Discover Statesville
Welcome to "Discover Statesville," the show that takes you on a captivating journey through the heart of one of North Carolina's most charming towns. Co-hosted by community advocates, Richard Griggs and Cindy Sutton, this weekly show brings you the pulse of Statesville, recording live at various spots throughout Statesville in partnership with Sow Media studios.
Join Richard and Cindy as they uncover the hidden gems and local treasures that make Statesville truly special. From the top-notch attractions and exciting events to the remarkable individuals who shape the community, "Discover Statesville" promises to leave no stone unturned.
Hungry for a culinary adventure? Tune in for their delightful restaurant reviews, where they'll guide you to the best places to eat in town. Whether you're a resident or a visitor, this podcast is your ultimate guide to all the things that make Statesville great.
You're invited to come along on this immersive journey, as "Discover Statesville" brings you closer to the heart of our vibrant town. Be prepared to be entertained, inspired, and enlightened each week, as Richard and Cindy share their passion for all things Statesville!
Discover Statesville
Culinary Curiosity Piqued: Savoring Statesville
Embark on a culinary tour of Statesville with us as we chat with Jason Cole and Andi Chadwick, the dynamic duo behind The Quarter, Statesville's homage to the New Orleans food scene. Picture yourself whisked away to the vibrant streets of the French Quarter as we uncover the transformation of 124 Landmark Alley into a sanctuary of Southern flavors, ranging from perfectly prepared oysters to beignets dripping with almond praline sauce. We'll also take you just down the street to dining at Broad Street Burger, where the vast burger universe is just a bite away, and shine a light on Twisted Oak's chameleon-like ability to host any event from grand to cozy, all nestled in the heart of our community.
Feast your ears on the tales of resilience as we recount Smokin' Southern Cantina's opening during the unprecedented challenges of the pandemic, and discover how each of these 4 locally owned restaurants adds its unique spice to the Statesville mix.
Remember, these aren't your average eateries; they're the gastronomic threads that weave our town's vibrant tapestry. Keep your culinary curiosity piqued by following our digital breadcrumbs on Facebook and our website for the latest savory stories from Statesville's very own food aficionados.
Hey statesville. Have you heard about statesville's newest restaurant, the Quarter right in downtown statesville? Tune in now to learn more.
Speaker 2:Welcome to Discover Statesville, the show that takes you on a captivating journey through the heart of one of North Carolina's most charming towns.
Speaker 1:Welcome back to Discover Statesville. Everybody, we're so excited to be back in studio in the heart of statesville, north Carolina. It's so media studio. We love it every week when we get together and meet new people and talk about new things. And today we're excited to have Jason Cole and Andy Chadwick, who are the owners of statesville's newest restaurant, the Quarter. Welcome, guys, thank you, thank you.
Speaker 3:Thanks for having us.
Speaker 1:So excited to have you guys here and I'm even more excited to say that you guys are now open and I personally have had the opportunity to taste the food and I'm super excited that you can get not only a yummy beignet covered in powdered sugar that you dip in this amazing is it a almond praline? Sauce but you can also get a savory beignet and dip it in a shrimp and what else?
Speaker 3:Crawfish dip Crawfish, the crescent city seafood dip. Yeah, it's delicious.
Speaker 1:Those are going to be top. Those are going to be top on my list. So tell us, Jason, tell us about the Quarter.
Speaker 3:So the Quarter is if you're familiar with statesville, obviously you are it's a 124 landmark alley, so it's kind of on the backside of the building at Twisted Oak where Unwind was previously. We want to do something different. It's always kind of not necessarily piggybacked, but it's always kind of been an add-on to Twisted Oak in such in the way that it generally used Twisted Oak's menu and beer lists and all those things and we wanted to have something with its own.
Speaker 5:You mean for the previous? We're unwind.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, yeah, so we wanted something that had its own identity. And so I mean, nobody does food like New Orleans, and so we thought, let's I think statesville would be great spot for something like that. So let's at least see what we can do. And we just kind of started exploring, and this is where we sit Does that mean you have to take trips to New Orleans to try.
Speaker 5:We did, yeah, oh man, what a bummer.
Speaker 3:It was rough. It was rough. Well, we did. We took one for the team.
Speaker 5:Yeah, we appreciate that so you're welcome statesville.
Speaker 1:Yeah, thank you. So how does?
