Wilmington Magazine Jan-Feb 2022

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2022
The Allure &
Aromas of
Romantic
Dining
Timeless Classicism
A Stylish Custom Build
on the Intracoastal
Feathered Friends
The Birds of NC’s Winter
FRENCH-
INSPIRED
ASIAN CUISINE
GEMS &
JEWELS
SALTY
AIR
WELLNESS

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2 | WilmingtonNCmagazine.com

A GOOD YEAR FOR A FRESH START
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January /February 2022 | 1

custom window treatments, bedding, furniture & more
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2 | WilmingtonNCmagazine.com
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January /February 2022 | 3

January / February 2022
50
A Modern Take
on Timeless
Classicism
An owner’s intertwining
passions are the centerpiece
of this exciting, stylish
custom build
By Lori Wilson
46
Celebrate Valentine’s in
Delicious Fashion
Wilmington and its beaches
has the range of restaurants
to reel in some romance
By Ray Linville
57
Welcoming Our
Overwintering
Feathered Friends
North Carolina is a
destination state for
feathered fauna
By Crissy Neville
A glimpse of
the loggia from
the kitchen area
of the great
room where
the back wall
has become a
stunning gallery
for the owner’s
art collection.
PHOTO G. FRANK HART
4 | WilmingtonNCmagazine.com

January /February 2022 | 5

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2022
Departments » January / February 2022
Buzz
13 An Enterprising
Flower Farmer is in
Our Midst It’s a busy
winter for this
5th generation farmer
14 Staff Picks Diverse
selections for fireside
reading
13
16 Events Your guide for
fun in your free time
26 Art Seen Gun safety
in North Carolina’s film
industry
28 NC Farms The “slow
flower movement” is in
bloom in southeastern
NC
30 Newsmaker Getting
salty is in a Himalayan
salt cave is a growing
wellness trend
35 63
78
Well Styled Food+Drink Travel
35 Gardens in Miniature
Winter’s new hobby
36 Garden Terrariums
capture gardens in
miniature, winter’s new
hobby
38 Valentine’s Gift Guide
Cupid-approved gifts for
your loved ones
40 Jewelry A statement
piece of gems & jewels
can liven up your fashion
63 French-inspired Asian
Cuisine The roots of
family are infused in the
exotic flavors
64 Dining Review Café
Chinois – where food
meets art, and art meets
food
67 Libations The pure
delight of true Irish
Coffee
68 In the Kitchen Look
forward to “starry, starry
nights” with these recipes
72 Restaurant Guide The
best spots for eating and
drinking in Wilmington
78 Left-Bank Love Saint
Germain des Pres, just
a half mile from the
Louvre, is a destination
to savor
Fundamentals
10 Reader Services
12 Editor's Letter
80 The Last Reflection
67
32 Southern Drawl A
new post for a Brunswick
County commercial
realtor
January/February 2022
The Allure &
Aromas of
Romantic
Dining
Timeless Classicism
A Stylish Custom Build
on the Intracoastal
Feathered Friends
The Birds of NC’s Winter
WilmingtonNCmagazine.com
FRENCH-
SALTY
GEMS &
INSPIRED
AIR
JEWELS
ASIAN CUISINE
WELLNESS
30 32 68
ON THE COVER »
The Seafood Fra Diavolo, a
Valentine’s-inspired dish by
Chef Jessica Cabo of East
Oceanfront Dining
PHOTO BY G. FRANK HART
6 | WilmingtonNCmagazine.com

DON’T JUST LIVE HERE...
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Call 910.507.7384 to schedule a tour and see why
residents don’t just live here, they LOVE IT HERE.
2324 41 ST Street Wilmington, NC 28403
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Retirement Living Choices offered by Liberty Senior Living
January /February 2022 | 7
© 2021 Brightmore of Wilmington

CEO & Publisher
Robert Sweeney
Executive Director of Operations
Emily Sweeney
■ ■ ■
Managing Editor
Elizabeth Sugg
■ ■ ■
Advertising Director
Sybil Stokes, 910-508-5158
Art Director
Shanna Thomson
Kelli Lazzaro, Becky Spivey, Alison Bernhart, Nikki Johnson, Sam Simmons, Karen Thompson
New
Construction
for the
New Year!
7204 Winchester Trail • $849,000
644 Bedmininster Lane • $839,000
Specializing in
Landfall and
Beyond the Gates
to Neighboring
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Graphic Designers
Kristina Parolla
Shanna Thomson
Carl Turner
Travel Director
Katie McElveen
Contributing Writers
Kimberly Byer, Christine Hall,
Kim Henry, Kevin Lewis, Ray Linville,
Teresa McLamb, Crissy Neville,
Tom Pinkston, Fanny Slater,
Elizabeth Sugg, Brandon Williams
Photographers
Kimberly Byer, Christine Hall,
G. Frank Hart, Neve Kittrell Scheve,
Abigail Whitehurst, Brandon Williams
■ ■ ■
Distribution Coordinator
Joy Brown
■ ■ ■
Customer Service
Corporate Office: 843-856-2532
1720 Drysdale Dr.
Wilmington
910-256-6111
landfallrealty.com
912 Bedminister Lane • $899,000
Wilmington Magazine (Vol. 9, No. 5) is
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SUBSCRIPTION price is $24.95 per year.
8 | WilmingtonNCmagazine.com

January /February 2022 | 9

Art is Always
Blooming in
Downtown
Wilmington!
Jewelry design by
Roberto Vengoechea,
Black Mountain, NC
210 Princess St. • Wilmington, NC
910.763.8341
484.885.3037
artinbloomgallery@gmail.com
aibgallery.com
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Danielle uses Yoga as a healing modality for
PTSD, anxiety, panic disorders, depression,
and any other mental or emotional imbalance.
She also offers a Mentorship program for Yoga
teachers seeking to deepen their understanding
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10 | WilmingtonNCmagazine.com

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January /February 2022 | 11

from the editor
January/February 2022
WilmingtonNCmagazine.com
JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2022
Timeless Classicism
A Stylish Custom Build
on the Intracoastal
Feathered Friends
The Birds of NC’s Winter
FRENCH-
INSPIRED
ASIAN CUISINE
GEMS &
JEWELS
The Allure &
Aromas of
Romantic
Dining
SALTY
AIR
WELLNESS
Give the gift
that lasts
all year long...
a subscription to
Just fill out the postcard in
this issue, call 843.856.2532
or go to
WilmingtonNCmagazine.com
Coincidental Connectedness
The point of writing this letter is to tee up
the enjoyment of each magazine issue, and
sometimes the task can be really fun when,
for example, even from the editor’s chair
there is discovered serendipity in a series
of stories that even I had not foreseen. The
January/February magazine has a lot of
connectedness, and I have decided to take
that as a cosmic cue for the new year when
assigning stories, to look for those deeper
themes that overlap some of our shared
experiences living in the Wilmington area.
And by area, I don’t just mean the beaches
but also the countryside that is home to
the farms that feed and service us.
Our inaugural N.C. Farm story is about
Ashley Johnson who harvests beautiful
blooms to sell through flower subscriptions
and pop-up markets to the Wilmington
area through her budding business
Foxhound Farms. A 5th generation farmer,
Johnson’s determination to succeed is
bound in her family’s legacy as well as her
desire to find her own unique path. Kelly L.
Stuart, a commercial realtor in Brunswick
County, is the subject of another profile,
her industriousness in several overlapping
careers having led her to the presidency
of the Realtors Commercial Alliance,
Southeast North Carolina. She got many
of her first enterprising opportunities
working for her father.
Featured also is one of our community’s
restaurant pioneers, the diverse tapestry
of dining now in so much abundance that
it’s hard to believe there was never an
Indochine on Market Street. Solange “Niki”
Thompson has dreamed and imagined
again, and her new restaurant Café Chinois
is now ours to relish. As you enter to dine
on the French-inspired Asian cuisine, note
the black-and-white photo of Thompson’s
mother hung in tribute and love.
One aspect of Wilmington Magazine
that won me over for the job is the In the
Kitchen section where a pair of talented
recipe developers switch off every other
issue and offer up some wonderful menus.
Kimberly Byer is particularly inspired
this winter such that her cozy evening
kicks off with a series of French apertifs
that will be fun to try, a Francophileinspired
charcuterie
to serve with them,
and a simple take
on Filet Frites. The
French references
connected me to
the menu at Café
Chinois, yet it was
Byer’s reference
to the music of
Edith Piaf that had me astounded
when I had just read about a January
performance of the French chanteuse’s
ballads at Thalian Hall.
The house featured in this issue is a
short walk to the Intracoastal yet the
influences in the custom build are an
intertwining of places around the globe
that the owner loves most, and his eye for
the craftmanship found in each unique
spot has found a relevance in his wondrous
home and the landscape that surrounds
it. There is intention is his approach, a
legacy of family, and a desire to shine a
light on the talent that helped him along
the way. What a great story to enjoy as the
new year unfolds.
Elizabeth Norfleet Sugg
editor@wilmingtonncmagazine.com
We welcome your comments. Please
send us your feedback to “Letters to
the Editor,” Wilmington Magazine,
3853 Colonel Vanderhorst Circle,
Mt. Pleasant, SC 29466 or you can email
us at editor@wilmingtonncmagazine.com
FIND US ONLINE!
Visit us on our website
wilmingtonncmagazine.com
Find us on Facebook and Instagram
@wilmingtonmagazine
12 | WilmingtonNCmagazine.com

Your Local Rundown on News and Culture
Ashley Johnson of Foxhound
Flowers is pioneering flower
subscriptions to southeastern
North Carolina.
PHOTOS FROM FOXHOUND FLOWERS
An Enterprising
Flower Farmer
is in Our Midst
It’s a busy winter for this
5th generation farmer
See page 28
January /February 2022 | 13

Diverse Selections for your Winter Bookshelf
Exploring the world from your cozy reading spot
The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois by Honoree Fanonne Jeffers
Don’t be daunted by the size of this tome! Clocking in at over 800 pages, every page of
this beautifully written, ambitious multi-generational saga will keep you captivated. The
story follows Ailey, the youngest family member from her childhood through adulthood.
It alternates with her family’s story, starting with her Native American ancestors in
Georgia through the present day. Ailey grows up in the city but spends her summers with
her mother’s family in a small Georgia town and struggles to find her own identity while
reconciling the two present worlds she experiences personally and the past experiences of
her family. Love Songs is filled with trauma and triumph, family quarrels and family love,
strong women, and compelling storylines.
A Pocket Guide to Pigeon Watching by Rosemary Mosco
Ever look at a flock of city pigeons and wonder why sometimes there’s a brown one? Part
history and part field guide, this book will help you look beyond the pigeon’s “rats with
wings” reputations and see a noble bird, valued for centuries for its wayfinding abilities
(and sometimes for its edibility!) Learn about the pigeon’s common feather patterns, social
structures, and habitat through charming illustrations. Through the guide you come to
appreciate that even the most urbanized concrete canyon is a part of the natural world.
Late Bloomers: The Power of Patience in a World Obsessed
with Early Achievement by Rich Karlgaard
According to Rich Karlgaard, American culture’s obsession with high achievement in youth,
embodied in figures such as Mark Zuckerberg, makes little allowance for the promise and
potential of late bloomers. Karlgaard, himself a late bloomer, struggled to find his path
in his twenties but became a successful author and the publisher of Forbes magazine. He
cites many cases of remarkable people, among them Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling
and investment guru Ken Fisher, who found their true calling only after going through a
period of aimlessness and false starts in young adulthood.
The Teller of Secrets by Bisi Adjapon
This dazzling debut from Nigerian author Bisi Adjapon explores gender inequality and
self-discovery through the eyes of Esi, a girl growing up in 1970s Ghana. Smart and feisty,
Esi observes the impossible expectations placed upon women in her society as she grows
up in a house full of sisters and aunties ruled by an iron-fisted patriarch. She notes the
various indignities with a razor-sharp wit, bringing a solid dose of humor to the story,
while the visceral descriptions of Ghanaian life woven into the clean, clear writing bring
it to life. As Esi learns to walk the tightrope of balancing her desires with the weight of
cultural expectations, she grows into a self-possessed young woman that readers will be
sad to bid farewell.
The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
The Maltese Falcon, first published in 1929, holds up well for a novel published over 90
years ago. The book is definitely a product of its time, with stereotypical female and gay
characters, but it is an iconic example of the hard-boiled crime novel and is a fun and
engaging read. If you’re only familiar with the 1941 film noir starring Humphrey Bogart,
give the story a read (Spade is taller and blonder in the book), and if you haven’t read the
book or watched the film, this is your chance! W
14 | WilmingtonNCmagazine.com

January /February 2022 | 15

Visit us to find one-of-a-kind
handmade jewelry,
accessories, housewares
and much more!
Come see us at
6213 Market St. • Wilmington, NC
910-444-8881
www.portcitypeddler.com
5th Annual Art & The Bloom January 7, 8, 9
Now in its 5th year, Art & The Bloom is a highly anticipated floral design exhibition
where designers create beautiful floral designs inspired by fine art. Also includes Meet
and Greet the Designers Preview Party, two afternoon teas with a fashion show of
jewels, floral design demonstrations and workshops in watercolor collage and creating
sugared edible flowers. Sales gallery by the Wilmington Art Association, and many
juried vendors. Based on National Garden Club guidelines, proceeds benefit gardening
projects and scholarships in the greater Wilmington area. Hosted by the New Hanover
Garden Club & Harbor Island Garden Club. allevents.in
Event Calendar
Looking to fill your social calendar? We've got the
rundown on what to do this winter season.
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your choice of paint or stain colors. Licensed
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shopofseagate.com
910-791-6622
Carolina Beach
State Park Trail
Half Marathon
& 5K
January 2
The Carolina Beach
State Park Trail
Half Marathon & 5K
is a trail race with
13.1 and 3.1 mile courses, and all levels of
speed and ability, in one of the most unique
setting in North Carolina. Rolling pine
laced single track along the coast, offers
participants tons of interesting terrain to
take-in while they put out max effort for
unique prizes. After the race, participants
(21+) can enjoy one beer on the patio at the
American Legion. RACE DAY: 8am – Half
Marathon Start & 8:30am – 5K Start.
runsignup.com
THALIAN HALL
PERFORMANCES
thalianhall.org
Footloose The Musical
January 1 - 15
Based on the award-winning 1984
film Footloose, this upbeat musical tells
the story of a teenage boy from Chicago
who moves with his mother to a small
town after his father abandons them.
Upon arriving, he finds himself at odds
with most of the town, including the local
Reverend who has convinced the town to
outlaw dancing.
The Tortoise And The Hare
January 22
Pied Piper Children’s Theatre returns to
the stage with a public performance of
former local playwright Steve Cooper’s
16 | WilmingtonNCmagazine.com

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January /February 2022 | 17

adaptation of Aesop’s fable, The Tortoise And
The Hare.
PIAF! The Show
January 29
A musical celebration of the life and music of
the legendary French chanteuse Edith Piaf.
Company
February 4 - 14
From musical theatre's most renowned
composer, the late Stephen Sondheim,
Company is largely regarded as a trailblazer
of the dark-comedy, modern-musical genre
and the winner of six Tony Awards, including
Best Musical, Best Score, Best Lyrics and
Best Book.
Annie
February 18 - March 6
Directed by Sarah
Rodgers, most recently
in Wilmington directing
the world premiere of
'Thursday Night Bridge Circle', this show
will have you believing that the sun is
coming out.
Capital Comedy
February 24
Capitol Comedy is a performance group that
uses the winning formula of musical comedy
and political satire to engage audiences in an
entertainment that is hilarious, insightful
and non-partisan.
Over 100 years of combined
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Shop our collection of designer
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1119-A Military Cutoff Rd • Wilmington
910-256-1850
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Port City Ping Pong Throwdown
January 14, 15
Get ready to throwdown! The Wilmington
Table Tennis Club presents the biggest
annual ping pong tournament Wilmington
has ever seen at the Brooklyn Arts Center at
St. Andrews. All players are welcome whether
you are playing for fun or playing for keeps.
There will be food trucks, cool tunes and a
cash bar. Please note that due to popularity,
there will be a cap on the amount of players
that are able to register. brooklynartsnc.
com/event/ping-pong-throwdown
Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr.
Day Parade and
Commemoration
January 17
Martin Luther
King, Jr. Day has special resonance to
Wilmingtonians because he was scheduled
to travel to Wilmington for a speaking
engagement on the day he was assassinated.
The Monday parade begins at 11 am on N
Third Street from Hanover to Princess Streets.
mlkjrcelebration-senc10.com
18 | WilmingtonNCmagazine.com

