by Lauren Kruchten | Apr 23, 2018 | April 2018, Do
As adults with jobs, bills and countless other stresses and responsibilities, it can be quite alluring to harken back to the carefree attitudes and artistic freedoms we experienced as children. Kelly Miller’s Raleigh Coloring Book helps you do just that, transporting you to a time when you had no worry in the world other than coloring inside the lines.
Published in January, the coloring book, which Miller sells through her Etsy shop Design Bright Raleigh, features some of your favorite Raleigh landmarks. The acorn sculpture, the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, a scene from the State Fair, and the iconic Krispy Kreme building on Person Street are all rendered in black lines, just waiting for you to fill them in with color.
Miller found inspiration for the coloring book on walks around Raleigh this summer. She photographed what she saw, then sketched—and eventually painted—what she captured. Miller, a North Carolina native and Raleigh resident since 2015, wanted to share her love of her home city in the coloring book’s pages and to educate people about all that it has to offer.
“I grew up here, and I absolutely love the state and I think that people genuinely love Raleigh, too,” Miller says.
Though Miller graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill with a degree in Exercise Science, arts and crafts have always been her true passions. While working in the HR department for Red Hat, Miller entered an annual arts and crafts fair to showcase some of her artwork, including greeting cards and wall decorations that she had created.
“I was really nervous because when you put your art out there for the first time, it’s a very personal experience, and I generally only created art for myself,” she says. “It was just something I enjoyed doing.”
But Miller’s self-described “authentic and childish” creative style proved popular, and she sold $500 worth of her art in just a few hours.
The feedback Miller received was energizing, so she quit her job at Red Hat to follow her passion for art and design. She enrolled in the Iron Yard, a coding academy that allows students to become software engineers in just 12 weeks, and now works as a web developer designing and creating websites.
“I realized that this was such a pivotal point in my career, where I really felt like I found my passion,” Miller says.
Miller decided to turn her sketches and paintings of her explorations of Raleigh into a coloring book last fall, a process that took about five months. She believes coloring provides a creative outlet for people of any age, as well as a therapeutic break from the fast-paced grind of modern society.
“That’s kind of what Design Bright is founded on, that authentic, creative journey and self discovery,” Miller says.
In addition to her Etsy shop, Miller’s coloring books are for sale at local stores downtown, including at the City of Raleigh gift shop, the bookstore Read With Me and the Local Squirrel in Cameron Village.
So next time you’re looking for a creative activity to give yourself a break from your busy lifestyle, grab some crayons or colored pencils and Miller’s Raleigh Coloring Book. You’ll learn a thing or two about the great city we live in, and you may even learn something about yourself as well.
Visit etsy.com/shop/DesignBrightRaleigh ■
by Lauren Kruchten | Apr 9, 2018 | April 2018, Eat
Hungry Harvest finds homes for the produce no one wants to purchase.
It’s no question that we all love attractive- looking things, right down to the food we eat.
When shopping at the grocery store, we go for the finest looking fruits and vegetables, the ones that don’t have any spots or bruises, that are perfectly shaped and just the right color; we disregard produce that isn’t visually appealing but is perfectly fine otherwise. Unfortunately, this means all the ugly-but-edible apples and potatoes that aren’t bought simply get thrown away.
That’s where Hungry Harvest comes in. The farm-to-doorstep produce delivery service is a rescue resource for “ugly” produce that would otherwise go uneaten due to the aesthetic standards we demand of our food, as well as to farm overproduction and the standards of wholesalers and grocers.
The company, which came to Raleigh three years ago, gathers a variety of rescued produce that it then packages into harvest boxes and delivers to your doorstep—for about 20 percent less than the cost of what you’d typically find at the grocery store. The boxes come in three sizes—mini, full and super—which range from $15 to $50 and contain an assortment of fruits and vegetables, from peaches to cauliflower to fingerling potatoes.
Through the produce boxes, Hungry Harvest’s mission is to reduce food waste and support hunger-solving operations. Each delivery saves at least 10 pounds of produce from going to the dump, which puts a big dent in the 1.2 millions tons of produce that goes to waste each year in North Carolina.
