Junious Smith III Kinston Free Press February 3, 2014 Downtown development has been the focal point in the renaissance of Kinston over the past several years. On Jan. 30, two downtown entrepreneurs were recognized for their efforts on a state level. Mother Earth co-owners Stephen Hill and Trent Mooring were honored as 2013 Main Street Champions at the North Carolina Main Street Annual Awards Ceremony in New Bern. The two — along with representatives from 32 other Tar Heel communities — received the award for exceptional contributions to the downtown revitalization process. Kinston hadn’t had a winner in the prestigious…
Business
Junious Smith II Kinston Free Press January 24, 2014 Smithfield Foods is expanding in Lenoir County, not with brick and mortar, but with an investment of $16 million in personal property, including cutting-edge technology. The announcement was made at Thursday’s meeting of the Lenoir County Board of Commissioners. “Lenoir County is very grateful for the continued support and dedicated commitment to the community afforded by Smithfield Foods, Inc.’s continued success and progress,” The Lenoir County Economic Development Department said in a statement late Thursday. Officials are uncertain if the investment will mean new jobs are added to the company. However,…
Margret Fisher Kinston Free Press December 26,2013 A television series based around a local business has brought much attention to rural Eastern North Carolina and Lenoir County, in particular. The PBS show “A Chef’s Life” premiered in September, highlighting Ben Knight and Vivian Howard’s restaurant, Chef and the Farmer, in downtown Kinston. The restaurant — open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday in a fine dining atmosphere — is entering its eighth year. The impact became noticeable around the fifth episode, Knight said. “I’d say that it’s been a pretty significant impact on our business,” he said about the show. “For…
Wes Wolfe Kinston Free Press September 26,2013 Gov. Pat McCrory toured the facilities at Spirit AeroSystems Thursday afternoon in part of what he said is a commitment to business growth and the creation of skilled jobs. “One of the things all of us are trying to push — Republicans, Democrats, the executive branch — is we’re trying to encourage industries that build things, make things and produce things and grow things,” McCrory said at his media availability at Spirit’s Global TransPark offices. “The policies that we’ve been working on the past year are trying to help these industries grow and…
Junious Smith Kinston Free Press September 11, 2013 For Vivian Howard, three years of planning for something even she didn’t think would happen is coming to fruition tonight. “A Chef’s Life,” starring Howard and her husband Ben Knight, debuts today at 9:30 p.m. on PBS. The 13-part series about Southern cuisine, Eastern North Carolina traditions and Howard’s and Knight’s restaurant, Chef and The Farmer, will run each Thursday at that time. “It’s exciting,” said Howard, the chef at Chef and The Farmer. “We’ve worked for close to three years on this and it feels really good to have it out…
Junious Smith III Kinston Free Press July 23,2013 When Vivian Howard started Chef and The Farmer with her husband, Benjamin Knight, in 2006, she said many people expected the fine-dining restaurant to fail. It’s safe to say those thoughts have all but disappeared from everyone’s mind as the restaurant has been repeatedly recognized as one of the premier eating establishments in the state — and in the South. “People were very skeptical at the beginning, but we’ve had a lot of community support,” Howard said. “We’ve also had clientele from across the state who drive all the way here to…
Wes Wolfe Kinston Free Press June 30, 2013 Documentary filmmaker Cynthia Hill said that whenever she and Chef & the Farmer’s Vivian Howard got together, talk would inevitably turn to the idea of doing a series about the restaurant and the local farmers who supply it. Finally, Hill said, they decided to stop talking and start doing. In September, the 13-episode first season of “A Chef’s Life” debuts nationally on PBS. “Every episode is about one ingredient,” Howard said. “With that ingredient, we talk about the person or the place where we get it from, we meet the person, we…
Kinston Free Press March 30,2013 Members of the Spirit AeroSystems Information Technology team recently recognized Lenoir Community College for its collaboration with the installation of Spirit AeroSystems’ new state of the art videoconferencing technology allowing the facility in Kinston to connect to the world. LCC Director of Distance Education Jo Wilson and LCC Director of Industry Training Bobby Merritt were recognized for their assistance with the project. Others on hand were LCC Vice President of Continuing Education Jay Carraway, LCC Vice President of Academic and Student Services Deborah Grimes, Spirit AeroSystems IT Program Manager Randy Weiss, Spirit AeroSystems IT Team…
Mr. Don Thone received a check for $1000 as a part of the Lenoir Committee of 100’s Relocation Incentive Program. Pictured Left to Right: Carolynn Craig, Century 21 agent in Kinston, Don Thone, Smithfield Packaging, Plant Manager and Dan Sale, Sale Auto Mall Benefits offered to Professionals moving into Lenoir County when they purchase a home valued at $150,000 or higher. Relocation bonus of $1,000 to help offset moving expenses. Join the Kinston Country Club and receive a $500 credit to cover food and club services (excluding monthly dues). Participating local banks offer qualified loan applicant’s a reduction of loan origination…
On Dec. 13, during the mid-day meal service, representatives from Spirit AeroSystems’ Kinston offices presented the rector of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, the Rev. Michael Singer, and Marilyn Wiggins, director of Mary’s Kitchen, a donation for $10,000. Wiggins applied for the grant earlier in the fall and was notified a few weeks ago by Spirit AeroSystems that Mary’s Kitchen was selected as a Spirit’s 2012 Supplier Golf Tournament Charity fund recipient. Wiggins didn’t tell anyone about the donation until right before the presentation. The volunteer staff and patrons were totally surprised. Wiggins said the money couldn’t have come at a…