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Visit our website at www.martincc.edu or call 252-792-1521 to get started! Need help? Call 252-789–0268 or email admissions@martincc.edu Martin Community College is committed to an environment that embraces diversity, respects the rights of all individuals, is open and accessible, and is free of harassment and discrimination.
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Bertie County Exploring Our Backyard
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12 HERTFORD COUNTY
MARTIN COUNTY Anthony Gianpoalo earned his culinary stars not on the pages of reviews, but in the kitchens of his parents, relatives and the firefighters he shared cooking stations with throughout his firefighting career.
18 BERTIE COUNTY Sylvia Hughes has perfected the Carolina cheese biscuit.
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Odessa Campbell is at home in any kitchen.
22 CHOWAN COUNTY Cheryl Orr is a working gourmet chef, private caterer, cooking teacher and the proprietor of The Cotton Gin Inn Culinary in Edenton’s downtown shopping district.
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30 TYRELL COUNTY Council is a teacher by day and a cook at night.
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46 Grandma's Kitchen Made from scratch is always better
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Eastern North Carolina Living is published by APG Media Eastern NC, and is a subsidiary of the Bertie Ledger-Advance, The Enterprise, Tarboro Weekly and Rocky Mount Telegram.
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MARTIN COUNTY
Anthony Gianpoalo The Cooking Commissioner Story by John Foley u Photos by Paula Gianpoalo
O
n first meeting Anthony Gianpoalo the lack of traditional Fettuccini Alfredo availability in area restaurants highlighted the conversation. The flavors of other choices from Thai to French to Greek cuisines were also considered lacking. Gianpoalo, however, is most comfortable at home in his kitchen, where his Fettuccini Alfredo has gained praise from any who have had the good fortune to taste it. The newly elected Williamston Town Commissioner earned his culinary stars not on the pages of reviews, but in the
kitchens of his parents, relatives and the firefighters he shared cooking stations with throughout his firefighting career. He is not a trained chef, but a home-based culinarian that has perfected and altered family and firehouse recipes to fit his palate. Gianpoalo has always been at home in the kitchen and looks at the space as a place to enjoy friends, family and have fun. “A meal, especially with family and friends, means togetherness and often leads to fun,” claimed Gianpoalo. He began his culinary trek at a very young age helping his parents prepare meals in the family kitchen. It was the beginning of a forever family affair. “To this day I am surprised I have all of my fingers. When I was young our families would get together and reminisce,
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have fun and laugh. Even though I had no idea what the adults were talking about half the time, I really enjoyed it,” said Gianpoalo. The commissioner finds the kitchen to be “his own little world” where he just steps in to prep and cook a meal and forget stress. On occasion, according to Gianpoalo, when his wife, Paula, comes home from work early, she will assist with the prep. “His fettuccini is amazing – nothing compares to it,” claimed Paula. Gianpoalo expanded his culinary skills by learning from veteran firefighters who enjoyed standing over a hot stove. “I remember some of the techniques, tricks and recipes from my parents, but mostly from trial and error at the fire station. Firefighters are the best critics. They will bluntly let you know if the meal was good or if it stinks,” said the former firefighter. Currently over 11,000,000 search results appear when you Google ‘Firehouse Cookbooks.’ Fire stations and the “family meals” that are prepared behind their doors have long been spotlighted in rave reviews by food critics with mouthwatering palates. Gianpoalo is of the ‘smells good, tastes good, a pinch here and there of this and that’ school of culinary creativity. “If I’m using a recipe, then most likely I’ll use a measuring cup. If I’m throwing something together, I’ll wing it. If it smells good, it usually tastes good. A pinch can be anywhere from two fingers to a handful. Depends on the mood,” Gianpoalo said, smiling. While Gianpoalo enjoys the solace of cooking for the both of them, he
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also enjoys the pressure of preparing a meal for more than just two people. “Most recently I prepared a meal for 16 people. Prime rib, baked ziti, twice-baked potatoes, several veggies, salad and, of course, bread,” said Gianpoalo. “We also had some kind of dessert and cookies Paula had baked. She is the baker. I am the cook.” Cream sauce is Gianpoalo’s specialty and his secret is no secret. “I use either heavy cream or half and half, depending on which one I bought. I chop and sautée the onions and garlic, slice some good Prosciutto add Parmigiana and Asiago cheeses
along with fresh parsley. I usually use Tortellini for the pasta,” said the chef. “Paula loves my cream sauce.” “There are two favorite meals he prepares for me that I love. Twice-baked potatoes with lobster is the first and Shrimp Scampi is the second.” said Paula. “We dated for about a week before he cooked dinner for me. He had me hooked and ruined a lot of choices for me at restaurants because his food tastes better.” Gianpoalo, like all cooks, has had visions of owning a little restaurant. “If we were to open up a restaurant, we would serve salads, soups and sandwiches for lunch and have a few choices during the weekends of Italian plates. It would be fun,” he mused. “Cooking is really all about fun. My wife is a good critic also. If she has a little bit more, she likes it. If she doesn’t, she will tell me not to make it again,” he said. He said his work cooking for firefighters was likewise trial-anderror. “Also in the fire station, there were three of us on my shift that would religiously cook depending on the volume of fire calls we would have. We’d go to the grocery store, buy a bunch of ingredients, throw it together and we would see what happened. Ninety-nine percent of the time it was good; once in a while you would swing and miss. That’s what made it fun, trying to never swing and miss.” John Foley is a Staff Writer for the Bertie Ledger-Advance, The Enterprise and Eastern North Carolina Living.
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HERTFORD COUNTY
Odessa Campbell At Home in Any Kitchen Story by Sarah Davis u Photos by Sarah Davis & Contributed
S
ince she was a young child (next to the youngest of eight girls), growing up in Colerain, Odessa Perry Campbell has been at home in the kitchen. Noting that she was taught to cook, clean and wash (on a washboard) from her earliest memory, she says those lessons have followed her all her life. Moving to Ahoskie at age 17 when she married, she first began working in the kitchen of Mary B. Willoughby, later working for Willoughby’s daughter, Alease, as well.
