Office Talk with Raleigh Magazine

Pulling off a party for 200+ bar owners, bartenders, industry insiders and magazine friends is no small feat. But that’s exactly what Raleigh Magazine does each year for its highly anticipated Best Bars Awards Party. As you can imagine, there’s plenty of behind-the-scenes scoop—especially when that party is at the brand-new underground Goodnights Comedy Club location 13 days after it opens its doo...

Your new Raleigh Mag Best Bars revealed! With more votes cast this year than ever before—NTM some super-heated races that came down to the wire—this year’s Best Bars Awards are Raleigh’s answer to where and what to drink for every thirst, occasion, or no reason at all. Basically, it’s your bar bible—or bucket list… or both. New this year, we introduced our Best Bartender category—and the boy was t...

The Canes are set to host the long-anticipated NHL Stadium Series game at Carter-Finley in February—and with that comes all the fanfare you’d expect… to the tune of a weeklong series of both free and ticketed big-time events. Tune in as Publisher Gina Stephens and Editor-in-Chief Melissa Howsam dish ALL the scoop on what’s coming that you can’t get anywhere else—also viewable in Raleigh Mag ’s day...

In spirited news, Durham Distillery ’s Melissa Katrincic spills the tea on two never-before-revealed exciting products coming this year. You’re def gonna want to pour a G&T and renew your “gin” membership while you listen to this colorful convo between Publisher Gina Stephens and the Durham Distillery co-owner, CEO and president where they chat all things gin—from the botanical’s popularity to...

Today we're sharing an episode of Podcast Raleigh , from our friends Ashton Smith and Hayes Permar. In this episode, they chat with Raleigh Area Land Trust’s Rhett Fussell. As home prices have skyrocketed, affordable housing has become an even hotter topic—and Rhett talks about what Raleigh Area Land Trust is doing to help. Enjoy the episode—and we’ll be back to chat next week. Meet Our Sponsors:...

People told us for over a year that we needed to add a podcast—to share the inside baseball, the behind-the-scenes snipits, the juicy tidbits on the cutting-room floor, all the hot details that don’t make the mag. … We knew that if we were going to do it, it had to fit us —and we had to find a way to make our podcast hip, provocative—and, most importantly, distinct from our magazine and other loca...

Fifteen years ago this month, Beard-winning chef Ashley Christensen recast our culinary landscape with the launch of Poole’s—effectively changing the course of our city’s food scene via a plethora of top toques and fab establishments to follow. Many hope the next distinction—and final step to becoming a full-fledged foodie city—is landing a Michelin Guide. Tune in as we chat how Michelin works and...

Giving good vibes are all kinds of new and upcoming big-city amenities, companies and trends rolling into Raleigh. In this episode, we chat details on the upcoming skatepark Downtown, the just-launched rideshare app rapidly gaining traction and, for bargame and/or soccer fans, the popular table-size “football” game sweeping town—and the nation—so you can just, well, flick off.  Kickflips Allowed:...

Hungry for more foodie news? Renowned restaurateur Scott Crawford is opening a new concept at Raleigh Iron Works! Hang with us for the tea on this Croatian sensation, plus scoop on a new dive-meets-steakhouse coming to Olde Raleigh Village in December, a look at resurrected J. Betski’s (now open in Highpark Village) and a tribute to Raleigh powerhouse Poole’s as it turns 15—from how it launched ou...

It’s no secret how much we love Raleigh. We dedicate our lives to this city, its stories and sharing those stories with its people. Leaning into that love, our November issue is a sort of love letter to Raleigh—from how to give back to a look at a range of residents’ secret happy places in town. Hang out with Publisher Gina Stephens and Editor-in-Chief Melissa Howsam as they spread the love.  To R...

Turns out locally owned steakhouses are pretty rare. It may surprise you to know a local steakhouse hasn’t opened in Raleigh since Reagan was president. Or that Raleigh houses only three locally owned steakhouses. Or that a local top chef is set to drop a big-name local steakhouse on the scene… the first in 40 years. Tune in as Publisher Gina Stephens and Editor-in-Chief Melissa Howsam dig into th...

Who will win Raleigh’s Best Bar this year? Voting is now open! And upping the ante, this year we added a new award for Best Bartender. Hang out with Publisher Gina Stephens and Editor-in-Chief Melissa Howsam as they chat the new award, the Best Bartender nominees, Best Bars categories and predictions, and more. Then stay tuned to our February Best Bars issue for the winners. Vote Best Bars and Bar...

Voter turnout is expected to be at an all-time high in Raleigh this year. Why? Listen in as Publisher Gina Stephens and Editor-in-Chief Melissa Howsam discuss what’s at stake in our local elections—with the candidates and three bonds critical to keeping Raleigh on a successful trajectory. City Council Elevator Pitches Find Your District Wake County General Assembly Addresses Our Questions Meet Our...

