Emiene Wright
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Writer and news editor, sharing the stories that tell me who I am. West African, Southern, progressive, unintentionally funny.
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Articles by Emiene Wright
Anju serves up Korean staples and new classics in Charlotte Original
It's an early Saturday evening at Anju, and the Woodlawn restaurant's narrow dining room is packed. The couples, groups of friends and business partners run the gamut in age and ethnicity but share a common denominator: on almost every table sits a steaming pot of budae jungol - "army stew." After the Korean War, which killed 10 percent of the population, Koreans faced widespread food insecurity.
Once a secret for fashion insiders, Charlotte boutique finds a new, visible home
On a grimy strip of North Graham Street, tucked between industrial supply stores, a hidden gem quietly flourished for over a year. The only clue to the decades of fashion treasures inside the Charlotte shop were its exquisitely well-dressed visitors. A peek through the door revealed cashmere dinner jackets slung casually over silk sheaths, halter jumpsuits mingling next to luxury streetwear brands in a symphony of cool.
Ocean City, Everlasting
Five-year-old Carla Torrey often played alone on the beach in Ocean City, building sandcastles under the watchful eye of a neighbor. Less than a mile in either direction, she could see throngs of strangers jockeying for space, their umbrellas and lounge chairs jumbled together. But here in 1960, along this serene stretch, Torrey’s playmates were the waves and the breeze, the sand and the sky. The princess of Ocean City danced in the foam, vaguely understanding that she enjoyed a special privilege.
Charlotte's first Tanzanian restaurants showcase a taste of African flavors, tradition
Tastebuds getting bored? Take them on safari to Serengeti Kitchen, Charlotte's first sit-down Tanzanian restaurant. Chef Ammalu Saleh opened up shop Monday at The Market at 7th Street. It happened on short notice, but the new eatery is receiving no shortage of attention.
’Tis Always the Season
The foyer of Margo Scurry’s home in northeast Charlotte is a portal into a kid’s Christmas dream. Four-foot-tall nutcrackers stand at the entrance to the living room, just the right height to look a child straight in the eye. A glowing tree twinkles nearby. And the entire room, anchored by a two-story brick wall, is festooned with hundreds of Santas — caroling, golfing, riding scooters. She even has a huggable, life-size Santa.
At Charlotte's Tima restaurant, there's no taste like home Original
There's no taste like home, but for a region as vast as West Africa, dishes can vary widely. Luckily Tima, a newcomer to Charlotte's restaurant scene, has a bit of something for everyone. Malian smoked lamb, called dibi; thieboudienne, Senegal's famous fish meal; attieke, riced yucca from Burkina Faso; and Liberian potato greens are a few of the choices. "My restaurant is West African," owner Fousseini Sacko told CharlotteFive.
There's no taste like home, until gentrification hits at Charlotte restaurants Original
Chances are, there's at least one dish that can pull you right back into a particular space and time. You grew up eating it, have passed it at weddings and funeral feasts, hotly debated whether this or that ingredient belongs in it, and your assessment of a cook's ability may rest on this one dish. It's more than nostalgia - it's a building block of your identity. Think of its colors, its texture. Can you taste it? Now, imagine it vanishing from the table. It's already happening in many communities.
There’s no taste like home, until gentrification hits at Charlotte restaurants
Chances are, there’s at least one dish that can pull you right back into a particular space and time. You grew up eating it, have passed it at weddings and funeral feasts, hotly debated whether this or that ingredient belongs in it, and your assessment of a cook’s ability may rest on this one dish. It’s more than nostalgia — it’s a building block of your identity. Think of its colors, its texture. Can you taste it? Now, imagine it vanishing from the table. It’s already happening in many communities.
Savoring the State
Standing in the middle of Levine Avenue of the Arts, one might get the impression that Charlotte was built yesterday. Slanting steel channels weave themselves into the facade of the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture. The curved orange column in front of the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art and Duke Energy Plaza’s gleaming inverted pyramid surround visitors with contemporary and futuristic designs.
Why food critic's Charlotte reviews are harmful Original
TLDR: A confrontation this summer between Charlotte culinary power couple Greg and Subrina Collier and Starex Smith, a food critic and restaurateur from South Florida, prompted this CharlotteFive series on African-American culinary culture: what it is, what it isn't and who gets to make that determination. We looked at the initial incident, a Facebook Live feed that went viral.
