Media Continue to Rave About Durham

This week Durham has caught the attention of several major national publications like The New York Times, Garden & Gun, Bon Appetit, and The New Yorker with its spate of notable restaurants and features.


Garden & Gun readers lauded popular Durham burger restaurants Bull City Burger and Only Burger as having the "South's Best Burgers."

The New York Times visited Durham's Central Park District in "A Corner of Durham, N.C., Comes to Life." Places featured included The Pit, Geer St. Garden, Fullsteam Brewery, Cocoa Cinnamon and Motorco Music Hall.

Durham's Rose's Meat Market and Sweet Shop was recognized among Bon Appetit's "50 Nominees for America's Best New Restaurants 2014." The publication was particularly impressed with the spring onion sausage wrapped in puff pastry and the hot pastrami with fried potatoes. The top ten will be announced August 19.

The New Yorker profiled a Durham-based photography project, which documented the Durham Bulls' 2013 season in a book, "Bull City Summer." North Carolina writer Sam Stephenson led the project that focused on the world-famous Triple-A team.

See more Durham accolades or visit all of the places in these articles.

Brew Dogs Put Durham Front and Center

In addition to a killer food scene, Durham has an amazing beer scene, too.  Afterall, Durham is the home of the original World Beer Festival held here every fall, and All About Beer magazine!

Esquire Network's Brew Dogs, a show hosted by two Scottish brewers known the world over for their feats of brewing, came to Durham to brew a beer with the folks at Fullsteam. Their stated goal was to brew the most caloric beer ever made, and they used ingredients from Durham and all over NC to achieve that goal.

The resulting episode is a not only fun to watch, it's got scene after scene of great Durham views and the people that live and visit here. It's fun to watch (which can be done entirely online by clicking here) ...especially with a great Durham brew in hand.

Learn more about Durham's beer scene online, and start planning a visit with this website.

NC Craft Brewers Guild Hires Metzger

Today, the North Carolina Craft Brewers Guild announced that they have hired a new executive director, Margo Knight Metzger.  "This great news for us in Durham," said Sam Poley, Director of Public Relations and Communications for the Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau (DCVB), the organization charged with marketing Durham as a place to visit, live, do business.  "Margo has been such an asset to us in her current post, and now we're excited to be helping her and the Guild in any way we can to cement the idea that Durham is a great destinations for beer lovers," he added.

Durham is home to All About Beer magazine, and the original World Beer Festival held annually in October.

Metzger brings ten years of experience to the role, including government affairs, tourism promotion and alcohol beverage industry insight. She will lead the guild’s efforts to advance the interests of the state’s craft breweries and to promote North Carolina craft beer.

Craft beer is an undeniable trend in Durham, and across NC, too.  With three operating breweries, and more on the way, the beer scene in Durham was part in parcel of it earning the title Tastiest Town in the South.

“We are thrilled to bring Margo on board,” said Sean Lilly Wilson, president of the North Carolina Craft Brewers Guild and the Chief Executive Optimist of Durham's Fullsteam Brewery. “While we had an impressive slate of highly-qualified candidates, Margo’s extensive experience in government relations, tourism, and the alcohol industry made her the perfect fit. Even better, she’s passionate about craft beer and loves her native North Carolina.”

Metzger attended the NC School of Science and Math in Durham, an experience that left her with a strong appreciation for Durham. She leaves her position as public relations director for the North Carolina Division of Tourism, Film and Sports Development, part of the North Carolina Department of Commerce. She previously served as Executive Director of the North Carolina Wine & Grape Council. Prior to that, Metzger led marketing for a beer and wine wholesaler in the Triad region of North Carolina. She graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a B.A. in Journalism and Mass Communication.

Learn more about Durham's beer scene online.

Durham Celebrates NC Beer Month With CollaBEERation

UPDATE: Per Bull City Burger and Brewery's Facebook page, info about the CollaBEERation:

CollaBEERation "Trinity Ale" now on tap. Equal parts of Fullsteam, Triangle Brewery and Bull City Burger and Brewery in one beer. To celebrate NC Craft Beer Month, we joined hops, malts and forces to create a one-off beer for craft beer lovers. A pale amber color with hints of bronze and a rocky white head from the NC rye and wheat malts, this medium bodied beer packs a punch with over 6% ABV and tangy hop bitterness on the finish. This beer was filtered and then dry-hopped with Northern Brewer and Fuggles hops, plus a hint of Durham’s Rosemary bushes at the corner of Mangum and Parrish to make certain we have included Durham in every glass. We are donating $1 from every pint sold to a local Durham charity. This beer is sold only by the pint for $5 including tax. Sorry, no growlers or pitchers. VERY LIMITED at all three breweries. Hops: Northern Brewer, Nugget, Goldings.