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January /February 2022 | 19

AT THE BEACH
AG Jeans
Nic & Zoe
Michael Stars
Lilla P
Wilt
Mod-O-Doc
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KinRoss Cashmere
1051 Military Cutoff Road
Suite 103
Wilmington, NC
910.509.0273
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(910) 228-6637
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Cape Fear Stage presents Phillip
Phillips and Jon Foreman • January 17
Since releasing his five-times-platinum
debut single “Home” in spring 2012, Phillip
Phillips has taken his expansive brand of
earthy, guitar-fueled rock to stages across
the globe. Jon Foreman's musical journey
began in 1996 with the alt-rock band
Switchfoot. His 2021 album, “Departures”
serves as the latest chapter in Jon's lifelong
search for light in the dark moments.
Jason Isbell and the 400
Unit • January 19
Multiple Grammy winning singer/
songwriter/guitarist Jason Isbell with his
talented band 400 Unit. Joining Isbell is the
hauntingly exquisite singer songwriter Adia
Victoria, known for her “Southern Gothic
Blues” musical style and introspective lyrics
and poetry. Please plan ahead this event is
sure to sellout.
The Donna Summer
Musical • January
21, 22
Spend the night in the
electrifying universe
of a spectacular girl from Boston with a voice
from heaven who quickly moved from gospel
choir to dance floor diva. This musical spans
the highs and lows of Donna Summer’s
tumultuous life, tempestuous loves and
mega-watt musical hits.
WSO Bruch Violin Concerto
with Randall Goosby • January 23
Enjoy part of the 50th Anniversary Year of
the Wilmington Symphony Orchestra (WSO)
with special guest violinist Randall Goosby,
a rising star and protégé of Itzhak Perlman.
Beautiful: The Carol King
Musical • January 25, 26, 27
Enjoy an evening with the inspiring story of
legendary singer-songwriter Carole King’s
remarkable journey from teenage songwriter
to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, featuring
favorite songs like “You’ve Got a Friend,”
“One Fine Day,” “Up on the Roof,” “You’ve
Lost That Lovin’ Feeling,” “Will You Love
Me Tomorrow,” and “Natural Woman.”.
Cats • February 1 - 3
Enjoy one of the longest-running most beloved
Broadway musicals that tells the story of one
magical night of an extraordinary tribe of
cats called the Jellicles.
All Strings NC Symphony • February 5
Enjoy a stirring evening of all strings
with the talented string section of the
20 | WilmingtonNCmagazine.com

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January /February 2022 | 21

North Carolina Symphony featuring Guest
Conductor Sameer Patel.
Cirque Mechanics • February 10
Thrilling international audiences for over
a decade, Cirque Mechanics has been
combining comedy, original contraptions
and high level Circus acrobatics for a funfilled
evening.
50th Anniversary WSO with Linda
Lavin • February 20
Enjoy a special evening celebrating the 50th
Anniversary of the Wilmington Symphony
Orchestra (WSO) with special featured
artist the multi-talented Linda Lavin.
Port City Taste
January 24 to February 6
Port City Daily will kick off its 2nd annual
Port City Taste on January 24. Participating
restaurants will offer special prix-fixe
menus, and offer the true food aficionado
with the opportunity to experience selections
from Wilmington and the island beaches'
culinary scenes. Get out and support the
thriving local restaurant scene this winter!
portcitydaily.com
Fourth Friday Gallery Nights
January 28 & February 25
Enjoy a Fourth Friday evening when select
galleries and studios open their doors for an
after-hours celebration of art and culture.
Maps are available at all participating
locations including the Arts Council of
Wilmington. artscouncilofwilmington.org
Wilmington Coffee Fest
January 29
Enjoy a celebration of all things coffee with
some of downtown Wilmington's finest
purveyors of coffee, roasters and distributors
at Waterline Brewery and Hi-Wire Brewing.
Both locations will be filled with coffee
roasters, shops, makers and bakers and each
will have seminars, food trucks and music.
wilmingtoncoffeefest.com
Confluence at CAM
January 9 - May 15
Exploring speculative futures by developing
eco-based community art projects, the Algae
Society works across multiple scales and
boundaries, bridging the worlds of art and
science, with a focus on macro and micro
algae through scales of magnification, in both
virtual and physical creative spaces. This
installation, experiential by nature, features
both indoor and outdoor components exploring
local ecology with the data translated by its
study.cameronartmuseum.org
22 | WilmingtonNCmagazine.com

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T.S. Brown Jewelry
343 N. Front Street,Wilmington (at The Cotton Exchange)
910-762-3467 ● tsbrown.com
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exclusive, private Pre-K Program,
centered on academic excellence,
learning by discovery, and preparing
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✦ Nurturing Environment
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✦ Intro to Spanish
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Since 1983, T. S. Brown
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dazzling decor, inspired design,
and ever-changing furnishings, or
talk to a designer about our
design service offerings!
NC Jazz Festival
February 3 - February 5
Enjoy one of the largest traditional jazz
festivals in the Southeast at Hotel Ballast.
This musical weekend starts on Thursday
evening with “Styles of Jazz” featuring
The Steve Washington Trio, the Lenore
Raphael Trio and Professor Cunningham’s
Traditional Jazz Jam. The fun continues
both Friday and Saturday night with four
and a half hour concerts featuring seven sets
with six or seven musicians per set (each
with a different leader). ncjazzfestival.org
Wrightsville Beach Valentine Run
February 12
Bring along your Valentine and your festive
gear for a morning of fun and take your pick
between the 5K, 10K or the Double Trouble
15K around beautiful Wrightsville Beach.
There’s even a Valentine's Costume Contest
for the runners. townofwrightsvillebeach.com
Art For All at BAC
February 19 - 20
Come celebrate Art for
All at the Brooklyn Arts
Center (BAC). Browse
the work of over 50 of the
region's finest artisans
in the magnificent BAC.
brooklynartsnc.com
Special Olympics Polar Plunge
February 19
Show your strength at the annual Polar
Plunge and 5K Run-N-Plunge or one
mile fun walk for all abilities – this flat
course is stroller, wheel chair and dog
friendly. facebook.com/SpecialOlympicsNHC
Novant Health Wilmington NC
Marathon
February 26
Experience marathon running like never
before from Pier to Port. Drawing a variety of
runners from all over the country, this exciting
event has the added bonus of being a Boston
Marathon qualifier and an USATF certified
qualifier. wilmingtonncmarathon.com
Tidewater Camellia Club Show & Sale
February 26
Each year this historic show has grown
with exhibitors and judges from all over the
Southeast. Camellia experts will display
hundreds of blooms for evaluation by the
American Camellia Society Judges. Free for
spectators. tidewatercamelliaclub.org
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January /February 2022 | 25

art seen
A familiar western
scene: a cowboy with
a gun at a bar.
The Anomaly of a Single Bullet
Gun safety in North Carolina’s film industry in the tragic fallout of the period western Rust
By KEVIN LEWIS
ALEC BALDWIN, AFTER
being informed that he
had a cold gun without live
rounds, shot and killed his
cinematographer Halyna
Hutchins and wounded his director Joel
Souza in October on the set of Rust in New
Mexico. Upon investigation by the local
sheriff, the gun had a live round in the
gun chamber, discovered when the bullet
was extracted from Souza. The film was
shut down and the incident sent shock
waves throughout the film industry. That
single bullet exploded through several film
industry unions and guilds: the Directors
Guild of America, the crafts unions such
as Local 600 (cinematographers), Local
44 (the armorers, set painters, electrical
and sound crew and property masters) and
SAG-AFTRA, forcing a reassessment of
on-set procedures.
Baldwin was both lead actor and
producer of the period western, and
safety concerns had been raised on the
film set before the tragedy, including a
walkout of crew members to be replaced
by reportedly non-union technicians.
Conflicting stories regarding the persons
handling the gun, whether it was the
young, less experienced armorer Hannah
Gutierrez Reed, the assistant director
Dave Halls or Baldwin, plus the walkout
or firing of union employment make the
story a continuing headline. Baldwin now
claims he never pulled the trigger and that
it misfired. A police report has not been
released. Whether the bullet was sabotage
or negligence has not been determined.
How will this affect booming film
production in North Carolina and the
handling of firearms on set? Most of the film
activity is centered around Wilmington
and the situation is well under control,
according to interviews with IASTE Local
491, the union which covers armorers,
set painters, grips, gaffers, sound mixers
and recorders among its roughly 84 job
classifications. EUE/Screen Gems Studios
is the main studio for film and television
production. Wilmington Regional Film
Commission, Inc., which is composed of
business and elected officials, is the central
source for helping filmmakers make their
productions a reality. There is a state
bureau, North Carolina Film Office,
headed by Guy Gaster.
Johnny Griffin, Director of the
Wilmington Regional Film Commission,
Inc., and William Vassar, Executive Vice
President, EUE/Screen Gems Studios,
26 | WilmingtonNCmagazine.com

Revolvers, pistols, rifles
and more are a big
part making movies,
the drama of wellchoreographed
gun
fights one of the key
ingredients of the most
entertaining action
movies.
spoke about their involvement with Local
491. Griffin says that most of the film crews
are guild or union members, unusual in a
right-to-work state like North Carolina,
and that a majority of non-union members
join unions. Vassar is proud that the major
studios such as Paramount and Disney are
shooting movies at the Wilmington studio,
which has been rivaling Hollywood as a
production base. “I have five productions
coming in,” Vassar said in December.
The 50-acre, full-service studio lot
with 10 stages and 150,000 square
feet of column-free shooting space is
basically a rental operation for outside
productions. The original studio was
built by Italian-American film producer
Dino De Laurentiis in the early 1980s as
Laurentiis Entertainment Group. Over
the years, because of fluctuating fortunes,
it was resold to Carolco and now is EUE/
Screen Gems.
Darla McGlamercy, business agent for
Local 491 and a member for 12 years,
claims that there are approximately 1190
members in its jurisdiction, which covers
Savannah, Georgia, North Carolina, and
South Carolina. Approximately 700 of
those are residing in the Wilmington area.
Movie production, streaming and television
is booming not only in the Carolinas but in
New York, Los Angeles, and other cities.
The lack of post-production facilities outside
New York and Los Angeles has hampered
the completion of films in the Carolinas but
that may soon change with the technological
advances in digital technology and the
portability of equipment. “Over the last
18 months we are extremely busy with
content creation,” she explains, with more
trained directors, producers and technicians
able to realize production. Based on the
quality of life offered in the Wilmington
area, McGlamercy says, “Professional film
technicians have chosen this jurisdiction to
work in.”
“We are leading the country in safety
training for all of our members,” she says
with four classifications ranging from
sexual harassment training to COVID-19
procedures. COVID-19 safety standards
are rigidly followed with working
production people being tested at least two
times a week and sometimes three times a
week. All on-set and office personnel are
required to wear masks at work.
Gun Safety class was initiated by
Charley Coleman and Mark Cayton,
who is now retired. The 35-year-old
Coleman, a Wilmington native and who
like McGlamercy is a first-generation
member of IASTE, is the senior armorer
in Local 491. He takes pride in his safety
record based on transparency and strict
adherence to union regulations in his 15
years as an armorer, nine of them as an
IASTE member on over 30 productions.
When asked if the Rust accident was an
anomaly, he replied without hesitation,
“It wasn’t just an anomaly, it was THE
anomaly of everything not to do.” Guild
procedures were not followed regarding
access to the gun and transparency.
Coleman explains that the armorer,
property master and 1st assistant director
examine the gun chamber to be fired in
a scene for live rounds, dummy rounds
(no powder) and blanks (powder). Each
of these people check each other’s work.
Coleman recalls one incident involving
a shot to be fired in a crowd scene when
at least 50 people examined the gun
chamber to allay the fears of concerned
extras before filming began.
“The industry is more safety oriented
[now],” he says, remembering the notorious
production tragedies of the death of
Brandon Lee by gunshot on The Crow
and the deaths of Vic Morrow and two
children on The Twilight Zone movie by
helicopter. As details of the fatal shooting
on Rust continue to unfold, Wilmington’s
professional pool of talent continues to forge
ahead as crew for a bustling production
center that continues to gain steam.
Kevin Lewis was a reporter for two
decades successively for the Directors Guild
of America and IASTE Local 700 The
Motion Picture Editors Guild. W
January /February 2022 | 27

nc farms
A graduate of UNC-
Wilmington, Ashley
Johnson brought
her flowers to a
pop up market at
Flying Machine at
Wrightsville Beach.
From Field to Vase
The Slow Flower Movement Comes to Southeastern North Carolina
IF YOU CAN GET YOUR
favorite music, magazines, beauty
and cleaning supplies in a monthly
subscription, why not flowers? This
question and brainstorm prompted
fifth-generation farmer Ashley Johnson
of Buies Creek to take a leap of faith and
start Foxhound Flowers in 2018. The
flower subscription business has since
blossomed in two locations – Harnett and
New Hanover counties – and has grown to
include business collaborations, seasonal
workshops, pop-up markets, and custom
and wholesale orders.
A Happy Accident
After graduating from UNC-Wilmington
with a degree in creative writing, the
now 30-year-old developed her passion
for flowers after a short stint in her
first career, journalism, working for the
Wilmington-based magazine, Wilma.
Unhappy behind a desk, she yearned to
get outside, travel and try new things.
She calls learning floral design while
By CRISSY NEVILLE
employed part-time with a Wilmington
florist – a “happy accident.” Moves to Key
West and Alaska fueled her flower fetish;
she worked at a large peony farm in the
49th state and helped coordinate the
Certified American Grown Field to Vase
event there.
While nearly spontaneous opportunities
led Johnson to discover her creative talent
for working with blooms and passion for
them, her skill as a grower and penchant
for hard work is as organic as the flowers
she grows and the family she comes from.
Her lineage includes males who farmed
themselves or devoted land for agriculture,
including her great-grandfather, Caswell
“Cack” Johnson, the foxhunter for who
the farm is named. She is proud to be the
first family female to work the earth for
a profession.
A Family Tradition
Foxhound Flowers operates on Johnson
family land in Harnett County, previously
a row crop and livestock enterprise and
The soft beauty of
seasonal peonies.
now, Johnson’s startup. While much of
the track is still leased to outside farmers,
Johnson uses nearly two acres for her
plantings and equipment and converted
her great-grandparents’ home into a
farm Airbnb.
Johnson has fond memories of growing
up on the farm, where there were always
foxhound puppies to pet, fresh vegetables
to eat and horses to ride.
“Growing up in a small town,” she
shared, “I admit I wanted to leave, but
then when I left, I missed being out
in nature, having space and the quiet
and starry nights. I love my family and
Harnett County. Most young people have
moved and left. I felt the itch to go back.”
Growing a Startup
So, Johnson moved home, garnered her
grandparents’ and parents’ approval and
support and dug in.
Not only in “let’s get to work” fashion but
literally, she dug in – planting thousands
of seeds, bulbs, corms and tubers that
first fall and every autumn since then.
Some in the ground, others in the high
tunnel greenhouses and many started
each winter in her basement via seed
plugs, grow lights and heat mats. From
fall planting to overwintering to spring
and summer harvesting, flower farming
is full-time, year-round work. Big planting
weeks are usually the week of Halloween
PHOTOS FROM FOXHOUND FLOWERS
28 | WilmingtonNCmagazine.com

