July 24, 2012 · 12:37 pm

Latte Art Throwdown at Jubala Village Coffee in North Raleigh ~ July 26th 7pm!

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Example of “Tulip” Latte Art

If you enjoy the local coffee scene don’t miss this chance to watch some of the Triangle’s most talented baristas put their skills to the ultimate test at the Thursday Night Throwdown (TNT) latte art competition this Thursday, July 26th at 7pm. The event is hosted by Counter Culture Coffee and the awesome folks at Jubala Village Coffee in Raleigh & features the areas best barsitas from the many excellent coffee bars throughout the the Triangle.

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Scene From July 2011 Latte Art Throwdown at Jubala!

If you haven’t experienced one of these competitions yet this is how it works: baristas put their names in a hat and are selected at random to go head to head creating espresso coffee drinks featuring identical latte art designs which are then compared against each other and judged by a three person panel.

Judging is typically based on four categories:
1) Aesthetic Beauty
2) Definition
3) Color Infusion
4) Degree of Difficulty and Creativity

The winner moves on to the next round to compete again until the ultiamte champion is crowned. The purpose of a throwdown like this is to cultivate a coffee culture that respects presentation and quality – and of course having a fun time doing it!

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Baristas square off head to head as they create their drinks – July 2011

Event Details
– Date/Time: Thursday July 26th 7-9pm
– Location: Jubala Village Coffee – 8450 Honeycutt Road – Raleigh, NC
– Free admission
– Open to the public (Vote for your favorite latte art!)
– $5 for baristas to enter the competition

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Next Throwdown at Jubala Coffee – July 26th 7pm

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July 16, 2012 · 1:37 pm

Jingle in July at Natty Greene’s July 19th!!

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Want to enjoy some live music and donate an unwrapped toy to a great cause? Check out the Jingle in July event this Thursday, July 19th at Natty Greene’s in downtown Raleigh to benefit the Wake County Christmas Cheer Program.

Jingle in July Details

July 19, 2012 @ 6:30pm
Natty Green’s Downtown Raleigh
Live Music, Drink Specials, Appetizers, Raffle Prizes
Admission: an unwrapped toy

About Capital City Clauses
For the past 18 years the Capital City Clause’s mission has been to help collect toys for the Wake County Salvation Army’s Christmas Cheer Program.  To do this, each year they host the Jingle Ball in downtown Raleigh to collect unwrapped toys. This year’s Jingle Ball is planned for December 6th at Marbles Kids Museum.

The Jingle Ball started in 1993 and was originally hosted at the N.C. Museum of History. After moving to Raleigh from Charlotte, Stephen Bryant was inspired to start a charity event to help families in need during the holiday season. He used the event model from Second String Santa based in Charlotte, but instead of Social Services, he approached the Salvation Army as the charity partner because the organization had a delivery mechanism for toy distribution and financial assistance already in place. Bryant pitched the event idea to the Wake County Salvation Army and they agreed to partner with him for one year to see how the event went.

After recruiting several friends who worked and lived around downtown Raleigh to join him, Bryant and his team starting planning the event for early December and did the legal work to get the Capital City Clauses set-up as a non-profit.

The original Capital City Clauses solicited financial sponsors, as well as food and beverage sponsors, to host the first Jingle Ball. Their goal was to ensure that as many donations as possible generated at the event could go directly to the families in need.

The response from the community was overwhelming at the first Jingle Ball- not only did the event generate significant donations for the Salvation Army through toy and cash donations, but it also generated enough seed money for the Capital City Clauses to continue operations between the annual events.

“The day after the first Jingle Ball, the Museum of History and the Salvation Army called me asking if they could partner with the Capital City Clauses again the following year,” said Bryant.

Since then, the Capital City Clauses have donated tens of thousands of new toys and provided financial support for the Wake County Salvation Army’s Christmas Cheer program. The event has since moved from the N.C. Museum of History to Disco Rodeo to the old Convention Center and finally to Marbles Kids Museum for the past several years.

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July 13, 2012 · 2:30 am

Blueberry Pickin’ at Snikroc Farm in Durham!

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I’ve never picked my own blueberries before but have always wanted to do it. Seems like every year I miss my chance (prime blueberry pickin’ in this area is early to mid June). Although it is a little late in the season and despite the oppressive heat we have been experiencing, last Saturday I made a trip to Snikroc farm over in Durham County to get some blueberries. The small family owned Snikroc farm isn’t all that far from where I live in North Raleigh. It is just a short ride up Creedmoor Road and then head west on Highway 98.  Here is a map of their location (Google Maps).

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As you enter the property you will pass a small trailer that they use to sell soft serve ice cream on warm summer evenings. Further down the gravel drive is an area to park next to a small shed that has a scale and basic supplies like plastic bags and baskets to use when pickin the blueberries. Upon my initial inspection of some of the plants I confirmed that I was a little late in the season for prime blueberry pickin. I also noticed that the extreme heat we’ve been having has taken a toll on the blueberry plants. However, as I wandered a few rows in, I was able to find some bushes that had some plump albeit small berries ready to be picked!

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Above is a quick shot of some of my berries. They are a little smaller than what I am used to buying in the store, but they are packed with flavor.   I think next year I will plan on visitng the farm earlier, like sometime in mid June. I would love to get several pounds next year. On this trip I only managed to pick 1.5 pounds. My small haul didn’t discourage me though, since I love having locally grown fresh blueberries on my cereal in the morning and now I know where to go next year!

