O ur Valley May 23, 2014
A Celebration of
In Our Valley Plus ... The Votes Are In!
Starts on Page 32
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OUR VALLEY
Friday, May 23, 2014
Harrisonburg, Va.
Our Valley 2014
Inside
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Editor’s Note .................................................. 3 Food Truck Frenzy Zooms In ......................... 4 The Local Label .............................................. 5 Ice Cream In Their Veins ............................... 6 Restaurateurs: No Place Like Home .............. 9
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Gettin’ Fresh ................................................. 10 A Growing Trend .......................................... 11 Commerce And Beyond ............................... 12 A Maturing Industry .................................... 14
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Many Try, Few Succeed ............................... 15 Tasteful Travels ............................................. 18
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Call For Specialty Grocers Expands ............. 19 Sweet Success .............................................. . 20 A Dish Best Served Hot ................................ 23 Got ‘Local’ Milk ............................................. 24
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Looking Beyond The Labels .......................... 28 Schools Work To Offer A Healthy Perspective .......31 Best Of The Valley ..................... Starts On Page 32 On The Trail To Better Eating ...................... 44
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Harrisonburg, Va.
OUR VALLEY
Friday, May 23, 2014
A World Of Food, Right Here In Our Valley Odd to most of us, at least. Every culture has its own unique take on “Food, glorious food! Hot food — its own staples, ingredients, sausage and mustard! While we’re in delicacies, breakfast, lunch and dinthe mood — Cold jelly and custard! ner. But the diversity of internationPease pudding and saveloys! What al fare is what makes food a world of endless possibilities for one’s taste next is the question?” buds. And like music and art, food is a tie that binds cultures and counell, since they asked … tries together. We all eat, after all, what in the world is and the different takes the world has “pease pudding and on everything from tamales to Pad saveloys”? And why, exactly, is “cold Thai give us one more reason to exjelly and custard” at the top of some plore, and celebrate, our differences. very hungry boys’ wish list? Oliver And given the growing diversity of Twist and the other orphans toiling the central Valley, there are more opfor gruel in the workhouses of Dick- portunities than ever to explore food ensian England sing about an odd from different cultures, with everymix of edibles in this song from the thing from Russian and Latino gromusical “Oliver!” cers to Peruvian and Ethiopian HARRISONBURG
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restaurants here in Harrisonburg. But culinary diversity isn’t limited to geography. The ways in which food is grown, prepared and sold is increasingly diverse. Consider the growing “locavore” movement — a trend in which more and more people are seeking out food grown close to home — and the increasing demand for organic foods. In this issue of Our Valley, we celebrate the diversity of food found in the Valley, with stories about restaurants and grocers selling food and serving up cuisine native to cultures thousands of miles away, and features on the “locavore” and organic trends led by farmers here at home. But what would a special section on food in the Valley be without the kind
of good old-fashioned American food folks here in the Valley have enjoyed for generations? From homemade ice cream, baked goods and burgers, to Valley-made potato chips, products bottled by local dairies, and locally produced wine (it’s a food … really!) So dig in to the following pages and savor this look at the varied world of food in Our Valley. P.S. Pease pudding, by the way is a pudding made of split yellow peas, spices, salt and water, and a saveloy is a type of sausage made from pork brains. … And yes, I had to look it up. Rob Longley City Editor Daily News-Record
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OUR VALLEY
Friday, May 23, 2014
Harrisonburg, Va.
Food Truck Frenzy Zooms In Mobile Kitchens Come Rolling Into The Valley By PETE DeLEA Daily News-Record
HARRISONBURG — In the mid-2000s, the first taco food truck rolled into the Shenandoah Valley. Soon after, it was joined by about a half-dozen Mexicanthemed food trucks that set up shop in the Friendly City. A few years later, the food truck craze caught on throughout the country. Highend food trucks started to pop up in cities large and small. Diane Roll, owner of Mama’s Caboose, said food trucks are appealing to those looking to get into the food business. She said they provide flexibility, something the brick-and-mortar restaurants find challenging. “With the truck you can change location,” she said. “I can go in the middle of a vineyard, a cornfield or somewhere on the side of the road.”
Starting Up Roll, a Pennsylvania native and granddaughter of eastern European immigrants, first launched her red caboose-themed food truck in 2011, dishing up a variety of food from cheese steaks to sausages and her version of Polish haluski. She said some food truck owners use
Jason Lenhart / DN-R
Nikki Fox / DN-R
ABOVE: Diane Roll, owner of Mama’s Caboose food truck, cooks Angus beef for cheese steaks, while working an event at Waterman Elementary School on May 9. Since the first taco food truck rolled into the Shenandoah Valley in the mid-2000s, the food truck craze has caught on throughout the country. TOP RIGHT: A line forms outside at the Grilled Cheese Mania food truck in Harrisonburg in early May. it as a test to see how successful a traditional storefront eatery might be. “It’s a gateway,” she said. “You can’t afford to dump your entire savings into a brick and mortar.” She first found success at parking the food truck at various locations in Har-
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LEFT: A chicken salad sandwich adorned with carrots, spinach and cucumbers is served on a croissant at Mama’s Caboose. Diane Roll, who owns and operates the food truck, launched her business in 2011.
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risonburg and Rockingham County. She has since expanded and does catering, with or without the food truck. On some days, she can be found parked at a local business dishing out See FOOD TRUCK, Page 7
Nikki Fox / DN-R
Harrisonburg, Va.
OUR VALLEY
Friday, May 23, 2014
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The Local Label items produced by about a dozen businesses in the region under the Virginia’s Finest label. The program is marking its 25th anniversary this year. DevelBy JONATHON SHACAT Daily News-Record oped in 1989 by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and ConA true enthusiast of foods with sumer Services, it promotes topthe Virginia’s Finest label could quality agriculture and specialty eat a complete and nutritious meal foods and beverages with the fawith products solely created in the miliar blue and red “VA check mark” logo. central Valley. Tony Banks, assisSuch a dinner on the tant director of comcould feature succumodity marketing for lent Turner country For More On ham, a healthy salVirginia’s Finest: the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation, ad from Sinclair www.vafinest.com said the Virginia’s Farm produce, a glass of cold sweet apple cider from Finest website lists products by Showalter’s Orchard, and an after- category, where people can find dinner cup of gourmet coffee from farms and businesses that sell Lucas Roasting complimented them. “Each listing will state whether with a touch of Mount Crawford they are retail, wholesale, mail orCreamery milk. Those are just some of the der,” he said. “Some listings are re-
Va.’s Finest Celebrates Its 25th Anniversary
WEB
tail only and the business may retail Virginia’s Finest products produced by other Virginia farms or businesses.” The process to obtain the label can vary from one type of product to another, said Elaine Lidholm, spokeswoman for VDACS. “The products are evaluated by a committee made up of marketing specialists in a particular product category and food safety inspectors, who work with them on things like their product labels, their processes for producing the items, and maintaining an inspected kitchen,” she said. The program boasts more than 400 participating businesses selling meats, cheeses, peanuts, condiments, confections, baked goods, beverages, sauces, soups and seafood. See LOCAL, Page 8
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ABOVE: Milk from Mount Crawford Creamery is one of a variety of local foods sold with the Virginia's Finest label. LEFT: Turner Ham House sports the Virginia’s Finest label on its sugar-cured ham and Red-Hot Rooster Sauce. Photos by Nikki Fox / DN-R
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OUR VALLEY
Friday, May 23, 2014
Harrisonburg, Va.
Ice Cream In Their Veins By PRESTON KNIGHT
Main Street location in 2005. Stores are also in Staunton and Waynesboro. While everyone enjoys the end product, someone has to get the process started. The ice cream makers — Brooks is the only full-time one, while five others pitch in on a part-time basis — are the “unsung heroes” of the business, manager Donna Shipe said. “They are Kline’s,” she said. “You just don’t really think how much goes into it. It takes a special type of person. They’re the ones who don’t receive any glory. You just don’t stop and think about how much work it takes before you can put it on a cone.”
Daily News-Record
HARRISONBURG — A father of five with a bum shoulder, Todd Brooks sought a job that could support his family and, at the end of the day, leave his body intact to play with the youngest of the lot, twin 4year-olds. He found the coolest way to address that need. Making ice cream for the city’s famed Kline’s Dairy Bar is not for everyone. For starters, only a handful of people do it in any given year. And if you’re not an early riser, forget about it: Your day almost always starts before sunrise, perhaps even as early as 3 a.m. if you’re feeling “crazy,” said Brooks, 39, a Waynesboro resident. But the job pays well and pays off in other aspects: It doesn’t tear your body up and can impress those waiting for you at home, he said. “I ran a paving company for 15 years. I thought that was pretty cool,” Brooks said. “My kids think [Kline’s] is the coolest thing I’ve ever done. I was think-
Family Dippers
Nikki Fox / DN-R
Todd Brooks, ice cream maker at Kline’s Dairy Bar, makes fresh vanilla ice cream on April 28. The sweet treat is made daily with real ingredients at both Harrisonburg locations. ing big trucks [were great].” Kline’s has been a Har-
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Brooks joined about a year ago at the suggestion of his sister-in-law, Corrie Green, who worked at the Wolfe Street spot for 15 years. He typically gets to work between 4:30 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. to make milkshake mixes and 100 gallons of ice cream with a patented cream — four flavors: vanilla, chocolate and
Kline’s Survives With ‘Unsung Heroes’
whatever the weekly special is at both locations — before stores open at 10:30 a.m. (noon on Sundays). “Half of the time is cleaning,” Brooks said of an eight-hour day. The amount of ice cream prepared for a given day varies depending on the time — weekends vs. weekdays, early spring vs. mid-summer — and weather forecast. “I won’t make as much today,” Brooks said on a recent rainy morning. Kline’s switches out ice cream if it’s not sold within 24 hours of production, ensuring freshness every day. Consistency extends beyond flavor to looks: Brooks said the “swoop” top to every cone that
Kline’s is “notorious” for (unlike a circled scoop of ice cream you might get at home) is a result of keeping each freezer on a timer, moving on to another one when the temperature reaches a certain point. “The girls have their own tricks on how to dip,” he said. Kline’s makes a custard-style ice cream by using a specific mixer and omitting eggs, longtime Mike Arehart explained in a 2012 interview. A continuous-freeze mixer is needed, which is “very slow” and “labor intensive,” the company’s website says. Brooks said Arehart, whose sister, Kim, operates See ICE CREAM, Page 16
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OUR VALLEY
Harrisonburg, Va.
Friday, May 23, 2014
‘A Little Niche’ Food Truck
Elaine Heatwole, an employee at Mama's Caboose, serves up lunch for employees at Waterman Elementary School in Harrisonburg on May 9.
FROM PAGE 4
cheese steaks or Reubens to employees. On other days, she might be at Three Bros. Brewery in Harrisonburg or at local vineyards. “I can make anything for anybody,” said Roll, adding that she can create vegetarian and glutenfree menus for events.
Nikki Fox / DN-R
Courting Trucks While some food trucks choose to be mobile, some opt for staying at the same location daily. In late 2012, Mike Weaver began searching for a location for a food truck court, where several mobile eateries park at a single location. Like food trucks themselves, food truck courts also have popped up throughout the nation in the last few years. After no luck finding a location downtown — his preferred choice — he opted for family-owned land on South High Street in Harrisonburg, next to Tangier Island Seafood Market. Grilled Cheese Mania, owned by Kathleen Casey-Mania, was the first to open in October 2013 at the spot — traditionally known as the location the Weavers sold Christmas trees from each December.
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Jason Lenhart / DN-R
Kathleen Casey-Mania, owner of Grilled Cheese Mania, cooks up orders on May 10. The business, which opened in October 2013, now parks at the food truck court on South High Street in Harrisonburg. The food truck dishes out about a half-dozen sandwiches, from the traditional grilled cheese sandwich to the Mama Mania — made with mozzarella cheese, tomato, basil pesto and sriracha hot chili sauce. She said focusing mostly on one item has helped it grow in popularity. Food trucks allow for simplicity, she says, in doing one thing — and doing it well. “You could have a little niche,”
she said. While the grilled cheese truck was the only eatery at the food court for months, two others have joined the mix. “We took off,” said Casey-Mania. “They didn’t think it would take off, but [food trucks and customers] are coming.”
New Arrivals La Taurina Grill, a taco truck, was the next to join the food truck
court on South High Street. Lobsta’ Rollin’ arrived at the court in April, offering a variety of lobster-based items, including lobster tacos and lobster macaroni and cheese. Next month, A Taste of Soul is slated to open. That would bring the count to four trucks at the court. Angela Rouse, 51, and daughters, Areyl Cleveland, 26, and Ebony Cleveland, 29, all of Timberville, will operate the truck. Rouse said her family has been cooking up home recipes for years. “Food is one of our passion,” said Rouse, adding that the family operated a day care center for five years and it was time to do something else. Food was the solution. “We wanted to work together
as a family and prepare food for the community,” said Rouse. Rouse plans to dish out Southern fried chicken wings, fried pork chops and hush puppies on a regular basis. She said the truck will offer seasonal sides, including corn on the cob, collard greens, blacked eyed peas, macaroni and cheese and yams. She plans on opening the truck during the week of June 2. After spending time at the food truck court, she said, it felt like home. “Our passion was community,” she said. “Every time I went to the food truck court it was community. You could sit down and talk to your neighbor … sort of backyard fun.” Contact Pete DeLea at 574-6278 or pdelea@dnronline.com
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OUR VALLEY
Friday, May 23, 2014
Harrisonburg, Va.