The farm
flatbed is
filled with the
day’s cuttings.
Three generations
of farmers (l to
r): Ashley’s father
Scott Johnson,
Ashley, and her
grandfather
Marshall Johnson.
and then again in Thanksgiving and lastly
in February.
Perennials, annuals – you name it. Sow.
Cut. Repeat.
Business in a Bucket
Johnson’s platform provides unique,
specialty flowers to the local community
and Wilmington primarily through the
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)
model made popular in recent years as a
way for urban dwellers and non-growers to
get fresh, local organically grown produce
through weekly box deliveries.
Like veggie buyers, flower subscribers
pick up their fresh-cut bloom buckets at
designated locations once a week for four
or eight weeks in the spring, summer or
both. She deliveries to homes in Harnett
County on her subscriber list and makes
pick-up available in the Wilmington area
at Big Sky Design on Oleander and Beanie
+ Cecil in Lumina Station. Going out of
town one of the weeks? No problem. Just
gift that week to a friend or postpone for
another time.
Always on the lookout to add new pickup
locations and expand and scale her
business, Johnson also sells in Wilmington
at pop-up markets like the Wilmington
Farmer’s Market at Tidal Creek and
the Palate Bottle Shop & Garden.
Additionally, she often supplies flowers for
weddings and events by selling directly to
florists like her best friend Ally Favory of
Wilmington’s Blossom Bay Design. Add to
the menu Johnson’s seasonal workshops
at various locations, including wreathmaking,
Ikebana, naturalistic tabletop
design, flower arranging and more. The
popular sessions, which include sips, bites
and a take-home creation, usually sell
out. To stay abreast of the offerings, go to
foxhoundflowers.com.
Why Buy Local
If not for locally grown flowers, she
explained, flowers would always be sourced
from far-away places like Columbia, Ecuador
and Mexico, increasing the environmental
footprint in every way from the chemicals
and packaging used to the water and
transport required, not to mention the
unethical working conditions and unfair
wages common for third-world farmworkers.
Add to this the fact that local, sold inseason
flowers provide more fragrance
and smell, last longer in a vase and offer
a true seasonal awareness of what is in
bloom right now. They look better, too;
many sought-after blooms do not ship well.
For all these reasons and more, the “slow
flower” movement, similar to the slow food
and slow fashion trends, has increased in
popularity in recent years.
“You have to wait for them,” said
Johnson of her blooms.
Bountiful Blooms
And worth the wait they are. A spring
bucket from Foxhound Flowers might
include tulips, Dutch iris, ranunculus,
feverfew, specialty daffodils, snapdragons
and campanula and a summer container
full of hybrid zinnia, celosia, lisianthus,
dahlias and more. Each bucket is a
surprise package to delight the senses and
feed the soul. Coming soon will be peonies
reminiscent of Johnson’s Alaskan tenure,
a perennial flower that puts the “s” in the
slow flower mantra.
Find out more about peonies and all
of Johnson’s other flower favorites and
the farm by visiting foxhoundflowers.
com. Sign up for weekly newsletters and
also connect with Foxhound Flowers on
Instagram and Facebook. W
W
Foxhound
Flowers has
beautiful
subscription
bouquets.
January /February 2022 | 29

newsmaker
The interior of Prana’s
salt cave where a
halogenerator pumps
a fine salt mist through
the air.
Getting Salty is Good
for Your Soul!
Taking the enjoyment of salty air to a whole new level in mind, body and spirit
By KIM HENRY » Photos by BRANDON WILLIAMS
WHEN LIANA BELANICH
began the journey to find her
true purpose in life, she had
no idea where it was going
to lead. Despite multiple setbacks, Prana
Salt Cave opened its doors in August 2019,
and has taken enjoying the salty air to a
whole new level. Once the vision became
clear, Belanich was committed to seeing
her dream through to fruition and even
Covid could not shut down her healing
haven. In fact, at a time when we need to
focus more on self-care than ever, Prana
Salt Cave has us well and truly covered.
Born in New York, Belanich moved to
the sandy shores of Wilmington in 2005,
enticed by her love for the beach. After
many years of waiting tables, Belanich
wanted to both use her business degree,
and feel more aligned with a higher calling.
“I began my yoga teacher training about
eight years ago. I knew I wanted to create
a better, healthier life for myself and to be
of more service to the community. I wanted
to find my true passion,” smiles Belanich
surrounded by the peace and tranquility of
the salt cave.
After exploring a range of holistic
Himalayan salt
covers the walls
and the floor of
the cave.
30 | WilmingtonNCmagazine.com

The enchanting space
is covered from floor
to ceiling in crystals
of salt.
Owner Liana
Belanich dreamed
of creating a
cutting edge
wellness center.
modalities and other business ideas,
Belanich came across the salt cave in
Asheville, NC and things began to click,
both in her business brain and an inner
sense of knowing. Further motivated by
the fact that Wilmington did not have a
salt cave as yet, Belanich threw herself into
research, writing a business plan, finding
the capital and shifting her mind set into
trusting that the right circumstances
would unfold to enable her dream to
become a reality.
“I felt that Wilmington really needed this
and that it could contribute to the thriving
holistic community that’s growing here,”
affirms Belanich. The process definitely
challenged her determination as Belanich
hit a number of brick walls to begin with.
The banks didn’t want to provide a loan,
locations repeatedly fell through and time
was ticking by. However, with support
from her husband, family and the wider
community, combined with her belief that
the cave was meant to be, Belanich found
through the air. Relaxing in recliner chairs
at the cave temperature of 70 degrees, this
cleansing air is breathed in and opens the
passageways of the lungs, helping with a
wide range of respiratory issues.
“Salt is anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial
and anti-microbial which is why it’s such a
beneficial therapy,” explains Belanich. An
place and even my teenage son loves it!”
Prana is the Sanskrit word for ‘breath’,
for the life-giving force which we so readily
take for granted. “As the salt is so good for
the respiratory system, it seemed like the
perfect name,” smiles Belanich who also
designed the logo. Additionally, Belanich
wanted to be able to utilize her yoga
“Salt is anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and anti-microbial which is why it’s such a beneficial
therapy,” explains owner Liana Belanich.
her way to opening day.
So what exactly happens in the salt
cave and what are the benefits? Well, the
salt treatment has an official name —
halotherapy, and this is used to alleviate
various skin and lung conditions. Once you
enter the enchanting, pink space, which is
covered from floor to ceiling in crystals of
salt, a halogenerator pumps a fine salt mist
average session lasts for 45 minutes and
can be experienced alone or with family and
friends. Belanich says that a wide range of
people come to the cave on a regular basis
to receive the benefits of the salt, whether
it’s for de-stressing and relaxation, or for a
specific physical ailment. “I try and come
at least once a month,” says Wrightsville
local Kathy Batchler, “it puts me in a better
training and to offer healing practices from
other facilitators in the area. This has led
to the cave hosting a range of alternative
techniques from sound healing to
massage, yoga, reiki, and energy healing.
Very economic packages are available,
so if you’re ready to try something new
for 2022, you know exactly where to go!
pranasaltcave.com W
January /February 2022 | 31

Kelly L. Stuart in
her home base of
Brunswick County,
and at one of the
commercial projects
she manages in
Sunset Beach.
Taking the Reigns
Tech-and-media savvy with a background in economic
development, a Brunswick County commercial
realtor has a new post on her resume
By TERESA McLAMB » Photos by G. FRANK HART
TAKING THE REINS OF
Realtors Commercial Alliance
Southeast North Carolina
(RCA) in November last year,
Kelly L. Stuart has the challenge of
expanding the RCA’s membership as well
as helping property and business owners to
discern the differences in commercial and
residential real estate.
It’s a challenge she’s well suited to,
having spent most of her career in
economic development on a private and
government level.
The Raleigh native went to work
straight out of high school where she
had been heavily involved with YMCA
programs in the day when you could walk
around by yourself on Hillsborough Street
and be safe.
“I grew up at the bottom of a cul de sac
on a street with kids my age; we walked to
the bus stop at the top of the hill. I could
walk to my elementary school. It was a
very normal almost small-town childhood,”
she shares. At the end of the school day, she
went to the Y’s day camp.
“It was awesome,” she exclaims, her
enthusiasm opening the opportunity to
be a counselor’s aid in 6th grade and a
leadership trainee when she was 15. By
16 she was a counselor at youth camp. She
also swam competitively in the butterfly
where she accomplished an Olympic
qualifying time. In summer camp she was
a pool chief. After she began working at
age 15, she served as a lifeguard at Camps
Seagull and Seafarer during weekend
family camps in Pamlico County.
After high school, Stuart went to college,
but the money quickly ran out so she went
back to work.
When she was 22, her father, David
Stuart, founded an economic development
consulting firm. “The more work he got,
the more he was away from the office.
People needed stuff.” She stepped in and
not only answered the phone, but learned
how to do digital presentations, mastered
a database software, and provided
marketing materials needed by clients. She
joined him full time and became the person
who traveled all over North Carolina to
their clients who were mostly economic
development organizations.
“I would install computers to replace
typewriters, then I would teach computer
school: ‘This is where the power button is;
32 | WilmingtonNCmagazine.com

Stuart stands
inside the
recently opened
Beach House
Café in the
Village Center
Sunset Beach.
Kelly L. Stuart
» Job: NC real estate broker;
President, Realtors Commercial
Alliance (RCA) Southeast North
Carolina
» Hometown: Raleigh, NC
» Education: Liberal Arts, Zavier
University
» Family: parents David Stuart
and Jerry Watson
» Hobbies: Loves the beach and
being on the water
» Fun Fact: Put herself through
college at the age of 30
January /February 2022 | 33

this is how to get the Internet.’ We’d spend
a day on PowerPoint and a day on contact
management. That’s how I got my start in
economic development.”
The next several years she worked for
numerous organizations, almost all of
them her previous clients. She’s worked
for NC Global TransPark Authority as
Deputy Director of Development, Northern
Kentucky Tri-ED in the Cincinnati Metro,
then similar organizations in Richmond
and Martinsville, Virginia. After a
short break living in Ocean Isle, she
was VP Client Development of Piedmont
Triad Partnership, Director of Business
Development for Myrtle Beach Regional
Economic Development Corporation, then
Assistant Director for Brunswick County
Economic Development.
When that organization dissolved, she
was determined to stop moving (17 times
since 2000). Her father was in commercial
brokerage by this time, so she earned the
North Carolina Real Estate Commission
license in 2016 and began working for a
local brokerage to get general experience.
“I’ve always done his marketing, always
helped him on the side.”
The two formed Carolinas Commercial
LLC, partnering in commercial brokerage
sales and leasing about three years ago.
The team is affiliated with Coldwell Banker
Commercial Sun Coast. Stuart began
attending RCA meetings and training
sessions and became increasingly involved.
“When you work in economic
development, the only thing you have to
sell is the site or building. I was selling
commercial real estate all those years on
an industrial scale. My job now is to figure
out what my product is then go find the
people we want to put into it based on our
labor force. That’s all I do now. What is my
product? Do I have a shopping center, a
grocery anchor, a half-acre piece of dirt?
What is the end user I want to see there?
Then I go out and get them. I don’t wait for
people to call me.”
Her understanding of the marketing
side drew her deeper into RCA where
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she worked with the brand development
committee to update their recruitment
materials. “I knew how to build websites.
I was able to help.”
Being part of the 400-member RCA
gives brokers access to a larger geographic
area than the home market, she said. “In
a world of commercial real estate, most
of the deals that are done are because I
know a commercial broker that knows a
guy who needs what I have. A lot of deals
are done without anything ever hitting
the market. I find a lot of value by being
in the room with the people who do the
same thing I do.”
Bringing more people into the
organization is one of Stuart’s goals as
president. To do so they’re introducing
brokers to RCA and the tools it makes
available. “It gives [brokers] access to
the state’s commercial multiple listing
service. That’s important because if your
commercial property is not in the NC
MLS, you’re marketing it to people who are
shopping for a house.” The NC commercial
MLS, called Catalyst, feeds directly
into the commercial exchange which is
global, she said. “So, for $50 a month you
can have the same exposure you get on
LoopNet for thousands per year. The value
is enormous. Commercial real estate is not
done on a local level. Most of what I work
with is small business, but the interest is
from people who want to come here. You
have to make sure they know what you
have to offer, or they won’t call to buy.”
As devoted as she is to building RCA and
her company, Stuart looks forward to the
days when her business is self-sustaining,
and she can once again travel. Her years
in economic development took her across
the country and abroad on business,
something she thoroughly enjoyed.
“I miss travel. I would love to go to the
beach more. I miss the opportunity to
immerse in other cultures and food. I just
got back from New York City for NAR, and
it was awesome. I used to shop in Atlanta,
Chicago and Dallas. Now it’s Costco,” she
quips, adding, “I used to belong to Rotary,
but not now. My commitment to RCA is all
I can commit to: Three years as president
elect, president and past president.”
For more information on RCA, go to
rcasenc.com W
34 | WilmingtonNCmagazine.com

garden valentine's day gift guide jewelry
Gardens in
Miniature
Winter’s new hobby
Terrariums can add airy
aesthetics of color and
light to a setting.
January /February 2022 | 35

garden
Zen Trend:
Gardens Under Glass
A modern take on terrariums
Story and Photos by CHRISTINE HALL
AS A HOBBYIST THERE
is something uniquely
captivating about miniatures.
My fascination came by way
of a childhood adoration of
dollhouses, fairy gardens, and villages
of gingerbread houses. Miniature worlds
seemed to deliver a sense of joy and calm,
and interaction with them in many ways
is rejuvenating.
And as a gardener, I find it hard to
give up my trowel each winter when our
home gardens go dormant. So, when my
daughter came home one day from school
with a mason jar terrarium for her science
project, it gave me a creative spark to
curate an authentic terrarium of my own –
my winter gardening fix!
While terrariums are seeing a trendy
resurgence, they are no modern creation.
In fact, the very idea of a terrarium
was a mistaken invention in the early
1800s by an English Botanist Nathaniel
Bagshaw Ward. The discovery came to
him in London’s East End amidst a time
when smoke and other carcinogens were
polluting the air with the introduction of
factories during the Industrial Revolution.
In this Victorian Era, Ward was
surprised to discover that the sealed
glass case displays made to nurture his
moth pupae were also encouraging the
accompanying plants (in his case moss
and ferns) to flourish. Soon after his
discovery, many put “Wardian cases” in
their windows where they could not only
enjoy the protected natural beauty of flora
and fauna from indoors, but also screen out
views of factories and chimney smoke.
A MODERN TAKE
It was not until the 1970s that terrariums
got their name (“terra” for earth and
“arium” for air) and had a reprise. Being
back on trend today, glass terrariums are
widely available in stores, though finding
empty ones to fill can prove challenging.
Looking to create a low maintenance, nofuss
arrangement, I found a simple tall
glass container at a local craft store that
was suitable.
ORGANIC DÉCOR
After choosing my vessel, I visited several
local nursery greenhouses for properly
scaled specimens that would not outgrow
the container. Wanting the terrarium to
evoke woodland peace and tranquility,
I selected an air fern, a few succulents,
and several mosses to match the intended
aesthetic. The final step was choosing a
ground medium. I selected a combination
of pebbles, sphagnum moss, and a few
acorns to finish the look.
CAPTURING CURIOSITY
Miniature gardens can offer new landscapes
to explore that may not be realistic on a
larger scale, or stunning vessels that are as
functional as they are fabulous. Whether it
is a gilded geometric terrarium that offers a
sleek look with modern lines or a teardropshaped
terrarium that imparts a more
organic feel, your own terrarium creation
awaits. Maybe you, too, have an untapped
world of miniature gardens to explore.
GETTING STARTED:
❱ Choose a theme that sparks your
imagination. Ideas span from woodland to
desert to marine to inspire your ideal world.
Adding rocks, a bird’s nest, driftwood, or
shells can add to the visual experience for
a one-of-a-kind creation. Don’t be afraid
to use existing fairy garden décor, small
animal figurines, or furniture elements as
a finishing detail.
❱ Select plants that will not overgrow the
container, such as dwarf palm, succulents,
boxwood, or spikemoss for sun-loving
plants, and maidenhair or button ferns,
club moss, or peperomia for lower-light
requirements.
❱ Basic tools you will need include a
spoon for placing soil in the container, long
tweezers for positioning items, scissors for
trimming greenery, and paper towels or a
cloth for cleaning the glass.
❱ Because glass containers can magnify
the sun’s rays, place the terrarium in a spot
that receives indirect sunlight.
❱ A light misting of water every two
to three weeks for most terrariums is
sufficient. If you are unsure, reference (and
save) the plant nursery tags for its needed
sun, shade, and soil conditions.
The world
of miniature
gardens can be
exciting new
terrain for your
green thumb.
W
36 | WilmingtonNCmagazine.com

2022 CAPE FEAR HEART BALL
02-26-22
Wilmington Convention Center
515 Nutt Street | Wilmington, NC | 28401
Celebrate the American Heart Assocation’s mission to be a rentless force
for a world of longer, healthier lives by joining us for an unforgettable
evening featuring dinner, auctions, music, and dancing at the
Wilmington Convention Center for the 2022 Cape Fear Heart Ball.
EVENT CHAIR:
Rick Goldbach, EVP,
Director of the Carolinas,
TowneBank Mortgage
PRESENTING SPONSOR:
FOR MORE INFORMATION
ashley.miller@heart.org • 910.538.9270
capefearheartball.heart.org
January /February 2022 | 37

