Back to school: New owner, new focus for Charlottesville Cooking School

With chef Antwon Brinson’s recent takeover of Martha Stafford’s popular Charlottesville Cooking School, the institution is becoming a destination for aspiring restaurant cooks—a place to learn professional and life skills for long-term culinary careers. Brinson originally launched Culinary Concepts, his “culinary boot camp,” in partnership with the City of Charlottesville and Albemarle County, and operated […]

Curls for a cause: Brasserie Saison’s general manager is making waves

Will Curley, general manager of Brasserie Saison and wine director at Ten Course Hospitality, is ready to sacrifice his stylish “do” for a good cause. Call it Curls for Curley. Friend and winemaker AJ Greely says Curley’s wife Priscilla, who is the general manager at Tavola, “has been teasing him unrelentingly regarding his mullet.” So […]

Dinner is served: Chef brings women together to help the homeless

Duner’s executive chef Laura Fonner has spearheaded a drive to provide chef-driven, home-cooked suppers for PACEM—an organization that provides cold-weather shelter for the homeless—each Tuesday throughout the winter months. She was inspired to take action after helping to serve at a PACEM dinner late last winter. “I met a man who had worked in restaurants […]

But baby it’s cold outside: Wine and beer delivered to your door

In case you need one more excuse to avoid going out in the frigid weather, Wegmans is now offering beer and wine delivery through Instacart. “We know our customers are busy, and the holidays are no exception,” says Erica Tickle, Wegmans e-commerce group manager. “We wanted to help our customers spend less time prepping and […]

Café and community: A taste of Little Havana comes to Cville

Proper Cuban food has been in short supply in the Charlottesville area, but that’s about to change when Guajiros Miami Eatery opens its doors in the next few weeks. The restaurant is the brainchild of Miami transplant Harvey Mayorga, who, with his brother, Danilo, plans to bring a bit of Little Havana to the city, […]

Sake to me: Falling in love with rice wine

For North American Sake Brewery co-owner Jeremy Goldstein, it wasn’t a trip to Japan but a visit back home to California that inspired his new venture. “I’d never had ‘craft’ sake, but I went to this amazing restaurant with a sake sommelier and had a whole different experience than I’d had before with the heated […]

Egging ’em on: Junction’s now serving a bruncheon

Belmont’s Junction is delving into the weekend world of bracing bloodies and merciful mimosas with the launch of a brunch service. Executive chef Melissa Close-Hart says the demand was there for it, and the timing right. “We thought about doing brunch from the beginning,” she says. “We tried it out on holidays, like Easter and […]