Knife & Fork | Fall 2020

SWEET! C’ville Picnic sets a stylish place for two

SHARP! The Happy Cook’s knife class steps up your skills

STEAMY! A new restaurant offers an authentic OBX boil FALL 2020

Taste is everything.

The Wool Factory’s pastry chef, Rachel De Jong, on her new gig—and her return to C’ville

Try this Hudson Henry Granola over yogurt (with a drizzle of honey!).

Eat local!

LG’s Elixir may just be the home remedy we need this season

20+ LOCALLY made staples you should ALWAYS have on hand (starting with BREAKFAST!)

AWARD-WINNING WINE MADE IN LOUISA COUNTY? TAKE A “CHILL” THE SECRET IS OUT!BREAK! VISITVISIT FIFTY-THIRD WINERY AND VINEYARD COOPER VINEYARDS. AND ENJOY REMARKABLE WINES

O

ur winery offers an extensive List of premium Virginia wines Thank you to those who visited our Winery over the for an extraordinary tasting experience. We are open January summer. We donated a portion of the proceeds, over through April. Friday through 11am-5pm: through $4,000, from Monday, all bottles purchasedMay at the Winery for the Louisa County Resource music Council (Food Bank).

December, 7 days a week, 11am-5pm.

Complimentary Saturday

thesee period Octoberand through wine bottle and Sunday afternoons. For Come for yourself visit usDecember, in rural purchases in our tasting room will support the Louisa Louisa County, an easy drive from Richmond. Check our website for Humane Society, local VFW initiatives and the Louisa directions and details, www.coopervineyards.com.

County Resource Council.

We are open 11am seven days a tasting week with plenty of outside seating areas, Voted oneto of5pm Virginia's favorite rooms five years in a row!

Please visit our website, www.53rdwinery.com for our safety and operating procedures while Covid-19 restrictions are in place. Stay safe!

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13372 Shannon Hill Road I Louisa, VA 23093 I 540-894-5474 www.53rdwinery.com I @ Ii

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The new food and wine experience at Veritas in the heart of Virginia Wine Country.

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Fall Knife&Fork 3

The Dish 07 Good eats

Great Wine, Greater Safety Standards.

Former Charlottesville food scene fixture Polina Chesnakova shares her latest project: Hot Cheese!

10 Staying power

Following COVID, what changes from our local food scene will stick around?

3,300 ft.

The altitude at which the area’s newest winery, 12 Ridges Vineyard, planted its vines. PAGE 14

12 Give good

Put your money where your mouth is, with these local food-related nonprofits.

• Masked service, always.

• Disinfected tables and

Belle’s John Shanesy shares his favorite bite ever. chairs after each use.

14 New views of Keswick • Social-distancing markers.

Relax safely in the beautiful countryside

Virginia wine’s latest with award-winning wines and your own socially distant • Open-air, assigned seating. addition, 12 Ridges, takes 13 Food memory

private table.

the high road (literally!).

17 To market

Charlottesville’s forthcoming food hall aims to be a hub for eats and community.

Open everyday from 10:00am to 5:00pm.

4 Knife&Fork Fall

TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S The Dish 9 Yes, chef!

Meet Charlottesville’s new pastry queen.

12 Making the cut Sharpen your skills with The Happy Cook’s knife class.

12 Surf and turf An at-home boil courtesy of the Outer Banks.

That’s how much food it takes Outer Banks Boil Company to fulfill its takeout orders each week.

PAGE 12

15 Give it a shot LG’s Elixir helps you live your best life.

16 Buon appetito Tavola’s getting into the catering game.

JOHN ROBINSON

250 lbs.

Buy local! A well-stocked pantry can make all the difference between a four-course dinner and a box of Annie’s mac & cheese.

Not that we’re knocking Annie’s, but we’d rather break the seal on any of these locally sourced products instead. Plus: We’ve compiled a list of five area wines you should always have on hand. PAGE 20

16 Enjoy the ride Food and drink experiences to enhance your fall.

THE LAST BITE You’ll love this cake a bundt! PAGE 38 COVER: Photo by John Robinson. COMMENTS? Email us at editor@c-ville.com.

KNIFE & FORK, a supplement to C-VILLE Weekly, is distributed in Charlottesville, Albemarle County and the Shenandoah Valley. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher. Knife & Fork Editor Caite Hamilton. Copy Editor Susan Sorensen.

308 E. Main St. Charlottesville, VA 22902 (434) 817-2749 n c-ville.com c-ville.com/knife-fork

Graphic Designer Tracy Federico.

Art Director Max March.

Account Executives Lisa C. Hurdle, Gabby Kirk, Stephanie Vogtman,

Beth Wood. Production Coordinator Faith Gibson.

Publisher Anna Harrison. Chief Financial Officer

Debbie Miller. A/R Specialist Nanci Winter. Circulation Manager Billy Dempsey. ©2020 C-VILLE Weekly.

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6 Knife&Fork Fall

Everyone Deserves a Slice of the Pie Supporting the organizations that support our community

Free Kindness with Every Order!

