Friday, July 19th, 2019
Greetings from Carrboro,

I’m not easily impressed. By humans, to be clear. It takes quite a lot to get my attention. For the most part, I reserve any sense of awe for those who craft their life out of passion and a deep sense of purpose – damn the consequences. People who have the mettle to follow commitment to that most treacherous human place where sincere fear of failure wakes you in the middle of the night. There’s an unmistakable, hard-won tenacity that marks them. And you certainly can’t buy that online. Or get some pre-ordained tattoo to join the club.

So, yes, I’m very impressed by farmers. OK. Good farmers, I should say. They don’t get excuses or mulligans. No notes from doctors can give them a week off. No stock options are proffered. It’s all on them. But they don’t want pity. No way. They do what they do because it’s their life’s choice. And I deeply respect that.

I’ve bought produce from Elysian Fields Farm for the past 18 years. Hard to believe. Elise Bortz and Beth Myers are, in many ways, the faces of modern, small-scale farming. First generation farmers that make a living from a very local market – the Carrboro Farmers’ Market. 100% organic. And 100% kick-ass. Week in, week out I feel very lucky that both of them chose to perfect their craft right here. And if you’ve ever eaten a perfect tomato or delicata squash at Acme, you should feel very lucky, too.

On Wednesday, July 31st, Elise and Beth will join us for a dinner as part of Acme’s 2019 Meet the Makers dinner series. I’m cooking a four-course meal featuring their awesome vegetables harvested that week. So, pretty damn fresh. And needless to say, summer is pretty tasty around here. But most importantly, the dinner is a chance to meet and connect with the two of them, some of the people who do the heavy lifting to make this part of NC such a delicious place to live. And, well, you get to do that in air-conditioning. Win, win. And pretty impressive.

The Acme Meet the Makers Dinner Series, Part IV with Elysian Fields Farm. Wednesday, July 31st. The dinner will kick off at 6:30 that evening. Tickets to the dinner are $42 per person and can only be purchased by calling the restaurant (919 929 2263). Menu is below. Space is limited and all tickets are sold on a first come, first served basis. It’s going to be a great night. I hope that you can join us.

This weekend @ Acme: SOFT SHELL CRABS. Grilled ribeyes with summer chanterelles. Chili rellenos & molé. Acme tomato plate. Peach cobbler with cherry ice cream. Line-caught North Carolina tuna. Ballpark corn ribs. Oyster po’boy sliders. Pecan-crusted fried chicken. Acme cornbread. Old school tomato pie. Double-decker smashburger. Watermelon sangria. Summertime risotto. Pickled shrimp gazpacho. Blueberry pie. Wedge salad. BLT bento box. Fried okra and shishito peppers. Forever roasted pig. Frogmore stew. Pink wine. Cold beer. Colder martinis.

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

The Acme Wine Dinner
with Elise Bortz and Beth Myers
Wednesday, July 31st
6:30 in the evening

1st
Acme tomato plate
Chapel Hill Creamery fresh mozzarella, deviled eggs, bread & butter pickles

2nd
stuffed delicata squash
japanese eggplant, caramelized onions, goat cheese

3rd
smoked beer-can chicken
fried okra, shishito pepper romesco

4th
warm peach cobbler
blackberry fool