Newspapers / Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / June 18, 2009, edition 1 / Page 3
Part of Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
Photos by l.ayla Farmer Robert Lewis flunked hy friends Sam Thian, left, and Michael Wedderburn. East Winston man's garden becomes conversation piece BY LAYLA FARMER [III CHRONIC! I Almost on any given day, Robert Lewis, can be found squatting in the dirt amongst a sea of lush green plants in the quarter-acre lot adjacent to his home on North Cameron Avenue - tending to each one as it (hey \vete his own children. _[... "It's like a therapy to me," Lewis said, packing the dirt tightly around a cabbage thyt is easily the size of a bowling ball and likely: weighs just as much. "I'm doing it year round, nonstop." The massive cabbages are one of main kinds of segeta bles that Lewis grows and sells to his neighbors and passing motorists at the stand in his front yard. Tomatoes, bell peppers, potatoes, spring onions, corn. okra. eggplant, zucchini, squash, and cucum ber plants are also plentiful in the garden. And then there's Lewis's pride and joy. the callaloo. "Collard greens don't have nothing on this," he declared, touching the leaves of the callaloo plant, which he says is a dietary staple in his native Negril, Jamaica. Fellow Jamaica ? native and friend Michael Wedderburn agrees. "When I came to this gar den and I tasted his callaloo. it was some of the best tasting callaloo I've had in this coun try." he said. The youngest of 14 chil dren born to a father who spent his life working as a farmer, fisherman and trades man. Lewis says tending the plants is like second nature to him. "I grew up seeing this. This is nothing to me.*" he remarked. The produee stand has served as Lewis' livelihood since he is out of work. He sees a steady (low of cus tomers. from 15-25 a day. Lewis is proud that his cus tomers return and spread the word about his products, which grow to gargantuan size and can last (if packaged properly and frozen) for months. One woman, a neigh bor of Lewis', bought a cab bage last summer, and told him she had just recently fin ished it. Lewis says that customers also like the fact that his pro duce is fresh, plucked directly from his garden and sold right away. He fertilizes naturally, using only dead leaves and unwanted parts of other plants. "It's like an old school thing ...If I sell it, I sell it very Some of the veggies that Robert Lewis sells. cheap; I give you a lot of stuff," he said, "As long as I have stuff to sell, it sells," For those who want to be adventurous and try some thing new, Lewis offers recipes and advice. "I'm a cook. I cooked for years." he related. "My mom was a professional: she taught me. and then I went to school." The garden has attracted a fair amount of attention since he planted it in early March, just before thf last snow. "People say they pass by here one day and the plants are like this." Lewis said, holding his hand about a foot off the ground then moving it swiftly upward to show the growth "The next day they're like this. They say. "What do you do?'" He smiled. "I just do what I do." Lewis would like to do a lot more. He is currently renting space on a farm in High Point, where he has additional plants, but he is looking for a swath of land a little closer to home. Wedderburn and friend Sam Thian, a chef who recently moved to the area from New Jersey, often keep Lewis company, helping to man the stand and offering advice about the best growing practices. Wedderburn says that his friend's garden conjures happy memories for him - thoughts of the good times he had with his grandmother in her garden. "When you have a garden and you see what it produces, that's what makes you feel good." he said. Robert's Vegetable Stand is located in the lot adjacent to his home at 927 N\ Cameron Ave. Hours are from 6 a.m. until dark, daily. If no one is outside, ring the doorbell for service. Rows of cabbage wait to be cut. News Clips CimpiUti from \uiff wit* mul \ubniuu J rcik>rt\ Borkey completes Air Force training Air Force Airman Breni A. Borkey graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio , Texas The air man com pleted an intensive, eight-ueek program that includ ed training in military Rorkey discipline and studies. Air Force core values, physical fit ness. and basic warfare princi ples and skills. Airmen who complete basic training earn four credits toward an -associate in applied science degree through the Community College of the Air Force. Borkey earned distinction as an honor graduate. He is a 1999 graduate of Mount Tabor High School. Symphony youth orchestra to hold more auditions The Winston-Sakm Symphony Youth Orchestras will hold a second round of auditions for their 2009- 10 sea Son on Sunday, June 28 begin ning at 10 a.m. in. the Scales Fine Arts Center at Wake Forest University. There is a special need for bassoons, oboes, violas and trombones, as well as young string players fur the new Premiere Strings group; how ever anyone wishing to audi tion can do so with any orches