There are currently 53 major projects—planned or in progress—in Raleigh. Tune in as Publisher Gina Stephens and Editor-in-Chief Melissa Howsam chat inside scoop on some of our city’s most exciting developments, including The Exchange Raleigh, just-announced Salvage Yard, among others. Building a Skyline: Raleigh’s Future Mapped The Future of Raleigh: 2022 Development Issue Cover Story What’s Comin...

A handful of the local legends who have put Raleigh on the map for their food and spirits concepts are at it again. Tune in as Publisher Gina Stephens and Editor-in-Chief Melissa Howsam spill the tea on super-exciting spots opening in the coming weeks and months by some of the industry’s biggest bar and restaurant names. Samad Hachby’s New Concept on the Dillon Rooftop Zack Medford Opening New Tap...

Hey Raleighites, thanks for listening to the podcast! We'll be back in your feed next week with more Office Talk, but today we wanted to share a new podcast from our friends at Earfluence. Charity Champions features the people behind the nonprofits who are making a difference in our community.  On this episode, husband-and-wife team Thorne and Nesha Daubenspeck talk about the charities they work w...

In front of Superica’s grand opening at Fenton Sept. 26, superstar chef/owner Ford Fry came to town to give us a first look. Tune in as Publisher Gina Stephens and the chef chat why he brought his concept to Cary, what’s behind his cool restaurant names (and how to say them correctly)—and even spills some tea on what might be next for him in Raleigh.  Fenton’s Fab Five Checking in on Our Cover Sta...

Last week, multihyphenate celebrity and mental health advocate Marie Osmond visited Raleigh for the annual Evening of Hope at the Angus Barn Pavilion benefiting Founda t ion of Hope ’s MO to conquer mental illness. While in town, Osmond sat down with Publisher Gina Stephens at The Umstead to chat celebrity life, parenting, loss, mental health—and hope. Tune in for this emotional conversation. walk...

Hungry for more? You’re gonna want to dig into the second part of Raleigh Magazine ’s 25 Best Restaurants coverage! Hang out with Publisher Gina Stephens and Editor-in-Chief Melissa Howsam as we take a tour through the remaining 25 best restaurants—dishing plenty of mouthwatering fodder. Plus, get an inside look at Raleigh Magazine ’s awards party on top of One Glenwood where the top brass of Rale...

Today we're sharing one of our favorite local podcasts, WRAL Out and About with Kathy Hanrahan.  On this episode, Kathy goes aboard the Battleship North Carolina in Wilmington with local paranormal investigators, The Ghost Guild. Learn more about The Ghost Guild - https://theghostguild.weebly.com/ Battleship North Carolina - https://www.battleshipnc.com/ --- Meet Our Sponsors: Logan’s Garden Shop...

This is it, Raleigh. Raleigh Magazine ’s 25 Best Restaurants issue! Over the course of 2022, our entire team scoured and devoured the city from one end to the other to bring you this curated list of the best of the best local dining destinations. Spanning cuisines, districts and price points, these are the restaurants that dish the trifecta: fab food, exceptional service and inviting atmosphere. T...

In the second half of this two-part chat between star chef Katsuji Tanabe and Publisher Gina Stephens, the top toque walks us through the journey that took him from High Horse to his now highly acclaimed authentic Mexican restaurant a’Verde—including his realized dream of an all-female kitchen, what it’s really like to go on chef competition TV shows (spoiler alert: request Charmin toilet paper),...

It was 2019 and the buzz of top chef Katsuji Tanabe’s descent on Raleigh had reached epic proportions. A res at his short-lived legendary (now-defunct) High Horse was almost impossible to get. Then pandemic. But the story of High Horse’s shuttering has never been told—until now. Tune in as Publisher Gina Stephens has a candid conversation with one of the nation’s top toques on what really happened...

You have to be next-level funny to make comedy club owners and bookers laugh. Just one of the fun facts you’ll learn in Publisher Gina Stephens lively chat with Goodnights and Helium co-owner Brad Grossman and Senior Manager of Development and Talent Jerry Maginnis.  On the heels of the Morgan Street location’s final show and in front of the first show in the temp space, the trio chats the team’s...

Hungry for foodie news? Get the scoop as Publisher Gina Stephens and Editor-in-Chief Melissa Howsam chat up-to-the-minute insider info on a dozen-plus highly anticipated concepts dropping across town—including some never-before-released restaurant revelations. Soul Taco Opens Dual Diners Drop: JewFro & Soul Taco Glasshouse Kitchen Lil Hombre Clayton Opens M Sushi/Fenton’s Fab Five Colletta Che...