Valentine's Day
Gift Guide
Inis cologne makes a great Valentine’s
gift. Made in Ireland, $45. Port City
Peddler, 910-444-8881.
These plantable cards are a
gift that keeps on giving! Share
a sweet message with a loved
one and watch it grow into a
bundle of beautiful flowers with
the card’s embedded wildflower
seeds. $6.99. Big Sky Interior
Design, 910-793-3992
Heart Mug Gift Set – Our
classic silo mug is handpainted
with a Heart, to
symbolize our commitment
to the American Heart
Association’s research on
heart disease. 20% of our
profits go to the American
Heart Association. $145.
Sugarwood Interiors,
910-319-7779.
Our multi-wick Sweetheart
statement candles make a beautiful
Valentine gift. Enjoy this Orange
Blossom fragrance with notes of
crushed neroli petals. Burn time
is 37 hours. $30. Paysage Home,
910-256-6050.
Yummy gourmet jams, sauces and
peanuts from Twisted Root and
Kate's Boutique. Uptown Market,
910-686-0930.
38 | WilmingtonNCmagazine.com

Nothing says Happy
Valentine's Day more
than a heart shaped
dough bowl candle!
$74.95. Ikan Island at
Blue Moon Gift Shops,
910-799-5793.
Beautiful Sideboard with two drawers
and two cabinets. Great for the holidays!
$795. DeBruhl’s, 910-228-6637.
Impress your sweetheart
with a custom designed
necklace by NC artist Juli
Mills, $64. Crabby Chic,
910-799-4216.
One-of-a-kind necklace made
with upcycled vintage Elgin
watch pieces, Swarovski
Crystals and a Sterling
Silver Chain, $189. By Artful
Notions at Eclipse Artisan
Boutique, 910-799-9883.
Desire Moscoto Wine: This fullbodied,
sultry and seductive,
semi-sweet white wine has
notes of peaches and honey
that lead to balanced flavors
of mango and pineapple. Find
it at our new Tipsy Toad
Gallery Giftshop at Cape Fear
Vineyard and Winery,
910-645-4291.
The ultimate package
for your Valentine! Love
You More Pillowcase Set
$40.95, CAREN Paint!
Lip Gloss, $21.95, Wooden
Sweetheart Bowl, $19.95,
CAREN Soap Sponge,
$13.95, Wooden Heart Clip,
$3.95. All available in-store
and online. niche. Décor
& Gifts, 910-769-8839.
January /February 2022 | 39

jewelry
Vibrant green and blue
sea glass sourced by artist
Nancy DiTocco McCarthy
herself star in this
versatile sterling silver
necklace available at at
Blue Moon Gift Shops.
Gems
& Jewels
A statement piece from
these local jewelers can
help liven up your
wardrobe
Photos by G. FRANK HART
40 | WilmingtonNCmagazine.com

The bracelet called
"Bezel Set Beauty" is a
sapphire and diamond
custom piece available at
Perry's Emporium.
Perry’s Emporium
specializes in custom
creating brand new
jewelry pieces from
scratch, or existing
jewelry that you do not
wear anymore.
Bands for her and
bands for him can be
custom creations at
Perry’s Emporium.
January /February 2022 | 41

jewelry
Locally designed jewelry
is an important niche at
Lumina Gems. (left to
right) Sterling silver and
18k yellow gold with
Opal in Matrix bezel set,
made by Rica Fenza of
Lumina Gem; Sterling
silver and amethyst
cabochon earrings, made
by Melissa Manley (local
artist); Brass with 18k
yellow gold plating circle
earrings, made by Syliva
Benson (local company);
Brass with 18k yellow gold
plating Bouy Necklace,
made by Syliva Benson;
(bottom left) 5.97 carats
Loose Mint Tourmaline,
cut by Chris Wolfsberg
(local gem cutter); 14.54
carats loose Aquamarine,
cut by Chris Wolfsberg.
Aquamarine and 18k
yellow gold beaded
necklace, made by
Katharyn Zava (local
artist); Rutilated Quartz
and Peruvian Opal
beaded necklace, made
by Katharyn Zava; Gold
plated and Keshi Pearl
drop earrings, made
by Shelton Metal (local
artist); Sterling Silver
Shark Fin ring, made by
David Baum (local artist);
Oxidized Sterling Silver
Shipwreck coin pendant
on chain. Made by Shelton
Metal. All available at
Lumina Gems.
42 | WilmingtonNCmagazine.com

Contemporary fine
jewelry including
square-shank rings
by artist Roberto
Vengeochea at Art
in Bloom Gallery.
Vengeochea’s creations
have been referred
to as “Dali-esque”, a
refence to Salvador
Dali, his futuristic and
unconventional threedimensional
shapes
encasing fine gemstones
and diamonds in
exciting ways.
January /February 2022 | 43

jewelry
Necklaces and
bracelets with a
story and message
such as A Sailor’s
Valentine make giftgiving
easy at T.S.
Brown Jewelry.
44 | WilmingtonNCmagazine.com

Examples of the creative
custom work and jewelry
is all handmade by one
of five designers at
Tavernays Jewelers.
January /February 2022 | 45

Enjoying time together
is enhanced by a great
restaurant experience.
Celebrate Valentine’s in
Delicious Fashion
Wilmington and its beaches has the range of
restaurants to reel in some romance
By RAY LINVILLE » Photos by G. FRANK HART
A
VALENTINE’S DATE DOESN’T HAVE TO
be fancy or over-the-top glam to rate five stars.
The secret ingredient is for the evening to be wellthought-out
so the celebration comes together in
a sensational way. From oceanside to riverside,
exotic to a perfectly grilled steak, vegan to the last luscious
bite of a shared chocolate dessert, Wilmington and its beaches
have the restaurants to reel in some heart-throbbing romance!
Here are Wilmington Magazine’s suggestions to reel in some
romantic allure in 2022.
Bluewater Waterfront Grill
910-256-8500, bluewaterdining.com
Sunset happens every day, but can it be watched at any place
better than at Bluewater? The breathtaking views at Bluewater
offer a romantic setting for you and your date as you watch the
day melt into dusk and the sky turn into golden and orange hues
over the Intercoastal Waterway. Unwind from your busy lives as
boats and kayakers drift by. North Carolina’s bountiful fishing
waters continually provide fresh, local favorites at Bluewater,
where you can enjoy quality seafood as well as an amazing
selection of traditional American fare artfully combined in a mix
of classic and modern dishes.
Cape Fear Seafood Company
910-799-7077, capefearseafoodcompany.com
Known for specializing in regional American seafood, Cape Fear
prides itself in using the freshest ingredients and preparing
them with love. Its Bald Head Island Crab Cakes (that regulars
have named “the best outside of Maryland”) made it a winner in
this magazine’s Best of the Best contest. However, its extensive
menu has an abundance of other tempting choices from the sea
and the land. Seafood platters include shrimp, flounder, scallops,
oysters, and clams. A 12-ounce hand-cut Sterling Silver beef
ribeye is also a great choice for a special occasion. Don’t forget
dessert. The key lime pie is a classic.
East Oceanfront Dining at Blockade Runner
877-684-8009
blockade-runner.com/dining-br/east-oceanfront-dining
Oceanfront dining doesn’t get any more elegant than at this
prominent restaurant in Wrightsville Beach where you enjoy
creative fare that is served in a beautiful garden setting. Executive
Chef Jessica Cabo and her talented culinary team have created a
coastal food culture with fresh local seafood, produce from their
own gardenscape, and other ingredients harvested by regional
purveyors. The seafood and vegetarian dishes reflect influences
46 | WilmingtonNCmagazine.com

Pour some red wine
as your Valentine’s
pairing with Havana’s
delectable fried
oysters.
The newly renovated Saigon
Sushi Room at Indochine.
Specialties of Indochine
include a beautiful platter
of made-to-order tuna
rolls in the foreground,
the Dragon Tail sushi
and the shrimp tempura
dinner and tempura rolls.
from California, Mexico, Asia, and the Mediterranean. With a
great selection of wines, spirits, and local craft beers to choose
from, your dining experience will be amazing.
Elijah’s
910-343-1448, elijahs.com
A winner in this magazine’s Best of the Best in the categories of
outdoor dining and specialty drinks, this casual American grill
and oyster bar has one of the most picturesque locations along
the Cape Fear. Both indoor and outside seating with panoramic
views along the waterfront are the ideal spots to enjoy the
superb creations of this seafood-centric restaurant that was once
a maritime museum. Several unique paintings, ship models, and
nautical artifacts remain on display. Save room for one of the
specialty desserts such as the layered lemon cake with lemon
mousseline and Meyer lemon curd.
The Fortunate Glass
910-399-4292, fortunateglass.com
Wilmington’s premier wine bar for both quality and service, The
Fortunate Glass offers a superior selection of tapas inspired by
different world cuisines. Its selection of global cheeses includes
Danish Havarti, French brie, Holland smoked gouda, Irish
porter cheddar, and Spanish Manchego. A charcuterie of Italian
prosciutto, Iberico pork salami, Toscana pork sausage, duck
saucisson, or other cured meats awaits your order. Come for just
a delicious dessert such as chocolate torte or seasonal cheesecake
and pair it with a curated dessert wine from France, Germany,
Italy, or Spain. What a great way to cap a romantic day.
Havana’s Restaurant
910-458-2822, havanasrestaurant.com
A special place for Sunday brunch and winner in this magazine’s
Best of the Best contest, this Carolina Beach restaurant knows
how to make a Valentine date special. Its superb seafood
selection is best enjoyed inside the elegant dining room, but
plan time to have a drink before dinner on the tropical, open-air
patio where you can observe the street scene of North Carolina’s
favorite beach town. Owner Peter Donat has created an island
restaurant that is a “polished casual” destination where you can
show up in flip flops or dress to impress as you enjoy fantastic
food and friendly service.
January /February 2022 | 47

Indochine
910-251-9229, indochinewilmington.com
Wilmington’s most acclaimed Thai and Vietnamese Asian
restaurant is ready to make your Valentine dinner a special
occasion. A winner in this magazine’s Best of the Best contest,
dining there transports you to the Orient through food, scenery,
service, and ambiance in a beautifully decorated environment.
At Indochine, you enjoy a holistic dining experience with
“nutriceutical” Thai-Vietnamese cuisine that emphasizes the
nutritional and pharmaceutical benefits of well-balanced meals
that are high in fiber and essential minerals and complemented
by abundant fresh vegetables and herbs. Don’t miss the lotus
pond and Thai huts outside and the newly renovated Saigon
Sushi Room.
The Melting Pot
910-256-1187, meltingpot.com/wilmington-nc
A dining experience like no other, The Melting Pot beckons
you to enjoy more than a meal. From the time the first piece of
bread is dipped until the last bite of dessert is savored, it invites
Sharing oysters on
the half shell at
Elijah’s riverfront
location captures
the essence of living
in Wilmington.
Pan-seared scallops
at The Fortunate
Glass where a
selection of small
plates can be
enjoyed by two.
conversation, laughter, and coming together over artisan cheeses,
creative salads, savory entrees, and decadent desserts. Enjoy an
interactive dining experience with several fondue cooking styles
and create memorable moments with your significant other.
Book a table for you and your Valentine, or invite a few close
friends to join you and share a special occasion.
Nori Asian Fusion & Sushi Bar
910-765-1808, norisushinc.com
Is your special Valentine a sushi lover? With more than 30
specialty rolls and many traditional hand rolls, Nori has
something that everyone enjoys. The husband-and-wife team of
Jing Chen and Yun Zhao focus on Omakase-style sushi, meaning
“chef’s choice.” They create each order individually, using the
freshest ingredients that include imported Japanese seafood
shipped fresh overnight. A winner in this magazine’s Best of
the Best contest, Nori offers items such as horse mackerel, snow
crab, big eye tuna, bluefin fatty tuna, and live scallops that are
not easy to find elsewhere in Wilmington.
Panacea Brewing Company
910-769 5591, panaceabrewingcompany.com
Is your special someone a vegan? No worries. Our readers voted
Panacea as the best vegetarian restaurant in our Best of the
Best contest. In 2020, it opened a new plant-based kitchen and
taproom that features the area’s most loved kombucha, local
beers, and scratch-made foods. The creative and inspiring menu
is a hoot to read, and even they proclaim: “We know it’s hard
to believe, but everything is vegan.” With starters, soups, and
burgers that feature plant- and grain-based ingredients, your
vegan friend will beg you to return. Don’t miss the smoked tofu
collard wrap that will make the most recent northern transplant
wish that they had been born in the South.
Port City Chop House
910-256-4955, chophousesofnc.com
Savor a time-tested tradition in a relaxed atmosphere with your
Valentine. Serving the best cuts without taking shortcuts, Port
City has a legendary menu that matches its legendary service.
Signature steaks, chops, and seafood are served with Yukon
gold mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus as well as a choice
of a house or Caesar salad or a cup of soup. Think how a six- or
10-ounce center cut tenderloin filet mignon can be the best dinner
of the year. Little details such as inspecting every plate twice
guarantees a truly extraordinary experience at the area’s best
steakhouse, a winner in this magazine’s Best of the Best contest.
Roko Italian Cuisine
910-679-4783, rokoitalian.com
The winner in the romantic atmosphere category of this
magazine’s Best of the Best contest, Roko Italian is the place to
go for the young at heart. Because atmosphere is so important,
Roko’s casual-upscale ambiance makes it the perfect choice
48 | WilmingtonNCmagazine.com

The scenic view
and menu are both
reasons to go to East
Oceanfront Dining at
Blockade Runner.
The Seafood Fra Diavolo,
a Valentine’s dish at
East Oceanfront Dining,
features local grouper,
shrimp, clams and mussels
over squid ink pasta.
for a date night. With an array of seafood, steaks, pasta, and
salads, Roko has exactly what your love will want to order for
a Valentine’s dinner in this comfortable and quaint restaurant.
With more than 30 years of cooking experience, Executive Chef
Jadran Peros uses old family recipes to personally prepare each
dish infused with fresh local ingredients.
Ruth’s Chris Steak House
910-343-1818
ruthschris.com/restaurant-locations/wilmington
Nothing characterizes fine dining more than an experience at our
local Ruth’s Chris, a winner in this magazine’s Best of the Best
contest. In the category of fine dining, it was the clear first-place
winner. Premium USDA Prime custom-aged meat (delivered on
sizzling 500-degree plates) and the award-winning wine list at
this upscale restaurant are the perfect pairing for a romantic
adventure. Ruth serves only the finest cuts that are marbled and
hand-selected for thickness and tenderness. The superior service
adds to an unforgettable dining experience. Enjoy the scenic
Riverwalk locale with a slow stroll before or after dinner.
The Sailfish at Marsh Creek Marine
910-406-1055, thesailfish.net
For romantic waterfront dining, you cannot beat the dining
experience alongside an Intracoastal background. Located at
the beautiful Marsh Creek at Scots Hill Marina, The Sailfish
features several amazing entrees such as parmesan-crusted
grouper and shrimp etouffee. A local favorite is seafood mac
and cheese with bay scallops and shrimp. The winner in this
magazine’s Best of the Best contest in the category of waterfront
dining, The Sailfish also has several tempting appetizers, such
as steamed shrimp, scallop and shrimp ceviche, grouper bytes,
and tuna won-tons.
Tarantelli’s
910-763-3806, tarantellis.com
This family-owned Italian restaurant, a repeat winner in this
magazine’s Best of the Best contest in the category of authentic
Italian food, draws its inspiration from the grandparents of the
current owners who were amazing cooks and handed down their
legendary family recipes so that you can appreciate Italian cuisine
at its purest. Every time you walk through the door at Tarantelli’s,
you will feel at home. The finest ingredients from various regions
in Italy are paired with the most celebrated Italian wines. At
Tarantelli’s, you’ll learn that life is better when you spend quality
time with someone special as you enjoy great food. W
January /February 2022 | 49

