Tabletop Media Group's 2020 Round Up
Shew, what a year! We know you all feel the same about 2020, but we all still have so much to be thankful for. This year taught the #TabletopTeam a lot about growth, using our situations for good, and getting creative to help our clients. Take a look back on the crazy year that is 2020 with us; we had some pretty special moments in between the chaos that we will never forget. Here's to 2021! 🎉
Chimney Indian Kitchen & Bar Grand Opening
Our client Chimney Indian Kitchen & Bar had their grand opening on January 19th in Chapel Hill, NC. Just before the craziness of 2020 hit, we hosted a media night and invited several folks out for food and drinks. We were so happy to be apart of this grand opening and hope you visit with them in the New Year if you haven't already for delicious tikka masalas and so much more!
Prime Barbecue Hard Hat Tour & Opening
Just before their grand opening, Prime Barbecue hosted a hard hat tour for media to showcase their barbecue pits, outdoor bar seating and murals splashed across the interior of their walls. Prime Barbecue opened in March of 2020 and quickly became a popular barbecue spot in Knightdale!
Learn more about the opening of the restaurant here.
41Hundred's Chef Kevin Smith Wins Cooking For a Classic
Chef Kevin Smith of 41Hundred won the fourth annual Cooking for a Classic tournament after 3 rounds of competition and outlasting 7 other chefs to claim the top prize: a 2002 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible. Our founder Kristen served on the Steering Committee and had a blast with the other volunteers to raise money for the Lucy Daniels Center.
Take a look at Chef Kevin's winning dishes!
Photo credit: ©f8 Photo Studios / Cara Grace Powell
Asali's Toilet Paper Cake
We all know about the toilet paper and hand sanitizer madness of 2020! Our client, Asali Desserts Cafe made the most out of the beginning of lockdown and created their very own toilet paper cake. Gaining social media attention and some news article mentions, this cake idea helped bring light during a difficult time.
Tabletop Founder Kristen Baughman Wins Award
Tabletop's very own, Kristen Baughman hosted a doing business remotely series that led her to receive the 2020 Innovation Award for Programs/Seminars from the North Carolina Small Business Center Network. Kristen collaborated with The Small Business Center and the Warren County Economic Development Commission to create the webinars that helped people to navigate their new normal.
k•mart and ko•mmunity hub at kō•än
When North Carolina dining rooms closed, kō•än launched their own grocery delivery and curbside pick up, k•mart. Collaborating with local farmers and purveyors, kō•än was able to help keep their businesses thriving. However, they didn't stop there! To utilize the local food and beverage industry and it's purveyors, kō•än helped bridge the food supply gap in the community with their ko•mmunity hub, spearheaded by Executive Chef Drew Smith, Jennifer Rice and Kristen Baughman.
Highlighting our Favorite Black Women Influencers
Tabletop highlighted some of our favorite black women influencers that we adore working with. We were honored to share why we love working with them and invite other people to witness their hard work and creativity in the blogger world. We look forward to continuing to work with each of them in 2021.
Virtual Muscadine Tasting
August is North Carolina Grape Month and to celebrate, we worked with the North Carolina Muscadine Association to host a virtual tasting of muscadine grapes and wine with local media, bloggers, and social media influencers. Everyone had a great time and learned fun facts about grapes and wine grown and produced here in North Carolina!
Check out some of the highlights here via the NC Wine Guys.
Paloma Battle
Tonbo Ramen in downtown Raleigh, Food Diary of a City Girl and TOPO Distillery collaborated to host a month-long "Paloma Battle" in which a portion of the money raised went to A Place at the Table, a pay-what-you-can cafe in downtown Raleigh. Throughout the entire month of October, patrons came by to try each of the delicious drinks. It was a blast and Tonbo walked away with the winning Paloma, their Tonboloma!
Whiskey Kitchen in Eater's Best Burger Article
Our client Whiskey Kitchen was named one of Eater's best spots for burgers in the Triangle. Whiskey Kitchen made the ranking with their famous lamb burger and Vesta aioli. We love it and we're sure you will too!
Photo Credit: Stacey Sprenz
State Fair Collaboration with WRAL and Got To Be NC
Back in October, we teamed up with WRAL Out and About editor Kathy Hanrahan to launch 19 NC State Fair-inspired foods and cocktails for the 10 day period that the fair would have been operating (Oct. 15-25, 2020). Our Tabletop Media Group clients debuted fun specials and several diners went out to visit these restaurants to try them!
Greg Cox Praises kō•än, Coronato and Sassool
The Triangle's esteemed food critic, Greg Cox visited our clients, kō•än, Coronato and Sassool in 2020. Giving all of them superb reviews, our clients were so excited to celebrate with new and existing diners!
See what Greg Cox had to say about kō•än, Coronato and Sassool.
#ChefSeries with Raleigh Rolls
In November, Raleigh Rolls was very excited to start their #ChefSeries back up! They started it back with Midtown Rolls in collaboration with Midtown Olive Oil. In December, they collaborated with Asali Desserts & Cafe with their Asali Chocolate Tahini Tart Rolls. Look out for another delicious collaboration coming tomorrow, January 1st!
Carolina Ballet Collaboration with Tabletop Clients
This Christmas, the Carolina Ballet’s Nutcracker was a little different and aired on WRAL, Christmas Night! To drum up excitement, some of our clients collaborated with The Carolina Ballet to create special cocktail and dessert items.