photograph by Matt Hulsman
A “Forever Board” — flowers preserved in resin and attached to a plank of wood — is a thoughtful keepsake and functional serving board that Asheville wood-carver Anneliesse Gormley creates through her business, Spoon + hook. Gormley dries zinnias, strawflowers, cosmos, and other blooms sourced from bridal bouquets and local gardeners using a gentle mix of sand and silica, which allows the blossoms to hold their shape and maintain their original hues. She then organizes the flowers and pours resin over the arrangement. The final touch includes attaching a locally sourced walnut, cherry, or maple wood base to anchor the wild scene, frozen in time.
Learn more at spoonandhook.com.
photograph by Matt Hulsman
Metalsmith and artist Michael Waller is a problem-solver with a coastal appetite. A Kinston native, Waller attended many oyster roasts over the years and noticed, on one occasion, that no one had an oyster knife on hand. The next day, he forged one in his Orange County studio, and he now sells shuckers made from salvaged North Carolina railroad spikes, repurposed horseshoes from a Hillsborough farm, and stock material. His other creations include a dipper with a curved steel handle to rest on the side of a stewpot — he had his family’s annual fish stew tradition in mind — to keep it from leaving a puddle on the counter. Waller calls the ladle Mema, the name that his children adoringly use to refer to his mother, the family’s matriarch chef.
Learn more at wallerhandmade.com.
photograph by Matt Hulsman
On the side of every standard wok that metalworker Cory Williams makes, stainless steel rivets seal the textured handle, knurled for optimal grip, to a Weyh signature brass disc. When Williams was a metal sculptor living in Asheville, early iterations of this design were tested by Chef Patrick O’Cain in the kitchen of his restaurant, Gan Shan Station, countless times over the span of a year. Williams worked closely with O’Cain, adjusting the design and giving the chef a new prototype each time he requested a change until, finally, the wok’s proportions, weight, durability, and aesthetics were perfect. Williams now sells his handmade woks online from his home studio in Kernersville. Each wok is seasoned in his oven, and two of the original prototypes sit on his stovetop, a reminder that perfection takes time.
Learn more at studioweyh.com.
When it comes to spreading holiday cheer, the residents of this Chatham County town start early.
Our editor in chief shares a few treasured memories from her childhood home, a Christmas Eve night being one of the very first.
We took some, ahem, creative liberties when we combed through Our State’s archives to find a few favorite stories that carry the tune of a Christmas classic.
From decades-old family recipes to a centuries-old Carolina cookie, we’re filling our holiday tables with dishes that have stood the test of time.