50 | WilmingtonNCmagazine.com

A Modern
Take on
Timeless
Classicism
An owner’s intertwining passions are
the centerpiece of this exciting,
stylish custom build
By LORI WILSON
Photos by G. FRANK HART and MARK STEELMAN
Owner Craig Heyward
adapted the design of
the wood ceiling (made
of Eastern Hemlock
sourced from Kentucky)
from 17th-century
mansard roofing. Its
wooden embrace adds
warmth and dynamism
to the expansive living
room-kitchen area.
Note the copper patina,
bronze inlay wine table
crafted by Wilmington
artist Dumay Gorham, III.
STEPS AWAY FROM THE INTRACOASTAL
Waterway, in between the saltwater of Bradley Creek
and Motts Channel, sits a home with many surprises.
Any local passersby would likely admire its lovely
Southern-style exterior with white brick and large
colonial columns. Yet, only those lucky enough to take a proper
tour (or perhaps enjoy one of the owner’s many football parties)
understand the true decorative and architectural depth of its
sophisticated interior. With one peek into the front-facing floor-toceiling
windows, visitors soon regard Craig Heyward’s style as far
from one-dimensional.
Heyward, whose combined interests and influences are—in the
best way—sometimes challenging to concretely define, spent four
years designing, building, and finishing his home after stripping
the lot and starting from scratch. Gifted at sourcing both talent
and art, Heyward called upon professionals and friends to carry
out his vision. Down-the-street neighbor and accomplished builder
David James crafted the classic Palladian architectural designs
of noted architect David Lisle, who then connected Heyward to
interior designer Debby Gomulka.
"It’s cheesy to say, but Debby really made the house a home,”
Heyward says.
Gomulka stepped in as the anchor of the Heyward home relay.
After interior architectural finishes were completed by designer
Kent Loftus, Gomulka stepped in for the final touches.
Copper sea creatures by local
artist Hanes Hoffman of
Bluewater Copper Works.
January /February 2022 | 51

A view of the great
room facing the
inviting fireside.
Down-the-street neighbor
and accomplished builder
David James crafted the
classic Palladian architectural
designs of David Lisle.
“We took the canvas that was there, and we created Craig’s
vision,” Gomulka explains.
While Heyward found many decorative pieces and furnishings
on his own, Gomulka helped him cross the finish line to integrate
the many themes of his home.
“The whole point of being here [in this house] is that you feel like
you’re not in Wilmington,” Heyward says.
With each detail, he takes us to the places he loves most.
Mediterranean Landscape and Art
Today, Heyward lives just catty corner to the home where he spent
his teenage years. But between now and then, he’s travelled far
beyond Edgewater Lane. We see evidence of his time spent in
Europe most notably through the house’s landscaping and outdoor
features. A large fountain, reminiscent of Italian courtyards,
is the first to greet guests in the driveway of Heyward’s home.
The soothing Mediterranean scenery continues to the backyard,
where tall Venetian cypress trees pose between the pool and
concrete fence speckled with shells in the tabby style.
And, of course, no proper Italian-inspired landscape
is without its olive trees. We see a salute to this special
Mediterranean flora in the details of a custom-designed copper
vessel featured in one of the kitchen’s glass display cabinets.
Local Wilmington sculpture artist Dumay Gorham, III,
authored the piece with olive leaves, as well as the neighboring
copper gingko tree.
The influence of the European landscape carries on throughout
the combined living-dining-kitchen area. Here, Heyward adapted
the design of the ceiling, perhaps the most staggering architectural
feature, from 17th-century mansard roofing, a style typical in both
England and Italy during that era. Heyward intended for this
space, dubbed the great room, to double as an art gallery for his
carefully curated collection, as made prominent by the recessed
lighting in the kitchen cabinet shelves and track lighting that
draw focus to the wall of two-dimensional pieces.
When asked to make note of his favorite art, Heyward points
first to the horizontal landscape, “Red Poppies and Flowers
in Chiana Valley,” by Italian oil painter Paolo Bigazzi, which
Heyward purchased during a stay in Cortona, Italy.
Designer Gomulka honored the Italian depictions with fabrics
that complement the space. The custom ripplefold drapery designs
in neutral linen, she explains, carry the vision of Tuscany and
add a restrained yet flattering feature to the great room. For
Heyward’s bedroom on the main floor, Gomulka designed his
headboard with an ostrich hide sourced from Italy through a
N.C. manufacturer in High Point.
52 | WilmingtonNCmagazine.com

(clockwise from above) Gomulka envisioned
chic, modern Italian furniture to complement
the Mediterranean landscape design in this
sweeping view; Overlooking the pool are
two wrought-iron bedroom balconies that
reference Charleston and New Orleans.
The bronze lion’s head water fixtures pour
into stone water troughs Gomulka sourced
through a prominent Charleston antique
dealer featuring carved acanthus leaves;
Beautiful topiaries in Charleston-inspired
planters highlight the poolside lounge area.
Charleston History with a
Kick of News Orleans Spice
The Heyward roots in the South date back
to the late 1600s, when the notable Daniel
Heyward immigrated from Derbyshire,
England, to help found Charles Town,
or what we now know as Charleston, SC.
In the upstairs hallway, near the home’s
other three bedrooms, hangs a framed
genealogy chart of the Heyward family.
One of the Heyward’s ancestors, Thomas
Heyward, Jr., is a signer of the Declaration
of Independence.
The family history resonates throughout
Heyward’s home, with tributes of the Old
World design and styles that Charleston
still celebrates. Also upstairs, Gomulka
chose stylized iron bed frames that reflect
the Charleston themes. Visible from the
January /February 2022 | 53

Gomulka and
Heyward call these
custom chairs
his “Wild Turkey
Lounge Barstools.”
A miniature replica
of the original
Character of a
Champion statue
featuring Georgia
coach Vince
Dooley by
Heyward’s
fraternity
brother
Stan Mullins.
The large bar in the Boy’s
Club is one of Wilson,
N.C.’s Artisan Leaf
creations, made from
real cigar leaves from the
Dominican Republic.
backyard and overlooking the pool, two private bedroom balconies
feature wrought iron balustrades, made custom by Tom Meyers
of Eastern Metal Works, that reference Charleston, as well as
its Old-World-meets-New-World neighbor, New Orleans, another
favorite locale of Heyward.
Just underneath each balcony hangs a bronze lion’s head water
fixture designed by Stan Mullins of Athens, GA (where Heyward
attended college). To accompany the fountains, Gomulka envisioned
stone water troughs sourced from a prominent Charleston antique
dealer, decorated with carved acanthus leaves, an important
element, she says, of classical styles.
Back inside, more carved bronze details inspired finishing
touches that speak to Heyward’s family history. Perhaps the most
exceptional feature of the great room, a bronze and copper inlay
dining table (or, referred to by Heyward as the “wine table”) was
fashioned from a circa-1880 table passed down from Heyward’s
relatives. Gomulka and Heyward collaborated again with Dumay
Gorham to create the long, narrow copper patina tabletop that
serves as a focal point for the room.
The copper and bronze tones also act as a vehicle for cohesion
among Heyward’s multi-dimensional design, as seen in the painted
copper abstract art (“A Touch of Sass, by Gale Smith) and copper
sea creatures (by Hanes Hoffman of Bluewater Copper Works), all
made by local artists.
Some Colorado Vibes
Gomulka suggested a light fixture to complement the great
room wine table. This copper feature is the home’s first nod to
Heyward’s affection for ski trips in Colorado. Crafted via a rare
sculpture method that integrates copper and textured bronze,
the branch-like chandelier made by Joe Cooper of Heirloom
Companies hangs proudly.
Just around the corner, Heyward’s combination study and
wine cellar practically howls cozy Colorado comfort with warm
wood walls that surround the
room. Gomulka’s contribution,
upholstered swivel chairs, add
elegance to this multipurpose
office for evenings of wine
sampling next to the cellar,
whose door blends in with the
wall’s pecky cypress panels.
For more Colorado vibes, the
walls of the downstairs half
bath incorporate beetle kill pine
wood harvested from Steamboat
Springs, which features a
distinctive blue fungus that
gives the grain that special,
rustic look and color.
Pool chalk
holder made of
reclaimed oak.
The Boy’s Club
More beetle kill pine can be found in Heyward’s sports bar mecca
christened the “Boy’s Club.” The bold, handsome references to
Colorado forge on via the barn doors and an outdoor mantle slab. In
a way, this room also merges all the Heyward home themes, with
references to family heritage and more New Orleans-style ironwork
details. But here, unlike any other spot in the house, we get an
important piece of Heyward: football.
With a total of eight TVs for viewing pleasure, the detached
Boy’s Club building delivers the ultimate sports hub, but with
some Heyward flare. If you’ve visited the Angus Barn’s Wild
Turkey Lounge once or twice, you’ll likely spot a familiar feature.
Gomulka and Heyward call them his “Wild Turkey Lounge
Barstools.” Gomulka had these chairs custom made with alligator
hide backs and more acanthus leaves carved into the seat’s base.
And speaking of foliage, the large bar, essential to any
sportsman’s haven, is one of Wilson, NC’s Artisan Leaf creations,
54 | WilmingtonNCmagazine.com

With a total of eight TVs
for viewing pleasure,
the detached Boy’s Club
building delivers the
ultimate sports mecca.
Note the ladder that crests
over to the left to gain
entrance into the upstairs
loft, fun for Heyward’s
daughter and her friends.
January /February 2022 | 55

Gomulka designed
the master bedroom’s
headboard with an ostrich
hide sourced from Italy
creating an atmosphere of
chic luxury.
made by Sebastian Correa from real cigar leaves from the
Dominican Republic. This unique look serves as a conversation
starter over drinks and prompts stories about Heyward’s father,
who worked in the tobacco industry for all of his career after
serving in World War II and graduating from N.C. State.
But, unlike his dad, Heyward traded the Wolfpack for the Bulldogs.
After graduating from New Hanover High School, Heyward
attended, as mentioned before, the University of Georgia. Back in
the great room stands a statue of longtime Georgia football coach
Vince Dooley, one of six casts made by Heyward’s fraternity brother
Stan Mullins (also the creator of the poolside lions’ head fountains).
Heyward and friends have spent many afternoons enjoying the
games, both on TV and off (note the pool table and shuffleboard
table). Truly, the Heyward home and its owner have been witness to
celebrations of all kinds, from an elegant family wedding reception
to neighborhood parties over his one-of-a-kind oyster cooker. It’s a
multi-dimensional space for a multi-dimensional homeowner. W
The guest half-bath
in the main house
features beetle kill
pine, the wood
Heyward sourced
from Colorado.
Sources:
Interior Design: Debby Gomulka Designs
Architect: Lisle Architecture & Design
Builder: David James & Company
Landscaping: Jackson Landscaping, Inc.
Cabinetry: VanDamme Customs
Tabby outside walls: Adam Sedney
56 | WilmingtonNCmagazine.com

Tundra swans arrive at Pungo
Lake in the Pocosin Lakes
National Wildlife Refuge in
November to overwinter.
Welcoming Our Overwintering
Feathered Friends
North Carolina is a destination state for feathered fauna
By CRISSY NEVILLE » Photos by NEVA KITTRELL SCHEVE
COASTAL AREAS ARE NOT KNOWN FOR SNOW
but come winter, a beautiful blanket of white descends
on much of the barrier islands and low-lying landscape
of The Tarheel State. However, the show is not of the
precipitation type, but rather one of anticipation, the
kind that results from an event worth waiting for.
Summer brings the beach and bathing suit crowd to the ocean,
lake, pond and estuary shores of these remote lands, but the site
of downy-white wings beckons other enthusiasts. The time is
winter, the place – Northeastern North Carolina. And, the can’tmiss
event is the annual overwintering of waterfowl, notably
the showy snow geese and tundra swan. Each fall, these birds
fly from distances as far away as the Arctic to come here. They
coexist with our native shorebirds for a short while, commune,
eat, rest after their long journey, and eat some more. It’s a bash
that announces the birds are back, and the birders come right
along with them.
Notice I did not say birdwatcher. The term of old means you
are a casual admirer of our feathered friends but may not know a
finch from a sparrow. The term of late, birder, denotes you pursue
your passion for finding and identifying birds and do so solo or
with a group of friends, i.e., birds of a feather. The real hardtimers
are the twitchers, a select sobriquet reserved for those
who travel long distances to see a rare bird that would then be
ticked or counted on a list — their own life list. The term twitcher
originated in the 1950s when it was used to describe the nervous
tendencies of British birdwatcher Howard Medhurst. These
references relate just to hobbyists, mind you, though pleasure
often leads to lifelong professions with this crowd.
According to U.S. state park officials, birding has been
burgeoning since the early 20th Century. Even today’s digital
age has not stymied enthusiasm but has actually fueled the fire;
smartphone apps like Merlin Bird ID, Audubon Birds, iBird Pro,
eBird and more pull in a novel audience and newcomers to the
game with every new tech advance, making identification and
recording of observances as easy as A-B-C. Birding has become
the fastest-growing recreational activity among young people in
the country.
Here’s another stat: the hobby surged during the pandemic
because — guess what — even though we were in lock-down, the
birds weren’t.
Of course, like Barbara Mandrell, who crooned, “I was Country
January /February 2022 | 57

A great blue heron
takes flight over Lake
Mattumuskeet. Look
for great blue herons in
saltwater and freshwater
habitats, from open
coasts, marshes, sloughs,
riverbanks and lakes to
backyard goldfish ponds.
To see a flock of tundra swan descend to take
water is akin to the most beautiful ballets.
High-flying tundra
swans are often
heard long before
spotted but this takeoff
team makes for
good footage.
A great egret is one of the
most easily-identifiable
wading birds in NC,
distinguished by its large
size - about three feet
tall - large yellow bill, and
black legs.
58 | WilmingtonNCmagazine.com

Waterfowl trek across
an amber sky at the
Pocosin Lakes National
Wildlife Refuge.
Tundra swans swim
stoically at Pungo Lake,
their winter home-awayfrom-home.
when Country wasn’t Cool” in 1981, some of us were “bird nerds”
before COVID.
Why birdwatchers get hooked and become birders and beyond is
simple; first, birding is an activity anyone can do, regardless of age,
gender, ethnicity or physical condition. It is not costly or demanding
of particular skills or supplies. To get started, all you need is good
eyesight or a nice pair of binoculars. Of course, with time and
interest, more gadgets can be added: scopes, field guides and even
cameras, especially if you are in the nature niche of the Sandhills
Photography Club (SPC). According to SPC President Neva Scheve,
nature and wildlife photography is a particular passion of many
club members. Club members regularly take winter trips to the
Outer Banks region to photograph birds, she said.
In addition to these few optional pieces of equipment, choosing
the perfect birding location is the next thing on the list and the
best way to enhance your birding experience. SPC members
know that is the deal, which brings me back to OBX.
The best winter places to bird in North Carolina are where
our Arctic visitors, weary from thousands of miles of travel, can
rest and take refuge. And where else would this happen but IN
January /February 2022 | 59

A purple sunrise greets
snow geese at Pungo Lake.
A trio of tundra swans
soar high above their
seasonal home.
Migrating waterfowl
are seen in large flocks
or usually not at all;
this solo swan looks to
rejoin his group.
a refuge? Arriving waterfowl find ideal conditions to overwinter
on some 10 national wildlife refuges throughout North Carolina’s
barrier islands and northern coastal plain, notably the Outer
Banks’ Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge on Hatteras Island;
and Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge and Pocosin Lakes
National Wildlife Refuge, both located on the Albemarle-Pamlico
Peninsula. These sites are solid gold on the hit parade that is
North Carolina birding. North Carolina is a destination state for
feathered fauna, with over 460 species documented to date and
over half that number found breeding here.
To see a flock of tundra swan, enormous white plumed, blackbilled
birds with long, slender necks who fly in a perfect V
formation as high as 26,000 feet and then descend to take water,
is akin to the most beautiful of ballets; there’s synchrony and
sophistication in how they harmoniously move — possessing
the sky, En l’air, with the posture of one but the cadence of a
choir. Like a troupe of dancers in motion, they fly, rise up, swoop
down, soar far, peer hard and tarry only when the performance
– or job – is done, finding a habitat and food supply to fit their
collective needs.
The tundra, North America’s most prolific swan, is also known
as the “whistling swan,” a name given to it by Meriwether Lewis,
who heard its characteristic whistling of wind under their wings.
They have a little yellow at the base of their black bill, which is
one way, along with its slightly smaller size, to identify it from
N.C.’s native trumpeter swan. The long-distance travelers breed
in the Arctic coastal plain in Canada and then migrate to the
60 | WilmingtonNCmagazine.com

