“When I was in 2nd grade, my teacher asked me what my favorite subject was. I looked at her and said, “Lunch.” What can I say? I loved to eat. I didn’t know it at the time, but one day I’d love to cook too.

I grew up in Cary. It’s crazy how different things are today—everything is so developed compared to how it was when I was growing up. As I reflect on my childhood, all of my core memories are centered around food. Whether it was barbecues at the fire station where my dad worked, family dinners at Pizza Hut, or helping my grandma in the kitchen, food was always at the heart of it. Thanksgiving will always be my favorite holiday.

I wanted to go straight into culinary school, but my dad encouraged me to go to college and play baseball too. Even then, I started picking up shifts at Bojangles during the week, just to be around food and cooking. Eventually, I attended The Art Institute of Raleigh–Durham, a for-profit culinary school that’s permanently closed now. Honestly, that whole culinary school experience was a mistake. I always tell aspiring chefs, if you can find a great chef and person to work under, just do that. I’m still trying to sort out my student loans from those days—it’s complicated with the school closure. But even with all that, I’d do it all over again to land where I am now.

Getting connected with Jake (Owner - Lawrence Barbecue) was life-changing. One phone call, and he told me to put in my two weeks at my other job, and here I am as Chef de Cuisine at Lawrence Barbecue. I wake up every day so happy to go to work. I get to provide people with that instant gratification that only good food can offer. That look people have after their first bite? I live for it. Sometimes I find myself in a flow state, like I’m back in my grandma’s kitchen. 2nd grade me would be proud.”

— Darrus Evans
Chef-de-Cuisine: @lawrencebarbecue

“Sitting down at my grandma’s table is something I remember so well—the warmth, the love, the stories shared over food. That’s what I want everyone to feel when they come to Lawrence Barbecue. Growing up, my family laid out the blueprint for me. I inherited their hard work, determination, and diligence, but it didn’t quite click until I started my own family. That was the key. Getting married and having a baby made my future a lot clearer and pushed me to become the best version of myself. Being a chef became more than just a job; it became my way of honoring my roots and building something for my family.

Some of these recipes we serve go back 150 years. My grandparents and great-grandparents were farmers who cured meats, made jam, and ran a sorghum mill. I’m trying to bring that heritage forward in the food we serve, to tell our family’s story with every bite.

This journey started with just an idea, and we’ve had our share of struggles. There were times when we didn’t know if we could make payroll. But now, we’re in a good place. We’ve got the right team, the right family behind us. Next summer, we’re moving to a new location where we can really bring our vision to life—a bigger kitchen, more space, and even more hospitality. Above all though, I want you to leave with a full stomach and a big smile, just like I did after a meal at grandma’s.”

— Jake Wood
Owner: @lawrencebarbecue (+ Lawrence Food Co.)

“My grandfather was very business-oriented, always asking, ‘What’s next?’ From the moment I started cooking, he’d push me to think ahead—from cook to sous chef, to manager, until I realized that the final step was to own my own place. He always knew the right way to push me. His advice stuck with me, and I knew that if I was going to take the leap, I needed to do it while I was young. He told me it’s better to fail young, so take the jump. Well, I did it, and I do my best to keep his legacy proud.

When I saw this building, it spoke to me. This place is truly perfect. Red has always been a prominent color in my life — I’ve got a red beard, I drove a red car, my wife and child have red hair, and then 2108 had that lovely red brick exterior. Without this building, I don’t know if Ideal’s would even exist.

Now we have lines that can extend down the street. I wish we could serve people while they wait, because I know there will come a day when the line isn’t there. But it’s just part of the business now. When we first opened, we had nothing in the store, and we were doing everything ourselves. Now we can make over 150 hoagies a day, and it’s both humbling and confusing to see people travel miles and miles and wait for their food. I will say, our space is perfect, but we are truly limited by it. It would be impossible to have the volume we need to avoid the lines that build up. We’re just trying our best.

Starting all of this was terrifying. It’s like I did 10 years of work in 2 years, and now we’re here. It’s exhausting—I work 6-7 days a week, from 8 to 5. Some days I’m making bread, some days I’m power-washing the dumpster, but I’m living my dream.

I went to the Culinary Institute of America, where I met Paul, and then I went to Boston University. It wasn’t a traditional experience—I lived at home, worked 30-40 hours a week at restaurants, and I loved every minute of it. From the first time I came to Durham, it felt like home. It really is home now. I want to set up a future for my son and pay our employees well. They make more than I made when I was an hourly sous chef, and that’s something I’m incredibly proud of. I don’t know if life could be better.”

— Ian Bracken
Co-Founder: @idealsdurham

“I see my children’s reflection in everyone who comes through our doors. Whether they’re a freshman that is new to Durham or a senior preparing for the next phase of life, they don’t even need to buy anything—we just want them to know they have a place here, where they can feel at home and welcomed. If we can cheer them up, we will. It all comes down to a love of community and a deep love for family.

Our kids and our family are the most important things in this world, and that’s what keeps us going. We’ve been in Durham for 25 years now. We are the first generation here in the States, but back home, we have family who work in everything from the medical field to the restaurant industry. Luis and I are no strangers to hard work. Before we opened Pincho Loco, we worked in retail—specifically in grocery stores. One of our kids played music and had lessons right across Perry Street, and while they were in class, we would grab bagels nearby. I kept seeing this ‘For Rent’ sign, and it felt like the space was calling to me, like it wanted me there. A few months later, the space was ours. All these years later I can say, we are meant to be here.

We initially wanted to open a restaurant, but four months in, we realized we didn’t know how to build it up. That’s when we shifted to ice cream and popsicles, and here we are with Pincho Loco.

