Durham Farmers' Market Supports Public Process

For 15 years the farmers, bakers, food artisans, cheese makers, vintners, and crafters who are members of the Durham Farmers' Market (DFM) have been dedicated to creating a venue that fosters a face-to-face connection between the producer and the buyer, and operating in a way that sustains the land, the environment, and helps to grow the Market's businesses and community.

The Market is also dedicated to ensuring that the products they sell are 1) produced locally by Market vendors, and 2) comply with State and local regulations. The Market operates under a strict set of rules, conduct inspections, and investigate complaints. The Market believes that this system of governance has been vital to the growth and good reputation of the market, and that customers respect and value the integrity of the products they find at the Durham Farmers' Market. The Market welcomes the vibrant and burgeoning local food movement represented by food-trucks and other innovations and consider ourselves to be a vital part of this movement. The Market believes that this focus on good food and fellowship has been central to creating the dynamic and fun community experience that the Farmers' Market is in the heart of Durham. 

Over a year ago, a representative of the Durham Farmers' Market along with representatives of Durham Central Park (DCP, our landlord at the Pavilion at Durham Central Park), met with Durham Parks & Recreation and the Assistant City Attorney. The Market expressed some concerns of our members over the recent rapid growth in unregulated street vending around the area. They looked for guidance on how to handle issues of congestion, safety, and clarity between our market members and street vendors. They were aware that DCP and the City of Durham were considering some of our questions; however, Durham Farmers' Market played no role in the drafting of the City's new guidelines and in fact, is seeing them for the first time just as the public is. 

The Durham Farmers' Market wholeheartedly supports a public process on this issue that will help to create a fair and equitable set of guidelines for all types of public food vending; that will address the needs, concerns, and opportunities of all stakeholders; and will keep Durham the exciting, funky, and fun food destination our local customers and folks from all over the country have come to love. 


Fresh this Week....
VEGETABLES:  BUTTERBEANS, CREAM PEAS, PURPLE HULL PEAS,  Arugula, Beets, Beans (Green, Yellow, Roma, Filet), Cabbage, Celery, Chinese Cabbage, Cherry Tomatoes, Corn, Collards, Cucumbers, Dandelion Greens, Eggplant, Edamame, Frisee, Fresh Herbs (Basil, Cilantro, Mint, Rosemary, Oregano, Thyme, Parsley),  Green Onions, Garlic, Gourds, Mustard Greens, Kale, Lettuce, Leeks, Peppers - Sweet, Hot and Padron, Potatoes, Okra - Red and Green, Onions (Red, Yellow, Cippolini), Pea Shoots, Peppers (sweet, hot and padron), Salad Mix, Shiitake Mushrooms, Sweet Potatoes, Swiss Chard, Summer Squash, Tomatillos, Tomatoes, Turnips, Turnip Greens, Zucchini
FRUITS: FIGS!! Watermelon, Cantaloupe,  Raspberries, Peaches, Blackberries, Blueberries
MEATS AND EGGS: Beef, Bison, Chicken, Duck, Goat/Chevon, Lamb, Pork, Duck Eggs & Chicken Eggs
CHEESES: Fresh and aged cow and goats milk cheeses.
FLOWERS & PLANTS:  Lilies, Lisianthus, Gladiolus, Sunflowers, Zinnias,  Godetia, Black-Eyed Susan, Echinacea, Mixed Bouquets, Vegetable & Herb Seedlings, Landscaping Plants, House Plants
SPECIALTY ITEMS: New Crop of FLOUR, RAW HONEY, Pecans, Cornmeal, Grits, Baked Goods including Pies, Breads, Cookies, Pastries, Beer, Wine, Jams, Jellies, Pickles, Preserves, Wool
CRAFTS: Pottery, Jewelry, Stained Glass Art, Handmade Baskets,  Woodwork, Photographs, Hand-dyed Clothing and other items, Handmade Clothing, Soaps, Yarn, Roving, and much more...

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.

DCVB Teams Up with Bull City Buck$

The Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau, Durham's official marketing agency, has teamed up with Bull City Buck$ as a way to give visitors value and increase their engagement when they visit.

BCB is a consumer loyalty program only available in Durham, NC.  It works on smart mobile devices that scan bar codes.  Buck$ can be redeemed for rewards - some of which are rather significant, and many of which are attainable at low point levels which makes the program attractive to visitors here for only a short period of time.