The air over Pungo
Lake swells with rising
snow geese and their
cacophonous calls.
A pair of doublecrested
cormorants,
permanent
residents of myriad
water habitats in
North Carolina,
perch at Lake
Mattamuskeet.
U.S. West and East coasts to find food.
According to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources
Commission, North Carolina plays a vital role in the yearly
cycle of the eastern population of tundra swans, wintering more
swans, by far, than any other state on the East Coast. Each fall,
approximately 65,000 to 75,000 swans migrate to northeastern
North Carolina to benefit from abundant food sources found in
lakes, sounds and farms where they source shallow water-plants
roots, mussels and clams, and cut-over corn and wheat.
Moving in for the winter along with the tundra swan, another
migrator for which North Carolina puts out the welcome mat is
the snow goose. This loud, white-and-black bird is now among the
most abundant waterfowl in North America. Birders usually hear
them before they see them — noisy honking is their signature
calling card. Audubon.org calls their song “a high-pitched,
barking bow-wow! or howk-howk!”
Snow geese are as close to snow as it gets in Northeastern
North Carolina, which registers less than 2 inches of snowfall a
year in the coastal regions — and not every year at that. A farm
field full of these beauties, typically seen in very large numbers or
not at all, may make you believe a blizzard has hit the bullseye.
If you see a rare blue head in the flock, it’s the ‘blue goose,’ long
considered a separate species and now known as a color morph of
the smaller species, the lesser snow goose.
More than 20 species of migrating ducks join our Arctic friends
who also make these lands their winter retreats. Other passersby
of the humankind, such as members of the Carolina Bird
Club, with Sandhills representation, and the Sandhills Natural
History Society, have trekked these territories many times and
concur: the biodiversity and helpful habitat of North Carolina’s
barrier islands and northern coastal plain make it literally, well,
for the birds. W
January /February 2022 | 61

62 | WilmingtonNCmagazine.com

dining review libations in the kitchen restaurant guide
French-inspired
Asian Cuisine
The roots of family are infused
in the exotic flavors
PHOTO G. FRANK HART
The menu at Café
Chinois features a range
of Asian dishes from
Vietnam and Thailand
to China and Korea.
January /February 2022 | 63

Café Chinois
Where Crepes Meet Culture: French-Inspired Asian Cuisine
By FANNY SLATER » Photos by G. FRANK HART
3710 S. College Rd.
Unit 123
Wilmington, NC
910-769-3193
cafe-chinois.com
AS I NESTLED INTO A
warm booth inside the
still, peaceful dining room
at Indochine (habitually
buzzing with hungry
patrons), I took in the rare scene. My gaze
drifted from one ornamental artifact to
the next. It was the calm midday period
between lunch and dinner service, and
I sat across from owner Solange “Niki”
Thompson. She sipped an iced tea and
thoughtfully answered my questions
regarding her newest endeavor, Café
Chinois, as the rain puddled in the gravel
parking lot outside.
In a sea of ever-changing eateries in
Wilmington, Indochine has been a reliable
staple; a well-oiled machine running
smoothly for over two decades. And in a
time when the service industry has been
in survival mode, this woman mustered
up the courage and energy to not only
keep going — but expand.
Along came a Carrie Bradshaw moment
when I couldn’t help but wonder…
What was her secret?
“I was just daring, I guess,” Thompson
remarked with a humble eyebrow raise as
she looked up from her drink.
The Thai Papaya salad features
shredded green papaya in this
refreshing dish.
color scheme of lime green, teal, and
purple gave the space new life. Ornate
art, vintage Japanese dolls, and family
relics adorn the walls in a manner
synonymous to Thompson’s style. She
describes Café Chinois as "a place where
my children for helping me. The food is
more important than the atmosphere, but
I was just lucky that I had enough things
to make it nice!”
Enough things may be the understatement
of the year.
“We do a Vietnamese bouillabaisse and a fettucine with green curry clams that’s very popular.
And we brought back the crepes!”
–Owner Solange “Niki” Thompson
Café Chinois emerged in a former Thai
restaurant this past April. Tucked into a
strip mall in Fulton Station, the exterior
boasts quite the unassuming façade. One
step through the entrance, however, and
you’re certain you’ve wandered out of
Wilmington and into another country. A
makeover fully equipped with a vibrant
food meets art and art meets food,” and
that couldn’t be more accurate. I asked
how the eclectic ambience enhanced the
dining experience, and if it was just as
crucial as the cuisine itself.
“People recognize my stories, my family
background, and what makes me who I
am today. I want to honor my parents and
Thompson (also an avid art collector)
once ran an antique store on Front Street,
and the downtown shop was riddled with
treasures she had shipped from all over
South-East Asia. “It’s enlightening to
travel,” she says, “and my original dream
was to create a museum for the children
of Wilmington that offered a global
64 | WilmingtonNCmagazine.com

The vibrant and
comfortable dining
rooms at Café Chinois
dazzle the diner.
Thompson honors
her mother and
family in all that
she pursues.
cultural experience.” Instead, the gems
she’s acquired have helped to trademark
Indochine with its signature flair, and
Café Chinois has followed suit.
So with both places having a similar
aura, I posed the million dollar question:
What does Thompson hope to showcase
at Chinois that will set it apart from the
golden child?
I had read that diners are already
Solange “Niki”
Thompson as
a young girl in
Vietnam.
branding Café Chinois the quieter, more
elegant “little sister” to Indochine—a
regularly busy, bustling destination famed
for its packed parking lot and lines out the
door—and Thompson agreed.
“I didn’t have that in mind, but it turned
out to be that way. Ladies can come for
lunch, have tea during ‘tea time’, or get a
glass of wine since we’re open all day.”
Speaking of — Indochine’s tiki bar
vibes have certainly carried over to
Café Chinois as the cocktail program’s
attention to detail is consistent with the
high-quality of the fare. With its rich
crimson hue and tart notes of hibiscus, the
Rangoon Ruby is a marriage of citrus and
gin garnished with a candied blossom. In
my past, I would have slugged a Singha or
three to wash down the Thai dumplings
I spotted on the menu, but with almost a
year of sobriety behind me — I enquired if
Thompson was doing anything to support
the rising trend of drinking less. Don’t
worry, she’s got a couple of non-alcoholic
beers and mocktails on deck.
Though it’s not as all-encompassing as
Indochine’s lineup, Café Chinois has an
assortment of familiar favorites like deepfried
cream cheese and crab rangoons,
Chinese orange beef, and of course —
classic Pad Thai. As we both jokingly
agreed that people are creatures of habit,
find something they like to eat, and stick
with it — I pressed on about the focus of
Thai, Korean, Vietnamese-French and
Chinese flavors and asked which dishes
have come to be the top choices.
“We do a Vietnamese bouillabaisse and
a fettucine with green curry clams that’s
very popular. And we brought back the
January /February 2022 | 65

(top to bottom) Asian flavors infuse this
cochee salmon special at Café Chinois;
Savory beef is delicately fried in a light
batter in the Chinese Orange Beef; The
Vietnamese Nem Noung Wrap is a fun
dish to enjoy featuring grilled pork with
lemongrass served with lettuce, cucumbers,
pickled vegetables and rice noodles.
crepes,” she exclaimed.
In the distance, locals rejoiced.
Her bouillabaisse, a hearty Provençalinspired
seafood stew, swaps out the
traditional tomato-saffron broth for a
fiery red curry version loaded with garlic
and lemongrass. As for the crepes (also
known as Bánh xèo), the savory pancakes
were a dish that once graced the menu
of Indochine, but were removed for being
too labor-intensive. The turmeric-spiked
specialties have resurfaced at Café
Chinois, and needless to say, the crowds
have gone wild. Once the fragrant, rice
powder-infused batter has been sizzled in
oil, stuffed, and folded — the crepes are
served with lettuce, fresh mint and basil,
and a sweet and sour fish sauce-based dip.
“They’re fried until crispy on the
outside,” Thompson tells me with a grin,
“and the secret is that it has to be crunchy.
They come with different herbs and are
very light.”
I was suddenly starving. Lucky for
me, I happened into Indochine the same
day several tuna rolls were sprawled
onto a table — posing for one of our
photographers in the newly renovated
sushi bar. But just before I was invited to
sneak to the back for a bite, Thompson’s
husband Bob pulled up a chair and began
sharing his interpretation of his wife’s
pioneering of the Wilmington food scene.
Before I knew it, the conversation drifted
and I became the one-woman audience
of a slideshow that consisted solely of
adorable grandchildren.
Part of Thompson’s quest is that her
restaurants be a salute to her stories
and background. But this doesn’t just
come through in the vibrant curries
and the whimsical chandeliers. Family
flows through her like the coconut milk
in those famous crepes. And as I sat
there relishing the parallel between the
paintings on the walls and the images
on the cell phone screens, I thought to
myself: thank goodness for those who
dare to be daring. W
66 | WilmingtonNCmagazine.com

libations
THE AIR IS COOLER WITH
the crisp bite of winter, and as
the season changes, so do our
drinking preferences. Light
lagers and hoppy IPAs are
swapped for robust Stouts and rich, dark
Porters. The way we consume our spirits
changes as well, no more Mai Tai’s and
Pina Coladas. We can drink our booze hot
now….and on the most blustery evening
nothing can be appreciated quite like
the warming effects of our favorite liquor
combined with actual heat. It can comfort
our spirit and our actual core.
Irish coffee was the brainchild of Joe
Sheridan, a chef at Foynes Port near
Limerick, Ireland, where the civilian
airport had become one of the busiest in
Europe during World War II, and later an
airbase for transatlantic flights that often
carried political or Hollywood figures. In
the winter of 1943, a flight of civilians
had to turn back, and, feeling empathy,
Sheridan came up with the warm coffee
concoction laced with whiskey, a tad of
sugar and a bit of cream to offer the travelworn
passengers, and the rest is history.
Google Joe Sheridan, and you will even
see him serving an Irish to none other
than Marilyn Monroe.
Many people may disagree with this,
but as good as a Hot Toddy, Buttered Rum,
or Mulled Cider can be, nothing can quite
compare to a proper Irish Coffee. Now
I’m not talking about what you get from
your generic chain restaurants which is
usually something akin to Irish Cream
dumped into day old lukewarm pond
water. I’m talking about deep-roasted,
freshly ground coffee with a dash of sugar
and a copious pour of Jameson all topped
off with hand-whipped, unsweetened
heavy cream. It’s absolutely beautiful in
its simplicity and never gets old. Not too
sweet, no flavors overpowering others,
just a perfect harmonious balance of
coffee, sugar, whiskey, and milk fat. It
is absolutely greater than the sum of its
parts.
Let’s dive right in and make the perfect
Irish coffee.
The Pleasure of
Drinking Some
Warm Irish
Classic Irish Coffee
The pure delight of a true Irish Coffee
What you’ll need:
Irish Whiskey (just pick one)
Fresh Coffee (your preference here, I’m a medium/dark roast kinda guy)
Sugar (I prefer two cubes)
Heavy Cream (keep this as cold as possible until needed)
A mug (preferably clear glass, but there is no shame in drinking out of your #1 Dad mug
in a pinch)
A mixing bowl and whisk or immersion blender
● First, toss two sugar cubes in your glass and top with 1 1/2 to 2 ounces of your
preferred whiskey and set it aside for the moment. If you can’t wait, pour a shot for
yourself before returning that bottle to the cupboard.
● Next, start brewing coffee via your favorite method. As your coffee steeps, pour about
4oz of heavy cream into a mixing bowl and the whisk vigorously for about a minute
(an immersion blender can handle this task in about half the time). Our goal is to
whip the cream enough to stiffen it up a bit but still be able to pour it. We want to
increase the viscosity just enough for it to layer perfectly when gently poured atop
our coffee.
● Pour your coffee over the whiskey and sugar and gently stir. Be sure to leave about
an inch and a half at the top of your mug.
● Finally, pour the cream over the back of an inverted spoon to help maintain a perfect
separation between the hot beverage and the cold cream. The true secret of an Irish
Coffee is to never stir the cream in. You must sip the coffee through the cream to get
the proper effect.
You may be tempted to add things like
cream de menthe or chocolate to your
Irish Coffee. I strongly encourage trying
it in its pure form first. Because like my
grandfather used to say, “If it ain’t broke,
don’t fix it”. Cheers! W
Story & photos by BRANDON WILLIAMS
In the late Chef Joe Sheridan’s words, the
ingredients of a true Irish Coffee are:
Cream - Rich as an Irish Brogue
Coffee - Strong as a Friendly Hand
Sugar - Sweet as the tongue of a Rogue
Whiskey - Smooth as the Wit of the Land W
January /February 2022 | 67

IT ALL STARTED WHILE ON
an eighth-grade French Club field
trip to Le Petit Chateau, a storied
French restaurant in Columbia,
SC, in the late 1970s. Six elegant
small courses were presented across
the starry, starry night, from garlicky
escargot and frogs’ legs to tiny triangles
of smelly cheese— most of which made my
classmates giggle and some even gag. For
me, the exotic tastes and smells awakened
my tastebuds, and I secretly swore my
allegiance as a French-blue, through-andthrough,
Francophile forever.
Fast forward through years of Julia
Child reruns, Cordon Bleu classes, and
Parisian menu-du-jour meals, I am still
smitten with French cuisine.
At home, our favorite go-to dinner is
“French Night”— a simple board of storebought
cheeses, toasted baguette, and le
saucisson served with Dijon mustard and
preserves. When friends join, we play
Edith Piaf and serve apéritifs like a Lillet
Rosé Tonic, or, for the adventurous, a
licorice-scented Pastis.
It’s in this café spirit, speaking in our
finest French accents, that we’re rolling
out the rouge carpet with our suggestions
for your own “French Night” In the
Kitchen, including a charcuterie board
for the ages, a state-side version of steak
frites with filets covered in a velvety
herb sauce, and a classic crème brûlée.
À votre santé!
STARRY, STARRY
NIGHTS IN THE
KITCHEN
Recipes and Photos by KIMBERLY BYER
Apéritifs x Trois
Le Grand Leo
1 ½ ounces Cognac
¾ ounce Byrrh
¼ ounce dry Curaçao (orange liqueur,
recommend Pierre Ferrand)
¼ ounce fresh lemon juice
1 dash bitters (optional, recommend
Peychaud’s Aromatic Cocktail Bitters)
Garnish: thick slice of lemon peel
Shake all ingredients together with ice
and strain into a rocks glass. Express
lemon peel before using as a garnish.
Lillet Rosé Tonic
1 ½ ounces Lillet Rosé
3 ounces tonic water
Ice of choice
Garnish: grapefruit slice + a sprig of
thyme
Pour ingredients directly into glass with
ice or shake with ice and strain into a
coupe or small wine glass. Garnish with
grapefruit and thyme.
Pastis
1 ounce Ricard
4 ounces ice-cold water
Pour Ricard into a small glass, then add
cold water. Pastis will turn milky and
pale yellow.
68 | WilmingtonNCmagazine.com

Crêpes Suzette
with Grand Marnier sauce and orange marmalade
The Ultimate French-Night
Charcuterie
A build-your-own board of French cheese,
prosciutto, pâté and more
Charcuterie
1 hard cheese (e.g., Comté or aged cheddar)
1 soft cheese (e.g., Camembert, goat or triple creme)
1 blue (Roquefort or Saint Agur) or flavored cheese
Pâté (e.g., Mousse Truffée or Pâté Campagne)
Dry Italian sausage and/or prosciutto or
Spanish serrano or ibérico
Seasonal fresh fruit and/or dried fruit
Radishes with coarse salt and European butter
Jam, preserves, chutney and/or honey
Dijon mustard (e.g., Maille or Edmond Fallot)
Cornichons and olives
Nuts (e.g., Spanish marcona almonds, hazelnuts, chestnuts,
walnuts, etc.)
Belgium chocolate
Serve with warm bakery baguette(s), sliced or torn (recommend
Costco brand which freezes nicely)
Crêpe Batter
4 eggs
1 cup flour
1 large, juicy orange, zest removed and juice squeezed (divided use)
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons salted butter, melted + extra butter for cooking
(approximately ½ teaspoon per crêpe)
Grand Marnier Sauce
6 tablespoons salted butter
¼ cup sugar
Remaining orange juice and remaining half of the orange zest
(from crêpe batter)
¼ cup Grand Marnier or Dry Curacao (orange liqueur)
Splash of Cognac or Brandy (optional)
For serving
1 teaspoon of orange marmalade or jam per crêpe
Orange zest or peel, and raspberries
1. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk eggs until combined. Slowly
add flour and whisk again until flour is incorporated. Continue
whisking in half of the orange’s zest and 2 tablespoons of the
orange juice, milk, water, salt, and butter. Cover and refrigerate
for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
2. Depending upon the size of your crêpe pan or flat-bottomed,
non-stick pan, you'll want enough batter to smoothly cover the
bottom — typically 1/4 cup + 1-2 tablespoons.
3. Over medium-high heat, melt ½ teaspoon of butter in the pan
and ladle in crêpe batter. Roll the pan until the batter covers the
entire bottom. Cook for approximately 1 minute, then gently turn
the crêpe over using your fingers or a flat spatula. Cook the other
side until the batter turns golden and lightly browned (again,
approximately 1 minute).
4. Set aside on a plate and repeat process until all of the batter
is used. Note: Parchment paper layered between crêpes will make
separating easier.
5. To make the sauce, melt butter and sugar in the crêpe pan
over medium heat. Add remaining zest and juice and liqueurs
carefully (liqueur is flammable).
6. Using two hands, dip both sides of a crêpe into the sauce. Place
on a plate and place a teaspoon of orange marmalade in the center.
Fold the crêpe in half and in half again, forming a triangle. Repeat
with remaining crêpes. Serve warm with remaining sauce.
January /February 2022 | 69