Our daughter is graduating from Duke this spring, and our son is in the military. They are the most important things to us, and if we can bring that love into our ice cream and our shop, then we know it’s a recipe for success. Here, our customers are treated like friends and the ice cream is made with love.”

— Martha & Luis Morales
Founder / Owner @pincho_loco

“I wanted to be exactly who I am without asking for anyone’s permission. I’m the first person in my family that is in the hospitality industry, but I’ve been following in my father’s footsteps for a while now. We both served in the Navy and became entrepreneurs after getting out.

Third Eye Coffee started with a desire for autonomy and freedom. I’m sorta a ‘have my cake and eat it too’ kind of guy, so I dreamed up a business that indulged my expensive coffee habit and desire to go to festivals. I’ve daydreamed about quitting this a few times, but I’m the provider in my family, and I won’t let them down. Plus, the petty side of me can’t let the haters and the ‘I told you so’s win.

Third Eye Coffee and all of the risks I’ve taken thus far have been inspired by a series of mushroom trips I went on in 2019/2020. These trips stripped away all of my habits of perception, leaving me a blank slate to build myself anew. I started seeing this life as a speck in my eternal existence, allowing me to stomach risks that I never would have dreamed of taking.

Life can change at any moment. Even at our lowest moments, we could run into an opportunity that launches us into the stars and I feel like I am in a rocket ship.”

— Zachary Johnson
Founder / Owner @third_eye_coffee

”I moved to Durham to heal, for family, and to be a better Bradley. That’s where the Uncle Bradley George comes from on my social media handles. I needed to find myself and just be human.

Take out and remove all those preconceived notions that had been drilled into me over the years and really sit, be present, and be there for my family that settled down here in North Carolina.

I had a lot of hectic years. Some fond memories, some not so fond, but all of them helped me grow. I served in the Marines during ‘Don’t ask don’t tell’ (DADT). I guess not everyone knows what that is. DADT was the official US policy that prohibited openly non-heterosexual people from military service. After serving, I worked to get DADT repealed. In 2011, we were finally succesful. Now other service members like me can serve their country without hiding who they love.

Since then, I fought for marriage equality in Illinois and then I sold all my belongings and road tripped for years in an RV, visited national parks, and had an ‘iHeart Radio’ podcast about it.  I’ve been part of the nation’s largest donor and volunteer-supported mentoring network where I led their Oklahoma City area efforts. I was the boots on the ground helping the next generation of amazing children who needed mentors in their lives.

What a journey. Oddly enough, I had this massive shoulder surgery and I thought, ‘Bartending would be the perfect rehab wouldn’t it?’. I tried it out and landed here at Congress with Bev. Bartending didn’t end up just being good for my shoulder. It was good for my mind, my heart, my well-being. Congress became a home. A home where I can be me. A human.”

— Bradley George Setter
Bartender / Manager @congressdurham

“I’ve always been a firm believer in the adage ‘when you do something you love, it never feels like work.’ As creatives and entrepreneurs, our mission often has larger implications for our community, and we must factor that into what we are building. There’s a growing network of Black-owned breweries in the United States, and craft beer is relatively new territory for many consumers. Knowing this, we have an opportunity, and sometimes an obligation, to introduce beer in a way that represents traditional beer culture accurately while resonating with our patrons and giving them something they can feel connected to.

Our brand, ‘Proximity,’ is defined by nearness in space, time, and relation. For us, it’s about the lessons and processes, and building pathways to where we want to go. Staying in proximity to the right energy, the right people, helps build those lessons and pathways. It’s obviously tough, and there are days you win and days you don’t. But you never lose. It’s way easier when you understand how the pieces on the board move, your own and others’ strengths and weaknesses, and what your opening, middle, and endgame are going to be. It’s like one big, lifelong game of chess.

Old East Durham is something special to our community. We’re proud to contribute to the Black Wall Street mindset, the business development, showing that it can be done, sharing how it can be done. The neighborhood has struggled for many years, with a lack of proper investments and many abandoned storefronts. But now, we’re seeing a resurgence of businesses thriving here, from Mike D’s and Congress, the pizza over at Sofia’s, to Ideal’s sandwiches, and now some of the best beer in the country with our brewery and taproom. We’re proud to be part of this growing neighborhood and being on the ground floor of creating a vibe and destination. There’s a lot of creativity in this connected network, and the sky’s the limit on what can happen.

When it comes to my work, I’m always around. This is my baby, and I love what I do here. If I’m not behind the bar, I’m crunching numbers and researching all things beer at a table with my computer. Come in, ask questions, have a flight, be curious. We are here to connect with the community and create something special together.”

— Mike Potter
Owner @proximity_brewing

”Coffee shops are more than just places to grab a cup of coffee. It’s crazy it has been eight years owning this place. I have witnessed a lot of lives unfolding here at Triangle Coffee House. I’ve seen kids come in on their high school visit to Duke or UNC, next thing you know they are regulars, and then they come back to visit and introduce their husbands. An older couple used to come and meet here for their first few dates and now they are married. They will still pop in to say hi and thank you! You start a coffee shop thinking it’s about coffee, but it’s really about people and that’s what I love.

Before owning this coffee shop, I was working in corporate America, the typical 9-5 grind. But spending time here, seeing the sense of community it fostered, made me want to jump in, be a part of it, and pay it forward. I wanted to keep it going. This isn’t just a special place to me; it holds a lot of small, but special, moments for a lot of people. It’s where coffee is had, connections are made, and lives are intertwined.

I own the place, but I work as the barista all the time. If you’ve been here, odds are I was serving you, so come by, say hi, have a coffee, do some work, meet a friend, go on a coffee-date, and enjoy. This is a place for gathering. That is what this life is all about”

— Jermaine Bantum
Owner: Triangle Coffee House @trianglecoffeehouse.