Don’t Say Pivot! How Charlotte Creatives Are Adapting to 2021.
The Artisan’s Palate’s Christa Csoka Fuses Food, Art — And Forges On “Here I am – 50 years old and starting a restaurant, and then COVID happened. It’s kind of crazy.” – Christa Csoka of The Artisan’s Palate
Christa Csoka is trying not to let COVID-19 derail her dream of owning a restaurant/art gallery. She’s committed to bringing people together through good food and creative cocktails and to helping artists make a living. Despite a year of challenges and a brief closure at the end of 2020, Csoka’s NoDa spot is still serving food, still selling art. She dreamed of this for too long – 30 years, to be exact – to let a pandemic and a recession stop her. Here, she discusses her dream and the path that led that her to open Artisan’s Palate and what the community can do to support her business and the artists she champions. PHOTO CREDIT (Above): Brian Twitty
What’s The Future of Live Performance in Charlotte? – Part OneCOVID-19 can do many terrifying things, but it can’t stop the music … or stageplays … or even laughter. Stages across Charlotte and the world were silent in 2020, but the performances went on. As we’ve covered in The Biscuit throughout the month, creative ingenuity has prevailed at every turn. Unfortunately, as we wait for warmer weather and vaccinations, the beginning of 2021 feels a lot like 2020. It’s as if we’ve seen this movie before. To help us look ahead, we turned to a diverse collection of performers and organizations for their perspective. We asked them to tell us what they have planned in the immediate future and what they see ahead for live performance in the first half of the year. We’re featuring the perspectives of our individuals and organizations today. We’ll share four more next week. PHOTO CREDIT (Above): Anavo Visuals
Update on Theatre Charlotte’s Post-Fire Recovery An electrical fire tore through Theatre Charlotte on Dec. 28, damaging the stage, seating, light and sound equipment and roof. The Theatre Charlotte stage has been a staple of the performing arts in the Queen City since 1941. Days seem to move oddly during COVID-time, so to help us all keep the theatre top of mind, we asked Chris Timmons, the theatre’s associate artistic director, for an update: “It has been an exhausting and eye-opening time at Theatre Charlotte,” he said. “The process is underway to remove all contents from the building, which is quite a lot. “While a somewhat daunting task, it has given us time to reflect on what is important, what can be replaced and the scope of what is lost. Everything is being photographed and cataloged, and the hope is to complete that in the next few days so the interior of the building can be cleaned and areas can be prepped for restoration. “The community support has been outstanding. Once we get past this next stage, we will be able to engage additional volunteer support.”
EVENT: Interact Studio Chats with hygge’s Garrett Tichy about ResilienceWhen: Thursday, January 28 from 11:00-11:30am Where: Online (duh) At the beginning of the pandemic, as our world started getting more and more virtual and isolated, our friends at Interact Studio — a Charlotte-based communication skills company — noticed that our digital meetings were the human touch. So, they started the bi-weekly series called (you guessed it) The Human Touch to give people a chance during the workweek to stop, “gather” and enjoy a few moments of authentic connection. On next Thursday’s Human Touch, Garrett Tichy, the owner of hygge coworking and co-founder of That’s Novel Books will speak on the topic of “Resilience.” Tichy knows firsthand the impact that COVID-19 has created on small businesses and how much entrepreneurs large and small have had to rely on their own resilience over the past year. PHOTO CREDIT (Above): Julia Fay
VIDEO: Equal Time – Five Minutes of Musical Magic from Noel & MariaOrthoCarolina, has rolled out an online system design to help you make an appointment in minutes. Five minutes, to be exact. That got us wondering. What could you Charlotte creatives make in five minutes? If you’re musician Noel Freidline and chanteuse Maria Howell, it turns out you can make something pretty amazing. Fredline and Howell have made a name for themselves with their Rat Pack-reminiscent rapport and inspired reinterpretations of beloved tunes. In non-COVID times, their annual July concert at The Bechtler Museum of Modern Art always sells out in a hurry. So when we asked them to hit us with their take on Ortho’s “My Care, My Way” motto, the jazzy crooning and piano prestidigitation started to flow. Watch their five-minute masterpiece below. 
This musical collaboration was powered by content sponsor OrthoCarolina. Use their new online appointment system here.
PODCAST: How Bluz Rogers Went from Gig Creative to Big CreativeEmmy Award-winning spoken word artist and musical storyteller, Boris “Bluz” Rogers has been one of Charlotte’s most prolific creative forces for more than 20 years. Fiercely independent, Bluz is known for sharing fearless truths and making bold moves. After years of working as a freelance creative, Bluz took a new challenge last November, accepting the newly created position of Director of Creative Engagement at Blumenthal Performing Arts. His mission? Expanding the impact of the arts on the community and creating greater access for all creatives in Charlotte. With just a few months at the Blumenthal under his belt, Bluz talked to Tim Miner about the road he sees ahead, his hopes for Charlotte’s creative community, the importance of financial stability for artists … and having a cool title without having to wear a suit to work. Listen in here. 
Say Cheese! Rachel Klebaurr is Our New Best Friend.“Most cheesemongers are self-taught. I attended culinary school and wanted to learn more about cheese, so I got a part-time job at a cheese shop. I started reading a lot of books, asking cheesemakers a lot of questions and eating a lot of cheese.” — Rachel Kelbaur, Orrman’s Cheese Shop
If you’re lactose-intolerant, you may want to skip this one. Yesterday was National Cheese Lover’s Day. (It may have been overshadowed by another big event.) And we at The Biscuit love us some cheese! The gooier and stinkier, the better. So, meet our new best friend, Orrman’s Cheese Shop in 7th Street Station. Better yet, EAT with Orrman’s Cheese Shop. Orrman’s opened in 2012 and has been a go-to source for cheese lovers ever since. Orrman’s specializes in local and regional cheeses, as well as the incredible artisanal additions you want on your charcuterie boards. And, don’t get us started on their weekly raclette events …
It’s been said that Ballantyne is boring. (Okay, okay. We’ve said it.) But, that’s a load of bullsh … well, wait. We’re getting ahead of ourselves. Ballantyne is home to some of Charlotte’s most playful examples of public art — the three Ballantyne bulls. The next time you’re headed to a chain restaurant or to see a lawyer about estate planning, make time to chill out with three bull sculptures by artist Peter Woytuk. They can always be found lounging in Ballantyne Corporate Park. And, for good reason. At a reported 2,000 pounds each, they’re not going anywhere. Nestled in the grass with no pedestals, the bulls are approachable. Like the Hugh McManaway statue at Queens and Providence Roads, they don’t mind being dressed up. (PLEASE NOTE: They can get SUPER HOT in sunlight.) Pro Tip: Several sculptures of ravens, also by Peter Woytuk, are scattered throughout the Corporate Park (low AND high). Look carefully and enjoy some bird watching, too. Directions: “Our Park” in Ballantyne Corporate Park
Don’t go ’round hungry. If you missed the last batch of The Biscuit, don’t worry. We’ve kept it warm for you. This batch featured: - An unforgettable flight with Kevin Young of The 5 and 2 Project
- A podcast with twice-published children’s book author Lawrence Gordon
- And more!
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