[light music] - Next, on "North Carolina Weekend," join us from the Pittsboro Farmers Market as we welcome you to a seat at the table.

We'll sample Ethiopian food in Charlotte.

And Bob Garner visits Smith's Smokehouse in Wake Forest.

Coming up next.

- [Announcer] Funding for "North Carolina Weekend" is provided in part by Visit NC, dedicated to highlighting our state's natural scenic beauty, unique history, and diverse cultural attractions.

From the Blue Ridge and the Great Smoky Mountains across the Piedmont to 300 miles of Barrier Island beaches.

You're invited to experience all the adventure and charm our state has to offer.

[upbeat music] ♪ - Hurricane Helene recently devastated entire communities in western North Carolina.

We have some mountain stories in this episode, but please keep in mind that these stories were prepared several weeks ago and tragically conditions have changed.

However, we want to support our mountain communities and they will need your tourism support to help rebuild.

But please be patient, it may take awhile for this hard hit area to recover.

Welcome to "North Carolina Weekend," everyone.

I'm Deborah Holt Noel and this week we're at the Pittsboro Farmers Market in Pittsboro, of course.

And what's really cool about this market is that it's a producer only market.

And that means everything on sale here was grown or raised within 50 miles of here.

Just check out this gorgeous produce.

Like these luscious peppers grown at Heart Song Farm.

And you know, that's what tonight's show is all about.

Inviting you to sample locally crafted foods all around our state.

Our first stop takes us to a table in Charlotte, where they have dishes for vegetarians, for vegans, for meat lovers, for everyone.

Let's meet the family behind the Nile Grocery and Ethiopian Restaurant.

- Charlotte is a growing city and there's a lot of new and shiny things.

But personally, I love eating at mom and pop restaurants.

- My parents started the business, just the grocery aspect, in 2005 to serve as a home base for our community.

To where they could buy Injera, our main dish, and a lot of the spices and ingredients that we use for food.

After the grocery portion had been kind of successful, we wanted to add the restaurant portion to that.

It all stems from my mom, who is the owner, chef, and server.

- They call me Mama Tsige.

When they come it's to buy Injera and get Mama Tsige, do you have Injera?

When I was in 11th grade, 10th grade I baked Injera for my family.

After coming back from school.

All the time I'm cooking, still.

I'm cooking by myself.

- [Nolawi] In some asian cultures where rice is the main staple and they add other meats and vegetables on top of it.

Injera is like our staple.

And we use that to eat with everything.

The main ingredient is teff flour.

It's an all natural, organic flour.

100% gluten free.

Whether it's a meat-based dish, or a veggie-based dish, you kind of rip up the spongy bread and we use that to eat pretty much all of our dishes.

- We are from earth, right?

The food is also from earth.

So there is nothing in between.

That's deep to me.

- [Nolawi] Everything here is made to order.

Our two most popular dishes are a veggie combo and our tips.

The veggie combo kind of has an assortment of different vegetable based dishes.

We have our red lentils.

We have our yellow lentils.

We have our cabbage with curry and we have a mix of collard green and spinach.

And then our tips is completely different.

That's our most popular meat dish.

It is cubed pieces of meat and it's kind of like a stew with a lot of spices in there and chopped onions and peppers.

- I like meat, I'm a meat eater.

So, the first time I came here I ate tips.

And it was amazing.

Every time I've come here the food has never disappointed.

- [Nolawi] Anything that you eat here, you can always find the ingredients on the grocery side.

- Tsige, the owner, treats you just like you're one of her kids.

And that was something that really stood out to me and made me want to come back over and over.

She'll take the time to explain different things to you.

You know, give you an actual history behind the dishes.

- The first coffee beans in the world is from Ethiopia.

And we cook on the jebena.

The name of the pot is jebena.

- Coffee originated in Ethiopia.

And even the name coffee is said to originate from the word "Kafa" which is the birthplace of coffee in Ethiopia.

It's not like you order just a single cup of coffee, you know?

It's for everybody and they serve it like that.

I don't feel like I have had my coffee if there is no ceremony.

- Usually the person roasting the coffee will go around and the aroma of the coffee to friends and family that are around.

You kind of shake the coffee in there and kind of get the senses.