She then found herself at home in many other kitchens in Ahoskie: those of Nancy and Bland Baker, Becky and Dicky Hoggard, Susan and Larry Joyner, Meg and Sonny Larrabee and Lois and Charles Sawyer, as well as the kitchens of Calvary Baptist Church and St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church. Additionally, she helped in kitchens used by the Ahoskie Women’s Club and the Ahoskie Garden Club. Working in the kitchen of Susan and Larry Joyner, she became an integral part of their catering business. According to Susan Joyner, those in the kitchen had more fun than those in the dining room any day, whether they were catering a Christmas party or a wedding. Assisting with multiple projects at St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church – annual Lobster Feasts and Women’s Luncheons, Maundy Thursday Agape Meals, birthday dinners when Jeff Douglas was Rector and general church-wide potluck meals
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– she quickly became indispensable in that kitchen. Susan Joyner recalls the first time she ever saw the dishwasher there. She was completely stymied, but Campbell quickly said, “We can work this,” and she did. Years later, very few parishioners are comfortable working that dishwasher, but Campbell is. Any number of St. Thomas’ members speak of Campbell’s importance in that kitchen, but none more so than Julie Shields, who for years headed the annual Women’s Luncheon. According to Shields, who calls Campbell one of her dear friends, Campbell “has an impeccable work ethic and completes tasks faster than anyone.” “Whenever anyone needs her, she comes. She is a wonderful friend, mother and grandmother,” Shields insists. Shields concludes that she feels very fortunate to know Campbell, and that is a sentiment shared by many
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others whether at St. Thomas’ or elsewhere. Campbell was also integral in the kitchen at Calvary Baptist Church, recalling their annual Women’s Day meals which she supervised, not just overseeing but implementing every aspect from preparation to clean-up. In addition to all the work she has done and still does in others’ kitchens, Campbell maintains her own kitchen, preparing meals for one daughter, three grandchildren and five greatgrandchildren ages four through 12. The great-grandchildren attend school at Bearfield Primary School, Aulander Elementary School and Bertie Middle School. Every afternoon, they come through the door ready for snacks which she always has prepared for them. When asked about her favorite foods to cook, she immediately offers a long list: collards, Amish chicken soup, cakes (chocolate, honeybun, Mississippi Mud, upside down pineapple), chicken and dumplings,
corn, (fried) cornbread, fried chicken, party chicken, pot roast and potato salad. As Campbell says, whatever anyone asks, she can cook. She emphasizes the importance of seasoning in whatever is being cooked, saying it makes all the difference in the taste. When discussing her own kitchen and her family, she says she “knows when it’s not right,” whether something a child is saying or the way the food tastes. With that intuitive knowledge, Campbell has taken care of her own children, grandchildren and greatgrandchildren in her kitchen as well as children in others’ kitchens. Many in Ahoskie have benefited from her ability – whether with a meal or a child. The kitchen truly is Odessa Campbell’s home. Sarah Davis is a retired librarian and educator and a regular contributor to Eastern North Carolina Living.
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BERTIE COUNTY
Sylvia Hughes Cooking in 'Grandma's Kitchen' Story & Photos by Deborah GrifÏn
F
ew things more comforting on a wintry eastern North Carolina morning than flaky, handmade buttermilk biscuits, fresh from Grandma’s oven. Sylvia Hughes, the mother/grandmother and author of Grandmother’s Kitchen fame (a column in Eastern North Carolina Living magazine) has cooked most of her life. She has perfected the Carolina cheese biscuit - some Southerners might refer to as “catheads” because of their size. On a recent, blustery January morning, Hughes pulled a steaming circular tin of the fist-sized, blue-ribbon-worthy,
confections from her oven. The baked dough, perfectly browned, hid bitefuls of ooey, gooey sharp cheddar - doubling the recipe’s flavor and love. Her expertise in the kitchen comes from a life-long love-affair with baking. Her earliest memories from the kitchen are climbing up onto a chair when she was small to watch her grandmother cook in Thomasville. “I lived with her during the war (WWII). Daddy served and Mama went to Hampton (Va.). Mama was like one of those ‘Rosie the Riveters,’” she said, (women who worked in factories and shipyards during the war). “Grandma raised her own vegetables, probably until she was about 70,” she said. “And she canned stuff for the winter. She was an old-timey kind of cook.” After the war, Hughes was introduced to her mom’s way of cooking.
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“She was a different kind of cook. She was more modern,” she added. “And I also watched my Daddy cook.” Though Hughes has years of experience, she is not afraid to try new things. Some might be surprised that the 83-year-old watches YouTube to learn new ideas for cooking in the air-fryer. She marvels at the changes that have taken place in her lifetime. “We didn’t even have television when I was young,” she said. And she is old enough to remember two-party phone lines. “When you picked up the phone
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you never knew who was going to be on the line. Sometimes we just had a group conversation,” she recalled. At this stage in her life, her favorite types of meals to cook are one-pot meals and meals made on a cooking sheet - the kind with minimal clean up, she admitted. “And of course, I like to bake cakes,” she added. “Grandma was really, really good with cakes and I grew up watching her.” Hughes has two sons, Thadd and Scott, who live nearby, along with their families. She is “Nana” to six grandchildren, four girls and two boys. She cooks for them every chance she
gets, though she bemoans the fact that the grandchildren have grown up way too fast. This morning, Hughes has handrolled her biscuits from scratch – something that seems to be a lost art for younger generations. “It’s a shame because it’s not really that hard, it just takes time,” she said, admitting that is why she doesn’t make the biscuits often. This morning’s batch is in honor of her oldest son, Thadd, who has promised to stop by. “He loves them,” she said. “He’s also a good cook. Both my boys are good cooks,” she adds. “I
think they both enjoy it. Something I did must have rubbed off,” she said with a laugh. Hughes was a stay-at-home mom until her sons were in high school. She then went back to school for two years, obtaining her business degree from Roanoke-Chowan Community College in Ahoskie. That led to a job at the library in Halifax County, where she stayed for about five years. She then became editor of the Scotland Neck Commonwealth and the Enfield Progress newspapers. “Sometimes I was the only person around for both papers,” she said. “It wasn’t too bad because they were both weeklies. I really loved it. The only thing I didn’t enjoy was working late at night when there were meetings” She wore many hats at the newspaper.
