By CAMILA DOMONOSKE
DavidsonNews.net

Happy leap day! Legend has it that once upon a time, women who proposed to their commitment-phobic men on Feb. 29 were guaranteed to be accepted – or, if that failed, to be given a new silk gown. Today, of course, women can propose to men any day of the year, and silk gowns generally aren’t part of a rejection package. Let’s face it, Feb. 29 just isn’t that special any more. The best we have to offer you is a free cookie from Subway. But there’s a lot to look forward to, including St. Patrick’s Day at the Galway Hooker and ways to support a good cause at Summit Coffee Co. tomorrow. Plus, we have a roundup of live music at local eateries. See below for details. Hope your bonus day is extra-special! Read the full story

John Herron with some of his company's produce. Many varieties grow on the plastic bag set-ups behind him. (KATIE LOVETT/DavidsonNews.net)

By KATIE LOVETT
DavidsonNews.net

LANDIS – Tucked away down the Rowan County back roads of Landis, N.C., lies the old, abandoned Linn Cotton Mill. Once a bustling textile production center, this space now serves as home to hundreds upon hundreds of  . . .  mushrooms?

The current tenant, Cottonmill Mushroom Farms, is churning out 500 pounds of oyster and shitake mushrooms each week under the guidance of founder and owner John Herron. In 2007, Mr. Herron adopted and transformed the dusty, humid mill basement into a climate-controlled production center.

“The first time I came, it was 100 degrees outside but just 80 degrees inside,” Mr. Herron said of his decision to set up shop in the old cotton mill in Landis, north of Kannapolis. That’s when he knew the space would be the perfect hub for his project. Read the full story

Baked egg on a bed of greens with mushrooms. (Nikki Sawyer Moore/MincedBlog.com)

Food writer and chef Nikki Sawyer Moorethis week offers a meal for one, or more: Baked egg with spinach, mushrooms and leek. She made it one recent evening, inspired after coming across lots of magazine recipes for baked eggs.

“Brilliant yellow yolks sit framed by their whites in a pan filled of sautéed greens or a yummy tomato sauce,” she writes on her food blog Minced. “It’s casual food, but also alluring.”

Find the recipe at MincedBlog.com

By CAMILA DOMONOSKE
DavidsonNews.net

Chefs from a collection of area restaurants will offer up their best soups this weekend at Soup on Sunday, a fund-raiser for Serenity House, an end-of-life care home in Mooresville. Meanwhile, Davidson Farmer’s Market and Summit Coffee will host a Breakfast of Champions beer-and-bratwurst feast at the market this Saturday. Meanwhile, it’s grand opening weekend at the new Paddy’s Pour House in Cornelius. Read on for more about those and other food events.

Read the full story

By CAMILA DOMONOSKE
DavidsonNews.net

Ever wished you could recreate a restaurant meal at home? Ever tried, and been disappointed to discover you couldn’t capture the perfect flavor, or that the secret ingredient evaded you? Wooden Stone Gallery and the Town of Davidson will offer a series of cooking classes starting in April to help you learn to make stellar meals at home. See the details below – along with news about Bonefish Grill coming to Birkdale, a restaurant “promenade” in Davidson, the date of Ben & Jerry’s spring Free Cone Day, a variety of wine and beer events, and a bevy of local musical performances. Read the full story

PBS Chef Joanne Weir visited with Davidson residents who joined a meal at Davidson College Wednesday. From left, John Kimbirl, Bob Allen, Weir, Ed McLean and Harold Beaver. (Cathryn Westra photo)

Ms. Weir's lunch is served at Davidson College's Vail Commons. (Katie Lovett/DavidsonNews.net)

By KATIE LOVETT
DavidsonNews.net

Davidson College’s Vail Commons on Wednesday transformed from a college dining hall into a gourmet restaurant as part of a visit from chef and television personality Joanne Weir. Students filled their trays with pork loin topped with onion, orange, and raisin marmalade; fire roasted potatoes, vegetable gratin; zucchini fritters; mushroom crostini; and oven-roasted beet soup with a dollop of crème fraiche.

Ms. Weir was the first in what Davidson Dining Services director Dee Phillips hopes will become an annual series of celebrity chef visit to Davidson College. Read the full story