New Durham eatery Plum serves up southern hospitality and consolation food

Authentic tapas, scrumptious Italian pasta, delicate French delicacies and hefty American burgers: these foodstuff from all over the entire world can be discovered not significantly off Duke’s campus in downtown Durham. Durham has been on the rise as a major foodie town for a few a long time, and now just about everywhere you flip there is an remarkable regional cafe just waiting to delight.

Though the streets are not as packed and dining places not as crowded as they would be sans pandemic, the lull has not stopped the Durham food items scene from continuing to evolve and make improvements to. Specializing in southern comfort foodstuff, the most recent restaurant to open up its doors in Durham is Plum.

Madi Casey, Plum’s guest providers lead, stated that she would response the question ‘What is Plum?’ with just a number of phrases: “We hold coming back again to tasty southern food and gracious hospitality.”

My 1st knowledge with Plum was at the Durham Farmers’ Industry again in November when I noticed Plum operator Lisa Callaghan wheeling all around a massive wagon whole of contemporary make and veggies for the cafe. She was handing out flyers advertising and marketing the restaurant’s opening, answering inquiries from passers-by and earning helpful dialogue with the distributors and customers. This heat and friendliness seems to continue to keep in line with the restaurant’s objective and what they are all about, which in accordance to Casey, is to welcome and serve the individuals of Durham. 

“We want it to be about the individuals that come in the doorway everyday,” she said.

Callaghan also outlined that Plum strives to be “accessible” for every person in the local community, earning it a spot in which anybody and everybody can take pleasure in a superior meal.

Casey spoke to the truth that numerous individuals are struggling suitable now because of to the pandemic, so Plum is undertaking their finest to join with and aid the Durham neighborhood. Maybe the finest illustration of this is their newly introduced $15 or considerably less take out menu, easing some of the selling price burden of feeding on out and allowing prospects know that the restaurant cares about them.

“Durham is a extremely progressive community wherever I feel like I can, and Plum can, make a authentic impact. And I hope we do,” Callaghan wrote on her internet site.

Based mostly on their concrete initiatives to concurrently serve and aid the Durham local community in the course of these hard times, Plum is between other Durham establishments fostering a perception of local community and support. 

Just one of the ways Plum seeks to have a constructive influence on Durham and create a sense of community is by raising the minimum wage for any of their personnel to $15 for each hour, pointint to Plum’s determination to supporting critical personnel as the pandemic rages on.

Casey also summed up this sentiment beautifully in a several phrases: “We’ve received you Durham.”

If you’re looking at finding some food from Plum for your following meal, you have some selections to most effective accommodate your tastes. They provide picnic-type dining, meaning that when you get, all of your foods is packaged up so that you can both get it to go, sit in their out of doors dining region or sit inside of to try to eat.

The inside of the restaurant is warm and snug, full with picnic tables and hundreds of cookbooks lining the cabinets on the wall. The food items unquestionably matches the aesthetic of the eating space, with vintage consolation meals this kind of as mac & cheese, brussels sprouts and a person of their most common dishes according to Casey: hen and dumplings.

Callaghan helps make positive that every table feels welcomed by providing their packaged food and creating mild discussion — a sweet character that aptly matches her sweet tooth. 

In accordance to the Plum web site, there’s a unique area in her coronary heart for dessert: “I have to say — a superior piece of fruit pie just tends to make my coronary heart sing.”

It is distinct that the menu is accurate to Callaghan’s favored food items there is a dessert item known as “Lisa’s Dessert.” The dessert is handmade by Callaghan each and every morning and adjustments according to what she feels she would like to make. Her pumpkin whoopie pie is one particular of her favorite desserts to make and try to eat.

“She arrives in each and every early morning and bakes her coronary heart out. We get to put a piece of her just about every one day onto the menu,” Casey explained. 

As for suggestions for the best things on the menu? In accordance to Callaghan, a person of her favorite products is the catfish. And though I have not experimented with every single dish, my individual most loved so significantly is the mac and cheese. It is prosperous and flavorful, not to point out the supreme consolation food. 

It is likely that Plum will quickly turn out to be a Durham staple, and it unquestionably currently ranks amid my personalized favorites downtown, alongside Bull Metropolis Burger and Brewery, Mateo and Viceroy, to name a couple. Do yourself a favor and go examine out Plum!