American shoji

Joanne McNergney’s garage wasn’t doing her much good. It was built decades ago and too small for her car. She had turned it into a storage unit, parking her car in an adjacent carport, but as a shed, the space was neither functional nor fashionable. An avid gardener, McNergney wanted a well-organized, properly situated place […]

Get on the list

Regional homebuilder Atlantic Builders announced in January that its two new townhome collections, the Kenridge and the Ashton, are open for pre-sales. Part of a larger project in partnership with Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville to build out the Southwood Mobile Home Park community, the townhomes were designed in collaboration with current residents.  The […]

Cracked the code

The Center of Developing Entrepreneurs (CODE) Building earned a 2023 Architecture Award from the American Institute of Architects in March, for its “potent combination of desirability and practicality,” the organization notes in its writeup.  A mixed-use development at the west end of the Downtown Mall, the CODE Building opened at the end of 2021 and […]

Smyrna’s reach

Orhun Dikmen moved to Charlottesville to work in the kind of restaurant most people think of when they think Turkish food. But after six years with his brother at Sultan Kebab, he teamed up with chef Tarik Sengul to take his home country’s cooking to another level at Smyrna. With its blend of Turkish and […]

Surf to turf

On the seminal hip-hop album Enter the Wu-Tang, an interviewer asks the renowned rappers about their ultimate goal. Before Raekwon offers a dubious, circuitous response, Method Man sums it up: “Domination, baby.” Presumably that’s also the endgame for Daniel Kaufman, the Public Fish & Oyster proprietor who’s moving his empire from sea to land with […]

Dinner out (really out)

Whether it’s s’mores in the backyard, burgers and ears of corn on the grill, or fresh-caught fish when you’re camping, there’s something about fresh air and a fire that makes food taste better. Two Fire Table wants to bring that feeling to your next gathering—and you won’t even have to build a bonfire. Two Fire […]

Artful implements

Former restaurateur Vu Nguyen has a new culinary endeavor: creating handmade tools for home cooks, inspired by the pros. Tell me briefly about your background and how it led you to start The Dustworks. I’ve either worked in the food industry or a design-focused company. My foray into food started at Bizou in my last […]

Pump, pump, pass

How do we feed our babies? It’s a question Kelly Cox has been fielding from new parents for over a decade. Cox, a licensed clinical social worker, registered prenatal yoga teacher, and birth doula, has hands-on experience helping moms through every stage of pregnancy. After six years of working as a therapist with mainly domestic […]

Ten years in

his year, the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center marks its 10th anniversary. Since 2013, it has provided educational programs, cultural events, and commemorations for Charlottesville’s Black community—and revived the role of the original Jefferson School. “From its founding, the Jefferson School held the cultural practices—the gatherings, performances, the festivals—of the African American Community,” says […]

Clay day

Derek Brown’s sculpture is all about fun.  The Palmyra resident started making quirky clay figures because he wasn’t having fun at his day job. He wants people to see his pieces and think, “That’s fun.” And if he stops having fun making the tchotchkes, he’ll give it up. “Basically, I hated my job so much—being […]