In April, Durham has a little something special up its sleeve for North Carolina Beer Month.  Soon, Durham beer aficionados will have a new local draft beer to call their own.

On April 3, Durham beer drinkers will be able to celebrate North Carolina Beer Month with a CollaBEERation from Durham's three breweries; Bull City Burger and Brewery, Fullsteam Brewery, and Triangle Brewing Company. The unique styles from each of these three breweries have been blended together to create a uniquely Durham brew.

About the Beer

Brewers from each brewery assisted with mashing in the grain, and adding hops. Each contributed a third of pale malt from three different maltsters, one bag of specialty grains (Triangle contributed wheat, Fullsteam contributed NC Rye and  Bull City Burger and Brewery added Caramel 40), and hops from their signature beers (Triangle added hops from Nugget, Fullsteam added hops from Northern Brewer and Bull City Burger and Brewery added hops from Fuggles).

A taste of Durham is also included from the big rosemary bush at the corner of Mangum and Parrish streets in Downtown Durham. The beer will be lightly filtered with a copper colored ale around 6% ABV with a high level of hoppy bitterness and aroma to please NC craft beer lovers. The style is not defined and will henceforth be known as Durham's style. The beer will be available at each of the three breweries on draft. Each brewery will donate $1 from each pint sold to a local Durham charity selected by each brewery.

Name the Beer
The name of the beer will be decided by a contest.  All three breweries will ask their Facebook fans to nominate a beer’s name and the brewers will pick from the top 5 most liked beer names. Find them on Facebook: Bull City, Fullsteam, and Triangle.

About North Carolina Beer Month
North Carolina is truly the South’s beer stronghold with the most breweries of any state south of Pennsylvania and east of Texas. To celebrate the state’s craftsmanship and the destinations where it’s nurtured, breweries, hotels, restaurants and other businesses combine forces for the inaugural NC Beer Month. Throughout April, beer lovers will find special tours, tastings, dinners, classes and other events as well as lodging packages and deals on North Carolina beer. Travelers can chart a course from urban pub hubs and beer frontiers to lively towns with character to spare. Visit www.NCBeermonth.com for details on specials, and developments on other newly minted festivals, beer classes, and other activities.

Durham April Beer Month events include:

• Triangle Brewing Company holds Saturday brewery tours at 1:30 PM. Cost is $3 per person.
• Bull City Burger & Brewery offers an official brewery tour at 4:00 PM on Saturdays. Cost is $5 per person and includes a tour and tasting of the beers on tap together.  The $5 can be credit toward a growler deposit that day only.
• Beltline Brew Tours give tours of Fullsteam, Triangle Brewing Company and Bull City Burger and Brewery. Tickets are $40-$45. Tour is 11:30-4 PM on April 6.

For more information about Durham, read online.

Four Durham Restaurants & Chefs Recognized as Semifinalists for James Beard Award

More great things are happening on the Durham food scene! More because Durham is already in the running to be named the Tastiest Town in the South by Southern Living magazine.  Read about that here, and read on for some great reasons why, precisely, Durham is on that list to begin with.

Durham-admirers will be pleased to discover that the Oscars of the food world, The James Beard Awards, have recognized five Durham chefs and restaurants as part of its 2013 semifinalists list.

The honorees for the James Beard Foundation's 2013 James Beard Foundation Awards Restaurant and Chef Award Semifinalists are:

1. Mateo bar de Tapas in the category of Best New Restaurant
2. Pheobe Lawless of Scratch Bakery in the category of Outstanding Pastry Chef
3. Sean Lilly Wilson of Fullsteam Brewery in the category of Outstanding Wine, Spirits, Beer Professional
4. Scott Howell of Nana's in the category of  Best Chef in the Southeast

To learn more about great things happening in Durham, click here.  For more about the food scene in Durham, click here.

The New York Times Spent 36 Hours in Durham

The New York Times regularly runs a piece in their travel section where they write about what a traveler can do with, well, 36 hours in a place.  On Sunday, January 20th, the world will see what they think can happen in Durham in 36 hours.  Heads up, it's a lot!

