Q: Casual Luxury at The Firehouse Inn

Rutherfordton – What to do with a cool building that once housed the firehouse, city water, and police departments when it’s no longer needed? Turn it into a gorgeous Bed and Breakfast, of course! Co-owners Keven and Kitty McCammon purchased The Firehouse Inn, a beautiful 6 bedroom bed and breakfast, from previous owners who had completely remodeled the interior. Since the purchase, they’ve made it their own. The lowest level serves as home to BlueRidge Design, Kitty’s interior design company. She has exquisite taste, by the way. It’s chock full of the cutest and most beautiful gifts and products. I had the opportunity to spend some time with Kitty while staying at the Inn. Think lovely southern born and raised woman with character strong as steel. She is the proud owner and manager of Maple Creek Farm, where she and her husband raise Texas Long Horn cattle. You can buy the famously lean Maple Creek Farm meet at BlueRidge Design shop.We hopped into Kitty’s Hummer (right, a Hummer) and drove out to the farm for a look-see. Because the cattle would walk away if they sensed strangers, Kitty drove right out into and around the hilly pasture. Talk about fun! The Firehouse Inn 125 W 1st St Rutherfordton, NC 28139 (828) 286-9030 BlueRidge Design 134 N. Washington St Rutherfordton, NC 28139 828-286-8069

Question 1

The 10 Best Bakeries in North Carolina

Accepted Answer

Have a sweet tooth like me? These 10 Best Bakeries in NC are listed from West to East across the state, but not ranked within the list.
Many of these bakeries sell at their local farmers&#8217; markets. Check their websites for details.
Karen Donatelli Cake Designs (by Appointment Only) (Asheville)
1000 Hendersonville Road Suite 1
Asheville, NC 28803
(828) 225-5751
Owner/Chef Karen Donatelli creates gorgeous confections, including the most sublime cakes and pastries. Donatellis has converted from a retail space to an appointment only format outside of downtown. Kept her bakery on this list just in case you want to order a custom cake or pastries. She&#8217;s that good.
Image: facebook.com/KarenDonatelliBakeryCafe/
Image: facebook.com/KarenDonatelliBakeryCafe/
Underground Baking Co. (Hendersonville)
352 7th Ave E
Hendersonville, NC 28792
(828) 674-7494
Co-owners Lisa and Matthew specialize in breads, but they bake plenty of pastries, too. Two of my favorites are their Almond Horns and Christmas Bread. They&#8217;ve been at their Historic 7th Ave. location for 5 years now, enticing locals and visitors alike to visit a part of town they&#8217;re helping revitalize.
Image: Underground Baking Co Facebook Page
Image: Underground Baking Co Facebook Page
Flat Rock Village Bakery (Flat Rock)
2710 Greenville Hwy
Flat Rock, NC 28731
(828) 693-1313
Flat Rock Village Bakery is housed in a cute building warmed by a wood-fired oven used for baking breads, pastries, and pizzas. If there are any left by the time I get to the bakery, I usually get a Turnover &#8211; any flavor. In warmer weather, find a seat on the spacious deck in the shade under one of the large Magnolias.
Image: Flat Rock Village Bakery Facebook Page
Image: Flat Rock Village Bakery Facebook Page
Amélie&#8217;s French Bakery & Café (Charlotte)
2424 N Davidson St.
Charlotte, NC 28205
(704) 376-1781
Amélie&#8217;s team of owners describe their shop as a &#8220;Parisian shabby chic bakery and cafe serving French inspired fare.&#8221; All I can say is Vive la France!
Image: Amelie&#8217;s Facebook Page
Camino Bakery, Coffeehouse, and Winebar (Winston Salem)
310 W 4th St
Winston-Salem, NC 27101
(336) 721-9990
Camino is one of those sweet spots that anchors a neighborhood. This one happens to be downtown Winston Salem. They have a nice loose leaf tea selection, in addition to espresso drinks, that can be ordered by the cup. If you prefer your cuppa with tea in a bag, they&#8217;ll hand tie one for you.
Guglhupf Bakery, Cafe & Restaurant (Durham)
2706 Durham-Chapel Hill Blvd
Durham, NC 27707
(919) 401-2600
A terrific German bakery/cafe. Love this place for a meal, fresh-baked bread, and pastries. Be sure to check out their yearly Oktoberfest celebration and seasonal Christmas Stollen.
Guglhupf
Guglhupf
Loaf (Durham)
111 W Parrish St
Durham, NC 27701
(919) 797-1254
Owner Ron Graff bakes in a 30,000 pound custom wood-fired oven and has set up Loaf in the European tradition; a neighborhood shop where you pick up your fresh-baked goods, rather than a bakery/cafe. Accordingly, Loaf’s interior might be considered minimalist with a bread rack, pastry case and coffee hot pots.
Stop in for items you want to take home, to a friend&#8217;s place, or on a picnic.
Loaf Durham
La Farm Bakery (Cary)
4248 NW Cary Pkwy
Cary, NC 27513
(919) 657-0657
With his wife and partner, Missy, Lionel Vatinet opened La Farm Bakery in 1999 and hasn&#8217;t looked back since. The star here is definitely bread. Vatinet is an acknowledged expert bread baker. He authored the well received book, A Passion for Bread.
I&#8217;ve run into Lionel at the Asheville Bread Festival, Beaufort Wine & Food Festival, and many other events over the years. He&#8217;s an exceptionally nice guy.
Nichole and I stopped in at the Cary &#8220;mother ship&#8221; for lunch and dessert in September. There are plenty of delicious sweet treats made at the bakery, too.
The Peppered Cupcake (Wilmington)
105 S Front St
Wilmington, NC 28401
(910) 399-1088
More than 80 unique flavors from sweet to savory &#8211; served warm. What more could you ask for in a cupcake? Next time I&#8217;m in Wilmington, it&#8217;s a Ginger & Pear cupcake for me! Wait &#8211; maybe the Bourbon Black Cherry & Vanilla Cobbler? No, the Strawberry Basil Cobbler sounds really good. Anyone up for sharing?
Image: The Peppered Cupcake Facebook Page
Image: The Peppered Cupcake Facebook Page