“You did the writing, you did the layout by hand, then you had to take it to Ahoskie to get it printed,” she said. Another five years went by, and she changed careers again, this time she went to the central office for Halifax County Schools, where she worked in public relations for five years, then retired. “I really enjoyed the time I spent with the children,” she said. “They are really something. My favorites were the middle schoolers. You can ask them anything and they are going to tell you the truth. They don’t hold anything back. It is a hard age - they are transitioning from children into adults.” After retiring, Hughes moved to Windsor to be closer to family, where she has lived almost 12 years. “I like Windsor because it is small. I don’t have to go far to buy groceries,”
she added. Besides cooking, Hughes keeps busy reading four-to-five books at a time, as well as having four-to-five knitting and crocheting projects in the works. She stays busy with Christian endeavors, writes a religious column for the newspaper and keeps up with her Grandma’s Kitchen column. And her West Highland Terrier Cricket keeps her busy as well. “I like to be doing more than one thing at a time,” she said. “That way you don’t get bored. I like to change it up and do something new and different.” Hughes’ son Thadd White Jr. is Group Editor for the Bertie LedgerAdvance, The Enterprise and Eastern North Carolina Living. Deborah Griffin is a freelance journalist and a regular contributor to Eastern North Carolina Living.
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CHOWAN COUNTY
Cheryl Orr Edenton's Renowned Epicurean Story & Photos by Vernon Fueston
C
heryl Orr is one of those people whose life took several forks in the road and ended at an unexpected destination. Today, she is a working gourmet chef, private caterer, cooking teacher and the proprietor of one of eastern North Carolina’s most unusual dining experiences, The Cotton Gin Inn Culinary in Edenton’s downtown shopping district. Orr’s restaurant is located inside and behind A Still Life, an interior decor shop that features jewelry, clothing and
home furnishings. It provides a fascinating browsing experience for patrons before they take a seat at one of a dozen tables that offer an intimate view of her kitchen. Dining at the Cotton Gin Culinary is both “a unique gastronomique experience” as Orr puts it and also a chance for foodies to watch a real chef in action. Diners watch as Orr prepares their meals on Wednesday evening, choosing from a selection of eight entrees, salads, desserts and a selection of wines and beer. Dinner at the Cotton Gin Culinary costs between $26 and $38. Orr also offers a brunch menu. For those who really want to explore gourmet cooking, Orr also offers private or group cooking classes on Thursdays and Fridays. Students are free to prepare their own food or simply watch and enjoy the end results.
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Off-site, Orr also offers her services as a caterer for private parties or as a private chef. When she is not cooking, she also writes a cooking column for the several Adams Publishing Group newspapers in northeastern North Carolina called “Edenton Epicurean.” “I intended to be a doctor, but I have lupus and realized I could not handle the medical residency, so I switched my major to journalism because I was on the newspaper and yearbook in college,” she said. She became a copy editor before her children came along, then tried her hand at catering. “I didn’t get paid at first. I just did it for nonprofits where I lived in Boulder, Colorado,” she recalled. “It just kind of took off from there. I taught my first cooking class when I was 28 for a private organization. Then it turned into a business that’s kind of like the Martha Stewart of my area.” Orr said she is basically selftaught, though she learned a lot working with a French woman who taught her about French cooking. She is a chef, but has never worked in a classical restaurant, always working in catering, private work and small cafes. She said she loves French and Italian cooking, as well as Southern
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Bistro cuisine and uses what she’s learned from her varied background. “I love the connection between chemistry and cooking, and I’m using my journalism background to write. I enjoy writing the column every week, so I wear a lot of hats. I also do my own marketing and website,” she said. The Cotton Gin Culinary started as a supporting business for her award-winning bed and breakfast in a historic Edenton home, now a private residence. Her current location is a unique partnership with Cindy Grandy, who runs A Still Life, the home decor shop in the front of their building on Broad Street. Both entrepreneurs realized they wanted to buy the same building, but only needed half the space. Diners at the Cotton Gin Culinary spend between $26 and $38 for the experience, which is unique for the area. Orr said her menu varies, but she described the menu she had planned for the evening. “There are several things on there that I do just because they’re popular, so there’s usually the filet mignon with the, a seared polenta cake and a gorgonzola butter and then a tomato brodo around it. That’s been very popular,” Orr said. “The lamb chops,
the Rosemary honey balsamic. Lamb chops are very popular. I usually have a risotto, some type of polenta and there is pasta, handmade pasta. “I do crab carbonara often or at pasta Limone. It was here. Scallops. I usually have fresh fish I don’t bring in my food; we go shopping once a week in the Norfolk area, and I pick out fresh fish and what I want to use. I try to have Bronzino. I like that it’s an Italian Mediterranean sea bass that’s popular on the menu,” she added. That’s ambitious, but what does a gourmet chef eat at home? “We eat a lot of leftovers, and quite frankly, we’re pretty sick of filet mignon, lamb and scallops,” she said, adding her husband, Randy Naylor, is an excellent cook as well. The Cotton Gin Culinary is at 212 S. Broad Street and can be contacted by phone at (252) 368-4881 or online at www.thecottongininn.com. The kitchen and tables are located in the back of A Still Life. Dinners, brunch, catering, cooking classes and supper or breakfast clubs are scheduled for particular dates, so contact them for the schedule or to make reservations. Vernon Fueston is a Staff Writer for the Chowan Herald, Albemarle Magazine and Eastern North Carolina Living.
