Mary's Announcements (updated 11.30.09)

***Breakfast Of Course, Mary's Too !!

Well, news of Breakfast of Course, Mary’s Too has hit the front page of the Winston Salem Journal under the headline "New school, restaurant are likely to draw attention to Seventh Street, Arts District"! Mary has been keeping a low profile with this business venture until now, and was quite surprised when it appeared as front page news. Click on the red headline above to read the article.

***Local Gift Ideas!!

Mary's Of Course has long supported the local arts, and encouraged our customers to buy locally produced materials from locally owned businesses. So, we've come up with a short list of things that may inspire you to do just that when searching for gift ideas this holiday season. Just go to our Special Page of local gift giving ideas to find out more!

*** MOC on PBS!!!

Mary's Of Course has now been on television! The UNC-TV show "North Carolina Weekend" featured a segment on MOC in August, but we have only just now gotten a link to that footage. The host, Deborah Holt Noel and her very talented cameraman, did a great job of editing and producing this segment into something that truly seems to capture the essence of Mary's Of Course. For those of you who missed the episode, or just wanted to watch it again; click on the image above, check it out and see if you don't agree.

*** Mary's Seasonal Sippers!

Mary's Seasonal Sippers, are current beverages she's procured for a limited time to compliment the season. In the past Mary has introduced a number of teas to Winston Salem including Creativity and the Charleston Tea Company line. Mary loves tea and spends alot of time searching out and creating new and interesting beverages for her own satisfaction and your enjoyment. Over the past year we have had:.

Mary's Summer Elixirs, a variety of Sparkling Lemonades, Flowering Tea, Creativity Rooibos, Redbush Rooibos, Honey Yerba Mate Latte, Apple Cider, Aztec Cocoa, Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate, Red Chai smoothies, Green Tea smoothies, Matcha Mist smoothies, Bushman's Rooibos, Charleston Breakfast, Charleston Raspberry and a Red Hot Reindeer Milkshake. Mary also features two weekly Special Iced Tea selections; listed on a small chalkboard.

So, come in and see what Mary has brewing for the current season, it's bound to be delicious!

*** Mary meets Alice Waters!!!

For those of you who've listened to her talk about food, visited the recomendations page on the Food Blog, or read the placards on the front counter, it should come as no surprise that Mary is the biggest fan of Chef Alice Waters. Having spent her teenagehood in the Philippines, Mary immediately understood the impact locally-grown fresh ingredients, and visiting the market every day could have at the table. When she opened Mary's Of Course, in 2000; a placard was made and installed in front of the cash register quoting Alice Waters. On September 24, 2009; Mary finally met her stovetop soulmate at the groundbreaking ceremonies for the Southeastern United States first edible schoolyard, in Greensboro, NC. As Waters says, it was "a long time coming."

*** Seeds Of Love For Errol: September 19, 2009!!!

Some customers who we became quick friends with, and gave advice to when they needed to start a bakery, had a child named Errol who was born with a heart defect called pulmonary atresia. Well, it turns out, we weren't the only people they're friends with; as a community project supporting Errol Clifford and his family has been born from their need. It's called Seeds of Love for Errol, and the event happened September 19th at the Vintage Theatre. Local people lovingly grew food and donated it, which was then lovingly prepared by local chefs donating their time. Then about 400 people bought a ticket, ate some amazing food, enjoyed the live music donated by the Darnell Woodies and the acapella group, drank the donated wine and went home feeling that all was right in the world; at least for that evening. For more details and pictures of the event, here or on Errol's picture.

*** Samb has a Blog about the music of The Wherehouse!!!

Well, it's not got much to do with MOC, but if you want to check it out, click on the image above.

*** Smitty’s Notes Annual “Best of Winston-Salem” Awards July 2009!!!

The votes have been tabulated and the results are in! 2009's awards include:

Ollie's Bakery won for Best Bakery!! (Hey, we make sandwiches with their bread...)

Krankies won for Best Coffee!! (Hey, we make coffee drinks with their beans...)

