He`s So Original

A lawyer by day, Dean has a deep love affair with food, and since September 2007, he has been pretty open about it. “I wanted to keep a public diary of my family’s relationship with food.” His blog, VarmintBites.com, charts Dean’s culinary musings on everything from roast chicken to bratwurst, peppered with family memories and local food comings-and-goings. And you can bet there’s barbeque and plenty of it. Sunday evenings. you’ll find him cooking at home. where everybody in the family shares in creating the meal. 

It’s pretty much all sports, all the time for this NC State grad. By day he works at Honig’s, a leading sporting goods equipment supplier. By night (or weekend) he moonlights as referee for high school and collegiate football.

Having officiated for both the South Atlantic and Big South conferences, Conor’s currently being trained by the ACC Supplemental Staff. When not calling games, he’s playing them; golf is a favorite.

Paris, Milan, New York, Armani, Bill Blass and Naeem Khan…these are names most associated with fashion’s glossy magazines and must-have items. But to Jack, principal stylist at Samuel Cole Salon, which he co-owns with his wife, Joelle, they’re all in a day’s work. Last year the styling duo traveled with famed stylist Oribe to Paris to assist in runway styling. And the backstage glamour didn’t stop there.

The very mention of Vin Rouge prompts area foodies to launch into animated conversation concerning their favorite experiences there. While food and drink may dominate, it’s rare that the bistro’s chef/partner goes unmentioned. Manning the stoves for seven years, Matt is as well known (and loved) for his cassoulet cuisine as his heart of butter. “Right now my favorite thing to cook is eggs from the chickens we raise.” Can’t you just taste the béarnaise now?

What’s the best thing about wearing a skirt? "Easy access."

Beauty is surely in the eye of the beholder. And when Ray is behind the camera, he manages to find the beauty in everything. His range is wide and includes fashion, food, architecture, as well as industrial equipment and spaces. In fact, Ray has been known to shoot large-scale commercial Caterpillar machines and dramatic, detailed fashion in a single day. And now he’s on to creating videos for clients in addition to his sought-after photographs. Oh, and he’s internationally known and recognized.

An architect-turned-stay-at-home Dad, Jedidiah welcomed the reversal of roles in his home. Though his days are now spent in a more domestic way, he keeps his finger on the pulse of the scene as the Downtown Editor of NewRaleigh.com. This fall Jedidiah enters NC State University to pursue a Masters in Art & Design.

Long locks and erotic poetry aren’t typically used when discussing the “stronger” sex. However, in the case of Paul Jones, a faculty member at UNC-CH, founder of ibiblio.org, a library and digital archive, and published erotic poet the adjectives fit. An ardent keeper and creator of the written word, avid music buff and happily married man of twenty years is also a devoted feminist.

Chances are, if you’ve dined at Caffé Luna in downtown Raleigh, you’ve been greeted by its affable owner, Parker Kennedy, a fixture in the Tuscan restaurant during both lunch and dinner. After spending time in the New York City wine scene – specifically Italian – Parker and his wife returned to his native Raleigh to open Caffé Luna in 1996. Ahead of the curve, he took the original, corner spot on Hargett Street and gradually expanded.

Matt McConnell is good with his hands, and he has quite a mind for lines. 

Geometry isn’t for everyone, but Raleigh-based artist McConnell fell for it at an early age and has created a career from it. When it comes to art, “I’m a geometric purist,” said McConnell. Translating a vision he has carried since grade school, he launched McConnell Studios in 2001 to create exceptional pieces that enhance the “environments in which we live, work and play.” His recognizable style of blending symmetry and geometry is showcased in large-scale metal structures, sometimes lit, that express time and motion. With clients ranging from residential to commercial (Raleigh restaurants Fins and The Mint both have McConnell pieces), McConnell’s work includes both purely art-driven and industrial design. He prefers to involve his clients in the “creation” process. “I encourage a connection to the process, as well as the piece created.” 

Matt is photographed with Raleigh designer (and designer of his skirt), Holly Aiken.

Joseph Haj is totally comfortable in the spotlight. As Producing Artistic Director of PlayMakers Repertory Company he’s spent his share of time in front of an audience. Sometimes even in a skirt and wings. This fall, Joe is co-directing PlayMakers’ epic production of “The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, Parts 1 & 2.” That’s quite an undertaking seeing as the cast has no less than 25 actors playing 150 parts! This year American Theatre magazine named Joe one of the 25 artists who will have a significant impact on the American theatre over the next quarter century. 

What's the best thing about reading Skirt!?  It's big enough to mask my copy of Cosmo.
What's the best thing about wearing a skirt?  My wife can wear the pants - although she looks terrific in a skirt too.

Eric White wants to pay it forward

In a crowded studio on West Martin Street, on the edge of Raleigh’s Warehouse District, Shaun Richards works on his massive multimedia creations, preparing for his August show at Flanders Art Gallery. The show is called Women and Children First.

Pages from the books that have prompted the creative thought process are adhered to the canvases. Color chips from the paint department at Home Depot provide another texture and another layer. Stencils, acrylic paint, oils and even silver leaf provide a myriad of colors, shapes, designs and messages that give Shaun additional opportunities to make artistic comment.

“I sort of play word games,” he says. “I’ll be reading an article and think, how can I visually present this idea. It’s a lot more analytical, to go through the process of determining how to represent an idea visually.”

Shaun’s work examines social dynamics and asks the viewer to consider the influences in our society that affect our thinking and our psychology.

While he says he doesn’t take himself too seriously, the themes in his work certainly explore serious issues.

“I’m a feminist because I am sensitive to social injustice and the less visible but equally galling snubs that subvert an ideal human order. I keep an eye peeled for victims – real and potential – and rush to their defense. Unequal treatment of women under the law brings on in me a distinct case of moral indignation.”


When it comes to feminism, Greg Kirkpatrick has a significant concern to share.

“We still need to define feminism. Our culture is still kind of predisposed to overlooking women. It’s a consciousness that needs to be there because of our society,” he says, in an interview in his office at SECU House in Chapel Hill, a temporary residence for families and adult patients at UNC Hospitals, where he is executive director.

Greg says many people hear the word “feminist” and equate it with “stridency”.

“People are really put off by strident debate,” he says. “Surely we can talk about women’s rights without being adversarial.”

“Since I believe the whole fabric of human diversity – with all its splendor, mystery and edginess – is a reflection of our Creator, how could I be anything but a feminist? If you and I are both made in the image and likeness of God, how can I not honor the fullness of your humanity?”

Jim Melnyk and his wife, Lorraine Ljunggren, share pastoral duties at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Raleigh, a situation Jim says works for them and for their congregation.

“We believe we must love God with all our heart, soul and mind, and love our neighbor as ourselves,” Jim says. “It is foundational to me. It’s, in a way, humanist. My hope is to honor the integrity of all humanity.”

For priests Jim and Lorraine, a fundamental tenet of their relationship is that they are partners in life.

“That’s a choice,” Jim says. “We offered to bring it to St. Mark’s and the people valued it and embraced it. The people at St. Mark’s see that this honors both genders in the congregation.”

That’s why you won’t hear male or female pronouns for God in the sermons they preach. They talk about the fullness of God, the fullness of humanity.