You’d think that Dean Maupin, Keswick Hall’s Executive Chef—who also lists The Greenbrier (West Virginia), Tra Vigne (California), and The Clifton Inn on his resume—would be the cook in his family of five, but he’s sure to give credit where it’s due. His wife, Erin, who studied pastry at the CIA and worked at Fauchon […]
You’d think that Dean Maupin, Keswick Hall’s Executive Chef—who also lists The Greenbrier (West Virginia), Tra Vigne (California), and The Clifton Inn on his resume—would be the cook in his family of five, but he’s sure to give credit where it’s due. His wife, Erin, who studied pastry at the CIA and worked at Fauchon […]
(Photo by Andrea Hubbell) When you walk into Mike Ball’s stunning, open-floor home located in the heart of Downtown Charlottesville, you immediately see the lush green of the backyard. The self-taught contractor, who started Element Construction after years of working for Artisan Construction, bought the space in 2008. But he and his wife Karen, a […]
Kim Speer, TheFeteBlog.com columnist and University of Virginia construction manager (Photo by Cramer Photo) OBJECT OF MY AFFECTION Hot pot “Five years ago, I decided I wanted to learn to cook. Once I got cooking, I really wanted a Le Creuset Dutch oven pot, but I just couldn’t splurge that much so my parents surprised me […]
Rhubarb, that ruby-stalked rhizome that adds a tantalizing tartness to dishes both sweet and savory, is among the handful of spring produce that, just like the blossoming flowers and trees, seem to vanish in the blink of an eye. That’s why we’re practicing scorpacciata, or the act of consuming large amounts of a particular local […]
You can eat your way around the world at the Ninth Annual Festival of Cultures Saturday, May 12, from 10am to 4pm in Lee Park.
A 100-year-old estate with a croquet lawn and a snooker room isn’t where you’d expect to be handed an iPad when being seated for dinner, but Keswick Hall’s gone new school, taking Fossett’s leather-bound tome of a wine list digital. Sommelier Richard Hewitt and his team started the project last September to “innovate and expand […]
Karina Hange’s bedroom functions as a sanctuary, a place where she can relax, get work done and ultimately, be herself by herself. “[My brothers] aren’t really allowed to come into my room. Ever.” (Photo by Cramer Photo) Karina Hange (15) just got her learner’s permit and her younger brothers (Kristopher, 12 and Lukas, 8) are […]
(File photo) A fresh pea tastes like a gift from the earth. When pinched off the vine and eaten immediately (preferably with dirty feet and a basket full of fresh lettuce), their crisp sweetness is always a reminder of the merits of fresh food. Tempt a toddler to pick a pod or two and then […]
(File photo) The grocery store tomatoes I bought during the last heat wave have been languishing in their pots as we wait for night temperatures to settle dependably into the 50s. No matter how hot it gets during the day, tomatoes will not prosper in cold soil at night. I knew this when I bought […]
The common stereotype of someone being evicted or foreclosed on is a deadbeat loser. And there are plenty of shady renters and homeowners out there. But if the housing bust taught us one thing, it’s that plenty of normal, non-deadbeat Americans found themselves facing eviction or foreclosure after they’d lost their jobs, seen the value […]