Lutra Cafe & Bakery already had a loyal following in Durham. When chef-owner Chris McLaurin opened its first brick-and-mortar, Alexis Beitler Communications brought Lutra’s story to national food and lifestyle media.

The opening gave editors a reason to pay attention. Chris gave them a reason to keep coming back. We showed how his time at Komi, Little Serow, and Poole’side Pies shaped the food at his neighborhood cafe, then pitched him as an emerging chef with something to say about how people cook and dine. From ingredient recommendations to dining trends, each pitch gave editors a new way to feature Chris and Lutra beyond opening day.

Since opening in June, Lutra Cafe & Bakery has earned more than 25 national media placements through Alexis Beitler Communications, including a Food & Wine feature that ran chef-owner Chris McLaurin’s Ganache Brownie Cake recipe under his own byline. The campaign also established Chris as a go-to culinary expert for national media, with Southern Living, Food & Wine, Simply Recipes, VinePair, and Martha Stewart Living drawing on his expertise for stories on cooking techniques, ingredient recommendations, dining, and holiday entertaining.