Question 2

Lake Lure's Flowering Bridge

Accepted Answer

Rather than demolish a decommissioned bridge in 2013, folks in Lake Lure got creative and re-purposed it as a walkable garden spanning the Broad River. The garden extends just beyond each end of the bridge, also.
Next time you&#8217;re in Lake Lure, stop, walk the bridge, and breath deeply.
&#8220;Officially dedicated Oct. 19, 2013, the Lake Lure Flowering Bridge blooms on the historic 1925 Rocky Broad River bridge in Lake Lure, NC. When the bridge was closed to traffic in 2011, the Friends of the Lake Lure Flowering Bridge came together to create gardens on the 155 feet of the bridge and along a pathway at both ends of the three-arch span itself. With an emphasis on native plants, the Friends mission is to create a “Gateway to Somewhere Beautiful” for the enjoyment of the public.&#8221; ~ Friends of the Lake Lure Flowering Bridge
The Flowering Bridge website
Facebook.com/LakeLureFloweringBridge

Question 3

Casual Luxury at The Firehouse Inn

Accepted Answer

Rutherfordton &#8211; What to do with a cool building that once housed the firehouse, city water, and police departments when it&#8217;s no longer needed?
Turn it into a gorgeous Bed and Breakfast, of course!
Co-owners Keven and Kitty McCammon purchased The Firehouse Inn, a beautiful 6 bedroom bed and breakfast, from previous owners who had completely remodeled the interior. Since the purchase, they&#8217;ve made it their own.

