Durham Bulls Athletic Park Features new Food and Beverage Options for 2015 Season

At the seventh inning stretch, Durham Bulls baseball fans won't be singing about peanuts and crackerjacks. They'll be cheering for donuts and beer instead.

The Durham Bulls Athletic Park (DPAP) has welcomed several new food and beverage options to the ballpark through its newly formed hospitality company, Bull City Hospitality.  Additional food offerings will come from Durham Catering Co., Rise Biscuits & Donuts, and Bull Durham Beer Co.

The recently formed Bull City Hospitality has formed a partnership with Durham Catering Co., who will provide food and service in the PNC Triangle Club and suite level at Durham Bulls Athletic Park. Durham Catering Co. owner Tom Ferguson will also bring his popular Rise Biscuits & Donuts concept to the DBAP in the form of a donut kiosk on the main concourse.

DBAP will also add  Bull Durham Beer Co. an on-site brewery in the main concourse. The new craft brewery is the only beer company located at a Minor League Baseball stadium, and the DBAP will become one of just a few sports venues in the country to brew beer on-site. At its May opening, Bull Durham Beer Co. will feature Water Tower Wheat and Lollygagger, a Kolsch-style ale. Fans will have the ability to watch the initial creative process at games as the season starts, and then enjoy the fresh beers at the ballpark upon brewing completion. BDBC beers will also be made available to restaurants and events at the American Tobacco Campus all year long.

As the tastiest town in the South, it's no wonder that some of Durham's best food offerings will also be found at the ballpark. 

The Original Q Shack Donates Thousands

“I feel like I did something today – something meaningful,” an exhausted Dan Ferguson said last night after his last customers were served.  Ferguson gave 100% of the sales from his Durham restaurant, The Original Q Shack, on January 2, 2013 to the National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI).

“I realized that the tragedy in Newtown, CT could happen anywhere, and that part of the problem is access,” he said referring to mental health resources.  Ferguson wanted to do his part by giving a community known for its willingness to step up and contribute a way to do so. “The day of the shooting I just started looking for ways to help.  I found NAMI and realized that they were doing good work that I wanted to support,” Ferguson added.

Durham has a long history of community action, and that spirit mobilized on Wednesday with customers lined up, and other Durham restaurateurs coming in to help and show their support, too. Tommy Bullock, of famed Durham landmark Bullock’s BBQ showed up with his son Ty to offer to help Ferguson and his crew serve customers.  “I think what Dan is doing is terrific, and I wanted to come tell him in person,” Bullock said.  Other restaurants came out to help, too. Employees from Durham Catering Company, Only Burger, and Rise Biscuits and Donuts were on site to help throughout the day, all giving their time to lend a hand.  

Ferguson estimates 750 to 800 people came through the door.  The guests, and the money they spent, stand as a testament to Durham’s character.  The effort resulted in a significant donation to NAMI - $9,528.72 from restaurant sales and direct donations made at the restaurant during the day.  Ferguson made up the difference to bring the number up to $10,000 even, but that number does not reflect the thousands more that Ferguson spent to make the event possible.  Those additional dollars reflect the cost of food, staff, sales tax, and more.  Ferguson is simply covering those expenses himself.  “This was the right thing to do, and I’m so glad I could do it,” he added.

 “As an all-volunteer organization of Durham citizens, we of NAMI Durham are excited by the success of the largest single fundraising and outreach event in our history. We thank Dan Ferguson, owner of The Original Q Shack, for his generosity, which will expand our ability to offer programs of education, support, and advocacy addressing issues of mental illness. This event also raised awareness in our community of the importance of early intervention and treatment in preventing mental health crises," said Dorothy Smith of NAMI's Durham office. NAMI had an information table setup in the restaurant and shared information with patrons throughout the day. For many it was their first exposure to the organization.

In preparation for the event on Wednesday morning, as he was arranging tables and chairs in his restaurant’s dining room, Ferguson said he had prepared enough food for 1,000, “But how much do you make when you are essentially giving it all away? I've never had to try and figure that out before,” he said, smiling and looking forward to a busy day.

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The Original Q Shack (not to be confused with other similarly named businesses with which Ferguson used to be associated) is located at 2510 University Drive in Durham’s Rockwood District.  Opened in 2003, the restaurant is now a landmark for BBQ in North Carolina.  Ferguson, a Texas native, is the sole proprietor, attended the Culinary Institute of America in NY, and is a veteran of some of Durham’s best known restaurants.

With a local office in Durham, NAMI is the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness. NAMI advocates for access to services, treatment, supports and research and is steadfast in its commitment to raise awareness and build a community for hope for all of those in need.

More Mobile Vendors Sign On for May 8th Gathering

Being out of bed at 4:30 in the morning is something of an affront to most.  It's still dark out here in Durham, NC at that hour, no matter the time of year.  But out of bed many will be, and out of the house interacting and transacting business - and doing it live on TV.

Well, they might wind up on TV - there will be plenty of TV cameras around for the broadcast of NBC-17's Today Show which begins live on the CCB Plaza at the aforementioned 4:30 AM.

"This is an opportunity for Durham to show off its pride to a massive amount of people," said Sam Poley, Director of Marketing and Communications at the Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau, referring to the 23 county area to which the broadcast will go.

Durham has enjoyed a steady influx of new businesses, residents and visitors for the past several years.  "We're hoping folks in Durham will come down to the plaza to help us make some noise and get viewers excited about visiting Durham," Poley added.

In an effort to help motivate people to show their support, the Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau is working to muster support from stakeholders in Durham, too.  So far, Only Burger has signed on to be there, as has Pie Pushers.  The two are favorites on the mobile food scene in Durham, which has a nationally recognized mobile food community and over 40 trucks in operation there, and an internationally known restaurant and chef spot.

Blue Coffee, a shop across the street from the CCB Plaza, will also be open selling coffee until their normal operating hours begin at 6:30, at which time their full menu will be available.

In addition, a new offering by an old favorite in Durham will be debuted.  "It's really just a test to see if people like it," said Durham Catering Company owner Tom Ferguson of his new biscuits and donuts.  He's looking to get real estate in Downtown Durham for Rise Biscuits and Donuts.  Details will be forthcoming about the operation on their Facebook page.  Ferguson, who started Only Burger with another partner before selling to the current owner, will be serving off the Only Burger truck.

Beyond ensuring that the crowd that does show up can get great food, a few other enticements are apparently in the works, according to Poley.  "We'll be giving a few things away at points during the morning," he said. "We've also got a few things we're working on that will make this a truly memorable event for those that show." He would not provide further detail.

Those interested can arrive on the CCB Plaza starting at 4 AM.  Crews will be on site beginning at midnight.

Eat Pie and Be Merry!

The 3rd Annual SEEDS Pie Social is this Sunday April 10th from 2-6 pm at the SEEDS Garden, 706 Gilbert St in Durham. Suggested donation of $10 comes with up to four slices of pie.  Proceeds benefit the Durham Inner-city Gardeners (DIG) program at SEEDS.

DIG is a youth-driven, urban farming leadership development program that empowers young people by teaching organic gardening and healthy life skills while providing them with meaningful employment and job skills. Pies are being generously donated by local Triangle restaurants and bakers including Toast, Watts Grocery, Scratch Bakery, Foster’s, Durham Catering, Daisy Cakes and more.