Out and About at WRAL.com

— Big announcements out at RDU airport this week, and we’re not talking about direct flights to Paris. Even better. Durham’s Beyu Coffee was approved to operate two coffee shops (one in each terminal). Look for those locations to open later this year. Additionally, Scott Crawford is teaming up with a group out of Miami to open Crawford Genuine, a casual dining bar in Concourse C, as well as an open-air kiosk, called Carolina Craft, serving craft beer, cocktails and light food. Black & White Coffee Roasters, founded by U.S. Barista Champions Lem Butler and Kyle Ramage, will join the Marketplace. Black & White currently operates multiple full-service coffee shops in the Triangle area. See the airport’s announcement here.

Black & White Coffee

Wake County Restaurant News

At Celebration at Six Forks, reader Burke Williams noticed that the sign for Sneaky Penguin Brewing Company has gone up at 7449 Six Forks Road. The brewery/tap room is looking to open late summer. Congrats to brewer/owner Chris Nadeau. Probably best to keep up with their progress on their Facebook page here.

Reader Chris Creighton reached out to let us know that the Chick-fil-A in Holly Springs at 801 Village Walk Drive, has reopened. You can visit them here.

Up in Wake Forest, Michael DePersia of DePersia & Associates, Sandor and Andrea Bosze who own Kono Pizza Food Truck have purchased The Bake Shoppe at 2010 S Main St. in Wake Forest from Tom and Roselie Halik. The couple will close for a few months and undergo a light renovation with plans of reopening and offering similar baked goods (retail and wholesale) as well as adding a little European flair (they are from Hungary). Check out The Bake Shoppe here.

Also in Wake Forest, the Triangle Explorer, aka John Huisman, shared that a dessert and cocktail bar opened this week in Wake Forest. Cravin’ Confections Dessert Bar opened at 3612 Rogers Branch Road. Check out some of their yumminess on their Instagram page here.

Some exciting news from the folks over at Cary’s Catering by Design. Owners Philip and Amy Lin have started a nonprofit foundation with the goal of bringing Howdy Homemade Ice Cream to the Triangle. If you are not familiar with Howdy, it was established to train and mentor young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities using smiles and amazing ice cream. In order to make this dream a reality, they are holding their first fundraising luncheon on Thursday, May 5th at the Courtyard by Marriott in Cary. Get details on the luncheon here, and learn more about Howdy Homemade Ice Cream here.

Durham, Orange & Chatham Restaurant News

Thanks to a tip from reader Chris Creighton, we learned that the Triangle will get its second location of Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop. The first is located in Waverly shopping center in Cary. The new location will be at 127 East Franklin Street in Chapel Hill (the former Waffle House spot). If you are not familiar with Capriotti’s, do so here. Look for an August opening (just in time for the return of the students).

Michael DePersia of DePersia & Associates shared the news that the former Melting Pot location in Durham (Renaissance across from the Streets at Southpoint Mall) is currently being renovated and will become a First Watch. You’ll remember that Melting Pot moved to 202 W NC Highway 54, and their former spot has remained empty since then. No word on an opening date. Visit First Watch here.

Also in Durham, Geer Street Garden is devoting their daily specials to pay tribute to their love of Chinese cuisine. The featured menu items, part of “Chinese Week” at the restaurant will be available from April 25-30. Best to check out their Facebook page for a look at the special menu items.

Down in Pittsboro, we recently shared the news that Greek Kouzina was moving into Mosaic in Chatham Park, but Neha Shah, director of the Pittsboro-Siler City Convention & Visitors Bureau was kind enough to remind me that David Sadeghi is also bringing two of his extremely popular concepts, People’s Coffee and O’Ya Cantina, to Chatham Park as well. No word yet on a timeline. Visit People’s here and O’Ya here.

Food Trucks

Happy to share that the Downtown Raleigh Food Truck Rodeo has announced the dates for 2022 rodeos. They are as follows – May 1, June 12, Aug. 7, Sept 25 or Oct 2 and Nov. 6 (Alternate/Rain Date). 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. Details here.

The Durham Central Park Food Truck Rodeo’s 2022 schedule is: June 5, September 4 and October 30. Mark your calendars. Get all the details here.

