Art direction, project management and design of annual readers' choice awards.

1. CaryMagazine,301CascadePointeLane,CaryNC27513
January 2015
POWER PLAYPOWER PLAY
ADDRESSADDRESS
THE MESSTHE MESS HOCKEY SCORES
WITH YOUNGER SET
TIPS TO CORRAL
THE CLUTTER
THE WINNERS,
THE WINNERS,
REVEALED!
REVEALED!

2. CARY MAGAZINE 23
The winners of Cary Magazine’s
2015 Maggy Awards!
Written By Nancy Pardue
Photographed By Jonathan Fredin
What qualities
constitute a hero? Dependability.
Consistency. Compassion.
And a big-picture focus.
We see this year’s Maggy Award winners as just that:
Community heroes. These teachers, doctors, chefs and plumbers,
shopkeepers and baristas are ready, willing and able to serve.
Nearly 11,000 of you voted for
your community heroes, and
we are proud to present...

3. 24 JANUARY 2015
Best Charity
DORCAS MINISTRIES
WHAT DO YOU call the
organization that offers food,
childcare scholarships, adult
education, job training and
more to local people in need?
BEST CHARITY!
Dorcas Ministries made the
leap to top vote-getter as Best
Charity, following honorable
mention nods in the past two
Maggy contests.
The nonprofit serves some
15,000 people from across
Cary and Morrisville annually,
offering more than $500,000 in
food and financial assistance.
Proceeds from the ministry’s
popular thrift shop, where
revenues have tripled over
the past few years thanks to
community support, help fund
the ministry’s programs.
BTW, that thrift shop shows
up three — count ‘em, three
— times on the winners’ list,
earning honorable mentions
for Best Bargains, Best Place
to Shop for Shoes and
Accessories, and Best Place
to Shop for Adult Clothing.
Get in on the Dorcas
action by donating goods,
dollars, or volunteer time, on
your own or with a group!
Winning honorable
mentions were the SPCA of
Wake County and Transitions
LifeCare, formerly Hospice of
Wake County.
LIFESTYLE
Best of
Volunteer Administrator Ellen Frazier, Executive Director Howard Manning,
and Dorcas board member Gary McKinney uphold Dorcas Ministries’
40-year mission of helping those in need.
Best Active Adult Community
GLENAIRE
Elvis showed up at the Halloween party — no wonder
Glenaire was voted Best Active Adult Community for
seniors, for the fourth time since the category
launched in 2011!
But seriously, the most popular Glenaire
activity by far is Oktoberfest, says Laura
Lowe, director of sales and marketing, fol-
lowed by the New Year’s Eve party, Mardi Gras
party, Halloween Festival and 4th of July.
“Just about all residents who are able turn out for
our very special Veterans’ Day service each year,” she added.
“Non-holiday favorites are chair volleyball, corn toss, Bunco,
bridge and shuffleboard. Residents also very much enjoy day
trips.”
Serving the community for more than 20 years, Glenaire is
currently at work on a transformation of its healthcare center
to the “household model” of care, featuring households of 20
residents, each with its own front door, living spaces, full-service
kitchen and spa.
“We have some amazing residents
who are so fun and energizing to be
around,” Lowe said. “They motivate our staff to be
their very best and to work hard to provide an active and fulfill-
ing lifestyle at Glenaire.”
A new 120-car parking deck is slated to open soon, and
12 new apartment homes will be under construction. Lowe also
notes that Glenaire continues to contribute to the local econo-
my, to the tune of more than $16 million.
Best Home Building Company
ROYAL OAKS HOMES
Cozy kitchens and snug-as-a-bug bedrooms are all part of
the charm for readers who voted Royal Oaks as Best Home
Building Company for its new-home work in neighborhoods like
The Peninsula at Amberly and Bella Casa Parkside in Apex. And
making home sweet
home even sweeter
is choosing the
perfect flooring,
cabinets and coun-
tertops, lighting
and more in the fast-growing company’s Design Center!
Royal Oaks Homes also builds Hero Homes for Operation:
Coming Home, a nonprofit that provides custom-built abodes to
disabled combat veterans.
