Have we got the scoop for you! The Tillamook Ice Cream Truck has headed east and is roaming the streets of Raleigh throughout September and early October. Check out the Tillamook website for specific locations and legen-dairy flavors. tillamook.com
9/2 NC STATE HOME OPENER
Hey, Wolfpack fans! The Pack is back—literally—with #WITH in full effect and tailgates and fans in the stands. Witness a Wolfpack win (fingers crossed!) against the University of South Florida in your best black and red ’fit. Game on. gopack.com
9/2 JAZZ IN THE SQUARE
Feeling blue? Jazz things up this September as DRA presents its new six-week concert series in Moore Square. “Get jazzy with it!” downtownraleigh.org
9/2 JESS SALOMON
Featured on The Tonight Show and known for artfully lightening up a room, Canadian comedian Jess Salomon is headed to Raleigh to stir up some good laughs at Goodnights. goodnightscomedy.com
9/2–4 SOUTHERN HEMP EXPO
Time for some blunt education on, well, weed! Featuring 250+ exhibits, keynote speakers and attendees from all over the hemp supply chain, this conference is sure to be sup-herb. southernhempexpo.com
9/2–5 ARIES SPEARS
Mad TV frequentor Aries Spears is spreading his comedy wings this week at the Improv. Grab a seat! improv.com
9/3 FIRST FRIDAY
Don’t miss DRA’s monthly free self-guided art walk of cutting-edge cultural DTR hot spots. downtownraleigh.org
9/3 SISTER HAZEL
Listen up! Platinum-recording artist Sister Hazel is pumped to perform live again at the Tailgate N’ Tunes event. Jam out to the band’s newest single, “When Love Takes Hold,” their chart-topping hit, “All for You,” among others, at the Booth Amphitheatre! boothamphitheatre.com
9/3–6 TREASURES OF THE EARTH GEM, MINERAL AND JEWELRY SHOW
Unearth handcrafted treasures (minerals, metals and more) at the NC State Fairgrounds.local.aarp.org
9/4 NC DISNEYANA 2021
All it takes is faith, trust, pixie dust… and some dedicated Disney fans. Raleigh’s first annual Disneyana event will include pin trading, cosplaying and lots of merch from your fave Disney films. Hakuna matata, indeed. disneyanafanclub.com
9/4 TRIANGLE POP-UP NCMA MARKET
What could be better than a Saturday full of live music and local artists? Head over to the NCMA for some much-needed browsing and buying. trianglepopup.com
9/4, ongoing YOGA AND MIMOSAS
Namaste bendy and bubbly on Saturdays at Dogwood Bar & Eatery.dogwoodraleigh.com
9/4–5 AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURAL FESTIVAL
Commemorate African American cultural traditions with art, music, food and friends. From interactive light displays and art to live mural paintings, this festival makes it clear—diversity is meant to be celebrated! aacfestival.org
9/4–Feb. 2022 THE BEAUTIFUL PROJECT
The Beautiful Project grapples with ideas of memory and ritual through NC-based contemporary artist Stephen Hayes, who explores historical depictions of African Americans as they relate to social justice, and Hồng-Ân, who connects issues of communication between disparate cultures. So, ease-l on over to take in a new perspective. ncartmuseum.org
Weed out your stressors while getting your hands dirty between sips of vino and other tasty beverages, compliments of The Well Fed Community Garden at Raleigh City Farm.raleighcityfarm.org
This Raleighite’s high beer IQ is raising the bar. House of Hops bartender Frankie Frank is certified in beer knowledge and eager to spread the love of a good ol’ brewski.
Meet “your local beer gremlin”: Frankie Frank, a low-key craft beer enthusiast and first-level “Certified Beer Server” cicerone (aka beer expert—think like sommelier to wine). Frank is well-versed in the basics of brewing, beer flavor profiles and pairings, and the fundamentals of serving beer. With a knack for customer service, a discerning taste for “weird”-yet-traditional brews (faves are “pickled”—like kvass—and “barnyard” flavors with hay, horsehair and other earthy notes—though not necessarily together), and the knowledge to back it all up, Frank’s trained palate and passion for helping people discover more about beer serve them well for success in their profession. As Frank says, “Beer is meant to be shared.” We couldn’t agree more—so we bellied up to Frank’s bar at House of Hops at its Northwest Raleigh hops spot to talk cicerone certification, top recs and more. Cheers! houseofhopsnc.com; @yourlocalbeergremlin
OK, we’ve all heard of sommeliers, but school us on cicerones. I tell people it’s like a beer sommelier—I specialize in the service and knowledge of beer. I learned about it originally while reading The Audacity of Hops: The History of America’s Craft Beer Revolutionbut actually took the test while taking care of the beer section at Total Wine.