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 here.

Events

And we are just under three months away from this year’s edition of Shop Local Raleigh’s Brewgaloo (April 22-23) – NC’s largest craft beer festival and 2nd biggest in the US! Voted #1 Best Beer Festival two years in a row by USA Today’s 10Best. The weekend of events features craft breweries from NC and partners with local food trucks, local vendors and local bands. Friday night will be a sampler event from 6-10pm. Tickets are $45 per person. Saturday’s event is 2-10pm and open to the public. Beer is sold by the pint or the taste. The day will feature over 75 NC breweries, over 50 food trucks, dozens of local vendors and bands. Drink tickets will be sold in advance and available for purchase at the festival. Food trucks and vendors accept cash and credit options. Get tickets and all the details here.

brewgaloo

The Glenwood South Neighborhood Collaborative (GSNC) is holding their annual Glenwood Faire on April 24 from 11am to 2pm at Smoky Hollow. They will offer guests a chance to taste the food of 15 of the great restaurants in Glenwood South. Participating restaurants include: Mellow Mushroom, Raleigh Beer Garden, My Way Tavern, Plus Dueling Piano Bar, Vidrio, Ale House, Cortez, Clockwork, Hibernian, Sushi Blues, Plates, La Santa, DeMo’s, The Willard, and Dose Smoothie Bar. Beer will be provided by Clouds Brewing and wine will be served by Raleigh Wine and the Wine Feed. The event will also feature artists selling products, live music from local musicians and dog contests sponsored by West Street Dog. Tickets for a taste of all the food are $25 in advance and $30 day of. Beer and wine sold separately. Get tickets and all the details here.

Great Grapes in Cary’s Saltbox Village is continuing their 20th Anniversary Party Series with the next event on April 30th from 5:30 to 8 p.m. The event will feature lobster (provided by The Lobster Dogs), beer (Fullsteam) and wine (15 Seafood-friendly, spring-weight wines). Get all the details and tickets here.

On May 1 the folks over in Pittsboro will gather under the stars for Local on Lorax: A Farm & Art Dinner from 6-9pm at The Plant at 192 Lorax Lane in Pittsboro. It is a pop-up dinner with a super-local twist gathering area farmers, chefs, restaurants, craft beverages, and visual and performing artists for a good time. Tickets are $125. Get all the details here.

The folks over in Cary are proud to announce that Fest in the West, western Cary’s signature event, is back at Thomas Brooks Park on Saturday, May 7 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. There are two stages with entertainment featuring some of the best talent in the Triangle. Food trucks will be in three areas, a centrally located beer garden and a fun Kids Corral with activities for families along with a petting zoo. Mark your calendar and get all the details here.

The folks at Bites of Bull City shared the great news that The Glass Jug’s third annual Hops & Blues Fest returns this year on Saturday, May 21st from 4-8pm at Glass Jug Beer Lab’s RTP location (5410 NC-55). Note: the event is capped at 250 people, so get your tickets early. The $45 ticket price gets attendees unlimited samples from the best IPA and hop-forward beer makers in the area along with live music from some of the best local blues musicians: Brett Chambers & The Usual Suspects and The Pheobees. Along with The Glass Jug, other brewery reps on site include Aslin, Resident Culture, New Anthem, Wilmington, Commonwealth, Triple Crossing, Funguys, Durty Bull, Wooden Robot, Grimm, Equilibrium, and Southern Grist. Get tickets here.

The second annual Bubbles and Brisket is scheduled for Saturday, June 4 from 2-6 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. Early Bird Tickets on sale for the month of April are $65/person. On May 1, tickets are $75/person. Get all the details and tickets here.

Food Bank Corner

You can make a difference every month! Despite a record amount of food being distributed to individuals, seniors, children, veterans, and families of all kinds who are facing hunger last year, the food bank is still not meeting the increased need in the 34 counties the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina serves. Their partner agencies on the front lines are still reporting a sustained 35% increase in need over pre-pandemic levels. They need your reliable support to nourish all their neighbors in need. Sign up this January and your 1st monthly gift can be matched up to $2,500! Start giving today! #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.

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