Many changes – including the recent hiring of veteran chef Joe Turner – are occurring at Café Portofino, but co-owner Olga Esterson promised that its signature dish, the spiced sirloin, is to remain on the soon-to-be revamped menu. “The spiced sirloin is not going away,” Esterson assured. “That’s what everybody is crazy about.”
BY JESSE WOOD
Photo by Ken Ketchie
Through the years, Snow Toys has become synonymous with spectacular, personalized service from Ric Crosby, the “head ski guy” in Banner Elk. Guests can expect the employees to come out from behind the counter to help get customers into their gear, make sure they are fitted correctly, and ensure that they have the proper safety equipment. It is those kinds of customer experiences that Snow Toys hangs its hat on. By Madison V. Fisler – Photo by Ken Ketchie
“Are you crazy?” That’s how Trudy Shell responded to her husband’s idea to buy Mountain Tile in 2010. But what else were David and Trudy Shell going to do. Several months earlier both lost their longtime jobs – cast aside like so many other individuals during the Great Recession. David had been employed for 25 years as a regional sales manager in the flooring industry and Trudy worked 22 years with a company that distributed business forms such as checks and business cards.
BY JESSE WOOD
Photo by Ken Ketchie
Farmers Ski Shop might just be the oldest ski shop in Boone, but everything the shop offers, from equipment to tune ups and everything in between, remains timeless. Farmers Ski Shop opened its doors in 1969 on the top floor of what used to be Farmers Hardware. In 1976, the shop was expanded to its current location on Depot Street by David Greene. Owned since its inception by the Greene family along with The Shoppes at Farmers Hardware and Farmers Rentals, Farmers Ski Shop is a family operation to its core. By Madison V. Fisler – Photo by Ken Ketchie
Blue Ridge Realty & Investments has come full circle since John Rice founded the company in 1981. In the early ‘80s, Rice opened an office in the same building that Able Body would eventually move into a decade later. Now more than 30 years since Rice began the enterprise, Blue Ridge Realty has since repurchased the property along N.C. 105 in Boone and recently finished renovations to what is now its main office.
BY JESSE WOOD
Photo by Ken Ketchie
For many people, snowboarding and skateboarding are a beloved past time that helps them recharge, compete and have a great time year round. Not many people, however, get to say that they get to make a living out of their passion every single day. For Ashley and J.P Pardy, owners of Recess Skate and Snowboard shop in Boone, what started out as an unbridled passion for snowboarding and skateboarding grew into their own business. by Madison V. Fisler – Photo by Ken Ketchie