Made in C-VILLE | Winter 2022

Seed-sketching Tim O'Kane in the garden at Monticello

Food of love Musician Jay Pun on the power of a good meal

Boho vibes In Gordonsville, a retail store for slower living

“ I bought an engagement ring there last Spring. Andy was a pleasure to work with and took the time to help me make sure I made the right purchase. I had visited several other jewelers and there was a huge difference in customer service. I would recommend the store for any jewelry purchase without hesitation.”

Wes Shinn Photography

Kristina

Spaces

TRISTAN WILLIAMS

SHOPPINGLIST HEIRLOOM VARIETY

BRINGING HISTORIC PLANTS TO LIFE BY CAROL DIGGS

For the last five years, Charlottesville artist Tim O’Kane has been designing new seed packets for the flowers, herbs, and vegetables that have been preserved and propagated by the Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants at Monticello. Recently, he spoke with us about the project and his work.

Made in C-VILLE: How did this project get started?

Tim O’Kane: Back in 2017 the Center called me, and we had a great meeting. [Local artist] Gail McIntosh had done a black-and-white engraving that they were using on all the seed packets. The Center wanted to actually show the [individual] plants in color. The whole project is sponsored by Kenneth and Teresa Wood, a couple in Philadelphia.

... We started the first year with 20 plants, then we did another 20—I’m starting a new set of 20 now. So far, I’ve done something in the range of 130 paintings. And these are all historic plants documented by Jefferson—when you buy seeds from Monticello, you’re getting what Jefferson grew.

How does this project fit with your own artistic style?

I had never done botanical drawings before, but I am a realist painter ... and I’ve been a gardener most of my life. But this is a real education! Peggy Cornett [Curator of Plants at Monticello] and the Center staff are amazing. I can cre-

Beyond the seed packets, many of O’Kane’s plant paintings are also featured on pillows, scarves, and other objects sold at the Monticello Shop.

EZE AMOS

Quirk Charlottesville Holiday Happenings

ate the drawing, then I show it to them and they correct it. I have the skill in observation—I’ve been painting for 50plus years now—but I couldn’t do it without them. For example, in one painting in a series on pollinators, I put in bumblebees that don’t exist here. It’s a real team effort.

How did you approach creating a unified look for the packets?

Once I got this job, I started to look at old seed packets—I always liked the way they were done, before photography. I decided to go for a whole new style, a kind of pop art. Each painting has a box around the edge, to give it a three-dimensional aspect. And they all have a pretty bold composition. I really wanted to make them into good paintings, not simply illustrations.

How do you create the paintings of the individual plants?

Mostly I work at Tufton Farm [a Monticello property where the Center’s nursery is housed]. The staff may call me and say such-and-such is in bloom now. I start by photographing the plant I’m working on, so I can get the details. Then I do black-and-white studies to work out the composition and the accuracy. Then I paint in oils. The Center is in the process of having all the works framed—they’re planning to do an exhibition.

What are some of the challenges?

For some of the plants, I had to find out how to make them more dynamic. Herbs, for example—there’s no big flower. I’ve done vegetables, flowers, even fruit—tomatoes are a fruit, and the Center has so many varieties! And I’ve learned about so many new plants— blanket flowers, for example, I didn’t know about them, they’re beautiful and bloom all summer long. And Canterbury bells...

Holiday Music Series

Cookies with Santa

Gallery Workshops

Quirk Gallery exhibits a collection of Elizabeth Graeber works beginning December 17. Graeber will also offer a series of portrait sessions - which make a perfect holiday gift!

Kids of all ages are invited to decorate cookies, snap some photos with Santa, and share their wish lists!

Join us in the Quirk Gallery for complimentary weekly musical performances of the holiday classics.

Réveillon (pronounced Rev-eeon) is a celebratory multi-course meal during the holiday season. All month our restaurant, Pink Grouse, offers a special Réveillon four-course prix fixe menu.

Réveillon Dinners

Quirk Gallery hosts a variety of workshops, markets, and shopping events throughout December.

