What’s Up, Wake

Host Melissa welcomes Nicole Chesney, executive director of the North Carolina Wine and Grape Council, to discuss the state’s wine, cider, and mead industries and their impact on agriculture, tourism, and rural communities. Chesney describes North Carolina’s diversity across coastal muscadines and Piedmont and mountain Vitis vinifera varietals, explains AVAs including the Tryon Foothills thermal b...

Our host, Melissa, welcomes storyteller Liz Pardue for a Halloween-week conversation about spooky local history and legends. Liz shares how she started storytelling and highlights tales from her book Fuquay-Varina Ghost Legends and Lore, including the assassination of Fuquay mayor and doctor Wiley Cozart in 1952 and reports of his wife Pauline’s perfumed presence at their home. She discusses a rec...

What’s Up Wake Episode 81 gets a little wild as Melissa talks all things goats with Stephen Paul, director of Goats on the Go. Stephen shares how he went from corporate IT in London and Australia to using goats for regenerative land management and brush clearing. With around 150 goats working across the Triangle, Stephen explains how the goats are divided into different herds and sent to propertie...

What’s Up Wake features Tyree Dudley, founder of The Other Side of Raleigh, an organization working to connect with Raleigh’s unhoused community and bring attention to stories that often go unnoticed. Tyree shares how he moved from New Jersey to Raleigh to expand his marketing and branding business, only to discover a much bigger purpose while working downtown near Moore Square. After building rel...

This episode of What's Up Wake goes behind the mic with Carolina Hurricanes play-by-play announcer Mike Maniscalco. Mike shares how his love of sports turned into a career in broadcasting, from student radio and television to calling Hurricanes games and covering some of the biggest moments in franchise history. Mike talks about what makes hockey one of the hardest sports to call, the preparation...

What’s Up, Wake Episode 80 features Melissa in conversation with Van Starling II, managing broker for Hodge and Kittrell Sotheby’s International Realty, about the current Triangle real estate market and what buyers and sellers should expect heading into 2027. Van describes the local market as balanced and much closer to pre COVID conditions, with more inventory giving buyers additional choices and...

North Carolina Seafood: Local Shrimp, Trawling Debate (HB 442) & the NC Seafood Festival Sponsored in Part by Bloomin’ Blinds Raleigh, we dive into North Carolina’s commercial fishing industry with Amy McCullough of NC Catch. Amy explains NC Catch’s consumer education mission, its statewide chef ambassadors, and how to identify real local seafood by asking questions and looking for menu detail...

Episode 78 of What’s Up Wake explores the world of kitchen gardening with Corinne Beirne, founder of The Nourished Garden. Corinne shares how she went from growing herbs on her back porch to helping others create beautiful, productive gardens that fit into everyday life. Melissa and Corinne discuss beginner-friendly herbs and vegetables, raised beds, seasonal gardening in Wake County, growing food...

In this episode of What's Up Wake , Melissa sits down with Amy Beros, President and CEO of the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina, to discuss hunger and food insecurity across the region. Amy shares the story of how the Food Bank began in 1980 with Barbara Oates and a small group of volunteers, growing from a card table and phone in a Cary garage into an organization serving 34 counti...

In this episode of What’s Up, Wake, host Melissa Wistehuff sits down with two women helping shape education in Wake County: Dr. Mariah Walker, principal of Wake Young Women’s Leadership Academy and the 2026 Wells Fargo North Carolina Principal of the Year, and Tamani Anderson Powell, director of marketing and recruitment for Wake County Public School System’s magnet programs. Both have also been r...

Secret Raleigh with Emily Price: Hidden Gems, Ghost Stories & Lost Landmarks Melissa interviews Emily Price, author of “Secret Raleigh: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful and Obscure,” about unusual and mysterious places around Raleigh. Price explains her love of weird history and how she researched multiple versions of local legends using the North Carolina Archives and old newspapers. She share...

SPCA of Wake County: Rescue Stories, Affordable Vet Care & the New Peggy Garner Britt Resource Center This episode features Kim Janzen, president and CEO of the SPCA of Wake County, discussing the organization’s mission, funding, and evolving approach to animal welfare. Kim explains that SPCA of Wake County is not affiliated with the ASPCA and is funded primarily by private donations and fees...

