We’re Riding the Blue Wave Into Phase Two
The Biscuit and The Charlotte Ledger have partnered up to present our new photo series, “Visions of the Not Normal” — offering views of neighborhoods and communities across the city through the eyes (and lenses) of local photographers during the COVID-19 outbreak. This week, we’re seeing Charlotte through the eyes of Kriska Woods, a pharmacist, food Instagrammer and co-creator (with her brother Manny) of @clt.remedy. (We’re trying to get her to embrace the title “foodie-cist.”) Kriska has been extremely active on Instagram over the past few weeks. Her feed has featured partnerships with other bloggers, love letters to Charlotte’s craft beer community and artistic explorations of her neighborhood. And, she shared a treasure trove of them with us. 
Darryl Gaston Drops Knowledge & Gives Virtual HugsDarryl Gaston is a man of many talents — entrepreneur, hairstylist, minister, neighborhood advocate. As the unofficial “Mayor of North End” Darryl lends his support, advice and criticism to new development taking place in neighborhoods that have been predominantly communities of color for decades in Charlotte. Darryl is passionate, loved and very, very honest. On this batch of the Biscuit Blitz, Matt Olin catches up with Darryl about how life is going in the time of COVID-19. Darryl shares the work he’s doing on the digital divide and access to fresh fruits and vegetables in his community. Plus, he gives Matt a “virtual” hug. 
Communities Matters Cafe Gets Back to BusinessLike most restaurants, Community Matters Cafe has had its challenges. But, now they’re getting back to business. We were excited to drop by last Thursday morning for good news and great coffee. They were hosting graduation for three members of their training program and previewing their new safe ordering set up. The culinary team was also testing out new menu items. We should have taken a photo, but once we saw our sandwich … we devoured it too fast. You’ll have to settle for the descriptions below. The Cafe returns to 7am-3pm hours starting this Wednesday, May 27. Orders are taken through walk-ups, the Cloosiv app or over the phone (980.237.2147).
EGG SANDWICH + SIDE
Challah | Sharp Cheddar | Applewood Smoked Bacon or Turkey Sausage
BREAKFAST BOWL
Stone Ground Grits | Sunny Egg | Applewood Smoked Bacon or
Turkey Sausage | Sweet Potato | Seasonal Vegetable | Radish | Harissa Crema
PULLED PORK JOHNNY CAKE
Cornmeal Pancake with Jalapenos, Bell Peppers, Corn | Sweet Braised
Pulled Pork | Sunny Egg | Honey Ginger Glaze | Green Onion
Jenga Fails! Rule the Day“The first few days things went well. Kids were playing together, I caught my husband staring intently at the Jenga trying to figure out which block to pull. Occasionally, you’d hear the crash and the ‘Oh’s’ and then giggles as the entire thing came crashing down.” – Melissa Dorsch
Over the past several weeks, we’ve been highly entertained by the “Jenga Fail” photos our project manager, Melissa Dorsch, shares daily on her personal Facebook account. To stem the tide of boredom and rigor during stay-at-home, Melissa tried to get her kids (and husband) to play a progressive game of Jenga. It didn’t go that way. They decided to play a different game. And, we asked her to write about it.
Caroline Calouche Explores “Self” with Courtney Lynn & QuinnIn an effort to keep Charlotte’s spirits up during the COVID-19 and prepare for annual Charlotte SHOUT! events this fall, we’ve asked Queen City creatives to team up for SHOUTing Matches — short, shareable creative mash-ups. Caroline Calouche is known across the Queen City for her cirque and aerial and contemporary dance company and school. But, Caroline is a force of nature and not even a global pandemic and stop her creative prowess. In collaboration with local musicians Courtney Lynn & Quinn, Caroline made “Self,” a short film featuring a contemporary dance routine along with original music. This is their first collaboration. We hope it won’t be their last. 
