PEMBROKE — Papa Bill’s Old Fashioned Bar-B-Q, Fuller’s Barbecue and Wing Company are all staple eateries just minutes from The University of North Carolina at Pembroke.

This fact is the premise behind a pilot for a series being pitched for PBS NC, titled “NC Tastes Great.” The show aims to highlight these local restaurants as well as other “food spots,” the culture and the community that surrounds the college campuses in and around the UNC system.

Telling Pembroke’s story is Brayboy Communications Inc. owner and chief creative Jack Brayboy who is host and producer. He hails from Charlotte, about a two-hour track west of Pembroke.

“Universities in themselves are like little cities. They’re ecosystems … economy, culture, community and we’re trying to showcase all of that,” Brayboy said. “I’m kind of looking at this as that Guy Fieri/Anthony Bourdain — sort of a hybrid with a strong North Carolina educational and culinary experience all rolled into one.”

“It also gives people a chance to see what it’s like on these college campuses these days. See what these students are doing,” he added.

Brayboy, flanked by a small crew, spent part of the week in Pembroke shooting B-roll and exploring the different eateries throughout town as well as on campus. On Thursday he caught up with “Papa” Bill Deese and his two sons Jamie and Brent to get a peak at the magic that happens behind the locally famous for its Carolina-style barbecue.

Located roughly a mile give or take from campus, Papa Bill’s has been a fixture in Pembroke since 1989.

Still at the helm of the restaurant is owner Bill Deese who sat down with Brayboy to share the story behind the restaurant.

“We’ve been here for 32 years. Everybody here knows Papa Bill’s,” Jamie said.

The fact that the drive-thru is still cooking barbecue with wood when many joints have switched to gas is the message the trio hoped to reiterate in there “NC Tastes Great” story.

“It’s awesome and all of the hard work seems to be coming to the spotlight,” Brent said.

When choosing a location for the pilot, Brayboy sought an area rich with culture that gives each eatery a unique tale.

“Everybody knows about the flagships like NC State and Carolina but why don’t we find a different place to start that also has a unique story in itself,” Brayboy said. “Pembroke is a little more off the grid, the eastern part of the state.”

After visiting the town and campus, Brayboy and his team realized they made the right choice.

“It was kind of a perfect combination of food spots that have history to them in and around and certainly staples to the community, and also have a chance to let that whole Native American culture breath into it and piece together the final presentation of what we’re trying to do,” Brayboy said. “These are also business owners at a time when it ain’t easy for these folks. These folks have kind of stood the tests of time and managed to make it through the pandemic and are thriving once again.”

The pilot episode will divert away from the food with a visit to the Museum of the Southeast American Indian, located in UNCP’s Old Main building.

“The food is the focus of this thing but we also want to make it a cultural experience to whatever degree we can,” Brayboy said.