What originally sparked your interest in all things beer—and going from bartender to beer expert? I’ll be the first to say, I’m not a beer expert. The Pivní Fest in Brno was my first introduction to craft beer, and I fell in love with both the beer and the people who made and sold it. I ended up taking the cicerone test to understand beer better so I could better serve my customers and they could have confidence in my craft beer knowledge.
Unlike sommeliers, cicerones are rarer. Why do you think that is? Between the overall newness (with 30 years between the creation of the official sommelier course and the cicerone) and the study, time and money that the test requires, in addition to the (incorrect) idea that beer is somehow ‘lowbrow’ in comparison with wine, it leads to less participation.
So we have to ask: What are you, as a Certified Beer Server, drinking right now? I’ve been on a kvass kick recently (thanks to my hometown brewery Benchtop Brewing and Fonta Flora Brewery), but lagers, pilsners, stouts and saisons are my year-round go-tos.
What are some of your fave NC breweries? Black Fire Brewing, Fonta Flora Brewery, Zillicoah Beer Company, Eurisko Beer Company, Radar Brewing Company, Wye Hill Brewing and Burial Beer Co. all do a steady mix of both classic and new styles, in addition to having fantastic brewery spaces.
And your go-to recs? Bhramari Brewing Company’s Karakasa Obake rice lager, Fonta Flora’s Lake James lager, Bill’s Brewing Co.’s Christmas Pants winter warmer, New Anthem Beer Project’s Broken Tree barleywine, Benchtop’s Proven Theory (from Virginia, but they are my IPA go-to recommendation)… I could go on…
Why is helping others understand beer and find brews they love important to you ?I’ve always been a customer service person, and getting people good beer to the point that they just trust me to pick or pour them something is rewarding to me. Nothing in the work world makes me smile as much as when people just tell their friends, ‘Just trust them, they’ve never steered me wrong.’
You’re studying for your Level 2 certification now. What’s the end goal once you hit Level 4 certification as Master Cicerone? I would like to start out as a beer orderer for a bottle shop or for a hospitality service (hotel, private airline, cruise ship, etc). Eventually, I would like to work as a travel agent making bespoke craft “beer-cations”—something I already do, but not for money—just because I love it.❧This Raleighite’s high beer IQ is raising the bar. House of Hops bartender Frankie Frank is certified in beer knowledge and eager to spread the love of a good ol’ brewski.
Now, this is a story all about how…spunky and confident local artist Chalaé is bringing the ’90s back with her bold, bright and bodacious jewelry brand, Code Edge. A self-proclaimed ’90s fanatic, Chalaé manifested her captivation with the edgy and unique retro vibes of the dot-com decade—also taking inspiration from sitcoms such as The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Martin—into handmade, lightweight jewelry creations.
Fit for “the edgy queens and retro feens,” each trendy piece of Code Edge jewelry is either designed and handpainted or carefully handpicked by Chalaé. All of her earrings, necklaces and hair accessories boast bright, bold colors and fun shapes, or graphic letters and illustrations inspired by shows, cartoons, movies or even hairstyles from the ’90s and early 2000s.
“There’s nothing wrong with bright colors and big extravagant earrings,” Chalaé says. “Be yourself and never be afraid to step out of the box.” We couldn’t have said it better ourselves.
And it’s not just Raleighites who are rockin’ Code Edge’s fly jewelry. One of Chalaé’s favorite pieces, the Kickin’ It Old School cassette tape earrings, made a special appearance as part of local singer Janelle Simone’s ensemble in her latest music video. The hype has even spread to famous rapper Lil Nas X, who rocks Code Edge earrings as well.
So, if you’re looking to exude some confident, bad-B energy a la the ’90s, look no further than Code Edge’s standout jewelry. Just like our favorite Fresh Princeonce said, “…it’s got to be a sin to look this good.”codeedge.bigcartel.com
Raleigh resident and Wolfpack alum Cadwell Turnbull’s forthcoming novel No Gods, No Monsters is a page-turner you’ll want to get your hands on.
How would you respond if you discovered that your perception of fantasy was reality? Rising star in speculative fiction—and NC State creative writing professor (and alum!)—Cadwell Turnbull poses this compelling question in his highly anticipated second novel, No Gods, No Monsters, slated to drop Sept. 7.