Like Durham, the article focuses a great deal on great food, music, the arts, and the open and welcoming culture of intellect.  In other words, the article captures Durham right down to the last nuance and lets it shine as the funky, authentic place that it is.

The story is on the paper's website, and will hit the stands on Sunday. There is an accompanying slideshow, as well.

Coverage like this is always appreciated.  Durham is also up for a major accolade from Southern Living Magazine.  Read more about that online and be sure to vote daily for Durham!

The Cookery to Host A Culinary Spectacle for all Ages

Regardless of whether you are a fan of food in general, certain chefs, or the food truck movement that is directing a lot of attention toward Durham, there is something going on there to satisfy every taste.  In a few weeks, yet another bright spot will emerge on the landscape in the place where great things happen.

Triangle residents can eat sausages made by WUNC’s The State of Things host, Frank Stasio, sample vegan sausages prepared by Rue Cler’s award winning chef, Aaron Benjamin, or consume any variety of fare from The Cookery’s popular food truck members, all in the name of charity on Saturday, September 15th from noon to 3:00 pm. The celebration of culinary talent will take place in the Front Room, a new event space in The Cookery on West Chapel Hill Street, benefiting the Durham Crisis Response Center’s emergency shelter which provides a safe environment for women and children fleeing violent and dangerous situations.

“We are thrilled that the culinary community of the Triangle area has rallied to show their support for this fundraiser,” said Rochelle Johnson, who co-owns The Cookery with her husband, Nick Hawthorne-Johnson. “The funds raised through our food sales during the event will go directly toward the kitchen remodel at the shelter, which will improve the lives of countless families on a daily basis.”

Food truck favorites at the benefit will include Chirba Chirba Dumpling, Monuts Donuts, The Parlour, Pie Pushers, Sympathy for the Deli, and Triangle Raw Foods.  Each of them are members of The Cookery, where they take advantage of the innovative concept of sharing a state-of-the-art kitchen for chefs to prepare and share their creations with the public. In addition, many celebrated chefs in the foodie-centric Triangle have committed to participating in the event, as well as special musical guest Justin Robinson and the Mary Annettes. To add to the afternoon, a free wine tasting will be hosted by The Clever Vine, and beer tastings will be led by local brewers Bull City Burger and Brewery, Fullsteam, Lonerider Brewing Company, and Triangle Brewing Company.

“We are so excited to expand upon this building’s food-focused history,” said Johnson.  What once was the Durham Food Co-op building has transformed into an elegant event space featuring exposed brick walls, distinctive metalwork salvaged from historic Durham landmarks, and a ceiling stretching 20 feet high. 

The fundraiser will serve as the unveiling of The Cookery’s Front Room, which will serve as a space for The Cookery to host a series of pop-up restaurants, specialty food events, Culinary Workshops, and wine and beer dinners, as well as private dinners and receptions.  The space accommodates up to 200 people, and includes a mezzanine and outdoor patio, a full bar with local NC beers on tap and audio/visual equipment.  In addition, the Front Room’s access to The Cookery’s kitchen facility will equip chefs and caterers with a commercial kitchen and bakery facility to expand upon their culinary repertoire to design unprecedented events.

Learn more about all of Durham's great food options online.

Durham Arm Wrestlers to Raise Funds for Crisis Center

Durham is never at a loss for great entertainment.  Be it traditional, or not, there's always something interesting to see in the place where great things happen.  Tomorrow night is no different.

The League of Upper Extremity Wrestling Women of Durham (LUEWWD) heeded the recent call from Durham Crisis Response Center (DCRC) for the public to help the non-profit raise $20,000 required to address the most immediate repairs needed for its crumbling facility. DCRC, the only agency in Durham County that works with survivors of domestic violence and sexual abuse, will not make these repairs at a cost to the services they provide to families in crisis.

LUEWWD is a Durham-based group focused on raising funds for local nonprofits serving women and girls via the amazing spectacle of women's arm wrestling. LUEWWD has raised $23,000 since its inception in June 2010.

On June 16th at Fullsteam Brewery starting at 8:30 p.m., LUEWWD will host a fundraising event on behalf of DCRC.  It will be a local live viewing of SuperCLAW, a national ladies’ arm wrestling championship held in Charlottesville, VA. Eight arm wrestling leagues from across the US will be fighting to bring more pride and an equal share of the total funds raised back to their respective beneficiaries. Fierce yet comical, “Ze Dirty Butcher” will be representing Durham. The live-streaming of SuperCLAW begins at 9:00 p.m.

