Foodie news: Chef & the Farmer temporarily closing, will be reinvented (June 3, 2022)
Award-winning chef Vivian Howard announced this week that after 16 years of business (opened in 2006 in Kinston), Chef & the Farmer will temporarily close beginning June 5. Howard said it is time to renovate and re-envision what they do. They will be closed this summer to work on a refreshed concept, one that suits eastern North Carolina in 2022, according to Howard.
With any luck, they hope to re-open their doors in the late fall.
In her video announcement, Howard also hinted that she is close to launching a “project” that she has been working on for two years (no other details are available at this point). So you will have to stay tuned on that as well. Might be best to follow the Chef & The Farmer on Instagram on updates and announcements. We look forward to the new Chef & The Farmer this fall!
Wake County Restaurant News
Today, Friday, June 3, is National Donut Day. You’ve been training all year for this. You know what to do.
Up in north Raleigh, reader Burke Williams shared there is a sign up for the newest location of Bonchon to be located at 6320 Capital Blvd. between Wayback Burgers and Your Pie Pizza. No word on an open date.
Reader Christine Johnson shared with us that the Caribou Coffee in Olde Raleigh, on Duraleigh Road, is no longer partnered with Bruegger’s Bagels. They still offer their great coffee and a menu of food options (including bagels), just not Bruegger’s.
In downtown Raleigh’s Glenwood District, a new country bar called Whiskey Rose has opened at 401 N. West Street.
Thanks to a note from friend David McCreary, I learned that Alpaca Peruvian Charcoal Chicken has opened another location, this one at 600 Village Park Drive in Knightdale. This marks their 11th Triangle-area location. Congrats to brother and sister Ruby and Ranbir Bakhshi on their continued success!
Durham, Orange & Chatham Restaurant News
Inching closer to a re-opening? Looks like it! On Friday, June 3 from noon to 4 p.m., Chapel Hill’s iconic Crook's Corner will be selling servings of their infamous honeysuckle sorbet outside their kitchen door on Merritt Mill Road while supplies last. A serving of two sorbet scoops (a normal restaurant-sized serving) will cost $8 each. Guests will be limited to purchasing two servings each. Only credit cards accepted. Remember they have a limited supply, so get there early! If supplies last, the sorbet sale will continue from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 4. Updates will be posted on Instagram.
Also in Chapel Hill, this week the folks over at Brandwein’s Bagels completed the renovation and expansion of their bagel shop at at the corner of N. Graham and W. Rosemary and re-opened their entire space this past Thursday. Congratulations to Alex and his entire team on what was a huge undertaking. Get by and check out the new look and expansion!
Over in Carrboro, Lesley Stracks-Mullem, owner of Taste Carolina, shared with me the news that Vecino Brewing Co. in Carrboro is changing ownership and Haw River Farmhouse Ales will be taking over taproom operations and expanding with a new brewery taproom concept, an expanded kitchen and even more event opportunities.
Over in Durham, Glenn Gillen shared that Afters Dessert Bar announced they will be leaving the Durham Food Hall, taking a break, and opening up in a new location in downtown Durham in a few months with all your favorites. See their announcement on Instagram here.
Closings/Cancelations
None to report! Keep eating local, folks!
Food Trucks
OK, pay attention. Some changes to the Downtown Raleigh Food Truck Rodeo 2022 schedule. The are just two dates for 2022 rodeos and they are as follows – June 12 and Sept. 25. The rodeo is set up on downtown Raleigh’s Fayetteville Street featuring a half mile of food trucks and restaurants spread out over 10 city blocks.
The remaining Durham Central Park Food Truck Rodeo 2022 schedule is as follows: June 5, Sept. 4 and Oct. 30. Mark your calendars.
Looking to find your favorite food truck (or stalking them and simply don’t want to have to admit it)? We understand. Find them on Street Food Finder.
Events
Saw on Ashton Mae Smith’s blog that today (Friday, June 3) mark’s the first of Foodie Fridays at Dorothea Dix Park. The events run from 5 to 7 p.m., where you’ll be able to sample Raleigh’s street food and enjoy local music in beautiful Dix Park. These will take place every Friday in June – so June 3, 10, 17 and 24th. Mark your calendars.