Speaker 5:that process work? I mean, you know, when you have a space, you know you had that empty space. I mean, is that where you started the drawing board? Okay, what type of cuisine do we want? I mean because it's a big overhaul that you did in general in there.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you got a pretty good facelift. We you do have to take into account because it is a smaller space. I think there's what 40 seats inside 40, 24 outside. Yeah, so it's a smaller space, so you do have to take that into account. But on the flip side of that, you can do like a smaller menu and really nail it. Mac Mac can do it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, he's on that for good for Matt. Yeah, yeah, very good.
Speaker 3:So yeah, I mean it really and truly. Most of the stuff we do is stuff we like to eat, sure. So I mean I can't be the only person that likes to eat Stuff, so if I like to eat it, everybody else.
Speaker 5:Will. We had a lot of, we tried a lot of different food and it was all. It was all great.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it was amazing, thank you. Thank you guys for having us to do that and Actually we we had the team from visit NC in. You guys are going to be included in spotlight this month, so we're excited to share you guys early on with with all of North Carolina. So thank you for very exciting.
Speaker 1:Thank you for hosting us for that. Thank you. I said the bignets. The bignets were more my favorite and I haven't even had everything on the menu yet. Is there? Is there Andy's? Their favorite? That you have on the menu, that you're excited. Everyone learned about.
Speaker 4:I like the dip, for sure, but I like the fried okra.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I did have the fried okra. It's amazing, yeah, in the bignets.
Speaker 4:Oysters oysters were good.
Speaker 1:Yes top, top notch oysters, actually the owner. So media Isaiah's went with us and it was his first oyster ever, so Shout out to say this for trying his oyster and it did not disappoint.
Speaker 5:So so this is y'all's that. Well, this will be your fourth. You'll have four restaurants now. You have four restaurants now. You've had other restaurants in the past. What? What are the biggest challenges associated with opening up a new spot?
Speaker 3:opening a new spot.
Speaker 5:Or you can talk about just running restaurants in general, but I you know, I think with the quarter just open, and that's what I'm interested in is just you know from the item, you know from when you get that idea to where you're ready to open the doors.
Speaker 1:For Andy, it's putting up with Jason, I'm sure I mean.
Speaker 3:That's everybody's worst part of their day stealing with me.
Speaker 4:I think it's whenever you're finished. You think you're finished and ready. It's all the small things and it adds up.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it really does think it adds another two weeks yeah when you thought you were gonna get open so the quarter is gonna be a dinner Restaurant initially yes okay.
Speaker 3:We'll do dinner only, probably. What are we Tuesday through Saturday? I think yeah so, but you know we're gonna see where the key barriers and open and if you know customers would like to have lunch there, then it's obviously something.
Speaker 1:I mean in New Orleans style breakfast.
Speaker 5:I.
Speaker 3:Know we're talking about the quarter right now, but Dwayne, at Broad Street, everyone's about. Just to get under his skin I'll say hey, did you hear Andy? Now we're talking about we're gonna start doing breakfast and he's already taking his apron off. I'm out. He didn't want anything to do with breakfast, so let's talk a minute about the other restaurants.
Speaker 1:So the first, the first concept was twisted, twisted oak and it's celebrated. It just celebrated 10, 10 years.
Speaker 3:December 9th was 10 years.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's amazing. So that's a staple here in Statesville and it's more American Fine dining steak cuisine with a, with an amazing bar you guys having there we do a lot of bourbons, that's kind of what we craft beer and craft beer yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I saw some pretty good, we have a lot of.
Speaker 1:All the concepts, have a nice, have a nice bar in them all, all four of them. And then next was broad street burger. I think you said seven years seven years today. Yeah, well, seven years, yeah, close to it, yeah right, right and have to stop and talk about Broad Street Burger for a minute, because you know Richard's famous Richard's got a burger named after his alter, his alter ego. So tell us, tell us about the little toe Frankie burger.
Speaker 3:I mean it's been a crowd favorite.
Speaker 5:You know it was funny. We were talking about this earlier and, and I do think you know, back when Bill and I were doing the radio show and you guys are gonna open the burger joint, I think we came to Jason and we were. We just asked. We were like man, what's the possibility that we get a burger name? Because I think Bubba Spice had told us they're gonna have a burger after me. And we're like well, if they're willing to do that.
Speaker 5:Yeah, and, and he was sort of telling us, maybe, maybe you introduce us to the chef at the time and he was sort of well, I'm thinking about doing a burger like this and one like this seems like I'm thinking about doing one with with fried Bologna, and we're like that's the one that we would like, if that's available.
Speaker 1:You didn't know, jason, andy, at the time.
