Popular chef cooking at Carolina Cheese Co. – The Wilson Times

Brie Handgraaf

Main Street Minute

For three decades, Trent Mayo’s culinary dishes brought diners from throughout the region to a historic home in Elm City. Now Mayo is back in the kitchen, offering his own take on brunch, lunch and dinner items at Carolina Cheese Co.

“If you grew up in Rocky Mount or Wilson and went to weddings, proms or other events like that, you went to The Legacy in Elm City,” said Carolina Cheese Co. owner Richard Millinder. “Trent was the owner, the operator, the chef, the chief dishwasher, maintenance guy and anything else. He has so much experience and everybody knows him, so he is a good fit.”

When the Brentwood eatery reopened under new ownership in January, Mike Moore was leading the kitchen but he took a job with Vin Rouge in Durham this spring.

“The guys who were working in the kitchen took it over and I tried my best to manage it,” said Millinder. “But that is not my thing. I’ve got some kitchen experience, but not enough to run a kitchen.”

Mayo joined the staff on June 1 shortly after the school year ended because since shuttering The Legacy in 2016, he’s been teaching. He started out as a substitute teacher, but eventually settled into teaching exceptional children at Beddingfield High School. Mayo said he plans to continue working in both the classroom and the kitchen.

“We sold the property because at that point, my wife and I were approaching 60. We’d been doing it a long time and hadn’t had a weekend off in almost 40 years, except for when my daughter got married, so it was time for something different,” he said. “When we sold the restaurant, my career changed entirely. I started teaching and worked with all grades, but I found the exceptional kids were the ones I really loved working with, so when the opportunity presented itself, I jumped at it and have loved it.”

The father of two hasn’t tweaked popular items like the creamy mac ‘n’ cheese with fried Brussels sprouts or the half-pound of peel-and-eat shrimp, but has added his own spin to some weekly features.

“I like being able to change things up and try new things. I constantly study and think of new ideas,” Mayo said, adding many former Legacy customers come in and make requests for their favorite dishes. “I think it is a good idea to carry on some of the tradition, but also move forward with some new things.”

The restaurant at 2801 Ward Blvd., Suite 3-P is offers lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, brunch and lunch items from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sundays. Dinner is offered from 5 to 9 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays.

“We really want to provide Wilson with a reasonably priced contemporary dining experience,” said Millinder. “We’re not trying to hit the $35 to $40 price point because we’re going for under $20. We want to provide residents with an affordable alternative with great food.”

Millinder is hiring for cooks and front-of-house staff, but prior experience is required. Visit www.hoopcheese.org/ for more information about the business, menu and hours.

“Just come out and give us a try,” said Mayo.

COLLEGE SEEKS FOOD VENDOR

Wilson Community College is soliciting established restaurants or food trucks interested in offering food to students, faculty and staff. Interested restaurateurs are required to attend a pre-proposal meeting at 2 p.m. on Aug. 7 in Building F, Room 103B where request for proposal packets will be distributed. Proposals are due by 2 p.m. on Aug. 16 with no late submissions accepted. For more information, contact Donna Turner at daturner@wilsoncc.edu or call 252-246-1240.

EXTRA! EXTRA!

Bill’s Grill in Black Creek will reopen for business today following a July 24 grease fire. Owner Will Jenkins said the inspector has signed off on the repairs at 5619 U.S. 117 Alternate and the diner will be open again from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays.

Got an idea for news to include in next week’s Main Street Minute? Don’t hesitate to reach out to me at 252-265-7821 or bhandgraaf@wilsontimes.com.