Elizabeth Graeber

Details at QuirkCharlottesville.com

ONE FOR THE BOOKS

WHEN HER YOUNGEST son started reading, Angela Fincham Lowe began writing books about him and his dog to keep him interested. In 2014, she self-published Not Even A. Mouse, a retelling of the holiday classic The Night Before Christmas, from the perspective of the mouse on the night St. Nicholas drops by for a visit. Lowe’s publisher shuttered in 2017, but the Louisa-based author is bringing her popular children’s book back to market in time for the holidays. Find it in paperback on amazon.com. $9.99, Not Even A. Mouse

KIDS DRAW THE DARNDEST THINGS

EVERY PARENT KNOWS the pain (relief?) that comes with throwing away yet. another. piece of artwork by their little one. But goldsmith Mia van Beek has found a way to hang on to those keepsakes forever—in a way that doesn’t clog up drawers and storage boxes. The Formia Design owner takes your kid’s original drawing and transforms it into jewelry: a stick-figure family wrapping your finger, a swirly flower hanging around your neck, a pair of amorphous monsters dangling from your ears. Now that’s fine art. formiadesign.com

Angela Fincham Lowe

Wine Shop Wine Bar Guild Membership

Members enjoy 20% off and have access to private tastings with winemakers, wine dinners, local vineyard tours, and much more.

The Guild is open to the public and offers membership for all wine lovers!

Tucked away in a quaint little storefront in Gordonsville is Folkling, an oasis of vintage clothing, heritage textiles, and American-made goods. Folkling is a sustainable venture dedicated to finding old things new homes, creating quality goods with makers, and taking life slow. The mastermind behind it all is Leney Breeden.

Breeden grew up in the Fan District in Richmond, where she had her hands in numerous creative ventures. Through her photography business, A Girl Named Leney, she shot portraiture work and weddings. She curated clothing for various shops, and at one point even had her own fitwear business, for which she designed and created collections.

During this time, Breeden created the Folkling Instagram account. “It started as homewares,” says Breeden. “I love curating and designing vignettes.” Breeden would thrift items from around the city, create small still lifes, post the photographs, and sell the items through Instagram.

A nomad at heart, Breeden decided to hit the road in 2017 to pursue more photojournalistic projects. Over the next two years, she’d head out for days, weeks, or even months at a time, in her Subaru Outback named Blue Moon.

“Folkling is what kept me going between photo jobs,” says Breeden. “Once I was on the road it centered more on clothing, particularly Western Wear, Native American jewelry, and old denim— really beautiful pieces that you don’t necessarily find on the East Coast.” Then the pandemic hit, and everything stopped. All of Breeden’s photo jobs got canceled, and Folkling was all she had left. “I put my all into it, and it kind of blew up.” It got to the point where Breeden could no longer work out of her second bedroom. Then one day on a drive through Gordonsville, she saw a “for rent” sign on Main Street and knew the small town was the perfect place for Folkling to settle.

The Folkling brick and mortar opened in December of 2020, and it’s chock-full of clothing and goods that Breeden’s acquired from people and places during her travels. “I would find some things thrifting on occasion,” Breeden says. “But I also just started meeting people all around the country who had stuff that

they didn’t know what to do with, or things that they loved and valued, but just wanted someone to appreciate the story that went along with it, and appreciate the beauty in these old things.”

Showcasing the beauty in the old, mundane, and imperfect is part of Folkling’s mission. “We try to help people appreciate things that are worn and imperfect,” says Breeden. “Finding beauty in the imperfection of things that have withstood the test of time.”

Each item in the Folkling shop has a story, many of which Breeden researches and documents for her archives, a process that can take months depending on an item’s condition. Folkling’s inventory is constantly being refreshed as new items are ready to be sold, so you never know what you’ll find on the racks and shelves.

Vintage clothing that caters to a variety of aesthetics from the ’70s and earlier is always in stock. You might find a fun

’30s playsuit, a well-worn pair of jodhpurs, or some sturdy Levi’s. Folkling also sells antique homewares, handmade items, and American-made goods that are responsibly produced, including ceramics, rugs, and clothing made from deadstock fabrics.

Breeden curates a monthly collection of quilts from the ’40s and earlier for the shop, too. Each one is a work of art, and she tries hard to identify and document the patterns before listing them. “The quilts I find represent so much of an untold story of the women who made them,” says Breeden. “The women who made them weren’t really allowed to make art, and so they turned this utilitarian thing into a beautiful art piece. It’s a story I’m constantly captivated by.”

Folkling is open for in-person shopping Fridays and Saturdays, and online orders from folkling.co usually ship within one week.

“WE TRY TO HELP PEOPLE APPRECIATE THINGS THAT ARE WORN AND IMPERFECT. FINDING BEAUTY IN THE IMPERFECTION OF THINGS THAT HAVE WITHSTOOD THE TEST OF TIME.”