Get crunk for brunch at Serving the Culture's next pop-up meal in Charlotte Original
White tees that stretched to the knee. Gold grills on teeth and cars. And accents slathered with so much sauce they forced the words to shapeshift. The crunk era of hip-hop took Andre 3000's prophetic line, "The South got something to say," and ran it to the furthermost point.
Charlotte chef confronts food critic on Black restaurant reviews Original
Sparks flew on Charlotte's culinary scene recently between two heavyweights of Black food culture. Celebrated chef Greg Collier and Hungry Black Man food critic Starex Smith traded shots in an intense verbal battle that lasted more than two hours ( in two parts) on Friday, June 2. It was viewed on Facebook Live by at least 10,000 people. At issue? The value of publicly criticizing Black-owned restaurants, which operate in an industry slow to accord respect, accolades or access to resources.
A Charlotte-area chef wants to introduce you to West African food. Here's how you can try it. Original
Charlotte-area chef Awo Amenumey wants to see Americans as comfortable with Ghanaian foods as they are with Asian and European staples. Red red stew is instantly familiar, with black eyed peas as its starring ingredient, and soft, tangy balls of banku are fun to eat by hand. But nothing beats the appeal of jollof rice. "Jollof is just that celebratory dish.
A Charlotte-area chef wants to introduce you to West African food. Here’s how you can try it.
Charlotte-area chef Awo Amenumey wants to see Americans as comfortable with Ghanaian foods as they are with Asian and European staples. Red red stew is instantly familiar, with black eyed peas as its starring ingredient, and soft, tangy balls of banku are fun to eat by hand. But nothing beats the appeal of jollof rice. “Jollof is just that celebratory dish.
Charlotte's West side deserves another Third Place. Hopefully, it may soon get it. Original
If there's one thing Charlotte loves, it's flipping former warehouses and mills into mixed-use restaurant and retail spaces. You know the kind - examples include: Room to Be Charlotte's central core is dotted with these spacious complexes that offer a variety of options to shop and get a drink or grab a bite.
At Everybody Eatz restaurant in Charlotte, everybody is family
It's a quiet Sunday at an unassuming strip mall on North Tryon Street, but inside Everybody Eatz, the kitchen is buzzing like a beehive. Twenty-five clients pack the small interior, ordering salmon and shrimp, turkey wings, meatloaf plates and more. Customers walk in from the neighborhood, or drive from University and further. Above it all, chef Casandra "Ru" Gill's cheerful voice rings out from the kitchen. Gill opened Everybody Eatz a year ago on North Tryon, and it's a true family affair.
Black food has helped shape Charlotte’s cuisine. It’s essential to share those stories.
The Charming Texas Bakery Owned By Sandra Bullock Celebrities often go into various endeavors besides acting. Their fame can be used as an excellent marketing tool and they usually have the finances to back up their enterprises. Celebrity doesn't always equate to success, however. Take for example Steven Speilberg's themed restaurant Dive!, which didn't survive; or Britney Spears' New York restaurant Nyla, which didn't last long either.
Black food has helped shape Charlotte's cuisine. It's essential to share those stories.
They say history is written by the victors. But can they cook? When they sit down to celebrate, whose hands prepare the feast, and which stories, secrets, ways of knowing are passed with the plates, silently refuting what was printed on the page? 2021's "The Skillet" was the greatest accomplishment of my career. It was not something done on my own, and it didn't make me a household name. What it did was articulate a shift in American culture through a lens we all relate to: food.
Made in NC: Bright Black
Made in NC: Ex-Files Knives Each year, Our State’s Made in NC Awards celebrate the talent and creativity of North Carolinians. Meet the state’s winners, honorable mentions, and judges. “I’d always been a kid in the woods,” Danny Robinson says, heading off on a tangent, hopefully leaving breadcrumbs.
Made in NC: Bright Black
Put ramekins on a baking sheet. Bake for 25-35 minutes, until puffed and golden. Remove from oven, and let stand for 5 minutes. With a flexible spatula, remove strata to Each year, Our State’s Made in NC Awards celebrate the talent and creativity of North Carolinians. Meet the state’s winners, honorable mentions, and judges. Check out all of this year’s winners! In the sanctuary of almost every Black church is a VIP section.