Special Olympics • JABA • Blue Ridge Area Food Bank • Salvation Army • Music Resource Center • Toy Lift • Goodwill Industries • Thomas Jefferson Food Bank • SARA • Make A Wish Foundation • St. Jude Children’s Research Hosiptal • Habitat for Humanity • Ronald McDonald House • Mosby Foundation • Shelter for Help in Emergency • ARC of the Piedmont • Albemarle Fire & Rescue • Virginia Wounded Warrior Program • Caring for Creatures • SPCA • SOCA • Wildlife Center of Virginia Dogs Deserve Better-Blue Ridge If your group or organization is interested in fundraising with Domino’s, please contact your local store and ask to speak with a manager.

Fall Knife&Fork 7

Let Keevil & Keevil spoil you with local goodness.

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The Dish TRENDS, TASTEMAKERS, AND FOODS WE LOVE

SUPPLIED PHOTO

Dough-ing home A renowned pastry chef hopes to taste success where it all starter’d

By Shea Gibbs Fall Knife&Fork 9

The Dish

R

achel De Jong has traveled the world and rubbed elbows with its best chefs. She earned her diplôme de pâtisserie from Le Cordon Bleu École de Cuisine in Paris. She learned hospitality from The Inn at Little Washington’s Patrick O’Connell. And she traded dessert ideas with Ludo Lefebvre at Petit Trois in L.A. But De Jong’s roots are in Charlottesville, and it’s here she’s returned to bake her own way.

Knife & Fork recently chatted with De Jong about her new gig as pastry chef at The Workshop in The Wool Factory, the bakery she’s opening, and her illustrious young career.

K&F: What brings you back to Charlottesville after eight years away?

RDJ: I was at Petit Trois, and I loved it—loved

the work, loved my co-workers. But L.A. is expensive, and I found my work-life balance was out of whack. And there is a unique interest in food here. I found out about The Wool Factory, and I asked Brad [Uhl, of Grit Coffee] if he was interested in a pastry aspect.

developing the menu and the savory side, but he also has an extensive background in pastry. We collaborated well and had a lot of fun. Often he would come to me and say something like, “I love fraisier, can we do it?”

Or I would bring him something, and we would tweak it. Everything we did there was so classically French.

SUPPLIED PHOTO

K&F: What was it like working with a brash personality like Ludo Lefebvre?

RDJ: Food is very much his passion. He loves

K&F: Then after a stint at Gearhart’s Fine Chocolates, you left.

RDJ: I think everybody goes through a growth

K&F: He must have been a change of pace from Patrick O’Connell.

RDJ: Patrick is just an incredible human. What

period where their hometown feels small. I was ready to be away from Charlottesville. But working at the Inn, I still had connections and kept in touch with those folks. I would come home for holidays and hear what was going on from family and friends.

K&F: How did you get into pastry?

RDJ: It started super early on. I come from a

large family of five kids, and my mom is an excellent cook, but she doesn’t have a knack for baking. I had a sweet tooth, so I started making cakes and enjoyed it. When it came time to think about a career, I knew it would be in some creative realm. I think it was my dad who finally said, “Pastry can be a career.”

K&F: And your first job was at the Baker’s Palette right here in C’ville?

SUPPLIED PHOTO

I learned most from him was about true hospitality and how to take care of guests. He knew how to take something very simple and mundane to another place.

K&F: Now that you’re back, what can people expect from you?

RDJ: Technique-wise, I’m a traditionalist. I

RDJ: I started college at James Madison

University but decided I wanted to get my hands dirty. That’s when Sheila [Cervelloni] took me on with no experience. She taught me all she knew. It was a huge help and eye-opening.

have always loved French pastry, and all of my work is grounded in that. When I was growing up, my mother and grandmother always had a natural and organic world—wild flowers and growing their own stuff. I like finding ways to bring those two worlds together and elevate classic French pastry, bringing to it a natural, organic, tangible, free style.

Fall Knife&Fork 11

The Dish

Pot luck

The Outer Banks Boil Company brings a taste of the beach to Charlottesville

By Nathan Alderman

A ANNA ROLANDI

dmit it: You’ve succumbed to the pandemic menu blahs. You’re stuck inside all the time, your brain’s frazzled, and it’s easier—but not necessarily more satisfying—to make the same few dishes over and over. But wouldn’t it be nice if you could enjoy something different? Maybe a taste of summer all year round? The Outer Banks Boil company can help, with take-home kits of seafood that’ll shake up your routine while offering an ideal meal to enjoy outdoors.

Owner Kyle Vrhovac met the folks behind the Outer Banks Boil Company during one of

Look sharp

By Erika Howsare

W

ith all the home cooking going on these days, a lot of us could probably use some good advice about those kitchen knives in our hands. How to grip it? Which one to use? And why’s it getting so dull?

Pre-pandemic, The Happy Cook offered regular in-person knife skills classes. Now, of course, that’s a trickier proposition. But store owner Monique Moshier is still determined to bring knife knowledge to the people, through some combination of in-person and online classes.

