Plateau Magazine Feb/Mar 2021
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Plateau Magazine Feb/Mar 2021

This issue we feature some great home renovations, and interview with the resort (and dog friendly) The Park on Main. We also feature our annual roundup of non-profit fundraising groups and showcase local wedding vendors to help plan your big day.

This issue we feature some great home renovations, and interview with the resort (and dog friendly) The Park on Main. We also feature our annual roundup of non-profit fundraising groups and showcase local wedding vendors to help plan your big day.

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<strong>Feb</strong>ruary /<strong>Mar</strong>ch <strong>2021</strong> | 1

2 | The<strong>Plateau</strong>Mag.com

Glen Cove<br />

by Old Edwards<br />

Live a life of adventure and wellness in the beautiful Norton area of Cashiers, North Carolina.<br />

Abundant leisure amenities include a wellness center, heated mineral pool,<br />

entertainment barn with golf simulator lounge and a 12-hole, par-3 golf course.<br />

Estate lots available, call today for a tour.<br />

828.526.1783 | GlenCoveLifestyle.com<br />

<strong>Feb</strong>ruary /<strong>Mar</strong>ch <strong>2021</strong> | 1

Mountain Mist<br />

Gallery<br />

<strong>Feb</strong>ruary “by appointment”<br />

<strong>Mar</strong>ch Tuesday-Saturday 11-5<br />

40 Perennial Dr., Cashiers, NC<br />

1 Block South of Hwy 64 on 107 S<br />

828-743-1801<br />

www.mountainmistgallery.com<br />

The Blue Ridge by David Berger<br />

q<br />

Paintings<br />

Pottery<br />

Sculpture<br />

Lucy by David Berger<br />

Mangum Pottery<br />

Skip Kohler Lamps<br />

Jewelry<br />

Wood<br />

and More!<br />

Boo Whoo by Julie Berger<br />

Westley’s Wood<br />

Pottery by Doug Jones<br />

2 | The<strong>Plateau</strong>Mag.com

MHK ARCHITECTURE & PLANNING<br />

Greenville Offi ce: 816 South Main St. Suite 100 Greenville, SC 29601 | 864-603-3260<br />

Highlands Offi ce: 537 Main Street Highlands, NC 28741 | 828-482-5280<br />

Charleston Offi ce: 60 Broad Street, Charleston, SC | 864-603-3260<br />

mhkap.com<br />

<strong>Feb</strong>ruary /<strong>Mar</strong>ch <strong>2021</strong> | 3

AWARD-WINNING HOME IN BEAUTIFUL<br />

MOUNTAIN LAKE COMMUNITY<br />

41 HEARTHSTONE WAY, CASHIERS, NC 28717<br />

MARY ABRANYI<br />

(828) 266-9818 | mary@bhhsmmr.com<br />

OFFERED FOR $3,700,000 | MLS# 95263<br />

Gorgeous timber frame home with multiple design awards and write ups in several architectural/lifestyle<br />

magazines including Pinnacle Living and Custom Wood Homes. This<br />

amazing home is perched above Trillium Links and Lake Club’s 17th tee and enjoys golf<br />

course frontage with views of the fairway and the mountains beyond. Loaded with luxury<br />

features one would expect from a home of this quality including reclaimed antique cherry<br />

floors, a 32 foot stone fireplace with gas lanterns in the living room, additional fireplaces<br />

in the master suite and side porch, a custom Viking kitchen with a 25 foot island with<br />

beverage cooler, a wood-burning stone pizza oven, floating stairs, and too many other<br />

wonderful features to list here. Just 10 minutes to downtown Cashiers!<br />

TRILLIUM LINKS AND LAKE CLUB<br />

Trillium Links & Lake Club is a private, residential lake and golf<br />

community nestled in the heart of the Blue Ridge mountains of<br />

North Carolina offering breathtaking natural beauty, vast skies,<br />

and virtually limitless outdoor recreational opportunities.<br />

• 18-hole championship golf<br />

course<br />

• Lake Glenville access with<br />

private marina & boat rental<br />

• Two private restaurants<br />

• Tennis facilities<br />

• Only 10 minutes to Cashiers<br />

Trillium is where families belong.<br />

CASHIERS, NORTH CAROLINA<br />

Cashiers boasts a casually-sophisticated<br />

lifestyle with an impressive<br />

art and music scene. Explore<br />

apparel boutiques, antique shops,<br />

home furnishing stores and great<br />

restaurants. This cool, lush area<br />

has plenty of beautiful spots for<br />

outdoor activities such as hiking,<br />

fly fishing, boating and more!<br />

MOVING MOUNTAINS<br />

TRUST • INTEGRITY • STABILITY • LONGEVITY<br />

4 | The<strong>Plateau</strong>Mag.com

CLASSIC HIGHLANDS COTTAGE IN<br />

PRESTIGIOUS GOLF COMMUNITY<br />

804 MOOREWOOD ROAD, HIGHLANDS, NC 28741<br />

MITZI RAUERS & JUDY MICHAUD<br />

Mitzi: (404) 218-9123<br />

mitzi@bhhsmmr.com<br />

Judy: (828) 371-0730<br />

judy@bhhsmmr.com<br />

OFFERED FOR $1,412,000 | MLS# 95434<br />

This cool-hip home is inviting from the moment you enter the driveway. With its cedar<br />

shakes siding and slate roof, it sits among a canopy of trees overlooking the 12th fairway<br />

of Highlands Country Club. The main level has a soaring stone fireplace in the living area<br />

with a quaint dining area. An upscale kitchen boasts beautiful wood counters and an<br />

amazing butler’s pantry. Relax on the screened-in porch while listening to the waterfall<br />

from the spring-fed pond below. The upstairs has a large master suite with a chic master<br />

bath and a generous closet. The terrace level provides two guest suites with private baths.<br />

The floors throughout are rich antique, reclaimed solid oak floors. This unique property<br />

is only five minutes from dining, shopping, and entertainment in downtown Highlands.<br />

HIGHLANDS, NORTH CAROLINA<br />

The town of Highlands, NC is<br />

a hidden jewel just two hours’<br />

drive north of Atlanta situated<br />

atop a mountain plateau at an<br />

elevation of 4118 feet. Highlands<br />

is rich in culture, shopping, dining,<br />

and outdoor pursuits. Come<br />

see why Southern Living magazine<br />

chose Highlands as a top 5<br />

Small Town Getaway.<br />

HIGHLANDS COUNTRY CLUB<br />

Founded in 1928, Highlands Country Club is the premier,<br />

family-oriented private club in Highlands, NC. The Club exists<br />

solely for the social and recreational enjoyment of its members,<br />

chosen for their congeniality and social compatibility. It is<br />

steeped in rich history and tradition.<br />

• Donald Ross-designed golf<br />

course<br />

• Lake Sequoyah access<br />

• Life Enhancement Center<br />

• Tennis & croquet facilities<br />

• Camp Highlands & Junior<br />

Golf Camp<br />

• Near downtown Highlands<br />

(828) 526-1717<br />

MeadowsMountainRealty.com<br />

488 Main Street & 2334 Cashiers Road in Highlands, NC<br />

132 Highway 107 South in Cashiers, NC<br />

© 2020 BHHS Affiliates, LLC. An independently owned and operated franchisee of BHHS Affiliates, LLC.<br />

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices symbol are registered<br />

service marks of HomeServices of America, Inc. ® Equal Housing Opportunity.<br />

<strong>Feb</strong>ruary /<strong>Mar</strong>ch <strong>2021</strong> | 5

<strong>Feb</strong>ruary / <strong>Mar</strong>ch <strong>2021</strong><br />

58<br />

Je Le Veux<br />

From venues to vendors,<br />

the plateau has<br />

what brides want<br />

By Kat Ford<br />

66<br />

Family First<br />

A Greenville home<br />

with a strong foundation<br />

By Christine Hennessey<br />

74<br />

Helping Hands<br />

<strong>2021</strong>’s nonprofit<br />

fundraising roundup<br />

By Kat Ford<br />

62<br />

On the Edge<br />

of Wilderness<br />

Honoring history and<br />

protecting the future<br />

through conservation<br />

By Brittany Conley<br />

PHOTO KYLE PURSEL<br />

6 | The<strong>Plateau</strong>Mag.com

DON'T JOIN A CLUB<br />

When you become a part of Cullasaja Club, you become part of a family.<br />

Relationships, family and friends are what we are all about... that's the real story.<br />

Our newly remodeled clubhouse focuses on comfortability for our members.<br />

The architecture celebrates the beauty of the outdoors with diverse open air spaces,<br />

casual dining areas, take-away market, and well-appointed wine room.<br />

Even more reasons why we choose to spend our best times here.<br />

No matter where you live on the <strong>Plateau</strong>, you will be at home at Cullasaja Club.<br />

We look forward to sharing it with you.<br />

JOIN A FAMILY.<br />

Give us a call, 828.526.3531<br />

Come see us, 1371 Cullasaja Club Drive, Highlands, North Carolina<br />

Visit us Online, cullasajaclub.org<br />

Club Membership <strong>Feb</strong>ruary /<strong>Mar</strong>ch is by invitation <strong>2021</strong> | 7only

Silver Run Falls, Cashiers, NC by <strong>Mar</strong>k Haskett<br />

The years may come and go,<br />

BUT SOME OF THE BEST THINGS<br />

IN LIFE remain the same.<br />

8 | The<strong>Plateau</strong>Mag.com<br />

CASHIERS.COM | 828.743.3411<br />

MORE THAN 40 YEARS OF LUXURY REAL<br />

ESTATE EXPERTISE IN THE CASHIERS AREA

BETH TOWNSEND<br />

Co-Owner / Broker<br />

LIZ HARRIS<br />

Co-Owner / Broker<br />

ANN MCKEE AUSTIN<br />

Co-Owner / Broker<br />

COLEEN GOTTLOEB<br />

Broker-In-Charge<br />

SANDY BARROW<br />

Broker Associate<br />

JOHN BARROW<br />

Broker Associate /<br />

Rental Coordinator<br />

WAYNE MONDAY<br />

Broker Associate<br />

PHILIP BRADLEY<br />

Broker Associate<br />

MAGGIE ELMER<br />

Broker Associate<br />

JOANNE BRYSON<br />

Broker Associate<br />

CLAY CANTLER<br />

Broker Associate<br />

LOGAN CROCKER<br />

Broker Associate<br />

KARA ADDY<br />

<strong>Mar</strong>keting Director<br />

LYNDA HODGE<br />

Creative Director<br />

KARALINE SHOMAKER<br />

<strong>Mar</strong>keting Coordinator<br />

LOCATED IN THE HISTORIC MINNIE COLE HOUSE<br />

619 HWY 107 S | CASHIERS, NC 28717 | 828.743.3411 | MCKEEPROPERTIES.COM<br />

<strong>Feb</strong>ruary /<strong>Mar</strong>ch <strong>2021</strong> | 9

Departments » <strong>Feb</strong>ruary/<strong>Mar</strong>ch <strong>2021</strong><br />

17<br />

Buzz<br />

43 79<br />

Well Styled Food+Drink<br />

94<br />

Travel<br />

17 Straight Shooter<br />

Merrell Thompson blends<br />

adventure and nature,<br />

entrepreneurialism and<br />

photography<br />

18 Events Your guide<br />

to planning your<br />

social calendar<br />

24 Staff Picks Explore<br />

titles you might not<br />

otherwise pick up<br />

25 Local Chatter<br />

Preserving what counts<br />

28 Art Seen When the<br />

human spirit yearns for<br />

brighter days, artists<br />

answer the challenge<br />

30 Newsmaker Cashiers<br />

Kitchen Company offers<br />

a one-stop shop for all<br />

things cooking, baking<br />

and grilling<br />

43 Transformers Renovations,<br />

like this project from<br />

PLATT, offer inspiration,<br />

imagination and motivation<br />

44 Garden Gather nature<br />

and tradition with these<br />

memory jars<br />

45 Family Fun Scaly<br />

Mountain Outdoor Center<br />

becomes first in the nation<br />

this winter season to open<br />

for snow tubing<br />

46 Jewelry Jannie Bean<br />

Designs has been bejeweling<br />

Highlands and beyond<br />

for nearly five years<br />

48 Home Two ways to<br />

reimagine home<br />

52 Fashion We cozy up in<br />

these winter fashion findssure<br />

to get us through<br />

even the snowiest of days<br />

79 Dining Review This<br />

modern farm resort<br />

serves destination cuisine,<br />

cocktails and fun<br />

82 In The Kitchen Small<br />

acts of kindness in the<br />

kitchen<br />

87 Libations Five questions<br />

to help you win at the<br />

wine game this <strong>Feb</strong>ruary<br />

88 Restaurant Guide The<br />

best spots for eating and<br />

drinking on the plateau<br />

28<br />

94 Winter Hideaway<br />

Drive to historic resort,<br />

Ponte Vedra Inn & Club,<br />

for an easy getaway<br />

Fundamentals<br />

14 Reader Services<br />

16 Editor's Letter<br />

91 Real Estate Forum<br />

96 The Last Reflection<br />

32 History Female fortitude<br />

in the early 1900s<br />

34 Luxury Cakes In these<br />

pastries, creativity is<br />

the main ingredient<br />

38 Community A nonprofit<br />

set on expanding<br />

possibilities<br />

40 Southern Drawl John<br />

Woods has distinguished<br />

The Park on Main- now<br />

he’s part of distinguishing<br />

all of Highlands for a<br />

whole new demographic<br />

34<br />

ON THE COVER »<br />

Say “I do” atop one of the<br />

highest peaks in Highlands<br />

at Rockwood Lodge.<br />

Photo Macy O'Connell Jepsen<br />

10 | The<strong>Plateau</strong>Mag.com

Listen to Your Dreams and We'll Help You Build Them<br />

Creating exceptional homes and providing a professional, enjoyable<br />

building experience for our clients.<br />

Custom Homes<br />

Renovations<br />

12 Canoe Point, Cashiers NC | 828-547-0777 | harriscustombuildersnc.com<br />

<strong>Feb</strong>ruary /<strong>Mar</strong>ch <strong>2021</strong> | 11

Come enjoy snow, Sapphire Valley’s<br />

ski slopes and the romance of the<br />

mountains in winter... for Valentine’s<br />

Day or to cure your winter blues!<br />

UG<br />

Special<br />

coronavirus<br />

extended-stay<br />

discounts are available<br />

upon request.<br />

Thank you for your patronage.<br />

UG<br />

UG<br />

UG<br />

Rustic Mountain Settings | Luxury Suites with Italian Linens<br />

Resort Style Villa on Golf Course<br />

UG<br />

UG<br />

UG<br />

UG<br />

CEO & Publisher<br />

Robert Sweeney<br />

Executive Director of Operations<br />

Emily Sweeney<br />

■ ■ ■<br />

Managing Editor<br />

Katherine Ford Richardson<br />

■ ■ ■<br />

Account Executive<br />

Sales: (843) 822-0119<br />

Art Director<br />

Carl Turner<br />

Graphic Designers<br />

Kristina Parolla<br />

Shanna Thomson<br />

Carl Turner<br />

Contributing Writers<br />

Carol Bryson, Kim Byer,<br />

Bridget Callahan, Brittany Conley,<br />

Christine Hennessey, Kim Henry,<br />

Dawn Liles, Sara McBride,<br />

Katie McElveen, Megan Mathis,<br />

Christa Miller, Kirk Moore,<br />

Mandy Murry, Anne Postic, Judy Royal,<br />

Ran Shaffner, Mahogany Skillings,<br />

Mona Verma<br />

Photographers<br />

Kim Byer, Chelsea Cronkrite, Inspiro 8<br />

Studios, Traci Kruger, Tracy Mendy<br />

■ ■ ■<br />

UG<br />

UG<br />

UG<br />

Black Bear Lodge<br />

Sapphire, 12 | The<strong>Plateau</strong>Mag.com NC | 828-553-6535 | blackbearlodgeofsapphire.com<br />

UG<br />

Customer Service<br />

Local Office: (575) 496-5466<br />

Corporate Office/Subscriptions:<br />

(843) 856-2532<br />

<strong>Plateau</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> (Vol. 2, No. 1) is published<br />

6 times per year by DueSouth Publishing,<br />

LLC. The entire contents of this publication<br />

are fully protected and may not be reproduced,<br />

in whole or part, without written permission.<br />

We are not responsible for loss of unsolicited<br />

materials. Copyright © <strong>2021</strong>. All rights reserved.<br />

SUBSCRIPTION price is $24.95 per year.

Handcrafted Confections<br />

Johnny Was Clothing<br />

Barefoot Dreams<br />

Artisan Jewelry<br />

Curated Gifts<br />

Barware<br />

3 Chestnut Square<br />

Cashiers, NC<br />

828-743-1111<br />

@ajonescompany<br />

We are located directly across<br />

the street from the Cashiers<br />

Farmers <strong>Mar</strong>ket<br />

Valentine’s Day Specialities<br />

Easter Basket Goodies<br />

Jelly Belly Jelly Beans<br />

Jellycat Collection<br />

Specialty Chocolates<br />

3 Chestnut Square<br />

Cashiers, NC<br />

828-743-1111<br />

@ajonescompany<br />

Located directly across from<br />

the Cashiers Farmers <strong>Mar</strong>ket<br />

inside A Jones Company<br />

<strong>Feb</strong>ruary /<strong>Mar</strong>ch <strong>2021</strong> | 13

Spring<br />

is here.<br />

Visit us to<br />

shop clothing and<br />

accessories for<br />

men and women.<br />

Reader Services<br />

Subscriptions<br />

Subscribing to <strong>Plateau</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> is easy<br />

and you save 30 percent off the newsstand<br />

price. Your subscription includes 6 issues,<br />

delivered right to your door. Subscriptions<br />

and billing are handled in-house, providing<br />

you with the best in customer service. You<br />

can subscribe by clicking on our Subscribe<br />

button at www.theplateaumag.com or calling<br />

Customer Service at (843) 856-2532.<br />

CLASSIC. SPIRITED.<br />

CURATED.<br />

A DESTINATION BOUTIQUE<br />

HIGHLANDS<br />

Town Square<br />

828.526.2262<br />

TJBAILEYS.COM<br />

@TJBAILEYS<br />

CASHIERS<br />

95 HWY 107 S.<br />

828.743.8855<br />

Gift Subscriptions<br />

<strong>Plateau</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> makes an excellent gift!<br />

Order online or by phone. We will send out<br />

a complimentary gift card to each recipient<br />

indicating who the gift is from.<br />

Change of Address<br />

If you move or change your address, please<br />

call or email us and provide both the old and<br />

new addresses. The postal service does not<br />

automatically forward magazines, so please<br />

send us your change of address as soon as<br />

you know it.<br />

Letters to the Editor<br />

We welcome your comments and letters.<br />

Send letters via email to our editor at<br />

editor@theplateaumag.com. Please include<br />

your phone number in case we need to<br />

contact you.<br />

Back Issues<br />

When available, back issues of <strong>Plateau</strong><br />

<strong>Magazine</strong> can be purchased for $13.50,<br />

postage included.<br />

Writing Opportunities<br />

We are always interested in receiving article<br />

ideas from our readers as well as considering<br />

freelance writers. Please email your ideas or<br />

writing queries to editor@theplateaumag.com.<br />

How to Advertise<br />

If you would like advertising information<br />

for promoting your products or services, call<br />

843-822-0119, or contact us via the website<br />

at theplateaumag.com.<br />

14 | The<strong>Plateau</strong>Mag.com

PHOTOGRAPHY<br />

372 Valley Road, Cashiers NC | by appointment | 480-414-5255 | lauramoserart.com | merrellthompson.com<br />

1 9 0 M I C A C O U R T<br />

BALD ROCK | MLS: 92639 | $1,995,000<br />

This award winning, post-and-beam home<br />

was designed by architect Allen Brown<br />

and built by the Buildersmith. Featuring<br />

180˚ panoramic views of an incredible 100<br />

foot waterfall, Fairfield Lake, and mountain<br />

views. Sitting on over 7 acres, enjoy end<br />

of the cul-de-sac privacy in the exclusive<br />

community of Bald Rock.<br />

4 BEDROOMS<br />

3 FULL, 3 HALF BATHROOMS<br />

7.7 ACRES<br />

DAVID E. JONES B R O K E R<br />

CELL: 864-293-1330<br />

OFFICE: 828-743-0510<br />

DAVIDEJONESGM@AOL.COM<br />

<strong>Feb</strong>ruary /<strong>Mar</strong>ch <strong>2021</strong> | 15

Give the gift<br />

that lasts<br />

all year long...<br />

a subscription to<br />

16 | The<strong>Plateau</strong>Mag.com<br />

from the editor<br />

Stay Stitch<br />

My degree is in fashion—more specifically,<br />

fashion merchandising. I have always<br />

loved solving puzzles and, at some point,<br />

realized I could use this skill to watch<br />

customer behavior, translating interaction<br />

with product and space into strategic<br />

merchandising plans. I have also always<br />

been an artist and writer. Storytelling and<br />

communication in all creative forms are<br />

perhaps my greatest thrill. So as a fashion<br />

major, I eventually found myself longing<br />

for the world of fashion design. My degree<br />

coursework focused mostly on business,<br />

only lightly on fashion illustration and<br />

construction. Sewing basics did not allow<br />

me to bring my creations to life.<br />

I met with the head of the university’s<br />

costume shop and begged her to let a nontheatre<br />

major take junior and senior-level<br />

costume design. She took a chance on me.<br />

I quickly learned she was a stickler for<br />

historical accuracy and construction. The<br />

items we made went into archives for future<br />

generations of theatre majors. The<br />

costume shop was hallowed ground.<br />

There are many metaphors that I gleaned<br />

about life from my two years learning to<br />

dream up, design and create costumes that<br />

ranged from historic to dramatic- for one,<br />

the stay stitch. The last thing a student<br />

on the brink of bringing a garment to life<br />

wants to do is take the time to stay stitch.<br />

Still, when you have spent countless hours<br />

drafting, altering and perfecting a pattern,<br />

the absolute first thing you need to do is<br />

take the time to stay stitch.<br />

A stay stitch is a single stitching line<br />

that stabilizes the fabric to prevent it from<br />

becoming distorted. Part of patterning includes<br />

considering the fabric bias and how<br />

it will lay across the body. Without a stay<br />

stitch, the bias will stretch, and you will<br />

spend many future hours, straight pins<br />

grinding between teeth, wondering what<br />

prevented your perfectly patterned pieces<br />

from aligning. Even worse, it may never<br />

lay properly.<br />

In this issue of <strong>Plateau</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong>, we<br />

talk about businesses, historical preservation,<br />

nonprofits and nature conservation.<br />

In many ways, the plateau is like<br />

fabric, woven on a loom with warp and<br />

weft. Within these crossing threads are<br />

independent fibers, all coming together to<br />

create the incredible place we know and<br />

love. As we proceed to shape this masterpiece,<br />

let us remember the importance of<br />

the stay stitch. Without holding the fibers<br />

in place, the desired pattern will become<br />

unbalanced and stretched. If we hope for<br />

something worthy of archives and the<br />

study of posterity, we must both take<br />

the time to ensure the structure of the<br />

original fabric holds and consider the new<br />

silhouette taking form. Couture requires<br />

patience and thoughtfulness in every step.<br />

Kat Ford<br />

Managing Editor<br />

editor@theplateaumag.com<br />

We welcome your comments. Please send<br />

us your feedback or story ideas by emailing<br />

us at editor@theplateaumag.com<br />

Find Us Online!<br />

Visit us on our website at<br />

theplateaumag.com<br />

facebook.com/plateaumag<br />

instagram.com/plateaumag

Your Local Rundown on News and Culture<br />

Straight<br />

Shooter<br />

Merrell Thompson blends<br />

adventure and nature,<br />

entrepreneurialism and<br />

photography.<br />

See page 28<br />

PHOTO MERRELL THOMPSON<br />

<strong>Feb</strong>ruary /<strong>Mar</strong>ch <strong>2021</strong> | 17

There's no time like<br />

now to plan your future.<br />

<strong>Mar</strong>y Beth Brody<br />

Financial Advisor<br />

Wright Square<br />

149 Main Street<br />

Highlands, NC 28741<br />

828-787-2090<br />

edwardjones.com<br />

MKT-5894J-A-A1<br />

Member SIPC<br />

Valentine's Day at Old Edwards Inn<br />

<strong>Feb</strong>ruary 12 through 14<br />

Highlands<br />

Highlands is calling...<br />

THE BEST RENTAL SOURCE IN HIGHLANDS<br />

Chambers 828-526-3717 | www.highlandsiscalling.com Realty<br />

& Vacation Rentals<br />

is calling...<br />

THE BEST<br />

RENTAL SOURCE<br />

IN HIGHLANDS<br />

The longer you stay, the less you’ll pay.<br />

Contact us direct for the best guaranteed rate.<br />

Chambers Realty<br />

& Vacation Rentals<br />

The longer you stay, the less you’ll pay. Contact us direct for the best guaranteed rate.<br />

REPRESENTING BUYERS AND SELLERS SINCE 1941<br />

• See Homes • Check Availability • Book Online: info@highlandsiscalling.com<br />

THE BEST RENTAL SOURCE IN HIGHLANDS<br />

The longer you stay, the less you’ll pay. Contact us direct for the best guaranteed rate.<br />

828-526-3717 | www.highlandsiscalling.com<br />

828-526-3717 | www.highlandsiscalling.com<br />

REPRESENTING BUYERS AND SELLERS SINCE 1941<br />

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Visit Old Edwards Inn & Spa with your someone special and enjoy the VIP<br />

treatment. Indulge in a couple's massage at The Spa with rose petals and<br />

champagne. Sip His & Hers specialty cocktails property wide and enjoy<br />

Valentine's specials in Madison's Restaurant. Book an overnight stay and enjoy<br />

complimentary Champagne & Strawberries Tastings in Art's at the Lodge, live<br />

music in Hummingbird Lounge, a specially scheduled guided hike along the<br />

Highlands <strong>Plateau</strong> Greenway and Pizza and a Movie in your room! Call now and<br />

you can also have flowers, champagne, cheese trays, chocolates and other surprises<br />

waiting in your room or suite. (866) 526-8008 www.oldedwardshospitality.com/<br />

calendar-of-events/food-dining/valentines<br />

ONGOING<br />

Event Calendar<br />

Looking to fill your social calendar? We've got the<br />

rundown on what to do and explore.<br />

Exhibitions<br />

The Bascom: A Center for the<br />

Visual Arts<br />

The Bascom: A Center for the Visual<br />

Arts has three exhibition spaces open<br />

to the public year-round, current<br />

exhibitions include the "W.R.A.P."<br />

installation by Kyle Kelsey, January<br />

12 through <strong>Mar</strong>ch 20 and "100 Miles"<br />

student and faculty show, January<br />

26 through April 24. Please confirm<br />

18 | The<strong>Plateau</strong>Mag.com

Live Your Fairy Tale<br />

Book the castle wedding of your dreams, no passport required.<br />

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Contact us for bookings and inquiries.<br />

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Like us on Facebook at www.fb.com/castleladyhawke<br />

<strong>Feb</strong>ruary /<strong>Mar</strong>ch <strong>2021</strong> | 19

The Molly Grace<br />

(828) 526-8390<br />

207 N. 4th Street<br />

Highlands, NC 28741<br />

Happy N ew Year<br />

Come visit Peak Experience for fine<br />

American handcrafts, including<br />

jewelry, pottery and great gifts!<br />

Visit us in person or email us<br />

@mollygracecorp@gmail.com to be the<br />

first to know when our online store is live!<br />

Enjoy free shipping our first week online!<br />

2820 Dillard Road, Highlands, NC | 828-526-0229 | Call for winter hours.<br />

Tuesday - Saturday<br />

11:00 am - 5:00 pm<br />

44 Village Walk Way<br />

Cashiers, NC<br />

828.743.6267<br />

current hours on The Bascom's website.<br />

(828) 526-4949 www.thebascom.org<br />

Highlander Mountain House Brunch<br />

Sundays<br />

Join the Highlander<br />

Mountain House<br />

from 11 am to 3 pm at<br />

their Ruffed Grouse<br />

Tavern for brunch<br />

favorites ranging<br />

from avocado toast<br />

and breakfast tacos<br />

to omelets, pancakes<br />

and chicken biscuits.<br />

Sip on your favorite<br />

Sunday cocktail while<br />

enjoying a roaring fire<br />

and cozy Appalachian<br />

hospitality. (828) 526-2590<br />

www.highlandermountainhouse.com<br />

Highlands Wine Shoppe Tastings<br />

Thursdays<br />

Join the Highlands Wine Shoppe on<br />

Thursdays from 4 pm to 7 pm and explore<br />

offerings for your unique palate. $10 per<br />

person. (828) 526-4080<br />

www.highlandswineshoppe.com<br />

FEBRUARY<br />

Hosted Weekend with Killer Bees<br />

Honey<br />

<strong>Feb</strong>ruary 26 through 28<br />

Killer Bees Honey will present another<br />

sweet weekend for guests of Half-Mile Farm<br />

in <strong>Feb</strong>ruary. Like fine wine and chocolate,<br />

pure honey is a product of local terroir. Soil,<br />

air, water, climate, and of course, plants<br />

and flowers contribute to the complexity<br />

of regional honey. Sean and Denise will<br />

present a sit-down sensory experience where<br />

guests will learn about life in the hive, how<br />

bees make honey, the differences between<br />

honey varietals and what to look for when<br />

searching for honey purity all while savoring<br />

honey from the Killer Bees apiary. Friday<br />

and Saturday evening social hour will<br />

feature signature cocktails featuring Killer<br />

Bees Honey, while the delicious nectar will<br />

be the focal point of breakfast on Saturday<br />

and Sunday. (855) 271-7246<br />

www.oldedwardshospitality.com/half-milefarm/calendar-of-events/killerbeeshoney<br />

20 | The<strong>Plateau</strong>Mag.com

No Man's Land<br />

<strong>Feb</strong>ruary 21<br />

Join the Highlands PAC at 3 pm for No<br />

Man's Land. Following their hit run on<br />

Broadway, Ian McKellen and Patrick<br />

Stewart return to the West End stage in<br />

Harold Pinter's No Man's Land, broadcast<br />

live to cinemas from Wyndham's Theatre,<br />

London. One summer's evening, two<br />

aging writers, Hirst and Spooner, meet<br />

in a Hampstead pub and continue<br />

their drinking into the night at Hirst's<br />

stately house nearby. As the pair become<br />

increasingly inebriated and their stories<br />

increasingly unbelievable, the lively<br />

conversation soon turns into a revealing<br />

power game, further complicated by the<br />

return home of two sinister younger men.<br />

(828) 526-9047 www.highlandspac.org<br />

Le Creuset, Wolf, Lodge, Breville, Wusthof and more!<br />

Cookware • Bakeware Kitchen Tools • Small Appliances • Gifts<br />

Mon-Sat 8am-5pm • 41 Commons Drive, Cashiers, NC • 828-743-9091<br />

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A DIVERSE GALLERY WITH HANDMADE RUGS<br />