LENEY BREEDEN

REFUGE EATS

UVA CLUB OFFERS CULTURAL AWARENESS THROUGH GASTRONOMIC EXPLORATION

BY SHEA GIBBS

With culinary delicacies stretched across white linen in the comfortable outdoor space at Belmont’s Southern Crescent restaurant, giddy gastronomes arriving to the first dinner hosted by Taste of Home in 2018 may not have realized the spread was organized by college undergrads.

One of the University of Virginia’s more than 1,000 student clubs and organizations, Taste of Home is still hosting meals four years after its founding by then-UVA student Mayan Braude. Though the journey hasn’t been without its setbacks.

The club and its rotating cast of 30 or so activist members hosts several annual pop-up dining events around Charlottesville to honor the refugee and immigrant community. So far, Taste of Home has featured feasts by nearly a dozen local chefs and home cooks across 10 dinners, lunches, and takeout services.

“It’s really important to us to kind of create a greater sense of community between the university and the surrounding area, as well as giving voices to different demographics that aren’t really elevated,” says Ella Maufair, a second-year UVA student who serves as one of Taste of Home’s co-coordinators.

Syrian, Afghani, Honduran, Indonesian, Bengali, and Turkish cuisine have all had their place in the spotlight since Taste of Home began hosting meals. Featured chefs have included sisters Jamileh and Khadija Hemmati, who fled hostility in Afghanistan in 2016, and Neta Fitria, who moved to the United States from Indonesia to get married and support her family. The cooks receive all proceeds from Taste of Home meals and consult on planning and pricing to make sure everything’s covered.

“We really do work one-on-one with the partnering chefs all the time,” says

Sarah Kim, another club co-coordinator who’s in her fourth year at UVA. “We make sure they approve everything we send out and they approve of the pricing we give the public. Everything we do is for the chef…and we really get to know them as people and as friends. It’s quite humbling.”

After several dinners at locations around town into 2020, Taste of Home was forced to move its pop-ups to spaces on or near Grounds. According to Sarah Kim, another club co-coordinator, the move was driven by accessibility—the pandemic simply closed off many of the organization’s options. Some local restaurants still remain hesitant to host pop-ups. Taste of Home innovated and expanded its mission during the shutdown, switching to “pick-up dinners” and focusing on refugee advocacy. The group launched the Taste of Home Afghanistan Emergency Relief Fund in 2021. The organization has held other events, including a bake sale, and grown its Instagram presence to help expand its reach.

UVA club Taste of Home's pop-up dinner events have featured feasts of Syrian, Afghani, Honduran, Indonesian, Bengali, and Turkish cuisines.

Co-coordinator Layne Johnson says the organization would like to move its events back into the community next spring, when its coordinators hope to host another dinner at Southern Crescent. According to Johnson, the organization continues to grow, and its new members are inevitably students truly passionate about the mission of helping members of the refugee and immigrant community.

As it expands, the nonprofit is focused on securing grant financing through the university and beyond, and contacting more local refugees and immigrants. Taste of Home has so far developed its connections through local religious and other community organizations and is always looking for folks willing to cook for a crowd.

“The main word that comes to mind when I think about Taste of Home is ‘community,’” Johnson says. “It is about bringing people together. We see so many different faces at these events, and to support these local chefs, it feels great.”

CHELSEA MCCLINTOCK

PASSENGER TRANSIT LIMOUSINE

PASSENGER MOTOR COACH

25 PASSENGER MINI BUS

PERFECT PAIRINGS

FOOD AND MUSIC INTERTWINE FOR MULTI-TALENTED LOCAL ARTIST

Restaurateur and locally renowned musician Jay Pun is 100 percent Thai. But he still thinks a lot about authenticity.

In 2016, Pun traveled to his ancestral home and visited an open-air market in northern Thailand. He was on the hunt for a native lute known as a phin. He’d owned one years before, but it was decorative, nothing authentic.

Pun and his cousins happened upon a local luthier at the market. The Charlottesville native, whose family opened the area’s first Thai restaurant in 1997, bought one of the instruments—essentially a threestringed guitar—brought it home, and began writing songs. He quickly fell in love with the instrument’s tones and traditions.

“It was similar to the way I think about food,” Pun says. “Even though I am Thai, I didn’t want it to be a gimmick and appropriate the music of another culture.”

Wanting deeply to do the phin justice, Pun researched its history. He took an online class with a Thai phin player, who pointed out the ways Pun naturally brought his Americanized influence to the instrument. He continued to work at it.

Pun formally learned his musicianship at Berkeley College of Music. It was there that he also met his wife and other half of the successful world beat duo Morwenna Lasko & Jay Pun. While his family grew its local culinary footprint—they now own Thai Cuisine & Noodle House and Chimm—Pun and his wife produced several albums of their guitar and violin music, and toured around Virginia.