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TYRRELL COUNTY
Casey Council Teacher by day, Chef by night Story by John Foley u Photos by Milton Council
C
asey Council is well known in Columbia. She has been a Tyrrell County teacher for 22 years, is mom to Colton, wife to Milton, is a diamond artisan with a custom jewelry line and is currently working on a Masters of Library Science at ECU. On those online course nights, husband Milton arranges dinner and the family may eat pizza. On other nights, Casey is at home in the kitchen. The educator’s passion for the kitchen wasn’t instantaneous, but childhood memories bring flavors, pictures and
thoughts to mind of Grandma Eunice and Grandma Maybell’s kitchens, filled with exciting Sundays. “From my childhood, I remember that Sundays were always exciting because the family would meet at my grandma’s house for lunch after church,” Casey said. “I will always cherish those memories, as it seems to be a lost experience in our society today. I’m not sure that I ever helped cooking those meals, but I do have a lot of those recipes today.” While their kitchens may have been different back then, the aromas, flavors and recipes still linger and entice Council’s culinary creativity. “Some of my favorites from Grandma Eunice are Slopping Chocolate and Chicken Casserole. Grandma Maybell made fabulous homemade biscuits and cream corn. I still can’t make either of those, but my sister, Corey, has perfected her cream corn.”
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She remembers cooking at an early age. “I was a teenager when I started really cooking meals. At first, it was easy, basic stuff. I remember the first ‘difficult’ meal that I cooked was fried pork chops. I had the heat too high, the grease too hot and the meat was dry as could be,” explained Council. “But, I learned a valuable lesson. Today, I can cook a mean fried pork chop. It’s one of my boys’ favorite meals.” Council has always enjoyed spending time in the kitchen at home and also in the kitchens of other family member’s homes. “The kitchen is one of the best places to make something from the heart for the people you love and want to share with,” she said. “I often cook when I’m stressed out or bored.
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I’m not so sure that I would call it creative, but it works for me.” Home cooks are no different than professional chefs when it comes to meal drudgery. The routine of preparing a meal, whether for three or a hundred on a regular basis often contributes to culinary boredom. However, Council has a remedy for that. “Pinterest is my go-to for recipes. I’ll look in the freezer and cabinets, then search recipes with the ingredients, and viola, something new to try,” shared Casey. The cook has a varied number of entrees on her menu, but doesn’t really focus on one style of food. Her busy schedule has her continually searching, preparing and trying new casserole recipes. “I’m not really sure that there are
certain foods that I prepare more than others. I love casseroles, because they are easy to make on busy days, but Milton doesn’t really care for them,” said Council. “I do really enjoy salsa and taco based meals, but I won’t say Mexican because my meals certainly aren’t authentic. Council remembers one meal that highlighted the joy of cooking for the chef. “Several years ago, I had a small group Bible study at my house. We got together and cooked, then delivered meals to shut-ins in our community,” said Casey. “I think that may have been the most exciting and memorable because of the feeling of gratitude and appreciation we received. It was very rewarding to visit these people, see their reactions, carry on conversations with them and pray with them.” According to Milton and Colton Council, Casey’s baking skills are “also amazing.” “I love to bake. I often bake goodies for my co-workers. Every Christmas, my family gets together to have a baking day. Lots of memories are always made,” said Casey. “Casey’s cooking is like my love for her, great and satisfying. First and foremost, she’s the rock that keeps everyone together. Our 6-year son Colton helps Casey with sausage balls, homemade cheesecake brownies and deviled eggs,” said Milton. “The cooking stems back from generations of Brickhouse Armstrong men and women preparing meals. “Casey has old recipe books passed down from her grandma Eunice Brickhouse who was one of most influential, loving women you would ever meet,” he continued. “Her
father, Billy Armstrong also passed on his famous homemade pig sauce which is perfect for BBQ and chicken.” Over the past decades, kitchens have become more than just places to cook a meal, but sanctuaries for imported ovens, fancy toasters perched on imported Italian marble countertops. When it comes to the ideal kitchen Casey visualizes a vast space with two ovens, one reserved for baking. The refrigerator would be disguised as another cupboard, of which there would be many. A lot of counter space would also be a requirement along with a walk-in pantry. “I’ve had dreams of opening a restaurant. I love sharing when I cook. However, my calling in life is teaching and making a positive influence on our youth,” she said. That positive influence is having an effect on both Milton and Colton, according to Casey. Milton is the grill master, contributes to clean up and can prepare Ramen Noodles. Colton helps out when asked. “Colton likes to help when I let him. He enjoys adding ingredients, breaking eggs and stirring or using the mixer. He has recently started cooking his own Mac ‘n Cheese cups in the microwave,” said Casey. “A couple of weeks ago he wanted to make his own cheese sandwich, so I let him. I cringed a little, but I didn’t intercept. After one bite, he looked at me and said, ‘I think there might be too much mayonnaise’. “I agree, son, I agree,” said Casey, at home in her kitchen.
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BEAUFORT COUNTY
Cathy Van Gyzen The Mad Batter Story by Kelly Grady u Photos by Kelly Grady & Contributed
"I
t’s always time for a decadent treat” is the message conveyed by the multitude of clocks on the wall as one walks through the doors at The Mad Batter Bakery and are greeted with the wafting sweet smells of freshly baked goods. Located in the heart of downtown Belhaven, the bakery is owned by Cathy Van Gyzen and her husband, Bryan, and is the result of Cathy’s lifetime love of baking. However, visitors will only see Bryan on the weekends because he works full time as an instructor at Beaufort County Community College.
