The tradition of neighbors helping neighbors has taken on new meaning during the time of coronavirus, pushing many of us to become creative in figuring out ways to help each other. There’s no better example of this than in the Charlottesville-area food community, where business as usual came to a screeching halt two months ago. […]
The tradition of neighbors helping neighbors has taken on new meaning during the time of coronavirus, pushing many of us to become creative in figuring out ways to help each other. There’s no better example of this than in the Charlottesville-area food community, where business as usual came to a screeching halt two months ago. […]
A newly formed company—so new that it hasn’t gone public with its name yet—is looking to get into the spirits business with a craft distillery in the former Clock Shop building at 201 W. Water St. The working title for the project is Vodka House, according to Clark Gathright, the civil engineer and site planner […]
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 […]
Most people who go to their favorite restaurant on a Saturday night probably give little thought to what’s happening behind the scenes in the kitchen once they’re seated and have ordered cocktails. And while they may know what will show up on their table, ultimately the strange alchemy of how it gets there—sometimes through a […]
As I walk through the doors of Junction, bar manager Alec Spidalieri beckons me to the upstairs area, adjacent to the kitchen. He’s got something cooking that he can’t leave for very long. In fact, one of the ingredients he’s making is the brown butter-washed rum for the Rum Communion, the winning cocktail in C-VILLE’s […]
Bottoms up, y’all. It’s Virginia Spirits Month here in the commonwealth, sponsored by the Virginia Distillers Association and meant to spotlight Virginia-made spirits. Many local bartenders do so all year ’round, but there are a few special cocktails this month that are worth sidling up to the bar for. Junction’s Alec Spidalieri is shaking things […]
In January, four places in Charlottesville opened their doors: Cho’s Nachos and Beer, Champion Richmond, Littlejohn’s at Pro Re Nata Farm Brewery, and Junction. Parallel 38 closed in its Shops at Stonefield location, and announced in May it was reopening on West Main Street.
When Melissa Close-Hart was in her mid 20s, she was studying to become a high school psychology teacher and worked in the kitchen at Birmingham, Alabama’s acclaimed Bottega Café to help pay for her tuition. One night, she says she perfectly plated a chicken scallopini—the positions of the components, the garnish, everything—and it hit her. […]
As you scramble to make your Restaurant Week reservations, as you finally get to your table and lay a napkin over your lap and lift your fork to your lips, take a moment to reflect on how your dinner is more than a treat for your taste buds. It’s helping feed thousands of people right […]