Admission is free. Donations are welcomed through a 50/50 raffle, “Buy a Shingle,” and auction of a SuperCLAW poster to be signed by the national arm wrestler. For a fair price, friends can challenge friends to accept the fate of the Moshi Moshi Stalemate Wheel, with chances to hula-hoop, thumb-wrestle or play full-body rock paper scissors. Attendees will also be able to challenge DCRC board members to a spin of the wheel. In addition, Fullsteam will donate $1 for every pint purchased.

“We were thrilled when LUEWWD offered to raise money for the structural repairs,” said DCRC Board Chair Ingram Hedgpeth. “The June 16th event will provide an opportunity for the Durham community to support an issue that pervades every neighborhood, largely unnoticed and unspoken, until an event like this focuses our communal compassion on families who have experienced domestic violence.”

More details about supporting the local party to cheer on DCRC and “Ze Dirty Butcher” are available at online. Learn more about DCRC and donate at here.

Durham Wants You to Show Them Your Cans!

People in Durham take care of one another - that fact is evidenced throughout the community. People in Durham are so intent on taking care of one another that this Saturday is the first anniversary of the Marry Durham event where people married the city.

Now Durham’s vibrant entrepreneurial community is being called upon once again to supply up to 20 teams for the second annual CFD {Creative Food Drive} to benefit the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina on Saturday, September 22, 2012.  The event and competition will take place at North Rigsbee (Motorco, Fullsteam, and the adjoining block).

“The Durham community is so active and creative we thought, ‘Why not put this energy to good use?’” said George Hining of MHAworks Architecture, one of the organizers of the event.

According to Hining, roughly 500 people are expected to turn out for this year’s competition, which is taking the form of a block party with live music, games, and local food and drink vendors.  The event will be free to the public and the competitors.

So what is the competition about?  Each team (formed between now and the end of August) will compete by designing and constructing any type of stand-alone “sculpture” they can conceptualize out of non-perishable food items in 90 minutes.  These items have either been purchased or solicited and will be donated after the event to the Food Bank.

One of last year’s sponsors, ReverbNation, is back in the mix providing CFD with three bands for the second year in a row.  King’s Red and White Super Market has also jumped in to show its support as a partnering grocery store, providing teams with an easier way to stock their structures at wholesale prices.  Food Trucks from last year like Will & Pops, Pie Pushers and The Parlour are back, and so are competing teams, such as Semprius and LeChase Construction. “The whole experience was great.  At the end of the program, we had employees looking to the next year, throwing out ideas to make the sculpture even better,” said Joseph Carr, CEO of Semprius, the 2011 Winner of the Best Overall Award.

“It’s a great way for the Durham community to learn about our branch in the city and to provide meals for families who may need our help,” said Linda Fisher, Special Events and Food Drive Manager for the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina.

“The idea of building sculptures out of non-perishable foods is a fun way to resupply our shelves and help us get food out to the families that need it,” she added.

“Last year the Creative Food Drive was very successful, with 16 competing teams, we were able to raise over 8,160 meals for the Food Bank” says Brittany Guarino, of MHAworks, another organizer of the event. “With overwhelming positive response to our first CFD, this year should be even bigger and better than it was back in October.”

Learn more about other exciting events occurring in Durham by looking at the Durham Event Calendar.

See Also:
Marry Durham Celebrates One Year

Durham Chefs on Beard Foundation Short List

Accolades for Durham, NC's culinary culture show no signs of slowing. Consistently featured as a top place in the US to eat, visit, relocate, and retire, Durhamites already know what all the fuss is about. For those still learning about this great place known for its diversity, openness and creativity, here’s yet another reason to take note.

The James Beard Foundation Awards announced the 2012 semifinalists and Durham's nationally acclaimed local chef culture is represented well. Scott Howell of Nana’s (a semifinalist last year as well) is a semifinalist in the Best Chef in the Southeast category, Sean Lily Wilson of Fullsteam Brewery is up for Outstanding Wine & Spirits Professional and Magnolia Grill looks to bring home Outstanding Restaurant honors.

Considered the Oscars of the food world, The James Beard Foundation Awards honor excellence in restaurants, chefs, wine service professionals, cookbook authors and food journalism each year. Without a doubt, Durham has found its place on the James Beard Foundation map.

From mobile food to some of the nation's most celebrated fine dining, Durham is a place where people turn for variety and quality.  Learn more Durham related food awards by searching the keyword "food" on the Durham Accolades website.

