- Hi, I'm Erik The Travel Guy.

Today, we're in North Carolina, and I can't wait to show you Winston-Salem.

- [Narrator] Beyond Your Backyard is being brought to you, in part, by the following: (ominous music) (funky, upbeat music) [Narrator] The Perillo Tours Foundation.

For 73 years, we've been bringing travelers to Italy.

It's where our heart is.

Escorted tours and custom vacations - Italy, the dream destination.

- [Erik] My name is Erik Hastings.

Yeah, that's me, and for as long as I can remember, I've always loved to travel, and I still do today, but you know what I've learned?

There's so much more that brings us together than divides us, which is why I've made it my mission to do the very same things you can do, but to take you beyond the experiences, to uncover the soul of every place we visit.

Let me introduce you to the people, the places, and the secrets that remind us how exciting it is to share with one another, to understand one another, and to realize just how connected we really are.

I am Erik The Travel Guy, and this is Beyond Your Backyard.

Thank you you for watching and welcome back.

You know, one of the themes I love to explore is old versus new, or, as I noted earlier, historic versus modern.

Well, today we're in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, a perfect city to have such a discussion because this town is definitely filled with innovative ideas, really remarkable, cool, and eclectic spaces and neighborhoods, and an unmistakable entrepreneurial spirit.

And who knew that a hyphen in its name would pose so many questions.

Well we seek to answer those questions today, and we'll do so by learning more about Moravian history.

I'll bet you didn't see that coming.

We'll also learn why this town is an arts and performing arts enclave.

And we will get creative with not just those delicious cookies, but none other than the sweet potato.

It's going to be a good one.

Let's get started.

Located in the Northwest part of North Carolina, Winston-Salem is easily accessible.

It's about two hours east of Asheville, five hours north of Atlanta, five and a half hours south of Washington, DC, and less than two hours west of Raleigh, and there's an international airport just about 25 minutes from downtown, but to get started today, I thought it best to learn about the rich history of Winston-Salem, and to understand why this pioneering city and its legacy have endured so well.

And to do that, I caught up with my new friend, the director of Moravian research at Old Salem Museum and Gardens: Martha Hartley.

What years are we working with here?

- It's in the early 1720s that we have the revival, or the renewal, of the Moravian church, and really the modern Moravian church, in Saxony and part of Germany.

And they began their work in the world as missionaries, but they always wanted a large body of land they could control, and that's what brought them to Piedmont North Carolina in 1752.

- [Erik] 52 (1752).

Okay.

When they came upon this land, were they looking for something from a land specifically?

- Yes.

They were looking for a place where they could live and thrive and where they could have a robust economy and live their lives as very religious people.

And they had been offered a hundred thousand acres, and that was the establishment of Wachovia, or what was originally called the Wachau, which is a place in Austria that they knew.

And this rolling landscape reminded them of Austria, so they called it Wachovia.

They had a plan for it.

The Moravians were excellent designers and planners, and Salem was established as a central town 1766.

- [Erik] Was life hard back then?

- Well, they had a water system, whether you're pumping to cook or to clean, you've got that accessibility.

They were very organized.

They were very sophisticated, and so the placement of this square is so that they could bring in gravity-fed water from a mile away.

They piped water from springs about a mile and bury the logs, and there were different places in town where there were standpipes, and there was water in this building in 1788.

It was phenomenal.

- That's crazy.

- And so when George Washington visited in 1791, he was very impressed with the water system because it was only the second successful municipal water system in the country, and the other one was in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where the Moravians were also living.

So you have this very design-oriented, technologically savvy group of people who were also very artistic, very musical, very religious.

Religion permeated every part of every day.

Everything you did was for the Lord.

- Now we fast-forward another 80 years, call it, and now we have Winston.

- Yes, that's right.

Once done- - Because a lot of people don't, they wonder why is it called Winston-Salem?

Why don't you just call it something?

But yet there's a hyphen there for a reason.