HONORABLEMENTIONS
CarolinaPreserveSearStone
Just 45 votes separate this
category’s winner and honorable
mentions Rufty Homes and
Poythress Homes!
CARY MAGAZINE 25

4. 26 JANUARY 2015 CARY MAGAZINE 27
Best High School Principal
MATT WIGHT, APEX HIGH
Matt Wight of Apex High has been at the head of the Maggy class
each year since 2012, as readers’ choice for Best High School Principal.
As he wraps up his tenure in Cougar country to take on the principal role
at the new Apex Friendship High this fall, here’s what he has to say:
Apex High highlights: “There are so many, it’s hard to limit it. But
here goes!
“Hiring Apex grads in
teaching positions; VERY
cool! MANY state champion-
ships in sports! Fantastic
music and drama perfor-
mances over the years,
in particular the spring
concerts at Koka Booth! The Academy of Information Technology being rec-
ognized as the top academy in the country! Seeing the students grow from
goofy, awkward freshman to confident, thoughtful graduates. Seeing the
staff have profound influence on the lives of our students, and seeing our
students accomplish incredible things after leaving us. The wonderful rela-
tionship with the entire Apex community. Being able to share the high school
experience with my two daughters, seeing them play soccer and basketball
together, and giving Katie (and Jess, in June 2015) their diplomas!”
What’s exciting about moving to Apex Friendship: “Tabula rasa
— a blank slate. Being able to create a culture from the ground up is a
rare and powerful experience!”
Best High School Coach
DAVID NEAL, APEX HIGH
Whoever said it’s lonely at the top didn’t witness this close race
among local high school coaches! With just 22 votes separating the three
honorees, it’s clear that readers love them all.
Clinching the top spot is Apex boys’ basketball head coach David
Neal, who led the Cougars in last year’s successful state championship
bid. Check out what you might not know about Neal:
2012: Inducted into the High School Hall of Fame at his alma mater,
Sanderson High
Stuff of legends: Played for UNC coach Dean Smith,
1994-1995, when the team went to the Final Four
Favorite sports to play: Golf and basketball
Favorite part of coaching: “Working with awe-
some student athletes and coaches at Apex High,
and seeing our teams play hard and play together.”
Elements of a championship season: “Great play-
ers, unselfish players who put the team before themselves;
clutch shots and free throws; and mental toughness.”
Best Coffeehouse
LA FARM BAKERY
HM: It’s a Grind Coffee House
Java Jive
Best Golf Course
PRESTONWOOD COUNTRY CLUB
HM: MacGregor Downs Country Club
Knight’s Play Golf Center
Best Interior Design Company
IVY COTTAGE COLLECTIONS
HM: Southern Studio Interior Design
Design Works Studio
Best Music Venue
KOKA BOOTH AMPHITHEATRE
HM: Walnut Creek Amphitheatre
Durham Performing Arts Center
Best Local Event or Festival
LAZY DAZE
ARTS & CRAFTS FESTIVAL
HM: Beer, Bourbon & BBQ Festival
Apex PeakFest
Best Place to Walk, Run or Bike
AMERICAN TOBACCO TRAIL
HM: William B. Umstead State Park
Fred G. Bond Metro Park
Best Place to Take Visitors
RALEIGH FARMERS MARKET
HM: Downtown Raleigh
Sarah P. Duke Gardens
Best Kids’ Program for the Arts
CARY ARTS CENTER /
TOWN OF CARY CULTURAL ARTS
HM: Academy for the Performing Arts
Dance Company
KidzArt
Best Kids’ Program for Sports
TOWN OF CARY
PARKS & RECREATION
HM: Capital Area Soccer League
YMCA
Dynamic duo Coach
David Neal, left, and
Principal Matt Wight do
right by their students at
Apex High School.
BestHigh SchoolPrincipal
Best
High
School
Coach
HONORABLEMENTIONSRoy Cooper,Apex HighBrian Miller, HollySprings High
Honorable mentions for this
category are Jacob Bryant of
Cary High and Tim Locklair of Holly
Springs High. And just ONE vote
behind them is Karen Summers
of Green Hope High!