"An important factor in our consideration to join this program," said Shelly Green, DCVB President and CEO, is the fact that in just a few scans, a visitor could amass enough points to redeem a food reward at one of the restaurants on BCB."  Visit BCB's website to see all the places to ear and redeem points.  Points can be earned for visiting places, like DCVB's Visitor Information Center where there is a scan code anyone can grab 24 hours a day since it's posted on the door, and another worth more points for when people come in and get specific information about Durham from one of the staff on hand.

As a way to push local engagement of the application, and to support the effort to get people to come to the CCB Plaza on Tuesday, May 8th at 4:30 AM to be a part of the live broadcast of the NBC-17 Today Show, there will be a scan worth 100 Buck$ and only available on the plaza.  The show will be on air until 7:00 AM.

Additional efforts to encourage crowd engagement are prizes including restaurant gift certificates and a painting from the New Neighbor series, as well as some of Durham's most popular food trucks.  The plaza event is open to the public.

Resident Favorites Survey Begins Today

As in years past, the folks at the Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau would like a peek inside your head.  They gather a little ground-level research from locals to find out what they do and don't dig on the local dining scene.  Visitors are increasingly interested in local preferences, too, as they relate to food.  The goal of the survey is to provide empirically-informed selections upon which visitors can act when they visit.

Nary a social medium is without some manner of commentary on food, and those media drive the interest in this sort of information.  Since Durhamites get so excited about things in the place where great things happen, this survey is a great way to formalize that data.  So, those with an opinion (research shows that opinions are strongly-held in Durham) should follow this link to complete the survey. 

TAKE THE SURVEY 

"It's a short survey and folks can complete it through Monday, October 17th.  That's plenty of time for restaurants and food trucks to get their fans to go and vote," said Sam Poley, DCVB's Director of Marketing and Communications who hopes that residents will voice their opinions by the thousands.  "This survey is a real opportunity for businesses to rally their customers and social media followers to help them win.  I strongly encourage them to do so because those with the most votes get a year of promotion on our website...and the dining page upon which the survey winners are listed is one of the most popular on our site," he added.

The top vote-getting establishments are presented with a framed award and are announced publicly by DCVB.  The questions change annually, so it is possible that a place may have consecutive wins in a category that are years apart.  Last year's winners are posted here.

Durham's Ranks High Again

Consideration of Durham as a food destination is a pretty well-worn path.  With a national reputation that continues to grow, dining options in Durham are as diverse as the community itself.  From one of the most exciting food truck scenes in the US to some of the country's most celebrated and highly-ranked dining spots, when it comes to food Durham really does have it all.

According to the folks at WRAL who just ranked the top five burgers in the Research Triangle Region, two of the best are in Durham.

Bull City Burger and Brewery in Downtown Durham at 107 East Parrish St. is home to many variations on the burger theme.  That they are hyper focused on making things themselves (there are only a handful of things they don't make there) to sourcing their products locally (including some of the tables - go and see...it's really quite cool) only adds to the quality of the product.  They have only been open a few months and are already garnering national attention and interest in their product and concept.  Oh, and they brew their own beers, too which upon sampling usually rocket to the top of drinker's favorite brews.  It's no surprise this place was the first on WRAL's list.

Also on the list is Dain's Place at 754 Ninth Street.  The funky Ninth St. district is home to a variety of shops and restaurants, and Dain's fits right in with an eclectic feel that earned it the #10 spot on Complex's Top 50 College Bars in America.  The food here is in the college-bar vain.  In addition to be tasty and popular, they are filling.  The Defibrillator burger was featured on the TV show Man vs Food...'nuff said.

There are lots of other well-known burgers in Durham.  Any such discussion omitting Wimpy's and OnlyBurger would be incomplete...and there are certainly more too numerous to list here.  With that though, congratulations go to Bull City Burger and Brewery and Dain's Place for the attention they received.

Now go get a burger...somewhere...in Durham.

Durham Wins Big

Durham is fortunate to have many great features that excite, entice and satisfy visitors and residents alike...turns out that folks across the Research Triangle Region think so.


Image reprinted with permission of the Independent Weekly.

According to the Independent Weekly's Best of the Triangle 2011: Readers Choice Poll, Durham businesses, or those with locations in Durham, fared pretty well (read as: INCREDIBLY WELL).  In total, Durham businesses won 91 spots on the list out of 237 total; just about 40% - a strong showing of which Durham can be proud.