50th Annual Lazy Days Arts & Crafts Festival in Cary: What to Expect + Insider Tips The episode spotlights Cary’s 50th annual Lazy Daze Arts and Crafts Festival, a two-day downtown event that draws about 50,000 visitors and features 250+ juried artist booths, live music, food, family activities, and more. Host interviews Jenna Kostka, the Town of Cary’s festival and events supervisor, about th...

This episode features an interview with Camp Kesem regional program coordinator Jenna Rumsey and former camper turned counselor Grace Kester about Camp Kesem, a nonprofit providing free summer camp and year-round support for children whose parents are affected by cancer, including diagnosis, treatment, remission, and loss. They explain Kesem’s three main programs — Camp Kesem, Club Kesem (monthly...

Melissa interviews Sam Nelson, owner of Pretty Good Coffee Company, a North Carolina-based luxury mobile coffee cart business that grew from his home espresso hobby into a catering-focused operation. Sam explains why he chose the cart model over a brick-and-mortar shop, emphasizing flexibility and lower overhead, and shares how the “Pretty Good” name became a fun part of the brand. He describes hi...

The host interviews David McCreary, a freelance food feature writer for Cary Magazine, Wake Living, and Main & Broad since 2004, about how he got into food writing, his process for pitching and covering monthly themes, and why he focuses on positive storytelling rather than anonymous food criticism. McCreary discusses changes in the Triangle dining scene over the past 20 years, highlighting gr...

Executive Director Tonya Palumbo discusses how the Holly Springs Chamber of Commerce supports local businesses as a 501(c)(6) membership organization, distinct from government and from 501(c)(3) nonprofits. She shares how member needs have shifted through rapid growth and rising costs, highlighting resources like business education, advocacy, networking, and access to small-business health insuran...

What does the way you speak reveal about who you are? In this fascinating episode, Melissa sits down with Dr. Walt Wolfram , the William C. Friday Distinguished University Professor at NC State University and one of America's foremost experts on dialects and sociolinguistics. Together, they explore the rich history behind North Carolina's accents, the stories they preserve, and why language is one...

How Shibumi Shade Became North Carolina’s Unofficial Beach Flag | 10 Years of a Homegrown Idea Ahead of the July 4th beach rush, the episode features Dane Barnes, co-founder of Shibumi Shade, reflecting on the company’s 10-year rise from a DIY, wind-powered shade prototype made from hardware-store materials to a common sight on North Carolina beaches. Barnes explains how he, his brother Scott, and...

In this episode, local storyteller, historian, and author Heather Leah shares how she began writing online more than a decade ago, grew a large following by blending deep research with engaging “hidden history,” and why preserving local stories matters as places vanish. She discusses mysteries like the Village Subway beneath Cameron Village, underwater communities beneath Jordan Lake such as Seafo...

Melissa interviews Amber Moshakos of family-owned LM Restaurants, the group behind concepts including Carolina Ale House, Taverna Agora, Birdie’s Ballroom, Vidrio, Oceanic/Bluewater in Wrightsville Beach, and SMASH on Glenwood South. Amber shares her parents’ immigrant story, how LM began as a 48-seat Florida oyster bar, and why the family moved to Raleigh after expanding Miami Subs. She discusses...

Bryden McCormick, a Fuquay-Varina dentist and owner of Fuquay Family Dentistry, shares how he went from economics and banking to dentistry, then to creating McWally’s after seeing the town’s need for a family entertainment spot. He explains the years-long process from concept to opening on August 20, 2025, including feasibility studies, working with family entertainment consultants, covid-driven c...

Lauren Kennedy Brady, a Raleigh native and Broadway performer, shares how early community theater and mentors led her to a BFA at the University of Cincinnati and a Broadway debut in Sunset Boulevard through an agent connection, while describing the instability and rejection of acting careers. She explains her unexpected transition back to Raleigh after her father helped establish the Kennedy Thea...

Melissa talks with Whitney Miller, vice president of The Invictus Project, about combating the sexual exploitation and trafficking of children in North Carolina through partnerships with law enforcement, including four sheriff’s offices, the State Bureau of Investigation, and Homeland Security Investigations. Whitney explains how technology and covid-era shifts drove cyber tips from about 4,000 in...

Melissa interviews Michael Villafana, general manager of the Holly Springs Salamanders, about his path from sport management and marketing at Seton Hall to baseball roles in St. Paul and Worcester before moving to North Carolina and joining the Salamanders at Ting Park.  Michael explains the team’s summer-league model using college players from across the US, the vital host-family program, and his...