5. 28 JANUARY 2015 CARY MAGAZINE 29
Best Elementary School Principal
BURT BATTEN, LAUREL PARK ELEMENTARY
Best Preschool
PRIMROSE
HM: Bright Horizons
St. Michael’s Early Childhood
Center
In this super-close Maggy race,
just eight votes separate the top two
vote-getters for Best Preschool … and
Primrose came out the winner!
With five-star accreditation and loca-
tions across Western Wake, happy tykes
and their parents count on the care and
learning at Primrose, which is why the
brand has won the Maggy six times.
Rhonda Blades, franchise owner
of Primrose schools at West Lake and
Holly Grove, offers these insights into
life at Primrose:
Favorite activities: Primrose’s
Rhythm & Notes Music curriculum, in
which students use instruments while
learning about rhythm, patterns and
tones used in music from country to
classical. Take-home CDs encourage
sing-alongs in the car or dancing in the
living room.
Community service: In partnership
with Save the Children, each school has
adopted a Primrose Pal, a child in a rural
impoverished area in southeast America.
Local students developed their own
book on North Carolina to provide their
pal a glimpse into our state.
In Caring and Giving, children
complete age-appropriate chores at
home in exchange for canned goods for
the classroom donation box. Last year
Primrose students earned more than
6,000 cans that they hand-delivered to
the ABC11 Heart of Carolina Food Drive.
Best Middle School Principal
TRENT EVANS, REEDY CREEK MIDDLE
Best Fitness Club
CARY FAMILY YMCA
The place for fitness is Cary Family
YMCA. It’s no wonder, with an
Aerobics-to-Zumba class roster
plus kickboxing, spinning and
strength conditioning. Toss in
amenities like basketball courts,
pools, indoor track and sauna,
and we’re talking home away from
home! Honorable mentions Rex
Wellness Center and Kraft Family
YMCA also win kudos.
HM: Mike Regan,
Mills Park Elementary
Melanie Parrish,
Middle Creek Elementary
Meet Burt Batten, voted Best
Elementary School Principal in a
brand-new Maggy category this year!
He’s been leading the team at Laurel
Park Elementary in Apex since 2010.
But here’s what we want to know: As
a grad of N.C. State, Wake Forest
University and UNC-Chapel Hill, which
color does he wear on game day?
Red, Batten reports, since child-
hood. Here’s more:
Favorite school menu item:
A tie between Cheese Dippers and
chicken nuggets.
Best part of the job: “Without a
doubt, the excitement and genuine
love of learning that young students
demonstrate. When kids gain the
confidence that comes with learning
to read, solving a math problem, or
observing something new in science,
it is like they have gained a new su-
perpower and the smile on their face
is wonderful to see.”
Most important thing children
learn in elementary school: “It
is most important that young students
learn how to persevere and work
through challenges. Learning to read,
solve word problems, or write well can
take a lot more patience, willingness
to accept setbacks and adversity than
what kids expect. It’s way more com-
plex than playing a video game!”
HM: Herbert Allen Ellzey,
Salem Middle
Emily Mountford,
Holly Ridge Middle
Do your homework!
Principal Trent Evans of Reedy
Creek Middle in Cary is the winner
of new Maggy title Best Middle
School Principal. It’s his second
year in the job, after serving as
Reedy Creek Elementary principal
from 2007-13.
Favorite school lunch item:
Barbecue sandwich. “Add a little
slaw with some hot sauce and I am
set!”
Best part of the job: “I enjoy
the academics, arts and athletics.
We have talented students in all
three areas; therefore, I have the
opportunity to see them flourish
across multiple spectrums.”
Favorite school subject: “As
a student, it was always math. As
a teacher, I enjoyed teaching the
writing process, reading historical
fiction, and discussing U.S. history.
Notice I didn’t mention science.
Just saying.”
Most important thing chil-
dren learn in middle school:
“Beyond academics, the most
important part of growing up is
learning how to be responsible and
taking responsibility for decisions
you make. Having come from an
elementary background, I have
enjoyed mentoring and coaching
students at the middle school level
in this area. As I often tell students,
‘Make decisions that afford you the
most options later in life.’”
Best Yoga/Pilates Studio StudioVIBE
Bend and stretch, and breeeeathe …
StudioVIBE, formerly known as Triangle Pilates, has landed on
the top of the Maggy listings almost every year since 2006!
