DestinationFAY

2021-2022

DestinationFAY- CityView Magazine - Fayetteville, NC

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A nyone who has ever met Lorraine Jordan knows that she isn't the kind to let any (blue)grass grow under her feet. Perpetually in motion, the mandolin player and frontwoman for the band Carolina Road is the star attraction at her Lorraine's Coffee House & Music in Garner (just about a 45-minute drive from downtown Fayetteville, barring any traffic snafus). Affectionately known as bluegrass music's "Lady of Tradition," Jordan greets her friends and fans with a down-to-earth Southern drawl and sparkling eyes the color of Carolina blue skies. Just like so many other business owners, Jordan learned to "pivot" when the pandemic hit, keeping fellow musicians first by livestreaming shows on Facebook from her venue – providing a global audience and virtual tip jars. Jordan and Carolina Road also went back into the studio and scored their fourth No. 1 bluegrass hit with "Bill Monroe's Ol' Mandolin," which was named the "Bluegrass Song of 2020" on multiple national charts. But that wasn't all. Jordan also decided that the time was ripe to open a café within her music hall and coffeehouse. "With COVID restrictions and fewer people in the building, we took the opportunity to transform a conference room into our kitchen and develop recipes for good, fun food," says Jordan. The café menu joins existing coffee drinks and ice cream that kept a drive-thru window buzzing when the doors had to be closed. The café's grand opening officially arrived on April 12, 2021. Her focus, Jordan says, will always be on creating a family-friendly environment (read: no alcohol) to the locals and folks who travel for hours to visit Lorraine's. The casual fare reminds us of the food that made us especially happy while growing up. Big club sandwiches. Grilled cheese and paninis. Salads with an option to add lots of crispy bacon. Potato salad. Pasta salad. Chips. And chocolate chip cookies. The menu allows customers to pick their sandwich breads, meats, cheeses and condiments. On "event nights" (Thursday through Saturday/see details at the end), pizza, nachos and popcorn are added to the mix. With a soft drink, iced tea or lemonade, most meal orders are about $10. A kids' menu features $5 meals. Jordan has been featured on PBS North Carolina and Scott Mason's "Tar Heel Traveler" on WRAL-TV (NBC). The Lorraine's experience begins outside and includes catching glimpses of her big tour bus and food truck – along with a fleet of white cars. (She also reportedly owns one of the largest driver education schools in the United States.) Inside, the walls are lined museum-like with photos and memorabilia from Jordan's personal collection and a career in which she has performed in 40 states and 13 countries and at the Grand Ole Opry. She is pictured with hundreds of music legends, many of whom we love to call by their first name only. Dolly, George, Crystal, Roy … Lorraine Jordan with her kitchen team, from left: daughter Susanna Langdon, barista; Laura Lehning, kitchen assistant; Donna Newton, kitchen manager; and Paula Anderson, marketing director. MAYBE YOU DIDN'T KNOW... My children are all adults now, but one of our favorite day trips when they were little was to the Durham Life and Science Museum. We took the backroads, through Spring Lake, Sanford, Pittsboro and stopped for lunch at Fearrington Village off N.C. 15-501. The English-inspired village is known for its renowned inn and restaurant. But we loved the casual setting and yummy sandwiches at The Belted Goat deli, as well as the independent bookstore and unique belted Galloway cows (named for their belt of white against black coats). – Kim Hasty 63 DestinationFAY 2021-2022

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