Lasko and Pun are still working on new music, but kids, responsibilities, and the pandemic have conspired to slow them down. And in early 2021, tragedy struck, and it deepened Pun’s love of his own heritage: Eight women of Asian descent were shot and killed while working at a spa in Atlanta. “That was a pinnacle point in my life. I came out as Asian,” Pun says.

Despite being rooted in Thai traditions since birth, Pun says he had largely assimilated to white culture. It was simply

what he knew his entire life. But the Atlanta shooting woke him up and made him realize that Charlottesville in many ways doesn’t know its Asian community. Many in the community don’t even know one another.

At Chimm, Pun likes to push palates. While so much of U.S.-based Asian cuisine is watered down for local tastes, he says Charlottesville has embraced many authentic culinary styles.

And with the phin, Pun continues to push his own musical palate. He’s particularly taken with the music of northeastern Thailand. As he begins thinking about the area, its food also springs to his mind.

“It’s a bit different—it’s very spicy on its own, where a lot of the food in central Thailand is not,” he says. In the northeast, the Thai people often eat with their

BY SHEA GIBBS

hands, Pun says, taking handfuls of glutinous rice and using it much as Ethiopian people use injera to scoop up delicacies. It’s a type of cuisine that has only recently started to move West.

When Pun’s family opened their first restaurant a quarter century ago, even the more Americanized version of Thai cuisine was considered adventurous.

And while the States might not be ready for traditional phin music, the time may come for that, as well.

“It’s cheesy, but it’s true—there’s a beauty that comes from the way music and food bring people together,” Pun says. “Look at any culture: blues coming from enslaved people and singing about what they’re eating and about being in the kitchen. Music and food are completely entangled.”

Jay Pun thinks about music and food (his family owns Chimm and Thai Cuisine & Noodle House) in similar ways: “Even though I am Thai, I didn’t want it to be a gimmick and appropriate the music of another culture,” he says.

TRISTAN WILLIAMS

BEAUTY FOR ALL

COSMETOLOGIST

WANTS

TO OPEN A SPA FOR OTHER DISABLED PEOPLE

BY BRIELLE ENTZMINGER

At 10 months old, India Sims was sent to the hospital for a chronic ear infection. A doctor decided to give Sims a spinal tap to help diagnose the infection—but inserted the needle into the wrong part of her back. She soon became partially paralyzed, and suffered from constant fevers and seizures.

Over the next decade, Sims, who was born and raised in Crozet, had over 30 surgeries. Though doctors tried to restore the use of the lower half of her body, her legs and feet were permanently paralyzed. Her family tried to sue the doctor, but were unable to find a lawyer to take their case.

“While I was having surgeries, I dreamed [of] two things: becoming a singer because I used to sing a lot, and I always wanted to own my own shop,” says Sims, a 37-year-old mother of two. “I wanted to be a hairstylist, a massage therapist, an esthetician.”

Now Sims, a licensed cosmetologist, is working to bring her dream to fruition. By next year, she wants to open her own Charlottesville spa, called NrUnique- Brokenimagination, for disabled people who “want to enjoy a luxury life and not have to worry about certain accommodations,” she says.

India Sims is raising money to make her lifelong dream of owning her own business come true.

Sims plans to hire other disabled cosmetologists, and offer a variety of services, including hair, nails, massages, and waxing.

Sims says she faced numerous challenges on her path to becoming a cosmetologist. While a high school student, she says teachers tried to prevent her from enrolling in the cosmetology program at Charlottesville-Albemarle Technical Education Center. However, with help from her mother and an advocate, Simms was eventually able to graduate from the program. She then worked to gain more experience in her field, but often faced difficulties getting hired, or was fired shortly after starting a job—because she was in a wheelchair, she says.

“I would go work for someone. They would love my work and what I can do, but after a while when customers started rolling in, I would come in and they would set my stuff outside and [say], ‘We no longer want your services here. It takes too much space for your chair,’” says Sims.

“I’m tired [of] people telling me I have the job, and I’m sitting around waiting on them, and they’re telling me, ‘Oh, we decided to go with another can-

didate,’ after they’ve told me they’ve hired me,” she adds.

Sims was inspired to fully pursue her lifelong dream after meeting award-winning artist Mary J. Blige in February. Sims had posted a TikTok video, which included Blige’s song “Good Morning, Gorgeous.” Sims’ account, @1uniquechairgirl, has over 300,000 followers, and features videos about Sims’ life as a disabled person—and that video caught Blige’s attention. Soon, she was invited to have a virtual conversation with the singer on “Good Morning America.”