tra instrument. For information or to schedule an audition, contact Beverly Naiditch at 336-725 1035 x2 1 1 or e-mail her at bev naiditchf" wssymphony.org . The audition fee is $20 per student and/or family. Audition requirements are listed on the Web site www.wssymphony.org. The WSSYOs are open to all musi cians in the 1st through 12th grades who play orchestral instruments. Marcotullio honored for volunteerism Lis Marcotullio has been named the 2008-2009 Virginia Dossinger Volunteer of the Year by the Winston Salem Symphony Association. Marcotullio is a member of the Symphony's Board of Directors; the Immediate Past President of the Symphony's Encore Society volunteer group; and an active volunteer for the Symphony. In making the announce ment, Ginny Dossinger said, "Lis Marcotullio has been invaluable both to the Encore Society and to the Symphony for many years. She always cheerfully does whatever is asked and has come up with new and better ways for us to accomplish our goals. We couldn't have done it without her!" (iaines Unsung Hero .Weekend starts this evening Floyd Griffin, who taught military science at Winston Salem State University and Wake Forest University in the 1990s and also was the offen sive backfield coach for two undefeated WSSU football teams, will be back in Winston Salem on June 18 and June 19 to participate in the Clarence "Big House" Gaines Unsung Hero Scholarship Awards Weekend. He will also sign copies of his book. "Legacy to Legend: Winners Make It Happen." ? The Gaines Unsung Hero Weekend (June 18 -21) will feature a slew of events Griffin will be signing his book dunng a reception on Thursday. June 18, beginning at 7 p.m. at the Embassy Suites and at the awards gala, which begins at 6 pm. oh Friday. June 19. at the Embassy Suites. For ticket information, call the WSSU Alumni Office at 336-750-2000. Deacs receive scholarships to study abroad Three Wake Forest University students have received ACC-IAC Scholarships for international sway. - The ACC-IAC, or Inter institutional Academic Collaborative, coordinates aca demic initiatives among uni versities whose athletic teams compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The ACC-IAC scholarships support study abroad in locations where it would be difficult for a single university to sustain a full pro gram. Each of the recipients will study abroad this fall. Julie Kestner. a Wake Forest junior from Tokyo ^ Japan, will study in Delhi. India. Her major is philosophy. Laura Pinnie. a Wake Forest junior from West Chester. Penn., will study in Yaounde. Cameroon. Her major is busi ness. Christine Thompson, a Wake Forest senior from Nashville. Tenn.. will study in the United Arab Emirates Her major is communication. Adolescent Medicine Allergy/ Immunology \_AKOt Owwt CARDIOTHORACIC SURGtRV Comp/Alternative Medicine Critical Care Dentistry Dermatology Developmental/Behavioral Emergency Medicine Endocrinology Gastroenterology General Pediatrics . | 1 General Surgery Hematology/Oncology | Infectious Diseases < t Intensive Care ^ Medical Genetics Neonatology Nephrology Neurology Neurosurgery ...I Obesity/Nutrition Ophthalmology Orthopaedic Surgery Otolaryngology Palliative Carp Pathology Plastic Surgery Psychiatry Pulmonary Medicine Radiation Oncology Radiology Rehabilitation Rheumatology Sports Medicine Tissue Engineering Transplants Urology LITTLE HEARTS REQUIRE SPECIAL CARE CHILDREN BORN WITH HEART DEFECTS CAN LIVE LONG, HAPPY LIVES thanks to our pediatric cardiologists at Brenner Children's Hospital. These specialists are the only doctors in the area with training in both pediatrics and cardiology? so you know that your child is receiving the best care possible. Six pediatric cardiologists and one pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon offer the latest treatments and diagnostics to help children recover quickly without lengthy hospital stays. Our pediatric experts also have perfected heart surgeries that allow children to avoid painful scars These same experts can diagnose heart problems before babies are born, allowing time to plan for immediate care upon delivery. In addition, our specialists can also treat children with irregular heart beats, hypertension, heart defects, blockages and more. If you think your child has a serious heart problem, talk to your child's doctors and ask them to call the pediatric specialists at Brenner Children's. For more information about our pediatric cardiologists, visit our website at brennerchildrens.org And whatever your insurance, chances are we take it. KNOWLEDGE MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE Since 1993, Wake forest University Baptist Medical Center has been consistently ranked as one of America's best hosprtals by L/.S News A World Report Brenner Children's Hospital Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center Wake Forest University Baptist MEDICAL CENTER Wake Forest University Physicians
Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
June 18, 2009, edition 1
3
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75