Marry Durham Celebrates One Year

Last year on March 19, 2011, over a two thousand citizens formally vowed their commitment to Durham at the Marry Durham Celebration. One year later, Marry Durham will be hosting an Anniversary Party to commemorate and renew the commitments made to Durham.

The free family-friendly celebration will include a parade, local entertainment, a kid’s area, and
food trucks. Sponsored by Motorco, the bar…Durham, Surf Club, Lloyd’s Lounge, and
Fullsteam, the event will offer entertaining options for everyone to enjoy the celebration in the
Warehouse District.

As was true last year, Marry Durham will be about more than just fun. The goal of the Marry
Durham Anniversary Celebration is to remind Durhamites of their vows to keep the streets clean
and safe, protect natural resources, shop locally, support the arts and local non-profit
organizations, cherish diversity, and elect responsible leaders. As with last year’s event
donations will be accepted. The original five non-profits along with 10 new invitees will be
onsite soliciting donations from the guests. General donations will be collected to fund
community based projects proposed by the nonprofits.

Carl Kenney, who officiated last year’s ceremony shared this in a recent column - "The Marry
Durham celebration allowed us a chance to say what we all had been thinking... We say we love
our diversity. We love our local shops and take care of this world we love so much. We vow to
do better at celebrating the arts. We hold our leadership accountable. (We're not a community
that throws stone at people for being different. We throw them at people who throw the
stones.) That day was like no other." This year’s event seeks to remind citizens of their vows
and introduce them to new organizations.

Marry Durham’s Anniversary Celebration will be held on Saturday, March 17th, from 2:30-
5:30pm, on the 700 Block of Rigsbee Avenue (between W. Geer & Corporation Streets).

Prepare for Durham's Mardi Gras Celebration

The Durham Mardi Gras Group invites the Bull City to prepare for the revelry. 

A loose coalition of mystic societies are planning a Durham Mardi Gras Parade and Celebration on Feb. 21, aka Fat Tuesday. Parade participants should meet before 7 p.m. at Major, the bull stationed at CCB Plaza, 201 Corcoran St. The parade, which will be on the sidewalk, will end on Rigsbee Street at Motorco Music Hall and Fullsteam Brewery. Krewe’s, such as the Banished Fool’s Durham Krewe and the Mystic Order of Socratic Monkeys (aka MOSM), are assembling their themes and costumes. 

Durham Mardi Gras Group hopes others will take notice and assemble krewe’s and costumes.

One MOSM member (membership is secret) described the Durham parade as a respite from the toll of callous politics, war and the Great Recession as young and old, rich and poor are equalized in the masked Mardi Gras anonymity and the pursuit of folly. 

The Bulltown Strutters, a community band that inspires revelry with every beat, will lead the Feb. 21 sidewalk parade with their vivacious music and songs. The march will end and the celebration will continue on Rigsbee Street. 

“This should be the beginning of a tradition that is bigger than any one person or bar. This is about Durham rocking harder than anyone, anywhere,” says the Mardi Gras event’s facebook page description. “This is about the Durham family coming together for a night of fun and revelry.”

To help residents prepare for the festivities Happymess Art Studio is hosting two opportunities to customize a mask, a parasol, and other accessories used in the annual tradition. On Saturday Happymess is hosting a “DIY Masquerade: Prepare for the Bull City Mardi Gras Parade and Celebration” from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at its arts studio, 718 Iredell Street. 

The party will include Mardi Gras music, king cake, and the début of the unofficial local Mardi Gras libation the “Durhacain.”  A $5 donation gets you in the door and gives you access to materials--glitter, beads, trinkets-- and glue guns. Masks to decorate will be available for purchase, as will a limited number of parasols.

On Feb. 19 Happymess will bring the Do-It-Yourself Masquerade to Motorco’s DtownMarket from noon to 5 p.m. Fullsteam is hosting a decorating party before the parade.

For more information about the Mardi Gras celebration go to the facebook event page.

Home Grown, Home Made

One of the quickest ways to reach a Durhamite is with good food and drink shared with their community.  With that recipe, Home-Grown, Home-Made: A Celebration of Localism was conceived and is coming up on Thursday, October 27th.

The event is being produced by Durham Community Media, Durham's only local nonprofit community media center and public access TV station which provides its services through public financial support.