Durham fared well in the food arena - the food scene here is one of the country's most celebrated.  The New York Times cited the food in Durham as one of the reasons for naming Durham to a global list of the Top 41 Places to Visit in 2011.

Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau engages a similar ranking process annually and will lanuch their survey in late summer.  Lists like these are powerful visitor marketing tools because those looking to learn about a destination are interested in what those who live there think is the best, where they go and what they do for fun. 

Stay tuned for DCVB's Local Favorites survey in a few months.  For now, get out and show these Durham busiensses some love.

The Cookery Now Accepting Food Entrepreneurs

Two of Durham's hottest communities have been developing in tandem over recent years. So, its no wonder that one of Durham's newest business ventures draws on both the foodie and entrepreneurship communities to serve a sub-culture of, yep, you guessed it... food entrepreneurs.

The Cookery, Durham's first culinary business incubator and for-hire commercial kitchen space, is now accepting membership applications. The Cookery anticipates a high membership demand to emerge from Durham's budding mobile food scene as well as food entrepreneurs who want to launch a new culinary venture or expand upon a home-based business.

The full-service kitchen features four convection ovens, 80 and 30 quart mixers and work tables as well as walk-in and reach-in coolers. Members contract use of the facility on a monthly basis or by the hour where the kitchen is open 24 hours per day and 7 days per week. In Fall 2011, The Cookery will begin hosting seminars and workshops on topics ranging from small business planning and training, promotion, branding and marketing.

The Cookery's overall goal is to lower the risk threshold for new culinary businesses. Since Durham is rife with culinary talent and entrepreneurial spirit, there's no better time for The Cookery to come onto the scene.

Grilled Cheese Bus serves up mobile food and social change

Durham unofficially holds the title of best place in NC for mobile food. Dozens of vendors, many chef owned, offer everything from coffee to pizza from mobile kitchens built in all sorts of vehicles…several are repurposed school buses. With local codes that are friendly to such operations and a market both literally and figuratively hungry for tasty treats from trucks, Durham is an absolute hot spot foods latest craze. Never mind that it is already one of the country’s most revered food markets.

Enter The Grilled Cheese Bus. A twist on the current model of area trucks, The Grilled Cheese Bus will be “powered by community” and operate as a not-for-profit. Similar to the SEEDS model, youth from the community will be taught the skills necessary to run a food truck. The Grilled Cheese Bus has been collaborating with SEEDS to develop the youth program. The bus speaks to all manners of Durham’s community values and serves as a vehicle for social change. The menu will feature seasonal, locally sourced ingredients.

Debuting on Saturday, April 9th at Briggs Ave between E. Lawson and Riddle Streets from10am-1pm, the public will be able to sample the wares of Durham’s newest mobile vendor. Making it easier for operators, Durham welcomed The Cookery this week, as well. Located where the food co-op used to be on W. Chapel Hill Street, this for rent commissary kitchen is targeted toward mobile operators and those looking to develop food businesses.

A Local Perspective on Burgers

One of the purposes of the Durham News Service is to help tell Durham’s Story. In fact, this site is ground-breaking in the destination marketing business for real-time news service delivery. Part of great story telling is taking from the organic truth of the place you are promoting. Fortunately, in Durham there are hundreds of outstanding bloggers telling their truths about this place. Their stories will appear here, too, and with increasing frequency.

The piece that follows is a great exploration of burgers from one person’s point of view. Food is one of Durham’s most distinctive features, strongly held opinions about that subject and honesty are others. This posting embodies all three.

My Choice For Best New Durham Burger!
Bull City Mutterings
Reyn Bowman

I love hamburgers, always have, so people have been asking me to rate two new Durham locations (as a benchmark, I included a highly regarded Raleigh outlet with a Durham location.)

Over the course of several weeks, I’ve tried the doubles at King’s Sandwich Shop in the Downtown Foster-Geer District, Only Burger (both the famed food truck and the newly opened stand in Hope Valley) and to be fair to nearby Raleigh, its famed Char-Grill and to be ultra fair, both at its Durham location and at the original location.
 
Continue reading this blog post...

Resident Favorites Survey Begins Today

Each year the folks at the Durham Convention and Visitors Bureau like to gather a little ground-level research from residents to find out what they do and don't dig on the local dining scene.  Turns out that visitors are increasingly interested in the local chatter, too, as it relates to empirically-informed personal preferences upon which they can act when they visit. 