And a lot of people assume Winston comes first because it's first in the title.

- Well, that's a great question, and in 1849 it was decided that there needed to be another courthouse and closer to the population, so that county was split in half, and the southern county was named Forsyth, after Benjamin Forsyth, a war hero from 'round here And while Wachovia was in this new county Forsyth, and Salem, in the center of this place, is the logical place to have this new county seat because people have to do their business, but this is still a religious place.

The leadership did not want to have court proceedings or executions here, so they sold 51 acres in the northern part of the Salem town lot for the new county seat, which was named Winston two years later.

And so Winston and Salem grew side by side, until the consolidation in 1913.

There was a lot shared.

This was of course was religious.

It was a theocracy until 1856, but Salem had already developed industrially.

There was a paper mill hill here in the 1780s.

There's a cotton mill in 1830s, a woolen mill in the 1840s, so there's a lot of industry going on.

There's also banking here in 1815.

An agency of the Cape Fear Bank was here and that would grow into Wachovia Bank.

The train came in 1873.

The very next year, RJ Reynolds came because there was a train.

There was money.

There was entrepreneurship.

There was already established industry.

So Winston began to really grow in that direction with tobacco and textiles.

So that really fueled the economy here and made Winston-Salem the largest and wealthiest city in North Carolina until the Great Depression.

- Why is it that the Moravians, Why are they important to the story of this state in this country?

- Well, they are very important where we are today because they are the origin of Winston-Salem.

This thriving place of arts and innovation, which is the moniker for the city, and it all goes back to the Moravians and what they establish here in the 18th century: the art, the science, the music, the things we've talked about.

Some of the earliest chamber music in America was composed here in the 1780s, by the Moravians.

They brought the trombone to America.

You begin to think about this water system, this very sophisticated town plan, this design, the architecture.

It all just is not typical at all, of colonial America.

- But people can come and visit it.

- They can.

The Moravian Archives has a beautiful facility here.

The RGK Davis' Center, which also houses the Moravian Music Foundation, and they have hours for the public to come in and people can do family research or general research, and it's very special and a wonderful experience.

Well thank you, Eric.

It's been a pleasure.

Thank you for all your good questions and your knowledge and preparation.

- Oh my goodness.

Well this day is working out.

After learning all about the Moravians' engineering feats, discipline, work ethic, and innovative spirits, it's easy to see that very essence everywhere and how it permeates all of the businesses, the arts, and even the culinary scene in Winston-Salem.

That hardworking and enduring spirit is deliciously alive and well at my next stop: Mrs. Hanes' Moravian Cookies.

- Hey, good morning.

Good morning.

Welcome to Mrs. Hanes' Cookie Factory.

- Thank you very much.

I'm Travis.

I'm Mrs. Hanes' oldest employee, 67 years.

- 67?

- I've been working for.

- Oh my gosh.

This place is amazing.

- Well, enjoy the aroma.

Enjoy tasting the cookies.

- That's the first thing I noticed.

- Well, everybody comes in.

We'd love to show you around here and show you what we do.

- Do you mind?

- I'd be glad to do it.

Oh my gosh.

This is going to be amazing.

Come on guys.

Where are we going first?

- Just follow me here, Erik.

First of all, I'm going to show you this wood cookstove.

- Look at this beautiful stove.

(indistinct) - My wife learned to make the cookies.

Had been her mother, and her first job was watching the oven.

There was no temperature control on there.

- Right?

She had to go by the aroma and just sensing- - And the feel.

She knew the timing.

- That's exactly right.

But these are some of the things you had in it.

This is the cookstove.

- Can I touch it?

- You may touch that.

- 'Cause I remember we had one of these in house.

- It brings back memories.

- It does bring back memories because I remember as a kid, I was always fascinated by how you pick one of these up, and I remember dropping one of these on my brother's foot.

He was not happy about it.

- It made two noises.

It hit his foot, and he hollered.

- And he hollered.

That's right.