Born and raised in Pungo, Cathy attended area schools and, although a shy teenager, she waited tables part-time, eventually becoming the manager of The Helmsman Restaurant (now The Tavern at Jack’s Neck) where she realized she wasn’t that shy and loved serving people. Cathy finished high school, worked at Kerr Drug in Washington, soon married and had two children, Conner and Breanna. She became a stay-at-home mom, but once her children were attending school, Cathy went back to work, this time at O’Neal’s Drug Store in Belhaven where she remained for 10 years until 2021. In December 2012, she married her second husband, Bryan, gracing her with her step-daughter, Susanna, and now two beautiful grandchildren. Cathy’s love of baking started at a young age. She recalls being in the kitchen with her older sister, Amy (whom
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Cathy adores), and being fascinated with kitchen gadgets (many that can be seen decorated throughout the bakery), and her mom “allowing” them to wash the dishes. Cathy recalls she and her sister making cakes as early as seven or eight years old with their mom’s supervision of the oven. Cathy shared that her first vivid memory of baking was having her friend, Kristin, over for her birthday sleepover and making Cathy’s birthday cake together. As far as her favorite kitchen memory? She fondly remembers being in the kitchen with her maternal grandmother during the Christmas season and making pull candy. “I can still smell it cooking and remember helping stretch and pull it across the kitchen until it was the right length and thickness,” she said. “Once it was ‘pulled’ we cut it and bagged it. It was my favorite thing to do for the holidays.” Having had no formal training in baking, Cathy describes herself as self-taught. She learned some tips from watching Youtube videos, cookbooks and a good deal of trial and error. It was during Cathy’s later years at O’Neal’s Drug Store where the seed of her own bakery became planted. She had noticed that others in the area were making cakes and cookies to sell for a profit, but nobody was making cheesecakes. It was close to Christmas, so she came up with the idea of Cheesecakes by Cathy to sell cheesecakes for extra Christmas money. It took some practice before the cheesecakes were perfected enough to sell, but after about the tenth recipe tweak, Bryan said, “You need to sell this!” She let the idea of selling her
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cheesecakes simmer for a bit until she made one to donate to the auction for the local fire department. Little did she know that was the cheesecake that would put her plan in motion. The buyer shared that cheesecake with friends and soon Cheesecakes by Cathy was flourishing. With the help of her husband and mom, she began to sell slices of her cakes at vendor fairs and that soon blossomed into selling whole cakes for holidays and parties. Cathy found herself baking every night while still working full-time at the pharmacy. Around the five year mark, Bryan suggested she open her own bakery and Cathy began dreaming. She would spend her lunch hours driving around town looking for the perfect location, but kept finding herself drawn to a specific building, an older house full of character located on Pamlico Street. As luck would have it, she soon noticed a “for rent” sign in the
window, and in April 2021, she signed the lease with her cousin, Carrie, owner of Dynamic Expressions, to share the building featuring each of their businesses. Cathy immediately took to Facebook to let her know that Cheesecakes by Cathy had finally found a home and asked her customers for help in naming her new bakery. She knew she wanted the name to reflect what she made. While social media was in action, so were Cathy, Bryan, her parents, and Bryan’s parents as they spent the next seven months - often 14 hour days - planning, remodeling, and decorating the building to accommodate Cathy’s dream. And the name? With the help of customers and her cousin, Kimberly, owner of Larkspur Art Studio, the logo using Cathy’s likeness and the name implying lots of cake batter was the final product and The Mad Batter was born! Finally, the business opened two
weeks shy of Thanksgiving 2021. Cathy was ecstatic as the bakery flourished for a full 14 months. It was also during this time that Carrie decided to move Dynamic Expressions to her home to be more available for her family. That left Cathy’s business with room for expansion. Physically, she added more tables for seating and a bookcase lined with books for patrons to read in the comfy seating areas she arranged in the lower level of the building. Since the remodeling, several area groups enjoy the comfort and warmth of the building as they conduct meetings here. As the building grew, so did her menu which now encompassed salads and a variety of sandwiches with her best-selling - The Mad Italian
Hoagie as the leader of those sandwiches. More delicious items meant more help was needed and her staff grew to eight employees to handle the baking, cooking, and people to manage the sales counter. All of their favorites are in the cases, and you can bet yours probably are as well! When asked what Cathy was most proud of, she said she loves seeing her cases fill up with their wide assortment of items, but she is most proud of her cheesecake. “I want people to know they can do what I did, too. Chase that dream
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ALL IN A
Day’s Trip
Topsail Island S tory & P hotoS by t hadd White The idea of a day trip on Topsail Island is both exciting and a tiny bit frustrating. The excitement is obvious – it is a wonderful place to spend a day – and the frustration is simply the fact you’ll never cover all the wonderful things to do in Surf City, North Topsail and the other wonderful communities around the island. My family has spent so much time on Topsail Island it is somewhat like a second home to us. Breakfast on the island If you’re arriving in time for breakfast on the island or nearby, there are a couple of wonderful options. While our favorite breakfast place has unfortunately gone out of business, there are other options. The Daily Grind is a coffee shop and which offers not only traditional drinks, but donuts and pastries that will hit the spot. They have a variety of menu items both for food and drink. They are located at 114 North Topsail Dr. in Surf City. If you’re looking for a quick donut to start your day so you can get on with the wonderful adventures of your day, hit up Daybreak Donuts. It was a hit with our family because of the variety of donuts available. You’ll enjoy the atmosphere and the donuts. Daybreak is located at 303 South Topsail Dr. in Surf City. Hit the waterways One of the reasons to spend a day at Topsail Island is to enjoy the beautiful Atlantic Ocean. Few places have a more beautiful natural coastline or welcoming beaches. There are numerous