“It’s really one of those win-win situations,” says Bart Creasman, Hungry Harvest’s Raleigh-Durham market manager. “You keep things from going in the trash and get a good price on something you’re probably buying anyway.”
Evan Lutz launched Hungry Harvest in 2014, selling leftover produce out of his dorm at the University of Maryland. After nearly failing twice, without enough money or customers to keep the business thriving, Hungry Harvest got its big break on the ABC show “Shark Tank,” where Lutz made a deal with investor Robert Herjavec. Now, the company operates in five different locations along the East Coast and has recovered five million pounds of food so far.
In addition to selling produce boxes, Hungry Harvest also partners to fight hunger with Raleigh’s Interfaith Food Shuttle. The company donates all of the produce it doesn’t sell to the nonprofit for use in in its various food programs. Hungry Harvest is also working to bring Produce in a SNAP, its Baltimore-based discount mini farmers market program, to areas of Raleigh that lack access to fresh produce.
Creasman says one of the most important components to Hungry Harvest’s work is education and promoting awareness, or “being aware that there’s a problem with food waste and how buying our produce solves that problem.” He notes that Raleigh is an especially fitting market for the company because of its well-educated population that cares about food issues, as well as the city’s thriving food scene. Both have allowed the company to make multiple connections with area farmers and sellers that share Hungry Harvest’s values.
Upon opening a produce box from Hungry Harvest, you may be surprised at just how appealing the fruits and vegetables contained within actually are. Even more appealing is the fact that every fruit and vegetable you eat from the box contributes to a better food system, reduces waste and helps create a more sustainable future.
by Lauren Kruchten | Feb 28, 2018 | Eat, March 2018
The Sweet and Sour Octopus Bowl is made up of cabbage edamame slaw, pickled radish, roasted pepper, crispy broad beans and coconut rice at Mofu Shoppe in downtown Raleigh.
IT’S NOT EVERY DAY that you stumble upon an Asian restaurant with an Italian-American
chef whipping up pho and dumplings in the kitchen. But at downtown Raleigh’s MOFU Shoppe, it’s just part of the routine for executive chef Matt Greiner. MOFU, meaning “more fortune,” is the crowning glory of Sonny Lin and Sophia Woo, two Taiwanese Raleighites who you may recognize as the season six champions of the Food Network’s “Great Food Truck Race.”
After investing their $50,000 winnings into a brick-and-mortar restaurant at City Market, Lin and Woo devised an eclectic, uniquely Asian menu that incorporates both their Taiwanese-American backgrounds along with influences from Greiner, who was born and bred on Long Island and has an impressive resume in the food industry.
“The authenticity is what MOFU’s about,” says Greiner, formerly the executive chef at the Italian restaurant Vivace. “It’s authentic to the ladies and the food.” Lin and Woo, or the ladies as Greiner refers to them, grew up with Taiwanese parents and have lived for the majority of their lives in the southern United States, though they have traveled to Taiwan as well. Woo takes pride in her second-generation Taiwanese upbringing, as she says it has allowed her to become fluent in food here in America as well as in the food of her parents’ culture.
Greiner, who MOFU originally hired as a sous chef, took over the reins as head chef three months ago. Since then, he’s helped grow the restaurant and the menu into the one-of-a-kind establishment it is today. “I’m always impressed by how much knowledge Matt has,” Lin says. “He brings a level of energy to the kitchen that I don’t feel like just anybody could do. I don’t think that’s replaceable.”
Lin and Woo incorporate their knowledge of food and preparation techniques that they’ve learned from their mothers and grandmothers into MOFU’s diverse dishes, which get a pair of
Pork & Chive Dumplings are served with sweet & spicy and black vinegar toasted sesame sauces at Mofu Shoppe in downtown Raleigh.
fresh eyes from Greiner. He takes their concepts in new and interesting directions; this helps keep MOFU’s offerings fresh and dynamic while Greiner gets to learn a trick or two. “Every day I learn something new,” he says. “They’re teaching me so much more than I ever knew about Asian food—the flavors, the combinations. It’s just been mind-blowing to me, and it’s helping me expand my palate and my cooking techniques.”