- Now, actually this is Ewa's mother's rolling table.

- This was her actual table?

- This was her actual table.

She probably put it on blocks to raise it, to get a right height.

- Yeah.

These cookie sheets were made in the blacksmith shop.

These were what were used.

Tend to have old wood cookstoves.

- Okay.

Can I hold one?

I mean, they're not light.

Man, sturdy.

- Those things are probably a hundred years old.

We have this set up all- - All cookies.

- After a while you leave your impression.

- Just leave them.

Yeah.

- All of these tins you see in here are storage with cookies in them.

- Wait a minute, hold up, hold it, so you're telling me every one of these silver tins is full of cookies?

- You're probably looking at 3000 cans.

In the back, there's 3000 more because we've been baking since January, getting ready for this time of year.

You'll see here.

These are some of the ingredients.

We get a ton or two of sugar, a ton or two of flour.

We get about 60 or 70 barrels, 60-pound barrels of acid a year.

That's what goes in the ginger cookies.

- So it appears to me, Travis, as much as I've enjoyed our time together, you're like the opening act.

Here's the main event.

(group laughs) - This is the event.

- Good to meet you.

- Nice to meet you.

- Thank you so much.

- Oh you're so welcome.

- Oh my gosh.

Are we going to go in there?

- Yes.

Are you serious?

- Yes Oh, we get to go in.

Do you guys want to go in?

Let's go.

Come on.

- Come on.

- This is the heart of the operation?

- This is the heart of the operation.

This is where the rolling, the cutting, the packing.

- Can I roll some of them?

- Yes.

Do you mind?

- I can get you an apron.

Travis, go get him an apron.

- All right, so, - First, we gotta wash our hands.

- Wash our hands.

Okay, very good.

I can do this.

(upbeat music) All right, we're gonna start the clock.

- Okay.

- We're gonna see how many of these I can successfully do in one minute.

Now if I mess it up, they doesn't count.

I gotta get them on the pan in one minute.

- Ready?

- Ready, here we go.

- Go.

(cheerful music) (group laughs) - All right.

How many did we do?

- Nine.

- Nine.

- Oh boy.

This is not gonna work out.

All right, so.

- You don't need a job, do you?

- I was going to say, I think maybe I'll stick to the TV thing.

- I think so too.

- And you guys stick to the cooking.

Talk about a broken heart right here.

I mean this is, (group laughs) - I used to do a hundred pounds a day.

- How could you possibly do a hundred pounds of cookies a day?

How many sheets is that?

[Ewa] - Well, it's a whole lot.

- It's a lot, yeah.

Thank you for this.

It was great to meet you, my gosh.

Oh my gosh.

This is how, this is how, this is how we do it.

- Yes, yes.

Thank you very much for this.

- [Ewa] You're welcome.

- [Erik] While the pioneering and artistic endeavors and achievements of Moravian culture are still evident today in historic areas throughout the city, there's also innovation, new architecture, and modern art that strike the perfect balance of mixing the old with the new.

Winston-Salem is known as the city of arts and innovation after all, and no visit to Winston-Salem would be complete without a must-see visit to the centerpiece of the Reynolda Historic District, the Reynolda House Museum of American Art.

This restored 1917 mansion and grounds of RJ and Catherine Reynolds capture the essence of creativity and forward-thinking that abound in Winston-Salem to this day.

We need to do a little history, if you don't mind, 'cause it's one of my favorite subjects to begin with, but what time frame are we talking about?

Who built this?

And why, why is it here?

Help me out here.

Let's start with the who, what, when, where.

- So the when is 1906 to 1924.

So beginning of the 20th century, RJ Reynolds is the state's wealthiest individual.

- Right.

- He waits 'til 54 to marry because he's really singularly focused on the industry.

Mary's a much younger woman, who's only 24, and her interests are agriculture, gardening, design architecture, so his wife, Catherine Smith Reynolds, devises this scheme of creating a large estate that's a place for recreation, for the family to live.

