What was hot at the N.C. State fair this year? Some news outlets would have you think it was the latest deep-fried whatever. But Andrea Weigle of the Raleigh News & Observer reports its actually cheese – North Carolina cheese. “For the first time, the state’s artisan cheese makers have a presence at the fair … (in a) tent, tucked between the Jim Graham Building and the Expo Center.”

LINK: “Cheese artisans wedge their way onto fair scene.”

Chris Phillips of Restaurant X

Restaurant X chef Chris Phillips will be the guest chef at Davidson Farmer’s Market this Saturday. Meanwhile, Brickhouse Tavern owner Nick Lyssikatos tells us to look for a few “tweaks” on his menu. And we have an update on the former Soiree space in Mooresville. Read the full story

Chefs Kris Reid (left) and Vera Samuels.

By JILL STIERLI

One back-to-school project I always remember doing each fall was writing an essay about “how I spent my summer.” With fall finally upon us, I have been reflecting on what I learned this summer volunteering at the Davidson Farmer’s Market chef demonstration tent. I assisted and watched Kris Reid and Vera Samuels, two professional chefs who received their training at Johnson & Wales in Charlotte. If you were lucky enough to catch one of their demos, you also saw firsthand how knowledgeable these chefs are, not only in their craft but also about local foods.

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Lots going on this month at local eateries – from an “Uncork for a Cause” breast-cancer fund-raiser at Campania Cafe to an exclusive Beer Dinner – dishes paired with different brews – at Flatiron Kitchen + Taphouse. Also below, a preview of an upcoming event at Davidson College featuring some of the area’s top food writers. Read the full story

Apples in the orchard at Altapass, off the Blue Ridge Parkway. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)

By DAVID BORAKS
DavidsonNews.net

This time of year always has me longing for a trip to the apple orchard. Saturday afternoon apple-picking outings were a big part of my New England childhood. Our local orchard on a hillside in Middlefield, Conn., had an aging red barn adapted as a retail store for the fall harvest. We’d climb the hillsides in search of Macintoshes, Cortlands, Idareds, Romes and other old varieties – varieties nothing like the grocery store apples whose chief attribute is the ability to last months in a refrigerator.

Last weekend, we drove up to the Blue Ridge Parkway in search of a bit of color and a trunkload of apples from the Orchard at Altapass. Read the full story

Tim Groody, Flatiron Kitchen + Taphouse

Davidson Farmer’s Market is open again Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon next to Town Hall, and this week’s market features Tim Groody, of Flatiron Kitchen + Taphouse as guest chef. The market also will have music and other special events.

Mr. Groody opened Flatiron Kitchen in the Stowe’s Corner building at South and South Main Streets this summer with two partners. He favors local ingredients and plans to search the market Saturday morning for something to cook at his tent. Stop by at 9:30 and 10:30 at the Town Hall end. Read the full story