BBQ Shack
by Evan Hatch One Wednesday, after a North Carolina Folklife Institute Board of Directors meeting, a great hunger announced its presence. I wanted barbecue. When asked of a good local spot, President André Nabors replied, “Smokey’s.” Mr. Nabors was only working under assumption – he’d not yet had Smokey’s BBQ. But when I asked its location, his answer convinced me […]
Recalling Fishing Camps of the Past
by Ray Linville Fishing camps in eastern North Carolina were once where farmers could seek short-term employment in the fishing industry when the season arrived and, as described by NCpedia, “make a pile of money” by catching fish. Some camps were built on the coast, and nets were set from the beach to capture […]
Keeping the Business in the Family
by Ray Linville A nondescript building on a rural road is not the typical place where I stop for food. In Rennert, a town of fewer than 400 residents in Robeson County, I found “E.&H. Bar.B.Q. Hut” painted on a faded, decades-old Coca-Cola sign on a whitewashed structure that marked my destination. Although another sign […]
Creating a Welcome Table
by Ray Linville In 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. eminently said, “ . . . the church is still the most segregated major institution in America. At 11:00 on Sunday morning… we stand at the most segregated hour in this nation.” Although much has changed in the intervening years, much still needs to be […]
Get Out Your Calendars!
It may be hard to believe while it’s still so cold outside, but fields, orchards, and arbors in North Carolina will soon be turning those amazing shades of young, bright green that last only a few precious days before the real warmth of spring sets in. Here at NC Folk we’re already thinking about […]
Diner Food and Motorcycles
By Ray Linville What about cold temperatures makes us hungry for hot, homemade soup? When you’re traveling on a chilly winter day, do you look for a diner and hope that it has freshly made, steaming hot soup ready to serve? As I was traveling on U.S. Highway 64 near the eastern […]
Livermush Monday at the Grocery Basket & Grill in Ferguson, NC
by Leanne E. Smith At the Grocery Basket & Grill in Ferguson, North Carolina, Labor Day Monday is Livermush Monday. On the day after the Happy Valley Fiddler’s Convention, Livermush Monday is a somewhat new music gathering celebrating an older foodways tradition and the longtime local eatery. Traveling from the festival towards Wilkesboro, the first […]
Starting the New Year with Food (and Politics)
by Ray Linville A community can come together on special occasions, such as New Year’s Day. When the “good luck” foods of the South are provided free by elected officials and political candidates, the crowd can swell and create a huge waiting line, just the perfect opportunity for politicians to meet and greet […]
Feasting at the 10th Annual Oyster Roast and Shrimp Steam at the Ocracoke Seafood Company
by Leanne E. Smith Seventy-degree weather on December 30? With some slight southerly breezes blowing off of Silver Lake, and a well-timed break in the day’s rain, it was a great day to gather around sheets of plywood propped on sawhorses in anticipation of oysters, shrimp, stews, and hushpuppies outside the Ocracoke Seafood […]
Hello world!
Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start writing!
Benne for Good Luck
by Sarah Bryan As Christmas of 2015 approached, I discovered yet another reason to be glad that I work for NC Folk. I already knew that my colleagues, Executive Director Joy Salyers and Director of Programs and Development Evan Hatch, are great folks to work with: they’re kind, smart, and deeply dedicated to NC […]
Revisiting the holidays at NC Food, Part 2
One of the great things about the winter holidays is the opportunity to learn about the traditions of people whose backgrounds are different from one’s own. And because so many people celebrate their holidays with special dishes, it’s a great time also to sample new tastes. Perhaps you have a family member from another culture who shares […]
Potter Mark Hewitt receives United States Artists Fellowship
by Evan Hatch NC Folk wanted to spread the word. Pittsboro potter Mark Hewitt has been awarded a United States Artists Fellowship. The award comes with a $50,000 unrestricted prize allowing Hewitt to make needed repairs to his farm. Check out the article in the Raleigh N&O: http://www.newsobserver.com/entertainment/arts-culture/article49211350.html Of course Mr. Hewitt is no stranger […]
Boiled Peanuts for Sale
by Ray Linville What makes boiled peanuts so enjoyable in the Old North State? “Boiling peanuts brings out a kind of mellowness to the nut which is … like tasting ripeness in a pear,” says food historian David Shields. Peanuts, planted in May, are ready for harvest in September and October. Although raw […]
Christmas Past at NC Food
This December in NC Food, we’ll be bringing you some of our favorite holiday posts from winters past. Whether you’re gearing up for Hanukkah or Christmas, catching your breath after a festive Diwali, or preparing to observe Kwanzaa or Mawlid, we bet that food is an important part of your holiday season. Today, let’s revisit […]
Cataloochee Prune Cake
by Sarah Bryan In some ways the border between the Carolinas is fluid. The two largest towns that are on or a few miles from the state line—Charlotte and Myrtle Beach—seem mismatched with their respective states. Charlotte could be mistaken for a bustling, shiny, businesslike version of the self-image of the state to the […]