Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1282295
12 UCW AUGUST 26-SEPTEMBER 1, 2020 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Saltbox Seafood Joint, surviving the coronavirus by D.G. MARTIN Can any of North Carolina's great roadside eateries and local joints sur- vive the coronavirus? I have my doubts. So does UNC- Press. It has put the release of an up- dated and revised edition of my book, "North Carolina Roadside Eateries," originally published in 2016, on hold indefinitely. We just do not know which of the more than 100 restaurants in the book will be in business when and if normal times returns. Nor do we know what the roadside restaurant business will be like in North Carolina after the worst of the coronavirus is over. Will we be able to explore places where locals gather for good food along North Carolina's highways? In general, the forecast is not good. But there are bright spots. For instance Wilber's, the legendary barbecue res- taurant in Goldsboro, closed in March 2019 and was therefore not included in the revised "Roadside Eateries." Last month Wilber's reopened, at first only for curbside pickup. us, if the revised "Roadside Eateries" is ever published, Wilber's will be in it. ere is more good news. Saltbox Seafood Joint in Durham, one of the places covered in the original "Roadside Eateries," got an expanded description in the now postponed revised edition. It is the sort of joint that can make it through the pandemic. Because it is thriving, it might give a clue about what kinds of locally owned eateries and joints will be available to give us the experiences that "Roadside Eater- ies" celebrated. Here is some of what my editors and I wrote for the revised "Roadside Eateries." Since the last edition of "Roadside Eateries," Saltbox chef Ricky Moore has been just a little busy. ough he's a busy man, don't worry — he's still at it, cooking incredible food for lucky locals. Now, Ricky's success isn't the least surprising. He's been in the food busi- ness all his life. He grew up catching and cooking fish in eastern North Caro- lina. He cooked during his seven years in the Army, studied at the Culinary Institute of America and worked at the fine Glasshalfull restaurant in Carrboro and as the opening executive chef at Giorgio's in Cary. Moore explained to me that it's not easy or cheap to get the best fish. He has to take into account that "the value is in the quality of fresh product we provide. Good, fresh seafood is not cheap, and the North Carolina fisher- men deserve to get top dollar for their catch." Hush-Honeys are Ricky's version of the hushpuppy. ey're a little salty, a little spicy and a little sweet. ey're the perfect complement to the best seafood you're liable to find anywhere, let alone in the middle of the Tar Heel State. Even if you are not able to visit Saltbox Seafood Joint for its mostly take out service, you can learn some of its secrets in a new cookbook published by UNC Press, "Saltbox Seafood Joint Cookbook." Chef Ricky Moore tells his life story. He shares 60 favorite reci- pes and his wisdom about selecting, preparing, cooking, and serving North Carolina seafood. at includes how to pan-fry and deep-fry, grill and smoke, and prepare soups, chowders, stews and Moore's special way of preparing grits and his popular Hush-Honeys. North Carolina's cultural icon David Cecelski is the author of "A Historian's Coast : Adventures into the Tidewater Past" and numerous other books and essays about our state's coastal region. He gushes in his praise, "Chef Ricky Moore's new cookbook is out and I think he's written the finest seafood cookbook you've ever seen and probably ever will see if you're like me and love the flavors of the North Carolina coast." To learn how one restaurant owner is surviving the pandemic, visit Chef Ricky at the Saltbox as soon as you can. Until then, join Cecelski and me to celebrating Chef Ricky Moore's success and enjoy trying the recipes in "Saltbox Seafood Joint Cookbook." Cape Fear Regional Theatre offers after-school program by DR. SHANESSA FENNER Cape Fear Regional eatre's EduTAINMENT: After School Program offers a safe, fun place for children. e Cape Fear Regional eatre presents its new EduTAINMENT: After School Program that will run from Monday, Aug. 24, to Friday, Sept. 25, from 2:30–6:30 p.m. or 3:30–6:30 p.m. for kids ages 8-13. "Once we had to close down for COVID-19, we were trying to figure out how can we still be (part) of the com- munity and (provide) the program- ming that they are used to getting from us," said Ashley Owen, marketing di- rector and education associate of Cape Fear Regional eatre. "At the time we started our virtual EduTAINMENT classes — those were online classes taught by myself and our education director, Marc de la Concha." Owen added that the theater offered supplemental classes that provided elementary and middle- school kids a safe, fun place to learn and engage with their peers over the course of the day. "Once Cumberland County Schools announced they were going to do the first five weeks of school virtual, all summer, we were coming up with all these different plans of what we could do," said Owen. "Because we were doing our summer camps, we found that kids were missing the interper- sonal connection with other kids their age because they have been at home for the last several months with their siblings or just with their families." e Cape Fear Regional eatre came up with the perfect program idea. "So we decided that an in-person after-school program would be really great and it would be a great way for parents to be able to drop their kids off somewhere (where parents) know they are safe, having fun and learning. And parents can get a little bit of time back in their day if they are working from home," said Owen. "e groups are limited to no more than 12 kids, and they will social distance, wash their hands and wear face masks and face shields." Owen added that the 8- to 9-year- old group will do a play called "Not- So-Grimm Tales" while also learning about the different variations of the fairy tales. e older kids will do an adaptation of a book. e theater will also offer Vir- tual EduTAINMENT online classes. "We are going to bring that original program back, and it will be once a week on ursdays from 12:30-1:15 p.m.," said Owen. "It will be for K-5 students and will take place from Aug. 27 through Sept. 24. e cost is $40 for the semester." e cost of the EduTAINMENT After School program is $150 per week from 3:30–6:30 p.m., or $175 per week from 2:30–6:30 p.m. Students must register for all five weeks of the program. "We have a great reputation, and we wanted to provide a safe place for parents to send their kids," said Owen. "is is just another way for us to reach out and give back to the community." For additional information, call 910- 323-4234. DR. SHANESSA FENNER, Princi- pal, WT Brown Elementary School. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcom- ingweekly.com. 910-484-6200. D.G. MARTIN, Host of UNC's Book Watch. COMMENTS? Editor@upand- comingweekly.com. 910-484-6200. LITERATURE EVENTS