By now, Sydney Meers seems so central to the character of Hampton Roads food that youâd have to invent him if he didnât already exist.
Through more than three decades and a multitude of restaurants, he has been an idiosyncratic and somewhat mischievous and inescapable presence in local restaurants. A deep-Southern transplant from truck-stop Senatobia, Mississippi, Meers makes mid-Atlantic food as personal as a heart attack â with personality as towering as his heirloom pork pie.
You could consider Meersâ new Sydâs FishPig Cafe, located in Norfolkâs Selden Market, a bit of a victory lap. It is, in part, a greatest hits compilation pulling together decadesâ worth of flavors onto its fast-rotating menu. And if he has the ingredients on hand, Meers said heâll dig through his files to make any of his dishes that you can remember.
Read more in the Sunday Break section
The murder of Heren Cabacar stands out among cold cases. Before being gunned down in the streets of Portsmouth in 1981 for the change in his pockets, Cabacar had survived the Bataan Death March of WW2 and three years as a POW during the Korean War. In the decades since his death, his family has faithfully called PPD to make sure the case isnât forgotten. But a few years ago, they were informed the file could no longer be found. After a call from The Pilot, police now say theyâve at least located the case file. Â Read more in the Sunday Break section
Old Dominion and Christopher Newport universities have frozen tuition for the next school year. Norfolk State University and the three local community colleges: Tidewater, Thomas Nelson and Camp, will make their decisions at meetings this month.