What does a knife skills class cover? “A lot of times, people don’t know what knife they’re supposed to use,” says Moshier. “They’ll use a paring knife to chop an onion. Or some people only feel comfortable using a chef knife.” While some knife types are multipurpose by nature, others are more specialized— so knowing what’s in your set pays off.

12 Knife&Fork Fall

Next, learn (or relearn) how it fits in your hand. “Probably one of the most important pieces of information people are missing is how to appropriately hold a knife,” says Moshier. “You pinch up on it, with only your back three fingers on the handle”— thumb and forefinger gripping the blade.

“A lot of people just circle their hand around the handle,” she explains, “but that allows you to put yourself in a dangerous spot. It’s more likely for the knife to shift while you’re holding it.” Once you have the grip figured out, you can practice the rocking motion that allows for efficient, controlled cuts. Moshier also offers specific tips on cutting certain foods, like pre-slicing celery stalks before dicing.

The knife skills class, which also covers knife care and sharpening, is available as a recording on the Happy Cook’s blog. Or call the store to find out about in-person classes ($75) and livestreaming, interactive options ($20).

PHOTOS: ZACK WAJSGRAS

The Happy Cook steps up your knife skills

many family trips to the beaches of North Carolina. “Once we tried the food, we absolutely fell in love with it,” he says. After years of enjoying the hefty pots of boiled seafood and fixings, he jumped at the chance to open a franchise in Charlottesville.

Though the local branch began its planning in the hazy pre-pandemic days of November 2019, Vrhovac lucked into a pandemic-compatible business model, in which customers either pick up their ingredients to prepare at

The Dish

home themselves, or have Vrhovac and his team cater the meal under safe conditions.

When the pandemic finally fades, Vrhovac says they’re hoping to welcome diners to “a small indoor section of seats.”

The Outer Banks Boil Company powers through 250 pounds of food in an average week for takeout orders alone. Customers call ahead, and OBBC employees assemble shrimp, Louisiana-sourced andouille sausage, corn, potatoes, onions, lemon, butter, seasonings, and

optional add-ins from across the seafood spectrum. (For a proper boil, you’ll need to order enough for at least two people.)

Once the hungry patrons get their haul home, they steam everything in a pot with their liquid of choice for 30 to 50 minutes, depending on the size and power of their cooktop, and then drain and devour. The company’s most popular offering, the Crab Pot, adds clusters of snow crab to the standard boil, but Vrhovac says the menu’s best-kept

secret is the Ben Franklin, which has both crab and either clams or mussels in the mix.

(Feeling super swanky? Throw in scallops or a lobster tail, or ask for Carolina-approved pork barbecue on the side.)

“We pull our inspirations from the classic beach boils people know and love from North Carolina,” Vrhovac says. If nothing else, a simmering stack of seafood sounds like a surefire cure for the most mundane case of the menu Mondays.

Fall Knife&Fork 13

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The Dish

For what ails you A family recipe delivers health in a bottle

By Shea Gibbs

L

JOHN ROBINSON

JOHN ROBINSON

esly Gourdet had the flu. So he turned to someone he respected as a top infectious disease expert—his mom.

It was 1993, and Gourdet hadn’t thought about a wonder tonic his family developed in years. But he took mom’s advice, making and drinking her three-ingredient recipe. He immediately felt better.

Gourdet spent the next decade tweaking the concoction, and by 2004, LG’s Elixir had grown to include 11 ingredients: honey, garlic, ginger, onions, white wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, lemon, lime, habañero, turmeric, and black pepper.

Thirteen years later, in the wake of the 2017 Unite the Right Rally, Gourdet decided he wanted to do his own little part to help Charlottesville heal. He dialed in his recipe and submitted it for testing at a Virginia Tech lab.

It proved safe for consumption, and he started selling LG’s Elixir as a rejuvenating drink attacking inflammation and “other malaises of the body” at the City Market in May 2018.

It was a hit.

“So many people already know about the benefits of the ingredients, and that speaks for itself,” Gourdet says.

What makes LG’s Elixir different from other antioxidant-rich products? His vegetarian tonic is entirely cold pressed to preserve the ingredients’ natural enzymes. Plus, he’s been gathering evidence over the past several years that shows the drink improves health.

As a lifelong educator, coach, and musician, Gourdet counts his elixir as a necessity for his own active lifestyle. The Haiti-born nature lover is now 69 and still going strong.

“I took this mission because, as a high level athlete, I wanted to use my body to be

the best in the world,” Gourdet says. “I thought by the time I was in my 50s, my body would be a wreck. I abused my body, but I never felt any pain. Then a light bulb went off: ‘This is why I am not having so much pain.’ I was using the elixir.”

Fall Knife&Fork 15

The Dish

Catered to you Tavola-to-go takes on a new format

T

MORGAN SALYER

avola continues to try to make limoncello out of its COVID limons; the Belmont Italian oasis’ latest venture is catering services large and small.

“We’re trying to do a little bit of everything and put together decent weeks,” chef/owner Michael Keaveny says. “It’s been difficult, but between catering, neighborhood drop-offs, and curbside pickup, we’re doing okay.”