It's a form of bonding, I would say.

For the people around that we have celebrating in ceremony.

It's also a form of appreciation for the person making the coffee.

- That in itself is really very important for us.

Because if that step is skipped, I feel like something, I missed something.

- [Nolawi] If you would like a traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony, definitely reach out beforehand so that my mom can prep that and be ready for that.

But yes, it would be a requirement, a minimum of four people because it is a communal event.

- It's not only about eating.

It's about experiencing something new.

Especially for people who are not used to Ethiopian food.

It's really, really a big experience.

And the Nile is really, very good.

- It's beyond a restaurant.

It's a place that will give you the sense of belongingness as human beings in general.

- [Deborah] Nile Grocery and Ethiopian Restaurant is at 3113 North Sharon Amity Road in Charlotte.

They're open everyday of the week starting at 9:00 A.M. To find out more, give them a call at 704-891-1387.

We get a lot of viewer suggestions here on "North Carolina Weekend."

More than we could possibly handle, but one enthusiastic foodie was so impressed with this family owned, farm to table restaurant in Valdese, we decided to send Teresa Litschke to check it out.

[funky music] - It was started by the families.

The Mercer and the Wall families.

They connected their neighbors and friends.

- [Teresa] Daniel Wall and his family have raised cattle for decades.

- We don't use any antibiotics.

We don't give 'em any steroids.

We do everything all natural the best we can.

We grass fed, grain finish.

So they're always on grass.

- [Teresa] It's a tradition handed down from his father, Trossie.

- It's better.

It's, I think, more tender, more flavorful.

- [Teresa] Longtime friend Kristina Mercer agreed with the Wall's philosophy of raising cattle.

- We believe that happy, healthy animals produce the best meat.

- [Teresa] And started buying their beef for her family.

- And it being fresh, straight from the farm, it's hard to find.

- [Teresa] Kristina's father, Ed, certainly appreciated the freshness.

- Oh, I remember.

I was raised on a farm and at Thanksgiving Day was always the day we butchered the pigs.

- [Teresa] Together the two families started a business resulting in Highlands Butchery.

A butcher shop that processes their pasture raised beef, pork, and lamb.

- For beef we have everything from the beef tongue all the way to the ox tail.

So, you can get lots of things in between as well.

- You name it, we do it.

Roasts, steaks, ribs.

Ossobuco.

- [Teresa] Highlands Butchery also includes a farm to table restaurant.

- You know the butcher shop, you can't go wrong.

- It's easy, it's farm fresh.

It's brought directly from the farm.

It's as fresh as it can be.

It's never frozen.

We literally walk right down the hallway and get it fresh.

- [Teresa] Most often that means ground beef.

- I got the hamburger and fries.

- One of the big draws that we have is our burgers.

Everyone loves farm fresh burgers.

- It's very good.

- They're always fresh, they're good.

Yup.

- You can get a variety of different toppings on all of those.

We try to do a featured burger of the week.

- Burger and homemade barbecue and an onion ring in one spot, in one bite, you can't go wrong.

- We do boneless pork chops, bone-in pork chops.

All the ribs and the pork backs.

Of course, we do use those for the restaurant.

We smoke 'em out back on our big commercial smoker.

- Besides that we have our chorizo chili which is another favorite.

And then our Sunday brunch is something that the area absolutely loves.

And then weekly specials as well, depending on what extra cuts and stuff that we have.

- [Teresa] It's not difficult to guess what those cuts are.

- Oh gosh, steak.

- A lot of people are loving the rib eyes and the filet mignons.

- I like the prime rib.

- [Teresa] Many of the recipes used at Highlands Butchery also came from the Wall family.

- My mom, my wife, myself, my dad.

It's my dad's chili recipe.

The slaw recipe is mine.

So a lot of 'em are homemade recipes.

And we make all that in house.

- [Teresa] And for those who prefer not to eat meat.

- We do a portobello mushroom.

And then we have our salads.

We try to be accommodating of our vegetarian friends but we are a butcher shop.

- [Teresa] That's true.

And one reason they added a bourbon bar.

Since they say meat pairs perfectly with bourbon.

- It does.