DCVB's annual Resident Favorites Survey is in
the field with voting going through 11/12/10.

Social media has emerged as a platform that drives the interest in this sort of information, and the need is growing.  Since Durhamites get so excited about things in the place where great things happen, this survey is a great way to formalize that data.  So, those with an opinion (research shows that opinions are strongly-held in Durham) should follow this link to complete the survey. 

That's right, TAKE THE SURVEY here.

"This short survey is dining focused - it will take most people less than 90 seconds to complete," according to Sam Poley, DCVB's Director of Marketing and Communications who hopes that residents will voice their opinions by the thousands.  "This survey is always fun for us.  We really get a kick out of seeing the responses and hope nominated restaurants will really promote this process and encourage votes through their social media as well," he added.

Winning establishments are presented with a framed award and are announced publicly by DCVB.  The questions change annually, so it is possible that a place may have consecutive wins in a category that are years apart.  Last year's winners are posted here.

Serve Food? Get a Permit

Durham has one of the most vibrant food cultures that anyone could hope to find - from fine dining restaurants to mobile food vendors, there is great variety and quality of food available here along with a population that exudes enthusiam for its culinary traditions.  Including churches and non-profits that apply for permits in order to prepare and serve food, there are more than 550 permitted food service operators in Durham.

However, business climates that are this successful also draw operators who don't alway play by the rules. The Durham County Health Department now has some bite to its bark when it finds those operating outside the bounds...now they can, and will, be working with the Durham Police Department to ticket illegal food vendors, requiring a court appearance with a Class 1 misdemeanor.

Despite the fact that there are more than two dozen permitted mobile operators in Durham, there are some who try to fill the demand without going through proper channels; some intending to skirt the law and others simply uninformed.  For example, many non-profit groups raising funds for various causes aren't always aware they need a permit to sell food.  This is major concern as proper food handling practices are critical to maintaining the public's health.

"Durham is a place that thrives on exciting food and authentic preparation," says Shelly Green, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Durham Convention and Visitors Bureau.  "Mobile food service has fewer barriers to entry, therefore lets more people through the door.  That's a plus and a minus, and this initiative by the Durham County Health Department looks like it has the right ingredients to make the scene in Durham approachable and enticing for everyone," she added.

Billing this initiative as education as much as enforcement, the DCHD is using this as an occassion to let citizens know how to report violators and also to inform those operating without permits how to obtain them and serve a safe product.  The number to call is 919-560-7800.

Only Burger Finishes First!!

Durham's Only Burger appears to have finished first in a competition to determine America's Favorite Food Truck run by the Food Network. The popular vote ballot was open for ten days with voting concluding at midnight Friday, September 10th. At the close of the contest, the Durham-based company was in first place.

Before champagne corks start popping, the straight story is that while the local mobile burger operation (and soon to be bricks and mortar quick service purveyor) is listed in first place, the final ballots are being tallied. The official announcement will be made on Sunday at 9pm on the show, The Great Food Truck Race, on the Food Network. Frankly, it's just a nail biter until then for everyone who voted.

"The show of community engagement was really terrific," said Shelly Green, President and CEO of the Durham Convention and Visitors Bureau. "The way this message was carried through social media networks is a great comment on the interconnectivity of Durham as a community - it was really exciting to see," she said.

At least 95% of the households in Durham have access to the Internet, whether at home, through work, school or the public library, or through a mobile phone device. This level of "tech-savvyness" helped the message spread far and wide. Support for Only Burger came from around the country according to postings on the company's Facebook page. Even another local mobile food operator in the contest, Daisy Cakes, said they wanted their fans to vote for Only Burger. 

And so, the waiting begins to find out which company really won...but for now, Durhamites know that Only Burger is at the top of list as far as food trucks are concerned.

Only Burger is Number One…help keep them there.

OnlyBurger, Durham’s most famous food truck, is in a contest being run by the Food Network for a show on mobile food operators. Currently, the truck is first in a popular vote poll to win $10,000 and the opportunity to appear on the next season of The Great Food Truck Race.


Those who cast votes have a chance to win a trip to the Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival. Voting continues until September 10, and each individual can cast up to 10 votes per day.

So, here’s the link. Go vote. OnlyBurger is competing against more than 270 trucks from around the country…and it’s in first place. Help keep them there. Vote for them today. Show America that Durham is a place where great things happen…and that we’re number one, again.