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public accesses to the ocean, some in the town of Surf City and some on both ends of the island. A few require a fee for parking, but there are also places to park for free. Whether you’re looking for a day walking along the beautiful coast or actually swimming or riding a boogie board in the ocean, Topsail Island has the best of both worlds. Grab some lunch at Island Delights Like with all the other meals, there are a ton of options to grab lunch while on Topsail Island, but our favorite has always been Island Delights. It is a place we go back to time and again. The restaurant fancies itself a 1950s style place for food and fun theyoffers a jukebox and even little rides (think Roses back in the day) outside for the children to enjoy. The offer hand-pattied burgers, homemade chicken salad and a menu of other wonderful items to grab for a quick, but satisfying lunch. And don’t forget to grab ice cream before you go – you’ll regret it if you don’t. Check your listings as the restaurant is open seasonally. Island Delights is located at 316 North New River Dr. in Surf City. Shaka Taco If tacos are more your thing, I can also recommend Shaka Taco as we have had good meals there. No matter your particular bent, you can find fish, chicken, shrimp, pork or veggie tacos and they’ll all be very good. Shaka Taco is
located at 107 North Shore Dr. in Surf City. Visit Carolina Shores Natural Soap There are a variety of places to shop from local places that offer island-specific charm to normal places like Bert’s Surf Shop (a personal favorite). For me, I begin at Carolina Shores Natural Soap. I stumbled across it while roaming the island on one of my first trips and I begin there now because it has the best soaps and such I’ve found. The small, familyowned business creates each of the products themselves and the owners pride themselves in only using the most quality ingredients, including growing their own herbs and botanicals to use in the soaps. My favorite is Ocean Water followed closely by Salty Sea Air, but you can’t go wrong no matter which fragrance you prefer. Carolina Shores is located at 208H New River Dr. in Surf City or online at carolinasshoresnaturalsoap.com. Take a trip to The Gift Basket My next stop in on the opposite end of the island, where you’ll find The Gift Basket, a shop that carries gifts, housewares and clothing, plus a few toys for the young ones. We have a sign in our home that was purchased here that shows the longitude and latitude of the island we’ve come to love. We also have purchased souvenir T-shirts and other items. Its an eclectic and fun shopping experience. Stop by Surf City IGA While it may not be a normal place to shop on a day trip (thought its perfect if you spend a few days), I’d still encourage you to stop by Surf City IGA. It is a blast from the past when small grocery stores carried everything you could possibly need. I wander around the aisles and find all kinds of treasures. At the very least, pick up a soda and a candy bar and look around. Surf City IGA is located at 106 South Topsail Dr. in Surf City Don’t skip Mia’s Marketplace While just off the island, located at 14061 NC-50 in Surf City, Mia’s is a place you won’t want to miss. Specializing in home decor and accessories, Mia’s is a perfect place to find just what you’re looking for in home decor. In addition,
there’s a children’s room that provides toys, gifts, books and clothing for children up to 4T. The things that brings us back, however, is the candy area, which offers the most wonderful variety of chocolates, sweets, taffy and gummies. There is something for every taste – both child and adult alike. In addition, Mia’s offers treats from the Pennsylvania Dutch region – something you can’t find just anywhere. Grab wonderful seafood at the Crab Pot Sometimes you just have a hunch that pays off. Such was the case for our family with the Crab Pot. We saw the charming building located just as you cross onto the island (before the new bridge was built) and decided to give it a try. It was worth it as it has perhaps the best seafood I’ve ever tasted and their motto – the next freshest thing to cooking under water – isn’t wrong. When we spent the week there on vacation, our children couldn’t wait for the night we ate at the crab pot. My suggestion: try a little bit of everything, you won’t be sorry. The Topsail Island Crab Pot is located on the Causeway in Surf City. Or grab a steak dinner at Rick’s If steak is more to your liking, I’d suggest a trip to the far north of the island where you’ll find Rick’s Restaurant & Sports Bar just a mile off the island. A Pittsburgh Steelers sports bar and family restaurant, it is a place we have visited nearly every trip to Topsail Island. The steaks are incredible, the appetizers well above average and the service has always been excellent. It will be worth the trip! Rick’s is located at 510 Pete’s Way (on Hwy. 210) in Sneads Ferry. Whatever you decide to do on your trip to Topsail Island, you’ll have a great day. These are just a few of the wonderful opportunities that await you.
Thadd White is Editor of Eastern North Carolina Living, The Enterprise and the Bertie Ledger-Advance.
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Grandma’s
Kitchen Sylvia Hughes with her grandmother, Bertie Dameron.
Let me say at the start: This is my opinion and may not necessarily be yours. Most things are better made from scratch and usually take only a little longer to prepare.
you get the recipe to your taste, it will be easy to make. Homemade gravy is another thing that is much better than the mixes you buy. Once you see how
There are, of course, some from scratch recipes
easy it is, you will not use another gravy mix unless
that take longer, such as biscuits. It is easier to pop
you put it in a one pot meal for the added flavor and
open those you buy from the store and place them
spices.
on a cookie sheet.
Sauces and gravies are simple things that can
You may want to try some of those more time-
elevate your dishes to a degree you will not believe.
consuming recipes when you have more time. But
There are ideas for changing up or improving food
consider just a few that are better and take only a
on the Internet. It is a good source to help you get
few added minutes. There are all kinds of choices in
started on your cooking journey.
barbecue sauces. I have tried many of them. None of them suit my taste. I would rather forgo anything barbecued than use them. I would rather have ketchup, vinegar and a little Worcestershire sauce mixed to my taste. However, a good barbecue recipe only takes a few minutes to throw together and makes a big difference in anything you want to barbecue whether chicken, pork or beef. The best way to find your perfect sauce is to browse recipes sometime when you are sitting down in the evening. Find something that uses ingredients you know you like and experiment with it. Add, remove or adjust the ingredients to suit you. This individualized recipe will not only improve the taste, but will make it your own special dish. Once
From scratch cakes and frosting often take only a few more minutes and are better than a box mix or can of frosting. You have to add ingredients to a cake mix and some people even add more things to make it semi-homemade. By the time you do all that, you can just do it from scratch. Frosting may take longer than peeling foil off a can but buttercream frosting or cream cheese frosting you make yourself is in a class of its own and it only takes about ten minutes to make. If I had to make a choice, I would use a cake mix and add my own frosting to it than the other way around. But why make a choice? Do both from scratch. While it is true most things are better homemade, they may take more time than you feel you have to spend on them. Others only make five or ten minutes
"Most things are better made from scratch and usually take only a little longer to prepare." 46
more and improve the taste of your food. It will cause you to enjoy cooking more than you can imagine. Browse some recipes or watch some cooking shows to find some easy homemade things you would like to try that doesn’t take up too much of your time. Experiment a little. You and your family will be rewarded for it.
