Five finds on Friday: Jason Oliver

On Fridays, we feature five food finds from local chefs and personalities.  Today’s picks come from Jason Oliver, Brewmaster at Devils Backbone Brewing Company, which was named Small Brewing Company and Small Brewing Company Brewer of the Year at the 2013 Great American Beer Festival.  Next week be on the lookout for the latest batch of Dark Abby, […]

Germs of endearment: When illness invades

Early last summer, a little over a month after my daughter’s first birthday, my wife and I felt we’d reached a huge milestone: the achievement of a durable and reasonable baby care/work/life balance. After a year of having to improvise our lives on a day-to-day basis, order, routine, and stability were being restored. My daughter […]

Lip service: Two young sisters prepare to dominate local cosmetics biz

In many ways, Emma Wayne is your average sixth grade girl. She takes dance and gymnastics, focuses on homework, and participates in afterschool activities at Henley Middle School in Crozet. But Emma has an unusual hobby: She runs a business. Emma and her 8-year-old sister, Julia, started Blush Daisy, a makeup manufacturer, last spring. It […]

Recipe for success: PB&J Fund gets an upgrade

The idea that eating right is key to healthy, happy kids is not a new one. But cooking right? That’s a different story, and it’s where the PB&J Fund comes in. The local nonprofit gives kids and families access to kitchens where they can learn to plan and prepare nutritious meals and develop a healthy […]

Punch bowl: Dusting off the tradition of the communal beverage

Before the water cooler, there was the punch bowl. The bowl contained the original social medium—a beverage spiked with alcohol—and it brought people together. Groups of people congregated around the bowl, catching up on gossip, making merry, and enjoying one another’s company. Sumerian art from as early as the 3rd century BC reveals that it’s […]

A Hokie’s view of Hooville on Rivalry Saturday

I can barely feel my toes, and I’m wishing I’d grabbed an extra sweatshirt before leaving the house. I’ve just spent entirely too much money on an 8″ pepperoni pizza and a Diet Pepsi in a souvenir Cavaliers cup I have no intention of keeping, and the November sun is blinding me as I squint at […]

Local chefs swoon over Pad Thai’s home-style cuisine

Does authenticity have a place in the food world? Four top local chefs and I discussed the question over a recent lunch at Pad Thai restaurant, located at 156 Carlton Rd., next to Beer Run. The venue was appropriate. Pad Thai enjoys a huge following among area chefs, and is said by many to serve […]

Remembering local farmer Richard Bean

Eleven years ago, in the spring, my friend Leslie told me she was going to an organic farm to interview for a job. She’d seen a flyer at Integral Yoga. Did I want to come too and maybe work with her? I asked how much it paid. Five bucks an hour, she said. I laughed […]

Slow coffee: Is single cup preparation java’s next big thing?

I am a mindless follower, a sheep that would walk with the rest of you straight to the slaughter if given the chance. About eight years ago, while living in Chicago, I started taking down espresso drinks two at a time. You might guess this coincided with the growing popularity of a certain coffee shop chain […]