Durham Knows Mobile Food

Durham always drives ahead when it comes to innovation and opportunity. Nowhere is this more evident than in the city's growing mobile food scene.

Nationally there is an emerging love affair with food from a truck. Home to several taco trucks prior to the 2008 launch of OnlyBurger, Durham has seen a steady and rising trade in mobile food. Durham is unquestionably the most mobile food-friendly destination in the Triangle, if not the state, permitting mobile operators on city streets largely without undue restrictions.

That climate creates a very friendly environment for the food truck revolution. Durham's tech-savvy and connected population are also avid users of Twitter and Facebook, the two most popular methods mobile operators have of sharing where and when they will be purveying their goods. Durham has also hosted numerous mobile food unit "rodeos," and many food trucks can be found each week near Durham Central Park during the hours the Durham Farmers' Market is open.

The mobile food industry includes both mobile food units and pushcarts. Each must meet a set of requirements issued by that state's health department and administered locally by the county health department to ensure the food and cooking environment are safe for customers. Mobile operators are required to have an inspected commercial kitchen facility as their commissary to use for food preparation, sanitation and cleaning, and product storage.

Durham currently has 25 mobile food units and 17 pushcarts offering a wide variety of food.

Click here for a list of mobile food units in Durham.

Food Fans Unite

With its vibrant local food scene, is it any wonder that Durham plays host to unique community food events? One of the most notable events is Slow Food’s annual Traditional Southern New Year’s Day event, a communal dinner of collards, cornbread, hoppin’ john, and more. Then there is the Triangle Vegetarian Society’s Thanksgiving Feast at Café Parizäde, the country’s largest Vegan Thanksgiving event.
More recently, a group organized as “a fresh bunch of humans interested in a cooperative exploration of food, timely celebrations, and the tilting of the planet in the North Carolina Piedmont” created the Yum Yum Supper Club. Holding quarterly “Eventuals” (events+ritual) around the changing of the seasons, Yum Yum Supper Club menus are dictated by the seasonal growing cycles. These types of events, like so many other grassroot events in Durham, bring together people with common interests, a true testament to the inclusive, original, and community-spirited nature of this great place.
If dining in Durham with other food fans offers great appeal, consider these upcoming opportunities. Some are communal dinners, others are cooking classes, guided tours, and food festivals, but all promise to please the palette while introducing new friends.
Bull City Food Vendor Roundup
June 27 – Farmer’s Market Pavillion – Featuring Only Burger, Indian Food on Wheels, Bulkogi, Parlez-Vous Crepe, Mom's Delicious Dishes, Kona Chameleon, and Locopops, Liberacion Juice Station, and Joe's Diner hot dog cart. Chop Shop Cooking Class at Revolution Restaurant
July 18 – Work hands-on with Chef Anile and his culinary team in this class of 6 students to create a special menu, after which everyone enjoys the meal.
Durham Farmers’ Market
June 26 – 2nd Annual Chef Challenge with Dave Alworth from Guglhupf, Billy Cotter from Toast and Justin Rakes from Four Square. Shop. Cook. Taste.
July 3 – Chef in the Market – Chuck Hayworth – Worth It Cafe
July 31– Chef in the Market – Jim Anile from Revolution
August 7 – Chef in the Market - Shane Ingram from Four Square
Elodie Farms – Dinners on the Front Porch
Monthly dinners featuring some of the best chefs in the region. Remaining 2010 Dates: July 24, August 7, September 18, October 16, November 6 and December 4.
Fullsteam Brewery – Beer 201: Discovering Off-Flavors
July 23 – Advanced study in beer appreciation in this “Opening Soon” Brewery.
Nana’s Wine Dinners (with Hope Valley Bottle Shop)
June 22 – Trefethen Vineyards ($55 per person)
July 20 – Rosseler Cellars ($60 per person)
New Orleans Wine Dinner at Blu Seafood and Bar
July 14 – Wine Pairings by Hope Valley Bottle Shop ($ ___)
Six Plates Wine Bar - TxakoliFest
July 24 – TxakoliFest is to Six Plates what Octoberfest is to Germany. Wine Festival celebrating this slightly sparkling very dry white wine with high acidity and low alcohol content produced in the Basque Country.
Taste Carolina Downtown Durham Food Tours
Saturdays, 2 – 5 p.m. ($39)
Williams Sonoma at The Streets at Southpoint
June 22 – Cooking class with Chef Charlie Deal of Dos Perros teaching how to make mole. ($35)