“[Blige] was the one that was like, ‘India, you are important. I see you [and] what you’re trying to do—do it,’” says Sims.

Sims is currently working to raise $100,000 on GoFundMe for her spa.

After opening, Sims hopes to franchise the business, allowing other disabled people to own additional locations.

“I just want people to wake up and [know]: We are normal. We’re not a liability. We have dreams. We have a life. We have to work just like everybody else,” says Sims.

This story originally ran in C-VILLE Weekly.

TRISTAN WILLIAMS

METHOD

In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat 1/4 cup olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring until just starting to turn golden, 3 to 4 minutes.

Stir in onions, increase heat to medium-high and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in peppers and cook, occasionally stirring, until starting to soften, about 20 minutes.

Add tomatoes and bring to a gentle boil, then lower the heat to maintain a simmer.

Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until peppers are very soft, about 30 minutes.

PEPERONATA FOR ROASTED CHICKEN

INGREDIENTS

Extra-virgin Olive Oil Yellow Onion

Bell Peppers Tomatoes

African Blue Basil Kosher Salt

Sherry Vinegar Garlic Cloves

1/4 cup 1 medium sized 2 lb 1/2 cup 1 sprig to taste 2 tbsp 3 medium-sized

Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt. Stir in vinegar. Stir in basil leaves and flowers.

Serve over roast chicken, this would also work nicely with grilled vegetables or fish.

This Pippin Hill holiday favorite pairs perfectly with our Cabernet Franc 2020.You can purchase bottles when you visit our vineyard or thrrough our online shop!

Exclusive recipe from our new holiday cookbook available for purchase in our tasting room this holiday season and beyond!

HAPPY TO FEED YOU

People in the restaurant biz recognize the term “family meal.” It’s what staff is served before the doors open each night. But what happens when chefs go home? That’s what we asked these 11 food folks, and they delivered. What follows is a peek into what local chefs, bar managers, bakers, and restaurant owners eat at home. Time to make your own family meal.

STORY BY CAITE HAMILTON • SPECIAL THANKS TO JOHN REYNOLDS

ISSUE

“One of the things I like to make for my family is one-pot meals. Growing up, my mom would make us meals like that and it stuck with me. My husband, son, and step-daughter all love when I make this meal. It’s easy, doesn’t take long to make, and is nutritious, well-balanced, and tasty.”

—JESSICA LINO, CHEF/OWNER, FARMACY

MACHEESY BOWL

2 boxes of mac ‘n’ cheese

1 head of broccoli

1 package of chicken thighs

2 Tbsp. Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp. Himalayan pink salt

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

1/2 yellow onion (diced)

4 cloves fresh garlic (diced)

1 Tbsp. of San-J tamari

SERVES 4 In a large pot, bring water to a boil to cook the pasta according to box instructions. Once pasta is cooked, strain and add the cheese packet and mix it together. While pasta is cooking, put a cast iron or frying pan on the stove and add oil. When oil is hot, add chicken thighs. Add half the amounts of all seasonings to the chicken and let cook for seven to 10 minutes or until browned, then flip thighs over and cook another seven to 10 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked. Season chicken with the rest of your seasonings. After the chicken is cooked, add diced onions and diced garlic cloves. Cook until fragrant, then remove and cut chicken into bite-size pieces.

While your chicken and pasta are cooking, in another pot, add a steamer and water to cover the bottom of the steamer, cut up your broccoli and put in pot with a lid. Steam until the broccoli is fork-tender. (Be careful not to overcook it; the broccoli should be bright in color, and not mushy.)

Once the pasta is done and the cheese has been added, add the broccoli to the pasta pot, plus the tamari and the chicken. Stir together, then serve.

THE RECIPE ISSUE

“I learned this recipe at one of the first restaurants I worked in, as a server, during college. It’s super simple but works well. The store-bought granola cereal seems kind of weird, but I gotta say it works well every time and adds the perfect amount of crunch to the crisp. I have made this recipe at least 200 times with whatever fruit is in season. It’s a quick and delicious alternative to assembling a pie.”