H O M E M A D E G R AV Y T W O
WA Y S
pan nicely. Add enough covers the bottom of the frying the in ken chic a or t roas a k until it When you have cooked up all the grease. Stir and coo in a frying pan. flour to soak them put and es juic the oven, take n. Add milk or water reaches a nice golden brow two ut abo Mix . boil a to g while stirring Skim off excess grease. Brin th of a cup of (your choice) four a ut abo in ch star corn of tablespoons g o r o u s l y, y is the consistency you v i water. Slowly stir in until grav you until like. Salt and pepper to taste. the have ken, hamburger steak If making gravy for fried chic t, pour out grease until it or similar dishes, remove mea
con sist enc y you desire.
B U TT E R CR E A M FR OS TI N G ned 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softe unsalted and see no difference)
(I use salted or
4 ½ cups powdered sugar 3 tablespoons milk 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
er on medium, beat In a large bowl, using electric mix butter until pale and creamy
*
dered sugar, milk and Reduce to low speed and add pow
vanilla.
bined, increase speed When all ingredients are well com minutes until creamy. to medium and beat 1 to 2 more ino Powdered Sugar *This recipe is taken from a Dom Butter Crunch, Chocolate, Box and has variations for Peanut Orange and Lemon frosting.
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING 1 stick butter or ma rgarine, softened 1 box powdered sug ar 1 – 8 oz. Cream chees e 1 teaspoon vanilla Mix well.
BARBECUE SAU C E EA SY 1 cup ketchup 1 teaspoon Worcestershire Add vinegar to your taste If too tart for you, add a little
brown sugar
Sylvia Hughes is a retired newspaper editor and columnist residing in Windsor. In addition to three sons, she has a gaggle of grandchildren, many of whom love cooking with her just as she did with her mother and grandmother.
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MARKER TEXT
County: Pitt Marker ID: F-16 Date Cast:1941-P
PLANK ROAD The eastern terminus of the Greenville and Raleigh Plank Road, chartered in 1850 and completed to Wilson by 1853, was nearby.
MARK IT!
The plank road movement in North Carolina came to fruition in the late 1840s. In a message to the legislature in 1848, Governor William A. Graham argued for the “indispensable necessity of improving our public roads,” claiming the state’s existing system was so bad that “that we labor under greater disadvantages than any State in the Union.” In the antebellum period, the state had only occasionally taken a role in road building or upkeep. Those duties had been the responsibility of local officials who often used an outdated labor tax method for roadbuilding. Since the only resources available to the road overseer were the labor of the road hands and the right to cut timber, little progress was ever made. Private, chartered companies had built some of the primary arteries such as the Buncombe Turnpike. As early as 1842, Governor John Motley Morehead had proposed construction of a road providing transportation from Fayetteville into western North Carolina along the route of the proposed, and failed, Fayetteville and Western Railroad. Plank roads had first been used in Canada in 1836, and had gained popularity in the Northern states. In 1849, shortly after Graham’s plea to the legislature, North Carolina chartered its first plank road along a route surveyed done
Information courtesy of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
by University of North Carolina Professor Elisha Mitchell, stretching from Fayetteville to Raleigh west and eventually to Georgia. Enthusiasm for such projects grew in subsequent years, with thirty-nine bills introduced for plank road charters in 1852, and thirty-two granted between 1854 and 1855. The support for such ventures often divided by party line. About three-fourths of Whigs supported the charters while about threefourths of the Democrats opposed them. The reasons for such division lay mainly in the rights to land, and decisions on where the roads would actually pass. By 1860, nearly 500 miles of plank road had been laid in North Carolina. Fayetteville served as a central hub for the system, with five outgoing branches. The longest stretch was the Fayetteville-Western Road that stretched 129 miles from Fayetteville to present-day High Point and on to Salem with side courses that passed through Spout Springs and Gulf, as well as a route that ran from Cameron to Carthage to Asheboro. Jonathan Worth and Francis Fries served as company officers and financiers. Other plank roads ran from Clinton to Warsaw and from Greenville to Wilson. A triangular route linked Lincolnton, Charlotte, and Salisbury. Two interstate routes ran from Yanceyville into Virginia and from Wadesboro into South Carolina. The process for chartering a road involved the creation of a plank road company. Typically, a group of entrepreneurs, often the community’s elite, elected a set of officers. Those individuals then established construction plans and began soliciting investors by subscription to cover the costs. Once ten to twenty-five percent of the starting capital was raised, the company could be officially incorporated under state law. The election of a board of directors to overlook construction and the stockholders’s money, followed. The massive wave of enthusiasm for the plank road system waned shortly after construction began. The creation of such roads proved to be more difficult than most investors had anticipated. Workers first graded a roadbed and
then elevated the center of the road for water drainage. Next, wooden sills typically measuring five feet by eight feet were placed as a support. Pine planks measuring approximately eight feet long, eight inches wide and four inches thick were then laid on top of the sills. State laws required the roads to be a minimum of eight feet and a maximum of sixty feet wide, and that a secondary maintained dirt road run alongside. The plank roads were to be used by heavy freight and teamsters, while lighter carriages as well as individual riders and walkers would use the side road. Construction time varied, depending on a number of factors including the skill of the work crew, typically numbering fifteen men, the accessibility of materials, and, of course, the weather. On average, a team could lay 650 feet a day, or about one mile a week. Given the vagaries of the weather, one crew could be expected to put down forty miles in a year. The exact number of men who took part in the road building, and the actual methods of their recruitment remain unknown. The securing and maintenance of financing also posed significant problems. Tollbooths were established along the roads to help pay for their construction. On one road, one rider on horseback paid one-half cent per mile, a teamster with two horses paid two cents per mile, a teamster with three horses three cents, and one with six horses four cents. Despite the initial enthusiasm for them, the plank roads were doomed from their very beginnings. Timing was terrible. In 1856, the North Carolina Railroad connected the mountains with the coast. Competing with a faster, easier to maintain form of transportation was impossible. Companies never were able to raise enough funds from the use of tolls, as travelers would simply use country paths to go around them. The high costs of maintenance, combined with the nationwide economic panics of 1854 and 1857, also forced potential investors away. The outbreak of the Civil War eliminated any further state efforts to support their construction.