The lowest level serves as home to BlueRidge Design, Kitty&#8217;s interior design company. She has exquisite taste, by the way. It&#8217;s chock full of the cutest and most beautiful gifts and products.
I had the opportunity to spend some time with Kitty while staying at the Inn. Think lovely southern born and raised woman with character strong as steel. She is the proud owner and manager of Maple Creek Farm, where she and her husband raise Texas Long Horn cattle.
You can buy the famously lean Maple Creek Farm meet at BlueRidge Design shop.We hopped into Kitty&#8217;s Hummer (right, a Hummer) and drove out to the farm for a look-see. Because the cattle would walk away if they sensed strangers, Kitty drove right out into and around the hilly pasture. Talk about fun!
The Firehouse Inn
125 W 1st St
Rutherfordton, NC 28139
(828) 286-9030
BlueRidge Design
134 N. Washington St
Rutherfordton, NC 28139
828-286-8069

Question 4

Biltmore's Dirty Secrets

Accepted Answer

Hidden, but visable if you know where to look, you can find the Biltmore Estate&#8217;s dirty secrets. They&#8217;re mostly across the river from Antler Hill Village.
A group of us with an interest in sustainable, healthy farming took a tour of the dirty (producing) side of Biltmore.
SO many fascinating things are going on in the &#8220;back 40&#8221;, it&#8217;s better to share an overview without going into too much detail, and include an Image Gallery you can peruse.
Our tour was led by the personable Dr. Ted Katsigianis, a 32 year Biltmore employee.
After earning master’s and Ph.D. degrees in animal science under adviser Thomas Merritt at Penn State, he worked as a livestock extension specialist at the Universities of Kentucky and Maryland. While at Maryland, a close friend called him about a buddy with a farm in North Carolina who was looking to get out of the dairy business and into beef cattle. The buddy turned out to be William Cecil, George Vanderbilt’s grandson. Katsigianis agreed to consult and eventually became a permanent employee of The Biltmore Company.
Dirty Secrets
aka What you probably don&#8217;t know about Agriculture & Farming at Biltmore:

The pretty Gazebo just outside Lioncrest used to be a livestock sale ring.
The old ferry used by anyone wanting to cross the river to the agriculture and farming side of the estate was replaced by a bridge about 4 years ago. Much easier for everyone, but a little piece of history gone.
All electric livestock fences on property are solar powered.
A couple dozen bee hives are producing honey used on the estate. They&#8217;re hoping to up production soon.
Chicken and Quail are raised on property, producing eggs and meat for Biltmore&#8217;s many restaurants.
Their chickens lay brown eggs and are the same heirloom breeds that Vanderbilt kept.
A limited number of pasture-raised pork are on site.
Estate sheep can be seen grazing under solar panels and throughout the vineyard. There are 150 to 175 lambs per season that supply Biltmore restaurants.
A 42 acre man-made lake moderates temperatures year round in the vineyard and is also used for irrigation.
Dairy cows used to reign, but it&#8217;s all Angus-Wagu cross now (600 to 700 head).
Biltmore Chefs get 20lbs of prime cuts from each steer. They serve up to 50 steers per year.
On-property solar panels (9 acres/5,000 panels to date) provide 25% of Biltmore&#8217;s power needs.
There are four to five acres planted in vegetables and microgreens, but there are plans to expand that to twenty acres. Fifteen to twenty percent of all produce used in Estate restaurants is grown on property.
Currently, 18 varieties of red and green lettuces are being grown hydroponically.
Non-GMO Canola is a big crop on the estate now. Look for the beautiful yellow fields when the canola is blooming. They make bio-diesel fuel from the canola that powers many work vehicles. Their goal is to some day produce food-grade oil also. See photos of their lab in the Gallery.
The Biltmore Mound, one of thirty currently documented archaeological sites on the estate, is an American Indian mound that was discovered in 1984 by an archaeologist working for the state. It remains today as a site that has over time yielded invaluable insight into the lives of the Connesstee indians, believed to be ancestors of the Cherokee tribe.
Different colored signs on the trees in various parts of the estate indicate Biltmore Challenge equestrian endurance ride routes. We&#8217;re talking 25 to 100 mile rides completed in one day! Competitors from around the world regularly participate.

Biltmore&#8217;s dirty secrets are out! Hope you learned some interesting facts about what goes on at Biltmore behind the scenes.

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