Raleigh bakes

I have been driving, for business, to Raleigh, North Carolina for the last twenty one years. I love the time one has to one self on these long drives. There is time to think through challenges one has to face. There is time to let your mind relax and open up to spontaneous thoughts. Some of the poetry I have written has been born behind the wheel of my car. I must admit to you that I have done this while driving at times. Not so bright but it happened that way. You get to see the country at ground level and see how things change and how some things never change. The drive to Raleigh has changed dramatically over the years. It used to be a long but easy drive, free of difficult traffic jams, until the growth of Washington, D.C. changed everything. Today you have to be acutely aware of time and place driving to Raleigh because Baltimore to Richmond has become one of the worst traffic nightmares in the country.

I decided to break up the drive this time, with a stop in DC, for dinner and an overnight stay with Nancy and Kress Monarch. There is no doubt Nancy is the better half for the last thirty plus years. Kress and I are old Georgetown Hoyas and we bonded in sophomore year on the second floor of New South. Georgetown was running an affirmative action program for Jews at the time(that is a joke people) and so a suburban Jewish kid from Clark NJ became a lifelong friend with a rural Pa Jewish boy. Our fathers owned their own business. We each had a younger sister. We shared a love for all sports, especially the basketball team. He was a business major. I was a history major. He was grounded while I had my head in the clouds. Our differences were our strengths and each of us accepted the other unconditionally. There is nothing better than catching up with old friends. We spoke about grandkids, our kids and what the future holds. Laughter flowed easily and time passed too quickly. Truth is, we have spent most of the time we will ever spend with each other, forty years ago, and that amount of time will never be available again. Each moment together becomes precious and I am forever grateful for their supportive friendship.

I woke early and was on the highway at 6:30. The “Beltway” was packed and moving. Suburban Virginia looks like Southern California. Mid Rise buildings dominate the landscape. Every entry ramp is filled with cars joining the race to work. Trucks, of all sizes, jockey for lane position with the cars. They are building SO MANY new lanes in each direction from Northern Virginia to Richmond. That is 60 miles. Luckily, traffic was moving well, away from Washington, but one minor incident would have caused a one hour delay.

Watching the traffic in Northern Virginia made me think that commuting to work may be tougher than work. I believe the stress, especially since the Pandemic ensued, of getting to work is more debilitative that any stress your boss can put on you. I have friends who have taken the train to New York, pre Pandemic, every day for thirty years. I admire their resilience and patience. They hate every minute that they commute. Driving to work in Washington DC is on the same level. There was traffic, bumper to bumper, thirty miles outside of DC. Why do we do this to ourselves? I understand truck drivers and salesman who spend unreal hours behind their wheel trying to make a living but commuters have a different level of driving hell in Northern Virginia.

I had 250 miles in front of me, and since these are the days between, ( August 1 JG birth- Aug 9 JG passing) I turned up some Jerry Garcia on the radio. It is my ardent belief to use this platform to unequivocally declare that Garcia and the Grateful Dead are the greatest gift of American rock n’ roll history. The music captures the entire historic American musical experience of the 20th century, expressed spontaneously in live music, in one band. Robert Hunter, the lyricist and poet, was not a live band member. Garcia sang his words because he believed in every word. “Nothing left to do but smile, smile, smile.” Those words captured Garcia’s spirit. His musical sensibility was “on the same level, as John Mayer recently wrote, as Miles Davis and Bill Evans because of the intention in his performing”. The four hours disappeared quickly like the fast moving rainstorm that pelted my car.

Raleigh, the city of Oaks, is not the sleepy Southern town it was when I first came here in 2001. The growth downtown has brought dozens of entrepreneurs to the food and bar life. It has always been a college town but new Raleigh has become a great visit and weekend getaway. I had a few days to do business in town so I immediately turned my thoughts to bakeries. My high school prom date Donna, and her husband Victor, had invited me for dinner, so I promised her some Wake and Bake specialties. I asked her for some recommendations but I did not follow her advice. Sometimes I have to follow my instincts and there were two bakeries in downtown Raleigh that struck my interest.

I decided I would bring the artistic creations of Lucette Grace to dinner. This sit down-take out bakery and lunch spot, founded and ran by Chef Daniel Benjamin, has been in downtown Raleigh for almost ten years. They barely made it through the Pandemic restrictions but, luckily for all of Raleigh, they are still baking every day. The bakery is named after his daughters, Lucette and Grace, and Chef Benjamin hails from Valparaiso, Indiana. He worked his way across the country, working with numerous pastry chefs, before opening Lucette in 2013. His desserts are visually striking and creative before you even taste one bite. They are fun to look at and imagine what the chef may be wryly communicating. The desserts become figurines as well as a sensual taste experience.

They are from in clockwise order- Chocolate Dessert #267- I am imagining a Snowman. Blåbärstårta. I am imagining a large purple dog looking at me. Cakey Cake Vanilla. and in the middle. Gateau Celine… Please visit the website for the lengthy descriptions of these desserts. Here is the short version and reviews from Donna and Victor. The chocolate dessert is a cream puff dessert surround by layers of chocolate chantilly and mousse. We all thought the Cakey Cake, which is a Vanilla lovers dream, was average like the Chocolate Dessert. The Gateau Celine, which is a dark chocolate, hazelnut mousse, was a delight. The star was the blåbärstårta, a blueberry mousse on steroids on almond marzipane cake, and we were in complete agreement. Donna exclaimed, WOW WOW, as she consumed her first bite. Love at first bite. This is an award winning dessert. It was so great sharing this bakery with longtime Raleigh residents. They had never been there before. It was a great evening of laughter, fond memories and great dessert.

There was one other bakery that I visited on back to back days. Boulted Bread is a small artisan bread and morning pastry shop. Three young men, with a dream and determination, opened the store in 2014. They have created a small viable community on South Street in downtown Raleigh. They only use organic or heirloom grains. Their process is as simple as possible adding only water and salt to the flour. They like to say it is best to get out of the way and let the flour do the talking. They manufacture all their pastries and breads in small batches so it is best to get there early before it is all sold out. This bread shop is as good as any I have visited in New Jersey. If Boulted Bread would be in my hometown I would be here every day at 7 am.

Here is the lineup I brought to my office this past week. Everyone there was blown away. We ate the bread without any butter or cream cheese. The Levain was moist and light with a hard crust that was delightful to break down. The taste lingered in your mouth and your nose for minutes after you were done crunching the crust. The Sesame Pan had an even lighter airy center that dissolved easily in your mouth. The sesame smell and taste stayed with you for some time too. We also had the Black Currant Scone, Raspberry jam pinwheel, Pull away roll filled with chocolate and raspberry, morning bun that was sweet on the outside with a savory cheese filled center, and multi-grain croissant. Wow… I know all those Raleigh folk will be heading over to Boulted Bread very soon. By the way, six bucks for the Levain organic bread. OMG»> the raspberry pinwheel…. Wake and Bake favorite!

The road trip is always successful when you have great food, great music, great views and great company. This trip to Raleigh checked all the boxes. I biked the Neuse River Greenway near Falls Lake in Northern Raleigh. I had the great music of Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead for the road. I had the blåbärstårta from Lucette. I shared great food with the company of old friends, new friends and my nephew Dylan who had dinner with me and hosted me in DC on the return trip. He gave up his own bed for me so l am eternally grateful to have such a sweet nephew. It was a good road trip.

Peace to Everyone.

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