Foodie News: 'Sugar Rush' dessert festival to sweeten Raleigh

RALEIGH, N.C. — Raleigh’s first all-dessert food truck rodeo, NC Sugar Rush, will take place Memorial Day weekend on Sunday, May 27 from 1 to 5 p.m. in downtown Raleigh’s City Market. More than 20 local dessert vendors will be there to serve you. Enjoy a dessert bouquet like no other featuring ice cream, Italian ice, pies, cakes, cupcakes, cheesecake, popcorn, cotton candy, beignets, donuts and much more.

This is something that will make you happy. We first told you about this back in April 2017 but got word this week that Happy + Hale will open on June 5 in North Hills at the new Park Central apartment tower building. They are known for their fresh juice, salads and smoothies. This will be their third Triangle-area location (downtown Raleigh and Ninth Street in Durham).

And this will make many in North Raleigh (and around the Triangle) sad. Reader Alice Avery brought it to our attention that Las Margaritas in Six Forks Station had posted on their Facebook page that “after 25 years of proudly serving our loyal patrons, Las Margaritas looking for a new owner.” It goes on to suggest that their last day is June 30. So you have two choices: get by before June 30…or buy it!

We first told you about this in January, but Sam Ruby updated us that Cocula Mexican Restaurant, that replaced the Tripps at Garner Station, is now open at 1428 Garner Station Blvd., just south of downtown Raleigh.

And finally an overdue shout out to my friends over at Ole Time BBQ on Raleigh’s Hillsborough Street (on the way into Cary). They just celebrated 25 years of serving up some of the area’s best que. Congrats to Jerry and Charlotte and the entire team!

Reader Abhijeet Chaudhari notified us that a new Indian restaurant called Thali has opened in Durham/RTP at 5311 S. Miami Blvd. Apparently they opened May 4.

And beer is food, amirite? Well, House of Hops has announced May (likely the very end of May) for the opening of their next location, this one in Chatham Park in Pittsboro – right next to The Root Cellar and sharing an outside eating/drinking patio/space. This will be a great place to unwind in the evening. Thanks to Neha Shah with the Pittsboro-Siler City Convention and Visitors Bureau for that update.

This is a hard one to write, especially for someone born and bred here in Raleigh. The Baskins-Robbins ice cream shop in Cameron Village closed this past Wednesday after serving up scoops for over 50 years!

One of our readers, Kari, pointed out that the Cary Macaroni Grill has closed (back in January). A quick search indicates there is only one Macaroni Grill left in the Triangle (Triangle Towne Center) and only one of two in the entire state.

The Knightdale Food Truck Thursdays went back into full swing this month. Trucks will be on hand for lunch and dinner each Thursday at the Knightdale Station Park. Thanks to Mark Ginsberg for the heads up.

The RDU Mobile Food Association announced that the Carrboro Food Truck Fest is this Sunday, May 20, at the Carrboro’s Farmer’s Market and will feature at least 10 food trucks, music and family fun from 12 to 4 p.m.

Sunday, June 24 is the date for the next Wake Forest Food Truck Rodeo being held from 12 to 4 p.m. at the Over the Falls shopping center located at 405 S. Brooks St.

The dates have been set for the Durham Central Park Food Truck Rodeo and Downtown Raleigh Food Truck Rodeos. Check out Durham here and Raleigh here.

Two great sites to keep up with your favorite food trucks. Street Food Finder is one, and another, aptly named, is Roaming Hunger.

This weekend, May 18-20th, will welcome the 2018 version of the Got To Be NC Festival. The annual event is sort of a mini N.C. State Fair with rides, animals, food and beverages, demonstrations, games and more. But here’s the great part about it: It’s free! There is no fee for either parking or admission.

Beer and Bacon Fest. May 19. Cary. Not much else needs to be said.

Also on May 19 is the Durham Blues & Brews Festival. What started as a rockin’ good time has become a Durham tradition, filled with music, food, and outstanding craft beer! This isn’t a Beer Fest with music or a Blues Fest with beer. It’s a new type of event offering great Blues music and only North Carolina craft beers. The brewers will be on site to tell you about their breweries and beers while serving full 12 oz. pours. Proceeds from the festival benefit local Durham charities and programs, including the Exchange Family Center, a Durham-based non-profit agency dedicated to preventing child abuse. Use code “TFB5” to get $5 off!

And the 2018 version of Farm to Fork expanded to three events over several seasons and tickets to all three just went on sale. The fun begins with the first event on June 3, the perennial favorite Farm to Fork Picnic, where the area’s best farmers and chefs are paired. Then on September 16 they’ll host a pop-up dinner featuring Jacob Boehm of Snap Pea Underground & Catering. And the series will conclude on December 6t with John T. Edge and a celebration of Southern food on Chapel Hill’s Lavender Oak Farm. You can buy ticket to each individual event or all three.

Also on June 3, PORCH, an all-volunteer, grassroots nonprofit organization that distributes food to hundreds of at-risk families in Chapel Hill and Carrboro, will host its first-ever PORCHfest from 5 to 8 p.m. on the Lawn at Southern Village.

On June 11, Mandolin chef Sean Fowler welcomes author Debbie Moose, an award-winning journalist and author of many cookbooks, for a dinner celebrating the debut of her newest book, “Carolina Catch,” a 96-recipe cookbook highlighting North Carolina seafood. Joining Fowler for this summer celebration of N.C. seafood and beer are Ryan Speckman and Lin Peterson from Locals Seafood Market & Oyster Bar, Ricky Moore of Saltbox Seafood, Nate Garyantes of Mateo bar de tapas, and Jake Wood of 18 Seaboard for a five-course, beer-paired dinner featuring seasonal beers from Bond Brothers Beer Company, Fullsteam Brewery, Brewery Bhavana and more.

The 2018 version of Chefs for Change, a fundraising dinner series that pairs the burgeoning Durham food scene with the needs of families experiencing homelessness, is well underway. The first two events (featuring Charlie Deal on March 12 and Scott Howell on May 14) have sold out. And if last year is any indication, the next two dinners will sell out quickly. The July 9 event features Phoebe Lawless (The Lakewoodand Scratch) and the September 10 event features Gocciolina’s Aaron Benjamin. Each night the chef will serve three or more courses at a ticketed dinner with the proceeds benefiting Families Moving Forward. The dinners are held at the Rickhouse and limited to 125 people.

And finally, listen up chefs! The NCRLA Chef Showdown is an annual statewide culinary competition sponsored by the NC Department of Ag. It’s a culinary competition open to chefs (savory and pastry) across the state. There are three regional semi-finalist rounds (New Bern May 22, Hickory June 4 and Raleigh, June 25) that will result in a final competition on Monday, Aug 27 in Charlotte. The final event is in conjunction with the first night of the industry’s Restaurant & Hotel Expo.

May is Older Americans Month. Although food insecurity affects people of all ages, seniors are particularly vulnerable. The folks at the Food Bank of Eastern and Central North Carolina know that reaching seniors with nutritious, dependable sources of food leads to amazing outcomes for families and communities. They have a fresh video here, as well as a blogpost here that highlights how they are working to solve senior hunger. #SolveSeniorHunger