In North Carolina, a Town to Lift a Fork or Turn a Page
On the surface, there’s not much to suggest there would be anything special about the central North Carolina town of Hillsborough, population around 6,000, northwest of the Research Triangle, as the area encompassing Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill is called. Its downtown business district, a handful of low-slung brick buildings, peters out after a block or two in any direction. After that, the space between homes quickly grows, and rural surroundings take over.
Although I lived in Durham, just 12 miles away, for years, I can remember purposely going to Hillsborough only once. And even that visit was a short one: a giddy errand with my fiancé to get our marriage license a month before we wed in Chapel Hill. Back then, in the mid-aughts, arguably the main draw for visitors was business at the courthouse of Orange County, of which Hillsborough is the county seat. But lately, this out-of-the-way enclave offers other reasons to visit.
The biggest news is that this is the fifth consecutive year that the local chef Aaron Vandemark has been a semifinalist for the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southeast. His excellent farm-focused restaurant, Panciuto (panciuto.com), opened in 2006 and helped ignite the town’s simmering renaissance. Today, there’s also a handsome new river walk, top-notch barbecue, authentic Mexican fare and a great craft brewery that has put down roots here. And that is to say nothing of the literary types who have settled in.
“It’s a quirky and charming town, full of the most creative people ever gathered in such a small place — except maybe Concord, Massachusetts, in the 19th century,” Frances Mayes wrote to me recently in an email. Ms. Mayes, known for the memoir “Under the Tuscan Sun,” now splits her time between Tuscany and Hillsborough, where she bought an old farmhouse a few years ago. Ms. Mayes pointed me to the bookstore Purple Crow Books (purplecrowbooks.com) — “command central for local writers” — where, as evidence of that creative spirit, several book shelves are dedicated to works from area authors. Sharon Wheeler, the bookstore’s owner who moved here from Burlington, N.C., five years ago, proudly rattled off some of the names: Lee Smith, Steven Petrow, Craig Nova and, of course, Ms. Mayes, whose latest book, “Under Magnolia,” took pride of place.
Ms. Wheeler said the town had become increasingly attractive to those looking for a slower, small-town pace of life. “You come here and say to yourself, ‘Gosh, this is where I belong. This is home,’ ” she said.
A similar sentiment was echoed by Mr. Vandemark of Panciuto. “This was about doing something special in my town,” Mr. Vandemark said of the decision to open a restaurant — and a sophisticated, creative one at that — in Hillsborough instead of in Durham or Chapel Hill, where the dining scenes were already established.
“Panciuto was the first of its kind and brought a different kind of attention to town,” he said, referring to media coverage and accolades that have attracted diners from across the Triangle, even Raleigh, an hour away. Then he watched the town begin to change slowly.
“From literally empty storefronts to shops all down the strip, there’s just more life and activity and energy,” he said. “Everything is just a little bit brighter.”
In addition to his restaurant, Hillsborough now also offers an artisanal chocolate shop, art galleries and, across the Eno River, authentic food from the southwestern Mexican state of Guerrero at the recently opened El Restaurante Ixtapa (ixtapa.homestead.com/homepage.html). Along that river, which downstream courses through the idyllic Eno River State Park, a promenade was completed last year. A pleasant 1.8-mile stroll from downtown along this wooded trail leads to the grassy fields of Gold Park and another commercial pocket nearby.
One great reason to walk to the western side of town is Hillsborough BBQ Company (hillsboroughbbq.com), which opened in 2011 and has earned acclaim from folks who go out of their way for the best hickory-smoked, pit-cooked barbecue. (The collards, mac and cheese, and crisp hush puppies with honey butter don’t disappoint, either.) Two doors down, Mystery Brewing Public House (mysterybrewing.com) features more than a dozen taps pouring their own seasonal, unfiltered craft beers like the Annabel Black Saison.
Mr. Vandemark noted that new projects keep surfacing in Hillsborough, like an independent community radio station, WHUP 104.7 FM, which took to the air in October.
“There’s a lot going on in this small town that almost shouldn’t exist in the way that it does,” he said. And you don’t need to be getting hitched to experience it firsthand.
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