Greetings from Carrboro,

I’m still an optimist. And for a veteran of the restaurant world that’s saying something. It amplifies the usual glass-half-full analogy to a more robust it-may-be-empty-but-at-least-the-glass-isn’t-broken-yet version. Putting nature or nurture aside, I clearly recognize my rampant optimism as some crazy home-brew of naiveté, furious ambition, and stubbornness. And, well, a healthy splash of experience.

Optimism of this sort requires rules. First, there’s no contemplation of the myriad hard-working souls it actually takes to provide even one edible plate of food. And absolutely zero thoughts about how any one of those people can flip over the proverbial apple cart, turning delicious into disappointment in the blink of an eye. Thus, the general consensus: this line of work is not for the faint of heart. Or for anyone with even a lick of sense. There’s a reason that bankers hide under their desk when someone shows up wanting money to open a restaurant. Clearly optimism alone doesn’t pay the bills.

But optimism does let you blithely start planning during strawberry season for a badass outdoor party 6 months later rooted in the traditions of fall in North Carolina. For 500 people. Without a single iota of worry about the weather. You merely put blinders on and plan away like everything is going to be perfect. Week after week. As it draws close, you most definitely do not look at the pending forecast until at most two days in advance. No earlier. And then, well, here we are. Two days before Salt & Smoke VI. And voila, the weather forecast couldn’t be better. You see, my plan worked perfectly! It’ll be Carolina blue skies and delicious blue smoke at Rock Quarry Farm. It doesn’t get much better than that.

So, for all you party procrastinators out there, it’s time to get off the fence. There really isn’t any clear excuse left. The fact is that we’ve got just a few tickets remaining to Salt & Smoke VI that have your name on ‘em. Really. And from one procrastinator to another, let me tell you – it’s worth the plunge. I’m so sure Salt & Smoke is worth it that everyone who buys one of these last 57 tickets will be put into a drawing to win 4 tickets to Salt & Smoke VII – next year. For once, procrastination has it’s privileges. Isn’t it time to get your South on?

Well, that’s all the news from Carrboro. The staff at Acme look forward to serving you soon.

Cheers,

The Staff at Acme

Reservations: 919 929 2263 or online
Salt & Smoke tickets: click here