Raleigh’s 6th Annual International Food Festival, featuring food from over 30 countries, will take place this Saturday, June 4 from noon to 10 p.m. in downtown Raleigh’s City Plaza (400 block of Fayetteville St.). They are anticipating nearly 20,000 people to attend this year’s event. The event is free and open to the public.
Beats & Eats Music Festival in Chapel Hill will be held this Saturday, June 4 from 6 to 9 p.m. on the Southern Village Green. Attendees will be able to enjoy dancing, the music of Bantum Rooster and food from Paco’s Tacos during this fundraiser for the Ronald McDonald House of Chapel Hill.
The second annual Bubbles and Brisket is also scheduled for this Saturday, June 4 from 2 to 6 p.m. at Smoky Hollow in downtown Raleigh. The event is a collaboration of chefs, pit-masters, wine producers, sommeliers and brewers pairing sparkling bubbles with a variety of cooking techniques and side dishes that feature everyone’s favorite: brisket. Tickets are $75/person.
This is fun, the folks at A Place at The Table Cafe are holding a “Pay What You Can” Food Truck Rodeo on Sunday, June 5 from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. in the parking lot at the corner of W. Hargett and S. Harrington streets across from A Place at the Table Cafe. Just like at the cafe, you will have the option to pay for your meal by paying the suggested meal price of $12 a ticket, paying less than the suggested price, volunteering for your meal or paying a meal forward.
Vidrio restaurant on Glenwood Avenue in downtown Raleigh will host a family-style Ukrainian Dinner on June 23 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. to benefit World Central Kitchen’s efforts to feed people displaced by the Russian war in Ukraine. One-hundred percent of the dinner’s proceeds will be donated. After watching the news coverage of the ongoing Russian incursion into Ukraine, Vidrio’s executive chef Saif Rahman was moved to turn one of the restaurant’s monthly Taste of the Mediterranean dinners into an event to support the Ukrainian people. Get all the details and reserve your spot here.
The annual Triangle Restaurant Week summer edition is set to run the week of June 6-12, 2022. During the event, participating restaurants within Raleigh, Cary,Chapel Hill, Durham and surrounding areas will offer a special 2 or 3-course prix fixe menu ($20, $25, $30, $40, $50) each day they are open. Visit their website for a list of participating restaurants and their offerings.
The NC Hops Fest will be held June 11-12 at the NC State Fairgrounds. Attendees will be able to sample from a selection of 100+ NC craft beers, ciders, and seltzers while enjoying live music, local makers, and food trucks.
After a 2-year hiatus, Dinner in the Meadow will return as attendees will be gathering in the meadow again on Sunday, Sept. 11 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. The dinner sells out each year, so you are encouraged to get your tickets early.
Like beer? Excellent. Visit Raleigh has established a Raleigh Beer Trail that gives you a passport to get stamped at the 30+ breweries in the Raleigh area, from Wake Forest to Raleigh to Holly Springs and Fuquay-Varina. Once you’ve filled up your passport with stamps, you send it in to receive prizes. Nothing like being rewarded for drinking! But as always, please drink responsibly.
Food Bank Corner
With your support over the last year, the Food Bank distributed food to approximately 200,000 youth facing hunger in the 34 counties we serve. Unfortunately, we continue to see a devastating impact from COVID-19 for young people, who are left vulnerable to family and school changes. No child should have to worry when he or she will eat again, and no parent should have to skip a meal, so they can put food on the table for their children. Through agency distributions, targeted nutrition programs, education, and public policy work, the Food Bank is reaching young people with healthy and fun food options. Learn more here. #NoOneGoesHungry
Sean Lennard, a Raleigh native, has been around the Triangle food scene for...well, a long time, but professionally since 2002 with the the Triangle Food Blog, formerly known as Friday Fun Food Facts, in 2008. You can find his blog here. And you don't have to wait until Friday for updates as you can follow Sean throughout the week on Facebook and Twitter.
