Reading and sipping—surely one of life’s great pleasures.
Anna Hayes thought so. The Chapel Hill author of Without Precedent: The Life of Susie Marshall Sharp, (published by UNC Press in 2008) lives part-time in Paris and became aware of the prestigious book prizes awarded by a number of the "literary cafés" there, where famous writers like Sartre, de Beauvoir, and Hemingway used to hang out.
“When my friends in Chapel Hill got tired of listening to me talk about what a good idea it was, we teamed up with Crook's Corner Bar and Café to establish a literary prize. Given Crook's status as an iconic Southern restaurant and its long history as a favorite hangout for artists of all sorts, it seemed a natural to partner with Crook’s to sponsor a prize for best debut novel set in the South.”
Why a prize for a first novel?
“Not many things are tougher than getting attention for a debut novel, so that's where we focused our efforts,” Hayes explained So far, the prize has an impressive track record for spotting early talent. “From best-selling author Wiley Cash, who won the first award in 2014, to last year's winner, Margaret Wilkerson Sexton, who has been getting rave reviews for her second novel, Crook's Corner Book Prize winners have become vigorous citizens of the literary world.”
Hayes, president of the Crook’s Corner Book Prize Foundation, has been instrumental in raising awareness of the prize—and raising the amount of the award. Winners take home $5,000, plus a free glass of wine a day at Crook’s Corner for the year ahead. This year’s winner, to be announced tonight—at Crook’s, of course--was selected by judge novelist Charles Frazier from the following short list:
· The Atlas of Reds and Blues by Devi S. Laskar
· Sugar Land by Tammy Lynne Stoner
· Lot: Stories by Bryan Washington
More than 30 debut novels were submitted for consideration this year.
And what’s the connection to Crook’s Corner? The adjective “iconic” almost always precedes mention of the restaurant—and for good reason. For more than three decades, the unassuming eatery on West Franklin Street, half-way between Chapel Hill and Carrboro, NC, has drawn enthusiastic crowds, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill students and their families to locals who revere good food with a Southern touch. Founder and chef, the late Bill Neal, helped put shrimp and grits on the national culinary map. A 1985 article in the New York Times drew early attention to the restaurant and heralded the dawn of respect for Southern cooking. Then-restaurant critic Craig Claiborne said Neal was “considered by many to be one of today's finest young Southern chefs.”
That appreciation continues today. Bill Smith, Neal’s successor and chef for 25 years, finally decided to retire last year, locals on the foodie scene were eager to continue Neal’s and Smith’s legacy. A group that includes Gary Crunkleton of The Crunkleton in Chapel Hill and Shannon Healy of Alley Twenty Six in Durham, bought the Crook’s Corner in 2019. They recruited Justin Burdett, well known chef of Asheville’s Local Provisions, as the restaurant’s only third chef since it opened in 1982.
So far, he is winning accolades. A recent review in Raleigh’s News & Observer, said “Burdett’s challenge has been to continue that delicate balancing act [of continuing to offer traditional favorites and introduce new menu items]. A year in, the young chef is proving to be more than up to the challenge.”
So, Crook’s Corner is evolving. Of course, change happens. But some things stay the same—shrimp and grits, Atlantic Beach Pie, and honeysuckle sorbet on the menu. The rooftop fiberglass pink pig. The exuberant garden featuring bamboo and hubcaps. And the restaurant’s commitment to supporting debut Southern fiction through the Crook’s Corner Book Prize.