An Our State Playlist: Carolina Classical
Each month, Our State senior editor — and resident soundtrack maker — Mark Kemp, a former music editor of Rolling Stone, curates a one-of-a-kind Spotify playlist featuring North Carolina songs and musicians. As temperatures drop and skies turn gray, nothing soothes the wintertime soul quite like the rich and warm sounds of classical music — the brass, wind, string, and percussion instruments; the soprano, mezzo, tenor, and bass voices.
NC Icons: Tryon Palace
Related: Read more about Christmastime at Tryon Palace. In December, visitors come to Tryon Palace to see holiday grandeur and finery, but palace staff also want them to understand how modern amenities skew our idea of what the past was actually like.
5 North Carolina Towns That Belong in a Christmas Movie
Asheboro Around Christmastime, a nostalgic sense of anticipation and fellowship brings together this Randolph County community. Hop in a wagon or carriage and ride through downtown to enjoy the Christmas lights and festive storefronts. Read more… Davidson For more than three decades, this small college town north of Charlotte has been known for its Hallmark-like holiday festival featuring costumed pooches, gingerbread houses, and Christmas trees galore.
5 Artisans of the Hammock Coast
A riverboat captain named Joshua John Ward invented the rope hammock on what is now known as South Carolina’s Hammock Coast in 1889, seeking a way to get a cooler night’s sleep in the hot Lowcountry summers. Residents have been crafting unique creations here ever since. Here are five talented artisans hailing from Pawleys Island, Murrells Inlet, and Georgetown — all communities of Georgetown County and the Hammock Coast — whose work you definitely won’t want to miss.
Fearrington’s Visionaries
Holidays & History: Nothing warms the heart and soothes the soul like coming home for the holidays — a feeling that’s as true today as it was a hundred years ago. Read more stories about Christmases past. Forty years ago, Edna Lewis’s train rolled into the Raleigh station. Known as the “grand dame of Southern cooking,” she had already published two cookbooks and made a name for herself in New York City’s culinary scene.
A Colonial Christmas at Tryon Palace
Holidays & History: Nothing warms the heart and soothes the soul like coming home for the holidays — a feeling that’s as true today as it was a hundred years ago. Read more stories about Christmases past. As the Christmas season approaches in 1770, Royal Gov. William Tryon readies himself, his wife and daughter, and their servants to move into Tryon Palace.
Carol of the Belks
Holidays & History: Nothing warms the heart and soothes the soul like coming home for the holidays — a feeling that’s as true today as it was a hundred years ago. Read more stories about Christmases past. Whether it’s a Miracle on 34th Street with a skeptical Natalie Wood at Macy’s, A Christmas Story with a terrified Peter Billingsley at Higbee’s, or Elf with a perplexed Will Ferrell at Gimbels, classic Christmas movies feature a classic scene in a department store.
Brevard’s Window Wonderland
Holidays & History: Nothing warms the heart and soothes the soul like coming home for the holidays — a feeling that’s as true today as it was a hundred years ago. Read more stories about Christmases past. When Dee Dee and Jimmy Perkins bough a storefront in downtown Brevard to turn it into Rocky’s Grill & Soda Shop, they also unknowingly purchased a piece of Christmases past. There, in the attic of 50 South Broad Street, long forgotten under many years’ worth of dust, they found Mr. and Mrs.
A Visit from St. Nicholas
By the time Joe Griffin retired as a driver for the Wake County Public School System a handful of years ago, his lush beard had turned snowy white. One day, a stranger approached him in the supermarket and told him he looked like Santa Claus. “He said, ‘Ebony Santa Clauses make at least $75 an hour,’” Griffin remembers. “I said, ‘Wow! Just to go ho-ho-ho?’” Five years later, Griffin works for Santas Just Like Me, an organization that employs Black Santas at holiday events across North Carolina.
