Thursday, September 18, 2008 - The Secret's Out... |
Bon Appetit, a national food magazine in the US has determined that "Durham-Chapel Hill" is "America's foodiest small town".
I take issue on two points. First, Durham and Chapel Hill are separate and second, Durham is in fact a city (pop. 187,000 as of 2000) and Chapel Hill is a town. Both are part of the so called Triangle that includes Raleigh.
Here's a link to the article:
http://www.bonappetit.com/magazine/2008/10/americas_foodiest_small_town
When I first moved to Durham in 2002 I recognized that this was a city that embraced both city and country. The countryside contains many small farms and at one point there was a wonderful farm only a few miles from where l lived. Tiny Farm was indeed tiny but the farmer, Mark, grew wonderful heirloom tomatoes that I would pick up and pay for at the farm. Alas, land is at a premium around where I live and it's my belief he was made an offer he couldn't refuse and he moved the farm to nearby Hillsborough.
I've seen the Durham Farmers Market expand since I moved here too. The old market occupied what is now just the parking lot for the new market. The new market has a purpose built roof although it's more open air than enclosed which is much better for both sellers and buyers.
The Bon Appetit article spills the beans on the farmers and restaurants that make Durham and Chapel Hill really foodie hotspots. The Piedmont Farm Tour is mentioned and I went to that this year for the second time. Unike the tour I took in 2005, this year's tour was so much more popular with chaos ensuing when we were leaving Eco Farm due to the number of vehicles parked along a single wide lane and so many vehicles leaving simultaneously.
Locopops, the paleta (Mexican popsicle) shop that started in Durham has grown to several branches across the Triangle. It's great that paletas have really taken off here but with the long hot and humid temperatures, those paletas are certainly thirst quenching and there's even a special paleta for your canine friend.
Other favorite restaurants of mine are mentioned in the article. It would be hard to make changes to Allen and Son, the Eastern NC barbecue restaurant hidden in deepest Chapel Hill. It truly is off the beaten track and exemplifies how Eastern NC barbecue should be done, both foodwise and in ambience. On the other end of the scale, Piedmont, in downtown Durham, is essentially a French restaurant that incorporates locally grown ingredients. The last visit to Piedmont was especially for their cassoulet that was just perfect and better than what I've had in Paris.
Fortunately, the article does name the wonderful Taqueria La Vaquita in Durham which is a take-out only taqueria that serves up authentic Mexican food at bargain prices. On my last visit there (I ate most of huarache made with a homemade tortilla), it dawned on me that the taqueria was across the street from Four Square, a notable more upscale Durham restaurant. This highlights the variety of dining choices in Durham.
No doubt all this publicity about Durham and Chapel Hill will lead to even more small farms and businesses taking off. It's my hope that the community (and beyond) can support all this. |
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About Me
Former Londoner, now living in Durham, NC since 2002.
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