Lady Luck opens with a mix of local talent and good fortune.
It’s not a restaurant. It’s not a bar. It’s not a nightclub.
“It’s the best of all of those things,” says Kevin Ruiz, a partner and chef at Lady Luck, the new spot at 222 Glenwood South—former home to Indio and Blue Mango—that’s set to open this month.
Gone are the lackluster orange-hued lights and dark walls of Indian restaurants past, replaced with vibrant teal booths, glowing neon signs and a jungle of greenery hanging from the ceiling. A pair of neon-crowned lions from Glas, a local design studio, greet guests at the entrance’s gold double doors; walking into the space, you just know you’re in for a good time.
Megan Corbally, Balu Torres and Kevin Ruiz | Photo by Andrew Albright, Mainland Creative
That’s what Ruiz and his partners, Balu Torres and Megan Corbally, are aiming for. Inspired by the overall vibe of Miami, Torres asserts that, as well as being fun, Lady Luck has some of Raleigh’s top talent at the helm, including Ruiz as its head chef, Corbally (formerly of The Cortez) as its beverage director, general manager Cat Edman and creative director Hillman Ball (owner of Mainland Creative). The team members are all in their late 20s and early 30s.
“We wanted the best of everything,” says Torres. “I’m very fond of these people and I have so much respect for them. They’re all young and have so much hustle and talent.”
Torres, who opened Viva Mexican Kitchen, Chido Taco and Medusa social club, first reached out to Ruiz and Corbally about the Lady Luck concept last summer. A core driver for the project, he says, was to showcase local talent rather than outsourcing to “celebrity” chefs.
“In reality we have talent here, we just need to support them and show them off,” says Torres. “We’re going to show that locals, we can do that. And that young people in their late 20s can do that.”
Ruiz has been cooking since he was young, starting in his family’s kitchen in Puerto Rico, then at a mom-and-pop pizza place in Cary. Since then, he’s worked as the sous chef at three restaurants in Raleigh, including Raleigh Raw, The Cortez and Wye Hill. Now, he’s excited to open up a place of his own, where he can bring his eclectic approach to food, seen in Spanish-inspired dishes prepared using Southern ingredients—to the forefront. Menu items will include tuna tataki, chorizo meatballs and pork belly empanadas.
Along with the food and atmosphere, Corbally’s cocktails will take on a starring role. At The Cortez, her drinks were known for being brightly colored, creatively decorated, refreshing and delicious. “We’re going to put a spotlight on Megan,” says Torres. When the kitchen closes on weekends, guests will be encouraged to stick around for drinks and dancing; a DJ will bump popular tunes out of a converted pink Ford truck.
The Lady Luck partners competed for the roomy, but historically ill-fated, Glenwood South space, which has sat vacant since 2016, against nine other interested parties. Rather than being wary of its past misadventures, the partners see their securing the spot as fortuitous, a sign that the project was meant to happen.
Lady Luck’s signature ‘fingers crossed’ logo glows in pink neon behind the bar as a reminder to Torres, Ruiz and Corbally that, sometimes, you just get lucky.
“I hope [Lady Luck] becomes a destination, not only for people to come grab food and drinks, but to socialize, create memories and enjoy the experience that we’re curating,” says Ruiz. “For Raleigh, by Raleigh.”
“Sunburn On A Cloudy Day” | Photo by Monarch & Oak Photo
Seared Beef Carpaccio | Photo by Monarch & Oak Photo
Chef Kevin Ruiz | Photo by Monarch & Oak Photo
“Trash Tiki” | Photo by Monarch & Oak Photo
Octopus Salad | Photo by Monarch & Oak Photo
Editor’s note: The original version of this story stated that Balu Torres was involved in the opening of Totopos Street Food & Tequila, among other restaurants in Raleigh. Totopos co-owner and general manager Favian Miranda says, though Torres said he helped open Totopos, he actually had no involvement with the business. Torres sold his stake in Lady Luck following allegations of sexual misconductin July, 2020.
A day in the life of a local food photographer and blogger.
Foodies from all over Raleigh flood our social media feeds with drool-worthy photos of stretchy-cheese pizzas, thick bagel sandwiches bursting with fillings, colorful, loaded salad bowls and so many more tasty dishes that have us stopping ourselves from licking our phone screens. It makes you wonder how these Insta-foodies have the time, not to mention the appetites, to eat all this food, all day, every day. So we went straight to the source and asked Nancy Thapa—or @foodieteee as you may know her on Instagram—what a day in her life is like as a professional food photographer and blogger. Spoiler alert: Though the perks are delicious, it’s a lot of hard work—and she doesn’t get much sleep!
