Cottage Lane Kitchen
Cottage Lane Kitchen is up for the Martha Stewart American Made competition, for its signature spicy pepper relish condiments, which stem from an heirloom family recipe.
The Martha Stewart American Made Awards highlight nation-wide innovators, makers and small-business owners, from different categories. Cottage Lane Kitchen’s founder, Samantha Swan, is a finalist under the “Food” category, and “Bottled, Jarred & Canned” sub-category.
The award-winners will be chosen by voters online on the Martha Stewart website, and voting ends on October 19.
“It’s such a tremendous honor to have been selected by Martha’s panel of judges for something that my family’s been doing for generations,” said Swan.
The four-year-old Chapel Hill business makes two signature sodium-free pepper relish condiments based on Swan’s great-grandmother’s recipe. Today, the peppers are slow-cooked in apple cider vinegar just like they would have been in Swan’s great-grandmother’s kitchen.
People in the area remember the way their own families used to make relishes and find familiarity in the condiments, Swan said.
Chapel Hill School of Musical Arts
The Chapel Hill School of Musical Arts has moved to Franklin Square, offering its students a new, convenient and well-equipped space.
Having outgrown its previous locations, the business moved to 1829 E. Franklin St, Unit 500 in Chapel Hill, on Sept. 17.
Founder Sharon Szymanski began the business by teaching voice lessons in her home. Later partnering with her husband, Rick Szymanski, the pair expanded the business to include instrument lessons too.
Prior to the shift, all lessons took place between the Szymanskis’ home and Mariakakis Plaza on Fordham Boulevard.
“The new location gets us all under one roof, which is great,” said Melissa Dombrowski, director of operations at the Chapel Hill School of Musical Arts.
The new facility includes 15 private studios equipped with computers, a large classroom with a grand piano and audio/visual and recording equipment.
This larger space has also helped enable the arts-education business to expand their business to now include an acting program, Dombrowski said.
“We finally have room to grow, and there’s such a love for the arts and appreciation for the arts in Chapel Hill, so there are a lot of people who are looking for this kind of service,” she said.
“And so we are very, very happy to be in the community and part of their families.”
Carolina Ale House
Sports fans in Chapel Hill will soon have another spot to enjoy games, as sports bar chain Carolina Ale House will open another branch on Franklin Street in late October.
The sports bar will be located at 419 W. Franklin St., in the former Yates Motor Company building, according to Camille White, brand manager for Carolina Ale House at LM Restaurants, Carolina Ale House’s Raleigh-based parent company.
“Franklin Street, in particular being in close proximity to the university and kind of in the happening spot (of Chapel Hill), felt like it would be a really good fit for our brand,” said White.
Irrespective of whether a UNC team is playing or not, the bar will be a place to gather with friends to watch all your favorite sports, White said.
The grand opening of the bar will include a week of events, particularly tailored around the UNC sports schedule, White said.
The interior of the upcoming Carolina Ale House will stay true to the bar’s signature look from all its locations, with televisions everywhere you turn.
“This is something we pride ourselves in, in all our locations,” White said.
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