Cary Family YMCA and Cary Yoga & Wellness take home honorable
mentions.
Best Place to Take Children
PULLEN PARK
Parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles
cast their votes for Pullen Park, named
Best Place to Take Children. Kids love it for
the carousel, train and pedal boats, but
here are a few figures to chew on:
No. 1
Pullen Park was the first public park
in N.C., opened in 1887
5
Pullen is the fifth oldest operating
amusement park in the U.S. (and 16th
oldest in the world!)
42
How tall (in inches) you must be to
ride the circa-1911 Gustave A. Dentzel
Carousel all by yourself.
1/3
The park’s C.P. Huntington miniature
train is a one-third size, near-replica
of the famous locomotive of the
same name.
7
The two honorable mentions in this
category, Marbles Kids Museum and
the North Carolina Museum of Life
& Science, were separated by just
seven votes.
“Learning to give to
others at a young age
helps students develop
a sense of empathy and
citizenship.”
– Rhonda Blades,
Primrose schools
!

6. 32 JANUARY 2015 CARY MAGAZINE 33
services
Best ofBest Dentist
DR. MICHAEL RICCOBENE,
RICCOBENE ASSOCIATES FAMILY DENTISTRY
HM: Dr. Allan Acton, Cary Family Dental
Dr. Bobbi Stanley, Stanley Dentistry
Smile! That’s what patients of Dr. Michael Riccobene did, as they
voted him Best Dentist for the third year running. Since opening his
practice in 2001 in Selma, Riccobene has opened nine more offices
across the area to serve patients from 6 months to age 90-plus.
Best Eye Doctor
DR. CAROLINE SILVER, EYE CARE ASSOCIATES
HM: Dr. Don Cloninger, eyecarecenter
Dr. Julia Pridgen, Eye Care Associates
Dr. Caroline Silver is no stranger to the Maggy Awards, having
earned the top eye-doc spot twice, plus three honorable mentions, since
2009. She specializes in contact lenses, and joined Eye Care Associates
in 1991, practicing at the Centrum at Crossroads location in Cary.
Best Hair Salon
TWISTED SCIZZORS
HM: J&F Gemelli
Mitchell’s Hair Styling
For three straight years Twisted Scizzors, the salon with the
deliberately misspelled name, has locked down the Maggy contest to
take the win. Owned by husband-wife team Amanda and LeRoy Kimball,
talented salon staff offer everything from classic cuts to cutting-edge
colors, all done up with a giant spritz of personality!
Twisted Scizzors also routinely hosts cut-a-thon fundraisers to
support local causes, in pay-it-forward spirit.
Best Home Service
CARY PLUMBING
Cary plumbers Mike Waite, Brad Simpson and Mike Tingen are ready
to clear any obstacle, so their customers can go with the flow.
HM: Merry Maids of Wake County
Gary the Handyman
Mike, Mike and Brad, along with
the rest of the staff, have never met a
job they couldn’t handle!
“Got Water?” is the unofficial
motto of Cary Plumbing, first-time
winner of the Maggy Award for Best
Home Service. The company has been
keeping the water flowing both in and
out of homes across the Cary area for
more than 30 years now, with 24/7
emergency service and GPS-based
scheduling.
Most common service requests:
Water heaters (100-plus
installed each month!);
toilets; and in winter, broken pipes
Most unusual job: Removing a
squirrel stuck in the toilet. The critter
had fallen into the sewer vent on the
roof, and it became lodged in the
pipes when it tried to climb out.
Most heroic: Retrieving wedding
rings from the drain trap
Busiest time: Thanksgiving week. All
that cooking leads to clogged drains
and disposals!
Best Plastic Surgeon
DR. CYNTHIA GREGG,
CYNTHIA GREGG, MD
HM: Dr. Donald Hanna, Cary Plastic Surgery
Dr. William T. Stoeckel, Wake Plastic Surgery
You’ve recently heard of the pro-bono work Dr. Cynthia
Gregg does on medical missions to
Africa, as she was honored among the
2014 Cary Magazine Women of Western
Wake. But her name appeared on the
Maggy winners’ list well before that,
with a 2007 win and four honorable
mentions over the years.