They have young children at this point, but she also wants to create a progressive farm, so she wants to help the South to, to rise in some sort of scientific agriculture, so she builds a huge farm.

That's really the first idea for Reynolda, and the idea spreads to eventually include golf and polo and gardens, and it's 30,000 square feet.

The architectural style is bungalow-y.

You're always just a step from being outside.

It's healthy living.

It's a kind of breezy way of creating a home, but it's on a big scale.

- [Erik] Got it.

And the grounds themselves, what kind of acreage are we talking about here?

- [Phil] Over a thousand acres at that point.

And now that includes the, the Museum of Art.

It includes gardens.

It includes the village, which was the farm operations, which is now restaurants, shops, and actually Wake Forest University, so really eminent Southern research institutions.

Liberal Arts College is also on the original estate.

- So construction was finished in what year?

- 1917 - Got it.

And then who lived here and for how long?

- RJ and Catherine and their four children moved into the house just in time for Christmas, 1917.

- So what's more remarkable, the structure itself or the art within it?

- Well, I'm biased toward the art because the later generations of this family in the sixties, pretty at the avant-garde for actually focusing on American art, which is not as highly esteemed as it is today.

They were able to get really epitome works from many of the important artists in the American story, so it's a concentration of the whole American art history into this collection that you get to enjoy inside a comfortable house.

- And, forgive my ignorance, would this still be considered a private collection, or how does that work exactly?

- It's a nonprofit museum that's open to the public almost every day of the year.

- And does the art rotate?

What are we going to find when we're here on the walls?

- It actually rotates frequently because works of art as with the Grant Wood that's over one shoulder, and Frederick Church over another, get requested by other museums, so they travel to other museums.

They also travel to our exhibition wing.

So it's really not a huge collection, but it's a fine concentration.

- So when people come, what are they going to experience when they're here?

What would you tell them certainly for a first time?

- Well, the first experience is going down three quarters of a mile on the front lawn, so you get a sense that you're really going back in the country, and Winston-Salem has grown around Reynolda, but you still have that feeling of being, you know, you call like an idyllic space, and then you come through and see the permanent collection that rotates through the house.

So you'll recognize works of art from colonial era to the present, and then you'll see changing exhibitions.

Then your creature comforts get taken care of in the village for lunch.

- [Erik] Got it.

- [Phil] Stroll through the gardens, and if you want to stay overnight, Bowman gray, who was president of the company in the twenties, built a Norman style castle on the estate as well, which is now a hotel.

- I'm starting to understand why you've been here for 22 years.

Are you going to stay for another 25th?

- If they'll keep me.

- I think so.

Thank you my friend.

- Thanks for coming.

- As you can see by now, the rich appreciation for history and the arts in this town run deep.

The consistent innovation and moving with the times are keys to Winston-Salem's charm and allure.

And it's that same passion that overflows into its thriving culinary scene.

All in one visit, you can experience everything from classic Southern favorites to modern diverse fare, breweries, cafes, and bistros abound, all offering exciting and delicious menus to the hungry and thirsty traveler.

I decided to stop in at Sweet Potatoes and catch up with Chef Stephanie to sample some of the scrumptious cuisine that can best be described as unique, Southern-inspired, uptown, down-home cooking.

Stephanie, so good to meet you.

- Very nice to meet you too.

- My gosh.

- It really is.

- And I know we're shooting this before you guys open, because it would be next to impossible to do this when you're open, because it's gonna be full.

- We hope so.

We have been very fortunate over the past 17 years to be fairly busy.

over the past 17 years to be fairly busy.

- When did you start?

When you're 10?

Come on now, stop that.

- Yes, yes.

That was it.

Inherited from my parents.

- Very good.

(both laugh) Seems to me like there is real entrepreneurial innovation going on here.

- There really is.

- And I think that's something that most people watching would have no idea.

I mean, you look at a map, you said there's Winston-Salem.