Whether you’re looking to feed four or 40, Tavola’s* newest service has you covered. The catering menu features antipasti (fried artichokes, pancetta-wrapped shrimp), salads (fig and gorgonzola, caprese), pasta (bucatini in spicy marinara, seafood linguini), entrées (pork milanese, grilled swordfish), sides (roasted fennel, caramelized cauliflower), and desserts (limoncello cheesecake, tiramisu), all served in four-person portions and delivered to your door or event space.

The idea, according to Keaveny, is to offer the dishes Tavola customers have come to love in the dining room while focusing on the items that travel best in to-go containers.

“We went as far as testing dishes—putting them in a to-go container, setting the container aside for 15 minutes, opening them and seeing what dishes worked and what didn’t,” Keaveny says. For the restaurant’s carbonara, for example, that meant adding pasta water to the dish so it didn’t arrive dry.

The restaurant’s using high-end ingredients like fresh lobster and crab, so expect to spend a decent amount of dough for Tavola’s signature creations—antipasti is $50-100 for four people, pasta platters are $75-100, entrées are $80-90—and try to give them at least 24 hours notice, especially for large orders. Cocktails and wine are also available.

According to Keaveny, who personally delivers most of the catering orders, the new menu is also available for small parties in the restaurant’s back room and porch area.

And, Tavola will likely continue offering its catering services after COVID is a thing of the past.

“Our back kitchen lends itself to doing stuff like this, and we have a very capable staff,” Keaveny says. “It’s something we’ve talked about for a while.”

*Tavola is co-owned by C-VILLE’s Culture editor, Tami Keaveny.

16 Knife&Fork Fall

ZACK WAJSGRAS

By Shea Gibbs

The Dish

Now touring

Soak in autumn with help from these emerging businesses

By Shea Gibbs

M

aybe you like to take it slow.

Relax. Stay in one place. With wine.

Maybe you’re on the go.

Real fast. Keep up the pace. With wine.

If you’re inclined to check the first box, C’ville Picnic is for you. The new-to-Charlottesville concept offers upscale picnic experiences at local vineyards. If you’re more into box B, you’re in luck. VinGo is back from a hiatus to hop you from winery to winery.

C’ville Picnic Best part about a picnic? Relaxing with friends over good food and drink. Worst part about a picnic? Everything else. C’ville Picnic takes care of it.

Starting at $189 for two guests and running to $489 for 12, the luxury al fresco dining provider delivers themed picnic décor (think pumpkin spice, Cali cool, vintage charm) and charcuterie boards, as well as food from local restaurants and wine from local partners, all set up and ready for you and yours. Winery options include Valley Road Vineyards, Hark Vineyards, King Family Vineyards, and Eastwood Farm and Winery, with more locales on the way.

“I came across a similar experience in Savannah, and I’m super excited to bring this to Charlottesville,” C’ville Picnic owner Stephanie Guevara says. “We have so many beautiful wineries and breweries.”

VinGo Tours VinGo Tours, which offers customized halfor full-day winery, brewery, and distillery tours based on customer requests, has been on a break. But grape-fully, owner Kristen Gardner Beal is planning a comeback for Virginia Wine Month in October.

VinGo tours lets you leave the keys at home and does the driving to three to five of your favorite spirits-slinging spots. Half-day tours are $280 for four guests. Full days are $360.

Spring Knife&Fork 17

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Hungry for more food and drink coverage?

Fill Up with the C-VILLE Food & Drink Annual Issue Coming in November

Eat

2.

local!

Stock your pantry with these Virginiamade staples Sure, we always cry “Eat local!” and “Shop local!” and “Drink local!” But, in this issue, we’re putting our money where our mouths are, with more than 20 locally made items to keep on hand in your kitchen, from small-batch granola to a (maybe magic?) syrup that’s both good for your health and good in a cocktail. And, speaking of drinking, turn to page 37 for the best ways to wash it all down.

BY NATHAN ALDERMAN, SHEA GIBBS, CAITE HAMILTON, AND ERIKA HOWSARE | PHOTOS BY JOHN ROBINSON

20 Knife&Fork Fall

1.

Strong start See ya, sugary cereals. These four goodies deliver on flavor and nutrition, thanks to local ingredients and mindful makers.—CH 1. Hudson Henry Granola

As seen in Southern Living magazine and on “The Today Show,” this smallbatch granola made in Palmyra is perfect with yogurt or by the handful on the way out the door. Made with quality ingredients, try the sweet—like pecans and chocolate—and the savory.

2. Trager Brothers Coffee

This certified organic coffee company got its start 27 years ago with a cart on the Corner. Now it offers more than a dozen original roasts, with beans sourced from farms that focus on environmental sustainability and fair wages.

3.

3. Jam According to Daniel

With one pound of local fruit in every eight-ounce jar (not to mention low sugar and no pectin), we feel good slathering jam master Daniel Perry’s creations fairly generously on our breads, muffins, and (not for breakfast, probably) ice cream.

4. Orange Dot Baking Company’s English muffins

4.

