Chapel Hill turns on the culinary charm
Chapel Hill holds a special place in a lot of hearts across the country and not just alumni of the University of North Carolina, but also lovers of history, beautiful small towns, and the south in general.
It’s a town brimming with culture and the arts and one where people of all ages are active and visible on Franklin Street, the center of it all.
For years now, Chapel Hill has been gaining reputation as a culinary destination. You’ll find two James Beard Foundation award winners on W. Franklin Street: the 2011 “Best Chef in the Southeast” Andrea Reusing at Pan-Asian Lantern Restaurant and Crook’s Corner Café and Bar, a James Beard Foundation “American Classic” famous for its shrimp and grits. Lantern also received the 2013 nomination for “Outstanding Restaurant.” The Food Network featured artisan bakery Sugarland for its delicious cupcakes and gelatos.
TerraVita Food & Drink Festival pulls out all the stops in October with great food, classes, and tastings. The festival has been named one of the “10 Southern Food Festivals You Need to Taste” by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and “4 Can’t Miss Southern Food Festivals” by PeterGreenberg.com.
This year, TerraVita celebrates sustainability with a new dinner to rival all others – HILL FIRE: Pits, Spits & Grills. On Friday, October 9, TerraVita will host a collaborative feast with the region’s best chefs, pitmasters, and farmers. Chef Ashley Christensen of AC Restaurants and Fig’s Jason Stanhope – the James Beard Foundation’s two most recent “Best Chefs” of the Southeast – will be featured. Joe Sparatta at Heritage in Richmond and Clay Trainum from Olive Autumn Farm in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley will join us, as well as Sam Jones of Skylight Inn from Ayden, NC. From this region, Chef Ben Adams, The Pig Whistle’s Wyatt Dickson and Green Button Farm – of the soon-to-open Picnic in Durham – will serve whole hog BBQ using the farm’s peanut-finished heritage breed hogs. Some of North Carolina’s best craft brews will be tapped, alongside Wine Authorities’ superior boxed wines from small family farms, and spirits from local producers, including Broadslab Distillery. HILL FIRE will be held at Town Commons in Carrboro.
While in Chapel Hill, make sure to visit the Ackland Art Museum; the North Carolina Botanical Garden, the largest botanical garden in the southeast; the Kidzu Children’s Museum; and the Carolina Basketball Museum.
Upcoming events
▪ Festifall Street Fair, West Franklin Street, Chapel Hill, noon – 6:00p.m., October 4: Festival brings music, arts and crafts, children’s area and food into the downtown area. Free. For more information call (919) 968-2784 or visit www.chapelhillfestival.com .
▪ TerraVITA Food & Drink Festival, various venues in Chapel Hill, October 8-10: Sixth annual three-day festival dedicated to excellence and sustainability in the South, showcasing the very best in food and beverage. Kickoff event, Harvest Dinner, Sustainable classrooms, East Meets West Dinner. Event ends with Saturday afternoon Grand Tasting on the Lawn at Southern Village from 2 pm – 5pm. With more than 30 outstanding chefs and food artisans from the Triangle and North Carolina, you will not leave hungry! Grand tasting will feature more than 100 different beverages to choose from - wine, craft beer, coffee, specialty cocktails, and more! This event should not be missed by any serious foodie! For more information visit www.terravitaevent.com.
▪ 10th Annual Carrboro Film Festival, The ArtsCenter, Carrboro, Saturday, 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 p.m. and Sunday, 1:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m., November 21 – 22: Two-day festival with workshop, films and free after party. This year’s theme is “Celebrating North Carolina Film Makers,” featuring celebrities from the North Carolina film industry. Anticipate about 45 films. Tickets are $15.00 for a 1-Day, All-Day Festival Pass (either All-Day Saturday OR All-Day Sunday), and $20.00 for a 2-Day, All-Weekend Festival Pass. Kids 12 and under are admitted free. For more information visit http://www.carrborofilmfestival.com.
▪ 29th Annual Hillsborough Holiday Home Tour, Downtown Hillsborough, 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m., December 6: Theme is Sharing Music and Memories. Tickets $20 day of, $15 in advance; children 10 and under free; groups of 10 or more $15 day of event; $12 in advance. Tickets are non-refundable. For more information call (919) 732-8156 or visit www.hillsboroughchamber.com .
▪ Nutcracker on Ice, Orange County SportsPlex, Hillsborough, Friday at 6:00 p.m. and Saturday at noon, December 18 – 19: Tickets for the Nutcracker are $10.00 for adults and $8.00 for children 12 and under and Adults 55 and older. For more information call (919) 644-0339 or visit http://www.oc-sportsplex.com/.
For more information on these and other events call (888) 968-2060 or visit www.visitchapelhill.org.
This story was originally published October 3, 2015 at 8:01 AM with the headline "Chapel Hill turns on the culinary charm."