Dickinson Avenue in Greenville REFERENCES Robert B. Starling, “The Plank Road Movement in North Carolina,” North Carolina Historical Review (1939): 1-22 and 147-73 Alan D. Watson, Internal Improvements in North Carolina (2002) Harry L. Watson, “‘Old Rip’ and a New Era,” in Lindley S. Butler and Alan D. Watson, eds., The North Carolina Experience: An Interpretive and Documentary History (1984) Troy L. Kickler, “Plank Roads” and “Fayetteville and Western Plank Road,” North Carolina History Project: http://www.northcarolinahistory.org/encyclopedia/69/entry and http://www.northcarolinahistory.org/encyclopedia/70/entry
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PARTING SHOTS By Thadd White We are beginning our 16th year of
One is my own mother, Sylvia Hughes,
stories and how the folks involved in
this magazine and while we are happy to
who has been the author of “Grandma’s
them learned to love cooking and to be
celebrate the longevity we’ve achieved,
Kitchen” here in Eastern North Carolina
“At Home” in the kitchen, whether the
we are always striving to make a few
Living for the past several years.
one in their own home or the one at a
changes.
The other is the Edenton Epicurean
local restaurant.
One thing you’ll notice is an update
– Chef Cheryl Orr – whose columns
Next time we will turn our attention
to our table of contents pages and
appear in a number of newspapers in
to those people who are “At Home” in
some of the layout styles we use.
Eastern North Carolina.
the pulpit.
Some of that comes with each issue, but we also wanted to “freshen up” our look.
The chef who lives in Edenton shares weekly recipes with local readers.
pastors who have been at their churches
The Mad Batter got her start
The main new thing for year 16 is
providing cheesecakes and has since
that we will have one theme for the
grown into a full-fledged business that
entire year: “At Home.”
has people returning to her shop in
It begins with our January edition, which will feature “At Home in the Kitchen.” We have presented you stories
You’ll learn about Cathy Van Gyzen
starting down the path of preaching. Until next time, remember all who wander are not lost. Continue joining us
There
is
also
Odessa
as we wander through Beaufort, Bertie, Chowan, Edgecombe, Gates, Greene,
and her work in this edition. Perry
Campbell, who has been cooking for
spending time in the kitchen.
people and gatherings in the Roanoke-
folks that enjoy the art of cooking.
for many years and others who are just
Belhaven daily.
about people who love working and
Some are chefs and some are simply
We will introduce you to some
Chowan region for most of her life.
Halifax, Hertford, Hyde, Martin, Nash, Northampton, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Pitt, Tyrrell, Washington and Wilson counties.
Also, you’ll meet Anthony Gianpaola,
From here, we’ll explore other people
who spent many years cooking for
Thadd White is the proud son of the
who are “At Home” in whatever walk of
firefighters, but still enjoys making
author of “Grandma’s Kitchen,” a fan of
life they’ve chosen to pursue. We hope
meals at home.
Chelsea Football Club and the proud
you’ll enjoy the trip with us! In this edition, we have two cooks that are familiar with a great number of our readers.
50
Casey Council is a teacher by day,
father of two. He is Editor and General
but also provides meals for her family
Manager of Eastern North Carolina
that date back to her childhood.
Living, The Enterprise and the Bertie
We hope you’ll enjoy each of these
Ledger-Advance.
Carolina Pine & Hardwood, Inc. Buyers of Standing Pine and Hardwood Sawtimber and Pulpwood PO Box 607 231 US 13 Bypass Windsor, NC 27983 www.carolinapinehardwood.com Phone: (252) 794-2780 Mobile: (252) 209-5582
The Windsor/Bertie Chamber of Commerce represents and advocates business interests, promotes economic growth, provides leadership in community affairs, enhances the quality of life for the people of Bertie County and provides services and programs for its members.
121 Granville Granville Street, Street, Windsor, Windsor, NC 121 NC 27983 27983 windsorbertie.com www.windsorbertiechamber.com (252) 794-4277 794-4277
Thankfully Serving Bertie County for 50 Years!
For Reservations: wfd43@embarqmail.com or 252-724-0994
Be a kid again – sleep in a treehouse! Nestled along the Cashie River the treehouses ar the perfect place to relax and enjoy the awesome view and the sounds of nature. You may also use them as a base to explore the river on kayak/canoe, or hunting or fishing.
Town of Windsor (252) 794-2331 www.windsornc.com
Windsor is more than a lifestyle!
In memory of Dotsie Dunlow
e
Littl
Golden Skillet
103 W. Granville St., • Windsor, NC 27983 (252) 794-3468
Bertie County where history meets adventure 51