Martin Brunner’s dad was a baker. And his dad was a baker. And his dad was a baker. And his dad was a baker. The family has been in North Carolina for 26 years, but their legacy, The Bakehouse, has been in operation since 1948. It originated in Austria, where Martin grew up. Today, in Aberdeen, the café features a wall-size window, which lets customers peer inside the pastry kitchen. There, floppy-hatted bakers roll rum balls and build Yule logs with chocolate buttercream. Taking part in family milestones, Martin says, is the thing he loves most about his job. “You don’t go into business for the money. That’s not what it’s all about,” he says. “We do baby shower cakes for couples whose wedding cakes I made. That’s it, right there.”
Martin Brunner and his staff create holiday gift baskets and gingerbread houses that can be customized to look like real-life homes. photograph by Faith Teasley
The Bakehouse
120 North Poplar Street
Aberdeen, NC 28315
https://www.thebakehouseofaberdeen.com/
In North Carolina, spring brings the scent of fresh-cut grass and memories of helping Dad mow the lawn.
Nostalgic burger joints are like time machines, delivering something extra special that keeps us coming back.
This tiny city block in downtown Greensboro once had a gigantic reputation. Not so much for its charbroiled beef patties — though they, too, were plentiful — but for its colorful characters and their wild shenanigans.
In the 1950s, as Americans hit freshly paved roads in shiny new cars during the postwar boom, a new kind of restaurant took shape: the drive-in. From those first thin patties to the elaborate gourmet hamburgers of today, North Carolina has spent the past 80 years making burger history.