Away in a Menagerie
Speedy was a handful, but first you had to get your hands on him. Or her. I could never tell with hamsters. To be honest, I never tried very hard to figure that one out. So we went with “he.” Speedy had not yet been named on that late Christmas Eve, back when Jack was maybe 7 years old, when the little black-and-white domesticated rodent earned his moniker. Jack had been begging for a hamster, and like ground-down parents everywhere, we caved.
A Legendary Peanut Butter Pie in Rocky Mount
A man once put a $10,000 check on the counter of Lucille George’s Carolina Café — or so one version of the story goes — in an attempt to buy her peanut butter pie recipe. Countless others tried, too. But Mrs. George always chuckled and waved them off. “I’m not going to give [the recipe] away,” she told the Rocky Mount Telegram when she closed the community institution in 1987 after 45 years of business.
6 Places to Find the Perfect Present
Put ramekins on a baking sheet. Bake for 25-35 minutes, until puffed and golden. Remove from oven, and let stand for 5 minutes. With a flexible spatula, remove strata to For the Decorator • Kannapolis Teresa Thibault sprinkles red glitter on top of a glass ornament, giving the bauble two taps before surveying her work. The front room of her Kannapolis studio is filled with hundreds of ornaments painted in a rainbow of colors, including shades of red, green, silver, and gold.
Forty8Hundred Caribbean Restaurant & Lounge serves brunch with a side of afrobeats
Have you ever had brunch so good, you just wanted to take a nap, wake up and eat more? We all have. Doing this at Forty8Hundred Caribbean Restaurant & Lounge will yield two very different experiences. The lounge has been open since January in the former McBonies Bar & Grill in Oakhurst, and it has quickly built a reputation as one of the hottest brunch spots in Charlotte as well as a popular nightlife destination.
Lessons from the Hive
Put ramekins on a baking sheet. Bake for 25-35 minutes, until puffed and golden. Remove from oven, and let stand for 5 minutes. With a flexible spatula, remove strata to Our State Animals: Check out the full series. Walking the grounds of her small homesteading farm in Winston-Salem, Samantha Foxx Winship knew that something was amiss. It was like any other fall morning.
A 48-Hour Getaway in the Queen City
Melissa Toth sprinkles fresh strawberries and blueberries on a waffle, adds whipped cream, then drizzles on Nutella before passing it to a customer across the counter of Sweet Crunch in Charlotte. Toth is quick to point out that this is not just any waffle — it’s a liege waffle. Liege waffles start with a dough-making process that takes 24 hours, after which chunky Belgian pearl sugar is mixed in.
Bragging Rights: 10 Lesser-Known Reasons We’re Proud to Call North Carolina Home
No matter how much of a history buff you are (or aren’t), you probably know that when Wilbur and Orville Wright’s flying machine lifted off from a dune in Kill Devil Hills on a winter morning in 1903, the brothers made North Carolina first in flight. And most everyone is aware that North Carolina is home to the nation’s first public university to confer degrees. But there are other, lesser-known reasons North Carolina claims the first, biggest, and bests.
NC Starbucks Workers Join Push for Unions Across the South
The coffee giant’s employees in Charlotte rallied for a union this week, joining Greenville and Raleigh in organizing for greater protections and adding to the growing movement for labor rights across the South and beyond. In North Carolina, unions have long been suppressed.
Seeing Seniors Displaced 'Pissed Off' This Charlotte Attorney. Now She Fights Gentrification.
Lawyer Alesha Brown fights to keep low-income seniors in their homes ‘by any means necessary.’ Alesha Brown was leaving a deposition when she answered C&P’s call this month. Her 94-year-old client was living in a nursing home when she was suddenly declared incompetent and her house, Brown said, was fraudulently sold. “It pisses me off,” Brown told C&P, “but it brings me joy that I’m able to do something about it.” News, culture, and voices of real North Carolinians.
The Safest Place: The Stewards of Jones Lake State Park
Young Velvet Powell was missing a shoe. Her dress, a flouncy, frilly trifle, was completely soaked. And now, her mother would have to take down, wash, and restyle the child’s long, black hair. But that was the least of her worries. The honey-brown 6-year-old had barely escaped drowning in Jones Lake. Velvet Powell Miles, has warm memories of growing up at Jones Lake.
