CHANGING OUR WORLD TOGETHER ONE FASCINATING STORY AT A TIME.
K I T C H E N S6 T H A T C O O K
IMPROBABLE DREAM
English Channel Swim
26 AZALEA ART
Through the years
ON THE COVER
ELUSIVE GOBBLER
Turkey Tale
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SECTIONS
17 GALLERY WALK
29 GIFT GUIDE
FEATURES
14 Visions of the Azalea Festival
By Christine R. Gonzalez
Scenes of the Azalea Festival come in a myriad
of painting styles and colors. See how area art-ists
have interpreted the event through the years.
22 The Persimmon Tree Gobbler
By Robert Rehder
The conditions were ideal for a patient turkey
hunter to bag a big bird. Then, just as he was
ready to line up his shot, the unexpected
happened. But even though he missed out
on the gobbler, he was left with a tale to tell.
26 Turning Off the Tap
By Jim McDonald
Wes Carter, a Wrightsville Beach native and
third-generation leader at Wilmington-based
Atlantic Packaging, is on a mission to transform
his industry from the problem to the solution when
it comes to keeping plastics out of the ocean.
30 A Food Truck Primer
By Pat Bradford
Mobile food units — aka food trucks — are an
increasingly important part of the local food
scene. These self-contained units appear all
around the area, offering a myriad of culinary
options. They can be booked for parties, reunions,
weddings, and the political campaign season.
40
A wash of morning light and happy
tulips seems to welcome warmer
months at the Laupus kitchen in
Carolina Heights, historic Wilmington.
Custom furniture painted in bright hues
creates a fun, inviting atmosphere,
perfectly suited to the growing family
that lives there.
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34 The Improbable Dream
By Simon Gonzalez
As a young girl, Laura Goodwin was
intrigued by the idea of swimming from
one country to another. About three
and a half decades later — and after
training in the waters off Wrightsville
Beach — she is going to attempt an
English Channel swim this summer.
40 Six Stylish Kitchens
By Amanda Lisk
In our annual Kitchens That Cook
feature, we take a look at half a dozen
inspiring rooms from Tropical Mod-ern,
Industrial, Coastal Contemporary,
Cottage, Scandinavian and Nautical
ranging from Southport to Topsail,
Wrightsville Beach to Wilmington,
some new and some renovated.
64 Hottest Kitchen Appliances
By Fritts Causby
Innovation and the search for
a better mousetrap drives
appliance manufacturers to
continually develop faster, more
efficient products. Here is a list of
our favorite countertop appliances
for 2022.