Presenting the 2024 Wake Living Readers’ Choice Awards

Lazy Daze Arts & Crafts Festival

Best Local Event or Festival

Lazy Daze — a craft-tastic celebration of art, culture, and community spirit — continues to draw in visitors (and votes), year after year.

“I like to call Lazy Daze a kaleidoscope of creativity,” said Jenna Kostka, festivals and events supervisor with the Town of Cary. “From our curated artist market featuring almost 300 vendors, to live performances on multiple stages, delicious food, and a continually changing array of interactive art experiences for all ages, Lazy Daze has something for everyone!”

Appropriately named, Lazy Daze takes place the last weekend of August — but attendees are happy to brave the heat for a chance to experience and engage with art in a multitude of ways.

“Unlike some art festivals where visitors are passive observers, Lazy Daze offers a truly interactive experience,” said Kostka. “Attendees can engage directly with artists, participate in hands-on activities, and gain insights into the creative process. This interactive element fosters a deeper and ongoing connection between the community and the arts.”

Featuring nearly 300 artists from 16 states across the US, this top-rated contemporary crafts festival has clearly captured the hearts of our readers.

“Winning the Readers’ Choice Award is an incredible honor and a testament to the collective enthusiasm and support of our community,” said Kostka. “This recognition energizes our team to continue delivering exceptional festival experiences and reinforces the value of the arts in bringing people together.”

PSA: If you love Lazy Daze, you won’t want to miss this year’s Spring Daze Arts and Crafts Festival on April 27!

The Pink Magnolia

Best New Business (Non-Restaurant)

Nikki Sanders, The Pink Magnolia, Best New Business

Described as the “ultimate gift boutique,” The Pink Magnolia — located in Knightdale — has been showcasing local artisans in a one-of-a-kind pink dream house since December 2022.

“Previously The Market of Raleigh, we felt drawn to the small-town vibe of Knightdale where our business originally started,” said owner Nikki Sanders. “I designed our
store to be fun, welcoming, and a treat for all the senses! We offer home decor, gifts, gourmet foods, jewelry, boutique clothing, antiques, and even vinyl records! There is truly something for everyone here.”

Gifts are always in bloom at The Pink Magnolia, but Sanders is more interested in providing a beautiful shopping experience to everyone who walks through the door.

“The Pink Magnolia feels like coming home,” said Sanders, who made sure to add personal touches throughout the store — from the poodle weathervane on the roof, inspired by her sweet dog, Savannah, to “Mimi’s Attic,” an upstairs vendor space dedicated to her grandmother, Esther (aka Mimi).

“Winning the Readers’ Choice Award is such an honor and testament to the love we have for our customers and community,” said Sanders. “We have had people come from around the entire country to check out our sweet little store. It has truly become a destination location! We are excited to continue to provide an excellent shopping experience and be a staple business in Wake County for years to come.”

thepinkmagnolia.com

Vinnie’s Steak House and Tavern

Best Steakhouse

Vinnie’s Steak House and Tavern, Best Steakhouse

The steaks were high, but the votes from this year’s Readers’ Choice Awards are in — and Vinnie’s Steak House and Tavern is officially a cut above the rest!

“It’s a great honor to receive the Readers’ Choice Award,” said Chef and General Manager Tom Armstrong. “It means a great deal to me that our guests take the time to support us in that way to let others know about the quality and consistency at Vinnie’s.”

Independently owned and operated since 1987, Vinnie’s proudly serves Certified Angus Beef in a variety of cuts and sizes, as well as fresh, locally sourced seafood.

“My favorite thing on the menu may vary from day to day, depending on the season and my appetite,” said Chef Armstrong. “While I love a great steak, I lean heavily to the seafood side of our menu. I think that is one of the things that sets us apart. The Outer Banks Scallops with Bacon Jam and the Fried Jumbo NC Shrimp are two of my favorites.”

For many, a steakhouse is only as good as its sides — but at Vinnie’s, calling their premium menu offerings “sides” seems disrespectful.

“One of my favorite menu items is our Smoked Gouda Au Gratin Potato, or as we like to call it, The Brick of Love,” said Shannon Stiles, assistant manager and event coordinator at Vinnie’s. “Our distinctive flavor profile is elevated by our premium, locally sourced ingredients, taking our dining experience to the next level.”

While Vinnie’s success over the years is undeniable, Chef Armstrong is quick to give credit where credit is due.