To curate the dishes on MOFU’s menu, the trio comes up with different concepts and ideas to try out in the kitchen and present as finished items. This process prompts a discussion of what works and what doesn’t, and the chefs re-evaluate the dishes’ different ingredients and play off of each others’ opinions in order to reach a final product. They strive to create dishes that are genuine to the team and reflective of their different backgrounds.
“We’ve built this place on who we are,” Lin says. “The inspiration we draw from is from our lives, our peers, our mentors and our teammates, and that’s what makes it different.”
MOFU’s menu ranges accordingly in genres, with a variety of influences represented in each dish. Their signature MOFU wings, served with either buttery Sriracha or nuoc mam lime glaze, combine both Taiwanese and American influences. The nuoc mam lime glaze blends fish sauce, sugar, lime and chili, providing an umami taste that Woo says pairs well with the wings and takes a modern spin on a traditional American bar bite. The green curry mussels draw on a slew of eclectic backgrounds, from traditional preparation methods found all along the coasts of the U.S. and Taiwan.
The inside of the restaurant is open, allowing people to feel comfortable while dining.
The mussels, sourced from Wilmington, are topped with a sauce inspired by a Thai green curry along with pork belly bits, a staple of Southern cultures. They’re served with youtiao, a traditional Taiwanese breakfast bread. Additional items on MOFU’s menu include a sweet and sour octopus bowl, roasted king trumpet mushroom, fish tacos, roasted carrot soup, beef and vegetable pho and, of course, the dumplings that made Lin and Woo famous. MOFU Shoppe’s cozy space, with its tall windows for natural light, wraparound bar and wooden furniture, is an intimate and welcoming backdrop to enjoy all of these dishes.
The considered blending of cultural ingredients is what makes MOFU Shoppe stand out from Raleigh’s many other Asian eateries. Lin, Woo and Greiner excel in creating familiar dishes with unexpected twists, allowing Raleighites to experience a variety of cultures all in one space.
The trio takes its “more fortune” motto seriously. For Greiner, it means parlaying his passion for cooking into creating communal experiences, gathering people together to share a delicious meal. For Woo, it’s staying true to her Raleigh roots by giving back a bit of her Taiwanese culture to the community.
“The translation of bringing something that we know really well to a group that maybe doesn’t know it as well is exciting and fun,” Woo says. “Food’s a great way to learn about another culture as you get a glimpse into another country, and their history, through it. We eat through everything.”
by Lauren Kruchten | Feb 21, 2018 | February 2018, Polish, Stuff
With the new year in full swing, we’re all on the lookout for health and beauty trends that will allow us to put our best feet forward in 2018, especially in the realm of makeup and skincare.
Beauty products containing certain ingredients have been found to contribute to negative health effects, which means people are paying more attention to what they’re putting on and into their bodies. Consumers want trustworthy goodies that won’t cause harm but are still effective. In fact, “clean beauty” is revolutionizing the everyday approach to healthy and hygienic skincare.
According to Vogue, “clean” beauty products differ from “natural” ones in that they’re free of harmful ingredients, including silicones, parabens and sulfates. Skincare brands such as Tata Harper, Goldfaden MD and Goop sell both clean and natural beauty products without artificial chemicals and ingredients that typically can be found in average merchandise
Here in Raleigh, Trellis Beauty —a pop-up and online retailer that prides itself simply as “a place to shop clean beauty”— is driving the clean beauty trend. Trellis, which will open its first brick-and-mortar location in North Raleigh’s Lafayette Village this month, offers products that are mindfully created and produced without toxic ingredients, with the health of our bodies and the environment at the forefront.
Makeup artist and self-proclaimed beauty junkie Tracy Gori opened the shop after she realized that regulatory laws within the beauty industry haven’t been updated since 1938. The lack of oversight allows companies to continue to use harmful ingredients in our favorite everyday beauty products, so Gori searched for only the best clean beauty brands for her store.
