Citation: UNC-TV North Carolina Weekend. “Sunrise Biscuit Kitchen | NC Weekend | UNC-TV”. YouTube video, 5:07. April 21, 2017. Accessed November 08, 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G57HFfYOR48
Biscuits, in the past, were notorious for being coined with terms such as “delicacy”, “classy”, and most of all, “southern”. However, in the modern era, these words began to lose their meaning in association with this food. The Chapel Hill region is a notable area when considering this shift in southern cooking. Owner of the Sunrise Biscuit Kitchen, David Allen, is a prominent figure in transforming this town back to placing an emphasis on traditional southern food practices. After the airing of an interview by UNC-TV in 2017, it became evident to the public that this UNC alumni started a small drive-thru biscuit restaurant with one of his former classmates in 1984. Allen used his grandmother’s secret recipe that contained specialized tips like being “gentle” with the dough and using copious amounts of flour. [1] One individual commented on the video, “Thank God someone in the South still knows how to make biscuits”. [1] This proves that the roots of “good southern cooking” in the Chapel Hill area were disappearing until the emergence of this restaurant on Franklin Street. [2] It is very important to note this interview when considering the modern era since the vanishing past, in regard to food, is a predicament in many places.
The aspect of a biscuit being homemade with a family recipe gives consumers a sense of home and comfort, which UNC is known for. Also, tying in the historical aspect, Chapel Hill is renowned for having statues and building that tell the past; Southern Biscuit Kitchen allows the “past food story” to live on as well. As opposed to earlier eras, the production is fast, yet still serving quality food. In the future, it is predicted that similar restaurants will have a fast-food approach; however, the recipes will not be family originated and the original meaning will be once again lost.
The edge that Sunrise Biscuit Kitchen has, is that it was the first drive-thru only restaurant in North Carolina; however, this is especially significant to the UNC region since the construction of the eatery was prior to the passing of the ordinance prohibiting drive-thrus. [3] This interview is significant in that the owner stresses staying modern with a unique approach in serving style and production technique. The issue that was solved with the emergence of this joint was that the past was reincorporated with a contemporary feel of a drive-thru. This interview is very important to the present-day food issues era since David Allen demonstrates how his restaurant defies the norm and sets a new standard of southern cooking by incorporating the past. For understanding the Chapel Hill area today, it is quintessential to look at both earlier eras and the present which Sunrise Biscuit Kitchen is centered around. Chapel Hill, both modernizing and concentrating on the past, is analogous to this restaurant and their southern food practices.
[1] UNC-TV North Carolina Weekend. “Sunrise Biscuit Kitchen | NC Weekend | UNC-TV”. YouTube video, 5:07. April 21, 2017. Accessed November 08, 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G57HFfYOR48
[2]”Sunrise Biscuit Kitchen Inc.” About Us. 2017. Accessed November 08, 2018. http://sunrisebiscuits.com/about-us.html.
[3]Hall, Gregory. “Ordinances Prevent Drive-thrus in Chapel Hill, Carrboro.” The Daily Tar Heel. October 16, 2017. Accessed November 08, 2018. https://www.dailytarheel.com/article/2017/10/ordinances-prevent-drive-thrus-in-chapel-hill-carrboro.
-Amanda Campo