Gluten-free, sesame-free, and gumfree, Orange Dot’s English muffins are packed with flavor and nutrients— each one has at least eight grams of protein and good-for-you ingredients like chia seeds, organic eggs, and extra-virgin olive oil.

Fall Knife&Fork 21

Respect your

elderberries

M

ost of us know that elderberries— those dark purple berries packed with antioxidants—are a good way to boost the immune system. But Katherine Knight, Dustin Groves, and Kyle McCrory wanted to make an elderberry syrup that was different than those they were finding in stores.

“Kyle, Dustin, and I started Commonhealth Elderberry in early 2019, after growing elderberries at our moms’ houses for several years while we all lived away from Charlottesville,” Knight says. “We all grew up in Charlottesville, moved away for college and early careers, and then moved back at similar times when we were starting our own families.” A friend

22 Knife&Fork Fall

in California, who was also growing elderberries, recommended the trio try them in Virginia. A native plant, they grow wild.

So they got to work, planting elderberry on a farm in Madison County, and sourcing a portion of the berries from certified organic growers. With just four components—water, organic elderberries, Meyer lemon juice, and a touch of organic cane sugar— Commonhealth elderberry syrup is a slightly sweet, uncomplicated ingredient that mixes well with others (see the company’s hot lemonade recipe, below), but is great on its own. Says Knight, “My 2-year-old loves taking his elderberry syrup in the morning.”

Visit commonhealthelderberry.com to get a bottle.—CH

Katherine Knight and Dustin Groves (pictured), along with their friend Kyle McCrory, started Commonhealth Botanicals when they returned to Charlottesville post-college.

Three childhood friends deliver a sweet syrup packed with the good stuff

When life hands you lemons...

Elderberry syrup is the star player in this hot lemonade recipe. “It’s delicious and perfect for cool fall evenings,” says Knight. “Also makes a great winter cocktail!”

Try it! Bring three cups of water to a simmer, then add three tablespoons of elderberry syrup, three tablespoons of honey or sugar, and the juice of one lemon. Stir well, garnish with a lemon slice or cinnamon stick, and enjoy.

PHOTO CREDIT AMEIGH PHOTOGRAPHY

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Bee local

Pour this honey over, well, everything

M

uch like wine, honey has a certain terroir—that is, it picks up the characteristics of the place and time it is produced. Especially, says Elysium Honey’s Managing Director Carrie Meslar, when it comes to something like the company’s wildflower honey, the expression of which differs from year to year based on the weather and the particular flowers that bloomed.

“The flavor profile is like Virginia spring in a jar,” Meslar says.

Elysium offers honey from Virginia, harvested from owner Lyons Brown III’s Batesville property, but it also sources internationally, from hives in France, Italy, and Hungary.

“The fact that we sell honey from other countries might sound a bit odd at first, but we are incredibly proud to offer these expressions,” Meslar says. “By supporting these beekeepers, we support our main mission, which is saving our pollinators. It also allows us to share honeys with consumers that aren’t produced here in the states.”

The citrus blossom from southern Italy is her personal favorite.

“The acidity of this honey is so bright and refreshing, it’s like bottled sunshine.” Try it drizzled on fruit salad, in tea, or over yogurt, and find it at elysiumhoney.com.—CH

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Fall Knife&Fork 25

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Fermenti contentm W hen a pantry perusal turns up something living, that’s usually bad. Not so with Farmstead Ferments’ locally grown krauts, kimchi, pickles, and other fermented foods. Their gut-friendly “good bacteria” add a reliable zing to almost any dish—even the humble peanut butter sandwich.

Founder Dawn Story touts her products’ beneficial bacteria for their ability to soothe immune and digestive disorders. An avid gardener, she found herself piled high with produce at harvest time, and she wanted to find a way to preserve her haul without consuming more fossil fuels. “Before long,” she says, “fermented foods took over my life.”

Since 2010, she and her team have sold their wares at their Scottsville storefront and select central Vir-

ting tment

Farmstead Ferments’ highly cultured offerings add pizzazz to the pantry

Garlicky Greens peanut butter toast Try it! Toast bread of choice. Spread nut butter of choice (peanut, almond, sunflower, etc.) on the toast and top with a spoonful or two of Garlicky Greens Kraut (ideally strained so as not to make the bread soggy; the juice is marvelous poured over a salad or added to a soup). Enjoy open-faced.

Optional: Top with sesame or hemp seeds.

Farmstead Ferments founder Dawn Story touts her krauts for their ability to soothe the immune system and digestive disorders.

ginia retailers. “Our farm, Free Bird Farm, grows as much as possible during Virginia’s growing season, which means about eight or nine months out of the year outside, and also year-round in the hoop house,” Story says. “We primarily grow cabbage, kale, collards, tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, medicinal herbs, carrots, beets, radishes, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and salad greens. When we run out, we turn to other local growers.”

Story says her most popular pantry powerhouse is the Garlicky Greens Kraut, a mix of cabbage, kale, collards, sea salt, and, of course, garlic. “The Force

is strong with this one,” she says. “When a store has run out, we definitely hear about it.” Each five-gallon batch contains 40 to 45 pounds of fresh ingredients. During a four-week ferment, salt pulls moisture from the veggies, creating a brine that preserves them while allowing good bacteria to flourish.