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Purchasing at Snicrok farm is done on the honor system. Just weigh out your haul and leave your payment at the shed (prices per pound are listed on the wall). For more information check out the Snikroc Farm Facebook Page.

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July 2, 2012 · 12:15 pm

Fourth of July Fireworks in the Triangle 2012

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Below is a list of places you can see fireworks this week to help celebrate Independence Day.  Please note actual date for each event as some have their fireworks the day before/after the actual fourth of July. There is also a link next to each town listed that will take you to the event website for additional details.

Fireworks in the Triangle 2012

Cary – Info
Fireworks at Koka Booth Ampitheatre
Koka Booth Ampitheatre – 3:00 – 11:00pm July 4 – music and fireworks. Koka Kids Club fun: Video Gaming truck, Magic shows, Face Painting and a family scavenger hunt from 3 to 7 PM.

Chapel Hill – Info
Fireworks at Keenan Stadium gates open at 7 PM July 4th, fireworks at 9:30 PM.

Durham – Info
Durham Bulls Baseball Durham Bulls are playing a home game on July 3rd, 4th and 5th. The baseball games start at 6:05pm. The Durham Bulls will have fireworks after each of the July 3rd, 4th and July 5th games.

Fuquay Varina – Info
Music, kid’s games and fireworks at Fuquay Varina’s South Park – 820 N. Main Street. July 3rd, gates open at 6 PM.

Garner – Info
Lake Benson Park – NC Symphony will perform. Gates open at 5pm and will have fireworks after dark July 3.

Raleigh – Info
Downtown Raleigh Fireworks at the Raleigh Convention Center July4th Fayetteville Street – Events all day long: King BMX Stunt Show, Hot Dog Eating Contest, Ice Cream Eating Contest, Music Performances at Morgan Street Stage, Courthouse Steps and the City Plaza Stage. Fireworks at 9:30 PM.

Rolesville – Info
July 4th – Rolesville’s annual Independence Day event will be held this summer on the ball fields at Rolesville Community Park on Redford Place (behind Food Lion).

Wake Forest – Info
Fireworks Spectacular on Tuesday, July 3, at Heritage High School, 1150 Forestville Road.

Zebulon – Info
The Carolina Mudcats will hold fireworks displays on Tuesday July 3rd and Wednesday July 4th nights at Five County Stadium. Gates will open at 6 p.m. each night for the 7:15 p.m. games, with fireworks and patriotic music to follow the games’ conclusion.

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June 28, 2012 · 12:13 pm

Food Truck Rodeo at Chatham Hill Winery Friday June 29th!

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Klausie’s Pizza Truck

If you live in Raleigh or Western Wake County and missed the recent food truck rodeo in Durham a few weeks ago you are in luck. The Chatham Hill Winery in Morrisville will be hosting a food truck event this Friday, June 29th from 4-9pm.

Featured Food Trucks
Klausie’s Pizza
American Meltdown
Baguettaboutit
Dang Good Dogs
Chirba Chirba Dumpling
Chick N Que
Old North State BBQ 

Read the event press release below for full details:

“Wine & Food Trucks?  Yes, indeed!  Chatham Hill Winery, the oldest winery in the area, has teamed up with local food trucks for the first-ever Wine & Food Truck Pairing.  The event will be held at Chatham Hill Winery on Friday, June 29th from 4:00 to 9:00 PM at 3800 Gateway Centre Blvd. in Cary/Morrisville.

From its inception, Chatham Hill Winery has been an innovator by being one of the first wineries in the country to mix old world wine tradition and new world wine bravado.  The winery’s grapes are grown offsite in the Yadkin Valley of North Carolina.  As an Urban Winery, Chatham Hill’s award-winning European style wines are made right here in the Heart of the Triangle.  In another cutting edge movement, Chatham Hill Winery is blending the latest culinary craze, Food Trucks, with the Urban Winery experience.

The unique twist on this Wine & Food Truck event is that owner and winemaker, Marek Wojciechowski, will be available to make recommendations for wine and food pairings throughout the event.   After seeing the burgeoning food truck scene, Wojciechowski knew what he had to do:  “Food trucks are such an amazing idea.  Why not push the notion that wine can be enjoyed with most any foods?  We just had to figure out a way to bring our wines and food truck offerings together and to the local community.”  

There is no admission fee for the event. The food trucks will be charging their regular prices and the winery will have wine available for purchase by the glass or by the bottle.  The trucks participating are:  Klausie’s Pizza, American Meltdown, Baguettaboutit, Dang Good Dogs, Chirba Chirba Dumpling, Chick N Que and Old North State BBQ.  Music provided by DJ Trav Gales.  In their continuing support of Operation Homefront, the winery will donate a portion of the evening’s sales and encourage participants to donate as well.

About Chatham Hill Winery:

Chatham Hill Winery, established in 1999 as the 14th winery in the state, is a boutique winery hosting wine tasting, winery tours as well as private, corporate functions and team building events. Its mission is to produce distinctive, handcrafted wines of high quality from the best grapes grown in North Carolina and share information and education about wine in a friendly and non-intimidating manner.

The winery currently produces two distinctive brands of wines:

French style wines under the Chatham Hill label and the line of unique, semi-sweet fruit-infused wines under the Sweet Carolina label.  Conveniently located moments from I-40, south of the RDU Airport, Chatham Hill Winery is accessible to all areas of the Triangle.  For additional information, contact Jill Winkler or visit www.chathamhillwine.com

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