It doesn't stick out as wow.

There's a lot of really talented artists doing different things, including food in this town.

Wouldn't you say?

- [Stephanie] I mean, it is amazing.

I'm so proud of this.

This city, we have all this talent, and so getting restaurants and other businesses is becoming a lot easier.

And in this area by itself, there's all these women restaurant owners.

- The restaurant business is a very difficult business to be in.

A, you have to love it, or there's absolutely no reason to do it because the profit margin- - You're not doing this to get rich, not by a long shot.

- Yeah.

- And we do like food, and we've been doing this for a long time.

The taking a chance for yourself, and a lot of people down here did that and are doing that.

And so you get the best flavor of a city when there's all these little small enterprises.

- [Erik] Yeah.

- [Stephanie] You know?

That's what makes, I think, Winston-Salem a little bit different.

- All right, what are we looking at here?

- This is fried green tomatoes and fried okra.

If it ain't moving, we gonna fry it.

(both laugh) It's just that simple.

- Allow me please.

Where's your plate?

- Oh, thank you.

- A couple of those.

Green tomato?

These look amazing.

- [Stephanie] Green tomatoes are my absolute favorite form of eating a vegetable.

- Talk about a versatile thing - It really is.

Some people actually don't know.

It's like a tomato just before it ripens.

- Right.

- So they're actually pretty versatile.

I love them.

- And I want to try this sweet potato.

What'd you say?

- The aioli.

- Sweet potato aioli.

My super food aioli.

(Stephanie laughs) Oh wow.

That's delicious.

Oh wow.

That's delicious.

- It really is.

- What's in it.

Can you tell us what's in it?

- Well, baked sweet potatoes, mashed mayonnaise, garlic, secret spices.

- Uh huh - We also do a BLT with that, that fried green tomato BLT with the aioli.

- That's the spread on it.

Oh my word.

What's what's the most fun you have?

- Well the best thing is to see somebody enjoy what you did.

- Yeah.

- I mean, that's the best thing.

Otherwise, I mean, I could work in an office or something and make more money.

- I was going to say and make more money.

That's very true.

All right, so chef, what do we have here?

This looks, first of all, I tried to eat the whole basket, (Stephanie laughs) but I knew there was more coming, so what have we moved on to?

- Okay, so this, these are, On the menu, I think it says slap your mama ribs.

Well, yeah, these are barbecue ribs.

We got bourbon baked beans and coleslaw.

The ribs are good.

The ribs are good.

(Erik laughs) - Perfect.

- They're good.

- One-syllable good.

That's all it means.

What are you having?

- And this is a chicken sandwich.

It's mumbo chicken.

It's kind of a spicy tomato-based sauce.

- Okay.

- And it's fried chicken, boneless skin-on fried chicken breasts with coleslaw and sweet potato fries on a sweet potato bun.

- Now, should I eat these with a fork?

What would you recommend?

- Put your little fork and knife down and- - Okay - Take your fingers and go for it.

- Oh yeah.

I'm going this side first.

Look at this.

It is chest.

It just comes apart like it's supposed to.

How do you make these?

- Slow roast.

And then we finish them on the grill.

- Put them on the grill?

- Uh huh.

And the barbecue sauce we make here, and it's a good barbecue sauce.

- That's a great barbecue sauce, but I want to try these beans.

- Oh yeah.

The beans are good.

The beans with the coleslaw.

That's my favorite thing, beans and coleslaw.

- I love coleslaw.

It's good by itself if it's done right.

But you got to get the sugar.

You got to get the balance.

The balance has to be there.

There's green peppers in here.

- Yeah.

- This is amazing.

- Thank you.

Thank you very much.

That's what we're here for.

- It is so easy to understand why people come back over and over and over and over.

Look at this.

Did you get a close-up of that sandwich?

Look at that sandwich: sweet potato bun, butter on the bun.

Oh my goodness.

Pickled ochre?

- Yeah, yeah.