“My longevity here has allowed me the time to assemble a great team, and I have quite a few staff members that have been with me for a number of years,” said Armstrong. “I hope that our guests have an experience that exceeds their expectations every time.”

vinniessteakhouse.com

Doral Academy of North Carolina

Best Public School

When it comes to the Best Public School in Wake County, our readers put Doral Academy of North Carolina at the top of the class!

“Winning the Readers’ Choice Award for Best Public School holds profound significance for us,” said Principal Annaliet Echaniz. “It signifies the establishment of a culture where students and families relish the learning experience on our campus. This recognition is the inaugural step in demonstrating that Doral Academy is dedicated to serving as a high-quality educational institution for the families of Wake County.”

Established in 1999 in Doral, Florida, Doral Academy commenced with just 100 students housed in a few classrooms within another charter school. 24 years later, the first campus now sprawls over 11 acres, comprising five buildings, including outstanding athletic facilities and state-of-the-art technology labs and classrooms. Today, the Doral Academy Network extends its influence across 21 schools in Florida, Nevada, Colorado, Texas, Idaho, and North Carolina.

Doral Academy of North Carolina officially opened its doors in 2021, beginning with grade levels K-3 in a modest building accommodating limited classrooms and 200 students. The school has progressively added a grade level each year, currently serving grades K-5 with 500 students, with plans for continued growth to encompass grades K-12.

“What sets Doral Academy apart is its identity as more than just a school; it is a community,” said Echaniz. “Parents are actively engaged as partners in their children’s education; teachers are equipped with cutting-edge technology; and administrators, including myself, are deeply involved in serving the needs of both teachers and students. We traverse the hallways, know our students by their first names, and our overarching goal is to be ever-present, ensuring everyone reaches their highest potential.”

doralacademync.com

The NCMA Café

Best New Restaurant

The North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA) — voted this year’s Best Place for Family Fun — has always been a cultural treasure, but did you know that it’s a culinary treasure as well?

Rick Sloan, Executive Chef, The NCMA Cafe, Best New Restaurant

Following this year’s votes, The NCMA Café won awards for Best New Restaurant and Best Brunch. Their partnership with Catering Works — this year’s winner for Best Caterer — is clearly a match made in foodie nirvana. We asked Rick Sloan, NCMA’s executive chef, what winning the Readers’ Choice Awards means to him.

“It gives my team and I a sense of pride to be recognized as the best new restaurant by the readers,” said Sloan. “We’ve come a long way since we opened in January of 2023, and we intend to go a lot further! We’re grateful to be in the Raleigh community and the community of North Carolina as a whole. We look forward to offering our unique dining experience with each new iteration of our menu in this amazing museum.”

Sloan, a NC native who grew up with ties to both the seafood industry and the farming community, has always been passionate about the bounty that his home state has to offer.

“The chance to bring our culinary art form to the museum was an opportunity I could not pass up,” said Sloan. “The inspiration for the NCMA Café is to use fresh seasonal ingredients and products from all over the state to bridge the museum’s existing collections, rotating collections, and the history and communities they represent with the dining experience in the café. The culinary collection we are building is a series of carefully constructed starters, entrées, salads, and desserts — like our Primary Colors Salad that changes with each season.”

Sloan’s favorite thing on the menu? The blackened salmon with skillet-fried Brussels sprouts and Granny Smith apple salsa and candied pepitas.

The NCMA Café is open Wednesday through Sunday — 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. for coffee service, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for lunch and brunch service. Bon appetit!

ncartmuseum.org/visit/dine/

Raleigh Hidden Gems

Best Social Media Account

There are plenty of copy-paste social media accounts that fail to click with their followers, but @RaleighHiddenGems — this year’s winner for Best Social Media Account — is a gram-azing snapshot of the local business scene.

Erica Gianni, Creator of @raleighhiddengems, Best Social Media Account, Pictured at Dorothea Dix Park, Winner of Best Place for Outdoor Recreation

The account, active on both Instagram and Facebook, kicked off in 2016.

“Social media advertising wasn’t a thing back then, and we wanted a separate space for our food and experience content without cluttering our personal pages,” said creator Erica Gianni, a 31-year-old Cary native with a passion for marketing. “I loved photography and editing on Lightroom, and my roommate, Brooke, always knew about the coolest new places in the area. Our simple idea evolved — we thought maybe we could swap food for a post someday. Turns out, sharing local gems was more rewarding than ever imagined. By helping businesses grow, mine took off, too. It’s a win/win situation, proving that what goes around comes around — in a good way!”

Nothing stays hidden for long in today’s content-driven world, but Gianni says she is fueled by a love of exploring new places and a deep desire to create beauty.

