The Parlour to Open in Downtown Today

There's a new place to visit for a flavorful frosty treats in Downtown Durham as of today.

The Parlour ice cream truck opens its brick and mortar location at Noon at 117 Market St., right by the Bull statue across from CCB Plaza in Downtown Durham. The shop will feature signature ice cream flavors along with house made pastries and sodas, and select espresso drinks. The Parlour will be open noon to 10pm, Tuesday-Sunday.

Hitting the road in 2011 with a mini school bus turned ice cream parlour, the owners worked exclusively out of their modified mini school bus for two seasons. After a successful Kickstarter campaign to rally community support, The Parlour has joined other mobile operators in making the transition from wheels to a foundation.  CocoaCinnamon, Daisy Cakes, Monuts Donuts and OnlyBurger have preceded The Parlour in making that same jump, along with both Loaf and Scratch, two downtown bakeries that started out only selling at the Durham Farmers' Market and ultimately opened storefront locations.

The Parlour's ice cream is handcrafted in small batches using local ingredients whenever possible, and rotating seasonal flavors often. In addition to regular ice cream, they also make sorbets and coconut-based vegan flavors. They also make most of their own toppings.

For more of what tastes good in Durham, visit see this website, and check out The Parlour on Facebook.

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 Food Trucks Are 'Serious Eats'

As both the foodiest spot in the Triangle and the birthplace of the area's mainstream mobile food scene, Durham continues to garner national attention. This time Durham's local food trucks are at the center of this attention.

In the national food blog, Serious Eats, six of the eight trucks highlighted in the story "North Carolina: Our 8 Favorite Food Trucks" are from Durham. Only Burger, the first of the Triangle's food trucks, is featured. The Parlour, Chirba Chirba, Pie Pushers, KoKyu and Sympathy for the Deli are also among Serious Eats' favorites. Durham culinary incubator The Cookery also gets credited as integral to the Triangle food truck explosion.

As Durham's culinary culture continues its rise to prominence, folks like Serious Eats give props where props are due.

Durham's Art Scene Welcomes and Promotes "Outsiders"

As the old saying goes, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder."  So, too, is the appreciation of that which one considers art.  Expressed in many forms, Durham, NC is fortunate to have an art scene that is eclectic, exciting, and as open and welcoming as the community itself.

In 2009, Pam Gutlon opened her Outsiders Art & Collectibles gallery on Iredell St.  A lover of art produced by artists who are self-taught - outsider art - Gutlon set out to create a showcase for the work and the artists alike.  It was an act of passion and an expression of her commitment to the community overall.   "I strongly believe that bringing Durham’s business, non-profit, and art communities together better serves the community as a whole," she said. Her gallery regularly serves as both a place for art to be displayed and sold, as well as a venue to create community. 

Soon the gallery will host it's first wedding, it hosts monthly open houses with 300 to 500 people attending, and is even the site of a writing group that claims that the artwork on the walls helps shake them loose from writer's block and provides inspiration.

The outsider art community enjoys growing good fortune that there are places at which their art is celebrated.  Durham's Outsiders Art & Collectibles is one of a cadre of places that has taken hold nationally wherein people  like Durham artist Odinga Tyehimba can find not only a place to display his work, but also a champion to trumpet his talent in a way that artists themselves often struggle to.

In Tyehimba's case, Gutlon reports, this has yielded great interest by the publication Raw Vision - a leading periodical on the subject of outsider art.  Tyehimba's work is also likely to be included in a show at the The Gregg Museum of Art & Design at North Carolina State University.  These two outcomes can combine to be life changing for an artist.

By Bruce New

Next week, Gutlon is again showcasing the work of artist Bruce New.  Her gallery is one of the places where he can have his work shown and be on hand to connect directly with those who buy it.  For an outsider artist, it is not a common experience to have an ally the likes of Gutlon.
 
Says New, "My work is an attempt to document my existence – to leave a visual record of my thoughts, ideas, and fantasies. I reside in the wilds of Kentucky, with a bird and our son, on a mountaintop, right next to the sun, where I create my artwork...." New, a Kentucky artist, has lived his entire life there and has always made art. As a child he created notebooks of comic heroes and battle scenes of war but never thought he could be an artist and instead dreamed of being Reggie Jackson.

The relationship between the two has been a fruitful one, Gutlon says.  She's particularly excited about his return.

New's return engagement is Saturday, March 10 from 5:30 to 8:00 pm.  Live music will be performed by Katharine Whalen (formerly of the Squirrel Nut Zippers) and Her Fascinators.   Only Burger and The Parlour will be there, too.   

The event is free and open to the public - everyone is welcome, just like in Durham.

See also:
Information about other Durham Art Galleries