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Living Your Life Purpose<br />

<strong>Feb</strong>ruary 22, 25 and 28<br />

This free intro has three one-hour<br />

virtual sessions from 7 pm to 8 pm with<br />

presentations, worksheets and group<br />

discussion. If you are interested in<br />

developing your life purpose and are<br />

particularly challenged or have a family<br />

member challenged by life passages,<br />

planning for retirement or current<br />

retirement, this course will introduce<br />

research outlining what contributes to a<br />

fulfilling, healthy and high-quality life.<br />

(828) 526-5838 www.themountainrlc.org<br />

HANDMADE RUGS AT AFFORDABLE PRICES<br />

Full in-home Service<br />

Store hours:<br />

September-October: Mon-Fri 10-4, Saturday 10-3<br />

November: Mon, Thurs, & Fri 10-4, Saturday 10-3<br />

763 Highway 107 South | Cashiers, NC | 828.743.5493<br />

www.boundscaverugs.com | boundscave@aol.com<br />

Also Serving upstate South Carolina<br />

<strong>Feb</strong>ruary /<strong>Mar</strong>ch <strong>2021</strong> | 21

<strong>Feb</strong>ruary / <strong>Mar</strong>ch 2020<br />

June / July 2020<br />

MARCH<br />

War Horse<br />

<strong>Mar</strong>ch 7<br />

Join the Highlands PAC at 3 pm for<br />

War Horse. Based on the beloved novel<br />

by Michael Morpurgo, adapted by Nick<br />

Stafford, and in association with the<br />

award-winning Handspring Puppet<br />

Company. At the outbreak of World War<br />

One, Albert's beloved horse, Joey, is sold<br />

to the Cavalry and shipped to France.<br />

Though still not old enough to enlist, he<br />

embarks on a treacherous mission to find<br />

him and bring him home. (828) 526-9047<br />

www.highlandspac.org<br />

Spend a Year<br />

in the Mountains<br />

of Highlands-Cashiers North Carolina<br />

Wedding<br />

Venues<br />

With Breathtaking<br />

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the Perfect Backdrop<br />

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Date<br />

Night<br />

Picks for<br />

12<br />

Valentine’s<br />

Day Dining<br />

inaugural<br />

issue<br />

Battle of the Barrels<br />

<strong>Mar</strong>ch 12 through 13<br />

Join Old Edwards Inn from 4 pm to 5<br />

pm in the Hummingbird Lounge for<br />

complimentary scotch, bourbon, and Irish<br />

whisky tastings. (866) 526-8008 www.<br />

oldedwardshospitality.com/calendar-ofevents/food-dining/stpatricksday<br />

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Fashion<br />

At Home<br />

in Highlands<br />

Mayor<br />

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Even in Quarantine,<br />

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Take A Hike<br />

Give This List of Trails<br />

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22 | The<strong>Plateau</strong>Mag.com<br />

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Call for your free consultation today!<br />

Office: 828-349-4577<br />

Cell: 828-200-6694<br />

Heritage Apple Day<br />

<strong>Mar</strong>ch 27<br />

Join the Cashiers Historical Society from<br />

11 am to 2 pm at the Cashiers Community<br />

Center for their annual Heritage Apple<br />

Day, a free educational event for all ages<br />

to pay tribute to the significance of apples<br />

in the early years of the Cashiers Valley.<br />

Learn how to graft your own apple tree,<br />

sample apple treats, visit the children's<br />

corner for crafts and take home a free<br />

apple tree! (828) 743-7710<br />

www.cashiershistoricalsociety.org P

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Freelance Writers and<br />

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<strong>Feb</strong>ruary /<strong>Mar</strong>ch <strong>2021</strong> | 23

staff picks<br />

Broader Bookshelf<br />

Explore titles you might not otherwise pick up<br />

Tomi Adeyemi, Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orisha, 1)<br />

“Children of Blood and Bone” is a must-read monumental tale of the fierce Zélie Adebola who<br />

fights against oppression to avenge the death of her mother and free her people in Orisha. Helped<br />

by her brother Tzain and a rogue princess named Amari, Zélie harnesses magical powers and uses<br />

the vast potential of her brilliant mind over matter as the trio wage many battles. The book is an<br />

allegory for racism against African Americans in America. When Zélie wonders why the king and<br />

his men hate her, Mama Agba wisely says, “They don't hate you, my child. They hate what you<br />

were meant to become.” It is heartening to see Zelie’s journey as she rises and reclaims her magic<br />

and herself. This majestic fantasy novel is geared toward young adults, but it is a marvelous read<br />

for adults as well. – Mona Verma<br />

Crissy Van Meter, Creatures<br />

“Creatures” is, on the surface, the story of Evangeline/Evie and the days leading up to her wedding,<br />

but the tale covers so much more than that. We travel through her memories of childhood on Winter<br />

Island, her coming of age when she leaves for the Mainland, how she returns to Winter Island for<br />

good, and her relationship with her husband after the wedding. Every moment of the tale works to<br />

keep you grounded in reality while struggling with themes of love and loss in this story about the<br />

ways our families and friends can hurt us and heal us. – Mahogany Skillings<br />

Souad Mekhennet, I Was Told to Come Alone: My Journey Behind the<br />

Lines of Jihad<br />

In this fast-paced memoir, journalist Souad Mekhennet recalls her interviews behind the lines<br />

of jihad. As a Muslim who was born and educated in Germany, Mekhennet knows firsthand the<br />

misunderstandings between Muslims and the West. She maintains a neutral – and sometimes<br />

mediating – position as she attempts to present all sides, as well as internal rifts in Islam. Her<br />

tenacity in getting interviews and maintaining sources is astounding. During the course of her<br />

interviews, Mekhennet ends up in some harrowing situations, including being arrested by Egyptian<br />

security forces during the Arab Spring. She manages to maintain a sense of humor and even<br />

project a sense of calm while reporting in daunting and dangerous situations. – Megan Mathis<br />

Olivia Dade, Spoiler Alert<br />

She’s a plus-sized geologist whose passion is cosplaying a character from the biggest show on television.<br />

(Think “A Game of Thrones” but Roman gods and heroes.) He’s the ridiculously attractive<br />

star of the show – but when he asks her out on a date to spite her fat-shaming internet critics, he<br />

finds out that he’s known her for years… as his fanfiction writing partner. But he can’t tell her<br />

that. This romance is equal parts steamy, funny, angsty and heartwarming – whether you’re an<br />

avid romance reader or looking to fulfill this Broader Bookshelf prompt with your first romance<br />

ever, there’s a lot to love here. – Sara McBride<br />

24 | The<strong>Plateau</strong>Mag.com

local chatter<br />

Allowing the Soul<br />

to Bloom<br />

Preserving what counts in Highlands<br />

By RAN SHAFFNER, Archivist Emeritus, Highlands Historical Society<br />

Joe Webb's "Cabin Ben"<br />

on the National Register<br />

IN 1884, SIX YEARS AFTER THE FOUNDING OF HIGHLANDS, AN OLD<br />

gentleman was bartering some chickens for tobacco and calico and was heard to<br />

remark, "I'll be dogged! If Highlands don't begin to look plum like a city." If this old<br />

gentleman returned today, he'd think Highlands is huge. But a visitor from Miami<br />

or New York would never consider the town—population 989—as anything more<br />

than a village. Growth looms more destructive in a village than in a metropolis, where<br />

it is far less noticed. To argue that a town, which doesn't grow, will die is to disregard<br />

deaths from overgrowth. The high cost of too much growth in a small town is not so<br />

much financial as human. The stakes are higher for a town like Highlands than for<br />

larger cities, whose residents visit for love of what makes it different rather than what<br />

duplicates life back home. The hope for Highlands’ future lies in preserving its natural<br />

and human qualities, its innate beauty and humanity.<br />

To this end, the people of Highlands have<br />

sought to preserve its individual face, as<br />

distinguished from the appearance of<br />

the typical American town. Since 1990<br />

Highlanders have succeeded in placing<br />

sixty-four historic sites on the National<br />

Register. Being on the National Register<br />

does not protect these structures from being<br />

upgraded, replaced or torn down, but<br />

it does identify them as worthy of being<br />

preserved. They are recognized as valuable<br />

parts of America's history, whether<br />

for their architectural beauty or for the<br />

significant people who lived in them.<br />

These sixty-four sites were among 173<br />

houses listed in a 1982 Historic Survey,<br />

showing that the architectural style in<br />

Highlands is so diverse it can't be categorized.<br />

The survey depicted two personalities<br />

of the town: (1) the stable, practical<br />

and provincial year-round personality and<br />

(2) the playful, cosmopolitan, summer personality.<br />

The styles ranged from Joe Webb<br />

log cabins to English manors and from a<br />

Japanese pavilion to a Southern plantation<br />

house. Although the town failed to<br />

write any of its historic structures into<br />

a protective ordinance, just identifying<br />

them as historically valuable made people<br />

aware of the unique treasures that give<br />

Highlands its character and personality.<br />

But structures are only a part of a town's<br />

essential identity. This was recognized by<br />

the creation of many nonprofit organizations.<br />

Among them, the Highlands Biological<br />

Station was established in 1927 to<br />

protect the natural environment. Situated<br />

in a rain forest with a northern climate at<br />

a southern latitude as the highest town<br />

in the eastern United States, Highlands<br />

enjoyed one of the most diverse environments<br />

in the world. Conserving this<br />

unique setting has been the goal of the<br />

Biological Station, Botanical Garden and<br />

Nature Center for more than ninety years.<br />

Much of the land surrounding Highlands<br />

has been protected since the Weeks Act of<br />

1911 created the National Forests. Three<br />

years earlier the Highlands Improvement<br />

Society bought the top of Satulah Mountain,<br />

making its descendant today, the<br />

Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust, the oldest<br />

land trust in North Carolina. Today it<br />

preserves thousands of acres, outside the<br />

boundaries of the Forest Service, as scenic<br />

viewscapes along mountainsides and undisturbed<br />

landscapes in the valleys and on<br />

the plateau.<br />

In addition to its role in helping preserve<br />

historic structures, documents,<br />

photographs, artifacts, etc., the Highlands<br />

Historical Society honors individuals who<br />

devoted their lives to conserving the land<br />

and the health of its people. It erected a<br />

North Carolina Historic Highway <strong>Mar</strong>ker<br />

to recognize Thomas Harbison, a local<br />

botanist and educator, who pioneered<br />

the late 19th-century study of flora in the<br />

southeastern United States. It erected<br />

another marker to honor André Michaux,<br />

who traversed the Highlands <strong>Plateau</strong> on<br />

<strong>Feb</strong>ruary /<strong>Mar</strong>ch <strong>2021</strong> | 25

local chatter<br />

Preserving<br />

the Village<br />

By MELISSA WARREN HUDSON, Cashiers Historical Society<br />

PROUD OF EARLIER GENERATIONS AND THEIR STORIED PATHS,<br />

various groups and individuals had long collected historical information<br />

relevant to Cashiers, but prior to 1996 there had never been an organized<br />

effort to preserve the history of the vibrant mountain village. In November<br />

of 1996, an organizational event was held at the Hanks House, a historical<br />

property located off the Highway 107 South corridor and across the street from the<br />

present-day office of the Cashiers Historical Society. The enthusiasm at this meeting to<br />

honor and preserve the history of Cashiers was simply contagious.<br />

Dry Falls in the<br />

Nantahala National Forest<br />

his first trip to North Carolina to study<br />

its flora in 1787. A third marker honors<br />

Dr. <strong>Mar</strong>y Lapham, who operated a sanatorium<br />

in Highlands in the early 1900s to<br />

ensure the health of its people, threatened<br />

by the scourge of tuberculosis.<br />

A recent marker was erected to preserve<br />

the memory not of a person but a historic<br />

event. In 1885 moonshiners from Georgia<br />

laid siege on Highlands to free a fellow bootlegger.<br />

The event made front page of the<br />

New York Times as the "Moccasin War" and<br />

lives today in a Legend and Lore <strong>Mar</strong>ker on<br />

the street where it was actually fought.<br />

Protecting the buildings, environment,<br />

history and folklore of a community and<br />

honoring the people who value its integrity<br />

will guarantee a town won't wither<br />

from overgrowth so long as it preserves its<br />

essential bloom. P<br />

Oh, how it is a man may grow<br />

Away from his own soul—<br />

How Nature kindly takes him back<br />

And gently makes him Whole.<br />

—Highlands native,<br />

Bess Hines Harkins, 1959<br />

Attending this meeting was Jane Nardy, a<br />

historian and descendent of Colonel John<br />

Zachary, who history tells us was one of<br />

the founding pioneers of Cashiers, and<br />

Ann McKee Austin, a long-time local resident<br />

with generational ties to Cashiers.<br />

This meeting’s passion for the stories of<br />

Cashiers led to the formation of the Cashiers<br />

Historical Society (CHS).<br />

In 1997, the first major project of CHS<br />

was born: the preservation of today’s<br />

Zachary-Tolbert House, an iconic nineteenth-century<br />

house that now serves as<br />

a free public museum on today’s beautiful<br />

CHS grounds. As honored in the Cashiers<br />

Historical Society’s publication Faces &<br />

Places of Cashiers Valley:<br />

“The preservation of the Zachary-Tol-<br />

PHOTOS HIGHLANDS HISTORICAL SOCIETY ARCHIVES;<br />

CASHIERS HISTORICAL SOCIETY<br />

26 | The<strong>Plateau</strong>Mag.com

PHOTO HOTEL CASHIERS ANN AUSTIN<br />

bert House was especially notable because<br />

it was built in 1850 by Mordecai Zachary,<br />

son of one of Cashiers’ founding fathers,<br />

Colonel John Alexander Zachary. It is a<br />

rare example of Greek Revival vernacular<br />

architecture, uncommon in the region.<br />

It had been preserved intact, had never<br />

been electrified, nor had plumbing been<br />

added. In preservationist terms, it had<br />

never been ‘remuddled.’ And the original<br />

plain-style furniture, handcrafted by Mordecai<br />

Zachary, was still intact. This was a<br />

situation almost unprecedented in historic<br />

preservation.<br />

In late 1997, Cashiers residents Tom<br />

and Wendy Dowden stepped forward and<br />

purchased from the Tolbert family the<br />

main house, a detached kitchen dependency<br />

and the surrounding acreages. Having<br />

for some time considered practical<br />

ways to increase both education and stewardship<br />

in the community, they agreed to<br />

donate the house and dependency to the<br />

rapidly developing Cashiers Historical<br />

Society if the group could demonstrate it<br />

was capable of raising the funds needed<br />

for its restoration. A capital campaign<br />

quickly raised $100,000, thus securing<br />

the Dowden’s donation and launching the<br />

Historical Society’s first major project, the<br />

preservation of today’s Zachary-Tolbert<br />

House museum.”<br />

Today, the iconic Zachary-Tolbert<br />

House is listed on the National Register<br />

of Historic Places and is an integral part<br />

of present-day CHS programming and its<br />

grounds, which continued to improve and<br />

grow by acquiring new land and historical<br />

structures. The campus hosts four historical<br />

structures, trails, a visitor center and<br />

an heirloom garden and apple orchard.<br />

Preserving Character<br />

and Community<br />

In addition to its historic campus, CHS<br />

protects and honors properties around<br />

town. On an annual basis, CHS presents<br />

the Village Heritage Award, which recognizes<br />

buildings in Cashiers that have<br />

been adapted for use as an active business<br />

and contribute to the vitality of the<br />

community. Award-winning structures<br />

are those that best exemplify the village<br />

character of Cashiers. CHS recently announced<br />

that the renovated Hotel Cashiers<br />

is the recipient of the 2020 Village<br />

Heritage Award.<br />

A Silver Milestone<br />

Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year,<br />

CHS has grown to become one of the most<br />

successful preservation, civic and interpretive<br />

organizations in Western North<br />

Carolina. Representing an unincorporated<br />

village, CHS is also considered a thought<br />

leader on Cashiers growth and intentional<br />

development.<br />

With Cashiers experiencing rapid<br />

growth and development, sustaining CHS<br />

and its mission will ensure Cashiers remains<br />

the village we all love so dearly and<br />

that our visiting families and friends have<br />

enjoyed for generations. The continued<br />

support of the community will help ensure<br />

the success of Cashiers and CHS for the<br />

next 25 years and beyond. P<br />

The Zachary-Tolbert House before and after<br />

restoration. (Bottom): Hotel Cashiers Coowner<br />

Daniel Fletcher accepts the 2020 Village<br />

Heritage Award from John Barrow, CHS<br />

board member and Village Heritage Award<br />

committee chair. With Brett Stewart, Fletcher<br />

purchased the lodging building in 2019. They<br />

installed all new mechanical systems, added<br />

high internet connections to each room,<br />

completely redid the interiors and refreshed<br />

the exterior and grounds, while maintaining<br />

the building’s historic character.<br />

<strong>Feb</strong>ruary /<strong>Mar</strong>ch <strong>2021</strong> | 27

art seen<br />

Rising<br />

When the human spirit yearns for brighter days,<br />

artists answer the challenge<br />

By KIM HENRY<br />

MARCH 2020 BROUGHT<br />

the world grinding to<br />

a halt, and for many,<br />

it’s been more than a<br />

challenge finding new<br />

ways to move forward as we continue to<br />

navigate COVID-19. Among the many sad<br />

stories of businesses shutting down and out<br />

of work artists, there are a few happy tales<br />

of success. Meet photographer/entrepreneur,<br />

Merrell Thompson, who’s having her own<br />

personal renaissance in response to the<br />

pandemic, in spite of losing her business.<br />

Thompson’s visceral photography has taken<br />

on a whole new lease of life, offering us<br />

unique perspectives in a time when we need<br />

to sharpen this ability more than ever.<br />

Merrell Thompson<br />

Born and raised in Winter Park, FL,<br />

Thompson always loved to photograph her<br />

surroundings as a child and took every opportunity<br />

to learn more about her chosen<br />

passion while growing up. Also interested<br />

in business, Merrell majored in economics<br />

at Vanderbilt University but knew she also<br />

wanted to utilize her creativity. She shares<br />

a distinct memory from the first day of college,<br />

“we were asked to write down exactly<br />

what we wanted in life, and I wrote that I’d<br />

like to be a photographer entrepreneur.” As<br />

with many of us, life soon gathered its own<br />

momentum, and Thompson married, had<br />

three children and worked at NBC, with<br />

photography taking a bit of a back seat. “I<br />

did begin doing child portraits when I had<br />

PHOTO OF MERRELL THOMPSON, DAVID CLIFTON STRAWN<br />

28 | The<strong>Plateau</strong>Mag.com

PHOTOS MERRELL THOMPSON<br />

my own kids, but honestly, it wasn’t really<br />

my thing!” Thompson confesses.<br />

Having an inherent love of both adventure<br />

and nature, Thompson spent every<br />

family trip taking pictures and continuing<br />

to hone her photographic style and skills.<br />

Although she settled in Atlanta in 2001,<br />

Thompson had spent her childhood summers<br />

in the stunning mountains of Cashiers,<br />

NC, and continues this tradition with<br />

her own family. A major leap in her photography<br />

journey came with the arrival of<br />

drones. “I was so inspired by this new perspective<br />

that I’d never seen before,” says<br />

Thompson with her signature enthusiasm.<br />

This led to the development of her own<br />

real estate marketing company, which was<br />

successful until COVID hit last year, cutting<br />

budgets in every sector of life. However,<br />

surrendering to the enforced pause,<br />

Thompson suddenly had time to explore<br />

her photography in new ways and give it<br />

more attention. “Having more time, and<br />

combining my love of adventure, nature,<br />

drones and amazing high res cameras<br />

allowed me to reassess what I wanted to<br />

do and how I wanted to do it,” explains<br />

Thompson. Her impressive body of work<br />

ranges from compelling close-ups of animals,<br />

to whales swimming in the ocean, to<br />

stunning bird-eye views of cities.<br />

“I’m trying to share the emotion of a particular<br />

moment in my work. I want people<br />

to feel what I felt when I took the shot -<br />

when I looked into the eyes of that ram<br />

or was able to swim alongside the whale,”<br />

shares Thompson, whose striking images<br />

have many stories to tell. Most of Thompson’s<br />

photos come from her travels and<br />

reflect her interests. Unusual angles and<br />

startling perspectives are her specialty.<br />

Nature and animals are among the repeating<br />

themes alongside powerful cityscapes,<br />

underwater sea life and starry night skies.<br />

The black and white and color photos are<br />

a stark reminder of the miraculous and<br />

beautiful diversity of our planet and all of<br />

its many life forms.<br />

Thompson’s work can be found in a gallery<br />

that she shares with painter Laura<br />

Moser in Cashiers, where viewings are<br />

currently by appointment. Ever energetic,<br />

Thompson is also about to open a gallery<br />

space in Atlanta. It seems that one of the<br />

silver linings of so many businesses being<br />

on hold due to COVID is that pop-up<br />

spaces are on the rise. Many commercial<br />

venues are suddenly available at slashed<br />

prices and on a month-to-month basis, em-<br />

powering artists to be innovative and try<br />

out new ideas without having to get locked<br />

into a three-year lease and take on huge<br />

financial risks.<br />

We know that some of the most pioneering<br />

and creative times in history have<br />

followed some of the darkest periods. The<br />

human spirit yearns for brighter days, and<br />

thankfully artists rise to the challenge<br />

time and time again. Perhaps adversity is<br />

the mother of creativity and although no<br />

one in their right mind would welcome a<br />

world pandemic, we can all celebrate the<br />

inspiring ways in which we humans are<br />

powering through. P<br />

(clockwise) Not Same, currently available at 96 W x 48 H.<br />

Artist Note: "I took this shot with my Fuji GFX100, and I really love<br />

how the light on his body in the image shows how beautiful his<br />

skin and coloring look with the naked eye."<br />

Huckleberry, currently available at 96 H x 60 W.<br />

Artist Note: "This image was captured at an organic farm in<br />

Franklin, NC. Huckleberry was the sole Ram of a heard of Iceland<br />

sheep. In order to get the shot, I had to lure the sheep into their<br />

sheering barn (which they don't like) with 'crack feed' that the<br />

animals loved. THEN, I had their undivided attention."<br />

Sleeping Vampire, currently available at 96 H x 60 W<br />

Artist Note: "I captured this in the Galapagos Islands. I almost<br />

stepped on her. There are no natural predators on the islands, so<br />

the birds fear almost nothing. She was so peaceful, symmetric and<br />

stunning at the same time."<br />

High Life, currently available at 96 W x 42 H.<br />

Artist Note: "This is a drone shot of the Bank of America Building<br />

in Atlanta, which is the highest most central point in the South.<br />

It consists of 28 photos and was taken at sunrise with the sun<br />

perfectly aligned with the building's pinnacle. This only happens<br />

a couple of times a year. You can see Piedmont Park, Buckhead,<br />

Stone Mountain and all of Midtown and Downton."<br />

<strong>Feb</strong>ruary /<strong>Mar</strong>ch <strong>2021</strong> | 29

newsmaker<br />

A Culinary Oasis<br />

Cashiers Kitchen Company offers a one-stop shop for all things cooking, baking and grilling<br />

