STORY: What Happens When a Room Full of Women Stops Performing
Some nights you can feel the shift happen. STORY was one of them.
On April 30th, Tandem opened its doors for the second gathering in the Uncorked. Unapologetic. series, and the room filled up fast — cocktails in hand, jazz humming underneath the conversation, and a table set with bites pulled straight from the pages of Southern Roots.
Anita Spring Council was our guest of honor. Daughter of the legendary Mildred "Mama Dip" Council, Spring grew up in Northside Chapel Hill watching her mother feed a community that never stopped growing — and she's spent her career proving that legacy isn't something you inherit quietly. She talked about doubt. About showing up anyway. About what it costs, and what it gives back, to walk into a room without apology.
She was joined by Erin McMullen of Durham Distillery, whose own story of building — and rebuilding — a women-led brand in a brutal industry sat right alongside Spring's. Two different paths, one unmistakable thread: neither of them waited for permission.
"What a beautiful afternoon," Spring said afterward. "It was an honor to see everyone coming together for the Mama Dip Share the Love Fund. Thank you, Tandem and Content Matters, for hosting such a wonderful event." Erin put it simply: "What a wonderful event!"
This wasn't a panel. There was no moderator keeping things tidy, no slide deck, no polite Q&A at the end. It was a table. People leaned in. They laughed loud. Someone probably cried a little, in the good way.
The Room
(image: 3.jpg) — The Tandem patio filling in under the string lights and shade sails, right as the evening got going.
(image: 6.jpg) — A table full of friends, rosé in hand, mid-laugh. This is the room STORY was built for.
(image: 8.jpg) — Erin McMullen addressing the crowd as the sun started to dip — the moment the night shifted from mingling to listening.
(image: 11.jpg) — Left to right: Stacey Martin (Owner, Content Matters), Spring Council (author), Erin McMullen, and Emma Dunbar (Owner, Tandem) — the night, in one frame.
Thank you to our sponsors
STORY doesn't happen without the people who believe in this series before a single ticket sells. Huge thanks to Content Matters and Tandem — the two businesses behind Uncorked. Unapologetic. from day one — for putting up the room, the resources, and the belief that this series was worth building.
What's next
Every ticket sold that night supported the Mama Dip's Share the Love Fund, founded by Spring to support youth development across the Triangle — which feels like exactly the right note for this series to hit.
STORY closes out, and the series turns toward its final chapter: VISION, an art gallery showcase celebrating women investing in women. If STORY was about the stories we carry, VISION is about what we build next.
Tickets and details coming soon. Save your seat at the table.
Uncorked. Unapologetic. is a women's event series co-founded by Stacey Martin and Emma Dunbar, hosted at Tandem Restaurant in Carrboro, NC.