Va. Label ‘Connects Us’ Local
FROM PAGE 5
Banks said the program continues to be a highly successful marketing strategy for Virginia food products. Consumers can count on the products to be both safe and delicious — and, just as importantly to many locavores, local. Down a hilly and winding road appropriately named Crooked Run Road west of Mount Jackson is Sinclair Farm. It produces greenhouse-grown lettuce, tomatoes, and English cucumbers. Co-owner Debbie Sinclair said the farm’s produce operation began in 2000, and the business obtained its Virginia’s Finest label within the first couple of years. Sinclair’s started selling on a small scale and then opened a farmers mar-
ket in 2004 to sell its produce and those of other locals. The market closed in 2012, a victim of the recession. The process to earn the Virginia’s Finest label, Sinclair recalls, was not difficult. “They did take a look at the products to confirm that they were something that they wanted in their program,” she said, referring to the program’s review committee. The label helps generate business from those who go to the Virginia’s Finest website, Sinclair said. Some items are sold at the greenhouse, but only on Wednesdays. Sinclair Farms does little wholesaling, such as through Shaffer’s restaurant in Woodstock. Most of Sinclair’s sales are the result of purchases
Nikki Fox / DN-R
Manuel Soto (left) of Harrisonburg and Robert Blosser of Timberville work on cutting fat off a sugar-cured country ham while deboning the hams at Turner Ham House in Fulks Run in early May. The business buys the hams by the tractor-trailer load from Indiana and sugar cures them locally. from customers who are shareholders through a consumer supported agricul-
ture program. They pay a certain amount of money per week and, in return, receive fresh products throughout the season. “We send out a notice saying this is what will be available in your shares,” such as tomatoes or romaine and watercress lettuce, she said. “They can purchase extra things like eggs, milk and meats.” Mount Crawford Creamery, located on about 70 acres between Mount Craw-
ford and Bridgewater along Va. 257, produces skim milk, 2 percent reduced-fat milk, whole milk and chocolate milk. Its herd of Holstein and Holstein-Jersey cows are milked twice a day. Between 60 and 80 cows are milked, depending on the season. The milk products have featured the Virginia’s Finest label since January. The brand is sold at an onsite store and in about 50 stores around the state. The
on-site business also carries other Virginia’s Finest products, including a seasoning from Onespice of Harrisonburg and Lucas Roasting coffee of Broadway. Over at Lucas Roasting, located on Lindsay Avenue in Broadway, coffee is roasted after it’s ordered. As the company’s website states, it remains “some of the most decadent coffee we’re sure you have ever tasted.” Owner Troy Lucas said he wanted the Virginia’s Finest label because it ties his coffee to other Virginia products. He obtained the distinctive label within a year or so of opening in September 2007. “It connects us to other Virginia-made products that are high quality,” he said. The coffee is sold at stores locally and shipped nationally. The Turner Ham House on Brocks Gap Road in Fulks Run produces sugarcured country hams, available whole, boneless or boneless sliced, said owner Ronald Turner. “You can fry it for breakfast, make a cold sandwich for lunch, or have it for a Sunday dinner,” he said. His business buys the hams by the tractor-trailer See LOCAL, Page 46
Harrisonburg, Va.
OUR VALLEY
Friday, May 23, 2014
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Restaurateurs: There’s No Place Like Home Restaurants Stay Close For Menu By JEREMY HUNT Daily News-Record
HARRISONBURG — Ryan Zale doesn’t always know exactly what’s going to find its way into his kitchen on a daily basis. The uncertainty would be anathema to many in the restaurant industry, Nikki Fox / DN-R but for Zale, executive chef at the Local Chop and Grill Todd Hooley, master gardener at A Bowl of Good, harvests mint House, it’s part of the fun of from behind the Mount Clinton Pike restaurant in May. having a menu revolving around locally sourced products. If he gets a call out of the blue from a grower who’s ready to drop off 10 rabbits, for example, he won’t hesiJason Lenhart / DN-R Bella Luna tate to accept the delivery. Wood-Fired Pizza “It definitely keeps you Justin Bauer, chef at Bella Luna Wood-Fired Pizza, prepares locally sourced arugula at the downtown displays a list of on your toes,” he said. Harrisonburg restaurant. Owner Wade Luhn says he feels like he gets a better product with local. local-ingredient Local Chop and Grill House, located on North suppliers in the Area restaurant owners is the main ingredient in alive,” she said. Main Street north of Gay say they attempt to use as most mainstream ketchup, Like the Local Chop and downtown Street in Harrisonburg, is many items produced in the he said. Grill House, A Bowl of Good Harrisonburg one of several Valley eater- Valley as they can in their Katrina Didot, co-owner isn’t able to get everything restaurant in ies that incorporate locally dishes, though it’s impossi- of A Bowl of Good, said she it needs to keep customers early May. produced ingredients into ble to exclusively source tries to avoid “having extra full from local sources. their menus. food miles” when purchasSome ingredients simfrom area producers. More and more coning inputs. ply don’t grow in the region sumers have been seeking Not A Gimmick “It’s a fresher product. Jason Lenhart / See HOME, Page 30 DN-R out local food options in reJeff Hill, co-owner of the We know that it’s more cent years for a Local Chop and various reasons. Grill House, says “It’s a fresher the restaurant’s “When you product. We buy from local use of local prodknow that it’s ucts isn’t an atfarmers, you get maximum freshtempt to take admore alive.” ness, taste and vantage of a fad. — KATRINA DIDOT nutrition because Rather, it’s CO-OWNER OF A BOWL about providing your food travels OF GOOD far less from food the best experito table,” the Virence possible ginia Department of Agri- and letting the food speak culture and Consumer for itself, he said. Services says in promot“When you get a good ing its Buy Local cam- ingredient, you can make paign. it simple. … Some people Farm-to-table restau- aren’t used to it,” he said. rants play a big part in The ketchup, for examVDACS efforts to promote ple, uses a peach nectar local food. rather than sugar, which
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OUR VALLEY
Friday, May 23, 2014
Harrisonburg, Va.
Gettin’ Fresh Local Shoppers Find Organic Options Abounding In City By CALEB M. SOPTELEAN Daily News-Record
HARRISONBURG — More and more, people are looking for an organic experience these days … an organic shopping experience, that is. The trend of buying organic food is clearly visible in Harrisonburg. One stop at a neighborhood market will reveal an increasing number of organic options. Area shoppers have a variety of places to buy organic food, among them Friendly Food City Co-Op, Martin’s, Costco and the Harrisonburg Farmers Market on South Liberty Street. And a growing number of traditional grocers — Food Lion, Kroger and others — are carrying organic foods in produce sections. Production of organic food nationally increased almost 240 percent from 2002 to 2011, according to the Organic Trade Asso-
ciation. National sales of organic food are expected to increase 14 percent per year through 2018. In Virginia, the annual growth rate for organic food sales fell from the double-digit range in 2008 as the U.S. economy slowed, but its 7.4 percent growth rate in 2012 was more than double the annual growth rate forecast for all food sales that year, according to the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The local food movement, also known as “locavore,” has also taken off, especially in Virginia. The June 2011 issue of Forbes called Charlottesville the locavore capital of the world. Harrisonburg has its share of locavores, too, as “Whose Your Farmer” bumper stickers can be spotted in the Friendly City. Harrisonburg residents Douglas and Karen Zirk, ages 43 and 41, respectively, started shopping for organic food six months
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Jason Lenhart / DN-R
Elwood Madison (right) and his girlfriend, Leigh Ann Forde, check out the Friendly City Food Co-Op’s organic coconuts during a trip to the Harrisonburg store in April. The number of organic shoppers is growing, leading to a more informed and savvy consumer, farmers and merchants say. ago. “I’m a breast cancer survivor, so I needed to start watching what I ate a little more seriously,” Karen Zirk said. This includes shopping for leafy, green vegetables and raw fruits, which are known for their relatively high antioxidant levels, she said. But the couple also wants to stay away from pesticides and artificial fertilizers often applied to fruits and vegetables. They also don’t want their meat from animals pumped full of artificial hormones. To be labeled organic, foods must be free of all artificial applications and ingredients. “We’re gradually switching over” to organic products of all kinds, Karen Zirk said. “It’s more natural and [has fewer] chemicals.” Orv Lehman, 55, of Linville, pays $200 a year for a Food City Co-Op membership, which gives him discounts on food. A relative veteran organic shopper, Lehman has been buying organic food for 12 to 15 years. “It’s better for the environment and for my own health,” he said.
Locavores Jake Cochran, 24, works at the Food City Co-Op part time. Most of the food he purchases is organic or locally grown. He is doing his part to support sustainable agriculture in the Valley, he said, which includes not eating tropical foods, such as bananas, oranges, or anything else that can’t be grown here. Locavore movements have taken off in many areas of the country over the last sev-
eral years as consumers become more aware of the environmental and financial costs associated with foods that must be shipped over long distances. And then there are the obvious benefits to supporting local farmers and other producers — spending money that stays in the community can only help sustain area businesses and improve the overall quality of life. Cochran calls the “bio-regional” approach a “new, old way.” It is an old way because of the way people used to get their food, whether from local farms, farmers markets or by simply growing it themselves. Cochran, for example, grows and cans his own food. Cochran is part of a local group that grows a community garden: the New Community Project at Spring Village, a cluster of three homes in the 700 block of North Main Street in Harrisonburg. The project began a year ago. Residents of the homes — the main one can house up to 11 while the others are rented — join together to grow food and share it with each other. Tom Benevento is one of six partners who coordinate Muddy Bikes Garden. The food is organic and carbon neutral, or doesn’t use fossil fuels, he said. Food is sold at Friendly Food Co-Op and to local middle schools and restaurants. “Everything is done with hand tools and is delivered by bicycle power,” Benevento said. “We have closed-loop fertility cycles. We pick up the restaurants’ food scraps and See FRESH, Page 16
OUR VALLEY
Harrisonburg, Va.
Friday, May 23, 2014
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A Growing Trend Producers: Demand For Organic Rising Tools hang on the wall at Radical Roots Farm.
By CALEB M. SOPTELEAN Daily News-Record
HARRISONBURG — Over the past several years, organic farming has really started to sprout in the central Valley. During that time, two organic farms specializing in berries started up, while a third farm that grows a large variety of vegetables converted to the organic way. Seemingly just in time, in 2011 the Friendly City Food Co-Op opened in Harrisonburg to assist in the organic effort by offering a selling point for products. The year before, Jerry Fields, 67, began harvesting a multitude of berries on his 3½-acre farm in Woodstock. “I’ve been interested in organic and soil health for a while,” Fields said. Organic products are a growing segment that is underserved, he said. He has found a niche in organic produce with berries, which he calls “a unique, very high revenue source” compared to a traditional corn farm. A corn farm, for example, can average $300 per acre while a productive berry farm can average $28,000 per acre, he said, citing the example of a prominent Massachusetts berry farm. “People want organic and are willing to pay a premium,” he said. They want what he calls “gourmet” berries, ones that look visually appealing. And they want diversity, and Fields provides it: two kinds of blueberries, pink and blue; four kinds of raspberries, yellow, black, purple and red; two kinds of strawber-
Nikki Fox / DN-R
ries; blackberries; boysenberries, aroniaberries, elderberries, buckhorn berries and pine berries — which are white with red seeds. People who shop for organic fruits don’t stop there, however, so Fields grows eight different kinds of heirloom tomatoes along with cucumbers, squash, potatoes and peppers. Peppers are somewhat of a cash cow for him. He has begun growing habanero, ghost and scorpion peppers, which are incredibly hot. He makes four sauces he calls the Four Sauces of the Apocalypse. These are too hot for dipping, he explains. A teaspoonful can be added to a bowl of chili, however. A local restaurant is thinking about using one of his sauces on hot wings, Fields said. On the Skoville scale, which measures hotness, the jalapeno is 10,000. A habanero is 350,000. A ghost pepper is slightly over a 1 million, while the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion is over 2 million. “It’s growing like mad,” he said. “Sales of hot food are going up 30 percent a year.” Fields sold organic produce at the Harrisonburg Farmers Market the first two years. He plans to sell again this year beginning the first week of June on
Tuesdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Fields believes that sales of organic produce have picked up over the past few years because of baby boomers and 20- and 30somethings. “The demand is changing,” he said. “Before it was mostly the fringe bunch, the
Nikki Fox / DN-R hippies and the vegans. “What you eat has a lot Lee O'Neill waters vegetables in a greenhouse at Radical Roots to do with how old you live Farm on April 17.She started the farm with her husband, Dave and how well you live,” he O'Neill, in the Keezletown area of Rockingham County in 2012. added. Young people, especially
See TREND, Page 13
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OUR VALLEY
Friday, May 23, 2014
Harrisonburg, Va.
Commerce And Beyond
Farmers Markets Continue Growth Spurt Across Valley
By JEREMY HUNT Daily News-Record
HARRISONBURG — Samuel Johnson grew up on a farm in rural southeastern Pennsylvania. To him, farmers markets and roadside produce stands were as natural a part of the landscape as cow pastures. Imagine his surprise, then, when he came to the Valley in the 1970s to find those elements absent. “I couldn’t believe it — I saw this was a rural area, strong agricultural base, a sizable Mennonite community, and no farmers markets and hardly any roadside markets,” he recalled. Johnson, owner of Hickory Hill Farm in Keezletown, sought to change that, and
Photos by Jason Lenhart / DN-R
The Harrisonburg Farmers Market, seen in May, is held at Turner Pavilion on South Liberty Street. Virginia has more than 240 farmers markets across the state, an increase of 180 percent since 2006. he became one of the original founders of the Harrisonburg Farmers Market. Things have certainly
changed since the Friendly City market had its first season in 1979. Today, Virginia has more
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than 240 farmers markets, an increase of 180 percent just since 2006, according to the latest figures from the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The trend speaks to the popularity of the “locavore” movement in which many consumers seek to buy locally or regionally produced foodstuffs. “More Americans are
thinking about where their food comes from and its nutritional impacts on their health,” says a news release from VDACS. “Farmers’ markets are a great place to find fresh Virginia Grown tomatoes, corn, squash, peaches, melons, berries flowers and so much more, all harvested at their peak of flavor, freshness and nutrition.”