By JUDY ROYAL » Photos by TRACY MENDY<br />

WHEN GLENN AND KIM<br />

Ubertino bought Zoller<br />

Hardware – a longtime<br />

staple in Cashiers, NC –<br />

five years ago, they realized<br />

their kitchen section had expansion potential.<br />

As a result, they opened Cashiers Kitchen<br />

Company in the same plaza in May 2018.<br />

“Kim and I wanted to open a store that<br />

was fun to shop, offering a mix of kitchen<br />

tools, professional quality cookware and<br />

essential electric appliances to offer exceptional<br />

performance and style for the items<br />

cooks use most often,” said Ubertino, who<br />

worked at the corporate level for Home<br />

Depot for 17 years. “Everyone loves a new<br />

kitchen gadget, and we have many to<br />

choose from. Our customers enjoy seeing<br />

what’s new and available to help them with<br />

whatever they are doing in their kitchen.”<br />

<strong>Mar</strong>ian Duncan, a 40-year resident of<br />

the area who has been store manager at<br />

Cashiers Kitchen Company since its inception,<br />

said the store was a natural extension<br />

of the hardware store’s selection.<br />

“That’s how this store really came to<br />

birth because they saw the need in this<br />

town for a much more extensive kitchen<br />

store,” she said. “It has certainly proven<br />

that point. The store has just grown and<br />

grown ever since we’ve opened.”<br />

Cashiers Kitchen Company offers 3,000<br />

square feet of a variety of culinary products<br />

for the customer who loves to cook,<br />

bake or grill, including an enclosed outdoor<br />

area for the grilling products. There are<br />

also gift items such as private-label jams<br />

and relishes, lotions and candles. Among<br />

the offerings are Wolf small appliances,<br />

Wüsthof cutlery, Lodge cast iron cookware,<br />

Le Creuset cookware and Mason<br />

Cash bowls from England. Both tourists<br />

and locals come in for everything from a<br />

small souvenir to take back home to items<br />

to fully stock their kitchens.<br />

“We’re full to the ceiling,” said Duncan,<br />

who handles most of the ordering for in-<br />

30 | The<strong>Plateau</strong>Mag.com

ventory. “The exterior walls have shelves<br />

that go to the ceiling, and we have vaulted<br />

ceilings. People are amazed when they<br />

walk through this door. They can’t believe<br />

the selection we have, and I like seeing<br />

their reactions when they come in.”<br />

“Our store is very impressive,” she added.<br />

“It’s very well-lit. It’s very well-displayed,<br />

and it’s very interesting because we have<br />

a mix of products and price points. We are<br />

a seasonal town, so we have to gear our<br />

inventory to that.”<br />

“Our mix helps differentiate us,” Ubertino<br />

said. “We find new and interesting<br />

products that are not available in other<br />

kitchen stores.”<br />

Duncan said Cashiers Kitchen Company<br />

offers the variety of a large store while giving<br />

people the opportunity to shop local.<br />

“Our typical customer is basically the<br />

homeowner here,” she said. “They’re kind<br />

of the base of our financial stability because<br />

they are here all the time. It’s sort of<br />

like their go-to place, and they bring their<br />

friends and their families all the time.”<br />

Both Ubertino and Duncan agree that<br />

getting acquainted with the community<br />

is part of what they enjoy the most about<br />

being involved with Cashiers Kitchen<br />

Company.<br />

“Our favorite thing about owning the<br />

store is meeting new people and sharing<br />

stories with them,” Ubertino said. “We<br />

enjoy starting relationships with our<br />

customers.”<br />

Duncan said she considers many of the<br />

customers friends.<br />

While the COVID-19 pandemic has<br />

posed some challenges for the store, including<br />

sourcing products in a timely fashion<br />

due to unprecedented high demand,<br />

Cashiers Kitchen Company has adapted<br />

and even flourished as a result.<br />

“People have not been going out to restaurants<br />

and are eating at home more,<br />

so that has been a benefit to us,” Duncan<br />

said. “Everybody was cooking and baking<br />

this past year.”<br />

Despite the unexpected nature of 2020,<br />

Ubertino said the community reception<br />

to Cashiers Kitchen Company has been<br />

overwhelmingly positive, and he attributes<br />

that to the staff.<br />

“To be honest, we thought we would<br />

need to spend more time at the store, but<br />

because of our amazing staff we don’t need<br />

to be there every day all day,” he said. “We<br />

have employees who know how to run a<br />

business and take care of our customers.<br />

Our people set the store apart. <strong>Mar</strong>ian, David<br />

and Joanna are excellent merchants.<br />

They know how to merchandise the store<br />

versus simply stocking a shelf.”<br />

Duncan shared Ubertino’s praise for the<br />

staff.<br />

“I have two really fantastic coworkers,”<br />

she said. “We treat this store like it’s our<br />

own business.”<br />

Duncan said she loves hearing how<br />

much customers enjoy the store.<br />

“I’ve been very pleased with the response,”<br />

she said. “People always say<br />

they’re glad we’re here. It saves them a trip<br />

off the mountain.” P<br />

(Left) Owners Glenn and Kim Ubertino with<br />

<strong>Mar</strong>ian and David of Cashiers Kitchen Company;<br />

Cashiers Kitchen Company offers a large variety<br />

of culinary products for customers who love<br />

cooking, including Le Creuset cookware; Privatelabel<br />

jams and relishes are among the items<br />

available as small gift souvenirs.<br />

More about<br />

Cashiers Kitchen<br />

Company<br />

» Owners: Glenn and Kim Ubertino<br />

» Products: Kitchen appliances,<br />

cutlery, cookware, dinnerware,<br />

glassware, utensils, gift items<br />

and other culinary goods<br />

» Location:<br />

41 Commons Drive, Cashiers, NC<br />

» Contact Info:<br />

828-743-9091<br />

Facebook: www.facebook.com/<br />

CashiersKitchenCo<br />

<strong>Feb</strong>ruary /<strong>Mar</strong>ch <strong>2021</strong> | 31

history<br />

The now demolished<br />

Toxaway Inn<br />

Making Room<br />

Female fortitude in the early 1900s<br />

IN LIGHT OF INTERNATIONAL<br />

Woman’s Day, <strong>Mar</strong>ch 8th, a remarkable<br />

woman from Western North Carolina<br />

comes to mind, who is not recognized in<br />

the archives of history for her success<br />

as a business person in a world before women<br />

were given the right to vote. In a long line of<br />

men who were appointed managers by The<br />

Toxaway Company for their three luxury hotels<br />

in the Fairfield, Sapphire and Toxaway areas<br />

as far back as 1892, finally, a woman proved to<br />

possess the right qualifications to deserve the<br />

honor. Mrs. Annie Davis <strong>Mar</strong>tin of Asheville,<br />

NC, possessed a well-established reputation<br />

in caring for the needs of discriminating<br />

guests in various inns and hotels, before she<br />

was appointed the manager of the enormous<br />

Toxaway Inn in 1911. She had demonstrated<br />

her meticulous management skills in the<br />

orderly running of large inns and boarding<br />

houses, which included the overseeing of the<br />

kitchen and dining staff, the cleaning and<br />

laundry workers, in addition to planning<br />

By CAROL M. BRYSON, Historian and Author<br />

amusing events and activities for her society<br />

guests, all at the same time while realizing a<br />

profit for the owners.<br />

In 1911, a newspaper announcement stated<br />

that Mrs. Annie D. <strong>Mar</strong>tin was receiving the<br />

management position of the grandiose fivestory<br />

Toxaway Inn.<br />

Born in 1860, Annie Swann Davis grew<br />

up in a large boarding house that her<br />

widowed mother ran in Wilmington, NC.<br />

In 1879, when Annie turned 18, she married<br />

James G. <strong>Mar</strong>tin, Jr., a young lawyer<br />

who worked in his father’s firm in Asheville.<br />

One year later, she gave birth to a<br />

daughter they named Esther King <strong>Mar</strong>tin.<br />

Three years later, another daughter,<br />

Anne Swann <strong>Mar</strong>tin, was born. Sometime<br />

between 1879 and 1900, Annie managed<br />

to attain two years of a college education.<br />

James and Annie Davis <strong>Mar</strong>tin were<br />

separated by 1900. Annie supported herself<br />

and her daughters by taking over the<br />

management of the Oakland Heights Hotel<br />

in Asheville in 1900, and changing its<br />

name to the Victoria Inn. Her daughters<br />

were by then 18 and 20 years old and were<br />

helping out, thereby carrying on, which<br />

was by then, the maternal traditional<br />

family occupation of hotel management.<br />

Right away, local newspapers noted<br />

that Mrs. Annie D. <strong>Mar</strong>tin was making a<br />

remarkable success as the new manager<br />

of the Victoria Inn, allowing the owner<br />

to pay off old debts. Annie loved to plan<br />

dances with live orchestras and inviting<br />

notable citizens of Asheville to attend,<br />

such as Charles Waddell, who later took<br />

an interest in Cashiers and the High<br />

Hampton Inn. Annie’s Victoria Inn became<br />

one of Asheville’s most popular hotels<br />

in the days of horse-drawn carriages<br />

and electric streetcars.<br />

The Inn’s ownership changed hands frequently,<br />

with each owner keeping Annie in<br />

charge as its manager. After eight years,<br />

a Catholic Order purchased the property<br />

and turned it into a college. Annie Davis<br />

<strong>Mar</strong>tin went on to manage the Mountain<br />

Meadows Inn in Asheville for a while after<br />

that, until her reputation caught the<br />

attention of The Toxaway Company. In<br />

1911, a newspaper announcement stated<br />

that she was receiving the management<br />

position of the grandiose five-story Toxaway<br />

Inn, built on the high elevations of<br />

Transylvania County, alongside a sprawling<br />

man-made lake and dam above the<br />

Toxaway Falls. This may have been the<br />

peak of her career. However, at the same<br />

time, she was taking on tremendous responsibilities.<br />

The Toxaway Inn attracted<br />

four or five times as many high society<br />

guests as she was accustomed to, from all<br />

over New England, who were looking for<br />

relaxation, excellent cuisine and enter-<br />

32 | The<strong>Plateau</strong>Mag.com

<strong>Feb</strong>ruary / <strong>Mar</strong>ch 2020<br />

June / July 2020<br />

tainment. Guests arrived by train to the<br />

Toxaway Inn railroad station right next<br />

to the Inn.<br />

If you are familiar with local history,<br />

you know that the Toxaway Inn’s popularity<br />

fell to its demise in the aftermath<br />

of a torrential rainstorm in 1916, when<br />

the dam of the lake burst. Was Annie<br />

Davis <strong>Mar</strong>tin still the manager at that<br />

time? Further research shows that, no,<br />

she was not. By 1915, she had moved on<br />

to become the manager of the Highland<br />

Lake Club in Flat Rock, NC. While still<br />

the manager there, she became the manager<br />

and owner of the Flat Rock Country<br />

Club in 1917, renaming it the Woodfield<br />

Hotel. Two years later, she added the<br />

management of the Kanuga Club property<br />

in Flat Rock. Annie Davis <strong>Mar</strong>tin had<br />

certainly made her mark as a successful<br />

hotel manager. Her management skills<br />

proved to be equal to, if not better, than<br />

others in a male-dominated society.<br />

In 1940, at 79 years old, Annie was<br />

living in Hendersonville, NC, with<br />

her daughter, Anne, who had married<br />

Edward Holmes. Annie suffered a<br />

fractured hip and became bedridden<br />

about 1945. She died of pneumonia<br />

in 1947 and her ashes were buried in<br />

the Riverside Cemetery in Asheville<br />

next to her husband, who died in 1913.<br />

Her daughter, Esther King Metz, who<br />

married Charles James Metz and lived<br />

in Atlanta, purchased large acreage<br />

tracts on Laurel Knob Road in between<br />

Cashiers and Glenville beginning in<br />

1924. They built a summer mountain<br />

rustic home, which Esther architecturally<br />

designed herself, and her husband<br />

designed the dam forming the private<br />

Hurricane Lake. Although this property<br />

is not currently owned by them,<br />

Annie’s granddaughter, Barbara Metz,<br />

and her husband, Edmund, were summertime<br />

residents of Glenville on<br />

another parcel since 1974. Mrs. Annie<br />

Davis <strong>Mar</strong>tin’s family decedents<br />

are still continuing ownership in the<br />

mountains of Western North Carolina<br />

and are enjoying being summer residents<br />

of Glenville. P<br />

Thank you<br />

to all our customers and friends<br />

for a successful year.<br />

Please join us mid-<strong>Mar</strong>ch to<br />

welcome in the <strong>2021</strong> season.<br />

137 N. Highway 107, Cashiers, NC<br />

828-200-9573<br />

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<strong>Feb</strong>ruary /<strong>Mar</strong>ch <strong>2021</strong> | 33

luxury cakes<br />

The Sweet Life<br />

In these pastries, creativity is the main ingredient<br />

By BRIDGET CALLAHAN<br />

Oksana Shchelgachova<br />

PASTRY CHEF AND CHOCOLATIER OKSANA SHCHELGACHOVA<br />

remembers being a child in the kitchen of her family’s restaurant in the Ukraine,<br />

soaking up the aromas and textures of bread and pastries being prepared. At<br />

five, she began learning what she calls the foundations and nuance of the craft<br />

of baking, starting what would become a lifetime passion for the young artist.<br />