—JASON BECTON, CHEF/OWNER, MARIEBETTE CAFÉ & BAKERY AND PETITE MARIEBETTE

APPLE-CRANBERRY CRISP

CRUMBLE TOPPING

1 cup flour 1 cup light brown sugar 1 cup store-bought granola cereal 1 1/2 sticks of butter, roughly cut into 1-inch pieces

FILLING

8 large tart apples (Gold Rush is my favorite), peeled, cored, and cut into half-inch slices 1 1/2 cups of fresh cranberries 1 1/2 cups of light brown sugar 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

SERVES 10-14 PEOPLE Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place all of the crumble topping ingredients in a large bowl. Using a pastry blender or two butter knives, cut and mix the ingredients together until they form pea-sized clumps. Set aside. In a separate bowl, combine the filling ingredients until the apples and cranberries are coated in the sugar and the cinnamon. Place the apple and cranberry mix into a 3-quart baking dish and arrange the crumb topping on top of the fruit as evenly as possible. Place in the oven and bake for about 35 to 45 minutes depending on how much bite you want the cooked apples to have. Let the crisp stand for at least 15 minutes before serving. Serve with your favorite local ice cream or with some whipped cream.

STAFF

PHOTO

“This is my mother’s recipe for pumpkin muffins, and a recipe

I deeply associate with autumn. She liked to double the spices in it, and I suspect she would round up on the pumpkin also. Hers were always the best; I can never quite do it like she would. Wrap the muffins individually and I swear they get better with time. I make these for my children every fall, and we eat them outside with a tall glass of fresh apple cider. There is nothing like it, nothing that brings the season closer to our senses.”

—WILL RICHEY, OWNER, TEN COURSE HOSPITALITY

DEBBIE RICHEY’S PUMPKIN MUFFINS

DRY 3 cups sugar

1/2 cups sifted flour

tsp. baking soda 1 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. baking powder

tsp. cinnamon 1 tsp. nutmeg 1 tsp. clove 1/2 tsp. Allspice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl together. Mix with a whisk until mixed well. Make a well. Beat all the wet ingredients together until well mixed. Pour wet ingredients into the well of dry ingredients. Mix until smooth. Grease pans—muffin pans or small loaf pans (both work). Bake for about 30 minutes.

STAFF PHOTO

“This recipe was given to me by the mom of one of my best friends. This is my go-to recipe for get-togethers, tailgating, basically any event where people want an easy to make, super fresh dip. It is beloved by all and it is hard to stop coming back for more.”

—RYAN BECKLUND, OWNER, BOTANICAL FARE

BLACK BEAN, CORN, AND AVOCADO DIP

2 cans black beans (drained and rinsed)

1 bag frozen shoepeg/ white corn (thawed)

2 avocados (skins removed and diced)

1 bunch green onions (thinly sliced) Fresh cilantro (chopped)

2 cloves garlic (minced) 1 lime (juiced) Drizzle of olive oil 1/4 cup red wine vinegar 1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. black pepper 1 tsp. onion powder 1 bag tortilla chips

Mix all ingredients together in a serving bowl and season to taste. Serve with tortilla chips or pita chips.

TRISTAN WILLIAMS

“As a hospitality industry person, I love to entertain at work and at home. Cooking and cocktails is a big part of any reunion that happens at home, big or small, and with that, I have a few of my go-to cocktails that I always make for guests or even when I just want a quick drink.”

—HARVEY MAYORGA, CO-OWNER, GUAJIROS MIAMI EATERY

THE DAIQUIRI

2 oz. Plantation 3 Stars rum

.75 oz. fresh lime juice .75 oz. simple syrup (1 cup room-temp water and 1 cup sugar, mixed)

Shake the ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker and strain in a cocktail glass (or any glass—a wine glass works, but I even used Tupperware once!). It is important that the lime juice is fresh! I usually squeeze a few ounces of it (strained) at the beginning of the night so I don’t have to squeeze limes for every cocktail.

TRISTAN WILLIAMS

“Working nights makes breakfast one of the few meals that I consistently cook. I love making breakfast tacos. I try to do it up because I probably won’t get to eat again until after service, close to midnight. Most days I make some riff on the following.”

—MICAH LEMON, BAR MANAGER, THE ALLEY LIGHT

BOO BEAR BREAKFAST TACOS

SERVES 2 Separate two eggs. Feed yolks to dog. Sauté half of a red pepper, brunoise cut, with two tablespoons butter, add egg whites and three eggs, and scramble over low heat. Sprinkle with shreddy cheese. Put the scrambled eggs on a toasted flour tortilla, and top with thinly sliced radish, diced kumato, and a handful of chopped arugula. Give it a dollop of Greek yogurt and three dashes of hot sauce.

TRISTAN WILLIAMS

“The hot toddy is a quintessential winter warmer, but with this one I’ve swapped in gin for the traditional bourbon. This is simple and fast for the home mixologist. It’s a gorgeous red hue, easy to drink, and is said to soothe sore throats and quiet coughs. Plus, it can easily be scaled for as many or as few people you want to invite over.”