Everything goes well with bourbon, I think.

But I'm a bourbon sipper.

- [Teresa] And they offer some of the best.

- So we have about 75, 80 different types of bourbon.

- Old Rip Van Winkle 10-year.

William Larue Weller.

Elmer T. Lee.

The list goes on and on.

- [Teresa] For the Walls and Mercers, it's about offering things they are passionate about in hopes those who visit Highlands Butchery will feel the same way.

- It is!

I think that's what you have to do in business to be successful.

If you don't love it, it's not gonna work.

- Once you taste it, that's when you truly understand the difference in how fresh it is.

And it's the quality and the time that we put in to make it, what we consider the best.

[funky music] - [Deborah] Check out Highlands Butchery at 205 Roderet Street North in Valdese.

They're open Thursday through Saturday from 11:00 to 9:00 and on Sunday for brunch.

To plan your seat at the table, head to HighlandsFamilyFarm.com or call 828-368-0385.

- Well, it all started by tail gate at football games.

And people would walk by and say, oh, that food smells good.

And I'm the type of person that says, well, why don't you try it?

And from why they try it, the first thing they ever said, where's your restaurant located at?

And I don't have a restaurant.

They said, well, you need to open one.

I want people to know, when they come to Magnolia 23, this is home.

Although it's my restaurant, but I want them to feel like they are sitting in their home.

To enjoy a good meal.

Southern down home cooking.

- We come here every Sunday morning for lunch.

- We probably come visit maybe very four or five years to visit family.

But we make it a point every time we come, we make sure we make it to the restaurant.

- Magnolia 23 is a great family setting.

The food is amazing.

I don't think you can go wrong no matter what you order.

And the environment is just perfect.

It's just perfect.

- I occasionally get something different, but most of the times it's dark meat fried chicken.

My go to.

The fried chicken here is uniquely excellent, always.

- Fried chicken is our number one seller.

We started out with big, large pans.

But we got to the point where we couldn't use that anymore.

We over grew.

We didn't have enough space to put in a deep fryer and I'm glad we didn't.

And we started going with the steel cast iron pots now instead of pans.

And that's the way we did it down home.

So, that's when we speak of down home food, we want to cook it just like we did when we was down home.

- It's tender.

You can tell it's fresh.

And the seasoning of the chicken is very good.

- We grew up in the country and we grew up raising our own gardens and our own food and this is the closest to it that you can possibly get.

- We want home cooking and that's what we get.

We only like fresh vegetables and the type of food that he has.

- I believe that you support local.

And the food is fresh.

It hasn't been shipped here from anyplace.

It hasn't been frozen.

They're straight from the field to the restaurant.

Out of the restaurant, on the table.

80% of our food in the summertime comes from the Sandhills which is 43 miles south of here.

Guys I grew up and went to school with.

Also comes from guys right here in Randolph County that have farms.

- I grew collard greens for Don.

I've been growing 'em for him for about five years probably.

He buys 'em and he does the best job of cooking 'em, you know.

- I get my collards on Tuesday morning around about six o'clock in the morning.

I come in, start prepping my collards.

Wednesday, those collards are on the table ready to eat.

- It's satisfying to come up here and see all the people that's eating collards and I'm seeing it on the tables.

You know, it gives me, hey, I had a part of this, you know.

- Our proper dessert here that everyone wants is fried apple pie and persimmon pudding.

Joann and Jerry Harris make our dessert and they do a fantastic job.

They've been cooking for years.

And they do a real good job.

- I have been making and selling desserts for Don for about 10 years.

And I just use recipes that my mother passed down to me.

Which is grandma's cooking.

I use a local person that grinds my flour for my friend apple pies.

We have a local vendor that we purchase our dried apples from.

The same way for strawberry nut cake.

We always try to make sure that we're using local strawberries.

We use everything local we possibly can.

- The best way I can describe it is, as the food is walking by, my mouth is watering.

- This is down home cooking that you don't have to cook yourself.

- Don, he comes around every table and wants to know how everything is, how your week's been.

You know, he's just basically like family.

- Don is just a people person and he's just, if you've ever met him, he's just a friend for life.

- To me, knowing the customer means more than them eating my food.

Just to have conversation with 'em.

