Introduced by
Have you met Mary Cowx?
Eater, writer, bean counter. Lover of spreadsheets.
Hi! If you haven’t already, Meet my good friend , Mary Cowx.
She’s a bean counter, spreadsheet enthusiast and avid foodie. We first met in 2011, at a Charlotte Food Blogger meet up, at TCBY yogurt on Montford. Who would have thunk that four years later, we would not only still be friends but become as close as we have. She’s my favorite person to wine and dine with as well as discover new places in Charlotte with. I’ve never met a person who embraces her inner “nerdy chic” so flawlessly. We’ve had picnics in the park, gone on road trips, cooked some pretty fantastic food and ate our way through cities together.
She is also probably the most positive person that I know. She’s always looking on the bright side of things. She’s a true inspiration and a rare gem. They don’t come along in life very often. She continues to amaze me by how she takes charge of her life and follows her passion. She recently left her job in Uptown to become an accounting teacher at Queens University. She’s accomplished her goal, and is now part of a non profit group, the Green Teacher Network. Her food blog, Fervent Foodie has developed into required reading material here in Charlotte. Big things are in store for her in life. I’m honored to be called her friend. So please, if you haven’t already, get to know my dear friend, Mary. If you ever get the chance to go out to eat with her, DO IT, you won’t regret it.
I asked Mary eight questions. Her answers are below her picture.
What are you most passionate about?
I think this is a hard question. It’s hard to pick just one thing that you’re passionate about, because I think it depends on what level of passion are we talking about. Normally when people ask me that, the first thing that comes to mind is food, because that’s like the thing that consumes me. It’s what I think about all of the time. It’s what I want to do, the people I care about, it’s my hobby, it’s my creative time. Food seems like such a small thing to say that you’re most passionate about. But I think if it’s the thing that consumes most of my being, then food is it.
What is the dorkiest thing that you do?
There are so many things. I embrace being a big nerd. My mom calls it “nerdy chic”. It probably has to do with spreadsheets. I’m a numbers junkie, I love data. Anytime I can throw some numbers in a spreadsheet I get really excited. So for me, everyday, I update my personal, two year budget. I always know what the numbers are. I have to be on top of the numbers, because thats the one thing that keeps me stable. Life can be crazy, but if I know my budget spreadsheet is updated, It’s going to be okay.
What motivates you?
I think for me stagnancy is the worst thing in the world. Like to get up in the morning and do the exact same thing, in the exact same way that you did the previous day is like the most depressing that I can think of. So for me I’m motivated to get up in the morning and do something better than I did the day before or differently than the way I did the day before. Something that is entirely new. Just like that constant growth and learning aspect is what keeps me motivated.
If you could make your own ice cream, what’s in it and why?
Oh. My. God. I am an ice cream snob. I’m not snobby about many things, but ice cream is one of them. More often than not, I think it’s inadequate. I love nutty ice creams. My perfect ice cream would be like a high fat content, luxurious, really buttery, thick. No ice crystals, ok? For me it’s not what’s in the ice cream. It’s about the ice cream itself. Once we get that down, then I would want to stir in a little salted pecan and a little hot fudge. That’s it. Perfect.
What’s your favorite hangout spot in Charlotte?
I really love Sunflour. I was trying to think the other day, like why do I like Sunflour so much? I think that it’s just so simple. There’s not much going on. It’s very clean and orderly. There’s coffee and sandwiches if you want them. But it’s just a good place to hang out and talk and get work done or whatever. I feel at home at Sunflour.
Describe your perfect day
My ideal, normal day, is to get up at 5 am and exercise, whether it’s to run, do body bump or yoga. I like to get it out of the way as soon as possible. I really think that physical exercise contributes to everyone’s mental stability and happiness. So for me, on days when I don’t do that, I notice a big difference. So yeah, I would get up and exercise right away. Then I would come home and make breakfast, like eggs and toast. Example: Today I had an egg sandwich, it was delicious. I really like getting out and walking around. That’s one of the things I really like about Charlotte. I came from a small town, so to me, Charlotte is super walkable. A lot of people who came from bigger places don’t agree with that. But it’s all about perspective. So for me I love to be able to walk places, whether it’s walking around Uptown, Plaza Midwood, Elizabeth. So I’d be out and about walking around, checking things out, eating something delicious. I would want to come home and take a nap. Then probably cook something for dinner.
Sara Beth Jones asked why do you love Charlotte?
There’s a lot of things that I love about Charlotte. I feel that the young people of Charlotte, and I use that word young loosely. I don’t mean high schoolers or 20 year olds. I mean just people who are out and about. So the “young” people of Charlotte have this energy about them. People are making things happen. So whatever it is that you’re passionate about that you want to do, I feel like in the last maybe year or two, I’ve seen people taking action on that. Doing something about it. There’s been lots of articles about people leaving corporate America to pursue different interests. I think that’s a common thing that’s happening. I don’t think it’s something you have to do, but it’s really energizing to me to see people caring about things and then following through on them. So that aspect of the “young energy”, just like the take charge, can do attitude of the people in Charlotte is really appealing in addition to the growing food scene. I can’t believe how much it’s grown since I’ve been here. Everyday there’s something new that comes up whether it’s in Charlotte Agenda or wherever. I’m like what is this place? I’ve never even been here. There’s just a lot of things to see or do and it’s constantly changing and evolving. I get bored really easy. So to me that keeps me really excited and interested.
Introduce Mary to your friends.
Tweet ThisStay up to date via email.
Subscribe below and every Saturday morning we’ll recap the week and let you know what’s coming up. The updates throughout the week will be available on the site, Twitter and Facebook.
Make an introduction.
Know someone awesome? Want to tell their story and introduce them to all of #weloveclt? Now’s your chance! Go here, read the guidelines and let’s make it happen.