Trevor Dye of Meridian Restaurant won for Best Chef!! (Hey he's our buddy from next door)

The Garage won for Best Live Music venue (Hey don't some of Mary's staff work there?)

West End Cafe won for Best Lunch (Hey, we have a long history with them too)

Skippy's won for best Hot Dog (Hey, we've eaten his Rueben Dog )

Café Prada won for best Gelato (Hey, we've had his greek yogurt gelato)

And lots of other people, who we aren't as familiar with, but have obviously done a great job! Check out the full list at Smitty's Notes. Umm, am I forgetting something... Oh, yeah!

Mary's Of Course won the Best Breakfast, Best Brunch, runner up for Best Vegetarian Food and runner up for Best Health Food (against two grocery stores!?!)...WOW!!! Thanks for voting us the best in so many categories once again! We don't take this kind of honor lightly, and certainly not for granted. Mary and her staff will do their best every year to satisfy and serve, you our customers to the best of our abilities.

*** MOC, fashion models & Bowman Grey Racing?!

Some new customers introduced themselves to us a few weeks ago and the woman told us she had written about MOC on her blog. The couple were Annie ( a fashion model and avid blogger) and Brian (who's in town for the summer making a documentary about Bowman Grey Racing). One of our staff members, Jacob recently left MOC for greener pastures, but not before he got to serve these California residents a great big Mary's Of Course meal. We hope they had fun here in our small town, and wish them the best in their filmmaking and modeling endeavors in California. We certainly do appreciate the kind words and are pleased to return the favor. So, check out Annie's blog by clicking here.

*** Mary's Of Course & WFDD: Pledge Drive 2009!

Mary's has been supporting 88.5 WFDD for a number of years, but this is the first time we've captured it in pictures. She's seen above cranking out breakfast burittos bright and early (6:00 am) on a Monday morning by herself. Then it's into the car, and a mad rush across town before rush hour traffic starts to the WFDD studios. Where she lays them out for the staff and volunteers as they drum up support for their Spring Pledge Drive. We hope fans of Mary's value public radio as much as we do, and remember to give a donation in their quest to provide listener-supported in-depth programming!

***Mary Says It With Cash!

Mary has initiated a new way to save everyone a little cash! With credit card processing fees and all the other hidden banking charges we've all come to despise, running us all deeper in debt; Mary has invented a new SAY IT WITH CASH card. This involves encouraging our customers to pay with cash for any purchase over $5, instead of plastic or checks. When your card has been punched twenty times; you will get a $10 gift certificate to use at MOC! Of course, the card must be present at each purchase. This cuts down on our costs, and consequently keeps the prices you pay for our food low. Just one more way to keep money in our community and help us all through the tough times.

***Mary's Got A Brand New Bag

In another brainstorm from Mary, we now have re-usable to-go bags that will get you 10% off your to-go order! This was inspired by something Mary saw on her honeymoon in New Mexico, and has been trying to bring to fruition all year. A number of people said they'd take on the project, but it's Mary's daughter Tamis who gets props for sitting down and turning a bunch of t-shirts into fabulous to-go bags! So, pick up a bag at the counter and bring it each time you pick up a to-go order for a special discount. (This particular bag was once an advertisement for a School Of The Arts West Side Story performance.)

*** Mary has updated the Tea Menu!

Mary has been working on the new Tea Menu and decided to include four new offerings. They are: 1) Bancha; a Japanese tea with herbaceous aroma, smooth character and a pale jade liquor, 2) South African Honeybush; an herbal infusion with a pleasing floral-citrus flavor, 3) Chrysanthemum flowers which yield a gold infusion with mild honey-like notes and savory Sage nuances, and 4) Almond; a black tea with bits of almond.

Mary is also happy to continue sharing the now popular Tulsi Tea, made from the most sacred herb of India; the Holy Basil plant. We're particularly proud of this product, as we introduced it to the menu in 2004, and we now see it all over town. Better health to everyone!

***Anything concerning Mary & Samb's honeymoon, wedding and other travels has been moved to Mary's new Food Blog.