In The Market Farmers markets continue to pop up throughout the Valley in communities large and small, including Broadway, New Market and Grottoes. This is the 12th year for the Broadway market and second season at its relatively new home on the corner of North Main and Rock streets. Town Council purchased the former blighted property and built a veterans memorial on the site. Previously, the market was held in the parking lot of a dentist’s office. “It’s a beautiful space and holds all our vendors well and has lots of parking around it, so it’s very nice,” said market manager Lauren Kibler. Kibler said the Broadway market has 12 vendors at its peak, with products including produce, crafts and baked goods. It is held on Saturdays, with this year’s season starting May 31. Kibler believes changes See COMMERCE, Page 17
Harrisonburg, Va.
OUR VALLEY
Coriena Witman (left), team leader at Radical Roots Farm, and apprentice Miles Campbell weed rows of lettuce and kale in late April.
Nikki Fox / DN-R
Second Grant Focused On Productivity tivity of organic vs. nonorganic blueberries. The newest grant will look at what is mothers, are also buying organic produce. needed to create a nutrient-dense blueberry “This generation is much and how one can manipulate more health-conscious,” he “This generation is the soil to enhance nutrients in said. blueberries. much more healthMiller grows two varieties of conscious.” From Classroom To Farm organic blueberries: Jersey, Roman Miller, 64, also — JERRY FIELDS which are higher in antioxigrows berries ... blueberries. WOODSTOCK BERRY FARMER dants and smaller in size, and Miller — who has a 19-acre Chandler, which are about as a farm four miles west of Harbig as a quarter. risonburg in Singers Glen — originally He sells them at the Harrisonburg Farmplanned on growing organic produce for ers Market along with blueberry products something he and his wife, Elva, could do in such as sauce, salad vinaigrette and chocotheir retirement. lates. He plans to work on a method to make That all changed, however, when he de- blueberry granola that is economically vicided to write a grant and it got approved. able for a small commercial grower. “We decided to try organic farming to see As a result of the studies, Miller and his if it would work,” said Miller, a biology pro- students have found that blueberries grow fessor at Eastern Mennonite University. “It best in soil that has a high concentration of took three years of transition to become or- pine needles. White pine farms in the Carganic.” olinas have been converted to blueberries. He began planting in 2008 and harvestThe PH in the Valley’s soil is around 6 or ed his first crop in 2010. 7, he said. One must lower that to around Blueberries — which have high levels of 4.8 to-5.2 to provide optimum growing conantioxidants — are good for reducing car- ditions for blueberries. Miller did this by diovascular disease and enhancing brain de- adding pine needles — which have a PH of velopment in children, Miller said. 5.25 — to the soil and planting the bushes in Organic blueberry farming has been pro- peat moss, which has a PH of 5. ductive for him. The number of organic blueberries per bush has doubled the output of Radical Roots his plot of conventional blueberries, he said, It’s a lot of paperwork, but that didn’t noting he has 180 organic and 20 nonorgan- stop Dave and Lee O’Neill from starting ic bushes. their organic farm in 2012. Miller’s grant application was approved Their Keezletown-area farm was pasture by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and when they purchased it in 2000, Lee said. that led to another grant. And another. The couple, both 39, traveled abroad and The first grant studied what the opti- worked on organic farms while learning the mum conditions are for growing organic trade. blueberries. See TREND, Page 46 The second grant focused on the produc-
Trend
FROM PAGE 11
Friday, May 23, 2014
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14
OUR VALLEY
Friday, May 23, 2014
Harrisonburg, Va.
A Maturing Industry
FAR LEFT: Melvin Felix and Brittany Wood, both of Harrisonburg, spend an evening at Bluestone Vineyards in Bridgewater on May 9.
Winemakers Look For Boom To Continue By KASSONDRA CLOOS Daily News-Record
HARRISONBURG — California may still be the state that most folks think of as the go-to place for vineyards and wineries, but Virginia, and specifically the Shenandoah Valley, is fast on its heels. And it’s hardly the upstart new kid on the block anymore, either. The industry has been here for decades now. True, Virginia wine didn’t really start to take off until the 2000s, but take off it has — and it shows no sign of slowing down. The number of winemakers in the Valley has grown from one in 1975 to at least 19 today, with more on the
way. The growth in Virginia as a whole is even more impressive. The state had just two vineyards 40 years ago. Last year, it had well over 200. Those who have been closest to the boom say it’s going to continue. They’re not worried about competition, either — having more wineries makes the Shenandoah Valley a better destination, and they all seem to do better when there are more clustered around them. “I think we’re just starting at this point. It’s really cool, because there are only two wineries in Rockingham County, but I can’t wait until we have a bunch more,” said Lee Hartman, a
winemaker at Bluestone Vineyard in Bridgewater. “I feel like if you’re in an area where there are several wineries, not only is it good because it makes that area more of a destination, I like working with other winemakers, seeing what they’re up to.”
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Virginia winemakers have a special camaraderie that makes most of them interested in helping one another instead of seeing everyone else as direct competition, Hartman said. More wineries means more experienced people to taste wines and provide constructive feedback. No matter how hard a winemaker may try, it’s impossible to get two wines to taste exactly the same, Hartman said, so there’s no fear of copycatting. Everything affects flavor, from the soil composition to the amount of rain a vineyard gets to the type of barrel the wine is stored in, so two different types of wine made from the same type of grapes will never be identical. The Valley is a prime spot for winemaking because of its climate, soil and geography. Randy Phillips, who started Cave Ridge Vineyard in 2002, did several years of research before deciding to start a vineyard and winery in Mount Jackson. At the time, there were just a few other wineries in the area. Phillips has always had agriculture in his blood, and started out as an orange grower in Florida. As the area became more commer-
LEFT: Sue McKown, a volunteer at the Valley vineyard, pours wine at business’ Toast the Weekend event.
Bluestone Vineyards in Bridgewater is among the 19 winemakers located in the Valley. The state had just two vineyards 40 years ago, but as of last year that number had grown to over 200. Photos by Holly Marcus / Special to the DN-R
cialized with the influx of visitors to parks like Disney World, it became less and less suitable for agriculture. So Phillips moved on to a variety of other jobs before researching vineyards, including becoming a cattle rancher in northern California and working for the United States Forest Service. Eventually, he decided he wanted to start a vineyard and researched climate charts and soil maps among other data. He determined the Valley would be the best place to get started, and he has been pleased with his decision. He, too, said he sees growing interest in the Valley’s prime vineyard conditions, and said he sees the
“competition” as beneficial. People are more likely to visit a winery if there are others in close proximity. “Interest is going to stay strong as long as sales continue to increase,” he said. “Even during the recession, wineries have seen an increase in sales annually. People need to get away, to relax.” Aside from having reasonably-priced land, Shenandoah County also offers some of the driest land east of the Mississippi River, which is good news for grape growers. If grapes get too much rain, their sugar concentration is lower, essentially diluting the flavor. See MATURING, Page 17
OUR VALLEY
Harrisonburg, Va.
Friday, May 23, 2014
Many Try, Few Succeed
Clay Clark, co-owner of Clementine downtown, says expansion couldn’t be possible without his employees.
Handful Of Restaurateurs Have Found Success With Multiple Niche Eateries By PETE DeLEA Daily News-Record
McGAHEYSVILLE — Over two decades ago, Linville resident Clay Clark jumped into the restaurant business, opening Hank’s Smokehouse — first on Charles Street in Harrisonburg, and later moving to the Cloverleaf Shopping Center on Carlton Street. Like many restaurants, the business initially failed. “We didn’t know what we were doing,” said Clark, 60, adding that he eventually learned through trial and error. He then went back to the drawing board. Now, with the help of business partner Stacy Rose, 42, of Harrisonburg, they are among the most successful restaurateurs in the Shenandoah Valley. Clark and Rose now own three diverse restaurants, with plans for a fourth opening in downtown Harrisonburg in the fall. “All of them are totally different,” said Clark. “The only common threads are the quality of service and food.”
Building Up To Four After closing up the barbecue restaurant in the early 1990s, Clark focused on running a catering business out of his Linville home. It took off, and in the late 1990s, he was approached by a friend suggesting he reopen Hank’s at a spot in the Dayton Farmer’s Market on Va. 42. That too took off serving barbeque pork, beef and chicken. After he found success in Dayton, Clark and Rose opened up Hank’s Smokehouse Southern Grillery in McGaheysville in 2002. Fueled by their continued success, the pair opened Thunderbird Cafe down the street in McGaheysville — a restaurant that boasts food influenced by the “down south cuisine.” In 2008, the growth continued with the opening of Clementine in the former Main Street Bar & Grill in downtown Harrisonburg. Within a few years of opening, he added Ruby’s Lounge — popular with the night
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LEFT TO RIGHT: Danielle Cursi of New Jersey and Scott Chico and Samantha Summerford, both of Harrisonburg, dig into their Jack Brown’s burgers in May. Jack Brown’s is one of a few downtown restaurants owned by multi-establishment owners.
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crowd — as part of the restaurant. By next fall, he plans to expand Ruby’s into the Wine Bros. building next door and make it a full-fledged restaurant serving pit barbecue and wood-oven pizza. The restaurant will also feature an arcade, complete with four lanes of duckpin bowling, pool tables, shuffleboard and darts. He said expansion, and the number of restaurants, couldn’t be possible without his employees. His employees allow him to concentrate on expanding brands.
“My job is to create environments,” said Clark adding that he has people keeping a close eye to make sure the food and service is top notch.
Small Club The duo is among a small group in the Valley that has found success operating multiple niche restaurants. Mike Lucci and Raul Castillo own Ciro’s Italian Eatery, Goodfellas Pizzeria and El Paso Mexican Grille, all in Elkton. See SUCCEED, Page 47
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16
OUR VALLEY
Friday, May 23, 2014
Harrisonburg, Va.
Learning To Be ‘Agents Of Change’ Fresh
FROM PAGE 10
use it to fertilize the garden.”” The New Community Project hires people who are in a rough spot in life, Benevento said. Some are students, haven’t been able to find a job and need a place to live or have suffered from abuse, addictions or homelessness, for example.
Nikki Fox / DN-R
“These people are coming to learn and to be agents of change in the world,” he said. “When you are buying our produce, you are supporting people in need.” The project supports a healing environment for people coming out of difficult life circumstances. Benevento, Cochran and other friends also joined together to buy a
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the Staunton and Waynesboro stores, insists on only offering the “good stuff” in terms of ingredients, such as paying $130 for a 30-pound box of pecans or $8 per pound of peppermint during the Christmas season. That explained to the maker why the price of ice cream seemed so high. Brooks is willing to learn more by staying on the job for a long time to come. “This is clean, it’s easier [than construction], I can go home and play with my kids and I’m not all beat up,” he said.
Sense Of Satisfaction Jeff Matthews, 31, of Harrisonburg, is one of the part-time ice cream makers, which seems to run counter to his background: He graduated from James Madison University in 2007 with a degree in exercise science and works at the Sentara RMH Wellness Center. “Everything in moderation,” he advises on ice cream consumption. “It’s good to reward yourself. Ice
cream every day, that’s not a good thing.” Matthews knew Mike Arehart before he started working at Kline’s about two years ago. “I was looking for a very part-time job, it looked like a lot of fun and that was that,” said Matthews, a Fairfax County native. “There’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes. It’s a sense of accomplishment, it sounds funny, when you have good-looking ice cream.” He said his role with Kline’s is largely an unknown among his friends, which he suspects will end after he consented to be interviewed. Those friends and family who do know of his part-time employment think it’s “awesome,” Matthews said. The admiration comes from both directions. “You can buy all of the best ingredients, but if the makers don’t know what they’re doing,” Shipe said, “it doesn’t matter.” Contact Preston Knight at 574-6272 or pknight@dnronline.com
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Todd Brooks, ice cream maker at Kline’s Dairy Bar, moves a large vat of freshly-made peanut butter cookies-n-cream ice cream on April 28. The ice cream is made daily at both Harrisonburg locations with real ingredients. Kline’s makes a custard-style ice cream by using a specific mixer and omitting eggs, longtime Mike Arehart explained in a 2012 interview.
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cow in order to get raw milk. Each of seven co-owners owns a “share” of the cow, Cochran said. “We just have a group of people who rotate for milking,” Benevento said. The “family cow” lives on Greystone Street on land within in the city that’s zoned for agriculture. “We take turns milking the cow and make cheese, butter and yogurt,” he said.
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OUR VALLEY
Harrisonburg, Va.
‘Harrisonburg’s Premier Social Event’ Commerce
FROM PAGE 12
in demographics are playing a role in the increased popularity of farmers markets. “The millennials are getting to be the age of your target audience to shop, and I think they want to know where their food comes from and they want to support the buy local program and they want to have an experience buying something like that,” she said.
A Grand Strategy Town officials call Grot-
toes’ venture a “summer market,” with a few vendors who sell eggs, canned goods, baked items and other products. Town Manager Jeff Nicely said the market started about five years ago in the parking lot of the municipal building. This will be its first full year at Grand Caverns Park. It was moved to the popular tourist destination toward the end of last year with the hope that vendors would see more traffic, Nice-
ly said. Echoing others, Nicely said consumers are growing increasingly concerned with the source of their food. “People are wanting to get back toward naturally grown, organic foods,” he said.
Intangible Elements Josie Showalter, manager of the Harrisonburg Farmers Market, said the 35-year-old organization’s popularity surged around 2007-08 at the confluence of a couple of key events.
Close Proximity To D.C. Brings Visitors Maturing
FROM PAGE 14
Aside from that, the Valley’s close proximity to the Washington, D.C., metro area brings countless tourists here each year. Phillips said 60 percent of his business probably comes from Northern Virginians looking for a short escape from the city. Earlier this month, the Shenandoah County Fairgrounds hosted its second annual Wine and Trotter event. In spite of rain, 1,000 were expected to show up to try more than 50 local wines and watch harness races. Jim Eastep, a board member of the fair, has lived in Shenandoah County his whole life. As a farmer, he has seen how agriculture in the area has changed. The hills are a challenge to be overcome for many other farmers, but they work perfectly for vineyards, he said. “They’re able to make some money on those hills that have never made any money before,” he said. The rolling hills increase wind flow through vineyards, and that helps deter
Patrons relax at Bluestone Vineyards in Bridgewater during its Toast the Weekend event on May 9.