34 | The<strong>Plateau</strong>Mag.com<br />

Any dessert chef will attest to the difficulties<br />

of pastry. Light years beyond what<br />

most of us will ever attempt in our home<br />

kitchen, true pastry art requires deep<br />

knowledge and experience, an encyclopedic<br />

understanding of timing and consistency,<br />

and a near obsessive attention to<br />

detail. Oksana didn’t pursue pastry right<br />

away, graduating first from the National<br />

Art Academy in Kiev.<br />

“But it didn't take long for my passion<br />

for baking to bring me back to pastry. I<br />

obtained my second degree from the Australian<br />

Patisserie Academy in Ryde, AUS,<br />

where I studied under world-famous pastry<br />

chefs. These masters exposed me to the rigors<br />

of creativity and how to demand perfection<br />

from my work,” she says.<br />

While Oksana agrees that her extensive<br />

traveling has not only influenced her style,<br />

she finds herself very happy in the Highlands<br />

PHOTOS OKSANA SHCHELGACHOVA

area. At the urging of her private clients, she<br />

started Sweetlife Highlands in 2017, and in<br />

2019 partnered up with Midpoint Highlands,<br />

where her petits gâteaux (small cakes) have<br />

shown like jewels on display and garnered<br />

the young pastry chef a lot of attention.<br />

“Are there many pastry chefs in larger<br />

metropolitan areas with possibly fartherreaching<br />

exposure? Maybe. But, there is<br />

so much to be said about such a wonderful<br />

close-knit community as Highlands<br />

where everyone knows everyone and such<br />

loyal and long-lasting relationships can be<br />

formed,” Oksana says.<br />

“There is no better testament to my efforts<br />

than when friends tell me how wonderful<br />

and special my pastries make them feel.<br />

My goal is ultimately to create a work of art<br />

that not only impresses with beauty but also<br />

with taste right to the very last bite.”<br />

To that goal, Oksana is constantly learning<br />

and experimenting, even though sometimes<br />

the custom orders of customers have<br />

to take precedence.<br />

“The key is to understand the classic<br />

principles of the process first and then build<br />

on them. That is where the creativity kicks<br />

in,” she says. “I once laughingly told someone<br />

that my dessert creation for me is like<br />

having a baby. You know it's in there, but<br />

you don't know exactly what it looks like<br />

until you see its face for the first time.”<br />

The constant common denominator in her<br />

work, though, is that everything is 100%<br />

pure and 110% edible. She stays away from<br />

chemical powders and artificial ingredients,<br />

and with one or two exceptions, most of her<br />

creations have no extra sugar and are glutenfree-<br />

just the finest chocolates in the world,<br />

lots of cocoa butter and hours of thought.<br />

(clockwise) All edible jumping trout cake; Handdrawn<br />

book cake; Pear cake with chocolate<br />

decorations; Oksana’s current favorite creation is<br />

her Boletus Mushroom dessert, featuring crunchy<br />

pate a sable, red currant confit, white chocolate,<br />

mascarpone mousse, dark chocolate mousse, black<br />

currant compote, heavy cream bisquite and a dark<br />

chocolate dacquoise with almonds.<br />

<strong>Feb</strong>ruary /<strong>Mar</strong>ch <strong>2021</strong> | 35

luxury cakes<br />

These sweet Georgia peaches are made with<br />

sweet and sour peach puree compote, white and<br />

dark chocolate, peach puree mousse, vanilla cake,<br />

baked walnuts and mascarpone cheese mousse;<br />

Pumpkin chocolate cake; Moschino Perfume;<br />

You can find Shchelgachova’s petits gâteaux at<br />

Midpoint Highlands; 5th Avenue cake.<br />

“If you give me a single simple ingredient,<br />

my mind automatically goes to all the<br />

exciting combinations that can complement<br />

this one ingredient. If you say ‘peach,’ I think<br />

hazelnut, orange, pear and verbena. If you<br />

say ‘apple,’ I think of basil, dill, lemon and<br />

honey,” Oksana says. “I really like the combination<br />

of sour and sweet in the same project.<br />

Texturally, both delicate and crispy is one of<br />

my favorites. When I am fortunate enough<br />

to combine all four of these elements in the<br />

same project, then it's a guaranteed success.”<br />

Her Boletus Mushroom dessert, cur-<br />

36 36 | | The<strong>Plateau</strong>Mag.com

ently her favorite creation, is an excellent<br />

example, featuring crunchy pate a sable, red<br />

currant confit, white chocolate, mascarpone<br />

mousse, dark chocolate mousse, black currant<br />

compote, heavy cream bisquite and a<br />

dark chocolate dacquoise with almonds.<br />

“The common thread for me is that I love<br />

to allow my imagination to run free, and I<br />

do not like to rush as that can kill inspiration.<br />

There is no such thing for me as a clear<br />

recipe. Just where will my imagination take<br />

me next,” she adds.<br />

For now, Oksana is quite happy to stay<br />

where she is, with no plans beyond trying<br />

to keep up with the ever-increasing orders.<br />

“We believe that every single order,<br />

whether it be from the daycare down the<br />

road to the most elevated corporate client,<br />

is as important as the last order and I<br />

dedicate the same amount of attention and<br />

detail as I believe each customer should experience<br />

the same satisfaction and enjoyment<br />

out of the work that I do. This is what<br />

motivates me.” P<br />

FireMoss Pottery<br />

and Ceramic Art<br />

F L O R E S S E N C E<br />

florals & event styling<br />

By appointment only<br />

until April.<br />

Botanical. Local. Seasonal. Foraged. Fresh. Wild.<br />

Natural. Garden. Romantic. Lush. Flowing. Ethereal.<br />

H I G H L A N D S , C A S H I E R S , A S H E V I L L E A N D B E Y O N D<br />

107 Lance Road, Cashiers NC<br />

239-331-0054<br />

<strong>Feb</strong>ruary /<strong>Mar</strong>ch <strong>2021</strong> | 37

community<br />

Circles<br />

A nonprofit set on expanding possibilities<br />

By KAT FORD<br />

HOW BIG IS YOUR CIRCLE?<br />

Whose brain do you pick for an<br />

investment strategy? Which<br />

one of your thinks-outside-thebox<br />

entrepreneurial friends<br />

do you lean on for creative endeavors?<br />

A diversified circle is a powerful thing,<br />

so much so that tech companies have<br />

provided networking-minded individuals<br />

tools like LinkedIn. I can determine if I<br />

have an expert in quantum theory in my<br />

professional or social sphere in seconds.<br />

I can also see how many degrees they<br />

are away- navigating the likelihood of<br />

interviewing them for the sci-fi novel I'm<br />

writing. Synergy.<br />

It is harder to do things within a smaller<br />

circle. What if you didn't have anyone to<br />

ask about the steps to buying a first home?<br />

What if the concept of saving for and attending<br />

college was foreign to many in your<br />

sphere? In this context, your circle might<br />

seem less like a world of limitless synergistic<br />

connecting points and more like a corral-<br />

small and fenced in.<br />

Several years ago, eight Cashiers residents<br />

attended a fundraising luncheon for<br />

the Sylva chapter of CirclesUSA. A national<br />

organization, CriclesUSA, gathers adults<br />

who are motivated to move out of poverty<br />

and matches them with middle-income and<br />

high-income Allies who can support and<br />

encourage them on their journey. After<br />

hearing the testimonials of several Leaders<br />

from that chapter, they embarked on a<br />

quest to bring Circles to Cashiers. Between<br />

applying for grants and training, it took<br />

one year before the first cohort of Learners<br />

began in <strong>Feb</strong>ruary of 2020.<br />

After an interview and application process,<br />

Learners join a cohort, eventually<br />

graduating to become Leaders. Leaders<br />

are then assigned an Ally. Allies must<br />

complete two online training courses and<br />

a background check. They meet with their<br />

Leader two to four times a month to go over<br />

goals and discuss any hardships the Leader<br />

may be experiencing. This pairing is fluid;<br />

PHOTOS IRV WELLING<br />

38 | The<strong>Plateau</strong>Mag.com

(Clockwise) Circles board member Peter<br />

Hall with facilitators Janie Crews and Laura<br />

Lankford and coordinator Laura Plush; 2020<br />

Leader graduate, <strong>Mar</strong>e Arenas; 2020 Leader<br />

graduate, Jairo Arenas, with facilitator, Laura<br />

Lankford; 2020 Leader graduate, Linda Bailey<br />

with individuals building organic levels of<br />

friendship, the Leader's circle grows.<br />

CirclesUSA ultimately seeks to reduce<br />

poverty, with a hope to cut the poverty rate<br />

by 10% in communities across America.<br />

They believe that a reduction of 10% creates<br />

a tipping point to wide-spread change. In<br />

2020, poverty in the United States ranged<br />

from $12,760 for a one-person household to<br />

$30,680 for a household of five. In Jackson<br />

County, 19.3 percent of people live in poverty,<br />

in contrast to 13.6 percent in the state of<br />

North Carolina, according to Census.gov.<br />

Circles Cashiers-Glenville, who also welcomes<br />

prospective Learners from nearby<br />

areas like Highlands, identifies some of<br />

the most critical factors that create a cycle<br />

of poverty on the plateau: the lack of both<br />

living-wage jobs and affordable housing.<br />

CirclesUSA also highlights the Cliff Effect<br />

as a significant hurdle when attempting<br />

to climb out of poverty. The organization<br />

defines this as the moment when a pay<br />

raise triggers a disproportionate loss of<br />

government assistance. Suddenly, a small<br />

raise can create a larger gap in subsidies<br />

for food, housing, healthcare or childcare.<br />

Even with a pay increase, the family finds<br />

themselves worse off financially.<br />

Circles Cashiers-Glenville aspires to<br />

change the mindset of the community<br />

at large regarding poverty. If we can define<br />

areas of apathetic weakness, we can<br />

strengthen our community with empathetic<br />

change. Suppose we ponder the concept<br />

of circles and ask ourselves what freedom<br />

and endless possibilities a large circle provides<br />

compared to a small circle's constriction.<br />

Most of us would undoubtedly hear<br />

the soft chorus of Bing Crosby pleadingly<br />

strumming our heartstrings. "Give me<br />

land, lots of land under starry skies above.<br />

Don't fence me in." P<br />

Circles of Cashiers-Glenville<br />

828.553.5874<br />

www.circlescashiersglenville.org<br />

<strong>Feb</strong>ruary /<strong>Mar</strong>ch <strong>2021</strong> | 39

southern drawl<br />

IN HIS FOUR YEARS AS GENERAL<br />

manager of The Park on Main, John<br />

Woods has made a shift. Having<br />

distinguished the boutique property<br />

with a laid-back vibe that welcomes<br />

all of a family’s members—both two-legged<br />

and four-legged—Woods is trying to create<br />

that same sense for the town of Highlands,<br />

40 | The<strong>Plateau</strong>Mag.com<br />

What’s in a<br />

Destination?<br />

John Woods has distinguished The Park on Main—now he’s part<br />

of distinguishing all of Highlands for a whole new demographic<br />

The Park on Main holds<br />

a prestigious spot on the<br />

Select Registry, a national<br />

nonprofit consortium of<br />

high-end boutique inns.<br />

By CHRISTA MILLER<br />

Anna Norton, senior<br />

program manager, works<br />

with students during afterschool<br />

programs.<br />

NC, as a whole new demographic comes to<br />

town. How’s he doing it?<br />

Family friendliness, with<br />

distinction<br />

Woods came to hospitality management<br />

by way of the U.S. Navy, where he served<br />

as an engineering officer working around<br />

a lot of heavy machinery. But Woods, a<br />

people person, needed more.<br />

“When I got out, I said, ‘Okay, what do I<br />

want to be?’ My love for travel, knowledge<br />

and people led me to hospitality, where I<br />

got all three rolled into one,” he says.<br />

An extended family presence in the<br />

Highlands-Cashiers <strong>Plateau</strong> wasn’t all<br />

that attracted Woods and his two children.<br />

The chance to manage a small boutique<br />

hotel like The Park on Main was one he<br />

couldn’t pass up.<br />

Extensive interaction with the guests<br />

was just one reason. The other was the<br />

ability to shape the property’s brand.<br />

That chance came following an extensive<br />

remodeling.<br />

Thanks in part to Woods’ marketing degree<br />

and background, The Park on Main<br />

is now known around Highlands as “the<br />

doggie hotel,” a laid-back, pet-friendly<br />

property complete with “extras” like dog<br />

beds and towels in every room.<br />

That wasn’t all, though. Encouraging<br />

families to welcome a new pet became part<br />

of the brand, and The Park on Main partnered<br />

with the Cashiers-Highlands Humane<br />

Society to foster dogs up for adoption.<br />

By fostering the shelter’s more senior<br />

dogs, the hotel got animals who were better<br />

trained and more relaxed, willing to<br />

join guests on their walks around town.<br />

“We’d keep a foster behind the front desk<br />

at all times,” says Woods, “and the dogs<br />

had free range of the lobby, sometimes lying<br />

by the front door waiting for guests to<br />

come in and pet them, give them a treat.”<br />

The result: 26 dogs adopted over a threeyear<br />

timeframe.<br />

It was part of what Woods calls “more of<br />

an extended family situation” than what<br />

larger, chain hotels can provide. “The<br />

guests know me… they know the dogs’<br />

names, my kids’ names,” he explains.<br />

“[And] I know them.”<br />

An active, hands-on role<br />

That deep knowledge of guests’ needs,<br />

coupled with his leadership experience as<br />

a naval officer, informs Woods’ approach to<br />

hotel management. “I’m not going to ask<br />

anybody that works for me to do something<br />

that I’m not willing to do,” he says—whether<br />

that’s helping to change beds or air filters,<br />

clean a bathroom or launder sheets<br />

and towels.<br />

PHOTOS THE PARK ON MAIN

John Woods<br />

General Manager,<br />

The Park on Main<br />

» Birthplace: Newnan, Georgia<br />

» Family: Son, Patrick 18;<br />

Daughter, MacKenzie, 15<br />

» Education: BS, Chemistry<br />

& Physics; MBA, <strong>Mar</strong>keting<br />

& Management<br />

» Hobbies: Snow skiing, reading,<br />

spending time with his<br />

kids, vacationing at the beach<br />

<strong>Feb</strong>ruary /<strong>Mar</strong>ch <strong>2021</strong> | 41

southern drawl<br />

It’s a level of meticulousness that earned<br />

The Park on Main a prestigious spot on<br />

the Select Registry, a national nonprofit<br />

consortium of high-end boutique inns.<br />

“They have a very intensive quality assurance<br />

process,” says Woods, who serves on<br />

the organization’s board of directors.<br />

His drive to improve the property didn’t<br />

stop even after the COVID-19 pandemic<br />

closed The Park on Main for nearly two<br />

months. It wasn’t just the chance to give<br />

the hotel’s 24 rooms a deep cleaning; it was<br />

also the luxury of time to look at the rooms<br />

from a guest’s perspective.<br />

“Normally, we don’t have a room open for<br />

more than 24 hours, if that long,” Woods<br />

explains. “[The closure] allowed me to<br />

The Park on Main<br />

is known around<br />

Highlands as “the doggie hotel.”<br />

This boutique, laid-back<br />

property welcomes all of<br />

a family’s members—both<br />

two-legged and four-legged.<br />

spend extra time going through every single<br />

one of the rooms. What can they see?<br />

I sat on the sofa in each room. I’d lie on<br />

the bed in each room. I’d sit on the floor<br />

because people will get on the floor to play<br />

with their dog, and look around, look up.”<br />

When guests began to return, Woods<br />

and his staff continued to evaluate their<br />

needs. “What is going to be the most important<br />

thing to them… to experience that<br />

first night away from home?” he says.<br />

A clean, clutter-free environment with<br />

plenty of open space seemed to be the most<br />

obvious answer. And even though The<br />

Park on Main had to curtail its adoption<br />

partnership for the safety of guests, staff<br />

and dogs, Woods says he’s looking at ways<br />

to modify the program.<br />

Adapting for a shift in visitor<br />

demographics<br />

Being so hands-on isn’t just about managing<br />

a hotel. It’s also a philosophy Woods<br />

brings to his participation in the Highlands-Cashiers<br />

community. As a hotelier,<br />

he’s in a unique position among small business<br />

owners: hospitality crosses sectors,<br />

traversing not just where people stay but<br />

also where they eat, shop and relax.<br />

That’s why, as Woods’ children have<br />

grown, he’s moved from serving as president<br />

of the Parent Teacher Organization<br />

(PTO) to more business-oriented roles. He<br />

currently serves on the boards of directors<br />

for the Highlands Chamber of Commerce<br />

(HCoC), the Macon County Economic Development<br />

Commission and the Highlands<br />

Tourism Development Commission.<br />

This coming year, Woods will transition<br />

from serving as treasurer for the HCoC,<br />

to chair of its board of directors. The role<br />

will afford him the chance to shepherd<br />

the organization through a new challenge:<br />

adapting the Chamber’s strategic<br />

plan to a shift in both visitor and resident<br />

demographics.<br />

For years, Highlands has been popular<br />

among baby boomers. Many executives<br />

and empty nesters have purchased second<br />

or even primary residences. “Before the<br />

pandemic, it was a rarity up here to see<br />

under 35 or even under 40 for more than a<br />

day or two at a time,” Woods says.<br />

That was a concern for the Chamber.<br />

An aging population has different needs,<br />

which might not be compatible with those<br />

of younger visitors over the long term—10<br />

or 15 years from now.<br />

Just after the pandemic lockdown lifted,<br />

though, families started to spend more<br />

time in town. “Now we see a lot of moms<br />

and dads checking in [with] an eightmonth-old,<br />

a four-year-old, a ten-year-old,”<br />

Woods explains.<br />

He believes it’s because Highlands<br />

uniquely allows people to slow down and<br />

get outdoors, into nature—at an appropriate<br />

social distance, something even, say,<br />

a park in Atlanta can’t offer. “People have<br />

realized that as long as you’ve got internet,<br />

who says you have to be in Birmingham?<br />

In Nashville? Why can’t you be in Highlands?”<br />

says Woods.<br />

The trend has driven what he calls a<br />

“record year” for Highlands: hotels consistently<br />

filled to their maximum capacity,<br />

retail shops thriving, even restaurants—<br />

limited to 50 percent capacity by order of<br />

the state governor—doing well.<br />

As a result, the Chamber opted to delay<br />

the strategic plan, so they could collect the<br />

right data. The trend appears to be holding.<br />

Woods says that’s what will allow Chamber<br />

marketing to attract whole new groups: ones<br />

that will benefit everyone in Highlands,<br />

business owners and residents alike. P<br />

The Park on Main<br />

828.526.4502<br />

www.theparkonmain.com<br />

42 | The<strong>Plateau</strong>Mag.com

garden family fun jewelry fashion<br />

PHOTO DAVID DIETRICH<br />

Transformers<br />

Renovations, like this project from<br />

PLATT, offer inspiration,<br />

imagination and motivation.<br />

See page 48<br />

<strong>Feb</strong>ruary /<strong>Mar</strong>ch <strong>2021</strong> | 43

IN THE SPRING OF 1961, THERE<br />

was a meeting with my mother<br />

and my second-grade teacher, Miss<br />

<strong>Mar</strong>ion Pierce. Not about grades nor<br />

classroom conduct. My mother wanted<br />

to know why every afternoon I arrived home<br />

with my pockets filled with little pieces of<br />

paper. Miss <strong>Mar</strong>ion was happy to report<br />

that she had noticed playground behavior<br />

that involved my policing the yard for bits<br />

of rubbish. Mother was concerned that the<br />

behavior was OCD. Miss <strong>Mar</strong>ion found it<br />

charming, admirable and a much better<br />

exercise than jungle gym antics.<br />

Onward to middle school, my pockets<br />

were soft denim receptacles for unusual<br />

rocks, acorns, locust skeletons and seed<br />

pods. Thankfully Lady Bird Johnson took<br />

over the helm to keep America beautiful,<br />

leaving me time to become a naturalist at<br />

age eight.<br />

While my friends had jars of marbles<br />

and little green plastic soldiers, I had<br />

jars of God’s wonderment lining the ledge<br />

of my desk. My father, a forester, was always<br />

bringing me amazing finds from the<br />

woods. Snakeskins, arrowheads, dixie cups<br />

planted with unusual botanical specimens.<br />

I still have a sarracenia plant that was colgarden<br />

Discovered<br />

Gather nature and tradition with these memory jars<br />

By KIRK MOORE<br />

Carefully<br />

arrange your<br />

jar without<br />

packing it<br />

too tightly.<br />

44 | The<strong>Plateau</strong>Mag.com<br />

Natural treasures are<br />

a great way to explore<br />

what the plateau has to<br />

offer. After placing them<br />

in a bowl, take the time<br />

to research, sketch and<br />

learn more about your<br />

findings.<br />

lected by him in Camden County in 1965.<br />

My mother coined the name Kirk’s Discovery<br />

Jars. And the name stuck.<br />

As my nieces and nephew grew older,<br />

they were indoctrinated into their uncle’s<br />

natural world of discovery.<br />

On Thanksgiving afternoons for decades,<br />

after a bountiful lunch, my entire family<br />

hiked at our farm west of Savannah, tracing<br />

the fields and pastures. Gathered from<br />

the hedgerows were abandoned nests, pods,<br />

dried berries, mossy twigs and feathers.<br />

Along creek beds were collected chunks of<br />

mica, arrowheads and smooth stones. All<br />

returned home to ironstone bowls and jars<br />

for us to remember the day throughout the<br />

season. The most prized specimens sometimes<br />

found a place on a bough of the giant<br />

cedar Christmas tree.<br />

On your next walk, look down for little<br />

jewels of nature. Pocket them and take<br />

them home to a special place of honor. I<br />

love collecting antique blown glass apothecary<br />

jars and old blue Mason jars for that<br />

purpose. Artfully layer specimens, paying<br />

attention to texture, color and pattern. Use<br />

a chopstick to move and adjust elements,<br />

being careful not to pack too tightly. Each<br />

specimen deserves to shine and complement<br />

its neighbor.<br />

Make the memories of your walks part of<br />

a personal plateau tradition.<br />

Remember that traditions are really just<br />

memories so special that after time they are<br />

woven into the fabric of family remembrance.<br />

And memories are best when shared. P

family fun<br />

Scaly Mountain Outdoor Center<br />

offers amusement and more<br />

to keep you and your family<br />

entertained this winter season.<br />

A Thrill on the Hill<br />

Scaly Mountain Outdoor Center becomes first in the nation<br />

this winter season to open for snow tubing<br />

THE ADRENALINE RUSH<br />

of flying down a snow-covered<br />

hill while reclining on an inner<br />

tube is a delight many of us<br />

will never forget. Just south<br />

of Highlands, Scaly Mountain Outdoor<br />

Center (SMOC) offers that amusement and<br />

much more to keep you and your family<br />

entertained this winter season.<br />

“We hear from many tourists and outdoor<br />

recreational enthusiasts that our tubing<br />

hill is one of the best,” says Dow Harris,<br />

SMOC general manager. “It's like riding a<br />

gigantic slide. And it is a type of thrill that<br />

does not get old. Every time I ride down, I<br />

always feel exhilarated.”<br />

Using new snow making technology,<br />

SMOC became the first in the nation to<br />

open for snow tubing last November. The<br />

machine responsible for creating the winter<br />

wonderland, SnoFlake, is manufactured by<br />

a Canadian company and is one of only five<br />

By DAWN LILES<br />

in the world. The machine makes flake ice<br />

(irregular particle size ice) inside a frozen<br />

chamber and blows the flake ice out the<br />

pipes. The large pieces are resistant to warm<br />

weather and rain. CHS Snowmakers in<br />

Idaho helped connect SMOC with SnoFlake<br />

Industries, Inc., the company that makes<br />

the SnoFlake machines. Jason Sawin,<br />

owner of CHS Snowmakers, is known as<br />

Snowman and is a good friend of the staff<br />

at SMOC. “Jason is very well known in the<br />

snowmaking world,” says Harris. “We often<br />

buy equipment through Jason's company<br />

and utilize his services and advice.”<br />

Snow tubing and ice skating are just<br />

two of the family-friendly activities offered<br />

at SMOC. Open year-round, the center<br />

is a destination for visitors from Florida,<br />

Georgia and South Carolina as well as<br />

North Carolina. "For many people, particularly<br />

people coming from Florida and<br />

Georgia, we’re often the first place they’ll<br />

see snow this winter,” says Harris.<br />

Visitors to SMOC can also enjoy ice<br />

skating, a fire pit and a retail market with<br />

fudge, candy, games, puzzles, souvenirs and<br />

gifts. The newly renovated Annie’s Cafe<br />

serves lunch and dinner and hosts live music<br />

every Friday night. Major renovations to<br />

the café include new flooring, wooden beams<br />

and doors, fresh paint and renovated bathrooms,<br />

plus a new bar area and kitchen with<br />

stainless steel components.<br />

“One of the staff members dubbed the new<br />

look of the café Country Chic,” says Harris.<br />

“Our new chef, Will Almstadt, recently<br />

moved back to Highlands from Montana<br />

and is very versatile and talented.”<br />

Lunch options at the café can include<br />

Cuban, steak and classic turkey club sandwiches,<br />

plus wraps and salads in addition<br />

to kids’ favorites like chicken fingers and<br />

hot dogs. Dinner options have featured<br />

calamari and mussels appetizers and may<br />

include main courses such as country fried<br />

chicken, rainbow trout, baby back ribs and<br />

filet mignon. Almstadt likes to keep the<br />

menu fresh and fluid, so be sure to check<br />

back for weekly variations. He and Harris<br />

hope to position Annie’s Café as a new niche<br />

restaurant on the outskirts of Highlands<br />

that is attractive to both locals and tourists.<br />

Although it’s a challenging time due to<br />

COVID restrictions, SMOC is having a<br />

busy season so far, according to Harris.<br />

“Fortunately, we’re a popular venue, with<br />

lots of friends, and it always seems to come<br />

together.”<br />

Originally from Alabama, Harris came to<br />

the plateau in June 2019 from Santa Barbara,<br />

CA, where he was running the sales<br />

department at a historic horse ranch.<br />

“To say the least, it has been a radical<br />

change for me, but also an exciting adventure.<br />

There is no place in the world quite<br />

like Scaly Mountain. I still have a lot to<br />

learn about this operation but feel quite<br />

comfortable in the new environment.<br />

“We have plans to build a Wiegand alpine<br />

coaster next year and many other things,<br />

too. The prospect of getting to oversee and be<br />

a part of the team that pulls that off strikes<br />

me as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and<br />

I’m grateful to be here. We have an important<br />

mission at this time to provide a retreat<br />

for people trying to escape the cities and<br />

reconnect with the great outdoors through<br />

recreational activities aimed at family fun.” P<br />

<strong>Feb</strong>ruary /<strong>Mar</strong>ch <strong>2021</strong> | 45

jewelry<br />

Meant To Be<br />

Jannie Bean Designs has been bejeweling Highlands<br />

and beyond for nearly five years<br />

Jannie Bean Designs specializes in<br />

creating personalized, unique solutions<br />

to specific customer requests.<br />

SOME PEOPLE TAKE YEARS<br />

to make decisions as big as<br />

relocating their businesses and<br />

lives, but not Jannie Bean. One<br />

trip to Highlands, NC, in April<br />

2016 and she just knew. Less than three<br />

months later, she was opening Jannie Bean<br />

Designs at 152 S. 2nd St.<br />

“The day we pulled in, I was exhausted<br />

but started putting jewelry in the cases,”<br />

Bean said. “We hit the ground running.”<br />

Her roots in Minnesota were strong. Bean<br />

had been designing and manufacturing<br />

jewelry there since she was 19, a profession<br />

that was largely male-dominated. During<br />

college she apprenticed for a jewelry manufacturing<br />

company and continued to work<br />

there for years until she became the owner.<br />

By JUDY ROYAL » Photos By TRACY MENDY<br />

“I hung in there like a bad penny, and at<br />

39 I bought the business,” Bean said.<br />

Over the years it evolved to become a<br />

full-service jewelry shop. There were no<br />

plans to move the business until Bean<br />

and her husband stopped to see a friend<br />

on the way back from a trip to Key West,<br />

FL. Bean said they instantly fell in love<br />

with the North Carolina mountains and<br />

decided it was time for a change.<br />

“Everything fell into place within the<br />

first week we got back to Minnesota,” she<br />

said. “The folks here are just very kind,<br />

very welcoming. We’ve only been here five<br />

years, but this is home for us.”<br />

As fate would have it, at the same time<br />

Bean was making plans to move, she knew<br />

of a jeweler who was looking to retire and<br />

seeking a buyout. That’s how Bean wound<br />

up in her current space, a two-story,<br />

2,500-square-foot freestanding building<br />

in the middle of town. Her husband, a contractor,<br />

has an office next door, and their<br />

yellow Lab runs back and forth between<br />

them during the workday.<br />

Jannie Bean Designs specializes in<br />

creating personalized, unique solutions to<br />

specific customer requests while sticking<br />

within their desired price range. Some of<br />

her previous projects include engagement<br />

rings, birthday presents, keepsakes for<br />

new mothers and complements to cocktail<br />

dresses. The shop also features buckles for<br />

handbags and belts that are named and<br />

numbered to guarantee limited-edition<br />

status.<br />

You never can tell what somebody is going<br />

to want or what they’re going to like,”<br />

Bean said. “Every person who comes in is<br />

thinking differently.”<br />

Bean said she makes 90 percent of what’s<br />

in her current inventory, which includes<br />

items showcasing an array of precious and<br />

semi-precious metals and stones. She also<br />

enjoys reworking customers’ existing jewelry<br />

into something new to be treasured.<br />

“My designs are different and unusual,”<br />

she said. “I like educating my customers<br />

and letting them know there are lots of<br />

things they can do and have and enjoy<br />

besides typical diamonds. I love problemsolving.<br />

You think outside the box.”<br />

Bean said while her competitors are<br />

Cartier and Tiffany & Co., she doesn’t<br />

price like them. She added that she doesn’t<br />

have a typical customer and prides herself<br />

on offering something for everyone.<br />

“The repair customer that can spend $10<br />

for a battery on her watch is just as important<br />

as the person who comes in and says,<br />

‘Design the world for me,’” she said. “I’m<br />

such a people person, and that’s what really<br />

drives me. I care about all my customers<br />

and rarely have an unhappy customer.”<br />

Regular customer Susanne Anderson,<br />

who is a full-time resident of the area,<br />

said she met Bean two years ago when she<br />

needed someone to help her take inventory<br />

of jewelry from her mother’s estate.<br />

“For two and a half hours, she went<br />

through every piece,” Anderson said. “She<br />

just couldn’t have been any kinder. I have<br />

been shopping there ever since. She’s very<br />

professional, but she’s very warm and<br />

takes the time to get to know you, and I<br />

had not had that experience with a jeweler<br />

46 | The<strong>Plateau</strong>Mag.com

After a trip to Highlands in 2016,<br />

Jannie Bean was opening her shop<br />

on 2nd Street within three months.<br />

before. She’s just super down to earth and<br />

friendly.”<br />

Anderson said she often refers friends to<br />

Jannie Bean Designs and always gets positive<br />

feedback.<br />

“I’ve never heard anybody have anything<br />

but positive things to say,” she said. “It’s a<br />

very comfortable place. I trust her, and I<br />

have found her to be very forthcoming and<br />

helpful.”<br />

Bean is looking forward to a bright future<br />

in her current spot. She said it has<br />

been a great year despite the COVID-19<br />

pandemic, perhaps because people are<br />

spending money on items for themselves<br />

rather than traveling.<br />

“People have to get to know you, but you<br />

persevere and you work hard and you do<br />

your best,” she said. “There are no shortcuts<br />

in life.” P<br />

Jannie Bean<br />

More about<br />

Jannie Bean Designs<br />

» Owner: Jannie Bean<br />

» Products: Original and customdesigned<br />

jewelry, redesign of existing<br />

jewelry, appraisals and repair work<br />

» Location:<br />

152 S 2nd Sreet<br />

Highlands, NC<br />

» Contact Info:<br />

828-526-5858<br />

www.janniebean.com<br />

<strong>Feb</strong>ruary /<strong>Mar</strong>ch <strong>2021</strong> | 47

home<br />

Restoration to Transformation<br />

Two ways to reimagine home<br />

By CHRISTINE HENNESSEY<br />

After<br />

A<br />

home is meant to be a solid, permanent thing. Strong and sturdy, made from concrete, brick, wood and glass,<br />

they’re built to last, passed down from one family to the next, silently bearing witness to our dramas and dreams.<br />

But, much like the people who live inside them, houses can also change and shift. They require constant upkeep<br />

and occasional updates, whether it’s old wiring that has to be replaced or a shag carpet from the 70s that’s seen<br />

better days. A growing family can stretch a house to its limits, while style can evolve with new owners or in new<br />

decades. When a home isn’t serving its current owners, the answer isn’t always to buy or build a new one. Sometimes, it’s better<br />

to fix what you have—preferably with the help of local architects, builders and interior designers, of which the Highlands-<br />

Cashiers <strong>Plateau</strong> has plenty. Whether you’re considering a complete transformation or a thoughtful renovation, the following<br />

two homes offer inspiration, imagination and motivation.<br />

A Total Transformation<br />

Before<br />

PLATT<br />

828.884.2393<br />

www.platt.us<br />

Rusticks<br />

828.743.3172<br />

www.rusticks.com<br />

When Chucki and Curt Bradbury of Little<br />

Rock, AR, bought their mountain home in<br />

Cashiers, it was a little rough around the<br />

edges. The home was originally built in<br />

the 1980s and had not been updated since.<br />

“It was a one story, two-bedroom house,”<br />

says Parker Platt, architect and president<br />

at PLATT, a full-service architecture, construction<br />

and interior design firm located<br />

in Brevard, NC, that prides itself on connecting<br />

families to the beautiful world of<br />

Western North Carolina. “PLATT was<br />

brought in to help transform their house<br />

into a warm, welcoming and bright home<br />

for an expanding family.”<br />

The house was located on a beautiful lot<br />

with a picturesque pond and a small guest<br />

house. The Bradburys wanted to expand<br />

the main house’s footprint, adding two additional<br />

bedrooms and a number of other<br />

updates to make it lighter and brighter<br />

and provide a more modern feel.<br />

BEFORE PHOTOS KEVIN MEECHAN<br />

48 | The<strong>Plateau</strong>Mag.com

The first thing PLATT tackled was the<br />

guest house, a one-room house with a sitting<br />

area and a kitchenette that the Bradburys<br />

referred to as “The Love Shack.” The benefit<br />

of beginning there was that the couple could<br />

live in the guest house while their main<br />

home, which they gave the more stately<br />

moniker “Mountain Abbey,” was essentially<br />

gutted. “This wasn’t just a renovation,”<br />

Platt says. “It was a total transformation.”<br />

That renovation included building three<br />

new bedroom suites in the house, as well<br />

as refreshing the interior finishes. “It’s an<br />

eclectic mix of styles,” Platt says. “A nice<br />

balance of transitional and contemporary,<br />

with casual mountain elements.”<br />

Pre-renovation, the house was all wood,<br />

with dark ceilings and wood paneling on<br />

the walls. To make it lighter and brighter,<br />

PLATT introduced dormer windows and<br />

skylights, including a large skylight over<br />

the middle of the kitchen, to bring in more<br />

natural light. They also installed large,<br />

oversized windows, placed strategically to<br />

open things up and take advantage of the<br />

beautiful views.<br />

One of the most striking additions of<br />

the renovation are the ceilings. “They’re<br />

our all-time favorite feature,” Platt says.<br />

“The ceilings are brushed hemlock. Originally<br />

weathered barn boards, they’ve been<br />

brushed to freshen the face while maintaining<br />

the aged patina. And the timbers<br />

are reclaimed Douglas fir.” This combination<br />

of old wood brings a distinct warmth<br />

to the home, while adding just the right<br />

amount of rustic beauty to the space.<br />

Of course, a house isn’t truly a home<br />

until the owners put their own spin on it,<br />

and the Bradburys had the perfect way to<br />

do just that. “They’re art collectors,” Platt<br />

says, “and they have a wonderful collection<br />

in their Little Rock home, which they expanded<br />

to this house. As part of the renovation,<br />

they worked with Ann Sherrill of<br />

Rusticks to incorporate new furniture and<br />

these very interesting, contemporary art<br />

pieces throughout the house.”<br />

The final result is a mountain retreat<br />

that truly reflects the Bradburys, a place<br />

where they can relax with their family and<br />

enjoy the beauty of their surroundings, inside<br />

and out. P<br />

After<br />

(Left) In the great room, PLATT<br />

dramatically increased the window<br />

size to allow for a more substantial<br />

view and daylight.<br />

(Below) PLATT modified the floor<br />

plan to create a better connection<br />

between the great room, kitchen and<br />

screened porch.<br />

The addition of a light well and an<br />

opening to the new stair windows<br />

beyond fill the space with natural<br />

light.<br />

AFTER PHOTOS DAVID DIETRICH PHOTOGRAPHY<br />

Before<br />

<strong>Feb</strong>ruary /<strong>Mar</strong>ch <strong>2021</strong> | 49

home<br />

Before<br />

A Historic<br />

Restoration<br />

ESTABLISHED IN CASHIERS IN 2005, CHINQUAPIN BUILDERS<br />

is known throughout the Blue Ridge Mountains for creating custom homes<br />

with unique designs that blend seamlessly into their natural surroundings.<br />

“We always strive to build great relationships with our clients,” says Scott<br />

Westendorf, owner and general contractor at Chinquapin Builders. “If you<br />

take care of people, they’ll take care of you.”<br />

Before<br />

Chinquapin Builders<br />

828.743.0724<br />

www.chinquapinbuilders.com<br />

Keystone Kitchen & Bath<br />

828.743.6895<br />

www.keystonekb.com<br />

Chinquapin Builder’s projects, while guided<br />

by their clients’ vision, center on rustic<br />

elegance, modern function and timeless<br />

beauty. All three can be found in this<br />

Highlands renovation.<br />

“The house was built in 1906, one of the<br />

earliest homes in Highlands,” says Westendorf.<br />

When the homeowners enlisted<br />

Chinquapin Builders for their kitchen<br />

renovation, their goal was to bring the<br />

room up to today’s standards, while still<br />

keeping its historic charm and preserving<br />

its history. “The goal was to give them an<br />

updated kitchen where everything is new,<br />

yet make sure it still feels like you’re in an<br />

old historic home.”<br />

The first part of the renovation was strictly<br />

structural. “Over the years, the foundation<br />

has settled, and the old floor system in<br />

the kitchen was sagging two inches lower<br />

than the rest of the house,” Westendorf<br />

says. Because the whole house had settled<br />

to that level, they couldn’t raise the floors<br />

up. Instead, they had to add additional sup-<br />

BEFORE PHOTOS PAUL BRADHAM<br />

50 | The<strong>Plateau</strong>Mag.com

ports and columns to accommodate where<br />

the house had, in Westendorf’s words, “lovingly<br />

settled.”<br />

Once the area was structurally sound, the<br />

real fun began. Westendorf’s team focused<br />

on materials and features that would preserve<br />

the farmhouse-style of the kitchen,<br />

incorporating custom wood mouldings and<br />

trim, white cabinetry, and dark gray stone<br />

floors that were imported from Europe to<br />

achieve the look and feel of a historic manor<br />

(minus the modern appliances). “We also<br />

added a breakfast area that has a large,<br />

thick wood cased opening that’s integrated<br />

into bookshelves and cabinets for extra<br />

storage,” Westendorf says. “When you walk<br />

from the kitchen into the breakfast area,<br />

and from the breakfast area into the rest of<br />

the house, it all has a similar look and feel<br />

that flows seamlessly.”<br />

This seamless flow is also aided from an<br />

architectural standpoint. “We took a lot of<br />

care to match the finishing on the outside of<br />

the house,” Westendorf says. “We used custom<br />

moldings to match existing moldings,<br />

as well as custom mixing colors to get the<br />

new exterior to match the old.”<br />

One of the most striking features of historic<br />

homes are their leaded glass windows<br />

which, while beautiful, leave something<br />

to be desired when it comes to energy efficiency.<br />

“We ordered new windows for the<br />

kitchen with leaded inserts in a diamond<br />

pattern,” Westendorf says. “That way, the<br />

homeowners would have updated modern<br />

windows that were properly insulated, but<br />

could keep the same character of the original<br />

windows.”<br />

By incorporating elements of the original<br />

home into the newly renovated kitchen<br />

and breakfast area, Chinquapin Builders<br />

was able to create a fresh, clean space that<br />

fulfilled their clients’ needs without compromising<br />

their home’s history. “Renovation<br />

isn’t just about ripping and replacing,” Westendorf<br />

says. “It can also be about restoring<br />

a home to its original glory.” P<br />

After<br />

Materials and features such as custom<br />

mouldings and trim, cabinetry and<br />

stone floors give a historic manor feel<br />

and created a seamless flow between<br />

old and new.<br />

The additional breakfast area<br />

allows for more storage with new<br />

bookshelves and cabinets.<br />

AFTER PHOTOS DAVID DIETRICH PHOTOGRAPHY<br />

<strong>Feb</strong>ruary /<strong>Mar</strong>ch <strong>2021</strong> | 51

Forecasted<br />

Scaly Mountain Outdoor Center<br />

serves as a backdrop for coldweather<br />

fun as we cozy up in<br />

these winter fashion finds- sure<br />

to get us through even the<br />

snowiest of days.<br />

Johnny Was velvet<br />

puffer jacket, $450;<br />

at A Jones Company.<br />

Photos by CHELSEA CRONKRITE<br />

Models: Joanne Bryson and Carlton Chamblin<br />

Location: Scaly Mountain Outdoor Center<br />

52 | The<strong>Plateau</strong>Mag.com

Joseph Ribkoff jacket,<br />

$359; Metric mock<br />

turtleneck, $85; Insight<br />

pull-on pant, $115; all<br />

at Spoiled Rotten.<br />

<strong>Feb</strong>ruary /<strong>Mar</strong>ch <strong>2021</strong> | 53

Lior “Jane” pant, $149; Bali<br />

tank, $39; AZI jean jacket,<br />

$153; Treska necklace, $49;<br />

Treska earrings, $23; all at<br />

The Look Boutique.<br />

54 | The<strong>Plateau</strong>Mag.com

Kinross Cashmere pullover,<br />

$264; Kinross Cashmere<br />

wrap scarf, $290; Kinross<br />

Cashmere coat, $915;<br />

Stehmann pant, $130;<br />

Enewton gold necklace,<br />

$275; Enewton gold bliss<br />

hoops, $72; all at Wit’s End.<br />

<strong>Feb</strong>ruary /<strong>Mar</strong>ch <strong>2021</strong> | 55

On Her: Avenue Montaigne<br />

velvet trouser, $250; Gran<br />

Sasso twin set cardigan and<br />

tank, $535; all at TJ Bailey’s;<br />

On Him: Robert Graham shirt,<br />

$398; Brax hi-flex five-pocket<br />

pants, $198; sheepskin loafers,<br />

$225; all at TJ Bailey’s.<br />

56 | The<strong>Plateau</strong>Mag.com

Spend a Year<br />

in the Mountains<br />

of Highlands-Cashiers North Carolina<br />

<strong>Feb</strong>ruary / <strong>Mar</strong>ch 2020<br />

Wedding<br />

Venues<br />

With Breathtaking<br />

Views, Mountains are<br />

the Perfect Backdrop<br />

for Your Big Day<br />

Space<br />

Redux<br />

Renovations<br />

to Inspire<br />

Your Next<br />

Project<br />

Date<br />

Night<br />

12<br />

Picks for<br />

Valentine’s<br />

Day Dining<br />

inaugural<br />

issue<br />

June / July 2020<br />

Connected<br />

Even in Quarantine,<br />

Caring is the Tie That Binds<br />

Take A Hike<br />

Give This List of Trails<br />

the Runaround<br />

Serene<br />

Sanctuary<br />

Make Your Outdoor<br />

Space a Safe Haven<br />

$4.50 US<br />

Fashion<br />

At Home<br />

in Highlands<br />

Mayor<br />

Patrick Taylor<br />

$4.50 US<br />

Fashion<br />

Blue Star<br />

Ranch<br />

Paul Robshaw of<br />

Vision Cashiers<br />

August / September 2020<br />

October / November 2020<br />

December / January <strong>2021</strong><br />

Trending<br />

Real Estate’s Upward Swing<br />

Free Fallin’<br />

Best Waterfalls to Beat the Heat<br />

Keeping<br />

Score<br />

Our Golf Roundup<br />

is on Par<br />

You Dig?<br />

Fall into an Autumn Garden<br />

Money Talks<br />

Wealth Management 411<br />

Pampered<br />

Treat Yourself with Our<br />

Spa Roster<br />

Family<br />

Traditions<br />

Festive Holiday Entertaining<br />

Refined<br />

& Defined<br />

The Highlander Mountain House<br />

White<br />

Christmas<br />

Top Picks for Cold Weather Fun<br />

$4.50 US<br />

Fashion<br />

Lonesome<br />

Valley Views<br />

Jack Austin of<br />

Old Edwards Inn<br />

Fashion<br />

Mountain<br />

Modern Cottage<br />

Kaye McHan of<br />

Highlands Chamber<br />

$4.50 US<br />

Fashion<br />

Bonnie Potts of<br />

the Macon County<br />

Literacy Council<br />

Historic Ravenel<br />

Home Restored<br />

Subscribe Today!<br />

THE PERFECT GIFT FOR EVERYONE WHO LOVES THE MOUNTAINS.<br />

www.The<strong>Plateau</strong>Mag.com/subscribe or (843) 856-2532<br />

<strong>Feb</strong>ruary /<strong>Mar</strong>ch <strong>2021</strong> | 57

Venues<br />

Je Le Veux<br />

From venues to vendors, the plateau has what brides want<br />

By KAT FORD<br />

ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING EXPERIENCES IN CELEBRATING A UNION IS WITNESSING HOW<br />

the couple chooses to express their uniqueness-from setting to attire, food to flowers. Every detail is selected to<br />

create a day of romance and magic for the bride, groom, friends and family. We’ve highlighted a handful of the<br />

plateau’s vendors and venues ranging from elopements to elevated nuptial backdrops. With a professional dream<br />

team like this at your side, a special day becomes the memory of a lifetime.<br />