Hoped to become an annual event, attendees will enjoy tastes of local food, brew, wine and desserts and an evening of culinary and social celebration. Held at one of  Durham’s newest local breweries, Fullsteam Brewery, the event will bring  residents together to learn about the importance of localism.

The main goal of the event is to highlight local businesses and organizations that do good work and add to the charm and sustainability of Durham. “As we see it, local media and access to local information is just as important as having access to locally produced food and entertainment,” said Chad Johnston, Executive Director of Durham Community Media and The Peoples Channel. "We’re all interested in creating a healthy community.  This will be an evening where we can all come together and celebrate how unique and strong we are when we support one another.”

Home-Grown, Home-Made attendees will have a chance to sample local vendors while learning more about Durham Community Media. The Cookery, Kukia’s Cookies, Reliable Cheese, Vimalas's Curryblossom Cafe, Coon Rock Farm, and others will be at the event. Tickets are available online and at the door with all proceeds supporting the ongoing mission and operations of Durham Community Media. 

The 7th Annual Beaver Queen Pageant is a Must-See!

Preparations for the 7th Annual Beaver Queen Pageant are well underway and the excitement is building! The pageant is scheduled for Saturday, June 4, in Duke Park Meadow (near the intersection of Acadia Street and Englewood Avenue in Durham). The pre-show activities begin at 4:00 PM and the pageant itself begins at 5:00 PM.

The theme for this year’s pageant, Streampunk is a mash up of riverboats, Streampunk and a futuristic optimism. What a spectacle it will be! Costuming is encouraged and attendees are welcome to pack a picnic or chow down at Durham’s food trucks. The event takes place rain or shine.

For the fifth year in a row, the Beaver Queen Pageant will raise funds for the Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association. Over $15,000 have been raised for Durham’s dirty little creek in the last four years.

The Annual Beaver Queen Pageant is a free, family-friendly, Beaver Drag fund-raising event that encourages play, honors diversity, supports community and promotes creativity through interactive performance. It is live cartoon and cabaret. Kits can make their own beaver tails, splash in the beaver pond, march in the parade and sing the beaver chant.

Contenders for the Beaver Queen Crown are scored for the quality of their tails, wetlands ready-wear, talent, personal essay and evening wear. Like real life, the audience bribes celebrity judges, pays poll taxes and purchases beaver swag to raise money for ECWA. This year corrupt judges will buy their appointments. Cash and checks buy votes and bribes. As former celebrity judge Frank Stasio says, “Not everybody can be a Beaver Queen Pageant judge. I'm honored to have served. And grateful too, that I was not compelled to screw the whole dam country.”

Judges this year’s judges are bought to us by Shelly Green-DCVB, Brian Bottger-Only Burger, Carol Anderson-Vaguely Reminiscent/Board of Elections, Jana Shannon Bradley-Casbah, Jennings Brody-Parker & Otis, and Sean Wilson-Fullsteam Brewery.

This year we hope to raise $7,000 to help ECWA in its mission to keep our wetlands clean. Keep updated on pageant news here.

Bull City Burger and Brewery Opening Delayed...by Willy Wonka?

Durham is soon to welcome it's third brewery, and another farm to table restaurant - just not yet. 

Originally scheduled to open on Monday, March 21st, Bull City Burger and Brewery has had to delay the opening due to "Wangdoodles, Hornswogglers, Snozzwangers and rotten Vermicious Knids," according to a statement on the restaurant's social media. The new date is set for Friday, March 25th.  Owner Seth Gross has weaved language from the movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory through out the businesses materials, obviously again going to that well for this release again.  Gross is something of a kid at heart.

Really, the delay is a permitting matter regarding some lighting issues according to owner Gross.  "On the positive side, this gives a little more time for preparation when we do open," he said in an interview on Thursday.

The brewery will begin brewing beer upon its opening and therefore will not have its own product available on tap when the doors open.  "We'll open with NC beers to support our brothers and sisters while we brew our own," Gross added.

To generate buzz about the restaurant, Gross launched a contest to get the word out about the opening by hiding five brass bulls around Durham and then releasing clues as to their locations on the company's social media.  "That seemed to be very successful - we started that process with about 100 fans on Facebook and now we have lots more," Gross added.  A check of their Facebook page at this writing showed 905 fans.  The contest also generated its own hashtag on twitter, #goldenbull, which will likely get continued use as the contest will be revisited in the future with additional opportunities to win.  Gross was cagey about providing more details on that.  However, given the clever way information about this venture has been distributed so far, the contest will likely get plenty of attention when it is restarted.

