Waves
Ripple effects worth traveling for—and getting a taste of
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uring the heady early stages of the love story between Areli Barrera de Grodski and Leon Grodski Barrera, he sent her a text about a favorite fixture of his Long Island youth: “little waves rushing up the shore.” At the time, she was seated in front of a beautifully flowing river—and the exchange became so foundational to the couple that when they had to choose a name for their first brick-and-mortar business several years later, Little Waves Coffee Roasters was born.
Now an award-winning Durham institution, Little Waves—together with its sister business Cocoa Cinnamon—is the subject of a short film. And though Making Waves explores the loveliest of themes (partnership, heritage, connection to community and the planet), watch at your own peril: The decadent-looking drinks and treats that appear throughout will have you wishing you could break through your screen. Then again, Durham is easy enough to reach from across the U.S. that you could well be sitting down to your own churros and house-made vanilla bean syrup-drizzled Amuleto latte by coffee-o-clock tomorrow.
What to do
along the way
Needless to say, you’ll want to proceed directly to one of the three brick-and-mortar shops that Leon and Areli have opened across Durham, where the aforementioned Amuleto latte and churros are just the start of the coffee drinks and treats on offer from the couple who won Roast magazine’s 2022 Micro Roasters of the Year award. Beyond the food and drink at Cocoa Cinnamon, however, you’ll find all kinds of nods to community and connection at each of the three locations. In fact, having first met and connected in a coffee shop themselves, Leon and Areli now specialize in creating spaces where “every act is an invitation to connect, and we are fueled by the joy we get from cultivating health and wonder with the world around us.” That can mean anything from latte art competitions among baristas with free churro waffles for spectators, to a Community Coffee program that makes any drink on the menu available on a sliding scale once a week—so everyone feels welcome and able to partake in the fun.
If you look for the city of Durham's own official take on the local culture and community, here, as if on cue, is the statement you'll find: “This isn’t the beach. We make our own waves.” And having both grown up by the beach—Leon on the North Shore of Long Island, Areli in Playas de Tijuana in Baja, California—Little Waves' owners are connoisseurs from way back, whose backgrounds blend beautifully into Durham’s diverse community of wave-making artists, scholars, activists and entrepreneurs.
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This story is part of North Carolina’s Firsts That Last
film series. See more stories here.
You’ll also want to check out Durham Central Park, home to a Saturday farmers’ market where you can snack on local fruits, cheeses, breads and chocolates as you stroll the lovely grounds. The park also has a whole calendar of events, from food truck rodeos to craft markets. Once you’ve explored the city’s parks, restored warehouses and athletic and artistic spaces, a proper rest is in order, so check into the debut property from Unscripted Hotels: Unscripted Durham, in what was the storied ‘60s Jack Tar Hotel. The midcentury icon lives on here in the form of a restaurant and lounge called Jack Tar + the Colonel’s Daughter, where you should at least have a nightcap. You’ll also find an onsite seasonal rooftop pool and lounge, a fun lobby-level hang called the Studio and 74 refreshingly colorful and well-appointed rooms and suites.
Durham
From the foundations of a centuries-old tobacco town, something new and beautiful is growing here in North Carolina’s Piedmont Region. In fact, one of the most emblematic scenes of Durham’s revitalization is the American Tobacco Historic District, where the handsome remains of the American Tobacco Company now house various purveyors of food, drink, crafts and entertainment.
Of course, to sports fans, this is a city that needs no introduction—home to National champions, hall-of-fame coaches, the history-making (and at the time, secret) first interracial collegiate basketball game—and of course, the iconic Bull Durham.
Even the most ardent fans cannot live by coffee and pastries alone, of course. For another Latin-inflected and sustainably-minded taste of the Durham food scene, head to the beloved Blue Corn Café and don’t miss the plantain sampler or black bean and sweet potato stew. To get an even broader sense of the city’s culinary offerings—which, as you’ll soon discover, could constitute an entire vacation itinerary unto themselves—sign on to one of Taste Carolina’s beloved Taste Durham tours. The lunchtime departures let you cut the lines at five or six downtown restaurants and food shops (the roster is ever changing but never fails to please), where tastings are already waiting for you, as is the occasional wine or beer sample. The afternoon departure—though still plentiful, foodwise—incorporates more bars and craft cocktails into the mix and leans heavily farm-to-table.
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about the journey
watch
their storY
Durham
what
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This story is part of North Carolina’s Firsts That Last
film series. See more stories here.
WATCH THE FILM
Watch some North Carolina stories, then
start planning your own adventure.
Ready for more?
Seagrove: Where art becomes an escape in more ways than one