Photo by Holly Marcus / Special to the DN-R
mold from forming on the fruit. Mold is one of a winemaker’s greatest enemies, according to Hartman. Emma French Randel, owner of Shenandoah Vineyards in Edinburg, started the Valley’s first and the state’s second vineyard in 1975. She is originally from Woodstock, but was living in New Jersey when she and her husband started the vineyard. They managed it themselves by driv-
ing down on weekends, and hired a winemaker in 1979. “A lot of it has to do with the times,” Randel said of the boom in Virginia wines. “More people have gotten used to wine, the general public in America is drinking wine. They’ve gotten more interested in it and more and more people are drinking it.” Contact Kassondra Cloos at 5746290 or kcloos@dnronline.com
The Turner Pavilion was built on South Liberty Street across from the Daily News-Record in 2008, providing a permanent structure with high visibility. Around the same time, the Buy Fresh, Buy Local campaign kicked off and the locavore trend was picking up steam. About 70 vendors set up shop during the main season for markets on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Like others in the farmers market world, Showal-
Friday, May 23, 2014
ter said an intangible element underlies the market and draws people in. “I think more and more in our technological world, we are isolated, and the market provides a beautiful venue for [just] customers with vendors, but I also see neighbors and friends, and from my own personal perspective, I see people at the market I don’t see anywhere else,” she said. Johnson said those connections are a significant part of the market’s success.
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“Since its early days, I’ve called it Harrisonburg’s premier social event,” he said, “because in addition to the buying and selling going on there, there’s a whole lot of interaction between the people shopping, people seeing their friends and neighbors and people they haven’t seen in a long time, lots of little meetings happening all over the place.” Contact Jeremy Hunt at 5746273 or jhunt@dnronline.com
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OUR VALLEY
Friday, May 23, 2014
Harrisonburg, Va.
Tasteful Travels City Eateries Offer South American, Central American, Caribbean Cuisine By CALEB M. SOPTELEAN Daily News-Record
Caleb Soptlean / DN-R
ABOVE: Lomo saltado, a Peruvian dish consisting of stir-fried steak, tomatoes and red onions, is just one of the dishes available at Inca's Secret. RIGHT: Maria Chavez (back), co-owner of Las Chamas, works in the kitchen as a vegetarian traditional Venezuelan dish is ready to be served to a customer.
HARRISONBURG — Variety is the spice of life. And when it comes to food, those looking for Caribbean and South American fare have several tasty choices in the central Valley. Las Chamas and Cuban Burger downtown and Inca’s Secret on the east side have the kind of diverse specialties one wouldn’t find in most cities the size of Harrisonburg.
Inca’s Secret
Nikki Fox / DN-R
Located at 182 Neff Avenue in a small shopping center behind the mall, Inca’s Secret is the fulfillment of a lifetime dream for owner Rosalba Alvarado. A Lima, Peru native, Alvarado traveled the world before settling down in Harrisonburg and opening a Peruvian restaurant. Her mother, grandmother and great-grandmother each had restaurants, and Alvarado con-
tinues the tradition. sisting of white fish, shrimp and The most popular item on the squid mixed with onion and menu is rotisserie chicken, which lemon juice. Although Peruvian is cooked over charcoal. What food is not typically hot, this one makes it Peruvian is the spices, is, she said. It includes red, yelAlvarado said. Perulow and purple-colvian spices are not ored peppers. “[A]n authentic typically hot but add experience every time Another fish engood flavor to any trée is jalea, or maryou come in.” dish. inated fried fish Another favorite — MARIA CHAVEZ served with yucca, is lomo saltado, or CO-OWNER AT LAS CHAMAS Peruvian sauce and sirloin stir-fried in onions. red wine vinegar, garlic, parsley A typical place setting inand tomatoes. cludes fried yellow plantain chips Chicharrones con tamales pe- and pieces of roasted and salted ruanos is No. 3 on the list, she corn, which is only grown in Peru said. Marinated and fried pork is and Bolivia. served with yucca and a tradiInca’s Secret’s customers are tional Peruvian sauce and stuffed roughly 50 percent Hispanic and inside a mashed-corn tamale. 50 percent non-Hispanic, AlvaraA twist on spaghetti is No. 4, do said. She estimates that more Alvarado said. Tallarin Saltado than 80 percent return. The busiconsists of spaghetti with steak ness has been open six years so or chicken stir-fried in red wine Alvarado has apparently carved vinegar with tomatoes and out a niche among the palates of onions. local restaurant-goers. Alvarado’s favorite is the ceviche mixta, a seafood dish conSee TASTEFUL, Page 25
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Harrisonburg, Va.
Friday, May 23, 2014
19
Call For Specialty Grocers Expands Shops Cater To Hispanic, Asian, European Tastes By JONATHON SHACAT Daily News-Record
HARRISONBURG — Before the Oriental Food Market opened in Harrisonburg in 1991, certain types of Asian foods and food products were not available in local stores. “They didn’t have what we eat, like jasmine rice and fish sauce,” said co-owner Nuanta Wareechatchai. “We had to go to Northern Virginia, 2 hours or 2½ hours driving, to get [certain] food.” Asian friends would give her father a list of grocery items, and he would go shopping, collecting payment upon his return, she recalls. Eventually, he decided to open a small store at 911 S. High St. The market grew over the years, and about seven years ago, the store moved to its new location at 921 S. High St., just down the street from the original site. Today, it sells specialty products mainly for traditional Thai, Chi-
Photos by Jason Lenhart / DN-R
nese, and Japanese foods. The items include tough-to-find products like frozen duck head, frozen cooked snail meat, canned bamboo shoots in water, Chinese broccoli, and coconut milk. The Oriental Food Market is one of several stores in the Harrisonburg area that cater not only to the region’s large immigrant population, but also to American-born residents who have found a taste for
more exotic dishes. Elaine Lidholm, director of communications for the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, said Northern Virginia probably has the most specialty grocers, with Tidewater and Richmond following, but the markets can be found all over the state. “We’ve seen dramatic growth in See GROCERS, Page 22
LEFT: A variety of specialty produce is available at the Oriental Food Market in Harrisonburg. The market, which opened in 1991, has grown over the years, and about seven years ago moved to its current location at 921 S. High St. ABOVE: Harrisonburg features a host of speciality grocers like the Oriental Food Market, which cater to not only the region’s large immigrant population but also American-born residents who have a taste for more exotic dishes.
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OUR VALLEY
Friday, May 23, 2014
Sweet Success
Harrisonburg, Va.
Whether Selling Donuts, Cupcakes or Cinnamon Buns, Central Valley Bakers Say Menu Diversity Is Key
By PRESTON KNIGHT Daily News-Record
HARRISONBURG — The Cheesecake Factory’s imprint is all over Greg Bray and Kate Magri. They met while working at one of the chain’s locations in Northern Virginia and will advance the relationship to marriage next month. But they are already tied to one commitment: They bought Cinnamon Bear Bakery & Deli on University Boulevard two years ago, banking that their experience in the industry had properly seasoned them to assume full control of an establishment. In particular, the Cheesecake Factory taught them time management, to demand the best in products and employees and understand that a name is a draw, not the end game. “People come in and they’re surprised. They’re thinking it’s going to be just bakery items,” said Bray, 31. “People are surprised at everything that we do.” For the uninitiated, the Cheesecake Factory is a full-blown restaurant and bar, and obviously offers plenty of dessert options as well. And for any longtime Harrisonburg residents who may remember Cinnamon Bear
Nikki Fox / DN-R
Victoria Salyers works the sandwich station during lunch at the Cinnamon Bear Bakery & Deli in Harrisonburg. The business, owned by Kate Magri and fiancee Greg Bray, has expanded its menu since it opened at Valley Mall almost 30 years ago. The shop is now located in University Plaza. at its original location in the Valley Mall, it has long since morphed into, and continues to take on, more of a coffee shop/café feel, with sandwich, quiche, salad and soup options galore, plus baked goods. As various specialty bakery option open
in the area — think doughnuts and cupcakes — the longest-lasting one stays strong, but only because it branched out.
1987 amid a national boom in cinnamon bun sales, and it sold only buns, coffee and sodas. Cinnabon, the national chain for buns, opened its first franchise store in 1986, but was not present in Harrisonburg until opening at a new truck stop north of the city two years ago. Previous Cinnamon Bear owner Susan Fanella understood that diversification was needed, so she grew the menu to provide more deli items and by 2001 moved to a larger location in University Plaza, near Costco. Today, Cinnamon Bear might sell only a dozen buns a day as the craze for them has long died off. “People are a lot more health conscience these days,” Bray said. The restaurant’s owners have been focused on “elevating the quality of the ingredients” in sandwiches, salads and more, such as natural meats and cheeses, since taking over, they say. Several dessert options are also available, and cakes are made to order. Their success may soon drive them to a bigger location in the same shopping center. “It’s amazing to see it now,” said Magri, 27, a Harrisonburg native who recalls
On The Move See SWEET, Page 27
Cinnamon Bear opened in the mall in
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Friday, May 23, 2014
Harrisonburg, Va.
International Foods, Which Opened 14 Years Ago, Offers Foods From Russia Grocers
FROM PAGE 19
ethnic markets in all of the major metropolitan areas and in many smaller markets as well,” she said. Statistics on the exact number of specialty grocers in the state are not available. But growth in the sector has been so significant in the last few years that the food inspection office for VDACS is now employing a translation service in certain situations to ensure an open line of communication with the owners and managers of ethnic markets, said Lidholm. Contrary to its name, the Oriental Food Market doesn’t just sell Asian foods. The store carries, for example, spices that are commonly sought after by those from Latin America, and also features a wide selection of other specialty products, such as the Mexican-style instant hot chocolate mix made by Nestle called Abuelita (a more affectionate version of abuela, which means “grandmother” in Spanish.) Other local grocers specialize in products for the area’s
Dayton, VA
large Latino population. El Toro, a meat market, restaurant and grocery store located at 1751 S. Main St. in Harrisonburg, sells foods to Mexicans and Central Americans, but some American-born people shop there, too, said manager Reina Rivera. The business opened in August. Shelves in its store contain a large selection of spices, hot sauce brands like Tapatio, Cholula, and Valentina, as well as jars of Dona Maria brand mole, which is used to make sauces for chicken, beef and pork. Tacos, tortas, quesadillas, and meat dishes are served to hungry customers in the restaurant. Veronica Paniagua, co-owner of El Primo Meat Market at the intersection of Dutch Mill Court and Reservoir Street in Harrisonburg, which, besides the obvious meats, also carries a variety of foods and food products for Hispanics, but gets some sales from people with backgrounds in Asia and even the United States. For example, she said, Asians buy pork belly, Mexi-
879-2705
“Stop in and take a look at our bait and tackle selection. WE have a ton of trout and bass gear from these great brands.
Jason Lenhart / DN-R
Oriental Food Mart on South High Street offers a variety of meat products not usually found in your mainstream grocery store, such as chicken feet and pork heart. cans like the menudo and tortillas, while Central Americans prefer items like banana leaves, plantains and bananaflavored soda. “Mexicans eat pinto beans, but in Central America, it’s all about the red beans and the black beans,” Paniagua said. Some American-born cus-
tomers have tasted the chorizo con huevos, or Mexican sausage with egg, at the nearby Tacos El Primo taco truck, and, liking the flavor so much, they go looking for the ingredients at the nearby El Primo Meat Market. Others simply buy fresh tortillas and cheese because they
want to cook quesadillas. “It’s kind of cool because they come here and then they do it themselves,” she said. For ready-to-eat foods from Russia, Ukraine, Germany and Poland, shoppers head to International Foods, a grocery store located at 30 Baxter Drive, Suite 130, in Harrisonburg. Items at the market can make a typical traditional Russian dinner, with smoked fish — either salmon, herring, mackerel or trout — and a side dish of Korean carrot salad, mushroom salad or sour cabbage, said manager Max Volokitkin. The store, which opened 14 years ago and has been at its current location for the past two years, also sells prepared meats like salami, ham, bacon and salo, a cured pork, he said. For drinks, it stocks a traditional Russian drink called Kvas, a non-alcoholic malt beverage, as well as carbonated sodas flavored with fruit like lemon, apple or pear. Contact Jonathon Shacat at 5746286 or jshacat@dnronline.com
Harrisonburg, Va.
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Friday, May 23, 2014
23
A Dish Best Served Hot Mama Zuma’s Provides Route 11 Chip Revenge By PRESTON KNIGHT Daily News-Record
MOUNT JACKSON — After hearing the back story on the origin of Route 11 Potato Chips’ hottest offering, Mama Zuma’s Revenge, a question comes to mind: Is Sarah Cohen the Taylor Swift of snack food? Swift has made a living turning scorned relationships into the subjects of hit songs. Cohen’s resume isn’t lined with the quantity of such retribution, but Mama Zuma’s, which has developed its own sort of cult following, makes up for it alone. Within the first five years of Route 11’s existence, Cohen said she knew she wanted a chip that appealed to people who liked “really hot.” The company, which opened in Middletown in 1992, found a habanero mash it mixed with its barbecue chip and cobranded with the firm that made the mash.