- Look at this.

Chef, come on now.

- Isn't that nice.

(Erik laughs) - I'm going dunk.

I have the other half.

We'll do it together.

- Okay, okay.

- You're not gonna stand here.

Nobody wants to watch a fat guy eat by himself.

(both laugh) Oh no.

Oh my word.

All right.

We're doing our dunk.

Are you ready.

- Yeah.

- We're gonna dunk, we're gonna dunk.

Go ahead.

You dunk first.

- All right.

I'll dunk.

Okay.

A real dunk.

(both laugh) Get that in there.

Thank you, (indistinct).

When you let that sauce just roll to the back of your tongue.

- Yeah.

- And then it comes back forward.

And that sweet potato roll.

They are so good.

- Now what happened?

I looked, I looked away.

- Fried chicken tenders, whole wheat spaghetti, a creamy Creole sauce.

- Oh no.

- A sausage and country ham and a sweet potato biscuit comes with it.

- As you do.

- Uh huh.

- But it appears to me, here, there's a real celebration of entrepreneurs and independent owners.

Why is that in this town?

- Because people are willing to take a chance and celebrate the flavor specifically in Winston-Salem of the fact that city is different from Charlotte or Greensboro, Durham.

- [Erik] Yeah.

- [Stephanie] This is our flavor.

Krispy Kreme donuts, Moravian cookies, sweet potatoes.

This is, this is our town, and this is what makes us different than any other city.

You're just who you are.

- [Erik] Right.

- And you're gearing it to people that actually live in the town.

- Thank you for this.

- Thank you.

- Of course there's thousands of places all over this country you've yet to explore, but I'll tell you what, why don't you add Winston-Salem to the top of your list?

I'm Erik The Travel Guy.

Thank you for exploring Beyond Your Backyard.

(soft chatter) - In 1766, this was a wilderness, so having a- (car engine starts) All right.

- If you'd like to read a poem or something, perhaps we'll get you a book to read out loud.

I'll just sit here and wrap this up 'cause this is amazing.

Call my cardiologist.

(Stephanie laughs) Ooh.

Maybe if I spill something, I don't have to work for the rest of the day.

(both laugh) Sorry, my shirt's dirty.

Sorry, yeah, I gotta wait for action.

I don't do anything without action.

Now, here we go.

- Use a man that pulls the string and makes the bucket jump.

(both laugh) - Travis, this is like a cookie aquarium.

- Maybe show him how to cook one or two and then he can cook.

- And then we can cut a rug later on.

- Okay.

Set you at learning, it's best just to do one at a time.

It push and pull.

Just go one way with, just go one way.

Don't push down, pull and push, pull and push.

Start in the middle.

And don't mash down, just a little bit harder than that - You said not to push down.

- And faster.

(both laugh) Let it lay on your fingers, land on your fingers.

Just a flick of the wrist.

I thought you were doing better, but.

I'm glad you got another job.

Yeah, incidentally, these are the same gloves I wear when I do my TV show.

- Well I watch you on TV.

- No you (indistinct) - Yes I do.

I watch Erik The Travel Guy.

(Erik laughs) Is that you?

- That's me.

[Narrator] For more information on this episode, visit ErikTheTravelGuy.com And while you're there, you'll discover other fascinating destinations just beyond your backyard and links to follow me on social media.

That's ErikTheTravelGuy.com (ominous music) (funky, upbeat music) - [Narrator] The Perillo Tours Foundation.

For 73 years, we've been bringing travelers to Italy.

It's where our heart is.

Escorted tours and custom vacations, Italy, the dream destination.

- Hi, I'm Erik The Travel Guy.

You know, I've been exploring the world professionally for more than a decade.

And you know what I've learned?

It's that fantastic experiences await you in every corner of the globe, but you don't always have to travel that far to uncover them, so join me each week as we go on and off the beaten path, learn something new, and sample delicious culinary.

We're exploring Beyond Your Backyard.

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