Speaker 5:No, I mean I did, but it was, um, you know, the restaurant was just opening and it just never had, until Bubba had said oh, I'm there, I think they're gonna name a burger after me. We're like oh man, we should really. We need to try to do that too.
Speaker 1:Well then, you did some live shows.
Speaker 5:They used to do some radio from the restaurant once a month.
Speaker 1:All right, as they asked for taking the show on the road live from broad street burger. Speaking of broad street burger, you guys I think you won an award for it but the overhaul you did on that building and the investment you made in downtown Statesville was just, was just amazing.
Speaker 3:Well, thank you, obviously Our landlord, david Jones. They, they did a lot to that building and the the second floor was not. I Don't. I mean like again, I'm a, I'm a big person. I'm not even sure I should have been walking around up there before when the boards Creek underneath you're like I don't should I. But they put, they put a lot of effort and a lot of money into refurb in that building and allowing us to use that second story, which I mean everybody loves second story. It's the beautiful view where you can see out onto the street.
Speaker 4:It's and you're hungry by the time you get to the top.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you work up, you work up a hunger.
Speaker 5:Yeah, it was such a cool concept when it, when you guys first open I mean to have second floor dining, you know, when the view there was, just it was. I mean it was I don't want to say it was a gimmick, but I mean it got it brought a lot of people in there because there was just it was off people's radar, there's something like that was an option in downtown.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, and for that type of restaurant. You know we I mentioned earlier about seating and what you can do and what you can't do, Based on what your constraints are as far as seating and size, but we needed that extra. I mean, we need that extra space to be able to do what we were the type of restaurant we wanted to do so and it stays.
Speaker 5:It stays full a lot of the time, man. That I mean on the weekends and stuff.
Speaker 3:I mean you guys get jammed up a lot. The first, the first week we were open. Yeah, the first week we were open. I mean we had to close down For a couple hours in the middle of the day just to restock and reload. It wasn't like, oh, we're just gonna close during lunch. No, they like we were out of everything and they had to. And then, by four o'clock time to open, they were lined up the street. It was a crazy thing and never in my wildest dreams would have imagined that.
Speaker 1:So it's a destination. You guys see people. I know you see people from all over because we engage with visitors a lot. Well, I said, where'd you eat? What did you do? And usually always broad street burgers. And that is in that mix somewhere. And I think it's because it's. I mean, you've got this array of From prices and the things you offer, but it's like it's like right in the middle you can you can get a little bit of everything there which is awesome in the atmosphere.
Speaker 1:It's a little to them. I mean they have you to thank, richard, yeah all there.
Speaker 1:A little to Frankie Burr, but my favorite and it's it's where you know military makeover. We had them on the show a couple weeks ago and the the crew wanted to take a break and wanted to go out, and so we landed at smoke smoke in southern cantina and Jennifer Bertrand did a nice little video you guys shared on social media. I'm talking about what an amazing yeah, but amazing experience she had and, of course, mentioned the margaritas Lots of great drink options, but great restaurant side too. Um, so what are you a couple years in thought? How many years are you in with smoking?
Speaker 3:Now December 9th, was three years.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 4:Three years, three years yeah.
Speaker 1:Three years, three years, all very different.
Speaker 5:Oh, winter openings pretty much. Yeah, that was a COVID opening.
Speaker 3:That was, oh right, yeah. So we I mean we signed the loan, we did all the stuff, sign all the paperwork, and then, like a few weeks later, covid was here. Everybody's like what are you going to do? Like we're already wet, we better swim or we're going to sink. So I mean, we just took our time getting it together and waited until we were, until everybody had the all clear, and then we popped it open.
Speaker 4:But yeah, so dining rooms were allowed to go.
Speaker 1:Yeah, full, full, full speed ahead. So, um, not only you guys in the restaurant business, you're in the event business too. I'm going to ask Andy to talk about this for a little bit, because I know anytime I need to talk about the event space. Is you got to talk? You got to talk to Andy, you got to talk to Andy? Or and she's always let me look at my book. So tell us, tell for the listeners who don't know about twisted and about the event space in the back. Can you share? Tell us what you've got back there.
Speaker 4:And well, the banquet room seats up to 150 people. Um, we have a stage and a full bar. Um, you have two other private rooms too, one seats 30, one seats 32.
Speaker 1:They stay pretty full, don't they? Yeah, especially weekends, I see a lot of classroom unions in town in the banquet room at twisted oak. It's always like anytime I see a classroom, you're going up there, they're going to be at twisted oak.