“You shouldn’t have to sacrifice your health for that lipstick or body cream,” Gori says.
Trellis Beauty has established three pillars that deliver clean beauty to customers in the form of education, comfort and product selection. The store’s brands, including SkinOwl, Spela Cosmetics, Wyld Skincare and Elate Cosmetics, meet clients’ expectations for quality and Gori’s own definition of clean beauty products—produced with no proven or suspected harmful or toxic ingredients; they are safe, environmentally conscious and cruelty-free.
Trellis’s Kit Bar features a rotating collection of such customized products, allowing beauty gurus and makeup enthusiasts to try out the freshest products the store has to offer. Additionally, Trellis Beauty’s Talk Clean Beauty events and pop-up shops teach consumers why clean products are better, as well as provide helpful tips and tricks on makeup and skincare.
“We believe in progression, not perfection, so it’s important to us that we not only educate on why cleaner is better, but do it in a way that there is no judgement,” Gori says. “The bottom line is that it is a total, overwhelming lifestyle switch when you’re looking for healthier ways to live. But it’s nice to know that you have a place like Trellis Beauty, where the hard work of reading ingredient labels on personal care products is already done for you.”
Head to Trellis Beauty’s new all-in-one shop or website to pick up the cleanest beauty products in the area, and fulfill your new year resolutions of mindfulness and overall wellbeing. trellisbeauty.com ■
Watch Out For…
When you’re looking for beauty products, these are the potentially harmful product ingredients to avoid:
Parabens—preservatives that are hormone disruptors, which can alter important hormone mechanisms in the body
Phthalates—chemicals that disrupt the endocrine system and may lead to birth defects
Avobenzone and Oxybenzone—chemical sunscreens that can cause irritation, sensitization and allergies
Formaldehyde—a preservative in cosmetics that is also a known carcinogen and can cause asthma, neurotoxicity, and developmental toxicity
“Fragrance”—a term companies sometimes use to mask harmful ingredients without having to disclose them
Polyethylene glycol (PEGs)—thickeners, softeners and/or moisture-carriers which can be contaminated with harmful carcinogens
Ethanolamines—a pH adjuster associated with allergies, skin toxicity, hormone disruption, and inhibited fetal brain development
BHT and BHA—synthetic antioxidants that can cause liver damage
Benzalkonium chloride—a disinfectant used as a preservative that has been linked to severe skin, eye and respiratory irritation, as well as allergies
by Lauren Kruchten | Feb 14, 2018 | Do, February 2018
1. Keatts had his first coaching experience as a college basketball player at Ferrum College in Virginia. When the team’s head coach had a major accident, Keatts offered to help out the assistant coach. “That was really my first taste of coaching, and it helped me realize what it was what I wanted to do,” he says.
2. Keatts welcomes the challenge of developing chemistry between team veterans and the players he recruited this season. “Six new players is a lot to have on one team, so there are plusses and minuses,” he says. “There will be guys sitting out [due to NCAA transfer rules] who can see what we want them to become and can use the year to get better. There is a certain amount of excitement to it. We have versatile guys that can play multiple positions. That is something I always look for when recruiting players.”
3. In August, Coach Keatts took a trip to Italy with the basketball team, touring historical sites in Milan, Venice, Florence and Rome and playing a few games to prepare for the season and bond with the players. The experience “allowed us to learn about each other on and off of the court and also to build some trust in one another,” Keatts says.
4. Keatts’ two sons, K.J. and Kaden, are also huge basketball fans. “They love being around the team and the program,” Keatts says. “They’re around the team a lot.”
5. Keatts prefers college sports to professional sports. “I appreciate professional sports, they are the best athletes in the world, but I’ve always been more into college sports,” he says. “I’m a big college football fan, college basketball fan. My team is NC State. They’re who I root for in everything.”
The feedback Miller received was energizing, so she quit her job at Red Hat to follow her passion for art and design. She enrolled in the Iron Yard, a coding academy that allows students to become software engineers in just 12 weeks, and now works as a web developer designing and creating websites.
