Three decades in one house makes some people set in their ways, but, for others, it ends with an abrupt change. Tom and Carolyn Frazier had lived in Northern Virginia in a “typical, traditional D.C. house,” says Carolyn, and when they reached retirement they were ready for something “totally different. We wanted something modern and […]
“The pleasantest smell in the world,” wrote natural historian Robert Beverly of the Sweetbay magnolia in 1705, and its large, creamy white flowers are just as striking. Associated with nobility and perseverance, the more than 200 species of magnolia vie with dogwood, crepe myrtle, azaleas and camellias for the American South’s favorite plant. Thomas Jefferson […]
Raise your hand if you’ve ever “accidentally” forgotten to say when as the server was grating Parmesan onto your bowl of pasta. Or if you’ve ever taken a bite directly out of the wedge of brie you bought to kick off dinner. We’ll be the first to admit: The way (whey?) to our hearts is […]
When Gabriele Rausse was a boy in northern Italy, he had a Saturday routine. Along with his family, he’d visit two small local farms and pick up shares of vegetables, fruits, eggs and chickens. It was an experience of connection. “There was a very precise schedule during the week on the use of everything that […]
“Food can affect you from a memory standpoint, like when smelling a red sauce reminds you of your grandma’s house,” says Red Pump Kitchen’s Kendall Moore. “We can do this with perfumed drinks, too.” Last fall, the downtown restaurant’s drink menu incorporated elements like sage-infused vodka and spritzes of cinnamon, clove and mint, […]
Too tired to go food shopping, and bored with the same old take-out pizza? Home delivery options abound to make sure the cupboard is never bare. Shenandoah Produce Farms Lots of people subscribe to summertime CSAs and pick up their bags of produce each week, but Shenandoah Produce goes a step (or two) further. Available […]
As the state’s economy invests heavily in animal farming, agriculture and wine and beer production—and as chefs take advantage of the new bounty around them—is a new Virginia cuisine emerging? Local chefs say yes. “When I first started here, you’d have to seek out your local produce and go to the vendor to get it,” […]
If the goal of Common House, the city’s private social club, is to help convene like-minded creatives, then it’s no wonder Antwon Brinson had been in its kitchen since the opening last spring. “Food for me has always been something that brought people together,” says the club’s executive chef. Originally from Niagara Falls, New York, […]
Pork is passé. Beef used to be for dinner. And lamb is no longer exotic. Is goat the next frontier? “It’s a wonderful product—delicious, healthy and a cultural centerpiece,” says Clay Trainum, co-owner of Autumn Olive Farms. Indeed, Charlottesville foodies can find (or could find) goat in some delightful preparations around town—in the meatballs at […]
Can’t find the food that feeds your soul? These women took the tongs into their own hands. Stephanie Murray of Ula Tortilla People often ask what is the meaning of “Ula,” and for Stephanie Murray and her husband, James Price, it’s part of what inspired the family’s business to begin with: their children, Uriah, Lovissa […]