Stayin’ Alive. Stayin’ Alive. Stayin’ Alive. Stayin’ Alive.On our Instagram feed last week, we shared a photo of a new guerilla poster popping up across Charlotte by the artist known as @X_Boy_Fiend. Now, we see that there are three more versions and wanted to share them with you. Plus, you can order them for yourselves.
Fee-Fi-Fum-Foo! Where is This Giant Shoe?While bopping around uptown Charlotte on a photo hunt, we stumbled upon something odd (and magical): a giant shoe hiding out near the mural by Gleo on the North side of the Hal Marshal Annex. Did the Jolly Green Giant lose his kicks? Did the old lady and her kids find a bigger house? This was a #WhereAreWeInCLT mystery that needed to be solved.
Thanks to our friends at Charlotte Center City Partners, we have an answer. This is the base for a float in Charlotte’s award-winning Thanksgiving parade. It was once Ronald McDonald’s shoe. (Dude has big feet.)
Have You Ridden the Blue Wave?Raise a hand if you know where this is. Raise two hands if you’ve washed your car there. Old skool Charlotteans know the blue wave well. #whereareweinclt #ogclt
We shared this photo and caption on our Instagram account Friday and were knocked over by waves and waves of Eastside Pride. Have you been here before? Tell us about it.
The local media community is working incredibly hard to provide accurate, uplifting and actionable information to assist with the new realities we face. Here are some stories from this week we think are worth your time. WBTV offers a handy guide to what is and isn’t open during Phase Two of North Carolina’s reopening plan. WFAE shares the story of Josh Daniel, a full-time Charlotte musician who has made his home his stage in order to support his family and spread a little musical cheer. Charlotte Ledger reached out to event planners about how (now, really, HOW) the shows will go on. The Charlotte Observer asks the question “Is a brewery a bar?” as restaurants are allowed to reopen during Phase Two, but bars are not. CLT breweries that fall somewhere in between are left uncertain about what they can do and can’t do. QCityMetro introduces us to Barry Greene and his recently launched Greene Thumbz, an Instagram account centered on his love of plants. He hopes to encourage others to find their own passion for plant life. SHARE Charlotte reports on the ways three local nonprofits — Roof Above, Lily Pad Haven, & KinderMourn — are adjusting to the “Now Normal.”
As reported by WBTV, Charlotte Pipe and Foundry’s long-rumored move is finally happening. Last week, the company announced that they will be moving from their current location off of Morehead Street, where they’ve resided for over 100 years, to Stanly County. For as long as the move has been rumored, another rumor has existed … that the Carolina Panthers are eyeballing that land for a potential new stadium. While Charlotte Pipe and Foundry are moving to a whole different county, this move for the Panthers would be just down the street. Ever curious, we decided to ask a few stock image Charlotteans what they think about the Panthers making a move that isn’t much further than a patented Christian McCaffery touchdown. 
After 73 years in the Queen City, the credits are officially rolling on the Manor Theatre. There have been rumors for years about the future of the Manor and this past Wednesday, the theatre announced they are closing their doors for good. For decades, the Manor was one of our favorite spots in Charlotte to relax. From first dates to anniversaries to catching up on Best Picture nominees during Oscar season to lazy Sunday afternoons, each visit to the Manor was a special experience. Everyone at The Biscuit created memories at this Charlotte treasure that we will always hold on to. When we heard the news, we were stunned. To read our initial response to the Manor’s closing and why we should all want our favorite Charlotte establishments to be “loved” rather than “beloved,” click here. This Queen City exploration is powered by OrthoCarolina. Directions: 609 Providence Rd, Charlotte, NC 28207 Explore other “Where Are We in CLT?” destinations here.
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 features: - Tons of fun with Meck Dec Day & Charlotte history
- A Biscuit Blitz with Dan Nance, a local illustrator of history.
- Opera singer, Lauren Russell, serenading us from her front porch.
- A new creative challenge to thank Charlotte sanitation workers.
- An editorial about co-parenting in the time of COVID-19
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