Speaker 4:Like receptions rehearsal dinners the same theater space. It's been in theater space. Fair amount.
Speaker 5:Back when we did the radio, we had a concert or two there. Um, I think we used I think that was one of the the venues we used for the full bloom film festival for the first year or two. We used, we used that space for that, um, so all kinds of stuff.
Speaker 1:When downtown Staceville hosted, uh, main Street, hosted 700 people here for the Main Street conference, that was one of the breakout rooms for this the session. I mean we've got this great civic center here but sometimes living on space when you're bringing 700 people, so the whole that we can kind of think outside the. We're not a convention center, but we can kind of think outside the convention center because we've got great assets like the banquet room at twisted. That can people may have to walk a block or two, but they get to see our amazing downtown when they do that, which I as beautiful.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I think it's such an asset that you guys, you guys have that going on. So what is out of the four concepts? Um, I won't ask you to name the favorite concept. I won't, that's not fair. But favorite menu item, if you got one of those, or Well, we already talked about a little toe and Frankie burgers.
Speaker 5:That's off the team and the in the.
Speaker 1:Benye's Cheese curds at Brock Street. Oh, that's definitely one of the best.
Speaker 5:That's definitely one of mine.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, I think, I think sometimes I forget you have those. Shrimp and grits at twisted oak. Definitely Now that it's been a while, but that was showcased, right, but um it was in politics, it was in politics magazine.
Speaker 4:Yeah, nice.
Speaker 3:Yeah, um, that's probably your favorite. I do like it, but I mean honestly probably my favorite in there and it's I love the pizzas that smoking Like I could eat one of those pizzas every day.
Speaker 5:I had the honey chicken sriracha pizza, Just that's that's one of my toppings.
Speaker 3:That's good stuff.
Speaker 1:Well, and I hear you can get one of the best steaks in Iroville County at twisted oak.
Speaker 4:Mm, hmm, yeah, definitely, yeah. I personally agree, definitely a steak restaurant.
Speaker 1:We need to educate, and some people that you know um you, you do not. I had this conversation with Jason a couple of weeks ago and I told them there's, there's 82 now locally owned and operated restaurants. Now it's from the small pizza, or, uh, mexican, or mom and pop, all the way up to the fine dining. These aren't all fine dining restaurants, but but 82 owned and operated by your neighbors. Like there's. There's no reason to leave states full to go eat ever. That's, I mean that's, that's a great number.
Speaker 3:I mean that's for for a town the size of states. Well, I think that's a great number and you know, you take that and you multiply that out by how many other people make their living and put food on their table in those 82 establishments that are born and raised here in town, I think that's, that's huge, yeah.
Speaker 1:And the economic impact that restaurants I think bring to. I think sometimes restaurants get forgotten, get forgotten about, but I mean if, if you guys don't mind sharing when you can be fully staffed, I mean that's a pretty big number of people you employ, right? I mean that's.
Speaker 3:Yep, I mean probably somewhere between 90, 110, 120 at any given time.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 5:Wow, that's a big deal.
Speaker 1:We can just put you, group you all together and make you a big business.
Speaker 3:Let's don't do that, let's don't do that. So I'm big, but I don't want to be a big business.
Speaker 5:Now that you got number four open, what's next Retirement?
Speaker 3:Oh, Yep or a big padded room.
Speaker 5:Yeah, I understand.
Speaker 3:Yeah, we currently have no plans. Yeah, okay, but we didn't have a plan. We finished Twisted Oak. We didn't have a plan. We finished Broad Street. It's more like it's just a conversation that will strike up, but you know what we ought to do, or we'll see a space that opens up and you're like you know it would be awesome. And she hates. When I say you know what I've been thinking, I mean she hates it. Like I get awful stares before I even get it. My wonderful idea is out, it's a or I get a text.
Speaker 4:I got an idea. Is it like a late night?
Speaker 1:early morning thing, or middle of the day, or yeah, later in the evening. When you can't, can't I unwind or can't leave.
Speaker 5:No, when he sends that second one it says Andy has said her phone to do not disturb.
Speaker 4:My husband says turn it off.
Speaker 1:No more new concepts, tell him no, as a local.
Speaker 5:We are very appreciative that you guys keep coming up with these ideas and help infill these vacant spaces downtown.
Speaker 3:And we appreciate you and everybody else that has been crazy supportive of all of our places. I mean we can't. There's no way we can ever show our gratitude to states, women, serrana communities, for everybody that's come out.