The first book of his The Convergence Sagatrilogy, Turnbull’s latest immerses readers into a mysterious world of monsters and secret societies that examines the fracturing effect of grappling with the existence of these creatures (i.e. for or against)—and thereby pushes readers to likewise scrutinize the demons that afflict society today.
Photo by Anju Manandhar
Inspired by reading urban fantasies with his wife, Turnbull—a writer of color who grew up in the U.S. Virgin Islands—decided to try his hand at the genre. Once apprehensive, Turnbull has embraced authoring speculative fiction, sci-fi, fantasy and horror, with his personal journey geared toward anchoring the speculative elements in human stories.
“Once I started writing, I started thinking about these [monsters] interjecting with areas of marginalization, race, gender and sexual orientation,” says Turnbull. “It seemed like the premise itself was a good starting point, but it needed to be anchored in real experience. I tried to borrow from [both] my own and then other people’s experiences, figuring out how that would gel with the greater parts of the story.”
The page-turner delivers on the captivating prose, formidable characters, perceptive social commentary and speculative elements readers and critics have quickly come to expect of Turnbull. (And eager fans will be thrilled to know his second book of the Saga is already in the works—with the storyteller adding, “It’s kicking my butt.”)
And, paying it forward—when the Wolfpack grad returned to his alma mater last year to teach, he says the biggest lesson he wanted to impart to his students was something he learned himself: being confident in your passions without worrying about outside expectations. So, in essence, if you can see it, you can be it—and now they can. Hardcover $26.99, Quail Ridge Books; amazon.com; cadwellturnbull.com
Cheers! DTR’s first distillery delivers stellar spirits with a food menu to match.
There’s more to Downtown Raleigh’s first-ever distillery than just spirits (though the house-distilled gins, amari, vodka and more coming out of the space are certainly the main attraction). The food menu, developed by executive chef Alex Ricci and sous chef Josiah Halbohm, without a doubt serves as Young Hearts Distilling’s secret weapon—and will keep you coming back time and again.
Highlighting ingredients from local producers (including Fox Farm Forage, Chapel Hill Creamery and Joyce Farms, to name but a few), the menu “will showcase the best of the season,” says Chris Powers, co-owner of Trophy Brewing Co. and Young Hearts.
Inventive dishes include fried lion’s mane mushrooms with tofu “Parmesan,” young Genovese basil, and bourbon and honey grain mustard aioli; Southern sweet potato pappardelle with caramelized buttermilk, watercress, fig mostarda, chanterelle mushrooms and scallion oil; and beet bourguignon with red wine-braised beets, local carrots, pearl onions, king oyster mushrooms and herb fingerling potatoes. (Drooling yet?)
The food menu pairs exceptionally well with Young Hearts’ interesting spirits, which include a “vodka distilled from sugarcane, as well as an agave spirit, which is our homage to tequila,” says Powers.
As part of the distillery’s diverse amari program, a “house” or full-time amaro is in the works as well, and be on the lookout for a collaborative apple brandy with Two Metre Tall Brewing out of Tasmania.
“This new project will include some things you might expect, along with a slew of things you might not,” adds Powers. “We’ll be combining that with a cocktail, beer, wine and, of course, a food program to match.”
But the distillery’s distinction as DTR’s first and the bangin’ food and beverage program aren’t Young Hearts’ only draw—albeit it is more than enough. It’s also the physical space itself, creating an intoxicating mix between the distilled spirits and the people drinking them.
Young Hearts will be the only spot in Raleigh where customers can come in, see where and how distilled spirits are made and meet the distiller—immersing themselves in the creation process of what they’re drinking. This setup is similar to Trophy Brewing Co.’s space, where the brewing containers are on display for patrons to peep.
“We want to bring life to a building that’s been there since 2008,” says Powers. “We’re ready for the next step, and we want to focus on things like this that make us happy and that get us excited and creative.”
A focal point of the new (ahem, “young”) space, the distilling area is on the first floor, visible from the street and again upon entering the space. With a spotlight on the distilling process, booth seating and an expanded mezzanine seating area, this innovative space is engineered to engage from the moment guests step through the door.
The second floor features the new bar in a light and airy setting, including a roof deck with a large wood and steel cover, plus heaters and fans, making the outdoor area viable yearlong, rain or shine.
Powers and his team have always dreamed of opening a distillery and inspirit Raleigh locals with a soft spot for small businesses (and booze, obv) to pay them a visit at this new hip distillery spot. We promise the housemade liquor and food menu are totally worth a shot! @youngheartsdistilling