—CRIS MORALES, HEAD BARTENDER, TONIC

HIBISCUS HOT TODDY

For every 10 oz. of hot water... 1 Tbsp. of loose leaf hibiscus flowers or 1 hibiscus tea bag 1 oz. of lime juice 1 1/2 oz. honey 3 oz. of your favorite gin

In your favorite teapot or French press, add all ingredients except the gin. Meanwhile, warm mugs with hot water. Let the mixture steep for three to five minutes, then add gin and strain into a warm mug. Garnish with fresh citrus—a lemon wheel, lime wheel, or orange zest all work well here.

“I got this appetizer dish when I was visiting my friend in Ubon Ratchathani, east of Thailand. It is a Thai Isan local homestyle comfort food all year long. Thailand is a tropical year round, so we use our seasonal local fruit for this dish—mango, nectarines, kiwi, ripe papaya, peaches, pineapple. It’s good with fruit that has a sweet and sour taste. It pairs well with rosé or lager beer.”

—KIT ASHI, CHEF/OWNER, MONSOON SIAM AND PINEAPPLES

TANK MO PLA RAH

(watermelon with spicy fermented sauce)

1 slice watermelon (or other fresh fruit)

SAUCE

1 Tbsp. fermented anchovies

1

“Between running a company, training programs, board meetings, and family activities, the only time

I really get to cook is on the weekends. I love to invite friends over for brunch! This is one of the dishes that I use to break down barriers and expose people to the world of Ethiopian flavors.”

—ANTWON BRINSON, OWNER, CULINARY CONCEPTS AB

BERBERE SPICED GRILLED OKRA WITH LEMON ZA’ATAR AIOLI

1/2 pound fresh okra (rinse, dry, and trim)

2 quarts water

1 Tbsp. salt

1/2 stick butter 1/2 tsp. salt

RUB

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1/2 each lemon (juice and zest)

1 Tbsp. berbere spice

1/4 tsp. ginger powder

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. smoked paprika

1/4 tsp. sugar 1/2 tsp. salt

ZA’ATAR

LEMON AIOLI

1 each lemon (juice and zest)

1 Tbsp. garlic (minced) 2 each egg yolk

1 cup olive oil 1 tsp. zaatar

1/2 Tbsp. dry rub 1/4 tsp. salt

Using a medium-size pot, salt water and bring it to a boil. In a medium-size bowl, add about one quart of water and two cups of ice. Set to the side. Add your first pill of large pieces and blanch for two to three minutes. Remove and place in ice water to cool. Repeat the process with the other bunch. Allow okra and cool for about five minutes.

In a separate medium bowl, add all dry rub ingredients. Mix well. Reserve ½ tablespoon of the mix for your sauce. Next, toss your okra in the bowl. Again mix well. Allow mixture to marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes.

You will need another medium bowl for this next part—preparing the aioli and butter. Add zest from the lemon and juice from only half. Add garlic, dry rub, zaatar, and salt. Next, add your egg yolk. Mix well. While mixing, add your olive oil in a slow stream. Keep mixing until all of the oil is incorporated. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. For the butter, place in a small pot and melt. Remove from heat. Add the other half of the lemon (juice) and ½ teaspoon salt.

Preheat your grill to 375-400 degrees. Using two skewers per order, Lay 4 to 6 okra pods side by side, alternating the positions of the heads and tails. Place one skewer near the top and the other near the bottom of the okra. Place the melted butter near the grill, with either a basting brush or spoon. Add your skewers to the grill. Cook for three to six minutes then flip. Once flipped brush the okra with the butter mixture. Once cooked remove from the heat and serve.

TRISTAN WILLIAMS

THE RECIPE ISSUE

“I find this a very simple recipe to do at home, yet it packs a real wow factor. It can be made a couple of days in advance so it’s great for foodpacked events like holiday dinners. I prefer this recipe over pumpkin pie, because it is delicate in flavor and not too sweet. Using a locally grown sweet potato will elevate this pie even more, since the flavor of local fresh sweet potatoes are much more intense than the store bought (but if not available, store bought will work).”