When Story says that Garlicky Greens go well with everything, she’s not kidding. (Check out her recipe for peanut butter toast below.) “Pairing the krauts is, in fact, part of the fun,” she says. “Fermented foods are considered ‘the party on the plate.’”—NA

Fall Knife&Fork 27

Herbal

experiments

Nelson farm blends up herbs to boost flavor and health

N

elson County’s Gathered Threads farm is sort of like a scientific lab for herbs.

Farmer Katherine Herman is constantly experimenting with new ways to use all the different herbs she grows on her remote 6.5-acre property—comfrey, currants, gooseberries, elderberries, nettles, rosemary, and dozens of others.

To walk around the farm is to take in the sights and fragrances of all these healing plants and to appreciate Herman’s many years of experience as a grower, going back to the garden she planted as a Peace Corps volunteer in Tanzania in 2001. Gathered Threads, founded in 2014, also draws heavily

28 Knife&Fork Fall

on Herman’s training at Sacred Plant Traditions herb school in Charlottesville.

After harvesting, most of the herbs get dried; the real magic starts to happen as Herman blends them into all kinds of products. There are teas, soup seasonings, meat rubs, infused vinegars. She’s always inventing new combinations, trying to keep things interesting for the customers who buy her monthly herbal CSA shares.

This year is no exception. “I’m pretty excited about a lot of my new recipes,” she says. One favorite is a burger blend (basil, thyme, oregano, sage, parsley, and garlic chives) for seasoning ground beef, turkey, or even beans.

As the locals do

Top-selling foods from around here

Local food, purchased from a locally owned shop: In a locavore’s book, nothing could be better. But what are folks really going crazy for in Charlottesville’s independent food stores? We tracked down the top sellers among all the great foods produced right here in central Virginia.

She’s also developed a new lemon mint vinaigrette, with lemongrass, apple mint, lemon basil, lemon thyme, lemon verbena, shiso, and peppermint. Another option: the green tahini sauce kit, made of parsley, cilantro, kale, opal basil, and lemon verbena.

Mix it with tahini for a dressing or sauce.

One more ingenious idea, a way to jazz up plain store-bought hummus: the green hummus packet, full of dried kale, lemon basil, chives, parsley, oregano, chard, and lemon verbena.

Sounds delicious, no? And healthful, too. Herman believes in the connection between herbs and daily wellness. “By eating your herbs and being nourished,” she says, “you’re helping your immune system.”—EH

STAFF PHOTO

At Integral Yoga Natural Foods, produce (from 30 to 40 different farms!) is a big deal, especially apples and peaches from Henley’s Orchard, Vintage Virginia Apples, and Dickie Brothers Orchard. IY shoppers also go big on the Trager Brothers Coffee and honey from Golden Angels Apiary.

Feast! sees folks queueing up for delicious Hudson Henry granola—baked in Fluvanna—and the Simply Cheddar cheese ball from just over the mountain in Waynesboro. The Clover Top goat cheese is also wellloved, especially in the lemon, blueberry, and basil variety.

Market Street Market moves scads of Henley apples, too—along with wines from White Hall Vineyards and Barboursville Winery.

And last but not least, if you want the bread that the cool kids are slicing, that would be the scrumptious loaves from MarieBette—which, like the tender roughage from Schuyler Greens, has earned many fans among the loyal patrons at Foods of All Nations.—EH

Fall Knife&Fork 29

I

Just like Nona’s

n the 1990s, Yvonne Cunningham’s husband was posted to Italy by the Navy. So she packed up their two small kids and moved with him. She expected an adventure, but didn’t know she’d be befriended by her 78-year-old landlord. That relationship, with the woman she came to call “Nona,” helped anchor Cunningham to Italy and its culture. And during that posting and a second one in the early 2000s, Cunningham immersed herself in the foodways of Naples, from haggling in marketplaces to cooking traditional recipes at home.

Cunningham’s family and friends started to tell her that her tomato sauce was good enough to sell. She served it when she catered a small wedding, and one of the guests remarked, “This tastes just like my Nona’s.”

Locally made tomato sauce harkens back to Napoli

Over, under

Lemon pepper linguine, chocolate fettuccine, chipotle angel hair... There’s no limit to the inventive flavors the Valente family will create to satisfy a comfort food craving. They’ve been hand-crafting noodles in Charlottesville since 1982. Grab a bag at valentepasta.com.

30 Knife&Fork Fall

While her husband, Kyle, was stationed in Italy by the Navy, Yvonne Cunningham got to know her neighbors— and picked up a few tips for the perfect tomato sauce.

Gorgeous Boutique Winery in a Majestic Mountainside Setting just North of Charlottesville

Finally, after going through a Community Investment Collaborative course, Cunningham felt ready to leave her desk job, and she sold her first jar of Nona’s Italian Cucina sauce in 2018 at the City Market—to an Italian grandmother and her daughter and granddaughter.

