Each year, Our State celebrates North Carolina’s talented artisans with the Made in NC Awards. In 2020, top honors went to a potter in Weaverville, a meadery in Durham, cheese makers in Climax, a cutler in Leland, and a mom-and-pop sneaker manufacturer in Asheville. Now, it’s time for you to meet North Carolina’s award winners.
Most people don’t think about the soil they walk on. But Tori Motyl knows its potential: In her hands, western North Carolina clay becomes a stunning expression of place. Read more.
In a knife maker’s workshop in Brunswick County, decking from the retired USS North Carolina is enlisted into a new kind of service: as a chef’s right-hand tool. Read more.
Across the seasons, Diane Currier gathers the work of bees — the blossoms, fruits, and honey. She brings them back to Honeygirl Meadery in Durham, where the bees’ bounty is bottled for all to taste. Read more.
Set on 40 acres of bucolic Randolph County farmland, Goat Lady Dairy produces top-quality cheeses for all occasions, including an award winner called Providence. Read more.
A Buncombe County couple is reviving independent shoe manufacturing in North Carolina, creating winning styles like their popular Riverside Hi sneakers. Read more.
Tucked into a historic neighborhood, a backyard in Forsyth County holds hundreds of Southern wildflowers collected by one wild flower woman.
John Champlin has traveled across the state — and the nation — in search of hard-to-find spots that serve an unforgettable hot dog. After 11 years, what he’s discovered goes way beyond the bun.
In the early 20th century, textile mill owners sponsored baseball teams, providing entertainment for their employees and nurturing a passion for the game that’s been handed down through generations of North Carolinians.
Our writer reflects on where his love of vinyl began, and how the snap, crackle, and pop of a needle sliding across a turntable will always satisfy his soul.