Filet Frites
with a velvety herbed cream sauce and shoestring French fries
Herbed Cream Sauce
2 tablespoons (high fat) unsalted butter, divided use
2 small shallots (about 2 tablespoons), minced
2 large chicken livers, membranes removed, finely chopped
Several sprigs each fresh thyme, tarragon, and parsley, leaves
removed and finely minced
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon kosher salt (or more to taste) and several grinds of
dried peppercorns
A few teaspoons of water
1/2 teaspoon Brandy (optional)
2 six-to-eight-ounce center-cut filet mignons
Frozen bag of shoestring French fries
1. To make Herbed Cream Sauce, sauté shallots in a tablespoon
of butter in a medium skillet over low heat until soft and golden,
being careful not to let them brown.
2. Add chicken livers and thyme and cook until browned. Remove
from heat.
3. In a saucepan, reduce the cream and Dijon over medium heat.
Stir until thickened and add remaining tablespoon of butter.
Remove from heat.
4. Add tarragon and parsley to shallot and liver mixture. Add
salt and pepper to taste. Using a wooden spoon, press the liver
mixture into a paste in the pan. Then, stir a few teaspoons of the
cream sauce into the liver mixture. Next, using the same wooden
spoon, press the mixture through a sieve or mesh colander over a
bowl. The goal is to remove the remaining liver pieces and lumps
and create a smooth, velvety sauce.
5. Incorporate the cream into the bowl and mix. Add a few
teaspoons of water for desired consistency. Add Brandy and
adjust seasoning, if needed. Keep warm.
6. Dry filets with a paper towel, then season with coarse salt and
a generous amount of freshly ground pepper. Grill on high for two
minutes each side or cook as desired until rare or medium-rare in
the center. Slice filets on the diagonal into thin strips.
7. Bake French fries according to package directions.
8. To serve, ladle a generous amount of Herbed Butter Sauce over
filet and as a bath beneath hot French fries.
70 | WilmingtonNCmagazine.com

Vanilla Bean Crème Brûlée
Enough for 8 ramekins
5 eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar (raw or white, plus extra for the brûlée)
3 cups heavy cream
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 vanilla bean
Special equipment: kitchen blow torch
1. Separate egg yolks from egg whites. Reserve egg whites,
if desired.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar together.
Set aside.
3. Over medium heat in a small saucepan, bring heavy cream
and salt to a rolling simmer. Immediately remove from heat and
add vanilla extract.
4. With a sharp knife, split vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape
vanilla paste from the interior. Add to hot cream.
5. Slowly drizzle hot cream mixture into the egg yolks while
constantly stirring by hand. Caution: Incorporating hot cream
too fast will cause eggs to curdle and cook.
6. Custard mixture may be refrigerated at this stage for up to 24
hours. Before using, remove foam and/or firm skim layer from
the top of the mixture, then pour through a sieve to remove any
solids. Whisk again to distribute vanilla bean flecks.
7. When ready to bake: Pre-heat oven to 325°F. Pour custard
into ramekins (almost to the top).
8. Place ramekins into a large baking or casserole dish. If using
shallow ramekins, use two casserole dishes. Carefully fill dish
with very hot water until it reaches 2/3 of the ramekin’s height.
Bake for 30 minutes.
9. Test custard for doneness by taking a pair of tongs and shaking
a ramekin. If there’s a slight jiggle in the center of the custard,
it’s cooked. If there’s a wavy motion, bake for 5 more minutes.
The custard should not brown or rise. Depending on your oven’s
heat distribution, this can take up to 15 more minutes of cooking
time. Larger individual shallow ramekins take less cooking time
than traditional round ramekins. Do not overcook.
10. When done, refrigerate ramekins for a minimum of 4 hours.
Custard will firm as it chills.
11. When ready to serve: Remove chilled ramekins. Sprinkle
a light layer of sugar (about 1 teaspoon) evenly around edges and
into the centers until each custard is covered. Using a kitchen
blow torch, heat sugar from a height of 2-3 inches until it melts.
Repeat with a second layer of sugar and heat until sugar bubbles
and turns golden brown. The sugar will harden as it cools over
the next few minutes. Serve warm.
Tip: Keep an extra can of fuel on hand in case your kitchen blow
torch runs low on butane.
January /February 2022 | 71

The Chinese Orange
Beef is a delightful
savory and citrusy dish.
Ready to Eat?
Use our restaurant listings to find the best
eating and drinking in Wilmington.
Never Compromising Fresh
Ingredients or Amazing Service
Voted Best Breakfast!
BREAKFAST, LUNCH & BRUNCH
served ALL DAY, EVERY DAY
of Wilmington
6722 Wrightsville Ave, Wilmington
910-256-7030
Open Daily 7am – 3pm
72 | WilmingtonNCmagazine.com
AMERICAN
Blue Surf Café 250 Racine Dr.,
523-5362. Serving breakfast, lunch, and
dinner while striving to use as many
locally sourced ingredients as possible.
Unique and delicious plates of food can
be enjoyed inside or outside on the dogfriendly
patio. Breakfast served daily
until noon & all day Sunday. Lunch
available all day. Dinner available
5-9pm, Mon-Sat.
Bluewater Waterfront Grill 4 Marina
St., 256-8500. Offers spectacular
panoramic views of the Intracoastal
Waterway. Dinner mainstays include
fresh seafood, baby back ribs, chargrilled
steaks, and delicious homemade
desserts. Lunch and dinner daily.
Copper Penny 109 Chestnut St.,
762-1373. More than a sports bar,
offering an eclectic mix of appetizers,
salads, and sandwiches along with an
extensive selection of mixed drinks and
beers. Lunch and dinner daily.
Dixie Grill 116 Market St., 762-
7280. The casual dinette known for
great breakfasts and brunch located
in the heart of downtown Wilmington.
Breakfast and lunch daily.
Front Street Brewery 9 N. Front St.,
251-1935. Wilmington’s only restaurant
and brewery, offering great food and
micro brews. Menu offers more than 25
gourmet sandwiches and burgers, and
35+ entrees. Try the famous Scottish Ale
Brew-B-Q Ribs. Lunch and dinner daily.
Henry’s 2508 Independence Blvd.,
793-2929. Considered a local favorite,
with locally sourced classic American fare
in an inviting and casual environment.
Live music nightly and outdoor dining
available. Lunch and dinner daily.
Pink Baking Co. 5543 Carolina Beach
Rd., Suite 140; 799-9119. Breakfast,
lunch, and dessert. Light fare available
Mon-Sat 11am-9 pm.
Jerry’s Food, Wine and Spirits 7220
Wrightsville Ave., 256-8847. Fine dining
in a casual bistro atmosphere with an
ever-changing, creative menu. Open
nightly Tuesday-Sunday.
Jester’s Café 607 Castle St., 763-6555.
Breakfast, lunch and Sat./Sun. brunch
in a casual, fun downtown location.
Quiches, salads, soups, sandwiches, and
more. Closed Mondays.
King Neptune 11 N. Lumina Ave.,
333-6688. New Hanover County’s oldest
restaurant, opened in 1949. Fish & chips,
crab cakes, sandwiches and more in a

SERVING DINNER MONDAY - SATURDAY
January /February 2022 | 73

comfortable dining room with the feel of a
favorite gathering place. Breakfast, lunch
and dinner daily.
Oceanic 703 S. Lumina Ave.,
256-5551. Situated on the beach
overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Enjoy
fresh seafood, exciting land lover’s dishes
and breathtaking views. Outdoor seating
is available on the adjacent Crystal Pier.
Lunch and dinner daily.
Thanks for Voting us
Best Authentic
Mexican!
Committed to bringing
you a dining experience
full of flavor!
5607 Carolina Beach Road, Wilmington
910-399-1643 • tequilacc.com
Oceans 1706 N. Lumina Ave., 256-2231.
Located inside the Holiday Inn Resort,
Oceans is the perfect locale for fresh seafood
and steaks alongside magnificent views of
the ocean. Breakfast, lunch, dinner daily.
RuckerJohns 5564 Carolina Beach Rd.,
452-1212. High-quality food served up in
a fun and relaxing atmosphere. Burgers,
steak, chicken, and salads. Lunch and
dinner daily.
Salt Works (The Original) 6301
Oleander Dr., 350-0018. Comfort food
cooked to order. Breakfast and lunch.
Open daily.
Savor Southern Kitchen 3704 Carolina
Beach Rd, 769-8112. Serving up a taste of
southern hospitality, with fan-favorites like
chicken and waffles, omelets, benedicts,
and house-made sausage. Lunch offers
salads, burgers, fried chicken and more.
Breakfast and lunch, 8am-2pm, closed
on Tue.
Sweet & Savory Café 1611 Pavilion Pl.,
256-0115. A full menu breakfast, lunch,
and dinner restaurant with dishes made
from scratch. Open daily 7am-9pm.
Tavern on 17th 1611 Dusty Miller Ln.
#305, 910-765-1157. This neighborhood
restaurant and bar has a little something
for everyone. Enjoy weekly food and drink
specials on their wide-open air patio,
complete with an outdoor fire pit and
heaters. Open 11:30am-11pm every day.
The Basics 319 N. Front St., 343-1050.
A little Southern, a little gourmet, a little
rock n’ roll. Traditional Southern fare with
a twist, including fried green tomatoes,
smoked pork BBQ, grilled pimento cheese,
and a fried chicken BLT. Breakfast, lunch,
dinner daily, Sunday brunch.
The Pilot House 2 Ann St., 343-0200.
Overlooks the Cape Fear River with a large
outside deck. Menu ranges from down home
cooking to Cajun, as well as traditional
Southern fare with a contemporary twist.
Lunch and dinner daily.
White Front Breakfast House 1518
Market St., 762-5672. Historic downtown
diner—a local favorite. Biscuits and gravy,
corned beef hash, smoked sausage, eggs
any way you like. Open daily 6am-2pm.
ASIAN
Bento Box 1121 Military Cutoff Rd.,
509-0774. Asian street food with a
combination of Japanese, Korean,
Vietnamese, and Thai dishes. Sushi bar.
Lunch Mon-Fri, Dinner Mon-Sat.
Big Thai 1319 Military Cutoff Rd.,
256-6588. Famous for authentic Thai
cuisine. Don’t miss the coconut cake as a
sweet and savory finale. Lunch and dinner
daily.
Blue Asia 341 S. College Rd.,
799-0002. An Asian bistro offering a wide
range of authentic Chinese, Japanese,
and Thai cuisines using the freshest
seafood, meats, and vegetables. Lunch and
dinner daily.
Double Happiness 4403 Wrightsville
Ave., 313-1088. A great mix of traditional
Chinese dishes and modern twists on
favorites. Prepared fresh daily. Lunch and
dinner daily.
Indochine 7 Wayne Dr., 251-9229. Enjoy
the finest Thai-Vietnamese cuisine in a
beautifully decorated environment. Voted
best Asian restaurant 10 years in a row.
Lunch and dinner daily.
Szechuan 132 419 S. College Rd.,
799-1426. Voted best Chinese restaurant
12 years in a row. Fine contemporary
dining in a relaxed atmosphere, serving
exceptional dishes like rosemary lamb and
filet mignon. Lunch and dinner daily.
Tokyo 101 880 Town Center Dr.,
399-3101. Traditional Japanese with fresh
sushi, diverse noodle dishes, combination
plates, and appetizers. Lunch and
dinner daily.
Yosake Downtown Sushi Lounge 33 S.
Front St., 763-3172. Lacquered walls and
unique art surround guests as they dine on
sushi and Pan/Asian fare. Dinner nightly
at 5pm.
74 | WilmingtonNCmagazine.com

CAJUN
Bourbon Street 35 N. Front St.,
762-4050. Experience authentic Cajun
cuisine in a uniquely decorated setting that
has the appeal of being in New Orleans.
Try the famous charbroiled oysters. Lunch
and dinner daily.
FINE DINING
Circa 1922 8 N. Front St., 762-1922.
Serving a wide variety of seafood,
housemade pasta and locally sourced
produce, with an ever-changing seasonal
menu like Braised Short Ribs, Roasted
Bone Marrow and Seared Sea Scallops.
Great craft cocktails and an extensive
wine list. Dinner nightly at 5pm.
East Oceanfront Dining 275 Waynick
Blvd., 256-2251. Award-winning cuisine
accompanied by the sounds of breaking surf
and a soothing coastal breeze. Enjoy fresh
local seafood or grass-fed beef while you
dine under a canopied, oceanfront deck or
inside. A great selection of wine, beer and
spirits. Dinner nightly, Sunday brunch.
Manna 123 Princess St., 763-5252.
A favorite among the film industry stars.
Serving New American cuisine with
European flare, they utilize the freshest
ingredients from the local farmers and
fisheries of North Carolina. Dinner
Tue-Sun.
Port City Chop House 1981 Eastwood
Rd., 256-4955. Known for fresh seafood,
steaks, and chops prepared using the
highest quality ingredients. Lunch and
dinner Mon-Fri, Saturday dinner only.
Port Land Grill 1908 Eastwood Rd.,
256-6056. Progressive American regional
cuisine served in a casual yet elegant
coastal setting. Dinner Tue-Sat.
Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse 301 N. Water
St., 343-1818. Nestled inside the Hilton
Wilmington Riverside, famous for excellent
steaks and service. Come celebrate a
romantic evening. Dinner nightly.
Rx Restaurant & Bar 421 Castle St.,
399-3080. Tickle your taste buds and
experiment with local foods prepared with
a uniquely Southern twist. Best Southern
fried chicken. Lunch and dinner Tue-Sun.
FRENCH
Brasserie Du Soleil 1908 Eastwood Rd.,
256-2226. French café with both patio
and inside dining. Pick your own salad
ingredients from a wide selection of items.
Lunch and dinner daily.
Caprice Bistro 10 Market St.,
815-0810. Authentic French bistro.
Elegant dining downstairs with sofa bar
upstairs and a great martini selection.
Dinner nightly.
Our Crepes & More 3810 Oleander Dr.,
395-0077. Family-owned French creperie.
Authentic homemade cuisine. Open Tue-
Sunday for breakfast and lunch.
The Little Dipper 138 S. Front St.,
251-0433. Unique, fun fondue menu
includes premium meats, seafood,
vegetables, appetizers, desserts, and
homemade dipping sauces. Dip assorted
breads into hot melted cheese prepared
tableside by your server. Dinner nightly
Memorial Day-Labor Day.
Celebrate the New Year at Havana’s Restaurant
Thanks for
Voting us Best
Sunday Brunch!
LUNCH, DINNER & SUNDAY BRUNCH
1 N. Lake Park Boulevard • Carolina Beach
910-458-2822 • havanasrestaurant.com
January /February 2022 | 75