Upon BCBB's opening, Durham will have three breweries.  Fullsteam opened last August and Triangle Brewing Company has been brewing in Durham since July 4, 2007.

Marry Durham on Saturday

Brides and grooms across the Bull City have less than a week to work through those pre-wedding day jitters. On Saturday all – including brides, grooms, guests and yes even wedding crashers – are invited to gather on the 700 block of Rigsbee Avenue, between Corporation and Geer streets, to witness or participate in what appears to be the first mass wedding ceremony between residents and a city.

Gates open at 3 p.m. for the 4 p.m. wedding ceremony, which will include Mayor Bill Bell and other elected leaders, NPR’s Frank Stasio, Wool E. Bull and music by Justin Robinson and the Bulltown Strutters. “Preacha’ Man” Carl Kenney will officiate.

Marry Durham Wedding Planner May Alexander, MAYDNEW dj and event planning, said attendees should expect a homegrown wedding that will be both unique and traditional.

“They can expect a joyous celebration of civic pride,” Alexander said.

Marry Durham is a light-hearted event intended to celebrate all things Durham, including its unique history, its diverse and creative community, and its community’s unrelenting passion to improve via innovative and grass roots initiatives. The ceremony’s vows promote citizen engagement, shopping locally, electing responsible leaders, and supporting arts and community organizations.

The event also seeks to support five nonprofit organizations that help make Durham a better place to live: Eno River Association, Genesis Home, Latino Community Development Center, The Scrap Exchange, and Walltown Children’s Theatre.

Sponsors include Vaguely Reminiscent, Reverbnation, MAYDNEW dj and event planning, and GR8MUSICROX.

A parade around the block will follow the ceremony. From 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. a block party-style reception will unfold on Rigsbee Avenue with live music in four venues, a Kids’ Zone, food trucks and special wedding cupcakes. The reception entertainment includes performances by The Beast, the African Dance Ensemble, Triple Fret, Jumbalaya Soul, and Justin Robinson & the Mary Annettes. Robinson was a member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, which recently won a Grammy Award for best traditional folk album.

“I have been all around the world but I still choose to call Durham home,” said Robinson, a Durham resident who is building a chicken coop in his yard.

Walltown Children’s Theatre will hold hip hop lessons in the Kids Zone, which will be followed by performances by a variety of community groups. Corn and the Colonels plan to lead a “roots jam” at Fullsteam Brewery. Band member Aaron Greenhood encouraged residents to bring their instruments and participate.

“It’s more than a performance. It is a happening. We are bringing people together to celebrate and make joyful sounds,” Greenhood said. “We have been inviting all of our acquaintances to bring their instruments. We are just going to have a get down. … I would love to have anybody come and play whatever they want.”

Seven Stars Cycles will be on Geer Street next to Motorco Music Hall to provide a free valet service for bike riders. Adrian Fletcher, who is working to open Seven Stars Cycles in the downtown area, said he hopes the bike shop’s service will encourage people to ride their bike to the event.

“We will give them a ticket that identifies their bike,” then we will wheel it to a secure area, Fletcher said. “I just saw an opportunity with this event to remove the concern that someone is going to mess with their bike as an excuse to not ride down there.”

Need more information? Want to volunteer, or buy a wedding package? Go to http://www.marrydurham.com/.

Farm Fresh North Carolina Launch Party March 7

Durham has long been a leader in the slow food movement through chefs like Shane Ingram (Four Square), Amy Tornquist (Watts Grocery), and Ben & Karen Barker (Magnolia Grill). But now Durham can also add to its list of “greats” a book on sustainable farms and restaurants.

Durham-based writer Diane Daniel has completed writing Farm Fresh North Carolina, “the go-to guide to great farmers’ markets, farm stands, farms, apple orchards, u-picks, kids’ activities, lodging, dining, choose-and-cut Christmas trees, vineyards and wineries, and more.”

A launch party for the book will be held Monday, March 7 at 6pm. Taking place at Fullsteam Brewery, Scratch Baking and Farmhands Foods will be on hand to provide the crowd with food while Piedmont Lowlanders will provide live bluegrass music.

Diane’s work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, National Geographic Traveler, Budget Travel, Gourmet, Backpacker, AARP Magazine, and more. She has also contributed to several other books including Checking In 2007: Places to Stay in New England and The New York Times Practical Guide to Practically Everything. In 2008, she received a prestigious national Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Award in the newspaper writing category.