Speaker 5:I mean they've just Keep making good food, man have been fantastic to us.
Speaker 3:Sir. We certainly. I mean we appreciate it more than you'll ever know.
Speaker 1:I do want to make sure we mentioned to you the. We talked about the atmosphere or some of the concepts, but the atmosphere and I told you this when we were eating, but the atmosphere at the quarters has got to be my favorite. Like you guys seem to have kind of thought of everything, even down to the opportunities for tying into the new age, but the opportunities for people to take pictures and selfies and really promote what you guys have going on there, and I mean, though it's a cool concept.
Speaker 3:I will tell you this and I'm only speaking for myself, so I won't speak for Andy. Personally, the best part of it the new process and doing all that stuff the best part of it to me is the brainstorming. We could do this. What about if we did this? How cool would that be? Would this work that I think people might like? I mean, that's so much fun and, coming from a franchise background where this is your menu, this is what you charge for it.
Speaker 3:This is how much you pay us so to be able to have that kind of freedom. I mean that's so much fun. That's one of my favorite things. To be honest with you, it's a shame that it only comes around every three or four years. But I mean there's other stuff that you enjoy, but I mean that's so much fun is the brainstorming and the coming up with stuff.
Speaker 1:You have to ensure success.
Speaker 5:Well, it is unlike any place that we have here in town. I think when you walk into the quarter for that first time, it's like, oh wow, having been in there before, it's got a cool vibe in there. I think people are going to really enjoy it.
Speaker 3:Thank you. Can I say one more thing?
Speaker 5:I feel like I've sucked out all the air in the room Sounds like a secret word about the air.
Speaker 3:I do want to give a huge shout out to Mark Sampsel who he does.
Speaker 4:Everything.
Speaker 3:I mean everything. If the ice maker quit working, we call Mark. If there's a plumbing issue, we call Mark. If we need to build a bar or we need to do something, hang it light, fix this, fix that, do this, do that. I mean, mark's number is on speed dial. It's not just us. Everybody in the restaurant has Mark's number and they just call him. So he's there probably more frequently now than we are Really, but Mark is magnificent. We could never have done any of this stuff without Mark and today's his well, yeah.
Speaker 1:He's just celebrated a birthday.
Speaker 2:He did just celebrate a birthday.
Speaker 3:But he's been super fantastic for us.
Speaker 4:But don't call him because he's too busy. Yeah, he's busy.
Speaker 1:I was going to say he's been with you guys since the beginning, right, I mean 10 plus years.
Speaker 3:I've seen him do and work with you guys. He helped get twisted out up and running, yeah, so.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so what if there was one thing you want to leave us with, about the quarter what you want people to know New Orleans inspired dinner concept. I mean, what do we need to tell our listeners that they just can't miss or think we've covered it? Let the good times roll, but yeah, so tell us the hours again. It's Thursday through Tuesday through Saturday.
Speaker 3:Tuesday through Saturday, I can't remember. Is it five to close? Five to 10-ish, 11 on the weekends probably. We still find, even though we're open, we still the hours we play with Five to the things. If people want to come in at four and have cocktails and we see there's a demand for that, again, we're not a franchise, so we can do whatever we want to within the rule of law, sure yeah.
Speaker 1:Whatever you want to, as long as you both agree on it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, whatever I want to do, as long as she says it's OK Idea text. She's the real boss. She didn't say much, but yeah.
Speaker 1:She doesn't say much.
Speaker 3:You don't want me to say much right.
Speaker 1:We are so glad for your investment in Statesville and thank you guys for being here with us today. We know you're really busy with the restaurant just opening but folks, twisted Oak, broad Street, burger, smokin', southern Cantina and now the quarter If you have not tried those restaurants in downtown Statesville, we encourage you to make plans to get out and try them now Maybe not on the same night, but make plans. It's all very, very different menus and atmospheres and things to enjoy, so please check them out. And again, 82 locally owned restaurants. A locally owned restaurant, I can't speak Locally owned and operated restaurants right here in Statesville, north Carolina.
Speaker 1:So it's time for you to discover Statesville, statesvillenccom. Thanks, folks, we'll see you next week.
Speaker 2:Thank you for joining Discover Statesville. You can email us at discover at statesvilleNCcom. Check us out on Facebook at Discover StatesvilleNC hashtag Discover Statesville and our website, statesvillenccom. Catch us next week as we continue on our journey to uncover the hidden gems, culinary adventures, entertainment, and to be inspired and enlightened as we discover Statesville.