That’s where the hotness went idea, though, and needed to be sour. brought to life. The habanero company wanted A Northern Virginia advertising just the hot chip product, but firm beckoned. It was compensated Route 11 wasn’t in a in potato chips. position to provide the “I saw the chips “We were just volume, Cohen said. around and I just looking for The company then fled thought they were resomething that to China and started ally great tasting and would be unlike any just really high qualimaking its own chip, sending Route 11 out ty,” said Bill Puckett, other packaging for revenge. who now operates that you see.” “Instead of litigaPuckett & Associates — SARAH COHEN, Marketing in Middletion, we decided to ON THE MAMA ZUMA'S burg. “I sent [Sarah] a spend our money on REVENGE DESIGN creating something [to] note and told her I was prove our point,” Coa chipaholic. ... We hen said. “The whole thing about were just looking for something making potato chips, it’s a fun that would be unlike any other product.” packaging that you see. We came Route 11 created its own ha- up with this kind of Jane banero mash and developed the Reynolds-Latina girl.” character of Mama Zuma. Mama Zuma bags feature “It was word play,” said Cohen, “mama” holding a flaming hareferencing Montezuma’s Revenge, banero in a burning desert of flaman informal term for cases where ing cacti. She has puffy red lips travelers contract diarrhea when and wears a bandolier (pocketed in Mexico, “but the word play was belt designed for ammunition) with us having this playful way of lined with scorching habaneros. dealing with somebody who had Her belly is showing. not been honest with us.” Mama Zuma was still only an See HOT, Page 26
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ABOVE: Mama Zuma’s Revenge flavored chips, the fiery snack from Route 11 Potato Chips, are measured, loaded into bags, sealed and shipped out to various retailers from the Mount Jackson facility in May. The bag won a regional advertising award in Washington, D.C., in 2006. LEFT: Employees at the Mount Jackson business hand season thousands of chips with the famous Mama Zuma's Revenge seasoning. Photos by Jason Lenhart / DN-R
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Friday, May 23, 2014
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Harrisonburg, Va.
Got ‘Local’ Milk Valley Dairy Farmers Cut Out The Middle Man By PETE DeLEA Daily News-Record
MOUNT CRAWFORD — During the last year, more and more local milk has been hitting grocery store shelves in the Shenandoah Valley. Mount Crawford Creamery on Old Bridgewater Road in Mount Crawford was the first in this latest wave of local milk distributors. Nancy Hill, who works at the creamery, said the move toward local milk — similar to the move toward local produce — seems to be taking off with Valley residents. “It comes from your community,” said Hill, daughter
of Kenny Will, who owns the on site. business with his brother, “We do everything on the Frank Will. “It comes from farm,” said Hill, adding that your local farms. You can see everything from milking the the cows your milk cows to bottling comes from.” “You can see the the milk takes The creamery cows your milk place on the farm. opened last May. Shortly after comes from.” Farmers milk 72 the creamery cows two times a — NANCY HILL opened, in August, MOUNT CRAWFORD Valley Pride — led day, producing CREAMERY by more than a about 2,000 gallons of milk a week. dozen HarrisonIn addition to the store- burg-area farmers — anfront, the creamery sells milk nounced plans to purchase in roughly 50 stores, stretch- the former Unilever ice ing from Northern Virginia cream plant in Hagerstown, to Lexington. Md. The facility was modiThe creamery is the only fied to process milk. central Valley milk and cream retailer with a dairy See MILK, Page 29
Nikki Fox / DN-R
Jeremy Will, plant manager at Mount Crawford Creamery, adds cream to a stainless steel tank while processing milk at the farm in late April. The creamery on Old Bridgewater Road in Mount Crawford was the first in this latest wave of local milk distributors.
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Harrisonburg, Va.
Friday, May 23, 2014
25
Traditional Cuban Burgers Topped With Matchstick Fries Tasteful
FROM PAGE 18
She tries to keep the menu as authentic as possible, but notes there are some spices she can’t get, so she improvises, including adding a jalapeno-flavored sauce, for example.
Las Chamas Maria Chavez, 50, opened a Venezuelan and Caribbean restaurant, Las Chamas, with her husband Rene, 4½ years ago. Located downtown at 50 Mason St., the business is an easy walking distance for downtown shoppers. Cachapa, or cornmeal, is a staple of the restaurant. Cachapa is used to make a variety of dishes that include arepas or arepitas, fried cornmeal that can be stuffed with various meats, cheeses or vegetables. “In Venezuela, everyone eats arepa,” Chavez said. “You’re going to get an authentic experience every time you come in.” Las Chamas is known for its machacas, or wraps, that feature chicken, beef, cheese, eggs, rice, black beans, yellow plantains, avocado, lettuce, tomatoes and parsley.
Tostones, or fried green plantains, are also popular. Although she is Venezuelan, Maria Chavez has added Columbian, Dominican and Puerto Rican dishes to the menu. Most feature white rice, black beans, plantains, chicken or beef. Homemade sauces consisting of cilantro, garlic or hot peppers are available for dipping. They are so popular she sells takehome sizes for $5 each. A variety of fruit juices are available, including mango, honeydew melon, pineapple, guava, guanabana or soursop, passionfruit and papaya. The juices can also be mixed with ice and milk to make a delicious drink similar to a smoothie.
Cuban Burger The newest of the three restaurants, Cuban Burger, opened downtown at 70 W. Water St. two years ago. The business offers Cuban-American food, especially Cubanstyle hamburgers, or fritas, which consist of 80 percent beef and 20 percent pork. The restaurant is a dream come true for owner Steve Pizarro, 47, who hails from Mi-
ami. Pizarro, whose parents emigrated from Cuba in the 1960s, opened the business two years ago. In traditional Cuban fashion, each of a half-dozen burgers on the menu is topped with matchstick french fries. Two of the more popular burgers are El Vaquero, which includes seared flank steak with citrus and garlic, caramelized onions and a spicy aioli mayonnaise, and Buenos Dias, which comes with a fried egg, American cheese and bacon. Manager Felecia George notes that El Vaquero was recently rated one of the 12 best sandwiches in the state by the Virginia Is For Lovers tourism and travel blog. El Vaquero came in at No. 11. The Cubano, a roast pork and smoked ham sandwich with swiss cheese, mustard and pickle, is the business’ signature sandwich, George said. Other unique items on the menu include Cuban grits with bacon and jack cheese and maduros, or sweet fried yellow plantains. Contact Caleb M. Soptelean at csoptelean@dnronline.com or 574-6293
Nikki Fox / DN-R
Maria Chavez, co-owner of Las Chamas Caribbean restaurant, makes shredded beef tacos for a customer in late April. The downtown restaurant features traditional Venezuelan dishes as well as Colombian, Cuban, Dominican and Puerto Rican food.
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Friday, May 23, 2014
Harrisonburg, Va.
‘Every Single Person, They Say, ‘Oh, This Isn’t Hot,’ Then ... It Surprises Them’ Hot
An employee at Route 11 cooks the chips in sunflower seed oil at the Mount Jackson facility.
t A t a E y Wh Because of these
Hot, freshly cooked Route 11 chips come out of an oil bath and head to seasoning at the Mount Jackson facility in early May. Roughly six days a week, Route 11 Potato Chips will cut, cook, and season 14,000 pounds of potatoes per day. The company opened in Middletown in 1992.
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Cohen estimates that it took 10 different renderings before getting the “right” one. Some were “too provocative,” she said. “It caught on pretty quick that we couldn’t go too far,” Puckett admits. “You will not find a bag of Mama Zuma-looking like chips. ... I just love seeing it. I just love seeing people pick it up.” The bag won a regional advertising award in Washington, D.C., in 2006, he said. In September 2013, Esquire Magazine rated Mama Zuma’s as “Whoever Leonardo DiCaprio is dating now” on its “heat meter,” and celebrities such as magician Penn Jillette have sung the chip’s praises. For Cohen, revenge is hers. “You get the flavor of the chip and then the heat locks in. There’s a delay in the habanero,” she said. “It’s always fun to see [people] try it for the first time and initially they’re not impressed because the heat locks in. It seems with every single person, they say, ‘Oh, this isn’t hot,’ then all of a sudden, it surprises them.” Contact Preston Knight at 574-6272 or pknight@dnronline.com
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FROM PAGE 23
Harmony Square 442-1997
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Come on in or give us a call today! Open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 9-6 Saturday 9-1 Closed Wednesday & Sunday
Harrisonburg, Va.
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Strite’s Donuts Owner: ‘We Just Do What We Do’ Sweet
An employee at Cinnamon Bear Bakery & Deli makes sandwiches for the lunch rush in early May. The bakery opened amid a boom in cinnamon bun sales, and it sold only buns, coffee and sodas. Today, the shop might sell only a dozen buns a day.
FROM PAGE 20
visiting the mall spot. The same may some day hold true for other specialty shops that have already formed a following, and whose owners are thinking about what menu changes, if any, to consider.
Less Is More? Carl Strite, a lifelong dairy farmer from Broadway, started offering doughnuts in Broadway nine years ago and has built a successful brand around the Shenandoah Valley: Strite’s Donuts has a mobile unit in Winchester and the Staunton-Harrisonburg area and a store on Port Republic Road where customers can watch doughnuts being made. The product is also available at Valley’s Exxon stations, and Strite’s routinely caters personal and business functions. “It’s a snack food. It’s a really nice sweet treat. It’s a real economical treat,”
Nikki Fox / DN-R
Strite said. “It’s comfort food.” While he’s not ruling out going beyond doughnuts — he gets requests for pies and bread, for example — Strite likes the simplicity of one product and taking it to untapped markets. The Win-
chester trailer, for example, has been asked to travel as far away as Manassas, he said. “We just do what we do,” Strite said. “We do it well. We just simply make doughnuts.” At Bakers Dozen Donuts,
Mike and Julie Westfall started serving potato doughnuts made from scratch at the Broadway Farmers Market nearly three years ago and earlier this year opened a store as part of Fox’s Pizza Den near Eastern Mennonite University. But from the baked goods side, Julie Westfall said doughnuts are only the beginning of what to expect. “I’ve always intended to do more than just doughnuts,” she said. “I love pie. Pie is really my addiction. I haven’t even gotten there.” Westfall says having one “core” offering is a “big draw,” and she looks forward to building on that product. “Sometimes you want something different,” she said. However, doughnuts, Westfall admits, can keep a business thriving on its own because of the variety of flavors, such as some she made for a wedding that required a chocolate stout.
Friday, May 23, 2014
“I love a challenge,” she said. The best comparison to Cinnamon Bear, though, might be the Cupcake Company, which James and Renee Brown opened in the fall of 2012 in Penn Laird. They also take their treats out in a food truck. Renee Brown said opening the store was a “fluke” and came at a time when the popularity of the cupcake was just spreading along the East Coast. Cupcakes have indeed sparked reality television shows and become a popular alternative to the traditional wedding cake, perhaps giving it more staying power as a business focus than cinnamon buns.
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“People are always having parties and they’re always doing weddings,” Renee Brown said. She’s asked to expand what she offers “all the time,” she said, but has so far relented except for crème puffs every Friday and brownies on Wednesdays and Fridays. The reasoning is simple: she doesn’t want to lose what makes her place special. “When you do one thing and do that one thing well, you can offer a product that’s maybe a little better than other places that offer a bunch of different things,” she said. Contact Preston Knight at 5746272 or pknight@dnronline.com
EARLY’S CYCLE CENTER, INC. Virginia’s Leading Yamaha Dealer 1921 S High St., Harrisonburg, VA
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Friday, May 23, 2014
Harrisonburg, Va.
Looking Beyond The Labels By JEREMY HUNT Daily News-Record
HARRISONBURG — Organic. All natural. Cage free. Grass fed. All kinds of labels get slapped onto food products with the goal of convincing consumers to pull the trigger on a particular product. But what consumers think they mean and what they actually mean can be two wildly different things. Jeremy Akers, an associate professor and dietitian in James Madison University’s Health Sciences Department, says some labels are standardized and regulated, while others are merely mar-
keting tools. The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration regulate — or not, as the case may be — what standards companies must follow based on the labels they use. Even in cases where labels are regulated, the definitions may not match consumers’ interpretation. The term “organic” alone isn’t regulated, so it can be used for marketing without necessarily having any meaning behind it. Certified organic, however, means the product was vetted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and there are tiers to certification. Products can be 100 per-
“
It can be confusing. It is a big business. Jeremy Akers, an associate professor and dietitian at JMU
cent certified organic and certified organic. Certified organic means 95 percent of the ingredients are organic. Akers takes issue with the label, using a glass of water as an analogy to make his point. If a glass of water is 100 percent pure and you add 5 percent dirt to it, he says, the whole glass of water is spoiled. Another USDA certified organ-
ic label is “made with organic ingredients,” which means at least 70 percent of the product is organic. Akers says consumers should also be skeptical of products labeled “natural” or “all natural.” “There’s no affiliation to USDA and there’s no regulation for that,” he said. “You can put ‘natural’ or ‘all natural’ on anything.” Likewise, cage-free or freerange implies birds have access to the outdoors and can move around freely, Akers said, but that’s not necessarily the case. Growers simply need to submit paperwork saying their birds have access to the outside world — even
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as little as simply being able to see out of a window, Akers said. “Grass fed” is another term that could be misleading. USDA defines grass-fed as livestock whose primary diet comes from grazing. USDA does not enforce it, however, so its definition doesn’t necessarily match reality. Akers said consumers should educate themselves so they know what it is they’re spending money on. “It can be confusing,” he said. “It is a big business.” Contact Jeremy Hunt at 574-6273 or jhunt@dnronline.com
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29
Justin Kane, an employee at Mount Crawford Creamery, attaches labels to filled cartons of just processed milk at the plant in late April.
Nikki Fox / DN-R
Valley Pride Made Of 21 Operators Milk
Valley Pride, said more consumers want to know where their food and milk are produced. “People ought to know where their food source is coming from,” said Inman. “People like the feeling of being supportive of their local community.” Although the plant is Maryland, he said the milk comes from local farms and is sold in local stores. “We are your family farm,” said Inman. “You can come see the farms. This is where your quality milk comes from.”