—MELISSA CLOSE-HART, CHEF/OWNER, MOCKINGBIRD

SWEET POTATO PIE

FILLING

1 3/4 pound sweet potato (about 4 medium)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

2 eggs

1/4 cup half & half

3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract

6 Tbsp. butter, melted

1 unbaked pie shell, 8 inches (store bought or used attached recipe)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash and prick sweet potatoes with a fork, then bake them until completely soft, about one hour. Set aside to cool. Peel potatoes and purée in a food processor. In a mixing bowl, add 2 1/2 cups of sweet potato plus the remaining ingredients. Stir until completely mixed. Pour filling in unbaked pie shell and bake for 45 minutes to an hour. Pie should be firm in the center. Remove from the oven and dust with extra cinnamon while still warm. Serve with vanilla bean whipped cream.

PIE DOUGH

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp. granulated sugar

3/4 tsp. fine salt

10 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter

4-6 Tbsp. ice cold water

Freeze the butter for 20 minutes, then grate it using the large holes of a box grater. Return grated butter to freezer for another 10 minutes. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the cold grated butter, tossing to combine. Working quickly, using your hands to further cut and break the butter into pieces the size of small peas. Drizzle a few tablespoons of water on the mixture and toss to moisten. Continue adding the remaining water until the dough sticks together and stays stuck when pressed between two fingers. (It’s okay if the dough is still crumbly.) Turn the mixture out onto a clean work surface. Use your hands to press the dough together into a craggily mass. Gently fold one half of the dough over and onto itself, repeating this three times, until it’s come together into a cohesive mass.

Wrap dough in plastic. Press down plastic-wrapped dough to create a 6-inchwide disk shape. Refrigerate at least six hours, preferably overnight. Let the dough sit at room temperature for five to 10 minutes, or until slightly pliable. Roll the dough out on a floured work surface. Keep turning the dough after every roll to ensure it doesn’t stick to the counter and is of even thickness. Add additional flour to the dough, the counter, and your rolling pin as needed. Roll out into a 12-inch circle about 1/8-inch thick. Gently roll the dough up and around the rolling pin, then unroll and drape over a 8-inch pie tin. Gently press into the pie tin, being careful to avoid stretching it to fit. Use scissors or a knife to trim the excess dough, leaving a 1-inch overhang. Fold the overhang under itself and crimp or flute. Pierce the base of the dough with a fork.

“I love this recipe because it is painfully easy and enjoyed by almost everyone in the U.K. during the holidays. It is also extremely versatile; I have made versions with chorizo wrapped in Parma ham with a chipotle glaze or a vegan version with sausages wrapped in tempeh. The glaze is also flexible—try it with honey and mustard or brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce.”

—KATHRYN MATTHEWS, OWNER, IRON PAFFLES

PIGS IN BLANKETS (BRITISH EDITION)

1 pound sausage

1/2 pound bacon

GLAZE

1/3 cup maple syrup

1 Tbsp. hot sauce

1 garlic clove (crushed)

1 sprig thyme

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. If sausages have a casing, remove it, keeping the shape of the sausage. If you’re using ground sausage, shape the meat with your hands to form a sausage shape (around 3 inches long). Cut bacon in half and stretch it to wrap around the sausage (try not to overlap it). Place on an oven tray and bake for 20 to 25 minutes (cook time will vary greatly by the thickness of the bacon). Meanwhile, prepare your glaze by adding all the ingredients to a pan and bring to a light boil. Stir to fully incorporate. Brush the sausages with your glaze about five minutes before they are done. Remove from the oven and give a final brush with the glaze before serving.

TRISTAN WILLIAMS

Thibaut-Janisson was born from a long friendship that began in a Grand Cru village in the Champagne region of France and continues today in Blue Ridge Mountains of Charlottesville, Virginia.

Winery | Charlottesville, Virginia | (434) 996-3307 | claude@tjwinery.com

Thibaut-Janisson

A CUT ABOVE

When Rachel Pennington, baker and co-owner of The Pie Chest, started at The Whiskey Jar (where she served as the pastry chef from 2012 to 2015), they gave her the dullest knife in the house. It’s been with her ever since.

“As a baker, I only needed to cut butter. Butter actually slices/cubes much better when using a dull knife. So, my favorite knife is the dullest knife on the board! It accidentally was put in the oven once (don’t ask), and part of its handle melted, it was falling apart, but it cut butter like a gem. The technique that we use widely for much of our product is cutting the butter into dry ingredients, so we need it cubed and cold, working very quickly and efficiently. That’s all that I need it for in our butter-loving kitchen. I’m sad to report that my favorite knife finally ‘died.’ The black plastic handle (that was partially melted) finally dropped off of the blade, so all that is left is the actual very dull blade. But did I keep that very dull blade? You bet. It’s sitting in my office as I type this. It’ll end up a tattoo at some point!”

Dr. Anna Magee

Dr. Deborah Elder