Fun fact: The
“plastic” in plastic
surgery is taken
from the Latin
“to mold.”

7. 34 JANUARY 2015 CARY MAGAZINE 35
Best Doctor
DR. MELANIE MINTZER,
GENERATIONS FAMILY PRACTICE
HM: Dr. James Blount,
Carolina Family Practice & Sports Medicine
Dr. David Outlaw,
Cary Internal Medicine & Pediatrics Associates
In her first-ever Maggy win, Dr. Melanie Mintzer knocked a
longtime Best Doctor favorite to second place!
Mintzer is a second-generation family doc who opened
her Generations Family Practice in Cary in 2005; it serves
children, adults and seniors.
Prior to private practice, the Chicago native worked in
public and women’s health care for 20 years, including a stint
as medical director of the Orange County Health Department,
and taught at the UNC-CH School of Medicine.
Mintzer believes this Maggy Award recognition speaks
well of the entire Generations team.
“Getting patients in, making them feel comfortable, is the
really important thing; we want people to feel better when they
leave,” she said. Some of her patients are literally lifelong —
she helped birth them, and now cares for them as adults.
“It’s an honor to take care of them, and to see my former
students now in practice,” Mintzer said. “I love what I do and I
love my patients. This doesn’t feel like work.”
Outside the office, Mintzer knits, sews, exercises at Rex
Wellness, and takes online classes in Hebrew. She’s also the
proud owner of three at-home looms, which she uses to weave
cloth for items such as jackets and rugs.
Best Spa
THE UMSTEAD SPA
The Umstead Spa first appeared on the Maggy
winners list in 2008, as an honorable mention for
Best Place to Pamper, a category now known as
Best Spa. Since then, it’s become a fixture on the list,
beloved by readers for its rejuvenating organic treatments
and tranquil woodland setting.
Riverstone … Wildflower … Dogwood — even the names of these spa
experiences offer comfort and relaxation, with many featuring hot stone or
Swedish massages and European facials. The four-hour Walk in the Woods
pampering session includes a full-body Babassu Sugar Scrub and champagne!
Best Attorney
LINDA WARD, WARD FAMILY LAW GROUP
HM: Anna E. Smith, Law Offices of Anna E. Smith PLLC
Joel Ledbetter, Ledbetter & Titsworth P.A.
Every. Single. Time. That’s how often Linda Ward has won the Maggy
Award since we added the Best Attorney category in 2011!
Best Caterer
DANIEL’S RESTAURANT & CATERING
HM: Danny’s Bar-B-Que
Catering By Design
10 to 15: Average number of catering jobs by Daniel’s each week, 60 percent
corporate and 40 percent social.
Best
Doctor
“I love what I do and I love my
patients. This doesn’t feel like work.”
– Dr. Melanie Mintzer, Generations Family Practice
Best Mechanic Shop
ATLANTIC TIRE
& SERVICE
HM: Frantz Automotive Center
Autopark Honda
Atlantic Tire & Service first appeared
as an honorable mention on the 2008
Maggy list, but zoomed to the lead the
following year and every year since, as
Best Mechanic Shop!
Owner Anthony Blackman has built
the biz from one shop in 1998 to its
current three locations including Cary,
Raleigh and Durham. Staff service both
domestic and foreign vehicles, and the
company offers these car care tips via
atlantictireonline.com:
Early morning: Best time of day
to check tire inflation pressure, with the
vehicle parked in the shade.
Monthly: How often you should
check tire inflation pressure
Why: Under-inflation can lead to tire
failure.
Every 5,000-7,500 miles: How
often you should have tires rotated, per
industry standards
Atlantic Tire & Service owner Anthony Blackman, center,
and his handy mechanics will care for your car.
HONORABLEMENTIONSMassage Envy SpaLa Thérapie Spaat Preston

8. Best Mexican/Latin American Restaurant
LOS TRES MAGUEYES
HM: La Rancherita
La Cocina
Restaurante Mexicano
Best Indian Restaurant
SAFFRON RESTAURANT & LOUNGE
HM: Cilantro Indian Café
Tangerine Café
Best Asian Restaurant
SUSHI THAI
HM: An
Red Bowl
Best Neighborhood Bar
TYLER’S RESTAURANT & TAPROOM
HM: Hibernian Restaurant & Pub
Ruckus Pizza, Pasta & Spirits
Best Breakfast
BRIGS RESTAURANT
Fun fact 1: Brigs began as
Brigham’s, but had to change its name
to avoid confusion with a Massachu-
setts ice cream chain!