GERMAN
The German Café 316 Nutt St. (at the
Cotton Exchange), 763-5523. The Hudson
family launched this restaurant in 1985,
incorporating many recipes from their
native Germany. Wursts, schnitzels,
sauerbraten and more. Lunch and dinner.
Closed on Sundays.
ITALIAN
Boardwalk Pizza & Subs 6756 Gordon
Rd. #190, 910-660-8179. Boardwalk
Pizza & Subs is serving up delicious
and nostalgic eats straight off the
Jersey Shore boardwalk. Pizza is their
specialty, and the swirl pie is a standout.
The menu is full of other Jersey favorites
like pepperoni roll ups, Philly Cheesesteak,
and more. Boardwalk Pizza & Subs is open
Tuesday through Friday 11am-9pm.
Fat Tony’s Italian Pub 131 N. Front St.,
343-8881; and 250 Racine Dr., 452-9000.
Great family-friendly restaurant. Front St.
location offers fantastic views of the Cape
Fear River. Serves a mix of Italian and
American fare and a full bar, including 25
beers on tap. Lunch and dinner daily.
Floriana 2 Market St., 504-0160.
Floriana’s fluently Italian cuisine features
handmade pastas, decadent cheeses, and
authentic dishes. Enjoy ample portions
of Italian twists and classics alike on a
private balcony overlooking the Riverwalk.
Open Wed-Mondays for lunch & dinner.
Closed Tuesdays.
Giorgio’s 5226 S. College Rd., 790-9954.
From Old World-style dishes to modern
day creations, Giorgio’s menu showcases
multiple flavors. Offers pasta, seafood,
steaks, pork chops, soups, and salads.
Dinner Mondays, lunch and dinner Tue-
Sun.
Italian Bistro 8211 Market St.,
686-7774. The Italian Bistro is a local
favorite in the Porter's Neck / Ogden area,
and a 2018 Winner of the WWAY Best
Pizza in Wilmington award! Offering a
variety of homemade dishes and pizza
made with fresh, local ingredients. Open
daily for lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch.
Kornerstone Bistro 8262 Market St.,
686-2296. Traditional Mediterranean fare
and wood-fired pizzas. Homemade desserts.
Lunch and dinner daily.
Nicola’s 5704 Oleander Dr., 798-2205.
An Italian eatery with daily homemade
pasta, sausage, baked breads, and more.
Dinner Tue-Sun.
Osteria Cicchetti 1125 Military Cutoff
Rd., 256-7476. 5104 S. College Rd., 392-
3490. Serves a variety of pasta dishes,
pizza, salads, and antipasti. Lunch
Mon-Fri. Dinner nightly.
Pizzetta’s Pizzeria 4107 Oleander Dr.,
799-4300; and 1144 E. Cutler Crossing
(Leland), 371-6001. Hottest spot for pizza
by the slice, offering dozens of pizza
choices with a New York flair. Lunch and
dinner daily.
Quanto Basta: Italian Eatery & Wine
Bar 107 N 2nd St., 395-6120. An uptown
family-owned Italian restaurant serving
exquisite authentic dishes. Open Mon-Sat
from 2-9pm.
Roko Italian Cuisine 6801-105 Parker
Farm Dr., 679-4783. Features authentic
northern Italian cuisine. Reservations are
often necessary at this intimate spot in
Mayfaire. Dinner nightly.
Tarantelli’s Ristorante 102 S. 2nd St.,
763-3806. Charming old world atmosphere
serving amazing dishes passed down
from Tarantelli family recipes for three
generations and large selection of Italian
wines. Open nightly Tue-Sun.
MEXICAN
Tequila Comida & Cantina 5607
Carolina Beach Rd., #130, 910-399-1643.
Tequila Comida & Cantina is a unique
Mexican experience, serving new and
authentic dishes alongside some of your
familiar favorites. A Tex Mex section is on
the menu for people who want the familiar
flavors. Open daily for lunch & dinner.
ORGANIC
Epic Food Co. 1113 Military Cutoff
Rd., 679-4216. Choose from a menu of
sandwiches, salads, and noodle and
rice bowls, with organic and all-natural
selections. Sauces and salsas are made
from scratch. Vegan and gluten-free dishes
also offered. Lunch and dinner, Mon-Sat.
Lovey’s Market & Café 1319 Military
Cutoff, 509-0331. A health food store
with fresh, delicious, healthy organic food
prepared daily. Organic groceries, produce,
supplements, and beauty aids. Café offers
organic smoothies and fresh juices. Freshly
baked goods with gluten-free options. Café
is open daily 11am-6pm.
Tidal Creek Co-op 5329 Oleander Dr.,
799-2667. An organic grocery store with
an inside café offering organic and veganfriendly
options for casual dine-in or takeout.
Café open 11am-6pm daily.
SEAFOOD
Black Sea Grill 118 S. Front St.,
254-9990. Mediterranean style eatery in
a quaint downtown location. Lamb chops,
seafood, vegetarian options. Lunch and
dinner Tue-Sat.
Bridge Tender 1414 Airlie Rd.,
256-4519. Features fresh seafood, certified
Angus beef steaks, delicious appetizers,
and mouthwatering desserts. Choose to
dine on the outdoor patio overlooking the
Intracoastal Waterway or enjoy the cozy
interior setting. Lunch Mon-Fri., dinner
nightly.
Cape Fear Seafood Company 5226
S. College Rd., 799-7077; 140 Hays Lane,
681-1140; 143 Poole Rd., 399-6739.
Specializes in regional American seafood,
hand-cut fish, steaks, and chicken along
with freshly made desserts all served in
a comfortable, relaxed atmosphere. Lunch
and dinner daily.
Catch 6623 Market St., 799-3847. Awardwinning
local chef Keith Rhodes has
been voted the city’s best chef for three
consecutive years. A stickler for wildcaught
and sustainably raised seafood, his
modern seafood cuisine comes through in
every bite, with dishes like NC sweet potato
salad and seafood ceviche. Acclaimed wine
list. Dinner Mon-Sat.
Dockside 1308 Airlie Rd., 256-2752.
The place to be for the best seafood on
the Intracoastal Waterway, Dockside is
synonymous with great food and a casual
atmosphere. Lunch and dinner daily.
Dock Street Oyster Bar 12 Dock St.,
762-2827. Voted best oyster bar 13 years in
a row. Come enjoy some great Caribbeanstyle
fare in a chic atmosphere. Serving an
array of seafood, pasta, and chicken. Lunch
and dinner daily.
Elijah’s 2 Ann St., 343-1448. Casual
American grill and oyster bar overlooking
the Cape Fear River. Seafood, steaks,
chicken, salads. Lunch and dinner daily,
Sunday brunch.
Fish House Grill 1410 Airlie Rd.,
256-3693. A landmark seafood restaurant
for decades, the Fish House Grill offers
a casual, fun place to eat fresh seafood
while enjoying the outdoor waterfront
overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway.
76 | WilmingtonNCmagazine.com

Made from scratch, every day. Lunch and
dinner daily.
Hieronymus 5035 Market St., 392-6313.
Come enjoy locally sourced seafood and
fresh vegetables in a casual atmosphere.
A locals’ favorite for more than 30 years.
Lunch and dinner daily.
Savorez 402 Chestnut St., 833-8894.
Come enjoy a unique dining experience
with delicious dishes and drinks drawing
from traditional Latin American inspired
cuisine. Fresh seafood, chicken and grilled
pork, tacos, salsas and dessert. Open daily
for lunch and dinner, and Sunday brunch.
Seabird 1 S Front St., 769-5996. Seafood
restaurant serving oysters, fish, breakfast
& cocktails amid a retro, white-tiled
interior. Open Thursday to Monday
for breakfast, lunch & dinner. Closed
Tue & Wed.
Shuckin’ Shack Oyster Bar 127 N.
Front St., 833- 8622; 6A N. Lake Park
Blvd., 458-7380. Come watch your favorite
sports team while enjoying some great
oysters, shrimp, crab cakes, po’ boys,
and fresh salads. Casual, family-friendly
atmosphere. Lunch and dinner daily.
The George 128 S. Water St.,
763-2052. Southern coastal cuisine with a
diverse selection of steak, pasta, salad and
fresh seafood, including the best shrimp
‘n grits in town. Outdoor deck, waterfront
dining, full bar with extensive wine and
martini lists. Dock your boat at the only
dock ‘n dine restaurant downtown. Lunch
and dinner Tue-Sat., Sunday brunch.
TAPAS
Mariposa Tapas Bar 1502 S 3rd St,
769-0763. Authentic Spanish tapas in
an intimate atmosphere featuring an
international wine list. Open brunch,
lunch and dinner daily.
The Fortunate Glass 29 S. Front St.,
399-4292. A wine bar at heart, the focus is
on wines from all regions, with 50 wines
by the glass and about 350 wines by the
bottle and 30+ craft beers. A small menu
of fine cheeses, Italian cured meats, and
decadent desserts served tapas style will
complement your wine selection. Dinner
Tue-Sun.
The Olive Café 1125-E Military Cutoff
Rd., 679-4772. An Epicurean emporium
for everything taste. Wines, bakery, and
somewhat bigger than small plates. W
Authentic Italian Fine Dining
in Historic Downtown Wilmington
910.763.3806
102 South Second St., Wilmington
tarantellis.com
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January /February 2022 | 77

Left-Bank Love
Though Saint Germain des Pres is, as the crow flies,
just half a mile from the Louvre,
the neighborhoods couldn’t be more different
By KATIE McELVEEN
I
LOVE A RESORT AS MUCH
as anyone, but when I’m ready
to immerse myself in a different
culture, I head for a city where new
foods, customs, and experiences
await. In Paris, my neighborhood of choice
is Saint Germain des Pres, an ancient
quarter on the Left Bank of the Seine
River. Though Saint Germain des Pres
is, as the crow flies, just half a mile from
the Louvre, the neighborhoods couldn’t be
more different.
Grand boulevards and formal gardens
comprise the area around the Louvre,
a massive complex that started life
as a 16th-century palace before being
transformed into an art museum during
the French Revolution.
Saint Germain des Pres, on the other
hand, resembles a small village where
locals purchase their daily baguettes from
their favorite baker, dogs frolic in centuriesold
fountains, and kids in school uniforms
whiz by on scooters.
It’s exactly why Laurence Tafanel chose
this part of the city as the location for Esprit
Saint Germain, the 28-room boutique hotel
she opened in 2004. Set within two 17th
century buildings that took three years
to renovate, the hotel, with its residentialstyle
living rooms, small self-serve bar,
and dramatic art, resembles one of the
chic Parisian apartments that surround it.
Rooms, many with their original wooden
beams, are done in pale neutrals and have
modern bathrooms with showers. A few
have balconies; one has a full kitchen.
All the rooms were renovated in 2020. “I
wanted to create a place where I would
like to stay,” she explains. “The open bar
St-Germain-des-Prés, the 6th Arrondissement
of Paris, is best known for the literary
and artistic celebrities who lived and
worked here in the late 19th and early
20th centuries.
encourages guests to enjoy the living room,
just as they would in their own homes.”
But it’s the neighborhood that she adores.
“It’s one of the few places in the city that
still feels like old Paris,” says Laurence,
who grew up around the corner. “You can
walk everywhere, and all of the shops are
local. Most of our guests cross the river
for tours but spend the rest of their time
within a few blocks of the hotel.”
It’s easy to see why. Atelier Rouliere, a
78 | WilmingtonNCmagazine.com

The Thinker is the
famous bronze
sculpture by
Auguste Rodin.
The Louvre is the
world's mostvisited
museum.
bustling restaurant just around the corner,
was filled with locals enjoying carafes of
wine and traditional bistro fare the night
we arrived. Like many proprietors in the
neighborhood, Jean-Luc, the chef and owner,
didn’t speak a lot of English, but he was
kind and patient, laughing as we stumbled
together through his offerings. In the end,
our dinner—artichoke salad, grilled veal
with mushrooms and, for dessert, almondcrusted
pain perdu—couldn’t have been
more delicious; the complimentary glass
of dessert wine he delivered made us feel
welcome. We had similar experiences at
Marco Polo, where the maitre d’ found
a table for us during an especially busy
night, and at L’Affable, a pretty bistro
where the Sunday night special is a dish
from the chef’s grandmother’s recipe box.
Culture also comes easily on this side of
the river. At the Rodin Museum, I strolled
through a mansion filled with works by
Van Gogh, Renoir, Rodin, and others.
After a leisurely lunch at the museum’s
outdoor cafe, I explored the sculpture
garden, where works such as The Thinker
are set amid towering plane trees and neat
boxwood hedges.
Though it played a key role in the book
The DaVinci Code, Saint Sulpice church, a
17th-century marvel located directly across
the street from Esprit Saint Germain,
tends to be blissfully quiet. Within the
church’s empty Chapel of the Holy Angels,
I wandered past the trio of massive
Delacroix paintings that have decorated
the space since 1861. The church’s 19thcentury
organ is even more famous than
the church that houses it; each Sunday at
10:45 am, a free concert precedes the 11:00
am mass; there’s usually also a brief recital
after the service.
There’s also shopping galore in Saint
Germain, from the antique shops, hat
makers, candle stores, and clothing
boutiques that line the sidewalks near
the hotel to the designer ateliers—think
Saint Laurent, Celine, and Prada—set
on rue de Grenelle. I always make time to
visit Citypharma, where I can find French
cosmetics at steep discounts, as well as the
Bon Marche, an elegant department store
that’s been open since 1858.
Of course, I do cross the river occasionally.
On a drizzly Saturday, I found myself
dodging umbrellas as I walked along rue
Montorgueil, a vibrant pedestrian-only
street that runs perpendicular to the river
as it makes its way toward Sacre Coeur.
I was on my way to the Secret Wine Door
for one of sommelier Erwan Leo’s wine and
cheese pairing classes. For the next two
hours, as our group of eight sipped and
nibbled, Erwan taught us not just how to
pair, but lots of wine and cheese basics,
including the fact that it’s considered bad
manners in France to cut the point off Brie.
Turns out the correct method is to cut on
the long side so that everyone gets a taste
of the whole cheese, which ripens from the
outside in.
I was up early the next morning to
meet Thierry Collegia, who would lead
me and seven others through monuments,
landmarks, and buildings that played
a role in the French revolution. As any
student can tell you, a history lesson is
only as interesting as the person leading
it. Thierry, clearly a born storyteller, didn’t
just get the facts correct but told them in
a way that made them both relevant and
easy to grasp.
At the end of the day, I’m back in Saint
Germain, where, after several visits, I’m
comfortable with the odd ordering procedure
at the patisserie around the corner, have
(finally) memorized the name of the runny
cheese I like at the fromagerie and know
exactly how to get to my favorite part of
Luxembourg Garden. It makes this part
of Paris as relaxing as a resort, but with a
side of culture.
If you go:
Hotel Esprit Saint Germain
hotel-esprit-saint-germain.com
L’Affable
Laffable-restaurant.fr
Atelier Rouliere
@atelier_rouliere
Marco Polo
restaurant-marcopolo.com
Secret Wine Door
secretwinedoor.com
Thierry Collegia
parisology.net W
January /February 2022 | 79

the last reflection
In Anticipation of Wintry
Days in the New Year
By TOM PINKSTON
This is just an excuse to share a recipe.
Not that any of us need an excuse to trade recipes,
just thought I’d share one of mine, a good one for this
time of year.
And I’d love it if you’d share one of yours.
In this time of transitions, resolutions and returns,
there’s one question that remains eternal – ‘what’s for dinner?’
Answer that question and everything else will fall into place.
More or less.
‘Dinner’ used to mean the midday meal
supper was the meal at the end of the day
and breakfast is to break the fast of the night before.
The new year. We made that up too.
Make of it what you will, by all means, within reason of course.
This here is just an excuse to share a recipe.
ps. You might be wondering – where’s the ham and the redeye
gravy, the greens, black-eyed peas and cornbread? Don’t worry –
did all that. This is for later when the hullabaloo winds down.
Laid Back Bean Stew
The Beans
I like to start with a pot of humble navy beans – they’re perfect
and have a history worth delving.
Soak ‘em overnight, see-you-in-the-morning little beans.
In the morning, drain the pot (save a little if you want) and add
a quart of chicken stock plus enough water to get it up an inch or
two above bean level
start a boil
big hunk of pork with a nice fat-to-lean ratio. Best thing to use is
Mom’s ham bone that she froze after Christmas dinner. You just
have to promise a Tupperware full of the end result. That’s easy.
Add a chopped vidalia (no substitutes here please and they’re
available all year, I like to imagine a great big root cellar
somewhere in northern Georgia maintained by an elderly couple
who look familiar)
minced garlic – however much
dried thyme and several bay leaves
salt and pepper – not too much, you can always add more
and add some pepper flakes if you like – that’ll clear your head,
get those sinuses open again
after the boil let it simmer uncovered til the sausage is ready.
The Sausage
If you make your own meatballs, may the Lord bless you keep you
but don’t worry if you don’t
I get mine from the butcher and they’re pretty tasty
roast ‘em whole – give ‘em that hour, their glorious hour.
The aromas intertwine now and drift through the house as
lovers embraced.
Cover the beans on low and let the meatballs rest. It’s raining out
with a possibility of the ‘wintry mix’ boogeyman, so take a nap.
The Stew
When you wake, look outside. Let it do whatever – we ain’t going
nowhere.
Taste the beans, adjust if need be.
Crumble in the meatballs, tasting one while you’re at it.
You’re getting hungry…
A little simmer til you can’t stand it anymore.
“What time is it?”
“Bean stew o’clock.”
Bowls for however many and a little of everybody’s favorite
cheese on top
bread, stew and some easy company in a warm kitchen,
what could be better for a new year. W
80 | WilmingtonNCmagazine.com

January /February 2022 | 81

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82 | WilmingtonNCmagazine.com
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