Ants Go Marching at Cliffs of the Neuse State Park
There are questions we ask ourselves to pass the time. Many of those questions, for me, concern matters of quantity. “How many minutes does this stoplight take?” I’ll ask myself, checking the dashboard clock, or, “Look! How many leaves do you think are on that tree?” I’ll ask my little boys. Cliffs of the Neuse State Park raises an array of questions of quantity. The place formed when the Earth’s crust shifted. How many years ago? Millions of years. The shift caused the river to bend.
Back in the Day: Lady of the River
Whoever said that you can’t fight city hall never met Margaret Nygard. In the mid-1960s, Margaret settled in Durham with her husband, Holger. Soon after, she became known to locals as that lady trying to save the Eno River. Durham officials wanted to dam the Eno to create a new reservoir for the city’s drinking water supply, but the Nygards, who lived by the river, fought to preserve it as wilderness parkland. Margaret, in particular, became the public face of the effort.
Egg Fried Rice with Cabbage & Peanuts
Yield: 4 servings.
Filing Taxes? Rejoice! What's Different and Better This Year.
Tax filers, rejoice! Many of the American Rescue Plan’s changes to the tax code could spell bigger refunds for more families. Income tax returns for most Americans are due April 18. Major changes introduced by last year’s stimulus payments and child tax credits mean things look slightly different. Here are a few items to watch out for, plus free resources you can turn to for help. Mark Your Calendars April 15: Deadline for filing your NC taxes.
Ketanji Brown Jackson Keeps Cool on Tense 2nd Day of Supreme Court Hearing
Republican lawmakers took aim at Ketanji Brown Jackson’s sentencing and personal politics on the second day of hearings for her Supreme Court nomination. US Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson’s historic confirmation proceeded today with the first day of questioning by senators. Jackson was nominated by President Joe Biden last month, a delivery on his campaign promise to ensure that the nation’s highest court reflects its diversity.
Updated Violence Against Women Act Boosts Protections for Native Survivors
President Biden praised the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, which rectifies old loopholes that allowed non-Native offenders to escape punishment for assaults on tribal lands. President Joe Biden congratulated lawmakers, advocates and officials during remarks Wednesday marking the long-delayed reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act. “No one, regardless of gender or sexual orientation, should experience abuse. Period.
Today Is Equal Pay Day. But Not for Black, Asian or Latina Women.
Equal Pay Day was started to raise awareness about the gender wage gap. But research shows race also plays an outsized role in earnings. Today, March 15 is Equal Pay Day–a day to illustrate how far into a year women must work to earn what men made by Dec. 31 of the previous year. As stark as this picture is, the gender wage gap’s bigger picture is even more unjust. US Census data shows that the average working white woman earns 83%of what the average working white man makes.
An Our State Playlist: That Ole Time Religion
Each month, Our State senior editor — and resident soundtrack maker — Mark Kemp, a former music editor of Rolling Stone, curates a one-of-a-kind Spotify playlist featuring North Carolina songs and musicians. Gospel music is one of America’s greatest, most unique, and most enduring art forms, and it is a bedrock of North Carolina music.
Egg Custard Tarts
Yield: 12 tarts. For the crust: 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 3 tablespoons sugar 8 ounces unsalted butter, cubed and frozen ¼ cup ice water For the custard: 6 egg yolks 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk 1 ( 14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg In a bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and sugar, and chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. Add frozen butter cubes to flour mixture.
Ella May Wiggins Sacrificed Her Life for NC Workers' Rights
C&P highlights Ella May Wiggins for Women’s History Month. The Gaston County textile worker’s personal tragedies fueled her fire for all workers’ rights. North Carolina’s low union presence is no coincidence. Many, like Ella May Wiggins, fought to organize for better safety and pay and were met with brutality. But her murder galvanized a movement. Wiggins was born in 1900 in Cherokee County, near Bryson City, in North Carolina’s mountains.
This NC Lawmaker Called for an Antilynching Law 100 Years Ago. This Week, We Got One.
The US will finally make lynching a federal crime, after more than a century of attempts. C&P looks at the long road to justice. It only took 122 years to declare lynching a federal hate crime, after a long-sought bill passed Congress this week. The Emmett Till Antilynching Act passed the US House with three “no” votes. It passed the Senate unanimously, and is now awaiting President Joe Biden’s signature into law.
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