Fun fact 2: Each Brigs Restaurant
serves several thousand eggs per week.
Did you know? Every Brigs owner and manager in Wake
County began his Brigs career as a server, host, busser or dish-
washer/prep cook!
2: Number of Cary locations, both owned and operated by Mike
and Lisa Karner.
Since ’06: Brigs has gobbled up the Maggy title for Best Break-
fast each year since the launch of the Maggys in 2006!
Monthly specials are especially popular at Brigs,
notes founder David Brigham: January’s Benedict of the
Month is The Three Little Pigs, made with smoked ham, country
sausage and applewood smoked bacon. Also on the menu are
Brigs’ homemade chili and cheese omelet, and griddle special
Gingerbread Pancakes.
48 JANUARY 2015 CARY MAGAZINE 49
RestaurantsBest of
Pssst: Get the
recipe for Los Tres
Magueyes’ tortilla
soup on page 66!
Roni Ganoe, left,
Frank Giammona,
center, and Will Austin
will take care of you
at Bonefish Grill.
Best Place to Get a Cocktail
BONEFISH
GRILL
HM: Tyler’s Restaurant & Taproom
Jimmy V’s Steakhouse
and Tavern
Double wins for Best Appetizers and
Best Cocktails, and an honorable mention
for Best Seafood mean Bonefish Grill is a
dining hotspot for readers.
The goal at Bonefish is excellent
customer service, always, says managing
partner Frank Giammona, who’s been with
the company for 20 years, and training.
“Every employee is trained on every
process,” he said.
Roni Ganoe, a bartender and trainer
with 17 years on the job, puts it this way:
“It’s good to take care of people!”
Manager Will Austin rounds out this
trio, with a five-year Bonefish tenure. He
says new at the restaurant are the Colos-
sal Winter Menu and online reservations, at
bonefishgrill.com/reservations.
Bonefish’s best-selling app: The
famous Bang-Bang Shrimp, of course!
Favorite cocktail: The Winter White
Cosmo, a secret recipe made with vodka,
white cranberry juice, fresh lime juice, and
elderflower liqueur.
Seafood special: Hand cut each day
and cooked over an oak-burning grill.
Best Appetizers
BONEFISH
GRILL
HM: Lucky 32 Southern Kitchen
Tribeca Tavern
HONORABLEMENTIONSLa Farm Bakery& CaféAnother BrokenEgg Café
“It’s good
to take
care of
people!”
— Roni Ganoe

9. Best Bakery
LA FARM
BAKERY & CAFEÉ
HM: Once in a Blue Moon Bakery and Café
Gigi’s Cupcakes
Best Food Truck
LA FARM
BREAD TRUCK
HM: The Humble Pig
Chirba Chirba
Holy dueling baguettes, Batman … it’s La Farm!
Ramping up its efforts from near-newbie food
truck last year to take top gear as Best Food Truck,
French bakery La Farm Bakery & Café is a perennial
favorite of Cary Magazine readers.
Lionel and Missy Vatinet are leaders of the
beloved bakery team, now in its 16th year in Cary.
La Farm is a multi-Maggy winner again this
year, landing the titles of Best Coffeehouse and
Best Bakery, along with dual honorable mentions for
Best Specialty Foods Store and Best Breakfast.
1,000: Loaves handcrafted daily at La Farm Bakery,
and baked in a European-style hearth oven
15: Number of bread varieties offered daily
Signature bread: La Farm Sourdough, a 5-pound
boule with intense flavor
More flavors: Asiago-Parmesan, White Chocolate
Mini Baguette, Cinnamon-Raisin-Pecan-Currant, Spelt
and Multi-Grain
20: Number of seasonal breads offered annually
New: Piedmont Sourdough bread, introduced at the
2014 N.C. State Fair
In with the new: Lionel has replaced all whole
wheat and rye flours used at La Farm with locally
grown, cold-stone milled, organic heirloom flours.