Castle Ladyhawke<br />

833.522.7853<br />

www.castleladyhawke.com<br />

Romance abounds at Castle Ladyhawke,<br />

tucked away on 60 acres in Tuckasegee,<br />

about 20 minutes from Cashiers, and surrounded<br />

by the Blue<br />

Ridge Mountains. At<br />

over 10,000 square<br />

feet, Castle Ladyhawke<br />

has wedding<br />

options for less than<br />

15 and up to 140 people.<br />

No matter which<br />

package you choose,<br />

your wedding affords<br />

you the exclusive use<br />

of the entire Castle and grounds including<br />

the use of the Great Hall, Carriage House,<br />

tower deck, kitchen, pub and garden for<br />

the duration of your event. With that type<br />

of royal treatment, all that's missing are<br />

the glass slippers.<br />

Flat Mountain Farm<br />

828.487.4174<br />

www.flatmountainfarm.com<br />

Purchased in 2019 by the husband and<br />

wife duo of Shutze Studio, this newly<br />

renovated 28-acre haven will house up to<br />

17 and host between<br />

100-125 guests when<br />

it opens in the summer<br />

of <strong>2021</strong>. <strong>Mar</strong>garet<br />

Shutze worked as<br />

a designer for Wilson<br />

Associates out of<br />

Dallas, working on<br />

prestigious projects<br />

such as the Boca Raton<br />

Resort and Club,<br />

a Waldorf Astoria Resort, while Chris<br />

Shutze has been creating specialty homes<br />

with award-winning architects for 20<br />

years. With this all-star duo at the helm, a<br />

retreat property complete with three cabins,<br />

barn, private lake and lawn has never<br />

felt so luxurious.<br />

Greystone Inn<br />

828.966.4700<br />

www.greystoneinn.com<br />

The Greystone Inn is a historic mansion,<br />

built with love by Lucy Armstrong in<br />

1910 as an<br />

escape to<br />

the healing<br />

waters and<br />

mountains<br />

of Lake Toxaway.<br />

As a<br />

venue, it offers nine wedding backdrops,<br />

destined to send your imagination soaring,<br />

including saying "I do" while cruising<br />

on a handcrafted mahogany boat with 20<br />

of your nearest and dearest. With options<br />

ranging from rooms that accommodate as<br />

many as 120, a boathouse, grassy outdoor<br />

lawn or an indoor library with stone fireplace,<br />

the Greystone Inn has all the magic<br />

to make your dream come true- no matter<br />

the size.<br />

Julep Farms<br />

706.960.9600<br />

www.julep.farm<br />

Sitting on 22 acres in Dillard, GA, about<br />

30 minutes from Highlands, Julep Farms<br />

is a modern farm resort complete with picturesque<br />

pastures, persimmon lined creek<br />

beds and ever-changing mountain vistas.<br />

Two venues are available that can host<br />

45 to 200 depending<br />

on your event size,<br />

and accommodations<br />

available on the<br />

sprawling location<br />

will create lasting<br />

memories for guests.<br />

Stay in one of the four<br />

cottages, purchase<br />

freshly grown flowers<br />

58 | The<strong>Plateau</strong>Mag.com

from the market, sip espresso at the coffee<br />

bar, enjoy a cocktail in the formal gardens<br />

and enjoy games or dancing under the<br />

stars on the Julep Croquet Lawn- all while<br />

never stepping foot off property.<br />

Lonesome Valley<br />

828.743.7696<br />

www.lonesomevalley.com<br />

Exchange your vows against the backdrop<br />

of the largest box canyon east of the Mississippi<br />

at Lonesome Valley, located in Cashiers.<br />

The<br />

rustic and<br />

elegant Jennings<br />

Barn<br />

serves up an<br />

exceptional<br />

culinary<br />

experience for guests, who during April,<br />

May, September, October and November<br />

will have a rare chance of experiencing<br />

the serene solitude and open spaces that<br />

residents of Lonesome Valley refer to as<br />

canyon living.<br />

Oakleaf Home Farm<br />

828.526.8000<br />

www.oakleafstyle.com<br />

A long champion of the intersection of<br />

history, nature, the arts and horticulture,<br />

Oakleaf Flower & Garden has partnered<br />

with a forward-thinking landowner in<br />

Highlands to create Oakleaf Home Farm.<br />

Situated on 17 acres at the base of Black<br />

Rock in beautiful Horse Cove, this experiential<br />

development will create a backdrop<br />

for elopements,<br />

weddings, sportsman's<br />

weekends and<br />

cherished family<br />

gatherings. Enjoy a<br />

combination of pristine<br />

pastureland, historic<br />

apple orchards,<br />

ponds, streams, and<br />

flora and fauna so<br />

rare that a Highlands-Cashiers Land<br />

Trust Conservation Easement protects the<br />

property.<br />

Old Edwards Inn & Spa<br />

828.787.2610<br />

www.oldedwardshospitality.com<br />

Old Edwards Inn & Spa has become a<br />

wedding favorite for many visitors to the<br />

plateau, known for their rustic-inspired<br />

elegance. The Orchard House offers natural<br />

light through massive retractable glass<br />

doors, creating<br />

an openair<br />

pavilion<br />

opening to<br />

a lush English-style<br />

garden. The<br />

Barn, built in the 1900s, stands on heart<br />

pine flooring with a stone fireplace reaching<br />

up to soaring beams and chandeliers.<br />

Half-Mile Farm features an expansive<br />

green lawn, gently sloping to a charming<br />

lake dock, creating a breathtaking backdrop.<br />

With a stunning 15 venues to choose<br />

from, there is an option to meet any bride's<br />

style with guaranteed Old Edward's flair.<br />

Rockwood Lodge<br />

828.526.8919<br />

www.rockwoodlodgenc.com<br />

Atop one of the highest peaks in Highlands<br />

sits Rockwood Lodge, a 350-acre<br />

family-owned retreat that features eight<br />

bedrooms and multiple gathering areas,<br />

including a chef's kitchen, dining room<br />

and outdoor fire pit.<br />

Designed with natural<br />

wood and stone<br />

and furnished with<br />

fine antiques, Rockwood<br />

Lodge utilizes<br />

natural elements<br />

within its luxury design<br />

to offer a rustic<br />

aesthetic with modern<br />

comforts. If you are looking to make<br />

the intimate memory of a lifetime, look no<br />

further.<br />

Sawyer Family Farmstead<br />

828.743.5456<br />

www.sawyerfamilyfarmstead.com<br />

An active Christmas tree farm, Sawyer<br />

Family Farmstead overlooks Lake Glenville<br />

on 80 acres of rolling hills accented<br />

with fields of evergreen trees, grapevines<br />

and blueberry bushes framed by<br />

mountain laurel and<br />

rhododendron. Surrounded<br />

by nature<br />

that exhilarates the<br />

senses, guests leave<br />

a hilltop ceremony<br />

with refreshed hearts<br />

and minds as they<br />

make their way to the<br />

reception barn, cocktail<br />

area, porch and<br />

firepit for a romantic and cozy feel. Farmstead<br />

weddings can be as intimate as 12 or<br />

as large as 250 guests. Every wedding is<br />

unique, and at Sawyer Family Farmstead,<br />

you are free to design your day your way.<br />

Secret Waters Highlands<br />

404.520.9279<br />

www.secretwatershighlands.com<br />

Located on a privately-owned<br />

property for<br />

decades, the owners<br />

of this awe-inspiring<br />

waterfall were so<br />

enthralled with its<br />

natural beauty that<br />

they felt obligated to<br />

share it. Secret Waters<br />

Highlands offers<br />

a breathtaking waterfall<br />

venue to tie the knot for those seeking<br />

intimate weddings and elopements.<br />

Perhaps the most stunning feature, the<br />

stone staircase that leads to a moss-cov-<br />

<strong>Feb</strong>ruary /<strong>Mar</strong>ch <strong>2021</strong> | 59

Venues<br />

ered alter beneath the waterfall, creates<br />

a scene straight out of a motion picture.<br />

Memorable photo opportunities are found<br />

throughout the venue, like their doorway<br />

to nowhere, whimsical rope bridge<br />

and spectacular lower falls.<br />

The Vineyards at Bettys Creek<br />

828.506.3139<br />

www.thevineyardsatbettyscreek.com<br />

Located between Sylva<br />

and Franklin, The<br />

Vineyards at Bettys<br />

Creek offers five ceremony<br />

locations, each<br />

with a unique background.<br />

Hundreds of<br />

acres on the property<br />

have been placed into<br />

conservation protection<br />

to preserve the<br />

vast plants and animals that make this<br />

venue incomparable in natural beauty.<br />

Couples seeking the ultimate wedding experience<br />

can rent the entire venue out for a<br />

full weekend, including the Groom's Barn,<br />

Honeymoon Cottage and five en suite bedrooms<br />

at the Dunkard Barn Lodge. With<br />

manicured gardens, orchards, vineyards,<br />

creeks, waterfalls and trout ponds, guests<br />

will have a hard time determining which<br />

enchanting stroll to take next.<br />

The Vineyard at 37 High Holly<br />

828.482.5573<br />

www.thevineyardat37highholly.com<br />

With 13 different varietals under vine,<br />

The Vineyard at 37 High Holly decided to<br />

share their alluring 45-acre venue with future<br />

brides and grooms after the property<br />

became the stage of their own daughter's<br />

wedding. A 5,400 square-foot open-air pavilion<br />

is equipped with a full-service commercial<br />

kitchen and can accommodate 299<br />

guests. The main ceremony area is within<br />

the vineyard and orchard. Property lodging<br />

can accommodate up to 64 people and<br />

amenities like a wine cellar, award-winning<br />

dahlia garden, pond and spring house make<br />

this an idyllic mountain vineyard getaway.<br />

Experience the wedding of<br />

your Western North Carolina<br />

dreams with venues like the<br />

22 acres of modern farm<br />

resort at Julep Farms.<br />

PHOTO VUE PHOTOGRAPHY<br />

60 | The<strong>Plateau</strong>Mag.com

Vendors<br />

Altaterra Events<br />

828.200.1211<br />

www.altaterraevents.com<br />

With over a decade of global industry experience<br />

working on the event teams of<br />

<strong>Mar</strong>tha Stewart Weddings<br />

and Old Edwards Inn &<br />

Spa, Altaterra Events brings<br />

expertise, poise, connections<br />

and creative thinking to<br />

plan your momentous day.<br />

Knowing that you have that<br />

kind of powerhouse ensuring<br />

each and every detail is carefully curated<br />

and executed is enough to make any bride,<br />

or mother of the bride, sigh with relief.<br />

Floressence Flowers<br />

828.490.1231<br />

www.floressenceflowers.net<br />

Building on the concept of a sense of place<br />

and pulling inspiration from the mountains<br />

surrounding<br />

them, Floressence<br />

Flowers uses lush biodiversity<br />

and seasonal<br />

touches to manifest<br />

works of blossomy<br />

art. If your special day<br />

calls for arrangements<br />

that are truly showstoppers-<br />

the kind of<br />

statement pieces that<br />

transform a room and spring forth into<br />

the heart of your guests etched into their<br />

memories forever, Floressence Flowers can<br />

bring your fairy tale to life.<br />

<strong>Mar</strong>ty Rosenfield<br />

828.421.1789<br />

With 40 years of food service experience,<br />

<strong>Mar</strong>ty brings the culinary savvy of a seasoned<br />

professional capable of planning<br />

for an event serving 2,000 to his clients.<br />

Serving between 25 and 100, he strives for<br />

optimum customer satisfaction and works<br />

with couples to create a custom menu<br />

for their guests. If you ask a local lucky<br />

enough to have attended one of his private<br />

dinner parties, they will be the first to tell<br />

you that his are meals worth celebrating.<br />

Oakleaf Flower & Garden<br />

828.526.8000<br />

www.oakleafstyle.com<br />

With a passion for<br />

making every event<br />

stylish with a unique<br />

and whimsical botanical<br />

twist, Oakleaf<br />

pulls from their deep<br />

reservoirs of horticultural,<br />

historical and<br />

artistic knowledge to<br />

invoke elegant charm<br />

for brides and grooms. Striving for a collaborative<br />

creative experience, whether<br />

for an intimate elopement or an elaborate<br />

soirée, Oakleaf gives great thought and<br />

imagination to every event, making sure<br />

that your florals effortlessly express the<br />

love you are celebrating.<br />

Rosewood <strong>Mar</strong>ket<br />

828.526.0383<br />

Chef Tim Lundy brings 35 years of combined<br />

classically trained culinary and<br />

event design experience to a couple's<br />

wedding, where farm-to-table menus are<br />

his forte. An international professional<br />

speaker on the subjects of Culinary Design,<br />

Event and Wedding Design & Décor,<br />

Tim launched his first book as a collaboration<br />

with ten other chefs titled "Inside the<br />

Recipe Box of the Catering Chef" in 2009.<br />

Swing by Rosewood <strong>Mar</strong>ket and find out<br />

what locals already know, there’s catering,<br />

and then there is Rosewood.<br />

Sweetlife Highlands<br />

shoksi2002@yahoo.com<br />

Pastry chef and chocolatier Oksana Shchelgachova<br />

has been wowing the plateau with<br />

her edible petits gâteaux since she started<br />

Sweetlife Highlands<br />

at the urging<br />

of her private<br />

clients in 2017.<br />

You likely have<br />

seen her creative<br />

confections at Midpoint<br />

Highlands,<br />

displayed in all<br />

of their delicious,<br />

whimsical glory.<br />

With all-natural<br />

ingredients and<br />

mostly gluten-free,<br />

these cakes are guaranteed to be the icing<br />

on top of an already perfect day.<br />

Terri Clark<br />

828.399.0338<br />

www.terriclarkphotography.com<br />

With a degree in commercial photography<br />

and over twenty years of experience, Terri<br />

views wedding photography as a form of<br />

photojournalism.<br />

Offering<br />

photography<br />

packages for<br />

both elopements<br />

and<br />

weddings, Terri stresses the importance of<br />

finding the right photographer as a couple<br />

will relive the memories of their wedding<br />

day through the eye of their photographer<br />

for the rest of their lives. Terri builds<br />

strong relationships with each wedding<br />

client which may be why she's received<br />

WeddingWire's five-star Couple's Choice<br />

award for the past four years. P<br />

Say “yes” to plateau<br />

wedding professionals like<br />

photographer Terri Clark.<br />

<strong>Feb</strong>ruary /<strong>Mar</strong>ch <strong>2021</strong> | 61

On the Edge<br />

of Wilderness<br />

Honoring history and protecting the future through conservation<br />

By BRITTANY CONLEY<br />

WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST<br />

about the Highlands-Cashiers<br />

<strong>Plateau</strong>? Perhaps it’s the<br />

smorgasbord of fine dining<br />

restaurants and boutique<br />

shopping, or maybe it’s the scenery and<br />

endless opportunities for outdoor recreation.<br />

For me, it’s both. It is the sensation of having<br />

one foot in the forest and the other in the<br />

village—a beautiful, gentle dichotomy other<br />

places haven’t achieved in quite the same way.<br />

It’s a feat over 100 years in the making and yet<br />

a work in progress. For the groups tirelessly<br />

striving to keep this area in a harmonic<br />

balance of commerce and countryside, it is a<br />

labor of love. Love for the land, the wildlife<br />

and the people.<br />

History of Preserving the <strong>Plateau</strong><br />

In 1883, a relatively small group came<br />

together to form the Highlands Improvement<br />

Association, the precursor to today’s<br />

Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust. This<br />

initial group’s primary goal was to protect<br />

the beautiful land while sharing it<br />

with the people. They accomplished this<br />

by building trails and planting trees to<br />

combat deforestation until their ambitious<br />

plans grew. In 1909, the HIA raised $500<br />

to purchase 56 acres on Satulah Mountain,<br />

thus becoming the first land trust in<br />

North Carolina and among the first 20 in<br />

the United States.<br />

Today, the tract of land on Satulah<br />

Mountain managed by the HCLT has doubled<br />

in size and Satulah remains largely<br />

unperturbed by development and every bit<br />

as cherished as those forward-thinking<br />

conservationists knew it would be. It, and<br />

other conserved areas, are often listed<br />

first among the reasons newcomers are attracted<br />

to this area.<br />

Another well-known conserved property<br />

The pride of the plateau,<br />

a treated healthy hemlock.<br />

62 | The<strong>Plateau</strong>Mag.com

HEMLOCK PHOTO KYLE PURSEL; HEADWATERS OUTFITTERS<br />

Headwaters Outfitters cleaning<br />

up the French Broad River.<br />

Over 30 years, Headwaters Outfitters has<br />

removed over 15 tons of trash, including<br />

hundreds of old tires and even the<br />

occasional mattress and box springs from<br />

the French Broad River.<br />

is Ravenel Park, donated to the HCLT in<br />

1914 by the children of one of the first families<br />

to settle in Highlands when the town<br />

was newly established. The Ravenel children<br />

wanted to honor their family’s heritage<br />

and contributions to the plateau while<br />

protecting the very land where they grew<br />

up. Now protected and maintained by the<br />

HCLT in perpetuity, the park is home to<br />

the famed Sunset and Sunrise Rock trails<br />

and is perhaps the most visited place in<br />

Highlands, estimated to host 20,000 visitors<br />

yearly.<br />

While we enjoy places like Ravenel<br />

Park and Satulah Mountain, among others,<br />

quite a bit of conserved land goes<br />

mostly unnoticed by the general public.<br />

The HCLT now protects over 3,000 acres<br />

in the plateau area, and Franklin, NC,<br />

based Mainsprings Conservation Trust<br />

has conserved over 28,000 acres in the<br />

region, with many notable projects of their<br />

own such as the massive Needmore Game<br />

Lands and Pinnacle Park. These lands are<br />

safeguarded for countless reasons, ranging<br />

from historical significance to conserving<br />

agricultural lands and maintaining<br />

habitats for numerous species of plants<br />

and animals. “The first thing we assess is<br />

the conservation value,” says Kyle Pursel,<br />

stewardship coordinator for Highlands-<br />

Cashiers Land Trust. “Is there historical<br />

significance? Does the property have the<br />

potential to impact water quality?” Pursel<br />

explained the brainstorming that goes on<br />

when considering projects. There is a lot of<br />

criteria to meet and hurdles to overcome.<br />

Often, these conservation groups partner<br />

up to get the job done, not only with<br />

each other, but with entities like Friends of<br />

Panthertown, the U.S. Forest Service and<br />

other nonprofits such as Trout Unlimited.<br />

“We all have a common goal in that we<br />

want to conserve the land,” says Jordan<br />

Smith, executive director for Mainspring<br />

Conservation Trust, emphasizing that it<br />

isn’t ego or competition that drives them,<br />

which makes it natural for these groups<br />

to come together, often pooling their resources<br />

to preserve our resources.<br />

The Land Conservation<br />

Domino Effect<br />

Aside from public parks and accessible hunting<br />

lands, what benefits are there from<br />

these preserved properties? Our slice of<br />

Appalachia is one of the most biodiverse<br />

places in the country, and there are many<br />

species—both animal and plant—that<br />

thrive because of the expert management<br />

from our local land trusts and other nonprofits.<br />

They care for the land with a deep<br />

understanding of its delicate interconnectedness,<br />

which helps maintain that<br />

biodiversity. Our cliff-dwelling peregrine<br />

falcons, for example, benefit greatly from<br />

improved soil conditions because it provides<br />

healthy food sources for the peregrine’s<br />

greatest food source, songbirds.<br />

We enjoy living, working and playing on<br />

the edge of wilderness, which comes with<br />

the responsibility of caring for the precious<br />

ecosystems among which we live.<br />

High up in our hills, we are blessed<br />

with gorgeous, old-growth forests that are<br />

home to some ancient, towering eastern<br />

hemlocks—reaching upwards of 160 feet<br />

high and estimated to be approaching 500<br />

years old, according to Dr. Gary Wein, executive<br />

director of the Highlands-Cashiers<br />

Land Trust. These stunning trees have<br />

been under attack by the hemlock woolly<br />

adelgid, an invasive, near-microscopic insect<br />

compared to the colossal trees they’re<br />

wiping out. Thanks to vigilant monitoring<br />

by several local groups, including the<br />

HCLT, and the release of beneficial insects<br />

that are natural predators of the adelgid,<br />

several area hemlocks have so far been<br />

spared devastation.<br />

<strong>Feb</strong>ruary /<strong>Mar</strong>ch <strong>2021</strong> | 63

Kids In The Creek with Mainspring<br />

Conservation Trust; (right) Trout Unlimited<br />

improving our waterways<br />

Invasive, nonnative plants also pose a<br />

threat. Kudzu, a plant we are all familiar<br />

with, grows quickly and can cause a<br />

fair amount of destruction. “[Kudzu] ...<br />

prevents oaks from producing acorns. A<br />

hillside overtaken with kudzu basically<br />

eliminates the habitat for species in the<br />

area,” says Paige Engelbrektsson, the<br />

nature center education specialist for the<br />

Highlands Biological Station. Engelbrektsson<br />

urges homeowners to commit to only<br />

using native plants in their landscapes,<br />

and if a manageable invasive species such<br />

as English ivy is present, to work towards<br />

eliminating it as best they can. Kudzu,<br />

however, is far too prolific to battle alone,<br />

and that is where an organization such as<br />

the Coalition for Nonnative Invasive Plant<br />

Management proves highly beneficial to<br />

the community.<br />

Using native plants not only helps combat<br />

issues from their nonnative counterparts,<br />

but it creates a healthier, thriving<br />

population of pollinator insects. “The<br />

thing about nonnative plants,” says Kyle<br />

Pursel, “is it’s kind of like junk food...some<br />

have no nutrients at all.” Caring for the<br />

land and protecting species such as our<br />

giant eastern hemlocks to the smallest<br />

wildflowers that feed our butterflies and<br />

honeybees impacts all other types of wildlife<br />

in our area.<br />

Caring for Our Waterways<br />

Our picturesque lakes, rivers, streams<br />

and waterfalls attract all kinds of people,<br />

from hikers and photographers to avid<br />

anglers—and keeping those waterways<br />

clean is a never-ending task for many<br />

groups and organizations. Two local retailers,<br />

Headwaters Outfitters and Brookings<br />

Anglers, take the health and vitality<br />

of the plateau’s waterways very seriously.<br />

“One of our biggest concerns is roadside<br />

trash,” says Jessica Whitmire, operations<br />

and marketing manager for Headwaters<br />

Outfitters.<br />

Teaming with other local businesses,<br />

Headwaters Outfitters has sponsored<br />

a major clean-up project on the upper<br />

French Broad River annually for over 30<br />

years and have since removed over 15 tons<br />

of trash, including hundreds of old tires<br />

and even the occasional mattress and box<br />

springs. “We are thankfully seeing less<br />

historical trash,” Whitmire says. “It is<br />

getting better, but there is always room<br />

for improvement. We can all step it up a<br />

little more.” Whitmire does not believe<br />

most people litter on purpose. Instead, the<br />

bulk of what is seen now comes from improperly<br />

secured garbage or has escaped<br />

vehicles when doors are opened—accidental<br />

culprits from well-intentioned people.<br />

Unfortunately, there are still some who<br />

do not utilize garbage cans when visiting<br />

our parks and scenic spots, which adds<br />

additional work for staff and volunteer<br />

groups—and much of it ends up in our<br />

waterways.<br />

Matt Canter, owner of Brookings Anglers,<br />

agrees, although it isn’t only garbage<br />

he wants people to consider. Beneath<br />

the surface of the water is a complicated<br />

and fragile ecosystem that not only benefits<br />

tremendously from getting rid of the<br />

obvious pollution, but needs special consideration<br />

during property development,<br />

and it starts with healthy insect populations.<br />

Stoneflies, for example, spend 99%<br />

of their life cycle underwater, and they<br />

need the rocky river bottom to survive.<br />

Silt runoff from development sites can<br />

travel for miles downstream before it settles<br />

over these rocks, potentially disrupting<br />

the stonefly, a major food source for<br />

our beloved trout.<br />

“And the trout need the rocks to lay<br />

eggs, as well,” says Canter, making the<br />

degradation of rocky river bottoms doubly<br />

troublesome for one of the area’s most<br />

iconic and popular fish: the brook trout. To<br />

further complicate matters, along some of<br />

our riverbanks we’re inadvertently raising<br />

the temperature of the water as well.<br />

“[Trout] need cool water,” Canter says,<br />

specifying 70-degrees or below. “When we<br />

PHOTO MAINSPRING CONSERVATION TRUST<br />

64 | The<strong>Plateau</strong>Mag.com

ers work with the local land trusts to see<br />

if donating land would be beneficial, while<br />

some make regular monetary contributions<br />

to the land trusts to ensure they can<br />

keep doing their good works.<br />

While COVID-19 still complicates planning<br />

events, many of these groups offer<br />

fun, educational classes and lectures you<br />

can access online. Once circumstances<br />

permit, be on the lookout for kid-friendly<br />

courses and programs such as Mainspring<br />

Conservation Trust’s Kids In The Creek<br />

program, where kids go snorkeling to<br />

learn about river health, or Trout Unlimited’s<br />

program, Trout In The Classroom,<br />

where students actually get to raise trout<br />

from eggs to fingerlings. P<br />

PHOTO JEFF WRIGHT; HANNAH FURGIUELE<br />

remove canopy cover over the rivers, they<br />

get more sunlight and start to warm up,<br />

and during the summer months we’re already<br />

warm enough,” he says, underscoring<br />

the benefit of leaving riversides intact<br />

whenever possible.<br />

In order to find solutions for this broad<br />

issue, Canter has partnered with Trout<br />

Unlimited, a nonprofit organization dedicated<br />

to improving and conserving trout<br />

habitats all across America. A huge operation<br />

to revitalize some key watersheds is<br />

already underway. The Sky Island Project,<br />

spearheaded by Trout Unlimited, will<br />

reconnect tributaries along the Davidson<br />

River to create habitats more conducive to<br />

spawning and also aims to create a path to<br />

cooler waters along the Tuckasegee River,<br />

just to cite two of the project’s ambitions.<br />

Jeff Wright, the Southeast coordinator for<br />

TU, says the area is the perfect place for<br />

such a project with “the elevation needed,<br />

water cold enough for trout, intact forests<br />

and a good amount of public ownership<br />

and protected lands.”<br />

Keith Curley, TU’s vice president for<br />

Eastern conservation, says the Sky Island<br />

Project will work on everything, “from<br />

sources of pollution, to barriers that prevent<br />

movement, to making sure there is<br />

shade along the banks,” adding that while<br />

trout may be the primary focus, many<br />

other animals benefit from these efforts as<br />

well, such as the hellbender salamander.<br />

There is a significant benefit to local<br />

businesses by doing all of this outstanding<br />

work, as well. “Clean water attracts more<br />

people, and they tend to stay longer, which<br />

is good for all of us,” Jessica Whitmire<br />

points out. There is plenty of evidence to<br />

support the theory, with nothing more<br />

convincing than the droves of people who<br />

journey to the plateau every spring and<br />

summer for fishing, kayaking and other<br />

watersports—visitors who ultimately<br />

shop and dine locally.<br />

Getting Involved<br />

Aside from the importance of conservation,<br />

there was one more sentiment universally<br />

shared by each of the organizations and<br />

businesses interviewed: the people of the<br />

Highlands-Cashiers <strong>Plateau</strong> care. Kyle<br />

Pursel summed up the participants’ consensus:<br />

“The really neat thing is that the<br />

people here really get it,” he said. Historically,<br />

thousands of volunteers have shown<br />

up year after year to give back, either by<br />

rolling up their sleeves and partaking in<br />

the nitty-gritty work of trail maintenance<br />

or cleaning up rivers or by donating food<br />

and water for workers, tents for some<br />

much-needed shade or money to help offset<br />

the costs of conservation efforts. Oth-<br />

» There are a plethora of ways you<br />

can make a difference. If you’re interested<br />

in learning more about getting<br />

involved as a volunteer or otherwise<br />

how to contribute to these great causes<br />

and projects, reach out to the following<br />

and be sure to join them on social media.<br />

One person can make a profound<br />

impact; it might as well be you.<br />

Brookings Anglers<br />

www.BrookingsOnline.com<br />

Headwaters Outfitters<br />

www.HeadwatersOutfitters.com<br />

Highlands Botanical Station<br />

www.HighlandsBiological.org<br />

Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust<br />

www.HiCashLT.org<br />

Mainspring Conservation Trust<br />

www.MainspringConserves.org<br />

Trout Unlimited (There are<br />

several localchapters in the area)<br />

www.TU.org<br />

<strong>Feb</strong>ruary /<strong>Mar</strong>ch <strong>2021</strong> | 65

66 | The<strong>Plateau</strong>Mag.com

Family<br />

First<br />

A Greenville home<br />

with a<br />

strong foundation<br />

By CHRISTINE HENNESSEY » Photos by INSPIRO 8 STUDIOS<br />

Black limestone, framed by<br />

white brick, draws the eye to<br />

the bold contemporary entry<br />

while the eaves and gable<br />

details create faint nods to<br />

English Tudor style.<br />

DESIGNING, BUILDING AND MAKING A HOUSE<br />

a home is all about relationships. For proof, look no<br />

further than this beautiful, comfortable and modern<br />

family home located in Greenville, SC. First, the<br />

home is located in a new development that originally<br />

served as an old family homestead owned by two brothers. When<br />

the brothers sold the property, they were able to get 22 lots on the<br />

four-acre parcel, making room for even more family homes.<br />

Second, the home was designed by Mitch Lehde of MHK Architecture<br />

& Planning. Founded in 2009 by Matthew H. Kragh,<br />

MHK opened a new office in Highlands, led by Lehde, who also<br />

runs the Charleston and Greenville, SC, locations. “We got to<br />

know the realtor involved in the project and he referred us,” Lehde<br />

says. “So far, we’ve done about six houses in the development.”<br />

Finally, the interior of the home was designed by Nathan Fowler<br />

of Fowler Interiors, who has worked on multiple homes for these<br />

clients over the last fifteen years. “The husband travels a lot for<br />

work and they were always on the move,” Fowler says. “But the<br />

wife had grown up in the Greenville area and always wanted to<br />

return to be closer to friends and family.”<br />

With such a strong foundation, the clients were ready to build<br />

their new home and form even deeper relationships with their architect,<br />

their designer, their community and each other.<br />

<strong>Feb</strong>ruary /<strong>Mar</strong>ch <strong>2021</strong> | 67

The beam work, ceiling work<br />

and columns in the living room<br />

are the same material as the<br />

flooring, creating consistency<br />

in the wood's tonal values.<br />

68 | The<strong>Plateau</strong>Mag.com

Larger than Life<br />

The stairs float off<br />

the wall with a glass<br />

rail, creating a lighter<br />

and airier feel.<br />

The homeowners<br />

brought their interior<br />

design team on<br />

board early in the<br />

project, looking for<br />

a modern look with<br />

clean, simple lines.<br />

When embarking on a new project, Lehde<br />

and the MHK team take a hands-on approach,<br />

working with the client and ultimately<br />

letting them guide the design.<br />

This is accomplished through a number of<br />

personal meetings with Lehde, as well as<br />

site visits. When he first met the clients to<br />

learn more about their wants, needs and<br />

personal style, he was excited to learn that<br />

Nathan Fowler, an interior designer, was<br />

already on board for the project. “That usually<br />

means there is going to be a higher level<br />

of sophistication and quality involved,”<br />

Lehde says. He also appreciated meeting<br />

the builder, Fairview Custom Homes, early<br />

in the process, which allows his team to<br />

take more of a design-build strategy.<br />

During their initial meetings, Lehde<br />

learned that the clients wanted a very modern<br />

home. The first design that he came<br />

up with, however, proved to be too modern<br />

for the development’s review board. “The<br />

community required elements of a historical<br />

reference in the design,” he says. “So,<br />

we went back to the drawing board and<br />

came up with a faint nod to the English<br />

Tudor style.” This nod was accomplished<br />

through subtle details at the eaves and gable<br />

details. Lehde used black limestone at<br />

the entry, framed by white brick that went<br />

back to a modern approach for the rest of<br />

the house to make the main body of the<br />

house almost disappear, while drawing<br />

the eye to the bold contemporary entry.<br />

“One of the challenges within the city<br />

was that we were only allowed to impact<br />

sixty percent of the site,” Lehde says. “That<br />

includes the house, but also the driveway,<br />

the walkway, the pool. The clients really<br />

wanted this house to be a family home.<br />

They have four children in elementary<br />

and middle school, so they needed plenty of<br />

bedrooms, a playroom, a game room. Trying<br />

to get all of that onto a tight, narrow<br />

urban lot was challenging.”<br />

The swimming pool takes up the majority<br />

of the backyard, surrounded with a turf<br />

area so the kids still have room to play.<br />

There are only about 18 inches between<br />

the edge of the deck and the pool, and retractable<br />

screens save space and keep everything<br />

clean and minimal. When designing<br />

the pool, Lehde utilized blue ice, a type<br />

of stone from India, to help create a neutral<br />

palette that relaxes the eye. He also<br />

put a sitting area at the end of the pool,<br />

which draws your gaze across the water.<br />

“That’s probably the biggest focal element<br />

of the pool,” he says. “Again, the space was<br />

limited, so it was all about tricking your<br />

eye to make things look bigger.”<br />

<strong>Feb</strong>ruary /<strong>Mar</strong>ch <strong>2021</strong> | 69

Once the outside was taken care of,<br />

Lehde turned his attention to the interior<br />

and found a way to maximize the light and<br />

the view. “We strategically placed glass<br />

and windows to make it feel much larger<br />

than it is,” Lehde says. The end result is<br />

that the Paddocks home, which is located<br />

in an urban area, offers the same level of<br />

privacy and comfort that you’d find in the<br />

middle of a 100-acre field.<br />

An Evolving Style<br />

Fowler Interiors, a family business founded<br />

many years ago by Tracy and James<br />

Fowler, is now carried on by Nathan Fowler<br />

and his brother, Dustin. The brothers each<br />

have over 20 years of experience in the<br />

industry and work with clients from coast<br />

to coast, providing the level of service and<br />

curated product for which Fowler Interiors<br />

has always been known.<br />

Because Nathan Fowler had worked<br />

with the clients for so many years, he’s had<br />

an opportunity to see their style evolve<br />

and help them embrace an updated look.<br />

“In the beginning, their style was more relaxed,<br />

a sort of shabby chic, slipcovered approach,”<br />

he says. “That’s tightened up over<br />

the years, and they were looking for a more<br />

modern look, with clean, simple lines.”<br />

All of the beam work, ceiling work and<br />

columns in the living room are the same<br />

material as the flooring, which keeps a<br />

nice consistency for the tonal values of the<br />

wood, something Fowler appreciated as<br />

he worked on the interior design. “It was<br />

a good base to work from,” he says. “We<br />

knew the general tone and started from<br />

there, then worked our way up.” One of his<br />

favorite places in the house is the kitchen,<br />

which features black on black cabinets,<br />

including hardware, in a matte, flat finish.<br />

The house is not all neutrals. “We had<br />

some fun with color in the kids’ rooms,”<br />

Fowler says. “We incorporated a local artist<br />

in Greenville named Caroline Wright,<br />

who is an amazing talent. She did some<br />

paint techniques in the girls’ rooms, a<br />

carving of the San Gabriel Mountains over<br />

the boys’ beds, as well as a custom paint<br />

job in the powder room.”<br />

There were also some interesting elements<br />

of the project that required extra<br />

meetings and more conversations. The<br />

staircase, which, along with the steel fireplace,<br />

was built by the Heirloom Company,<br />

was one of those elements. “The stairs don’t<br />

actually touch the wall on the side,” Lehde<br />

says. “They float off the wall intentionally<br />

and the rail is glass, which makes them<br />

feel lighter and airier. At the top, there’s<br />

70 | The<strong>Plateau</strong>Mag.com

The kitchen features<br />

black on black<br />

cabinets, including<br />

hardware, and a<br />

small seating area<br />

that looks out on the<br />

garden outside.<br />

<strong>Feb</strong>ruary /<strong>Mar</strong>ch <strong>2021</strong> | 71

In order to create a home<br />

that functions for the whole<br />

family, the master bedroom<br />

was unconventionally placed<br />

in the front of the house.<br />

a peekaboo that looks over into the living<br />

room. While Mom and Dad are watching<br />

TV in the living room, the kids can talk to<br />

them without yelling down the stairs.”<br />

“From a design standpoint, one of my<br />

favorite features is the proximity of the<br />

living room, kitchen and dining area and<br />

how they all work together,” Lehde says.<br />

“Within the kitchen is a small seating area<br />

that looks out on the garden area outside.<br />

That’s one of the most successful areas of<br />

the house. From a gathering standpoint,<br />

you have these nice cushy comfy chairs<br />

where kids can crash and a big 12-foot island<br />

in the kitchen for hanging out.”<br />

Fowler also likes the large living area.<br />

“From an interior design perspective, our<br />

goal was to make it look amazing, give it<br />

that “wow” factor, but also make it functional<br />

and livable for a family with four<br />

kids,” he says. “The parents wanted to<br />

create a space where the kids would be<br />

comfortable and could bring friends, so in<br />

that space, we opted for some performance<br />

fabrics that offer a little more durability.”<br />

Just off the living room is an additional<br />

outdoor living space, separated by 12-foot<br />

72 | The<strong>Plateau</strong>Mag.com<br />

wide pocket sliding doors which, when<br />

open, create a seamless extension. With<br />

20-foot tall windows pulling in light from<br />

the south, it also has a very light and airy<br />

look. While the finished room is breathtaking,<br />

it required some out-of-the-box<br />

thinking and extra discussions with the<br />

clients. In order to put that living space<br />

toward the back of the house and have it<br />

open to the pool area, they had to put the<br />

master bedroom and bathroom in the front<br />

of the house. While a bit unconventional, it<br />

ended up being the perfect choice to create<br />

a home that functions for the whole family.<br />

The clients have lived all over the country,<br />

and as their family has grown, so has<br />

their style. One thing that has remained<br />

consistent, however, is the strength of the<br />

relationships that have helped them create<br />

a sense of home wherever they go, resulting<br />

in projects that make professionals<br />

like Lehde and Fowler proud.<br />

“We’re super grateful for clients who<br />

continue to put their trust in us,” Fowler<br />

says. Proof that whether you’re talking<br />

about houses or relationships, trust is the<br />

ultimate foundation. P<br />

Home Design:<br />

MHK Architecture and Planning<br />

www.thecarolinasarchitect.com<br />

828.482.5820

"Wow" factors throughout<br />

the home are also functional<br />

and livable for a family with<br />

four children.<br />

Lehde utilized stone from India to<br />

create a neutral palette that relaxes<br />

the eye and design elements that<br />

make the space look larger when<br />

designing the pool area.<br />

<strong>Feb</strong>ruary /<strong>Mar</strong>ch <strong>2021</strong> | 73

Helping Hands<br />

<strong>2021</strong>’s nonprofit fundraising roundup<br />

By KAT FORD<br />

THE NONPROFITS OF THE HIGHLANDS-CASHIERS PLATEAU WORK TIRELESSLY TO ENRICH<br />

quality of life and help navigate rough waters. At the same time, every nonprofit spends countless hours raising money<br />

to help fulfill its mission. Depending on the organization, this can include applying for grants, memberships, ticket<br />

sales, programming, donations, contributions, campaigns and fundraising events. Raising money means dedicated<br />

hours of planning, marketing and execution by board members, staff and volunteers. In 2020, most nonprofits were<br />

unable to fundraise with their usual events and galas. With the uncertainty of how COVID-19 will continue, many are facing a<br />

similar situation in <strong>2021</strong>. <strong>Plateau</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> reached out to several of our nonprofits and asked for mission, budget, fundraising<br />

efforts and events. If your heart aligns with the mission of any of these organizations, we encourage you to call or visit their<br />

websites so they can tell you more. In editing this story, I read through thousands of words describing great deeds and efforts. To<br />

paraphrase the sentiment of a better-known author in a much more famous publication- these nonprofits do many great things. If<br />

every one of them were recorded, I suppose even the whole plateau would not have room for the words that could be written.<br />