The secret, she says, is in the tomatoes: San Marzanos grown in volcanic soil at the foot of Mt. Vesuvius. “The Neapolitans only use those,” she says. “They taste like sugar.” Back in Napoli, she’d watch Nona and her family process the San Marzanos in bulk every summer. “Nona had a drain in her yard,” she remembers, “and they’d put the tomatoes through a manual grinder and bottle the pulp.” Now Cunningham imports the same product and combines it with locally-grown garlic, onions, and herbs.

She had a hard time getting the tomatoes during the shutdowns of spring 2020, but now she’s back on track. Purchase Nona’s through her website, nonascucina.com, or at local stores including The Spice Diva and the Blue Ridge Bottle Shop.—EH

· Virginia Governor’s Cup Gold Medal winning wines · Greenest Winery in Virginia – multiple winner · #1 Top Rated Winery on Trip Advisor – Central Virginia

Madison County, VA ducardvineyards.com 540.923.4206 Fall Knife&Fork 31

SWEET ON C-VILLE? DINNER SERVED TUE - SAT

More like tweet on C-VILLE. Get the scoop on our news, arts, and living content before anyone else.

Follow us on Twitter @cville_weekly, and @cville_culture to find out what we’re covering this week!

AUTHENTIC AND MODERN Korean Food S E RV I N G L U N C H A N D D I N N E R

TAKE OUT / PATIO SEATING

Monday/Thursday: 11:30 AM to 3PM; 5PM to 8:30 PM Tuesday/Wednesday: Closed Friday & Saturday: 11:30AM to 9PM Sunday: 11:30AM to 8:30PM

32 Knife&Fork Fall

412 E Main St, Charlottesville, VA 22902 434-956-4110 maru.cville@gmail.com

FREE 1st hour parking Market and Water Street Garage

Hot stuff!

Charlottesville is home to three—count ’em, three—hot sauce producers. Guess you could say we’re so hot right now?

Mad Hatter This local sauce-maker claims to have tamed the habañero pepper— and with superb results. Whether original, medium, or extra hot, Mad Hatter’s “supercondiment,” Habañero Pineapple, is great on just about anything, from surf to turf. madhatterfoods.com

SoSS Choose green—bright and tangy for slaws and relish—or hot, earthy purple for steaks and burgers. But whatever you do, tilt the bottle slowly. This vegan, gluten-free, sugar-free, fat-free sauce packs a punch. yumsoss.com

Catbird Catbird’s Vahotcha Sriracha is pure pepper, mixing jalapeños and habañeros to perfection for a super spicy, well-balanced, gluten-free sauce that plays well wherever you like to use sriracha (which, for true fans, is obviously everywhere). catbirdco.com

Fall Knife&Fork 33

Annie Gould Gallery

109 South Main Street, Gordonsville, VA 22942 • (540) 832-6352 anniegouldgallery

Bon matin.

B a k e r y · B r e a k fa s t · L u n c h · B r u n c h

now with two charlottesville Locations.

MarieBette café & Baker y, 700 Rose Hill Drive Petite MarieBette, 105 East Water Street mariebette.com

34 Knife&Fork Fall

Packed

crackers

Good Phyte helps you fuel up, do battle

“G

ood fuel is the first step to feeling good,” says Good Phyte founder Stacy Miller. “One can’t do their part to address problems in the world if they—in body and mind—don’t feel good themselves.”

That’s a lot of pressure for a cracker, but Good Phyte’s “protons” can handle it. In fact, they’re not really crackers at all. Miller says they evolved in 2018 when, on a whim, Good Phyte started selling salads at the City Market.

“We wanted something that could serve as a crouton, but wasn’t nutritionally vapid,” she says.

She changed the recipe to include different kinds of seeds, removed grain, and used the more efficient (in terms of electrical and human energy) dehydrator.

The result is a crouton that’s delicious on its own, or in a salad or soup. Each of the six varieties (recommended: roasted red pepper) is packed with 9-10 grams of protein per serving, and the ingredients are locally sourced from nearby farms like Whisper Hill, Little Hat Creek, Double H, and Bellair.

Nab a bag at goodphytefoods.com, or sign up for the Phyte Club to receive four or six bags of the seasonal grain-free crackers each month.—CH

Fall Knife&Fork 35

01

APR 74 5102 S. Seminole Trail Madison, VA 22727 540-948-6505 theBavarianChef.com

ALL THE NEWS THAT’S

CRAMER PHOTO

FIT TO EAT

Whether it’s with our online restaurant listings, or our weekly coverage of the local dining scene, C-VILLE’s always serving up a heaping helping of the best in local food. Get your fill every Wednesday in print or at c-ville.com/living, where the kitchen’s always open.

This is our town.

36 Knife&Fork Fall

.com

Dressing up dinner

By Paul H. Ting

varietal character that makes cabernet franc such a success in Virginia. This fruity, low tannin wine goes down easy, expressing flavors of cherry, cranberry, pepper, and a bit of sage.