“This is a turning point in the American bread
baking industry, and we’re proud to see North Caro-
lina playing a leading role,” he said.
2013: Vatinet introduces his first book, A Passion
for Bread: Lessons from a Master Baker.
Best Italian Restaurant
DANIEL’S RESTAURANT & CATERING
HM: Bella Monica
Café Luna
Since 1996, Daniel’s Restaurant & Catering has been
serving up Italian wonders to grateful diners, who have voted
the eatery Maggy winner every year since the awards began in
2006. (The restaurant also nabbed Best Caterer this year.)
Here’s what Janet Perry, co-proprietor with husband Daniel,
has to say:
Large menu: “Many of our entrées started as a special
feature offered for a few weeks, and became so popular that we
needed to add them to the menu. We have many patrons who
come in for a specific dish and we hate to disappoint, so the
menu has grown over the years because we have such a hard
time removing anything!”
Most popular dish: Penne alla Casa, in house, for takeout
and off-premise catering. A rich pink sauce made from home-
made marinara and cream along with garlic, sundried tomatoes,
Romano cheese and baby spinach. Optional add-ins: Sauteed
shrimp, pancetta or chicken.
No. 2 dish: Tie between chicken parmesan and homemade
lasagna
“Our parmesan dishes (eggplant, veal, and shrimp) are
prepared in-house, hand cut, breaded and fried when ordered
so they’re nice and crisp,” Perry
said. “We top the entrées with
our marinara sauce, and a
healthy amount of mozzarella
cheese.”
Non-traditional dish: South-
west ravioli in Cajun cream sauce
Pizzelles? Not the cookies that Northeners might expect.
Instead, these appetizers feature homemade dough cut into
bite-size pieces and fried, topped with pepperoni, onions and
jalapenos or eggplant, roasted red peppers, kalamata olives,
onions and fresh basil. Add pizza sauce and mozzarella, baked
so the cheese melts.
900+: Number of bottles on the wine list
Best Craft Brewery
Aviator Brewing Company
Read all about Aviator in our special profile, page 60!
Carolina Brewing Company and Fortnight Brewing
Company take home honorable mentions.
50 JANUARY 2015 CARY MAGAZINE 51
Did you know? Daniel’s
has a garden at the
restaurant that
provides fresh herbs
and veggies.
Lionel and Missy
Vatinet get fresh
at La Farm
Bakery & Café.
But kids, don’t
play with your
food at home!

10. 38 JANUARY 2015 CARY MAGAZINE 39
Dan and Diana
Saklad of Whisk
aren’t afraid to
stir things up
in the kitchen.
They can take
the heat!
Best Jewelry Shop
BAILEY’S FINE JEWELRY
HM: Diamonds Direct Crabtree
Johnson’s Jewelers
Big Clyde and Mama Ann Bailey. Clyde Jr., and Jane. And now, gemolo-
gist Trey.
That’s right, the family that brought the “Bailey box” to the Triangle is
now in its third generation of serving customers, from five North Carolina
store locations.
Kelly Crisp, marketing manager for the company, says this longevity is
thanks to a focus on the customer experience.
“It is about far more than the product or the sale to us,” she said. “What
we do serves a purpose — helping people celebrate special moments in
their lives.
“Bailey’s was started in 1948 as simply a
watch and jewelry repair business, and blos-
somed into a luxury jewelry store. In-house
custom jewelry design and repairs are a key
part of our business still today.”
Diamonds and designer jewelry are
the most popular items at Bailey’s, Crisp
added.
Best Place to Shop for
Home Furnishings and Décor
IVY COTTAGE COLLECTIONS
HM: Home Comfort Furniture
Cooper’s Furniture
Best Shopping Mall
STREETS AT SOUTHPOINT
HM: Crabtree Valley Mall
Cary Towne Center
Best (non-mall) Shopping Center
BEAVER CREEK COMMONS
Ah, a day in the life at Beaver Creek Commons
in Apex, voted Best Non-Mall Shopping Center by our
readers. May we suggest a timeline?