Advance Highlands Education<br />

Committee<br />

Hilary Wilkes, hbwilkes@gmail.com<br />

In 2018, the Advance Highlands Education<br />

Committee (AHEC) was formed by a group<br />

of community leaders to address critical<br />

infrastructure and technology deficiencies<br />

at Highlands School. Working alongside<br />

administration and faculty, AHEC works to<br />

fund the further development of resources to<br />

help the entire student body succeed and realize<br />

their fullest potential. Since its inception,<br />

AHEC has raised over $300,000 for Highlands<br />

School. All contributions to AHEC are<br />

100% tax-deductible and can be mailed to PO<br />

Box 2095, Highlands, NC 28741.<br />

Big Brothers Big Sisters of<br />

Cashiers and Highlands<br />

828.399.9133<br />

www.bbbswnc.org<br />

Transforming children’s lives through<br />

mentoring and supportive services, we<br />

work to ensure every child in WNC has an<br />

enjoyable, long-term relationship with a<br />

caring adult who believes in them and sees<br />

their potential.<br />

Annual Budget: (July-June <strong>2021</strong>) $50,000<br />

Fundraising: 100%<br />

Events: Annual Croquet Tournament<br />

at Sapphire Valley Country Club: Early<br />

to mid-June <strong>2021</strong> Sponsors and donors<br />

come together for a croquet tournament,<br />

lunch and informational session.<br />

Bowl for Kids’ Sake: Visit our website<br />

for more information on this creative new<br />

virtual take of our annual fundraiser, sign<br />

up by <strong>Mar</strong>ch 1, <strong>2021</strong>.<br />

Blue Ridge Free Dental Clinic<br />

828.743.3393<br />

www.brfdc.org<br />

The Blue Ridge Free Dental Clinic delivers<br />

compassionate emergency, restorative and<br />

preventative dental care to people who cannot<br />

otherwise afford these critically needed<br />

services. We estimate that over 17,000 people<br />

in our serviceable counties meet the financial<br />

qualifications of the Clinic making<br />

them eligible for our services. The Clinic<br />

has performed over 66,000 procedures over<br />

19,270 patient visits with a value exceeding<br />

$10 million.<br />

Operating Budget: (<strong>2021</strong>) $507,900<br />

Fundraising: (<strong>2021</strong>) Special Events:<br />

$22,500; Annual Campaign: $111,000<br />

Events: The Clinic is not planning an inperson<br />

event for <strong>2021</strong>, we will present a<br />

creative way for our donors to contribute to<br />

the Clinic in lieu of a special event.<br />

Blue Ridge School Education<br />

Foundation Inc.<br />

828.743.3586<br />

www.brsfoundation.com<br />

The Blue Ridge School Education Foundation<br />

provides supplemental resources for<br />

Blue Ridge School and Early College to ex-<br />

pand educational experiences for children<br />

and staff in order to achieve and maintain<br />

a world-class education environment.<br />

Annual Budget: Approx. $150,000<br />

Fundraising: (<strong>2021</strong>) $200,000 (2020<br />

cancellations creating a shortfall of about<br />

$60,000)<br />

Events: Annual Nashville Songwriters'<br />

Round: August 21, <strong>2021</strong> Featuring Hall<br />

of Fame songwriter Mr. Rivers Rutherford<br />

and his selected fellow entertainers and<br />

songwriters and held at Trillium Links and<br />

Lake Club in Cashiers, NC.<br />

Boys and Girls Club<br />

of The <strong>Plateau</strong><br />

828.743.2775<br />

www.bgcplateau.org<br />

The Boys and Girls Club of the <strong>Plateau</strong> provides<br />

after-school activities and programs<br />

PHOTO BRIAN O’SHEA<br />

74 | The<strong>Plateau</strong>Mag.com

PHOTO FISHES & LOAVES FOOD PANTRY; CASHIERS-HIGHLANDS HUMANE SOCIETY<br />

to enhance the experience of children in<br />

southern Jackson County. Through use<br />

of The Boys and Girls Club's nationally<br />

proven curriculum, working parents are<br />

equipped with affordable daily after-school<br />

programming and full-day summer programming<br />

for their children.<br />

Annual Budget: $600,000<br />

Fundraising: (<strong>2021</strong>) Annual Fund:<br />

$400,000, Grants: $200,000, Events $0<br />

Events: Due to possible COVID-19 restrictions,<br />

BGCP will not be making decisions<br />

on fundraising events until later in the<br />

year. Please check their website for fundraising<br />

updates or to make a donation.<br />

Cashiers Historical Society<br />

828.743.7710<br />

www.cashiershistoricalsociety.org<br />

Through thoughtful educational platforms<br />

and preservation of the Zachary-Tolbert<br />

House, Colonel John's Cabin, the dependency<br />

and the Hampton Schoolhouse, CHS is<br />

maintaining the legacy of a historical place.<br />

Celebrating its 25th anniversary, CHS has<br />

grown to become one of the most successful<br />

preservation, civic and interpretive organizations<br />

in Western North Carolina.<br />

Annual Budget: $306,000<br />

Fundraising: (total revenue) from Showhouse<br />

80.6%, Showhouse donations 56.22%<br />

Events: 24th Annual Cashiers Designer<br />

Showhouse: August 20 - September 4, <strong>2021</strong><br />

On an annual basis, leading local, regional<br />

and national interior designers grace one<br />

of Cashiers' most storied properties with a<br />

collective aesthetic vision for a must-tour<br />

showhouse. Guests enjoy special events,<br />

shopping, industry panel discussions and<br />

celebrate all things design and history.<br />

Cashiers-Highlands<br />

Humane Society<br />

828.743.5752<br />

www.chhumanesociety.org<br />

The Cashiers-Highlands Humane Society<br />

rescues, provides compassionate care, and<br />

finds forever homes for abandoned and<br />

neglected animals, reunites lost pets with<br />

their families, and makes a positive difference<br />

in the lives of people and pets through<br />

community outreach programs including<br />

low-cost spay/neuter, rabies vaccinations,<br />

free food pet pantry, pet therapy and humane<br />

education.<br />

Annual Budget: $550,000<br />

Fundraising: $550,000<br />

Events: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic,<br />

plans for our two annual fundraisers<br />

(Pawsitively Purrfect Party at The<br />

Country Club of Sapphire Valley and<br />

Bark, Beer & Barbeque at The Farm at<br />

Old Edwards) are unknown at this time.<br />

Circles of Cashiers-Glenville<br />

828.553.5874<br />

www.circlescashiersglenville.org<br />

The mission of CirclesUSA, a national program<br />

with chapters across the country, is<br />

to end poverty. They serve the low-income<br />

citizens in Cashiers, Glenville and the surrounding<br />

plateau who are motivated to create<br />

a change in their lives, from “surviving to<br />

thriving,” by committing to Circles Training<br />

and partnering with a supportive Ally. Circles<br />

also aspires to change the mindset of the<br />

community at large regarding poverty.<br />

Annual Budget: $60,000<br />

Events: Circles started right before COV-<br />

ID-19 affected the country, and to date has<br />

not created a fundraiser. It is currently using<br />

resources from grants received.<br />

Counseling and Psychotherapy<br />

Center of Highlands (CPCH)<br />

828.482.0304<br />

www.counselingcenterofhighlandsnc.com<br />

Our mission is to provide counseling and<br />

psychotherapy services for adults and children<br />

on the Highlands-Cashiers plateau.<br />

Four licensed counselors are affiliated with<br />

CPCH to provide outpatient counseling, educational<br />

workshops and group counseling.<br />

These counselors maintain private practices<br />

and also donate up to (50%) of their fees to<br />

clients who cannot afford the full hourly fee.<br />

Annual Budget: $50,000<br />

Fundraising: $50,000<br />

Give: The CPCH board raises funds to<br />

supplement therapists’ fees for clients who<br />

need fees based on a sliding scale, visit our<br />

website for more information.<br />

Fishes & Loaves<br />

Food Pantry, Inc.<br />

828.508.0378<br />

www.fishesandloavescashiers.org<br />

The mission of Fishes & Loaves is to provide<br />

free food to persons in Jackson County<br />

and the surrounding area who fall below<br />

the federal poverty line based on family<br />

size and monthly income, thereby helping<br />

to alleviate hunger in our communities.<br />

Annual Budget: (2020) $213,100<br />

Grants/Fundraising: $213,100<br />

Events: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic,<br />

Fishes & Loaves will not hold their annual<br />

Big Ol’Mountain Country Breakfast<br />

in <strong>2021</strong> and have not made final plans for<br />

their annual Empty Bowls event. With<br />

an overwhelming response from their last<br />

food drive, future drives are anticipated.<br />

Please check their website for information<br />

about Empty Bowls, future food drives<br />

and additional ways to give directly.<br />

Friends of the Albert<br />

Carlton-Cashiers<br />

Community Library<br />

828.743.5745<br />

www.cashiersfriends.com<br />

Enriching the library through advocacy, fundraising<br />

and activities. We work to obtain<br />

and provide funds which enable the library to<br />

acquire books, periodicals, equipment, digital<br />

and other materials, and supplies needed to<br />

make the library one of the most important<br />

providers of education for the communities of<br />

Cashiers, Glenville and Sapphire.<br />

<strong>Feb</strong>ruary /<strong>Mar</strong>ch <strong>2021</strong> | 75

Annual Budget: FY 2020 - <strong>2021</strong>: $41,675<br />

Fundraising: FY 2020 - <strong>2021</strong>: $30,900<br />

Events: Book Clearances: Returning in<br />

June <strong>2021</strong> and held over a four-day period,<br />

take a book while donating to the Friends<br />

of the Library. Book Store: Visit our used<br />

bookstore, open during library hours, within<br />

the library facility.<br />

Friends of Founders Park, Inc.<br />

www.foundersparkhighlands.org<br />

Founded in 2007 for purchase and construction<br />

of a downtown green, our goal is<br />

to protect, inform and represent the<br />

park. Our mission is to generate and apply<br />

financial resources for maintenance<br />

and improvement in cooperation with the<br />

town. In daytime, the park is used as a<br />

downtown retreat for workers and visitors.<br />

Also, the facility supports events such as<br />

concerts, ice skating, arts and crafts, market<br />

days and nonprofit fundraisers.<br />

Annual Budget: $27,000<br />

Events: Although some revenue is direct<br />

donations, our Low Country Shrimp Boil<br />

fundraiser provides 90% of our resources.<br />

Please visit our website for dates and times.<br />

Friends of Panthertown<br />

828.269.4453<br />

www.panthertown.org<br />

76 | The<strong>Plateau</strong>Mag.com<br />

Friends of Panthertown maintains 30<br />

miles of public trails and works in partnership<br />

with the U.S. Forest Service to<br />

conserve while improving the quality and<br />

experience of recreational opportunities in<br />

Panthertown Valley, an American black<br />

bear sanctuary containing the pristine<br />

headwaters of the east fork of the Tuckasegee<br />

River.<br />

Annual Budget: Approx. $100,000 (trail maintenance<br />

completed by volunteers not reflected)<br />

Fundraising: 50%<br />

Events: In past years, Friends of Panthertown<br />

has held annual fundraising events<br />

during the summer and fall featuring presentations<br />

by nationally recognized speakers,<br />

knowledgeable local guides, authors<br />

and experts on the history and natural<br />

features of Panthertown. In <strong>2021</strong>, those<br />

will likely be virtual online presentations.<br />

Highlands Biological<br />

Foundation<br />

828.526.2221<br />

www.highlandsbiological.org<br />

Our mission is to foster research and education<br />

focused on the rich natural heritage<br />

of the Highlands <strong>Plateau</strong>, while preserving<br />

and celebrating the biological crown of the<br />

southern Appalachian Mountains. We help<br />

young campers connect to nature, provide<br />

free public youth and adult programs and<br />

events all summer long, and educate over<br />

10,000 visitors on Highlands' natural history<br />

through the Highlands Nature Center<br />

and Botanical Garden.<br />

Annual budget: $300,000<br />

Fundraising: $275,000<br />

Events: Summer Soiree: Late July,<br />

TBD <strong>2021</strong> Our largest annual fundraiser<br />

held at a different home each year.<br />

Highlands on the Half-Shell: First<br />

Sunday in October, TBD <strong>2021</strong> This Cajun<br />

celebration features a feast of steamed<br />

oysters, gumbo and jambalaya and is a sell<br />

out each year!<br />

Highlands-Cashiers Chamber<br />

Music Festival<br />

828.526.9060<br />

www.h-cmusicfestival.org<br />

The Highlands-Cashiers Chamber Music<br />

Festival enhances the cultural life of<br />

Western North Carolina by sponsoring<br />

performances by acclaimed musicians and<br />

promoting education, outreach and audience<br />

development programs that foster<br />

an appreciation of chamber music. The<br />

Festival's regular concert series runs July<br />

2 - August 8, <strong>2021</strong>.<br />

Annual Budget: $380,000<br />

Fundraising: 18% (does not include<br />

contributions)<br />

Events: <strong>Mar</strong>tinis and Mozart at Old<br />

Edwards Orchard House: July 13, <strong>2021</strong><br />

A special quartet will perform Mozart in Old<br />

Edwards Farm's beautiful gardens. <strong>Mar</strong>tinis,<br />

wine and hors d’oeuvres will be served.<br />

Gershon/Cohn Final Concert and Dinner:<br />

August 8, <strong>2021</strong> Renowned violinist<br />

David Coucheron and The Eroica Trio,<br />

along with the Festival Chamber Orchestra,<br />

will perform at the lovely new venue at The<br />

Village Green Commons in Cashiers. Dinner<br />

follows at Wildcat Cliffs Country Club.<br />

Highlands Emergency Council (HEC)<br />

828.526.4357<br />

Our mission is to assist low-income residents<br />

of the Highlands area, senior citizens,<br />

young families, single parent families and<br />

disaster victims of any age. Help includes<br />

food, clothing, household goods, appliances<br />

and fuel as they are available.<br />

Annual Budget: July 2020 - June <strong>2021</strong><br />

$45,522<br />

Fundraising: (2020-<strong>2021</strong>) $7,000; prior<br />

years $18,000<br />

Events: Future dates for our Bluegrass<br />

Bash and Food for Fuel fundraisers in<br />

<strong>2021</strong> are currently uncertain.<br />

PHOTOS MARJORIE CHRISTIANSEN; THOMAS MABRY;<br />

HIGHLANDS BIOLOGICAL FOUNDATION; HIGHLANDS EMERGENCY COUNCIL

PHOTOS RAN SHAFFNER; THE HIGHLANDS PLAYHOUSE; HUDSON LIBRARY<br />

Highlands Historical Society<br />

828.787.1050<br />

www.highlandshistory.com<br />

Highlands Historical Society preserves and<br />

promotes the rich heritage of Highlands for<br />

present and generations to come. Open to<br />

the public free of charge June-October, the<br />

Historic Village welcomes visitors, both<br />

out-of-town and local residents.<br />

Annual budget: $70,000<br />

Fundraising: Traditionally 70%<br />

Events: Future dates for fundraisers in <strong>2021</strong><br />

are currently uncertain, please visit our website<br />

for updates and to donate directly.<br />

Highlands Performing<br />

Arts Center<br />

828.526.9047<br />

www.HighlandsPerformingArts.com<br />

Our mission is to provide a first class, lowcost<br />

facility for our local 501(c)(3) organizations<br />

and to promote and encourage the<br />

performing arts.<br />

Annual Budget: $300,000<br />

Fundraising: Approx. $155,000<br />

Give: Donations and memberships are<br />

needed and greatly appreciated until we<br />

can get fully reopened due to the COV-<br />

ID-19 pandemic. Our Membership Campaign<br />

will begin the first of <strong>Mar</strong>ch-watch<br />

your mailbox and our website! The new<br />

Highlands Performing Arts Center will begin<br />

construction late spring with a completion<br />

date of June 2022. Capital Campaign<br />

donations can also be made online.<br />

Highlands <strong>Plateau</strong> Greenway<br />

www.highlandsgreenway.com<br />

Our mission is to develop a system of walking<br />

and hiking trails that protect and connect<br />

the natural settings and historic sites<br />

of the Highlands <strong>Plateau</strong>. Through this mission,<br />

we serve everyone in the Highlands<br />

community, residents and visitors alike.<br />

Annual Budget: roughly $10,000 per year<br />

Fundraising: Up to 25%<br />

Events: The Kelsey Trail Hike was last<br />

held in 2019 and we hope to hold this fundraising<br />

hike again in July of <strong>2021</strong>. Participants<br />

walk upon the historic trail and follow<br />

in the footsteps of Samual Kelsey, one<br />

of the founders of Highlands, who began<br />

working on the Kelsey Trail in 1877.<br />

Highlands Playhouse<br />

828.526.2695<br />

www.highlandsplayhouse.org<br />

The Highlands Playhouse is one of the<br />

country’s oldest professional summer stock<br />

theaters. Over the years, the local ensemble<br />

began to bring in professionals and mounted<br />

sophisticated plays and musicals. In addition<br />

to offering first run movies and three to<br />

four live plays each summer, The Playhouse<br />

offers a summer camp for children with fun,<br />

hands-on exposure to the magical experience<br />

of writing and performing a play.<br />

Annual Budget: $700,000<br />

Fundraising: Almost half<br />

Events: We are excited about the possibility<br />

of hosting our annual dinner/auction,<br />

Starstruck, in <strong>2021</strong> in addition to a<br />

patron event thanking those who helped<br />

support us during the public health crisis.<br />

Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust<br />

828-526-1111<br />

www.hicashlt.org<br />

Our mission is to conserve valuable natural<br />

resources for all generations. We serve<br />

all who live on and visit The Highlands-<br />

Cashiers <strong>Plateau</strong> as we protect the quality<br />

of the air we breathe, the water we drink<br />

and healthy habitat for all who live here.<br />

Annual Budget: $358,000<br />

Fundraising: 85%<br />

Give: We currently rely on individual donations<br />

for the majority of our income rather<br />

than major fundraising events. Checks can<br />

be made out to HCLT and mailed to P.O.<br />

Box 1703, Highlands, NC 28741. To donate<br />

by credit card or to give gifts of stock and<br />

planned gifts, visit our website.<br />

Hudson Library of<br />

Highlands, NC Inc.<br />

828.526.3031<br />

www.fontanalib.org/hudsonboard<br />

Our mission is to make available to everyone<br />

the recorded knowledge of civilization<br />

and thus promote and encourage the free<br />

flow of information, the enjoyment of reading<br />

and an appreciation of the challenge of<br />

ideas. We accomplish our mission by providing<br />

for, and maintaining, the library's<br />

land, building and furniture, as well as<br />

supporting the purchase of all books, e-<br />

books, books on tape and other media.<br />

Annual Budget: (FY 2020-<strong>2021</strong>) $120,000<br />

Fundraising: (FY 2020-<strong>2021</strong>) $108,000<br />

Give: We have two direct written appeals,<br />

at the end of June and end of November,<br />

and the year-long sales revenue from the<br />

board-and volunteer-staffed used bookstore,<br />

The Bookworm.<br />

The International<br />

Friendship Center<br />

828.526.0890<br />

www.internationalfriendshipcenter.org<br />

Our mission is to assist people experiencing<br />

hardship and to address concerns and<br />

challenges facing the immigrants in our<br />

community by fostering understanding<br />

<strong>Feb</strong>ruary /<strong>Mar</strong>ch <strong>2021</strong> | 77

among all people, facilitating social and<br />

human services, and providing nutrition<br />

to the needy through the Highlands Food<br />

Pantry. We serve the immigrant, international<br />

and low-income members of Highlands<br />

and the surrounding communities.<br />

Annual Budget: $237,000<br />

Fundraising: Events: 10%<br />

Events: Empty Bowls and Christmas<br />

Barbecue<br />

Literacy Council of Cashiers<br />

828.743.0215<br />

www.cashiersliteracycouncil.org<br />

The mission of the Literacy Council of Cashiers<br />

focuses its efforts to support and promote<br />

emergent literacy and literacy throughout<br />

the population of the community of Cashiers,<br />

NC, from birth through adulthood.<br />

Annual Budget: About $18,000<br />

Fundraising: About $2,000<br />

Events: Please check our website for<br />

updates on our annual Lunch for Literacy<br />

fundraiser in July. Donations can be<br />

mailed to: Literacy Council of Cashiers, PO<br />

Box 1398, Cashiers, NC 28717.<br />

The Literacy & Learning<br />

Center (TL&LC)<br />

828.526.0863<br />

www.maconncliteracy.org<br />

The mission of The Literacy & Learning<br />

Center is to enrich lives and expand the<br />

knowledge of children, adults and families<br />

through diverse educational programs that<br />

advance literacy in its many forms and to<br />

promote lifelong learning, which results in<br />

an informed and empowered community.<br />

TL&LC currently serves people of all ages<br />

with literacy needs in Macon County.<br />

Annual Budget: $400,000<br />

Fundraising: 33%<br />

Events: The date for the <strong>2021</strong> gala is yet to<br />

be determined, please visit our website for<br />

updates on <strong>2021</strong> events or to give directly.<br />

Summit Charter School<br />

828.734.5755<br />

www.summitschool.org<br />

We raise money to support Summit<br />

Charter School, a tuition-free K-12 public<br />

charter school in Cashiers, NC, currently<br />

serving 239 students and 45 teachers, representing<br />

four counties.<br />

Budget: $3,044,773<br />

Fundraising: Development (21%) Festival<br />

of Trees (6%)<br />

Events: Moët & Chandon Toast of the<br />

Trees: July 29, <strong>2021</strong> A VIP preview party<br />

to celebrate the inaugural Cashiers Festival<br />

of Trees, hosted by the Summit Charter<br />

School Foundation. Sponsored by Moët<br />

& Chandon at The Orchard restaurant in<br />

Cashiers, Ross Copperman, Grammy-nominated<br />

singer-songwriter and producer,<br />

will host the music component.<br />

Cashiers Festival of Trees: November<br />

26-27, <strong>2021</strong> A family-friendly event where<br />

guests bid on decorated trees and holiday<br />

décor, enjoy performances, create children’s<br />

crafts, shop one-of-a-kind gifts and more!<br />

The Bascom: A Center<br />

for The Visual Arts<br />

828.526.4949<br />

www.thebascom.org<br />

The Bascom creates visual art experiences<br />

that inspire and empower individuals and<br />

communities through seeing, thinking and<br />

doing. The continuous goals of The Bascom’s<br />

programming are building essential<br />

creative skills for area youth and adults,<br />

increasing professional development opportunities<br />

for artists and educators and<br />

becoming a key player in the creative<br />

economy in Western North Carolina.<br />

Fundraising: Approximately 22% of The<br />

Bascom’s annual budget<br />

Events: <strong>2021</strong> dates to be determined,<br />

please visit our website for more information<br />

or to give directly.<br />

Concert and Cuisine: A seated dinner<br />

and vocal performance by Candace Glover.<br />

BBQ Fundraiser: A casual gathering<br />

where guests can enjoy delicious Southern<br />

fare and fellowship.<br />

The Mountain Retreat<br />

and Learning Center<br />

828.526.5838<br />

www.TheMountainRLC.org<br />

The Mountain enriches lives, fosters an<br />

appreciation of the natural world, honors<br />

the interconnectedness of all things and inspires<br />

people to build inclusive, meaningful,<br />

sustainable communities throughout their<br />

lives. In summer we host MountainCamp<br />

for youth across the Southeast to experience<br />

an enriching safe environment where<br />

campers are treated with respect, kindness<br />

and consideration, and are celebrated for<br />

their individual talents. We also offer outreach<br />

and education through our farm and<br />

nature based educational programming.<br />

Annual Budget: Approx. $1,000,000<br />

Fundraising: Historically 25%, in 2020<br />

more than 70% with limited programming<br />

and camps<br />

Give: Visit our website to donate directly!<br />

The Village Green of Cashiers<br />

828.743.3434<br />

www.VillageGreenCashiersNC.com<br />

For more than 25 years, The Village Green<br />

has served as the green heart of the mountain<br />

community of Cashiers, NC. These 13-plus<br />

acres of privately held parkland provide a<br />

gathering, recreational and event space open<br />

to the public to enhance the quality of life for<br />

residents and visitors to the area alike.<br />

Annual Budget: $150,000<br />

Fundraising: $125,000<br />

Events: Joy Garden Tour: July 16 and<br />

17, <strong>2021</strong> Enjoy a special patron-only dinner<br />

and garden shops with 35 vendors offering<br />

plants, garden-related merchandise,<br />

unique gifts, antiques and more. Tour<br />

exclusive, stunning private gardens in the<br />

Cashiers area with lunch included.<br />

Warrior Survival School<br />

850.814.0694<br />

www.warriorsurvival.org<br />

Warrior Survival School is a situational<br />

and mental resiliency training nonprofit.<br />

While primarily focusing on veterans and<br />

first responders, we also offer corporate,<br />

family and small group coaching. Learn<br />

how to process, adapt and prevail during<br />

both minor and severe situational abnormalities.<br />

(Due to COVID, we have expanded<br />

our training to the general public<br />

in teaching Mental Health First Aid).<br />

Annual Budget: (<strong>2021</strong>) $35,000<br />

Give: Our funds have come from foundations<br />

and individuals we have helped. For more information<br />

and donations, visit our website. P<br />

PHOTO TAYLOR ASHLEY<br />

78 | The<strong>Plateau</strong>Mag.com

dining review in the kitchen libations restaurant guide<br />

Charmed<br />

Sourcing herbs from their gardens<br />

and produce from neighboring<br />

farms, Julep Kitchen<br />

offers upscale cuisine with a<br />

homegrown, resort charm.<br />

PHOTO TRACI KRUGER, TRALYNN PHOTOGRAPHY<br />

<strong>Feb</strong>ruary /<strong>Mar</strong>ch <strong>2021</strong> | 79

Julep Farms<br />

This modern farm resort serves destination cuisine,<br />

cocktails and fun<br />

By BRIDGET CALLAHAN » Photos By TRACI KRUGER<br />

500 Hwy 246<br />

Dillard, GA 30537<br />

706.960.9600<br />

www.julep.farm<br />

WHEN LAUREN AND RICK<br />

Weaver opened Julep<br />

Farms in fall 2019, they<br />

didn’t anticipate a global<br />

pandemic was coming<br />

that would signal the resurgence of outdoor<br />

dining. Previously the owners of the popular<br />

French <strong>Mar</strong>ket & Tavern in Locust Grove<br />

outside Atlanta, Lauren Weaver had already<br />

set her sights on creating a destination spot<br />

where she could embrace all her talents as<br />

a restaurateur, a designer and a decorator.<br />

It was chance that brought them to Rabun<br />

County, where they initially went to check<br />

out a vineyard for sale. Instead, they<br />

happened on 22 acres of beautiful, rolling<br />

pastures nestled against the Blue Ridge<br />

Mountains that would eventually become<br />

Julep Farms. And without meaning to,<br />

the Weavers created the perfect day trip<br />

destination for COVID-weary travelers<br />

looking for a little country escape.<br />

It can be tempting to classify Julep Farms<br />

as an event space, but that wouldn’t be quite<br />

right. It’s more like a modern farm resort.<br />

With intimately designed, cozy cottages and<br />

beautiful gardens, as well as a 300-seat restaurant<br />

and two giant outdoor decks with<br />

amazing vistas, it’s definitely a dream wedding<br />

venue. And the large capacity means<br />

they often host corporate events as well. But<br />

it’s also perfect for a couple just looking to get<br />

away for an afternoon of shopping and a latte,<br />

or dramatic sunsets paired with high-end<br />

cuisine and cocktails. There’s a coffee shop, a<br />

formal garden, a barn of farm animals and a<br />

chicken coop, even a croquet field.<br />

“You can walk in and go about the farm<br />

anytime. We do cool events all year round.<br />

For instance, there’s a field to the left of the<br />

barn that’s a flower field. Lauren planted xenias,<br />

wildflowers and we did flower pickings<br />

every Saturday last summer. So, you could<br />

(Above) Visit Julep Farm’s 22 rolling pasture<br />

acres to dine, stay, shop and unwind; Brie<br />

and caramelized onion flatbread from Julep<br />

Kitchen.<br />

come out, have a Bellini or a prosecco popsicle,<br />

all kinds of summer drinks, then pick<br />

your own flowers and take home a bouquet.<br />

We’ve done hot air balloon rides, a Labor<br />

Day party. We have Saturday morning yoga<br />

by the coffee shop. We try to make it revolve<br />

around the community,” says Katie <strong>Mar</strong>tin,<br />

the event coordinator. The boutique features<br />

unique garden and home decor with handmade<br />

gifts and jewelry, all hand-picked by<br />

Weaver.<br />

Julep Kitchen, the Weaver’s new restaurant<br />

on site, is a bright, airy space that<br />

reflects Lauren Weaver’s aesthetic dreams,<br />

80 | The<strong>Plateau</strong>Mag.com

inging the magnificent views into a clean,<br />

modern space.<br />

“My last place was very industrial, which<br />

was fun, but it was a fleeting trend,” Weaver<br />

says. “I wanted something more happy and<br />

light, I would call it like California meets<br />

Scandinavian. It’s the comfort and edge of<br />

California but with the functionality and<br />

clean lines of Scandinavian. I’d say there’s<br />

even a bit of a New England vibe that gives a<br />

little refinement, a little more polish, a touch<br />

of traditionalism. Elegant, but approachable.”<br />

That description works pretty well for the<br />

(Above) Julep Kitchen offers a bright, airy space with outdoor decks so guests may enjoy the<br />

magnificent views; The crab cakes are made with nothing but jumbo lump and are one of the<br />

most popular dishes.<br />

New American cuisine menu as well, which is<br />

a joint collaboration between Weaver’s experience<br />

and Chef Shane Ferren’s talent. It makes<br />

generous use of the fresh herbs from their own<br />

gardens and the best produce sourced from<br />

neighboring farms. There’s definitely a Southern<br />

twist that shows with menu items like<br />

stone-ground white grits and shrimp served<br />

with Tasso ham cream sauce. But it’s also<br />

decidedly upscale, featuring top-tier seafood<br />

like pan-seared Gulf Grouper and Braveheart<br />

Beef ribeyes and filets.<br />

“We sous vide a lot of our meats, so they’re<br />

very tender. Our steaks are fantastic. But<br />

the crab cakes are probably one of our best<br />

dishes, made with nothing but jumbo lump,”<br />

Weaver says. Weaver’s own favorite is the<br />

buttery herb pork chop with apple chutney.<br />

<strong>Mar</strong>tin recommends the parmesan encrusted<br />

salmon with a honey garlic glaze. If<br />

you’re craving a burger, the pimento cheeseburger<br />

with smoky bacon jam is a win every<br />

time. And for day-trippers just stopping by<br />

for a quick lunch, the smoked chicken salad<br />

on a buttery croissant or the spicy fried Thai<br />

chili shrimp sandwich on local sourdough<br />

should not be missed.<br />

Crunchy parmesan truffle fries, savory<br />

apple, brie and caramelized onion flatbread,<br />

and smoky, creamy trout dip round out an<br />

appetizer menu where you can find the perfect<br />

accompaniment for sipping one of their<br />

cocktails on the deck. The mint julep is a fan<br />

favorite, or try the refreshing Bees’ Knees,<br />

made with handcrafted Savannah Honey<br />

Bourbon and fresh-squeezed lemon. Or the<br />

Chipotle Fig <strong>Mar</strong>garita, featuring Tanteo<br />

Chipotle Tequila, agave nectar, fresh<br />

squeezed lime and fig preserves.<br />

Often, people who stop by on a whim end<br />

up coming back to book one of the four designer<br />

cottages that Weaver has built. Each<br />

cottage is themed, and Weaver says the<br />

themes usually originate with a “collection”<br />

she’s found in her adventures.<br />

“The Derby is a 1930s vibe with old ribbons<br />

and old saddles, big silver trophies.<br />

The headboard is made of nine decades of<br />

jockey derby hats. The Boathouse started<br />

because I bought like 90 old thermoses all<br />

from the 1910s to the 1960s that were just<br />

so cool,” Weaver says, laughing. There are<br />

plans to build 18 more cottages on the property<br />

in the next five years, and she’s already<br />

brainstorming the designs, from the Jazz<br />

cottage featuring the polished brass and<br />

chrome of antique instruments to the Hemingway<br />

cottage that will have a “smokey<br />

library vibe.” Each cottage is still cohesive<br />

with the property, with big, vaulted ceilings<br />

and relaxing open spaces.<br />

Julep Farms is definitely kid friendly,<br />

with plenty of farm animals and games to<br />

keep parents happy. So, bring the whole<br />

family down or make a clean getaway for<br />

the weekend. All in all, it’s the perfect<br />

destination for the first sunny day, with<br />

amazing food and drink to cap it all off. P<br />

<strong>Feb</strong>ruary /<strong>Mar</strong>ch <strong>2021</strong> | 81

in the kitchen<br />

Recipes and photos by KIM BYER<br />

Lovin’ Spoonfuls<br />

Small acts of kindness in the kitchen<br />

82 | The<strong>Plateau</strong>Mag.com

»<br />

This winter our recipes celebrate cooks who lovingly take the few extra steps to serve<br />

up something truly special. Start the lovefest with our couscous—a confetti of sweet and tart flavors thrown onto your tongue. Pair<br />

it with falafel or grilled chicken for your main course and continue the celebration with a pair of Amaretto Grapefruit Brûlée. This<br />

dessert is one of those small acts of kitchen kindness where your Valentine enjoys the fruits of your grapefruit labor. Plus, according<br />

to universal law, adding flaming alcohol to any dessert creates a spontaneous attraction. However, if you commit to any single dish<br />

this month, tie your destiny to the Lobster Mac-n-Cheese. Nothing says “I love you” like buttery lobster in a bowl of cheesy decadence.<br />