“Winning this award is more impactful than one can imagine,” said Gianni. “This year, I’ve felt a bit disconnected from my followers due to posting less — personal life events took precedence. It’s easy to be tough on oneself, and we all experience that from time to time. This serves as a powerful reminder that my page is still valued, providing the momentum I need to continue generating valuable content for my followers.”

@RaleighHiddenGems

Dorothea Dix Park

Best Place for Outdoor Recreation

Winning the Readers’ Choice Award for Best Place for Outdoor Recreation is not always a walk in the park, but Dorothea Dix — Raleigh’s largest urban park — was an easy pick!

“The 308 acres sits less than a mile from the city center and is an impressive blend of wide-open green space, historic architecture, towering groves of trees, and stunning skyline views,” said Lauren Danforth, Dix Park marketing and communications manager with the City of Raleigh. “The park has a very rich and complex history including thousands of years as Native American land, 150 years as a plantation worked by enslaved laborers, 150 years as North Carolina’s first mental health hospital, and then the headquarters for NC Department of Health and Human Services. The City purchased the remaining acreage of the hospital campus in 2015 to create Raleigh’s signature park. On the scale of the great 19th century parks of American cities, the opportunity to create a new public space of this size in the heart of a city is truly remarkable.”

Situated along greenways, Dorothea Dix is a great place to take a stroll, go for a run, or ride your bike. If you haven’t read a book (or taken a nap) in the hammock grove, or enjoyed lunch at one of the park’s shaded picnic areas, you’re missing out! Dog owners and their pups can also enjoy the only grass-covered dog park in the city. Thanks to nonprofit partner the Dix Park Conservancy, the park offers a year-round calendar of free programs to enjoy. Seasonal flower fields (sunflowers, anyone?), disc golf courses, and public art installations offer even more ways to enjoy the space.

“Winning the Readers’ Choice Award for Best Place for Outdoor Recreation shows just how important Dix Park is to our community,” said Danforth. “With our first major park projects underway, including Gipson Play Plaza, Stone Houses, and Rocky Branch Enhancement, there is so much to come that will elevate and add to what people love about Dix Park today. I’m excited to continue to share all of the opportunities to enjoy the park, get involved in its transformation, and come together as a community in this special place.”

dorotheadixpark.org

lucettegrace

Best Bakery

When it comes to upper-crust bakeries in Wake County, lucettegrace in downtown Raleigh takes the cake.

“It is always nice to be appreciated by our customers,” said chef/owner Daniel Benjamin. “It has only been recently that I have started to ease out of the kitchen and spend more time up front, and it has been an amazing experience to talk with guests more and find out how they feel about us.”

lucettegrace, Best Bakery

As our 2024 winner for Best Bakery, customers’ love for this contemporary patisserie seems to rise every year. Derived from the middle names of his two daughters, Benjamin says lucettegrace is a start to your day, an escape in the middle, and a reward at the end.

“We opened three days before Thanksgiving on November 24, 2014,” said Benjamin. “I felt that the area was lacking a pastry shop. The majority of the bakeries that existed at that time focused much more on bread than more dessert pastries. I wanted a shop that was inviting and unpretentious. Craving something sweet is a pretty natural thing for most, and I wanted anyone to be able to come in and find something they might like.”

Benjamin’s favorite item on the menu? The baklava croissant.

“I put it on the menu shortly after we opened, and it has been a favorite since,” he said “Every time I try to take it off of the menu for a while, there is a revolt. Also our Toulouse sandwich, I probably eat one just about every day for lunch.”

lucettegrace.com

Gringo A Go Go

Best Mexican

There are plenty of Mexican restaurants in the Triangle, but it seems that one really guacs your world: Gringo A Go Go!

Benjamin Shelton, who lived in Mexico for 10 years, officially opened Gringo A Go Go back in 2014 — hoping to bring the real essence of Mexican cuisine to downtown Raleigh.

“In 2020, the Alvarez family took overthe legacy of Benjamin’s concept with new recipes, drinks, and a more family-operated feeling,” said Fredy Alvarez, owner/partner. “We offer always-from-scratch Mexican cuisine, crafted cocktails, and of course the best margaritas in town!”

The Alvarez family has made sure that Gringo A Go Go is nacho average Mexican restaurant.

“First, we’re not a Tex Mex restaurant or taqueria,” said Alvarez. “Second, we always cook our food from scratch with vegan and vegetarian choices, and make our drinks with fresh fruits and juices. Third, we are housed in an old gas station with a unique atmosphere, making this a special place for customers who want something out of the ordinary.”