Breakfast: Panera Bread
For you: Old Navy, HomeGoods, and a two-story Kohl’s
For him: Dick’s Sporting Goods
Lunch: Red Robin or Longhorn Steakhouse
Afternoon break: Movie at the 12-screen cinema, or sweet treat
from Cold Stone Creamery
Don’t forget Fido: PetSmart
Best New Business
(Non-restaurant)
WHISK
HM: Stone’s Education Superstore
My Girlfriend’s Closet Ooh La La
Dan and Diana Saklad have created
quite a stir in Cary since opening their
kitchen shop, Whisk, at Waverly Place.
Offering more than 15,000 items for
both food prep and presentation, the
shop has quickly become the place
for quality cookware, professional
tools, table wares, specialty foods,
fun gadgets and one-of-a kind items,
delivered by a knowledgeable staff.
Wildly popular are Whisk’s cooking
classes — 25 per month, each taught
by a different chef/instructor. Topics
range from international foods to gluten-
free, vegan and vegetarian, and classes
are available for kids, private groups
and company team-building.
Especially popular are classes
focused on specific proficiencies like
mastering sushi or mastering knife
skills, and “Date Night” classes each
Friday.
“Our passion is for creating and
delivering a vibrant culinary experience,
engaging our customers in a path of
culinary exploration and inspiration,”
said Dan Saklad. “Our goal from
the beginning has been to build a
community of cooks — a place that
feeds your passion for cooking and
home entertaining, and enables you
to enhance your culinary proficiency,
experience and enjoyment. We have
been very fortunate to have an
overwhelmingly positive response from
everyone in the community.”
did you know Bailey’s
created the Time
to Give program, in
which customers
receive free watch
battery replacements
in exchange for
donations to local
nonprofits? $100,000
has been raised so far!
HONORABLEMENTIONSCameron VillageCrossroads Plaza
shopping
Best of

11. 44 JANUARY 2015 CARY MAGAZINE 45
media
Best of
Best Radio Personality
BOB DUMAS, G105
HM: Vanna Fox, MIX 101.5
Brooke “Peanut Butter” Hoover,
G105
From the onset of the Maggy Awards in
2006, radio host Bob Dumas has captured
the lead every year in the Maggys, thanks
to fans of his offbeat on-air humor via G105
morning show, Bob & the Showgram.
Dumas has long credited his loyal listen-
ers for the show’s success.
“Listeners feel like we’re a big family,”
he said. “We’re honest, and we care. I think
it’s very unique.”
Best Radio Station WRAL 101.5
500,000 people tune in to MIX 101.5 each week.!
Honorable mentions in this category are WQDR 94.7 and WDCG 105.1
Best TV Personality
GREG FISHEL
WRAL 5
Faster than lightning,
hardier than hail … it’s chief
meteorologist Greg Fishel
of WRAL, readers’ choice as
Best TV Personality!
Be it sunshine or
snowstorms, the Emmy
Award-winning Fishel has
been forecasting the weather
via WRAL since 1981.
He was the first certified
broadcast meteorologist
in the U.S. and chaired the
committee that developed
the new Certified Broadcast
Meteorologist Program.
Fishel keeps us smiling
no matter what the forecast,
with his wide repertoire of
jokes and puns. For this
photo shoot, he headed into
our studio bearing his very
first barometer, “because the
pressure is on!”
We hear he also plays a
mean tuba.
Thanks to his versatile
talents, Fishel has won the
Maggy Award every year
since 2006, at first in the
Best Meteorologist category,
and as of the 2014 awards,
Best TV Personality.
Best TV Station
WRAL 5
WRAL by the numbers:
27
Number of anchors and reporters
6
Meteorologists
8
Sports staffers
21
Station engineers
10
Years that readers have voted
WRAL 5 Best TV Station. Talk about
Staying Tuned! That’s each and every
year since the Maggy Awards began!
The two honorable mentions for this
year’s Best TV Station were ABC 11 and
Fox 50.
All three spots on
this year’s Best TV
Personality list went
to weather-watchers:
Fishel’s colleague
at WRAL 5, Elizabeth
Gardner, nabbed
honorable mention
status, as did Don
Schwenneker of ABC 11.
Best
TeleVisionPersonality