Though if either you or your loved one is -literally- faint of heart, you may want to shift your focus to our homemade meatballs<br />

soaking in a garlic-infused bath of marinara. And for our final act, close the curtains and belt out Mama Mia while you bake our best<br />

Cherry Cheese Crumble. Much like your inside voice, it’s a master class of crumble pie.<br />

Sweet-Tart Couscous with<br />

Cranberries and Citrus<br />

Serves 8-10 as a side<br />

Ingredients<br />

1 cup couscous, uncooked + 2 cups water<br />

2 tablespoons olive oil (divided use)<br />

1 small yellow onion, chopped<br />

½ cup celery, chopped<br />

¼ cup fresh lemon juice<br />

Zest of one lemon<br />

½ teaspoon ground cumin<br />

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper<br />

1 handful fresh parsley, chopped<br />

½ cup dried, sweet cranberries<br />

½ cup golden raisins<br />

Pomegranate arils (optional)<br />

½ cup nuts (pecan, pistachio, pine, or<br />

slivered almonds)<br />

Directions<br />

1. Place couscous, water and 1 tablespoon<br />

of oil in a medium-sized pot and stir.<br />

Bring to a boil, then turn off heat and<br />

cover. After 5 minutes, fluff with a fork.<br />

2. In a small frying pan, sauté onions and<br />

celery in a tablespoon of olive oil until<br />

softened.<br />

3. In a large serving bowl, mix lemon juice<br />

and zest, cumin and cayenne together.<br />

4. Mix in the warm couscous and<br />

remaining ingredients. Serve warm.<br />

Tip: Serve with falafel or grilled chicken<br />

skewers for a delicious main course.<br />

Special equipment: A brûlée torch (small propane torch) is used to melt the sugar. Ceramic<br />

ramekins or similar heat-proof containers work best when burning sugar with a torch.<br />

Optional method: Broil sugared grapefruit ramekins on high until bubbling and browned.<br />

Amaretto Grapefruit Brûlée<br />

Serves 2<br />

Ingredients<br />

2-3 pink or ruby red grapefruit,<br />

segmented<br />

Amaretto DiSarrona Liquor<br />

Decorating sugar for sprinkling (coarse<br />

ground or colored, if desired)<br />

Maldon or similar coarse-ground salt for topping<br />

Pomegranate arils (optional)<br />

Directions<br />

1. Remove grapefruit segments by slicing<br />

fruit horizontally and running a very<br />

sharp knife around edges and in between<br />

membranes. Or peel grapefruit with a<br />

knife and supreme each segment. Chop<br />

fruit into smaller pieces. Fill individual<br />

ramekins to just below the rim and press<br />

fruit until there is a fairly flat surface.<br />

2. Optional step for a warm dessert: Place<br />

ramekins on a baking sheet and warm<br />

in the oven at 325°F for 15 minutes<br />

before continuing.<br />

3. Spoon 1 tablespoon of amaretto into<br />

each ramekin then generously cover<br />

each ramekin with sugar. Using a<br />

brûlée torch, melt the sugar until<br />

browned. The amaretto will flame. A<br />

few burnt bubbles and spots should<br />

begin to form (and smell heavenly).<br />

Sprinkle with salt and pomegranate<br />

arils and serve immediately.<br />

<strong>Feb</strong>ruary /<strong>Mar</strong>ch <strong>2021</strong> | 83

in the kitchen<br />

Lobster Mac-n-Cheese<br />

Slow-cooker style<br />

Serves 3-4<br />

Ingredients<br />

8 ounces small elbow macaroni<br />

1 cup + 1 tablespoon butter, melted<br />

(divided use)<br />

8 ounces extra sharp cheddar cheese,<br />

grated<br />

8 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated<br />

84 | The<strong>Plateau</strong>Mag.com<br />

6 ounces evaporated milk<br />

1¼ cup whole milk<br />

½ cup sour cream<br />

2 large eggs, beaten<br />

1 teaspoon kosher salt<br />

½ teaspoon coarsely ground pepper<br />

A pinch of onion powder<br />

Fresh nutmeg (a few seconds on a fine grater)<br />

8 ounces cooked lobster meat (thaw, if frozen)<br />

½ cup panko breadcrumbs<br />

Fresh chives<br />

Directions<br />

1. Cook small elbow macaroni (in lightly salted<br />

water) for 3 minutes (about ½ the cooking<br />

time of box directions). Strain and pour into<br />

large slow cooker. Cover and set slow cooker<br />

to 4 hours (High).<br />

2. Add 1 cup melted butter, cheeses and milks,<br />

sour cream, eggs and seasonings. Stir until<br />

mixed. Then, leave the cooker covered the<br />

entire 4 hours—no tasting, no stirring! Leave<br />

on Warm setting until ready to serve.<br />

3. 15 minutes before serving: Gently push<br />

the cooked lobster meat into macaroni<br />

and cheese. In a small frying pan, melt 1<br />

tablespoon butter with the breadcrumbs until<br />

coated, toasted and golden brown. When<br />

the lobster has warmed for 15 minutes, top<br />

individual servings with a large spoonful<br />

of toasted breadcrumbs and a sprinkle of<br />

snipped chives. Serve immediately.

Homemade Meatballs<br />

in <strong>Mar</strong>inara<br />

Serves 5-8<br />

<strong>Mar</strong>inara<br />

2 tablespoons olive oil<br />

2 garlic cloves, minced<br />

½ medium yellow onion, chopped<br />

2 28-ounce cans of tomatoes<br />

(whole, diced or crushed)<br />

1 heaping tablespoon tomato paste<br />

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (or equal combo of<br />

dried oregano, marjoram, rosemary, basil and/or<br />

thyme)<br />

1 teaspoon kosher salt<br />

½ teaspoon sugar<br />

Meatballs<br />

1-pound mild Italian sausage<br />

(removed from casings)<br />

1-pound ground beef<br />

¼ medium yellow onion, minced<br />

¼ cup golden raisins, chopped<br />

¼ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped<br />

¼ cup Parmesan cheese, shredded<br />

¼ cup panko breadcrumbs<br />

1 garlic clove, minced<br />

1 tablespoon tomato paste<br />

1½ teaspoons finely crushed fennel seed<br />

1 teaspoon kosher salt<br />

½ teaspoon sugar<br />

1 or 2 large eggs (see note in instructions)<br />

4 tablespoons olive oil, for frying<br />

Parmesan cheese (shredded or shaved) and chopped<br />

fresh parsley<br />

Directions<br />

1. Sauté garlic in 1 tablespoon of olive oil, stirring,<br />

until fragrant. Add onions and cook until<br />

softened. Then add tomatoes, tomato paste and<br />

seasonings and simmer, uncovered or screened,<br />

for at least one hour, stirring occasionally. Near<br />

the end of cooking, blend the sauce with a stick<br />

blender for a few pulses, until fairly smooth.<br />

Taste and adjust seasoning.<br />

2. Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, gently<br />

mix meatball ingredients together and form into<br />

24 larger-than-a-golf-ball meatballs. Depending<br />

on how wet the mixture is, add either 1 or 2<br />

eggs.<br />

You will want a fairly wet mixture.<br />

3. In a heavy iron skillet, fry meatballs in<br />

batches using 4 tablespoons olive oil until fried<br />

outer crust forms. This will go quickly. Place<br />

meatballs onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet<br />

and cook for 30 minutes. Optionally, meatballs<br />

can cook in the marinara, but oven cooking<br />

releases and disperses most of the grease.<br />

4. Ladle marinara into low bowls and add<br />

meatballs. Top with shaved Parmesan<br />

and fresh parsley before serving.<br />

<strong>Feb</strong>ruary /<strong>Mar</strong>ch <strong>2021</strong> | 85

»<br />

in the kitchen<br />

Cherry Cheese Crumble Pie<br />

Makes one 8-inch, deep-dish pie<br />

Ingredients<br />

2 cups all-purpose flour<br />

3/4 cup sugar<br />

½ teaspoon baking powder<br />

¼ teaspoon salt<br />

6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small cubes<br />

1 large egg<br />

½ cup chopped pecan<br />

Filling<br />

16 ounces cream cheese (room temperature)<br />

½ cup confectioners’ sugar<br />

½ cup milk<br />

Fresh nutmeg, optional (a few seconds on a<br />

fine grater)<br />

21-ounce can sweet cherry pie filling<br />

Directions<br />

1. In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking<br />

powder, and salt together. Cut the butter<br />

into the mixture with a fork or pastry<br />

cutter, then stir in the egg. Spoon half of<br />

the crumb mixture into the bottom of the<br />

pan. Add pecans on top and press into<br />

the crust. Cook for 10-12 minutes or until<br />

crust is golden brown. Remove from oven<br />

to cool.<br />

2. To make the filling, beat cream cheese,<br />

confectioners’ sugar, milk and nutmeg<br />

until smooth and fluffy.<br />

3. Spread the cream cheese filling over the<br />

cooled crust, then layer the cherries. Top<br />

with the remaining crumbs and bake for<br />

45-50 minutes. Serve warm or at room<br />

temperature. Refrigerate leftovers for up<br />

to one week.<br />

86 | The<strong>Plateau</strong>Mag.com<br />

Classic Irish Cream Coffee<br />

Ingredients<br />

1 cup heavy whipping cream<br />

2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar<br />

Freshly brewed coffee<br />

1-ounce Jameson Irish Whiskey<br />

1-ounce Baileys Irish Cream<br />

Icing sugar, optional<br />

Directions<br />

1. Using a whisk or whisk<br />

attachment on a mixer, whip<br />

heavy cream and sugar until stiff<br />

peaks form. If you accidentally<br />

over-beat the whipped cream, add<br />

a small amount of cold cream to<br />

the mixture and whisk again.<br />

2. Pour whiskey and Irish cream into<br />

mug. Add coffee to the rim. Layer<br />

a large dollop of whipped cream on<br />

top and sprinkle with icing sugar.<br />

Tip: A tall glass mug (with handle)<br />

works best for this coffee.

libations<br />

What’s Love<br />

Got to Do With It?<br />

Five questions to help you win at the wine game this <strong>Feb</strong>ruary<br />