And make 'em feel right at home.

- [Deborah] Magnolia 23 is at 23 South Fayetteville Street in Asheboro and they're open for lunch and dinner Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday.

For more information, give them a call at 336-672-2300.

Or visit them online at Magnolia23.com.

[whistling] [funky music] - Get your food for the road.

Ha, ha, ha!

- Thank you, we'll see you next time.

It's been around for over 40 years.

We have a lot of people word of mouth that have learned about it over the years.

That's the biggest thing.

Because what we're known for are the chicken and taters.

Have a blessed day.

- [Teresa] And they've been called some of the best in the state by more than one news outlet.

- After we were on TV before, they came from Tennessee.

And I was just so surprised, you know.

And Charlotte.

- [Teresa] Some are fortunate to live close enough to visit whenever they want.

- Only about like 15 minutes we drive.

I come like, maybe weekly.

I love coming here.

It's probably the best chicken filets around here and you get tater wedges too.

You can get other sides, but known for their tater wedges.

- [Teresa] And that's where the debate begins.

- This is my version of the B&B shirts.

It says, are you a chicken or a tater?

The reason I have that is, again, that's why everybody comes to the store.

Because people will fight.

And that's the funniest thing that you ask people.

Are you a chicken or are you a tater?

- Hello, darling.

- I want three taters to go.

- Taters.

- Fried chicken.

- I have to say I'm a chicken.

I'm a chicken.

Because you have people that will come in and if you don't have taters out, they're upset.

And they'll wait for 'em.

You have the same thing with chicken.

So, the chicken and the taters are the staple.

- [Teresa] There are a couple of reasons for that.

- It's fresh, just made.

- Yeah, yeah, we cook all day long.

- [Teresa] And it's all about the breading they use on the chicken and taters.

- It's different than a flour based.

I'm not sure how to describe it.

- It's just got good flavor.

There's something about the flavor that separates it from everybody else's.

- [Teresa] Some might consider it unusual to find food like this in a convenience store.

- No.

A lot of gas stations have food nowadays.

- And most of your food stores have the turn hotdogs and the pizza and the flash frozen taters.

Not like these.

- [Teresa] That's because B&B's chicken and taters are absolutely, positively homemade.

- This comes in raw, clean.

- [Teresa] But freshness is only one part of the tasty equation.

- It's everything.

First of all, the product you get in.

You want to make sure that it's good and it's good quality.

It's what you do with it.

It's the breading.

Even how you lay the tenders to cook.

If you let it just be in a ball, it will seize up and cook that way.

So, it's a little bit of everything.

But the breading is the icing on the cake for the taters and chicken.

- [Teresa] How the bone-in chicken and taters are cooked also makes a difference.

- This is where the magic happens.

Everything's under a pressurized cook.

Over, sometimes, 400 degrees.

Around in that area.

- It's moist.

Juicy.

- [Teresa] The same attention to detail goes into the taters.

- I scrub around 200 pounds a day.

I cut at least 150 pounds a day or more.

- They're different.

They're not like everybody else's.

I don't know what it is.

I'm no cook or anything, but they got good taters.

It's not real spicy, it's just, they're kinda crispy.

I like, if I got a potato, I don't like a mushy potato.

I like a little crisp with the potatoes.

So this is good.

- [Teresa] B&B prepares other homemade foods like egg salad and dressings like 1000 Island and ranch.

And they rely on a time-tested recipe for their breading which hasn't changed.

- Not at all.

We use the same recipe as we've always used.

- Yeah, we have a lot of people that want the recipe and wanna buy the breading.

They call about it.

I've even had people look in the kitchen to try to sneak and see.

- [Teresa] And it's a secret they don't plan on giving away anytime soon.

- We can't tell ya, because we wouldn't let you be able to leave.

[funky music] [chicken clucking] - [Deborah] B&B Food Store is at 721 US Highway 70 SW in Hildebran.

That's just outside Hickory.

The restaurant is open Monday through Friday from 6:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. And Saturday from 7:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. For more information give them a call at 828-397-5186.

- Thank you.

- Thank you!

Sausages from Thistle Draw Farms.

You know, there's a whole new generation of barbecue chefs cropping up all around our state.