Nancy Thapa
11 a.m. – 3 p.m. I’m a part-time social media coordinator for a leading social networking app, so my workday begins with content creation, community management and developing brand strategy. At 2 p.m., I eat a small lunch.
3 p.m. – 4 p.m. Shoot new menu items for local businesses in the Triangle.
4 p.m. – 5 p.m. Visit a new local restaurant that I’ve been wanting to go to, particularly one that isn’t being covered by media companies and has just opened. I take pictures during these visits as well—that’s where the majority of my content comes from.
5 p.m. – 9 p.m. Attend media events put on by local groups. I take pictures and videos so I can write about them later.
12 a.m. – 2 a.m. I also work as a recipe and product photographer for a major supplement brand, so this is when I write, cook and photograph a recipe I have been told to create with the products that are being launched. I use this time to photograph for brand partnerships as well.
2 a.m. – 5 a.m. Edit the professional photos I took earlier in the day. I usually have less than a 24-hour turnaround, so I need to get them out fast. I also spend a few hours editing the content I gathered from my day from the media event as well as my visit of choice.
5 a.m. – 6 a.m. Work on revamping my website, or other general housekeeping items. I also use this time to edit portraits and recipe photos.
6 a.m. – 10 a.m. My sleep schedule most nights, which is why my day starts at 10 a.m. Because I work remotely, I have the flexibility to work the hours I want to work. I try to catch up on sleep during the weekends, but due to the increased workload I have now, I work weekends as well.
Raleigh filmmakers are working to rejuvenate film in North Carolina.
If there’s one thing Raleigh-based filmmakers Lance Bacon and Steve Neilson have learned from the film industry, it’s that you should never give up.
After submitting their short film, “Oh Crappy Day,” to several film festivals in early 2015 without hearing anything back, they finally won the Lou Costello Award for Best Comedy Short at the Garden State Film Festival that year.
“We were up against big names and all of the sudden, I heard us called and our lives changed after that,” says Neilson. “It was the moment in my life that I was like, ‘I think I know what we’re doing.’”
The recognition sparked a slew of additional festival wins across the nation, including the Best Plot Twist award at the 2015 Granite State Film Festival and Best Comedy award at the 2016 Cape Fear Independent Film Festival.
The short tells the story of a college filmmaker with OCD who goes on a blind date at Raleigh’s Hayes Barton Cafe; there’s a witty plot twist at the end. It’s a lighthearted, hopeful portrayal of a person dealing with a disorder that has won the hearts of many since it was first screened at The Rialto Theatre in 2014.
Behind the Scenes of “Oh Crappy Day” | Photo by Jonathan Okafo
Now, Neilson and Bacon—who suffers a mild form of OCD himself—are turning “Oh Crappy Day” into a feature film to submit to top tier film festivals like Cannes, Tribeca and Sundance. The filmmakers were inspired to enter Sundance after the festival selected a Wilmington-shot feature film called “Uncle Frank” for its 2020 premiere lineup. “This is exciting for us because it shows that folks in the industry want to know what’s going on in the South, specifically in North Carolina, because it was so vibrant at one time,” Neilson says.
For decades, North Carolina was one of the top filmmaking states in the nation but after the state’s General Assembly let a significant film incentive program expire in 2014, many filmmakers left the state and relocated to places like South Carolina and Georgia where filmmakers receive higher tax credits and other incentives.
But Neilson and Bacon decided to stay in Raleigh.
“Our stance is to dig our heels in the sand as independent filmmakers to bring back the incentives that we all deserve,” Neilson says. “We may not be successful in our run, but at the same time, somebody has to stand up and say ‘This is wrong and we’re going to continue to make films here in Raleigh, because it’s a wonderful state.’”
North Carolina’s Film Commission has since been reestablished under Gov. Roy Cooper in an effort to serve and lobby for the state’s film industry. Bacon and Neilson are optimistic that local filmmaking is on the road to recovery, and that “Oh Crappy Day” can help pave the way.
Bacon and Neilson will host a crowdfunding event at Clockwork on March 4 to raise funds for costs associated with the festival circuit, marketing materials and distributions deliverables. Follow them on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter (@ohcrappydayfilm) for updates.
Five years ago, Raleigh’s hotel scene was limited to chains, with standard Hiltons, Marriotts and Comfort Inns leaving little to the imaginations of visitors passing through. Since then boutique hotels, cherished for their charm and intimacy, their unique atmospheres and local vibes, began popping up all over the Triangle. The Bull City led the way with Unscripted Hotel, 21c Museum Hotel and The Durham Hotel. But Raleigh wasn’t far behind; in 2018, Guest House opened downtown, with many more to follow, including the recently opened Longleaf Hotel replacing a Days Inn that had, well, seen better days. Here’s a look at the boutique hotels Raleigh has now, and the ones that are on the way.
