Greetings from Carrboro, 
 
The earliest photographs of me are sincerely prophetic. In them, I more closely resemble a rather jolly bag of potatoes packed into a woefully undersized romper than an actual child. If that didn’t speak to the seriousness of baby-me’s appetite for pleasure, my seven chins certainly did the trick. 
 
It makes sense that the first time that I ever heard the “glass half-full or half-empty” rubric (third grade?) my immediate thought was that the answer would depend on how thirsty I was. And then, well, what exactly was in the proffered glass. My ability to process the question metaphorically immediately collapsed under the hedonistic prospect of drinking something delicious. Even now, the phrase conjures that initial image of my drinking a chocolate milkshake with a red and white striped straw. By the way, I’m pretty sure that picturing that milkshake makes me an optimist. Philosophically.
 
And to this very day, I eat too fast. Way too fast. When I was growing up, the prevailing mantra at the dinner table was “for God’s sake, chew your food.” In truth, this little nugget of wisdom could have been tossed out to anyone sitting at the table. Because we were a family of eaters. Full stop. Those momentary nods at decorum were soon buried beneath the rather larger issue of who would get the last pork chop. And whether or not there was dessert.
 
So, here I stand teetering at the brink of 50 – fork still in hand. And at some point on Monday morning, it will be official. Oh, I’ve heard all the 50-is-the-new-30 talk. That’s all well and good. But if I were really about to turn 30 I’d be about to start Acme, about to take the incredible leap of faith and naiveté that makes me shudder even now. 
 
The truth is that it’s this Acme universe – this crazy world of restaurants – that makes me so proud to reach this, ahem, milestone. And to admit that, yes, I’m hungry for more. I acknowledge that some of the abandon of youth has subsided. (That’s my children you hear saying ‘Hallelujah’ in the background.) But I still truly love what I do. And all of the people that make Acme, well, Acme – that, of course, means YOU. And I love the promise and the challenge to get better at my craft year after year. At some point next week, I’ll have a chocolate shake to celebrate. And when I finish it, a second will certainly not be out of the question.
 
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