So when we found out about this next location that has smoked meats and veggies, and smoothies, we had to send Bob Garner to check it out.

- [Bob] Smiths Smokehouse and Smoothies in Wake Forest positions itself around Texas Style Barbecue like beef brisket.

But the happy truth is that if any meat, foul, or side dish can be smoked, they probably offer it or will soon.

Since the menu is always evolving.

The smoothies are intended as a dessert.

One that customers often eat at the beginning of the meal or as an accompaniment, as well as at the end.

Brilliant.

- Our barbecue is Texas based.

But we want to do things differently.

You know, our household favorites, things we introduce into our household.

Things that we love to enjoy that we want to share with the community.

So, it's just different specials each and every week that we have on different varieties of meats.

And that's just, you know, keep people on their toes and keep them thinking on what's next.

- [Bob] Both Rashad and Saadia are from the east coast of Florida near the Space Center.

But what began as a barbecue hobby, became molded into a possible career when they were stationed in Texas in the military.

That state's quite different smokehouse culture began to quicken their imaginations.

Ending up in North Carolina, where the barbecue scene was already being radically altered, stamped yet another impression layer on both of them.

- Right, it's a new generation of barbecue that's happening right now in the state of North Carolina.

And it's not taking away from the tradition of what North Carolina is based on.

The vinegar based, eastern-western type of thing.

I think that the evolution of barbecue has changed and went to another level.

- What an amazing plate here at Smith's Smokehouse and Smoothies.

We have wings, which they call wangs.

We have beef brisket with the trimmings that they make into a brisket burger.

We have smoked mac and cheese.

We have collard greens.

We have baked beans which are not coming from a can, but are made from scratch.

And we've got some real southern green beans with lots of pork.

Burnt ends made out of pork belly which are usually referred to as a piece of the brisket.

But this is mouth candy, as they refer to it.

We've got some St. Louis style ribs.

And we've got blueberry cornbread.

This really is traditional Texas style barbecue.

Smoked brisket.

Mm!

What's not to love about that?

Rashad is so proud of his mac and cheese, I just had to try that.

As we mentioned, it's smoked and it has a couple of different kinds of cheeses in there.

Anybody who has ever watched me knows I love collard greens.

They have Georgia collards and they have yellow cabbage collards which is something you see a lot of in North Carolina.

And those are fabulous.

St. Louis style ribs.

This may be messy but, ha, ha!

Oh my god.

Sweet peach tea, which they make up and pour into bottles, so you have to shake it up a little bit.

Gotta wet my whistle with that.

Burnt ends can be either beef or one of two different styles of pork.

Either shoulder or pork belly.

This is the pork belly.

Mm.

I'm in heaven.

I was intrigued by the whole concept of a smokehouse and smoothies.

Turns out, these are really for dessert.

This one's a strawberry shortcake smoothie.

Banana pudding goes with any kind of barbecue and this is a banana pudding smoothie.

What a way to end a terrific tasting.

Smith's Smokehouse and Smoothies is a relatively new restaurant, but as we say in TV, this place is gonna have legs.

- [Deborah] Smith's Smokehouse and Smoothies is at 1318 South Mainstreet Suite 108 in Wake Forest.

And they're open Wednesday through Friday from 11:00 to 7:00 and Saturdays from 11:00 to 4:00.

Or until they sell out.

To check out their menu or events, head to their website, SmokehouseSmoothies.com.

Or give them a call at 919-263-8704.

Well, that's it for tonight's show.

We have had so much fun out here in the Pittsboro Farmers Market.

You should stop by whenever you get a chance.

But remember, they are only open on Thursdays from 3:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M. And if you've missed anything in tonight's show, remember you can watch us again online at PBSNC.org or find us on our YouTube channel.

Have a great North Carolina weekend, everyone.

[light music] ♪ - [Announcer] Funding for "North Carolina Weekend" is provided in part by Visit NC.

Dedicated to highlighting our state's natural scenic beauty, unique history, and diverse cultural attractions.

From the Blue Ridge and the Great Smoky Mountains across the Piedmont to 300 miles of Barrier Island beaches.

You're invited to experience all the adventure and charm our state has to offer.

[light music]