Around here, the folks cooking your favorite foods are as close to celebrities as some of us get (unless you’re lucky enough to corner Dave Matthews on the mall). So, for this year’s annual Food & Drink Issue, we decided to take a look behind the scenes—beyond your pork belly tacos and pain de campagne—at where our chefs, sous chefs, bar managers, retailers, bakers, and brewers eat on their off-hours, how they source hard-to-find ingredients, and what they crave when no one’s looking. (No surprise there: They like fast-food as much as the rest of us—and some aren’t even ashamed to say it).
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MarieBette spinoff offers traditional take on donuts
Donuts have been on a certain trajectory for the last two decades: bigger, more toppings, more creativity—an arms race of candy, cookies, and fried pork. After several years working with semi-traditionalists Jason Becton and Patrick Evans at MarieBette Café & Bakery, Melissa Sbrocco went in a different direction when she opened her namesake donut shop […]
Virginia’s spirits come to life in the glass
Vitis vinifera and native apples soak up the praise for the nationally acclaimed pressings that fill Virginia’s cellars. For every drop that makes it to the vintner’s bottle, loads of wine and cider base are blended out or sold in bulk, in order for producers to stay under target case counts. Spoiled bits and trimmings […]
Gearharts desire
There is something magical about chocolate. I used to spend every Sunday with my Nana, and these visits included a chocolate treat or two from her sweets jar on the gold-speckled white Formica counter. In my youth, my dad was my best Valentine (yes, I’ve been to therapy)—he bought Mom, my sister, and me fancy […]