FROM PAGE 24
Unilever, the world’s largest ice cream maker, produces such brands as Ben and Jerry’s and Breyers. Its Hagerstown plant previously produced Good Humor and Breyers products. Valley Pride is a cooperative made up of 21 family dairy farm operators, all located in a 10-mile radius of Harrisonburg. Products are sold under the Shenandoah Family Farms banner. The business has products in roughly 300 stores, from Pennsylvania to Staunton. Randy Inman, spokesperson for
Contact Pete DeLea at 574-6278 or pdelea@dnronline.com
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In the early morning, plant manager Jeremy Will measures the amount of milk pumped from the cows in order to start processing milk at the farm.
Have a great story idea? Email City Editor Rob Longley at rlongley@dnronline.com or Night City Editor Jerry Blair at jblair@dnronline.com
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Friday, May 23, 2014
Harrisonburg, Va.
‘Collaborative Rather Than Transactional’ Home
Nikki Fox / DN-R
Todd Hooley, A Bowl of Good's master gardener, picks spinach to use in the day's meals on May 14. Katrina Didot, co-owner of the eatery, said she tries to avoid “having extra food miles” when purchasing inputs.
FROM PAGE 9
or would be cost-prohibitive. Common local ingredients used by restaurants include eggs, pork and, of course, seasonal produce. Having menu items that change with the seasons bring people closer to nature and support diverse flavors. Wade Luhn, owner of Bella Luna Wood-Fired Pizza on West Water Street in Harrisonburg, farmed for several years, so the concept of supporting local producers has personal appeal to him. “We feel like the local artisans and farmers are putting
out a better product,” he said. “We feel like it helps us to know how our food is being grown or our product is being made, and we also want to keep our money in the local economy.” At the Local Chop and Grill House, producers are sort of like extended members of the staff, Hill said. “It’s collaborative rather than transactional,” he said of the relationship. The restaurant works with more than 60 farmers, who frequently stop by the restaurant to make deliveries and talk with staff. “There’s an important com-
munity element to sourcing locally as well,” said Rebecca Kauffman, guest services coordinator. Working with so many different vendors does cause administrative headaches for Hill, who must give paychecks to dozens of sources instead of one or two big suppliers like Sysco. But the extra effort is worth it, he said. “Administratively, it’s a pain to deal with so many vendors,” he said. “[But] it’s OK being unorthodox sometimes.” Contact Jeremy Hunt at 574-6273 or jhunt@dnronline.com
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Harrisonburg, Va.
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31
Schools Work To Offer A Healthy Perspective Divisions Trying To Change Students Preconceptions By KASSONDRA CLOOS Daily News-Record
HARRISONBURG — School lunches often bring to mind lumpy, unidentified meats and flavorless, stale food. But local school divisions are working hard to change those perceptions and bring students healthy meals that also taste good. Decades ago, school cafeteria food was largely made from scratch out of necessity, until machines made it easier to mass produce. But now that the federal government has beefed up regulations to make food healthier and fresher, it’s all come full-circle, according to Andrea Early, executive director of school nutrition for
Harrisonburg City Public Schools. “It was almost all scratch-cooked 50 years ago …and [later] almost all of it came out of a box,” Early said. “Now, we’re back to scratch.” Beverly Polk, school food services supervisor for Shenandoah County Public Schools, remembers what it was like back in the early 1960s. Polk has been working for the division for 50 years, and has seen a lot of changes. Among them are vast reductions in fat and sodium due to U.S. Department of Agriculture mandates over school nutrition. In addition to the homemade meals, “we made more desserts,” in the 1960s, Polk recalls. Now, as the emphasis has turned to getting kids hooked on healthier, more active lifestyles, Harrisonburg is trying to use as much locallysourced food in school lunches as
Yelena Mikhaylyuk, a cafeteria worker at Harrisonburg High School, washes lettuce from Portwood Garden in Dayton for students eating the school lunch in early May. City schools officials estimate that at least 10 percent of the $1 million food budget is spent locally.
possible. Early estimates that at least 10 percent of her $1 million food budget is spent locally. “The more we work with local farmers, the fresher it will be,” Early said. “It’s important for kids to have a connection with where their food comes from.” It might seem easier to get food from local sources, but buying fresh ingredients is usually more expensive, and often small family farms may not have enough of a certain vegetable, fruit or poultry to meet the needs of an entire school division. For many districts larger than Harrisonburg’s, buying local presents logistical challenges as well. In Rockingham County, for instance, the division’s 23 schools are so spread out that it could take several days for a farmer to deliver produce to all of them. That’s time that small operations with limited resources don’t have. As a result, a relatively small amount of locally grown or raised food is used in school lunches. See SCHOOLS, Page 45
Nikki Fox / DN-R
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Bakery located 1/2 mile south of Dayton Walmart - 105 Vista Lane Hours: Thur. & Fri. 9:00-6:00, Sat. 9:00-2:00
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Harrisonburg, Va.
PLACE TO CELEBRATE Local Chop & Grill House
BEST EATS APPETIZERS Beyond
BEST CULTURE
ASIAN Taste of Thai
GALLERY Larkin Arts
ATMOSPHERE Clementine Café BAKERY Shank’s Bakery BARBECUE Log Cabin Barbecue BREAKFAST The Little Grill Collective BURGER Jack Brown’s Beer & Burger Joint CHEAP EATS Jess’ Quick Lunch COFFEE Greenberry’s Coffee Co. DOWNTOWN RESTAURANT Local Chop & Grill House FOOD TRUCK Mashita FRENCH FRIES Jack Brown’s Beer & Burger Joint HAPPY HOUR Local Chop & Grill House
RADIO PERSONALITY Martha Woodroof
ICE CREAM Kline’s Dairy Bar LATE NIGHT EATS Billy Jack’s Wing & Draft Shack MEXICAN El Charro MIXED DRINKS Local Chop & Grill House NEW RESTAURANT Bella Luna Wood-Fired Pizza OUTDOOR DINING Rick’s Cantina PASTA Vito’s Italian Kitchen PIZZA Bella Luna Wood-Fired Pizza PLACE TO BLOW YOUR DIET Jack Brown’s Beer & Burger Joint
PLACE TO BE SEEN Local Chop & Grill House PLACE TO TAKE A DATE Local Chop & Grill House PLACE TO TAKE YOUR FAMILY Clementine Café RESTAURANT WITH WIRELESS The Artful Dodger SANDWICHES Macado’s STEAK Local Chop & Grill House VEGETARIAN The Little Grill Collective VINEYARD Bluestone Vineyard WINGS Billy Jack’s Wing & Draft Shack
BEST ENTERTAINMENT CHEAP NIGHT OUT Court Square Theater DANCE SPOT The Blue Nile ENTERTAINMENT VALUE Clementine KARAOKE Valley Lanes LIVE MUSIC VENUE Clementine LOCAL ARTIST April Sedeen LOCAL BAND (COVER) The Judy Chops LOCAL BAND (ORIGINAL) [TIE] The Judy Chops / Many Nights Ahead MUSEUM / HISTORICAL SITE Explore More Discovery Museum
RADIO STATION WMRA 90.7 FM RENOVATION The Livery Building PLACE TO PROPOSE Edith J. Carrier Arboretum & Botanical Gardens PLACE TO SPEND SATURDAY A local farmers market BEST USE OF TAXPAYER MONEY Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance WORST USE OF TAXPAYER MONEY Heritage Oaks Golf Course
BEST RECREATION FESTIVAL/ COMMUNITY EVENT Rocktown Beer & Music Festival GOLF Lakeview Golf Club HIKING TRAIL Skyline Drive
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Harrisonburg, Va.
PARK Purcell Park
FLORIST Blakemore’s Flowers, LLC
PLACE TO BIKE Hillandale Park
FURNITURE STORE Hess
PLACE TO FISH [TIE] Mossy Creek / Silver Lake
GROCERY STORE Martin’s Food Markets
PLACE TO RELAX Edith J. Carrier Arboretum & Botanical Gardens PLACE TO RUN Purcell Park PLACE TO TAKE VISITORS A local farmers market PLACE TO WALK THE DOG Purcell Park ROUTE FOR A SCENIC DRIVE Skyline Drive YOGA STUDIO The Nest
BEST SHOPPING / SERVICES DAY SPA The Healing Touch Wellness Spa DOWNTOWN SHOP Ten Thousand Villages DRY CLEANERS Classic Cleaners
Friday, May 23, 2014
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GYM Gold’s Gym JEWELER James McHone Jewelry SALON The Studio HANDCRAFTED ART OASIS Fine Art & Craft Michael Reilly / DN-R
TATTOO SHOP Alley Cat Tattoo & Body Piercing THRIFT STORE Gift & Thrift
Andy Perrine (right), president of the Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance board of directors, and Executive Director Eddie Bumbaugh stand in the Valley Turnpike Museum located inside the Hardesty-Higgins House.
Putting Taxpayer Money To Good Use Local Residents Agree, Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance Worth The Cost
VETERINARIAN Ashby Animal Clinic
By CANDACE SIPOS
WINE SHOP Downtown Wine & Gourmet WOMEN’S APPAREL The Yellow Button IMPROVEMENTS FAVORITE THING ABOUT HARRISONBURG Vibrant downtown ONE THING I’D LIKE TO CHANGE Traffic
Record city editor and columnist Andrew Scot Bolsinger. The pedestrian mall, of In summer 2002, a small course, never materialized, but enthusiastic advisory com- but the group is still very mittee formed to investigate much alive. the idea of a downtown pedesNow backed by four fulltrian mall in Harrisonburg, a time staffers, a 15-person proposal brought to the public board of directors and an adeye by then Daily News- visory board 30 minds strong, Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance has It’s extremely gratifying, made a name for itself the last few years; the during the past 11 pendulum has swung years. In January 2003, where we’re now the group — then comviewed as one of the posed of 25 volunteers leaders in the state ... — requested funding from Harrisonburg Eddie Bumbaugh, City Council to further Executive Director, Harrisonburg the revitalization efDowntown Renaissance forts it had started. Daily News-Record
“
The request came at a difficult time for the city, with cuts in state aid keeping the budget thin, but council set aside $80,000 in the fiscal 2003-04 budget. That amount has never changed, though HDR’s budget has increased, a fact that makes the group’s leadership proud. HDR now relies on funding from private donors, corporate sponsors and other benefactors in the local community, in addition to the city’s funding. “What this represents is basically an endorsement that this is important to the community,” said Andy Perrine, president of HDR’s board of directors. “It’s almost like voting.” See HDR, Page 36
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Harrisonburg, Va.
Bluestone Takes Title For New Category: Best Vineyard By CANDACE SIPOS
jor to a winemaker at an award-winning venue. Similarly, the wine industry in Virginia has grown up alongside Bluestone, which though still a young business, is quickly becoming a role model for other startup wineries in the commonwealth. “It’s a very relative thing, because we are kind of the new guys … [but] there’s about 70 wineries newer than us in the state of Virginia,” Hartman said. “I feel like we just started doing this yesterday, and I feel like I’ve been doing it my whole life.” The crew at Bluestone won a new category for the annual Best of the Valley awards: Best Vineyard. Although they’ve won state and national prestigious honors, the award won
thenestyoga.org 540-433-NEST (6378)
current property where their home and vineyard sits in the early ’90s, and their house was completed in 1995. In the early 2000s, the family started planting their own personal vineyard, just to produce grapes for themselves and a friend. “It was only like 120, 140 vines,” Lee Hartman remembers. “From that, we gained enough knowledge to get ourselves into a lot of trouble, and we thought, ‘Yeah, we’ve got this; let’s plant 9,000 of them.’ ” In 2008, the family transformed the hilly former bull pasture on their property into vineyards full of red wine grapes, and that’s when Lee Hartman came on board. The following year, the Hartmans planted 4,000 whites on the other side of the hill, following up with 1,000 more reds in 2010. This month, the business planted more grapes for the first time since 2010. Bluestone opened its doors in January 2011 with a brand new winery building. “Anybody that has any 2009 vintages of ours were made in my parents’ garage,” Lee Hartman pointed out, not quite containing a chuckle. The Bluestone team almost immediately found success; their 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon was chosen as one of the top 12 wines in the state. “I didn’t know what pH was for, but one of my wines ended up in the Governor’s Mansion,” jokes Lee Hartman, noting that 2010 was his first year as winemaker. The wine was also listed as one of 37 great American wines by Saveur magazine. “I thought, ‘Why would anybody ever make bad
ALL LEVELS. ALL AGES. ALL RIGHT.
See BLUESTONE, Page 36
Daily News-Record
When the first vines went in the ground at Bluestone Vineyards in Bridgewater, the owners’ son, Lee Hartman, asked if he’d be able to taste the homemade wine when it was done. It was the early 2000s at the time, and he was only 17. “They said, ‘Well, you’ll be about 22 by the time it’s ready, so sure,’ ” he remembers, smiling and soaking in the sun after three days of murky rain. In just a few short — or very long, depending on how you look at it — years, Hartman has come into his own along with the vineyard and winery, going from an Eastern Mennonite University history ma-
The Nest Yoga + Fitness Studio 315 Lucy Drive Harrisonburg, VA 22801
winemakers and other wine professionals that you won this award for whatever, but to win an award because people at home like you, it means a whole different thing,” said Lee. His father added: “We sell an awful lot of wine to visitors here, but the people who are really the most important is our local market, and they have supported us day in and day out.”