By MANDY MURRY<br />

PHOTOS MANDY MURRY<br />

FOOD AND WINE ARE TWO OF<br />

my loves in life. The intimacy<br />

of exploring flavors, tasting<br />

notes of my childhood, and<br />

creating in the kitchen offers<br />

meaningful moments that I will carry with<br />

me for life. When I first started exploring<br />

wine, I was clueless. Many would tell you<br />

to breathe the aroma of the grape and<br />

soil combination in, sip slow and know<br />

your grapes - chardonnay, pinot noir and<br />

cabernet. But wine is more personal than<br />

what is often discussed by sommeliers.<br />

Many of us have experienced a wine tasting<br />

and have learned about growing regions,<br />

conditions and flavors that pair well with<br />

others. I was enlightened when I sat down<br />

with Davis Picklesimer of Highlands Wine<br />

Shoppe, where he proposed the idea of<br />

“The Love Language of Ordering Wine.”<br />

Choosing a wine to share with your<br />

Valentine can easily go beyond a label or<br />

grape varietal. In fact, asking these five<br />

questions can help you “nail it” this <strong>Feb</strong>ruary<br />

when you raise a glass to toast love.<br />

If you’re single, don’t worry, this will also<br />

work to help you discover something new<br />

to enjoy.<br />

Davis suggested that our palate is<br />

adapted from the beginning tastes of our<br />

childhood. As we age, the palate can refer<br />

to a memory, such as the linger of peanut<br />

butter and jelly sandwiches, or for me, I<br />

recall the love of a slice of cheese between<br />

bread. Each of us has a different palatedifferent<br />

flavors that we love, recall or<br />

experience. For some, the palate is preference,<br />

while for others, it could be memory.<br />

The fact is what we like is what we like.<br />

Understanding this can help in choosing<br />

the perfect wine.<br />

Davis Picklesimer with a middle of the road<br />

Burgundy style wine, André Dupuis.<br />

How do you buy the best wine for the<br />

one you love? It is not necessarily based<br />

on cost. Start with asking a few questions<br />

or observing what they eat and drink.<br />

“Knowing they like pinot noir is like saying<br />

‘I like pickup trucks,’” Davis laughed.<br />

“If you can provide answers to one or all of<br />

these, I can help you identify wines you or<br />

your loved one may enjoy. In fact, the wine<br />

shop will soon have profile cards you can<br />

keep in your wallet or pocketbook to take<br />

with you. Allowing you to share the wine<br />

flavors you like when you are purchasing a<br />

glass (bottle) of wine elsewhere.”<br />

» Do you/they eat grapefruit? Grapefruit<br />

is typically a love or hate type of food.<br />

If someone enjoys grapefruit, they will<br />

typically like something such as an acidic<br />

chardonnay style and a more New Zealand<br />

than California sauvignon blanc. A nice<br />

wine pairing for a fruit-forward palate<br />

- Whitehaven.<br />

» Do you/they enjoy coffee? If someone<br />

likes coffee, the big question then lies in<br />

how they drink their coffee. Is it black,<br />

with cream, sugar or milk? The black coffee<br />

drinker can drink a bolder red cabernet.<br />

Chappellet is an eloquent wine for the<br />

bold coffee drinker.<br />

» Do you/they enjoy beet salad? There is no<br />

middle ground with a beet salad. Beets are<br />

also a love/hate type of sensory experience.<br />

For someone that loves beets, their palate<br />

will enjoy Old World wines, as they tend to<br />

be more earthy. A Bordeaux will pair well<br />

with beet salad- one such as Saint-Julien.<br />

» Do you/they like fish? Fish has mineral<br />

ability. For a fish lover, unoaked wine is a<br />

nice option. Limestone Hill offers a nice pairing<br />

for a menu graced with a fresh catch.<br />

» Do you/they love chocolate? The American<br />

palate tends to love chocolate. Caymus produced<br />

by Chuck Wagner in Napa Valley, CA,<br />

has been a go-to for that soft finish, full-body,<br />

low tannin, chocolate combination, but now<br />

there are many that replicate this passionate<br />

wine, including J. Lohr Hilltop, Bonanza<br />

and Twenty Rows (less expensive too).<br />

Your wine palate is personal. If you have<br />

particular styles you do not enjoy, it is not<br />

because you are uneducated. Highlands<br />

Wine Shoppe is a safe space to put your<br />

training wheels on and explore. Consider<br />

this, you or someone you know could have<br />

a hypersensitive palate. Can you sleep by<br />

an elevator in a hotel? Does spice overpower<br />

your food? If you said yes, you may not<br />

enjoy bold, expressive or even acidic wines,<br />

where a broader palate can tolerate up to<br />

ten times in flavors.<br />

The difference each of us has is a beautiful<br />

thing. Finding what we love in life and<br />

wine is part of the journey.<br />

Highlands Wine Shoppe<br />

828.526.4080<br />

www.highlandswineshoppe.com<br />

P<br />

<strong>Feb</strong>ruary /<strong>Mar</strong>ch <strong>2021</strong> | 87

American<br />

4118 Kitchen + Bar (H) 64 Highlands<br />

Plaza, 828-526-5002. With a casual dining<br />

ambience, this New American cuisine eatery<br />

offers a delectable menu that changes<br />

seasonally, using fresh, local ingredients.<br />

Craft cocktails, beer and wine. Lunch and<br />

dinner Tue-Sun.<br />

Brunch HQ (H) 137 Main St., 828-820-<br />

8686. A breakfast and lunch café serving<br />

locally sourced American fare, fresh baked<br />

goods and house-squeezed juices. Open<br />

Wed-Mon.<br />

Cornucopia Restaurant (C) 16 Cashiers<br />

School Rd., 828-743-3750. A cozy open-air<br />

cottage is a local staple, serving an American<br />

menu of soups, salads, sandwiches<br />

and entrees. Try their Savannah crab<br />

cakes, trout piccata, chicken pot pie or<br />

famous house Reuben. Lunch and dinner,<br />

seasonally.<br />

Grill at The Barn (T) 16614 Rosman Hwy,<br />

828-883-5551. A casual and family-friendly<br />

eatery serving country-style breakfast and<br />

lunch. Eggs, bacon and biscuits, and tasty<br />

burgers and sandwiches. 7:30am-3pm<br />

Mon-Fri (Sat-Sun seasonally).<br />

88 | The<strong>Plateau</strong>Mag.com<br />

The pimento<br />

cheeseburger with<br />

smoky bacon jam<br />

at Julep Kitchen is a<br />

win every time.<br />

Ready to Eat?<br />

Use our restaurant listings to find the best<br />

eating and drinking on the plateau.<br />

Mica’s Restaurant & Pub (S) 25 Logan<br />

Creek Trail, 828-743-5740. A down-home<br />

tavern serving American cuisine like NC<br />

rainbow trout, filet mignon and prime rib.<br />

Burgers, sandwiches, soups, salads and<br />

pizza. Large covered patio with a fire pit<br />

and live music. Full bar, beer and wine.<br />

Lunch and dinner daily.<br />

Mountain Fresh Grocery & Wine <strong>Mar</strong>ket<br />

(H) 521 E. Main St., 828-526-2400. An<br />

upscale grocery and specialty shop that offers<br />

a deli, grill, wood-fired pizza, bakery,<br />

butcher and wine. Stop in for breakfast,<br />

lunch or dinner daily, enjoy a glass of wine<br />

or craft beer, or take home a dinner-to-go<br />

during winter season. Catering and custom<br />

cakes are available.<br />

Randevu Restaurant (C) 18 Chestnut<br />

Square, 828-743-0190. A rustic and cozy<br />

eatery serving American fare. Try the classic<br />

eggs benedict or monte cristo for breakfast,<br />

and for lunch the black and blue tuna sandwich<br />

or classic Rueben. 8am-3pm, Wed-Sun.<br />

The Blind Mule (T) 502 Blue Ridge Rd.,<br />

828-553-8978. Enjoy creative American cuisine<br />

and a rotating menu of farm-fresh meals<br />

from Michelin Star trained Chef Hargis. Beer<br />

and wine. Lunch and dinner, seasonally.<br />

Locations: (C) Cashiers; (H) Highlands; (S) Sapphire; (SM) Scaly Mountain;<br />

(T) Lake Toxaway<br />

Tug’s Proper (H) 310 Main St., 828-526-<br />

3555. A contemporary American eatery<br />

with classy digs and a large bar area. Salads,<br />

burgers and sandwiches for lunch and<br />

entrees for dinner. Try the trout piccata,<br />

duck confit or the grilled veal meatloaf.<br />

Full bar, wine and beer. Lunch and dinner<br />

Mon-Sat, Sun brunch.<br />

Whiteside Brewing Co. (C) 128 Hwy 107,<br />

828-743-6000. Serving up American pubgrub<br />

with handcrafted beers that change<br />

seasonally. Wings, paninis, soups, salads,<br />

burgers and sandwiches. Try the Whiteside<br />

burger, salmon BLT or the Reuben. Large<br />

outside seating area and several TVs for<br />

watching your favorite sports. Lunch and<br />

dinner, Thur-Tue.<br />

Asian<br />

Asia House (H) 151 Helens Barn Ave., 828-<br />

787-1680. Authentic Asian eatery serving<br />

Chinese, Japanese and Thai dishes, including<br />

sushi, hibachi, soups and curry. Kani<br />

salad, red snapper, beef and scallops and<br />

red curry chicken are some of the favorites.<br />

Full bar. Lunch and dinner. Closed on Wed.<br />

Bakery<br />

Cake Bar (H) 2254 Dillard Rd., 828-421-<br />

2042. A cozy speakeasy for the sweet-tooth,<br />

offering decadent and gluten-free fudge<br />

brownies, banana bread and cakes like coffee<br />

cake, caramel cake and red velvet cake.<br />

Savor on-site or take-out.<br />

Sugar Cloud Baking Company (C) 113<br />

Hwy 64-E, 828-774-9709. An award-winning<br />

bakery and wedding cake boutique. Specializing<br />

in gourmet cupcakes, donuts, Macarons,<br />

cookies, handcrafted pies and custom<br />

cakes. 9am-5pm Tue-Fri, 9am-4pm Sat.<br />

Bar/Pub<br />

Highlands Wine Shoppe (H) 269 Oak<br />

St., 828-526-4080. A cozy wine shop with<br />

a cellar collection of rare and hard-to-find<br />

wines. Sample up to 16 wines at the Napa<br />

Wine Station. Gift baskets and Riedel<br />

glassware. Open daily.<br />

Satulah Mountain Brewing Company<br />

(H) 454 Carolina Way, 828-482-9794. Producing<br />

a premium craft beer, the brewery<br />

offers 8 high-craft beers in their taproom.<br />

Try the Tuckasegee Gold or the Sunset<br />

Saison. Open Thur-Sat.<br />

Sapphire Mountain Brewing Company<br />

(S) 50 Slicers Ave., 828-743-0220.<br />

A pub-style eatery overlooking Sapphire<br />

Mountain and the golf course. Small<br />

plates, salads, pub grub and entrees. Try<br />

the smokehouse burger, steak frites or a<br />

PHOTO TRACI KRUGER, TRALYNN PHOTOGRAPHY

wood-fired pizza. Full bar, wine and several<br />

craft beer selections. Lunch and dinner,<br />

Thur-Sun.<br />

Table 64 (S) 3093 Hwy 64-E, 828-743-<br />

4135. A cozy tapas and wine bar, upscale<br />

yet casual, serving an array of tasty options<br />

like venison tartare, duck confit egg<br />

rolls, beet salad, sunburst trout, Kobe beef<br />

and lamb lollies. Full bar, wine and beer.<br />

Dinner Mon-Sat.<br />

The Cork & Barrel Lounge (S) 3093<br />

Hwy 64-E, 828-743-7477. A favorite spot<br />

for locals, this casual and friendly bar<br />

serves tapas style American food. Try the<br />

Bangers in a Blanket and Caprese Tartlet<br />

or Philly cheesesteak egg rolls. Full bar,<br />

beer and wine. Open daily 4-12pm.<br />

The High Dive (H) 476 Carolina Way, 828-<br />

526-6400. A late-night bar where the locals<br />

and visitors come for libations and stay for<br />

the fun. Enjoy karaoke on Tuesdays and live<br />

music on Fridays. Tue-Sun beginning at 4pm.<br />

The Ugly Dog Pub (C) 25 Frank Allen<br />

Rd., 743-3000; (H) 294 S. 4th St., 828-526-<br />

8364. Two locations that offer a casual and<br />

relaxed atmosphere, serving American pub<br />

grub, like chef-created burgers, sandwiches,<br />

salads and soups. Full bar, regional craft<br />

beers and wine. Live music with top talent<br />

weekly. Lunch, dinner, Sunday brunch.<br />

Barbecue<br />

Highlands Smokehouse (H) 595 Franklin<br />

Rd., 828-526-3554. Enjoy real pit barbecue,<br />

including pulled pork, brisket, ribs and<br />

classic Southern sides. Also offering tasty<br />

burgers, tacos, stew and vegetarian. Full<br />

bar and beer. Lunch and dinner, Wed-Mon.<br />

On The Side Barbeque (C) 78 Hwy 64-E,<br />

828-743-4334. Located at the Cashiers Farmers<br />

<strong>Mar</strong>ket, this take-out eatery serves sandwiches<br />

like pulled pork, smoked turkey, beef<br />

brisket and egg salad. Take home ribs and<br />

BBQ by the pound and sides. Open seasonally.<br />

Bistro<br />

Bistro On Main (H) 270 Main St., 828-526-<br />

2590. Classic, polished bistro located inside<br />

The Main Street Inn, featuring elevated<br />

American fare and outdoor dining. Appetizers,<br />

soups and sandwiches for lunch, and<br />

dinner includes trout, steaks, salmon and<br />

lobster bisque. Lunch and dinner seasonally.<br />

Four65 Woodfire Bistro + Bar (H) 465<br />

Main St., 828-787-2990. Enjoy handcrafted<br />

Neapolitan wood-fired pizza, cast-iron<br />

sandwiches, small plates and salads in a<br />

modern Mediterranean eatery. Try the Polpette<br />

(homemade pork meatballs), cast-iron<br />

grilled cheese or choose a tomato-based or<br />

olive oil-based pizza baked to perfection.<br />

Lunch and dinner, Wed-Mon.<br />

Meritage Bistro (H) 490 Carolina<br />

Way, 828-526-1019. An intimate and<br />

cozy bistro serving wine and European<br />

cuisine like Faroe Island salmon,<br />

lamb meatloaf and sea scallops Caponata.<br />

Small plates include their classic<br />

Pomme Frites and appetizers, salads<br />

and sandwiches round out the menu.<br />

Lunch Thur-Sat, Dinner Wed-Mon,<br />

Sunday brunch.<br />

Zookeeper Bistro (C) 45 Slab Town<br />

Rd., 828-743-7711. Casual dining for<br />

breakfast and lunch, serving American<br />

dishes like caramel apple French toast<br />

and Western omelet, or try the Slabtown<br />

burger or Jackson County club. Beer<br />

and wine. 7:30am-2pm, Tue-Sun.<br />

Café<br />

Annie’s Café (SM) 7420 Dillard Rd.,<br />

828-526-1663. A country-style eatery<br />

serving salads, soups, burgers and<br />

sandwiches, along with daily specials.<br />

Try the steak sandwich, tuna melt or<br />

chicken Caesar salad. 11am-3pm Sun-<br />

Thur, 11am-9pm Fri-Sat.<br />

Bella’s Junction Café (SM) 20 Old<br />

Mud Creek Rd., 828-526-0803. A<br />

casual dining café serving American<br />

fare. Salads and sandwiches for lunch,<br />

like salmon BLT and Reuben, and for<br />

New American Cuisine<br />

Seasonal menus showcasing<br />

regional products<br />

Open daily for lunch and dinner<br />

Sunday brunch<br />

Craft cocktails, beer & wine<br />

$6 smash menu provides<br />

the most affordable lunch in town!<br />

64 Highlands Plaza, Highlands NC<br />

828-526-5002 • 4118kitchen-bar.com<br />

<strong>Feb</strong>ruary /<strong>Mar</strong>ch <strong>2021</strong> | 89

90 | The<strong>Plateau</strong>Mag.com<br />

EST<br />

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B<br />

K<br />

A<br />

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S<br />

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2019<br />

BLUE BIKE CAFE<br />

HIGHLANDS, NC<br />

A Casual and Affordable Café<br />

Offering Delicious Food<br />

Check out our New merchandise.<br />

T-shirts, hats, mugs, homemade jam.<br />

Breakfast and Lunch<br />

423 N 4th Street, Highlands NC<br />

828-526-9922<br />

AUTHENTIC MEXICAN FOOD<br />

Burritos | Tacos| Fajitas| Quesadillas| Full Bar<br />

Mon-Sat 11am –9pm<br />

45 Slab Town Road, Cashiers NC<br />

828-743-1160<br />

chilelococashiers.com<br />

&<br />

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U<br />

N<br />

C<br />

H<br />

dinner try a homemade pizza or the stuffed<br />

flounder, prime rib or lobster ravioli. Lunch<br />

Thur-Sat, dinner Fri-Sat, Sun brunch.<br />

Blue Bike Café (H) 423 N. 4th St., 828-<br />

526-9922. A casual breakfast and lunch<br />

café offering breakfast all day, and tasty<br />

burgers, sandwiches and salads for lunch.<br />

Try the grilled portabella with sweet potato<br />

tots or the smoked chicken salad. Open<br />

daily 7am-3pm, closed Wed.<br />

Buck’s Coffee Café (C) 6 Hwy 107 S., 828-<br />

743-9997. The local’s hangout most mornings,<br />

offering fresh brewed coffee and tea,<br />

along with breakfast, lunch and dessert<br />

items. Try the egg & cheese English muffin<br />

or a grilled Panini. Open daily 7am-6pm.<br />

Calders Coffee Café (H) 384 Main St.,<br />

828-200-9308. Calders serves up fine classic<br />

coffee, tea, wine and food. Select from<br />

breakfast and lunch sandwiches like ham<br />

and cheese croissants or smoked salmon<br />

and special treats like caramel stroop waffles.<br />

Open daily 7am-6pm.<br />

Fressers Courtyard Café (H) 470 Oak<br />

St., 828-526-8847. A small take-out café<br />

with patio tables offering delicious baked<br />

goods, hearty burgers and sandwiches, and<br />

their famous thick-cut Fresser fries. Fullservice<br />

catering is available. Lunch and<br />

dinner seasonally.<br />

M-Brace Café (H) 462 Dillard Rd., 828-<br />

787-1212. A cozy café offering crepes, sandwiches,<br />

wraps and salads. Friendly staff<br />

and quick service. Breakfast, lunch and<br />

dinner, 11am-7pm Wed-Sat.<br />

The Falls Café & Grill (T) 9 Toxaway Church<br />

Rd., 828-877-3322. A casual dining restaurant<br />

offering American fare in a family style atmosphere.<br />

Great views of the Toxaway Falls.<br />

Burgers, sandwiches, salads and entrees like<br />

chicken marsala and pecan-encrusted trout.<br />

Lunch and dinner daily, seasonally.<br />

Deli/Ice Cream<br />

Kilwins (H) 341 Main St., 828-526-3788. An<br />

old-fashioned confectionery serving original<br />

recipe ice-cream, hand-crafted chocolates,<br />

Mackinac Island fudge, handmade sweets<br />

and gift baskets. Try top sellers like turtle<br />

fudge or milk sea-salt tuttles. Open daily.<br />

SweeTreats (H) 115 S. 4th St., 828-526-<br />

9632. A craft ice-cream shop and deli that<br />

has been a family gathering place for over<br />

30 years. Soups, salads and specialty sandwiches<br />

like the Muffaletta, French dip and<br />

torta de carnitas are crowd favorites. Or<br />

try a delicious milkshake, sundae or frozen<br />

yogurt. Lunch and dinner daily.<br />

Fine Dining<br />

Canyon Kitchen (S) 150 Lonesome Valley<br />

Rd., 828-743-7967. An upscale restaurant<br />

serving New American cuisine in a rusticchic<br />

ambience. Enjoy a four-course meal<br />

with selections like flounder crudo, duck<br />

boudin, seared diver scallops and apple foster<br />

cheesecake. Full bar and extensive wine<br />

list. Dinner Wed-Sun, May-Oct.<br />

Lakeside Restaurant (H) 531 Smallwood<br />

Ave., 828-526-9419. A fine dining experience<br />

within a cozy cottage on Harris Lake,<br />

offering fresh seafood and American fare.<br />

Local rainbow trout, Carolina grouper and<br />

<strong>Mar</strong>yland-style crab cakes are favorites.<br />

Extensive wine list. Dinner Tue-Sun.<br />

Madison’s Restaurant & Wine Garden<br />

(H) 445 Main St., 828-787-2525. Awarded<br />

the AAA Four-Diamond Award, Madison’s<br />

offers a seasonal, farm-to-table fine dining<br />

service in the elegant Old Edwards Inn.<br />

Enjoy lush dishes like Painted Hills beef<br />

ribeye and Sunburst trout, along with an<br />

extensive wine list. Lunch and dinner daily.<br />

Midpoint Restaurant (H) 332 Main St.,<br />

828-526-2277. An eco-friendly restaurant<br />

using local farm-to-table practices. A global<br />

culinary team offers an inventive menu,<br />

like lemon crisp calamari, chicken tikka<br />

masala, sea bass aw mawk and Spanish<br />

paella. A good selection of wines to pair<br />

with your meal. Dinner nightly.<br />

On The Verandah (H) 1536 Franklin Rd.,<br />

828-526-2338. An upscale eatery offering<br />

international cuisine and seafood, with a<br />

romantic atmosphere overlooking Lake<br />

Sequoyah. Enjoy dishes like spicy Thai coconut<br />

shrimp, filet mignon, Creole chicken<br />

and seared scallops. Extensive wine list.<br />

Dinner nightly, seasonally.<br />

Ristorante Paoletti (H) 440 Main St.,<br />

828-526-4906. Enjoy refined Italian dining<br />

in an elegant European-style atmosphere.<br />

Handmade pasta, veal, beef, lamb, elk and<br />

several fresh seafood dishes comprise the<br />

extensive menu. Over 850 wines to pair<br />

with your meal, that has earned Wine<br />

Spectator’s Best of Award of Excellence<br />

since 1987. Dinner nightly, seasonally.<br />

The Orchard Restaurant (C) 905 Hwy<br />

107 S., 828-743-7614. A restored farmhouse<br />

serving southern-inspired American cuisine<br />

with an elegant, rustic ambience. Try the<br />

trout Chattooga, Grimshawe’s ribeye or apple<br />

bourbon pork osso buco. Full bar, extensive<br />

wine list and beer. Dinner Wed-Sat.<br />

The Restaurant at the Greystone (T)<br />

220 Greystone Ln., 828-966-4700. Situated<br />

inside The Greystone Inn, the restaurant<br />

offers breathtaking views of Lake Toxaway<br />

and mountains. Enjoy a seasonal menu<br />

from award-winning Chef Sean, like Bouil-

labaisse and pomegranate and molasses<br />

glazed duck breast. Breakfast, lunch and<br />

dinner daily, seasonally.<br />

REAL ESTATE FORUM | Special Advertising Feature<br />

Wild Thyme Gourmet (H) 343 Main St.,<br />

828-526-4035. An upscale eatery serving<br />

Asian-influenced American cuisine.<br />

Specialty dishes include spicy stir-fry<br />

waterfall beef tenderloin, herb crusted<br />

rack of lamb and salmon with Vidalia onion<br />

crust. Wine list won Wine Spectator<br />

Award of Excellence in 2018. Lunch and<br />

dinner daily.<br />

Winslow’s Hideaway (C) 33 Village<br />

Walk Way, 828-743-2226. Fine dining in<br />

the heart of Cashiers, serving authentic<br />

American cuisine. Try the trout Winslow,<br />

Manhattan bone-in strip or roast Long<br />

Island duckling. Full bar. Dinner Tue-Sat.<br />

Wolfgang’s Restaurant & Wine Bistro<br />

(H) 474 Main St., 828-526-3807. Enjoy an<br />

eclectic menu of German, American and<br />

Cajun cuisine by nationally recognized<br />

Chef Wolfgang. An intimate and upscale<br />

bistro serving up dishes like Venison Au<br />

Poivre, pecan crusted shrimp and roast<br />

loin of lamb. Award-winning wine list.<br />

Dinner nightly, seasonally.<br />

German<br />

The Library Kitchen & Bar (S) 184<br />

Cherokee Trail, 828-743-5512. An historic<br />

upscale eatery with a casual and modern<br />

vibe, serving dishes with German influences<br />

from Michelin-star trained Chef Johannes.<br />

Try the pistachio crusted Georgia<br />

quail or the coriander sautéed Carolina<br />

trout. Full bar, wine and beer. Catering<br />

available. Dinner Tue-Sat.<br />

Italian/Pizza<br />

Slab Town Pizza (C) 45 Slab Town Rd.,<br />

828-743-0020. Enjoy New York style pizza<br />

with handmade dough and fresh toppings.<br />

Build your own pie or choose from one of<br />

their specialty pizzas. Calzones, salads<br />

and sandwiches. Beer and wine. Lunch<br />

and dinner, Tue-Sun.<br />

The Pizza Place of Highlands (H) 365<br />

Main St., 828-526-5660. A community<br />

staple since the mid ‘70s, offering an extensive<br />

menu selection of pizza, calzones,<br />

sandwiches, salads and a kid’s menu.<br />

Lunch and dinner, Mon-Sat.<br />

Villa Amato (T) 15887 Rosman Hwy, 828-<br />

885-7700. Classic homemade Italian fare<br />

like eggplant parmesan, lasagna, penne<br />

vodka, pizza, Stromboli and calzones.<br />

Lunch and dinner, Mon-Sat.and a 2018<br />

Winner of the WWAY Best Pizza in Wilmington<br />

award! Offering a variety of homemade<br />

dishes and pizza made with fresh,<br />

local ingredients. Open daily for lunch,<br />

dinner and Sunday brunch.<br />

896 Ravenel Ridge Road<br />

Highlands<br />

This 4BR/5.5BA home has spectacular views of<br />

30 mountains and overlooks Highlands as well.<br />

It is a perfect home for entertaining, with its<br />

covered screened outdoor living space that has<br />

its own stone fireplace for enjoying the cool<br />

evenings and spectacular sunsets. The living,<br />

dining, kitchen, and award-wining bar area<br />

layout make it an easy flow for large groups.<br />

The oversized master bedroom has two separate<br />

closets. The terrace level has another kitchen<br />

and fireplace. Located in the exclusive gated<br />

community of Ravenel Ridge.<br />

MLS# 93210 | Offered for $2,895,000<br />

Judy Michaud & Mitzi Rauers<br />

Judy: (828) 371-0730<br />

Mitzi: (404) 218-9123<br />

MeadowsMountainRealty.com<br />

Mexican<br />

Chile Loco (C) 45 Slab Town Rd., 828-<br />

743-1160. Casual dining in a friendly atmosphere,<br />

serving authentic Mexican fare.<br />

Tacos, soups, fajitas, tortas, steak, chicken<br />

and specialties like chalupas, tostadas and<br />

chimichangas. Full bar, beer and wine.<br />

Lunch and dinner, Mon-Sat.<br />

El Azteca Rainforest Bar & Grill (H) 72<br />

Highlands Plaza, 828-526-2244. Authentic<br />

Mexican cuisine using fresh, local ingredients,<br />

featuring ceviche, tacos, fajitas,<br />

enchiladas and burritos. Full bar, beer and<br />

wine. Lunch and dinner daily.<br />

El Manzanillo (C) 30 Hwy 64-E, 743-<br />

5522; (H) 30 Dillard Rd., 828-526-0608.<br />

Two locations offering authentic Mexican<br />

cuisine. Burritos, fajitas, quesadillas, enchiladas,<br />

steak, chicken and seafood. <strong>Mar</strong>garitas,<br />

wine and beer. Lunch and dinner<br />

daily.<br />

Pescado’s Highlands Burritos (H) 226<br />

S. 4th St., 828-526-9313. A lively burrito<br />

eatery, serving up specialty burritos<br />

like roast pork and garlic-cilantro steak.<br />

Tacos, quesadillas and homemade soups.<br />

Lunch Mon-Sat.Main St., 828-526-5660. A<br />

community<br />

39 Crescent Trail<br />

Highlands<br />

A picture of good taste and style, this beautiful<br />

home is surrounded by enchanting gardens and<br />

trails, babbling water features, a gazebo, and<br />

dock. The living room has a ceiling that soars<br />

two stories, a floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace,<br />

a wall of glass that opens to the spacious<br />

covered deck, and a built-in bookcase. With<br />

350’ of lake frontage on Lake Ravenel, this<br />

private retreat has many options for enjoyment.<br />

MLS# 93237 | Offered for $2,757,000<br />

Judy Michaud & Mitzi Rauers<br />

Judy: (828) 371-0730<br />

Mitzi: (404) 218-9123<br />

MeadowsMountainRealty.com<br />

81 South Old Wahalla Road<br />

Highlands<br />

The perfect blend of historic charm and<br />

modern comfort, this unique property features<br />

three separate homes. The striking fourbedroom<br />

main house is simply stunning; there<br />

is a separate one-bedroom guest house and a<br />

delightful two-bedroom cabin. The main house<br />

showcases tall, vaulted wood ceilings, a cozy<br />

stone fireplace and walls of windows in the<br />

living room. The kitchen has quality appliances,<br />

a large island and sweeping countertops. Set<br />

on more than eight acres, the property includes<br />

a well-appointed dog kennel, wine cellar, a<br />

creek, and a pavilion beside the lake..<br />

MLS# 89607 | Offered for $2,295,000<br />

Judy Michaud (828) 371-0730<br />

Tom Goldacker (828) 200-9045<br />

Mitzi Rauers (404) 218-9123<br />

MeadowsMountainRealty.com<br />

<strong>Feb</strong>ruary /<strong>Mar</strong>ch <strong>2021</strong> | 91

REAL ESTATE FORUM | Special Advertising Feature<br />

CT-1 Feather Moss<br />

Cashiers<br />

Located in Silver Run Reserve, this Meyer-<br />

Greeson-Paulin-Benson designed home in the<br />

Mountain Cottages section features a 4 BR<br />

/ 4.5 BA floor plan. The Mountain Cottages<br />

boast beautiful mountain and wooded views<br />

on 0.3 to 0.5 acre lots, and are located within<br />

a short walking distance to The Lodge and<br />

the center of the community. Home of the<br />

2020 Cashiers Designer Showhouse, Silver Run<br />

Reserve offers a variety of activity-focused and<br />

natural amenities.<br />

MLS 92511 | Offered for $1,695,000<br />

Liz Harris<br />

828-342-3194<br />

McKeeProperties.com<br />

376 Heaton Forest Road<br />

Cashiers<br />

This is a rare chance to purchase a classic High<br />

Hampton mountain home from its original<br />

owner! The magic of this 4 BR / 3 BA home is<br />

only matched by the memories made by the<br />

family that loved it. A view of the 7th fairway of<br />

the newly-designed Tom Fazio golf course is<br />

visible through the trees. Don’t miss this unique<br />

opportunity to capture a piece of High<br />

Hampton’s past and be part of its future.<br />

MLS 94727 | Offered for $1,450,000<br />

Philip Bradley<br />

843-224-5592<br />

McKeeProperties.com<br />

444 Old Orchard Road<br />

Highlands<br />

The views from this 3 BR/3.5 BA home are<br />

spectacular and look into the beautiful Blue<br />

Valley all the way to Georgia! The owners<br />

completed a major addition in 2012, so much of<br />

the house is only a few years old and the rest<br />

has been updated. Enjoy the three fireplaces<br />

and chef’s kitchen — Subzero refrigerator,<br />

gas-top range with an electric oven, dishwasher<br />

and disposal, and lovely countertops. A big<br />

pantry holds the ice-maker and wine cooler and is<br />

loaded with shelves. You don't want to miss this!<br />

MLS 95327 | Offered for $1,250,000<br />

John Barrow: 828-506-9356<br />

Sandy Barrow: 828-737-9664<br />

McKeeProperties.com<br />

657 Smoky Ridge Rd.<br />

Cullowhee<br />

Ethyl’s Cove Farm is a 157+-acre fine estate<br />

property, boasting all the wonderful outdoor<br />

features that draw people to Cashiers:<br />

spectacular long-range mountain views, Lake<br />

Glenville frontage with a dock, rolling open<br />

meadows (some fenced and cross fenced), a<br />

pond with an active, flowing stream, private<br />

waterfalls and miles of trails. The land is<br />

unrestricted and located 9.5 miles from the<br />

center of Cashiers. The renovated cottage is<br />

charming and overlooks the majority of the<br />

property; plus, many additional building sites for<br />

a future main house or subdividing are available.<br />

MLS 93779 Offered for $5,850,000<br />

Beth Townsend<br />

828-421-6193<br />

McKeeProperties.com<br />

92 | The<strong>Plateau</strong>Mag.com<br />

9583 Cullowhee Mountain Road<br />

Cullowhee<br />

This 72+-acre estate property on its own ridge<br />

features long-range views of Lake Glenville,<br />

Yellow Mountain and many more of mountain<br />

ranges. The property has no restrictions and may<br />

be used to build a private compound or<br />

subdivided. Three buildings made of antique<br />

materials are on site to use as a guest house<br />

and/or workout facility. Located about halfway<br />

between Cashiers and Cullowhee, the property<br />

offers easy access to Lake Glenville for boating,<br />

fishing and swimming. An opportunity as nice as<br />

this does not come along often!<br />

MLS 92219 | Offered for $3,750,000<br />

Wayne Monday<br />

828-508-8661<br />

McKeeProperties.com<br />

2, 2A, 2B Turnberry Lane<br />

Cashiers<br />

Located in Sheepcliff Crossing, these three lots<br />

total more than four acres. Enjoy wooded and<br />

rolling land with river frontage close to town!<br />

MLS 94650 | Offered for $120,000<br />

Maggie Elmer<br />

803-493-5734<br />

McKeeProperties.com

731 Ravenel Ridge Road<br />

Highlands<br />

Rare listing on Ravenel Ridge with an eastern<br />

panoramic view. There are two bedrooms and<br />

a den/media/bedroom with a full bath in the<br />

main house. A 4th bedroom/apt. is located<br />

above the oversized 2 car garage. Many fine<br />

details are located in this custom home built by<br />

John Lupoli. Whole house generator powers<br />

house and guest house. $2,995,000<br />

Myrna Moore<br />

828-371-2446<br />

Highlandsproperties.com<br />

Lot 17, Lone Chimney Drive<br />

Cashiers<br />

One of the best lots in Pinchot, this private<br />

and beautiful 5.13 acres is located in the<br />

heart of this prestigious gated community.<br />

With spectacular long-range mountain views,<br />

property is flat with easy topography and has<br />

a great home site overlooking a quiet, open<br />

and fenced pasture area. Membership to<br />

Mountaintop Golf and Lake Club is available<br />

with approval upon the purchase of this<br />

property. $880,000<br />

Kyle McKim<br />

828-200-0454<br />

Highlandsproperties.com<br />

923 Little Terrapin Road<br />

Cashiers<br />

The 36.65 acre estate includes six bedrooms<br />

and four baths while the guest apartment has<br />

two bedrooms and one bath. The property<br />

homes over 21 acres of unrestricted land with<br />

streams, waterfall, trout pond, tennis court,<br />

and many hiking trails. Adjoins the exclusive<br />

Headwaters Golf, only minutes to High<br />

Hampton, Wade Hampton, Silver run and the<br />

Chattooga Club. $4,800,000<br />

Listing courtesy Landmark Realty Group<br />

David E. Jones<br />

864-293-1330<br />

davidjones@landmarkrg.com<br />

59 Whiteside Cove Road<br />

Cashiers<br />

Beautiful home located in the prestigious High<br />

Hampton Club community. The large one-story<br />

house contains four bedrooms and four full<br />

baths, with three bedrooms having their own<br />

en suite bathroom. The many extras include a<br />

generously sized laundry room and oversized<br />

two car garage. Deed restrictions on the lot<br />

end in 2025, allowing even more opportunity<br />

for the owners. Don’t miss your chance to see<br />

this incredible, private home in a premier club<br />

of the area! $1,525,000<br />

Kyle McKim<br />

828-200-0454<br />

highlandsproperties.com<br />

187 Back Nine Lane<br />

Sapphire<br />

First time on the market! Master en-suite with<br />

huge walk-in closet, separate his and her baths,<br />

and cozy den/library. Large living room with<br />

a massive stone fireplace - (could be wood<br />

burning), beamed cathedral ceiling, wet bar,<br />

and opens up to a formal dining area. Split<br />

bedroom plan with two large guest suites, two<br />

car garage and separate golf cart garage.<br />

$727,000<br />

Listing courtesy Landmark Realty Group<br />

David E. Jones<br />

864-293-1330<br />

davidjones@landmarkrg.com<br />

746 Hickory Hill Road<br />

Highlands<br />

Two bedroom, two bath home with outbuilding<br />

suitable for 3rd bedroom/bath. Situated on 2.32<br />

acres at the top of Hickory Hill in the Mirror Lake<br />

area. FOUR fireplaces. This home lives LARGE.<br />

MLS #94395 | $579,900.<br />

Jeannie Chambers<br />

828-526-3717<br />

Highlandsiscalling.com<br />

<strong>Feb</strong>ruary /<strong>Mar</strong>ch <strong>2021</strong> | 93

Winter Hideaway<br />

Drive to historic resort, Ponte Vedra Inn & Club, for an easy getaway<br />

By KATIE MCELVEEN<br />

Ponte Vedra Inn & Club<br />

fountain with the beach<br />

in the background.<br />

Long before Ponte Vedra, Florida became an exclusive<br />

beach retreat, that same stretch of sand it now occupies was known<br />

more for minerals than mansions: in 1912, mining operations had<br />

become so successful that the town was known as Mineral City.<br />

That all changed with the end of World<br />

War I and the opening of a nine-hole golf<br />

course, which raised interest in the locale<br />

as a vacation destination. By 1928, the<br />

town had renamed itself Ponte Vedra, the<br />

course had been expanded to 18 holes and<br />

the newly established Ponte Vedra Club<br />

offered lodging in a 12-room log cabin that<br />

also served as a clubhouse. Over the years,<br />

as visitors from the north discovered the<br />

region’s sun drenched beaches (as well as<br />

the thrill of being able to play golf all winter<br />

long) the resort upgraded its offerings, trading<br />

in the log cabin for an elegant clubhouse<br />

and adding a formal dining room, a beach<br />

club and a series of guest rooms that opened<br />

directly onto the beach.<br />

Since then, considerable expansion has<br />

transformed the resort from an elite hideaway<br />

to a full-fledged resort featuring 262<br />

oversized rooms and suites (most of which<br />

still have direct access to the beach), 36 holes<br />

of golf, a world class spa and racquet club,<br />

94 | The<strong>Plateau</strong>Mag.com<br />

several restaurants and a number of shops.<br />

Like many resorts, Ponte Vedra Inn &<br />

Club adheres to strict COVID-19 protocols<br />

that are listed on the resort’s website.<br />

Although there’s no housekeeping, you<br />

can have fresh towels delivered whenever<br />

you’d like; we were also thrilled to discover<br />

a weekend’s worth of turndown chocolates<br />

set thoughtfully next to the microwave in<br />

our room. They’ve gotten creative, too. One<br />

innovation is a reimagined Sunday brunch,<br />

which replaces the traditional shared buffet<br />

with portable, three-tiered lazy Susans<br />

laden with brunch favorites—think giant<br />

cinnamon rolls and other baked goodies,<br />

salads, dips and spreads—delivered to<br />

each table like a personal buffet. The seafood<br />

station also comes to you, thanks to a<br />

constantly replenished trolley that makes a<br />

series of unending rounds throughout the<br />

meal. Mains—prime rib, eggs Benedict,<br />

shrimp and grits—are served tapas style.<br />

Brunch is served with a view of the ocean<br />

at the Seahorse Grill, the resort’s fine dining<br />

restaurant. There are several other dining<br />

options within the resort with notably<br />

casual outdoor dining near the pool at the<br />

Surf Deck Grill and at the Golf Club dining<br />

room. If the weather is cool, grab a drink<br />

and enjoy it in the club’s antique-filled great<br />

room, which is flanked by gorgeous fireplaces<br />

and scattered with private seating areas.<br />

Some resorts sprawl over so much territory<br />

that you practically need a road map<br />

to find the beach. Not at Ponte Vedra. Here,<br />

beachfront units—rooms and spacious<br />

suites with full kitchens—are lined up along<br />

the shore. Book on the first floor and you’ll<br />

be able to step directly from your patio onto<br />

the sand. The only rooms without ocean access<br />

are those on the golf course or within<br />

the historic inn, where you’ll also find boutiques,<br />

a clubby lobby bar, the breakfast restaurant,<br />

a coffee shop and, along one wall,<br />

a fascinating series of framed photographs<br />

depicting the resort’s history.<br />

Golf has been at the heart of Ponte Vedra<br />

for more than 100 years; the original<br />

9-hole course has been replaced by two<br />

distinct 18-hole championship courses: Designed<br />

in 1928 by famed British architect<br />

Herbert Bertram Strong, the 6,811-yard<br />

Ocean Course is the region’s oldest resort<br />

January/<strong>Feb</strong>ruary 2020 | 94<br />

PHOTOS PONTE VEDRA INN & CLUB

The Seahorse Grille<br />

golf course; the signature 9th hole was constructed<br />

in 1928 with the help of 100 mules<br />

dragging slip pans to shape its contours<br />

and mounds. Headed up by Bobby Weed,<br />

the course was renovated in 2020. Improvements<br />

included rebuilding of all greens and<br />

tee boxes, regrassing of several areas and<br />

expansion of the practice facility. The par-<br />

70, 6,022-yard Lagoon Course was designed<br />

by Robert Trent Jones and Joe Lee and later<br />

restored and enhanced by Bobby Weed.<br />

Ponte Vedra’s Racquet Club started 80<br />

years ago with a single court; today, there<br />

are 15 lighted, Har-Tru courts, private<br />

teaching courts, shaded courtside pavilions<br />

and patio, a lounge and locker room facilities.<br />

Across the street, the 8,000-square-foot<br />

fitness center is a gym buff’s dream with<br />

more than 75 stations, dozens of classes per<br />

week and a lap pool.<br />

It’s tempting to ignore the suggestion<br />

most spas make to arrive 30-or-so minutes<br />

before your treatment—there are better<br />

things to do than sit around in a robe with<br />

strangers. If you book a spa appointment<br />

at Ponte Vedra, though, you might want<br />

to consider arriving several hours early,<br />

all the better to lounge at the gorgeous spa<br />

pool, prepping for your service with dips in<br />

the jet-laden therapy alcoves, sipping cham-<br />

pagne and even having lunch. Treatments<br />

run the gamut from relaxing massages to<br />

detoxifying wraps, microdermabrasion and<br />

collagen-stimulating facials.<br />

Though the resort is just 10 minutes<br />

from Jacksonville’s lively beaches, consider<br />

staying on campus for the duration<br />

of your stay. Not only is there plenty to do,<br />

but since COVID-19 protocols are consistent<br />

throughout the resort, you can relax<br />

just a bit more. P<br />

Ocean House & Peyton<br />

House suite kitchen<br />

Ocean House & Peyton<br />

House terrace<br />

Ocean House & Peyton<br />

House en suite<br />

Ocean House & Peyton<br />

House terrace<br />

PVR Golf Ocean Course<br />

<strong>Feb</strong>ruary /<strong>Mar</strong>ch <strong>2021</strong> | 95

the last reflection<br />

The Tiniest<br />

Game Changers<br />

Make your day a little easier in <strong>2021</strong><br />

By ANNE WOLFE POSTIC<br />

DO YOU EVER FEEL STRESSED OUT OVER<br />

seemingly minor things? But you’re too distracted<br />

or lazy to do anything about them? Those of us who<br />

have ADD, depression or anxiety, no matter how<br />

mild, are often confronted with what Twitter user<br />

M. Molly Backes referred to in 2018 as “impossible tasks.” Legions<br />

of Twitter users read her words with a sigh of acknowledgement.<br />

The task is simple, it may only take a few minutes or a few dollars<br />

to solve, but somehow we just can’t do it. So the pressure builds,<br />

increasing our anxiety, depression or inability to focus. And when<br />

we achieve the impossible task? We feel annoyed that we didn’t just<br />

do it sooner. To quote another internet celebrity, “It me.”<br />

A few years ago, I finally dealt with the reusable bag issue. The<br />

ever-growing plastic bag stash lining the floor of my pantry filled<br />

me with low-level dread. The pile grew higher, and eventually<br />

I’d toss them in the trash, which I knew was headed for a landfill,<br />

which increased my guilt. I had plenty of reusable bags, but<br />

much like my umbrella, the bags were never where I needed<br />

them. One day, I decided to hang them on the back door as soon<br />

as I unpacked and take them out to the car every time I left the<br />

house. Simple, no?<br />

It’s not a perfect system, because sometimes I’m too hurried (or<br />

lazy, in the interest of full disclosure) to even carry them out to<br />

the car, but since I have almost as many cute canvas bags as I did<br />

plastic ones, there are always some in the car and some on the<br />

door. And I discovered those tiny nylon bags, complete with their<br />

own attached storage pouch. Small enough to fit in any purse or<br />

jacket pocket, they expand to fit a lot. (IKEA has them for 99<br />

cents. Treat yourself. Order ten today.) Problem solved.<br />

But I digress. I really wanted to talk about shoehorns. Last<br />

October, I spent a month in Paris. This glorious trip happened<br />

thanks to my hoarding of travel miles, my ability to work from<br />

anywhere, and my wonderful French mother-in-law, who lives in<br />

South Carolina, but keeps a studio apartment in Paris, which she<br />

graciously let me use for a whole month. As you can imagine,<br />

Paris was full of wonders for this down-home girl from South<br />

Carolina. But there was also a shoehorn by the apartment door,<br />

and it changed my life.<br />

It rains in Paris in October, and in a one-room apartment, the last<br />

thing you want is wet, dirty shoes all over the floor. My mother-inlaw<br />

had a shoehorn hanging at the entrance, ready for use at every<br />

exit. After my trip, instead of going on about daily fresh baguettes<br />

and seemingly infinite varieties of cheese, I sang the praises of the<br />

humble shoehorn. My husband got one with a long handle and flexible<br />

head to keep by the door. No longer do I have to sit down to put<br />

on my shoes or tear up the heels by cramming my feet into them<br />

and wiggling around until my socks are crooked. And then yanking<br />

at the socks (and breaking a nail in the process) to try to fix that<br />

sock wrinkle that will lead to a blister. The shoehorn is a brilliant<br />

invention, an unsung hero.<br />

Now we keep one at each door, and the whole family is on board.<br />

No more busted shoe heels, no more wrinkled socks, no more blisters,<br />

and no more spending five minutes or more being hassled by<br />

shoes, just to get out the door. You can get an excellent shoehorn for<br />

about ten dollars. You are perfectly capable of changing your life for<br />

less than the price of a nice lunch.<br />

How about this for a New Year’s resolution? Do one thing this year<br />

that makes your day easier, permanently. Don’t spend too much,<br />

don’t overthink it and do share your success. You can change lives. P<br />

96 | The<strong>Plateau</strong>Mag.com

Custom Home Building on the<br />

Highlands-Cashiers <strong>Plateau</strong><br />

Photos by Woeltjen Photography<br />

Completed 2020 in Mountaintop Golf & Lake Club<br />

Highlands & Cashiers, NC<br />

828.743.0724<br />

Located at 17 Old Cashiers Square, Highway 107 South in Cashiers<br />

www.ChinquapinBuilders.com<br />

Scott Westendorf, Owner/General Contractor<br />

<strong>Feb</strong>ruary /<strong>Mar</strong>ch <strong>2021</strong> | 3

Highlands Properties<br />

INTEGRITY | SINCERITY | CREDIBILITY<br />

Representing Buyers and Sellers for 25 Years<br />

in the Highlands/Cashiers <strong>Mar</strong>ket<br />

“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken,<br />

over-civilized people are beginning to<br />

find out that going to the mountains<br />

is going home—that wilderness is a<br />

necessity.” – John Muir<br />

Let us help you find your piece of Heaven on the Highlands/Cashiers plateau<br />

R E A L T O R S ®<br />

450 N. 4th Street, Highlands, NC | 828.526.5522 | highlandsproperites.com<br />

4 | The<strong>Plateau</strong>Mag.com

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