The Longleaf Hotel
300 N. Dawson St. Number of rooms: 56 Price range: $149-$179
Loden Properties’ Longleaf Hotel embodies everything cool about a 1960s motor lodge—neon signs, bright color schemes and hip lounge areas—but with modern-day amenities and a trendy facelift by Maurer Architecture. Retro-inspired decor pays homage to Raleigh, showcasing local artisans. Layered pine needle wallpaper is an ode to the state tree, pillows are the color of North Carolina clay and local textile makers Rise & Ramble supplies shibori-dyed robes.
Origin Hotel
603 W. Morgan St. Number of rooms: 126 Price range: Starting at $150
A large hotel with a community-oriented feel, the Origin brand is known for embracing the hyper-local in ways that seamlessly blend into the existing fabrics of cities. Origin Raleigh—developed by the Mississippi-based Thrash Group—highlights the local culture with curated retail from DECO, locally made artwork, a DIY coffee connoisseur kit including Larry’s Coffee beans, in-room yoga and an onsite bike share program. The hotel restaurant, Good Day Good Night, will feature plant based dishes incorporating ingredients sourced from North Carolina farmers.
Guest House
420 S. Bloodworth Street Number of rooms: 8 Price range: $159-$259
Guest House is lauded for its cozy common areas, including a greenery-filled dining room, sanctuary breakfast nook and parlor adorned with plush couches, not to mention serene guest rooms decorated in calming color palettes and flooded with natural light. Lovingly restored by Matt Tomasulo and Nicole Alvarez, the historic house—which originally served as the home to Arthur Gorham, Raleigh’s first African American mailman, his wife Annie, and daughter Addie—was relocated six blocks from Raleigh’s Prince Hall Historic District to its current location.
The Gables Lodge
1217 Wake Forest Road Number of rooms: 19 Price range: To be announced Projected opening: To be announced
Singer Tift Merritt and Durham hotelier Daniel Robinson bought the Gables Motor Lodge last year with plans to renovate and restore it to its original use as a hotel. The existing buildings that date back to 1925 will be saved, with changes to the existing garage—which will become a small bar—and new additions to either side. The pavement will be replaced with a native Piedmont garden.
Photo by Jim Lamb
Heights House Hotel
308 S. Boylan Ave. Number of rooms: 9 Price range: To be announced Projected opening: Early 2021
Commissioned in 1858 by William Montfort Boylan, Montfort Hall—now known as Heights House Hotel—is one of only a few remaining pre-Civil War houses in the city and it is both a National and Raleigh Historic Landmark. The beautiful Italianate-style mansion has had several owners since the Boylan family’s time and currently is being restored by husband-and-wife team Jeff and Sarah Shepherd. The crown jewel of the historic Boylan Heights neighborhood, the inn will host community nights and special events to foster a sense of shared community.
Titanium Grapes Necklace. Anodized titanium. From the collection of Christina Trevino | Photo by Jason Dowdle
Throughout her life, Raleighite Mary Ann Scherr wore many creative hats. Before she died in 2016 at age 94, Scherr worked as a cartographer, illustrator, industrial designer, fashion designer, graphic designer and jewelry artist during the course of a career that spanned seven decades. But her unique, intricately crafted metal jewelry designs are what Scherr is perhaps best known for and what will continue to be her legacy. Scherr studied at the Cleveland Institute of Art, the University of Akron and Kent State University before landing her first job at Goodyear Aircraft Corporation and, later, at Ford Motor Company and the Aluminum Company of America. At the Aluminum Company, Scherr was commissioned to design a collection of stainless steel jewelry, which set the tone for the industrial-style pieces that would become her signature—a gilt metal collar necklace, a sterling silver bracelet with textured patina and a brown glass and sterling silver necklace, to name just a few of Scherr’s iconic pieces.
In 1986, Scherr moved to Raleigh to open a gallery and studio while continuing to teach courses at the Penland School of Crafts in Bakersville, North Carolina, where she worked as a seasonal professor since 1968. Scherr also taught jewelry making classes at NC State’s Crafts Center and served on the board of the Gregg Museum of Art & Design and the Raleigh Fine Arts Society. Beginning February 20, Scherr’s work will be on display at the Gregg in an exhibition curated by jewelry historian Ana Estrades. Collaborating with locals who knew and worked with Scherr, Estrades and her team will showcase the artist’s finest and most unique pieces.