The owners of Gringo A Go Go would like to thank the Oakwood Historic District for supporting them over the last nine years, and hopes this article will encourage locals to come out and try “the real deal!”

“Thanks to all our customers that chose us for this award,” said Alvarez. “It shows that all of our teamwork has paid off and encourages us to work harder to provide all of our customers the best experience possible.”

gringoraleigh.com

Bongiorno & Son

Best Specialty Food Store

Michael Bongiorno, Owner of Bongiorno & Son, Best Specialty Food Store

Craving a taste of Italy? Swing by Bongiorno & Son, a pasta-tively amazing Italian specialty shop and delicatessen — and our 2024 Readers’ Choice Award winner for Best Specialty Food Store.

Named for Michael Bongiorno and his 17-year-old son, Dominic, the shop was founded in 2020 but officially opened its doors in February 2021.

“A Northeastern Italian market and deli was desperately needed in the Triangle for all the transplants coming down from New York, New Jersey, Chicago, and Boston,” said Bongiorno. “All those Italians are looking for certain products that you can’t get here.”

While Bongiorno & Son is certainly inspired by home-cooked Italian meals and a healthy dose of nostalgia, you don’t have to be Italian to appreciate everything they have to offer!

“We’re all about the Italian products,” said Bongiorno. “You can get Boar’s Head meats at every Harris Teeter or Publix, but we don’t do that. We do all imported, sliced cold cuts — fanned out nicely, not just in a big old pile. We have lots of imported cheeses; we do pastas, sandwiches, meals-to-go. We do lots and lots of meatballs — they’re probably one of our signature items — and we make our own sausage in house.”

Bongiorno credits the shop’s success to quality — whether it’s high-end imported olive oils or first-rate prosciutto and salami.

“You have to have a quality product, and if you don’t have a quality product, people aren’t going to come back,” said Bongiorno. “For us, winning the Readers’ Choice Award means a lot because it’s coming from the people. We’re there for the customer, and we’re there to provide the best product we can at the best price. If our customers are recognizing that, then that means a lot to us.”

bongiornoandson.com

Carolina Ale House

Best Appetizer

Carolina Ale House clearly has a big piece of the Triangle’s heart — our winner for Best Appetizer was also the runner-up for Best Burger, Best Wings, Most Kid Friendly, and Best Neighborhood Bar! Ale yeah!

“It means the world to us to win a Readers’ Choice Award,” said Will Hand, senior marketing manager for Carolina Ale House. “We’re constantly innovating our menu, and I’m so happy for our culinary team to receive this recognition for all of their hard work. We put out a seasonal menu twice a year, with several limited-time menu items sprinkled throughout, so we try to keep it fresh.”

Carolina Ale House, Best Appetizers

The first Carolina Ale House location opened in 1999 on Creekside Drive in Raleigh, just inside the Beltline. Today, they have 24 locations across North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee. In 2024, Carolina Ale House will celebrate 25 years — which, as Hand says, is “pretty dang old in this industry!”

“I think our focus on keeping our menu scratch made for 25 years, providing a family-appropriate atmosphere, and our Carolina hospitality make us popular,” said Hand. “We’re a great spot to catch your favorite team, dine with your family (we have a 99 cent Kids Night every Tuesday!), or wind down with a beer. With dozens of beers and TVs, there’s a good chance we’re showing your game!”

As the winner for Best Appetizer, it’s only fair to end with some recommendations!

“You can’t go wrong with our award-winning wings,” said Hand. “They’ve been on the menu from day one. From Carolina-Style BBQ to Honey Buffalo, we’ve got several homemade sauces that guests love. Beyond those, our Artisan 5-Cheese Spinach Dip and Beer-Battered Cheese Curds are crowd favorites. And don’t sleep on Frickles — who doesn’t love a fried pickle!? Honestly, we strive to provide shareable items to please everyone.”

carolinaalehouse.com

More From Our Jan-Feb 2024 Issue

• Out & About in Wake County: January / February 2024
• Cary’s Park de Triomphe
• Crafting Your Ideal Strength Training Journey
• On Trend: Strengthening Your Body, Mind, and Social Crew
• Erica Chats: Give Yourself a Mental Makeover
• Small Business Spotlight: Pilates by Luiza
• Pay It Forward: Be the Rainbow Foundation
• Celebrated Spirits: How to Start a Fire
• Mosaic Reprise Hazy IPA
• Day to Night
• Garden Adventurer: The Other Magnolias
• Presenting the 2024 Wake Living Readers’ Choice Awards
• Fashionably Fit