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
thebakehouse.biz
Hitting the trail has never have been more popular, but getting started can be intimidating. Let super hiker Jennifer Pharr Davis tell you how to prepare for everything from a short day trip to a state-wide hike.
The 1960s architecture, croaking call boxes, and carhops toting plastic trays stacked with steaming fries and frosty shakes: What-A-Burger — the beloved North Carolina chain, not the popular Texas franchise — is a living remnant from a time when cars were king.
Memories of hitchhiking across North Carolina — and the United States — in the 1970s never dimmed for this author.
In North Carolina, Pig Pickin' Cake is an essential companion to any good barbecue (noun, not a verb).