Farm Fresh North Carolina was supported by a grant from the Golden LEAF Foundation and was published by UNC Press.

Gettin' Hitched?

Have you changed your Facebook status to engaged or discussed your “wedding plans” on Durham’s Facebook page? Have you printed out a poster declaring what “Durham Is” to you? If you can answer yes to these questions, you’re probably looking forward to the Marry Durham event on March 19.

Click to Download "Durham Is"

Hundreds are expected to Marry Durham on Rigsbee Avenue near Motorco Music Hall and Fullsteam Brewery. The 4pm-7pm mass wedding, parade, and reception includes performances by The Beast, Grammy-award winning Justin Robinson & the Mary Annettes, Corn & the Colonels, and many more.

On Valentine’s Day the Durham County Board of Commissioners proclaimed March 19 as “Marry Durham Day.” The proclamation points out that Durham has received a variety of national accolades recently including: Home to the Creative Class, Foodiest Small Town, Best Place to Retire, Best Place to Visit, Best Green City, and Best Place to Start a Business. The proclamation urged “participants to repeat vows that promise to honor and cherish their beloved Durham by supporting the arts, patronizing local businesses, electing responsible leaders, and keeping the community safe.”

The lighthearted event is intended to give proud citizens an opportunity to celebrate their unique community. Marry Durham is also a fundraiser for five nonprofits, including: Eno River Association, Genesis Home, Latino Community Development Center, The Scrap Exchange and Walltown Children’s Theatre.

Farmhand Foods - Another Chef-Driven Food Truck in Durham

Durham is widely lauded as having an incredible food scene and as the state's hot bed of mobile food service operators.  Durham's most famous truck, OnlyBurger, has a bigger following then even LA's famous Kogi BBQ when viewed as a per follower/truck calculation with a group equal to 1.7% of Durham's population following their actions on Twitter vs. Kogi at just more than 25% of that number.

Well, the crowd gets a little bigger on October 28th with the launch of Farmhand Foods truck.  Drew Brown, former owner of Piedmont, will be at the helm of the truck offering sausages made from pasture-raised livestock from North Carolina.  The company seeps Durham brand values in its FAQ's released by their PR firm.  Pledging "respect" "transparency" and "partnership" the company feels like it was made to be in Durham.

The launch is happening at another of Durham's new hot spots, Fullsteam Brewery - across the street from Motorco Music Hall at the intersection of Rigsbee and Geer Streets.  The occasion will be an opportunity to have a bite, a beverage and a chat with like-minded folks who seek to immerse themselves fully in the Durham experience.

Bull City…Beer City

To say that beer has risen to an art form from a gritty and largely blue-collar past in the US is an understatement. Like Durham, craft beers are unique, diverse, and interesting.

So then it is only fitting that Durham be something of a nexus for the development and appreciation of craft beer…and that it is. There is something of a beer vortex in the Bull City right now, and looking into that swirl, one will see some exciting developments close at hand.

#1 - It seems almost superfluous to again mention Fullsteam Brewery. Amidst a flurry of local and national media attention, this new brewery is opening to the general public on Friday, August 13th. The date is important to owner Sean Wilson because it is the five-year anniversary of the Pop the Cap movement he spearheaded to lift the cap on the permissible level of alcohol in beer sold in NC.

It’s important to everyone else because now folks can visit and hoist a pint. The brewery also begins selling growlers at the Durham Farmers’ Market this coming Wednesday – they must be pre-ordered online. Hit the link for more information about all of the above and know that you’ll be greeted by a very important mascot when you get to the brewery at 726 Rigsbee Avenue in Durham.

#2 - There is a big event brewing to help save the Gulf of Mexico. The SOS Charitable Fund was created by Louisiana brewery Abita who is donating $.75 per bottle sold of their Save Our Seashores beer and the Durham location of Tyler’s Taproom is planning an event involving local chef’s, live music and a raffle to promote the effort as well as raise additional money. Click here for additional information and put this on your calendar as a great way to spend a Sunday in the Bull City.

#3 - The World Beer Festival is coming on Saturday, October 9th to the Durham Bulls Athletic Park. Always an amazing gathering, this year’s showing of 150 breweries will again prove why this Durham original is considered as one America’s best beer festivals. Visit the website for the festival and pick up a copy of the sponsors’ publication, All About Beer…yet another distinguished asset here in Durham.

Is it 5 o’clock yet?