For steaks on the grill, or maybe just a quiet night of contemplation on the deck, a full-bodied red wine should always be on hand. There are many worthy examples available, including the 2016 Jake Busching F8 ($43, jakebuschingwines.com), a 50-50 blend of petit verdot and tannat. This is dark and brooding wine, big and bold with flavors of blackberries, stewed plums,

W

S TO C K UP Here are a few more recommendations (because you can never have too many bottles on hand).

Whites

King Family Vineyards’ 2017 Mountain Plains Red has aromas of cherries, plums, and black currants.

 2018 Chatham Vineyards Church Creek Steel Fermented Chardonnay  2019 Keswick Vineyards Chardonnay

Sparkling  Ankida Ridge 2016 Blanc de Blancs  Veritas 2015 Scintilla

Reds  Michael Shaps 2017 Cabernet Franc  Early Mountain Vineyards 2018 Madison County Cabernet Franc  Pollak Vineyards 2016 Meritage  King Family Vineyards 2017 Mountain Plains Red

SUPPLIED PHOTO

hile many regard wine as something best reserved for special occasions, there are tremendous rewards to be found by integrating it into everyday life. Treat it like a longtime friend—never a special guest—at every meal. Here are a few essentials that can become your “house wines”— staples to keep stocked and ready to be your companion on any day, special occasion or not.

Choose a versatile white wine to start, one that can stand on its own in the glass but also has fruit and acidity to pair well with food.

Chardonnay is perfect for this because it is made in many different styles—it’s easy to find one to please everyone. Go with one that has a bit of a roundness in texture and some acidity so it can be consumed year-round and in a variety of situations. The 2018 Midland Construction Chardonnay ($27, midland.wine) fits the bill, with a delicate nose that hints at sweet honeyed citrus, papaya, mango, and white flowers and a palate that is bright and lean with sweet lemon-lime, orange peel, and a long finish full of acidity and just a hint of bitterness.

Lees aging (keeping the wine in contact with yeast) adds fullness and a baked bread quality.

Sparkling wine can highlight any celebration, large or small, but also consider popping the cork more often, as it can be a great accompaniment to everyday food (think fried chicken, fish tacos, macaroni and cheese, and even popcorn). The Thibaut-Janisson Xtra Brut ($36, tjwinery.com), an excellent and serious wine, is made with chardonnay and incorporates a bit of oak-aging. Medium-bodied with fine, rolling bubbles, it displays complex flavors of apple and pears with hints of roasted nuts.

This is a dry wine, and while some might prefer a version with more sweetness, this bottling is as well-crafted as you’ll find in Virginia.

A medium-bodied red—something not too heavy or high in alcohol—is perfect for a weekday evening, It’s also perfect for pasta with red sauce, pizza, and roast chicken. The 2018 Blenheim Vineyards Cabernet Franc ($22, blenheimvineyards.com) is a wonderful example, coming in at just 12 percent alcohol and expressing the

Make these bottles part of your weekday ritual— occasion or no

smoke, tar, and a hint of roses. Good acidity and strong tannic structure suggest this wine will continue to improve in bottle, but it’s delicious right now.

A final recommendation is to always have dessert wine on hand. A glass can be served on its own to finish a meal or paired with a sweet ending to add a special touch. For flavors like apple pie, creme brulee, or vanilla ice cream, a white dessert wine such as the Barboursville Vineyards 2016 Paxxito or the Michael Shaps Raisin d’Être White will match beautifully. For those who prefer chocolate, look for a port-style wine such as the Stinson Vineyards 2016 Imperialis ($31, stinsonvineyards.com). This sweet, dark wine with flavors of black plums, raisins, and cola can be the perfect ending to your night.

Fall Knife&Fork 37

The Last Bite

Slice of life Autumn in the South calls for the classics—sweet potatoes, bourbon, and pecans (not to be confused with pecan’ts). This buttermilk cake fits the bill. One of two desserts on the menu at Tonic, it’s a delicious collaboration between the newcomer and Found Market. Bundt wait, there’s more—a surprise cinnamon pecan swirl at its center. Like mama always said, it’s what’s inside that counts.

JOHN ROBINSON

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Summer Knife&Fork 39

DRINK A SELTZER HELP SAVE A RIVER 1 PACK R E STO R E S 5 00 G A L LO N S *

CONTAINS ALCOHOL

SPARKLING HARD SELTZER WITH NATURAL FLAVORS CELEBRATE RESPONSIBLY ® ©2020 COORS BREWING CO., FORT WORTH, TX • BEER *FOR EVERY 12 PACK OR “12 PACK EQUIVALENT” OF COORS SELTZER SOLD AT PARTICIPATING RETAILERS BETWEEN 8/15/2020 AND 8/31/2021, COORS BREWING COMPANY WILL PURCHASE SERVICES FROM CHANGE THE COURSE TO RESTORE 500 GALLONS OF FRESH RIVER WATER. A “12 PACK EQUIVALENT” IS 144 OUNCES. FOR INFORMATION ABOUT CHANGE THE COURSE, VISIT CHANGETHECOURSE.US. MUST BE 21+