Bluestone’s Story
Nikki Fox / DN-R
Bluestone Vineyard Winemaker and Vineyard Manager Lee Hartman tastes a chardonnay Jan. 6, 2012, while working in the cellar. with the votes of locals brings a different kind of joy, the Hartman men, Lee
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and his father, Curt, say. “It’s really cool when you get to hear from other
Curt Hartman, who now owns Bluestone with his wife, Jackie, sold his dealership, Hartman Motor Sales, on May 1, 2007. “Today, seven years ago, I was a free guy,” Curt Hartman said, sitting outside the front entrance to Bluestone’s winery May 1. The couple bought the
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Locally-Sourced Libations According To Downtown Favorite, Area Items Make Difference In Drinks By KATIE KING Daily News-Record
With a list of accolades including Best Downtown Restaurant, Best Place to be Seen, Best Place to Celebrate, Best Place to Take a Date and Best Steak, Local Chop & Grill House has swept voting for a second year and, in doing so, has clearly earned a toast. And where better to go than Local’s very own bar, which, according to voters, takes the title for the Best Mixed Drinks and Happy Hour in town. According to restaurant manager Brad Reese, the secret to crafting outstanding cocktails is to use fresh, high-quality ingredients. “Same as [with] our entrée menu, we try to stay seasonal and use what’s available at the farmers market,” he revealed. One glance at the cocktail menu confirms Reese’s statement: Local’s mojitos have fresh mint leaves, the fig old fashioned contains locally-purchased honey and the espresso martini draws flavor from Staunton’s Grains of Sense. Of course, fresher ingredients often come with a higher price tag, but managing owner and co-partner Jeff Hill says it’s one worth paying. “It costs [the restaurant] more, but it tastes better,” he remarked. Hill learned the importance of using lo-
cal ingredients while sailing around the world as an employee for Windstar, a luxury cruise line. While the ship was in port, he often accompanied the chef to local markets, where they would hunt for seasonal items to add to the menu. In addition to using only the best ingredients, Reese says the team aims to create unusual recipes. “I like unique [drinks] that you can’t get everywhere,” he said. According to Reese, coming up with creative concoctions sometimes requires “a collaborative effort.” “We tweak each other’s [drink recipes],” he explained. “Often the drink that’s brought to the table has been modified three or four times.” Though it may take a little more effort, Jason Lenhart / DN-R Reese says the staff never hesitates to go Brad Reese, manager at the Local Chop & Grill House, mixes up a Chop House Old Fashioned at the the extra mile. bar May 1. The downtown favorite won Best Mixed Drinks and Best Happy Hour for 2014. “We’re very fortunate [because] all of our bartenders are very into what they do.” Though Local has been a consistent fan favorite since it opened nearly five years ago, Hill promises that the staff will always remain on their toes. “It’s really gratifying and nullifying for us [but] we never want to relax,” he said. “We appreciate [the awards] and we won’t take it for granted.” Contact Katie King at 574-6271 or kking@dnronline.com
4101 Shen Lake Dr. H’burg, Virginia 22801
Thank You To all the readers/golfers for voting us best Golf Course in the Valley! Book online for rates & specials www.lakeviewgolf.net 540-434-8937
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Harrisonburg, Va.
Bluestone
FROM PAGE 34
wine,’ but the fact of the matter was, the fruit was so awesome,” Lee Hartman said. “It made my job very, very easy. Then, the next year, 2011, was just a brutal, brutal harvest. Ever since then, I’ve kind of learned my lesson that you don’t count your eggs before they hatch and you have to approach winemaking with a good amount of humility.” Now, Lee Hartman doesn’t like to talk about the upcoming harvest until the grapes are in the building. “You never know, every single year, if you’re going to have a harvest at all,” he says.
Wine Boom
Nikki Fox / DN-R, File
Clinton Miller snips chardonnay grapes from the vine as part of the September 2011 harvest.
an eye for GREAT
STYLE
Losing grapes can be rough on a winery, because they’re hard to come by. “There’s been a huge boom in Virginia wine; unfortunately, there’s not been a very big boom in Virginia vine,” Lee Hartman said. “At this point, every grape in the state is spoken for. … So, if you want more fruit, you’d better be planting it.” Growth for the business, judged by gross sales dollars, has been running 30 to 35 percent per year, Curt Hartman said. He points out that it’s easy for a new
FROM PAGE 33
Well, locals did vote in another way that highlights their appreciation of the organization; they voted HDR as the “Best Use of Taxpayer Money” for the annual Best of the Valley awards, a title it has secured several years in a row.
The Leadership
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startup to grow by large percentages in its first years, while also noting that Bluestone has been “very fortunate” to find its wines in the spotlight early on. With roughly 250 wineries in Virginia, including more than 30 in the Valley, the number and success of the commonwealth’s wines has been steadily growing. That’s 20 more wineries than January 2013, when then Gov. Bob McDonnell’s office announced that sales of Virginia wine reached an all-time high the fiscal year prior. When Bluestone opened in 2011, it had 12 acres of vineyards, processed roughly 31 tons of grapes the year prior and produced 2,000 cases. Now, the winery produces about 90 tons of grapes in a year, trying to keep up with demand. The Hartmans hope more wineries will pop up in the central Valley, as they believe in the “a rising tide lifts all boats” mantra. “You become more of a destination if you have more wineries,” Curt Harman said. “If there were more wineries concentrated here, we’d see more traffic.” Says Lee: “I hope the boom isn’t something that has happened; I hope it’s still happening.”
Both Perrine and Eddie Bumbaugh, executive director of the group, have been involved since the beginning. Bumbaugh took his current position July 1, 2003. A longtime area resident, Bumbaugh’s father owned a car dealership where Matchbox Realty is now located. He had been working as assistant director of the Community Me-
diation Center, now the Fairfield Center on South Main Street. “He had downtown Harrisonburg in his veins,” said Perrine, who was on the committee that hired Bumbaugh for the position. As for Perrine, he talks about the group as if it were a child. “When we’re trying to recruit new people to the board, I say that, ‘You know, besides having kids and raising them, this is like the most gratifying thing I’ve ever done and not gotten paid for it,’ ” he says. It’s early May, and he’s sitting in one of HDR’s offices in the Hardesty-Higgins House, the city’s second-oldest house, where HDR has called home since its 2004 renovation. HDR’s board of directors is made up of down-
town residents, artists, developers, merchants, an architect and accountant and two city council members.
The Work HDR had its work cut out after its inception. Downtown Harrisonburg was a shadow of what it is now, with only about a dozen restaurants, a thousand fewer people working in the area and far fewer living units. It was without many of the staples that hundreds visit daily: the Friendly City Food Co-Op, Midtowne Market and the Explore More Discovery Museum, for example. “There were surrounding communities that had begun their revitalization See HDR, Page 38
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Then
& Courtesy Photo
The Livery Building was built in 1871, intended for use as horse stables.
Now
Nikki Fox / DN-R
The Livery Building overhaul included the addition of a second floor skylight.
Livery Building Named This Year’s Best Renovation Instead, Kelley carefully eased the two-story brick building into the Built by the Hirsch 21st century, adding modBros. in 1871 for use as ern conveniences such as horse stables, there’s no insulation, in-floor heatdenying that downtown’s ing, security systems and Livery Building has come a long way from its roots. Internet connection, all After Matchbox Realty while preserving the purchased the West Water structure’s character and Street property in 2012, open, airy layout. His skill at blending the 14,000-square-foot structure underwent 10 the past and present months of renovations led caught the eye of voters, by Matchbox’s Director of who named the Livery Development Barry Kelley. Building the “Best Reno“A lot of people would vation.” According to the Nahave looked at it and wanted to tear it down,” tional Register of Historic he remarked. “[But] Places, the lower level — where the horses were that’s not what I do.” housed — had the to feed A lot of people would capacity and hitch 300 anihave looked at [the mals. It now contains Bella Luna Livery Building] and Wood-Fired Pizza wanted to tear it and Shabby Love — a vintage furnidown. [But] that’s ture boutique. not what I do. Meanwhile, the upper floor — for Barry Kelley By KATIE KING
Daily News-Record
“
merly the hayloft — has been transformed into the Livery Lofts, a residential apartment complex. According to Mary Messerley, a portfolio manager with Matchbox, the apartments are a hit, as all 12 units are currently leased. Kelley’s not surprised by their popularity. “There seems to be a very strong demand for people to live in a downtown, urban environment,” he added. Kelley, who’s been a developer for more than 30 years, believes renovating existing buildings is always a more ecofriendly option than starting from scratch. “That’s probably the number one thing you do,” he explained. “That, in itself, is a very green idea.” Contact Katie King at 574-6271 or kking@dnronline.com
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Harrisonburg, Va.
Group Earns State, National Awards HDR
FROM PAGE 36
efforts earlier, so Harrisonburg, for a community this size in Virginia, was one of the later cities to get on board,” explained Bumbaugh. “We have accomplished a significant amount in the last 11 years.” For starters, the group has helped to move the restaurant and eatery ticker up to more than 30 and pushed for more downtown apartments; the area now boasts 500 living units, as opposed to the mere 150 a decade ago.
HDR recently received Virginia Main Street Milestone Achievement Awards for funneling more than $55 million in private investment funding into downtown projects since 2004 and clocking 85,000 hours of volunteer service. “There is no way that Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance staff and board of directors can do all the work related to downtown renaissance,” Bumbaugh pointed out. Just this month the group received a 2014 Great American Main Street Award from the National Main Street Center.
400 S. High Street Harrisonburg • 434-0111
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“Best Coffee” in the Valley! Daily Hours: Mon-Fri 6AM - 9 PM, Sat. & Sun. 7:30 AM - 9 PM SUN. - THURS. 11:00AM - 10:00PM | FRI. & SAT. 11:00AM - 11:00PM
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HDR works on the front lines and behind the scenes to bring new businesses, living spaces, events and beauty to downtown. The group runs a façade enhancement grant program, allowing downtown property owners and businesses to apply for grants to enhance the appearance of the exterior of their buildings. It also organizes decorating and landscaping downtown, including a new project to spruce up the Elizabeth Street parking deck. The city also has a number of new events now thanks to HDR, including the Rocktown Beer & Music Festival and Halloween on the Square. Finance website NerdWallet recently labeled Harrisonburg as the fastest-growing city in Virginia, mentioning HDR as a reason for that growth. Back in the early 2000s, the landscape, literally and figuratively, looked bleak for HDR, but the group has proven that, with a little financial backing and a lot of support and enthusiasm, a downtown’s future can change. “We looked at other communities in the state and often got a little discouraged in terms of how much progress they had made and how far we had come,” Bumbaugh said. “It’s extremely gratifying; the last few years, the pendulum has swung where now we’re viewed as one of the leaders in the state in terms of effective downtown renaissance.” Contact Candace Sipos at 574-6275 or csipos@dnronline.com
Michael Reilly / DN-R
Artist Ashley Miller (right) discusses her work, “Os, Dowels and Ribbons (Black),” with Angie Strite during the First Friday event held May 2 at Larkin Arts.
Carving Out A Space Larkin Arts Beats Out OASIS Fine Art And Craft For Best Gallery Spot By MATT GONZALES Daily News-Record
One cloudy Monday morning, Valerie Smith casually strolls through the Wine-Riner galleries housed within Larkin Arts. As she moves through the 3,000-square-feet that contain the business she co-owns, Smith studies each painting along the way. Her eyes light on a portrait piece by Denise Kanter Allen, whose work adorns the walls of both gallery rooms. “I love this,” whispered Smith as she inched closer to the portrait. “She’s all about relationships, and she evokes so much emotion in each piece because of these relationships,” Smith explained, discussing the April feature artist. Though the spotlight shines on new artists each month — Ashley and Joshua Miller are slated for May — one thing at Larkin Arts remains constant: Locals appreciate the business enough to vote it “Best Gallery Space” of 2014, edging out past reigning champion OASIS Fine Art and Craft.
Community Response The galleries, which are free and open to the public, have become a popular spot in downtown Harrisonburg since the business opened in August 2012. “Every time we have an art opening here, we have hundreds of people coming through the doors,” said Scott Whitten, who shares ownership with his wife. “That’s just a great testament to the artists, their high quality of artwork, as well as to the supporters of the artists.” Both owners are humbled by the overwhelming response to the business, says Whitten. “We asked community members what they felt that the art scene in Harrisonburg needed,” explained Smith, who taught elementary and middle school art for 12 years before opening Larkin Arts. “The overwhelming response was a dedicated fine arts gallery, which is what we now have.”
Building Relationships In addition to the Wine-Riner galleries, Larkin Arts also boasts a retail store and several art studios, which are
Harrisonburg, Va.
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Best Of The New
Michael Reilly / DN-R
The Wine-Riner Galleries, housed in downtown’s Larkin Arts, likely contributed to the business being voted “Best Gallery” for 2014. rented out by local artists looking for a workspace. “The cool part about the studios is that, while they’re working, [artists] have the automatic target market just walking through,” explained Smith, as she pointed to a large, glass window from which onlookers can peer inside. The business has extended interaction through its art education program, which allows students of all ages to participate in activities, including painting, ceramics and print making. Each class is taught by certified art instructors, university professors or in conjunction with the James Madison University Art Education program, according it its web site. These classes are particularly meaningful to Smith, who says that instructing art is where her heart lies. “The goal [of each class] is to connect a student with the arts in some way,” she said. “While some classes have a specific [goal,] others might be
Jason Lenhart / DN-R
An arugula asparagus pizza is ready to go into the wood-fired oven at Bella Luna Wood-Fired Pizza, named the best new restaurant in this year’s Best of the Valley competition.
Michael Reilly / DN-R
Joshua Miller crafted the implement series hanging behind him using white oak and walnut. more about having fun, getting loose, and not worrying as much with technique as you do exploration.” The overall goal of the business, however, is to provide locals with an opportunity to enjoy an artcentered experience.
“A big part of what we’re doing here is building relationships between people,” says Whitten. “We want to put people in touch with the arts community.” Contact Matt Gonzales at 574-6265 or mgonzales@dnronline.com
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Harrisonburg, Va.
Celebrating 70 Years of Sweet Success
W = 58 E Wolfe St
JESS’ LUNCH
James McHone Jewelry 2014
(540) 434-6980 S = 2425 S Main St (540) 434-4014
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MAY W - Cookies & Cream S - Cake Batter
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W - Banana S - Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
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Best Toy Store
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W - Chocolate Peanutbutter S - Black Raspberry
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W - Peach S - Mint Chocolate Chip
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W - Cherry Nut S - Banana
The Local Chop & G Grill ill H House won th the h ffollowing ll categories:
Best Downtown Restaurant Best Eats
Best Happy Hour Best Eats
JULY
Best Place to be seen Best Eats
3
Best Place to take a date
Best Mixed Drinks
Best Steak
Best Place to Celebrate
Best Eats Best Eats
Best Eats
Best Entertainment
56 West Gay Street, Harrisonburg
(540) 801-0505
W - Black Raspberry S - Chocolate Peanutbutter
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2014
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SHEN-VALLEY BAND INSTRUMENT SERVICE, INC. 144 N. Liberty Street Harrisonburg, VA 22842
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FINE ART & CRAFT 103 S. Main St. • 540-442-8188 Open Daily Find us on Facebook!
AND GIFT SHOP
Proudly Serving the Community for 45 Years under the same Ownership with Quality & Service Guaranteed 165 NORTH MAIN STREET HARRISONBURG, VIRGINIA 22802 Phone (540) 434-9931
Seafood Bar & Grill The Only Raw Bar In Harrisonburg
Daily Lunch & Dinner Specials Large, Fresh Salad Bar & Homemade Soups! 30 W. Water St., Harrisonburg 433-9874 www.finniganscove.com See us On Facebook Open 7 Days A Week Mon.-Sun. 11 a.m. - 2 a.m. Catering For All Occasions Available!
1992 - 2014
47 court square • downtown harrisonburg 540-432-1179 • www.artfuldodgerlounge.com
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Thank you,
to our customers for their ‘Best of the Valley’ votes ✔ Best Atmosphere ✔ Best Place to take your Family ✔ Best Entertainment ✔ Best Live Music Venue
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Harrisonburg, Va.
Water Street Spot On Fire Bella Luna Best New Restaurant, Pizza
Jason Lenhart / DN-R
Bella Luna Wood-Fired Pizza both “Best New Restaurant” and “Best Pizza” designations. By MATT GONZALES Daily News-Record
For years, Wade Luhn was interested in the revitalization efforts by businesses and organizations in downtown Harrisonburg. The Staunton resident took note of the resurgence of the area, shown by new business openings — such as the 2011 launch of Friendly City Co-Op and the current restoration of the Ice House build-
ing on South Liberty Street — and downtown’s burgeoning popularity, marked by a Main Street award and the commonwealth’s first Culinary District Designation. He had long been impressed by the efforts of Eddie Bumbaugh and the rest of the Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance in rebirthing the Friendly City and felt that a number of its existing dynamics would only improve through time. Luhn knew that the Friendly City’s rebirth coupled with its existing elements
Harrisonburg, Va.
would continue to increase over time. And he also knew he wanted in on the action. “I think the best is yet to come for downtown Harrisonburg,” said Luhn, “and I wanted to be a part of that.” It appears Luhn was right; his part of the downtown pie — Bella Luna WoodFired Pizza located on Water Street — was not only named the best new restaurant for 2014, but beat out competitors such as Benny Sorrentino’s for the best pizza designation, as well. And those to whom he once looked for inspiration are now expressing their excitement. “Bella Luna has been fantastic for downtown,” boasted Trisha Blosser, director of resources for Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance. “Their pizza and sandwiches are amazing and we’re thrilled that they are being recognized.”
Coming To The ’Burg Luhn previously owned the Mockingbird Café in Staunton, which he eventually sold to his business partner. Knowing he hoped to open a new business in Harrisonburg, Luhn began pondering options for a niche market. That’s when he settled on wood-fired pizza, which he’d been impressed by in the past. “[I] was just blown away by some of the things that can be achieved in a 1,000-degree oven,” said Luhn, adding that woodfiring yields a combination of flavors unmatched by a traditional device. “It was just a simple [concept] that is tested and authentic.” Realizing the tremendous potential of such a restaurant, the California native made his move. After exploring a then vacant space inside the Livery Building, Luhn called on architects Soloman Peterson and Thomas Clayton to assist in bringing the business
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to life. The pair incorporated some of Luhn’s ideas into an existing plan drafted by developer Barry Kelley. On Dec. 11, 2013, Bella Luna’s large, wooden double doors opened for business. Inside, the pizzeria boasts seasoned oak columns, exposed brick walls and an open kitchen allowing customers to observe the chefs at work. “One of the things we were trying to do is not overdesign, just let the natural elements come forth and speak for themselves,” explained Luhn, noting the limited number of modifications to the structural integrity of the building. “People have a growing interest in where their food comes from, which sparked the idea for an open kitchen.” That kitchen produces an array of Neapolitan-inspired pies topped with fresh, local ingredients that rotate as the seasons do, in true farm-to-table fashion. “It’s kind of a showcase of the local products available,” said Colin Auckerman, executive chef at Bella Luna. “Our menu is going to change quite a bit, especially with the upcoming [summer] season, where we’ll have quite a bit more [ingredients] to work with.” Jason Lenhart / DN-R “It’s meant to be a limited, seasonal Bella Luna Wood-Fired Pizza staff (from left) Beau Floyd, sous chef, Colin Auckerman, head chef, menu,” added Luhn, explaining the inten- and Justin Bauer work May 1 at the West Water Street location. tional simplicity. “I think people are struck by the fact that it’s small but that ensures not only seasonality, but also freshness. We’re not using something that’s been in the back of the freezer for six months.” Luhn is humbled by the fact that locals are not only recognizing, but celebrating Bella Luna’s initiative. “I’m surprised, and appreciative of this honor,” said Luhn. “There are so many good restaurants around here and there’s other people making good pizza, so I’m very thankful for this recognition.” Contact Matt Gonzales at 574-6265 or mgonzales@dnronline.com
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On The Trail To Better Eating Veteran AT Hiker Offers Tips On Healty Hiking By KASSONDRA CLOOS Daily News-Record
Metro Graphic
Vince Mier, manager of Walkabout Outfitter in Harrisonburg who thru hiked the Appalachian Trail, said he would buy fresh vegetables, like peppers, to add to his meals whenever he stopped to resupply.
HARRISONBURG — It can take months, or even years, of planning to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail, which is 2,180 miles long running from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Katahdin in Maine. More than 100 miles of that trail runs through Shenandoah National Park. As schools let out for summer, those trails will be home to thru-hikers, day hikers and weekenders alike. But what to bring to eat on the trail? Vince Mier, manager of Walkabout Outfitter in downtown Harrisonburg, thruhiked the trail in 2011 as a vegetarian under the trail name BLAZE, and shared some good eats tips with the Daily NewsRecord. They’re good for the serious, longterm hiker as well as the daytripper looking for quick, easy, nourishing food after a
strenuous workout. Whenever Mier stopped in a trail town to resupply, he would buy fresh vegetables, like peppers and onions, to add to his meals. Those only last a couple of days on the trail, but make a good addition to packaged and dehydrated foods. Many of Mier’s meals were packaged pasta and rice sides that he modified for the trail. He would ditch the milk and butter the package called for, and occasionally add a little bit of milk powder and/or olive oil. To make it more satisfying, Mier mixed it with textured vegetable protein, which is made from reduced-fat soybeans and intended to replace meat. Mier also suggested bringing along tortillas, which are more versatile than you might think. He mixed textured vegetable protein with taco seasoning, made pizzas out of them — he suggests bringing block cheese instead of shredded — and slathered them with Nutella for a sweeter snack. “A lot of this food tastes better when
you’re up in the mountains [exerting a lot of energy] vs. standing in front of your fridge,” Mier said. “It’s called ‘trail food’ for a reason.” Snickers were king for Mier many days on the trail. They’re not what one would call healthy, necessarily, but the candy bars pack a lot of calories and provide a good boost of energy. Mier said he frequently buys out a lot of candy in the dayafter sales during holiday seasons. It can be hard to keep up and eat enough food to replace the energy your body is burning while carrying a heavy pack for long distances, but it’s important to strike a balance between bringing enough food and too much, Mier said. Bringing more food means carrying more weight, and that means exerting even more energy. “You just have to balance,” he said. “If you bring less, you’ll need less. More is definitely not always better.” Contact Kassondra Cloos at 574-6290 or kcloos@dnronline.com
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About 65 Percent Of RCPS Students Get Their Lunch From The Cafeteria Schools
FROM PAGE 31
“It’s not because we don’t want to,” said Gerald Lehman, director of food service for Rockingham County Public Schools. Unlike its geographic footprint, Rockingham County Schools’ enrollment is fairly small, Lehman said. Spreading 11,300 students over 23 schools means some schools would get small deliveries that wouldn’t necessarily be worth a farmer’s time to deliver. The county has been buying local apples for 20 years now, Lehman said, and encourages its suppliers to buy as local as possible. Lehman is looking for ways to make it more feasible to get other kinds of food, too. The division is creating small pilot programs in certain schools to experiment, and next year may serve locally-grown romaine lettuce in a few schools. This year, all the middle and high schools in the county offer Mr. J’s bagels on Fridays, but that could change next year when federal regulations prohibit breads that aren’t at least 51 percent wholegrain. Often, buying fresh means better quality, and people are finally starting to notice that, according to Jeff Heatwole, manager of
Nikki Fox / DN-R
A Harrisonburg High School student serves up a bowl of beef stroganoff, made with beef from Buffalo Creek Farm in Lexington, in early May. About 80 percent of Harrisonburg’s students eat school lunches every day. the Shenandoah Valley Produce Auction. “I’ve been here for four years and the buy fresh, buy local movement has definitely been very big in the auction[’s success],” he said. “More people are realizing that with local produce, the difference in quality you get is worth any price premium you have to pay.” HCPS often works with
the auction to get good prices on fresh, local fruits and veggies. Earlier in June, Early was monitoring the auction for fresh strawberries, so she can get a large batch for the schools before it’s too late in the season. The division also gets meat from Buffalo Creek Beef in Lexington, Baker Farms in Mount Jackson, D&M Meats in Mount Jackson,
and lettuce from Portwood Gardens in Dayton. Polk, the Shenandoah County Schools nutrition director, also buys meat for her students from D&M and Baker Farms, and said she wishes she could do more. “I really believe in helping support the farmers, but sometimes the cost is a little bit prohibitive for us to do it more frequently than what I’m doing,” she said. “[I]f I had 100 percent [student] participation, I would be able to offer more local products because I would have more income.” About 80 percent of Harrisonburg’s students eat school lunches every day, but Early would like to see even higher participation. The food budget is based solely on participation, so more students means more money. Although federal regulations require schools to offer fruits and vegetables for students, and make sure that students take them, no one can force students to eat all the parts of their lunch. It’s a challenge to offer kids food that’s healthy but also tastes good and looks appetizing to them, Lehman said. For example, kids’ favorite “vegetable” at school is corn, but that’s really a starch and has a high caloric value, which limits
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what else can be served with it. School lunches have strict caloric limits. Kids like carrots best out of the red/orange vegetable subgroup, but the schools can only serve carrots so many times before students get tired of them. “If we just offered collard greens, they wouldn’t be selecting it,” he said. In spite of the challenges, Lehman, too, said he thinks more kids should participate in school lunch. On any given day, about 65 percent of RCPS students who are present at school get their lunch in the cafeteria. Just less than half of those students are paying full-price, while the rest of them get them free or at a
discount because of their families’ income. Once, Lehman said, he looked through some packed lunches and found only one in 10 had fresh fruit or vegetables. And the average lunch brought from home costs more than $1.95, which is the full cost of a school lunch, Lehman said. “To keep making meals better, we need more kids,” Early said. “Just as you can vote in the grocery store with your dollars, you can vote in the cafeteria with your money as well.” Contact Kassondra Cloos at 574-6290 or kcloos@dnronline.com
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Orchard Hand-Delivered Cider For Review Process Local
FROM PAGE 8
load from Indiana and sugar cures them in Fulks Run. Things get real busy closer to the holidays, between Thanksgiving and Christmas. About 1,000 packages are shipped out in the last 35 days of the year. Also under the Virginia’s Finest label, Turner sells Red-Hot Rooster Sauce, sometimes known as Bill ‘n Vern’s BBQ Sauce. A special blend of vinegar, pepper and other spices, it’s yummy on chicken, beef, pork or even fish, and it adds a spicy zip to any grilled foods. So, has Turner noticed that he gets more business of ham sales from people who specifically look for a Virginia’s Finest product? “Offhand,” Turner said, “I can’t say I have.” “We pretty much sell out of hams every year anyway,” he added, admitting, “I haven’t participated as strongly as I should have in the program.” In addition, Turner runs Fulks Run Grocery. Turner Hams are the mainstay of the store, but also sells lots of gift boxes and specialty foods items, as well as other Virginia’s Finest products. Sarah Showalter, coowner of Showalter’s Orchard and Greenhouse
along Honeyville Road in Timberville, said the business produces sweet apple cider under the Virginia’s Finest label, but its store also carries other products with the label, like peanuts and jams and jellies. Showalter’s cider obtained the label’s designation about three years ago. The process was userfriendly. The cider must be kept refrigerated to maintain its freshness, so it was hand-delivered to Richmond for the review committee to taste to ensure it met the standards for approval. She hopes consumers decide to buy products labeled Virginia’s Finest, although she doesn’t recall anyone saying “I am buying this because it’s a Virginia’s Finest.” “However, I have chosen things as a consumer and as a business owner choosing products to offer to our customers,” she said. “If there are three different Virginia’s peanuts and one of them has the Virginia’s Finest label, I would probably choose that one.” For a list of stores selling Virginia’s Finest products, visit: www.vafinest.com. Contact Jonathon Shacat at 574-6286 or jshacat@dnronline.com
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Stuckey the cat hangs out in a kale garden as apprentice Kathryn Karp weeds at Radical Roots Farm in late April. The farm is diverse, growing 30 to 50 different crops depending on the time of year. Nikki Fox / DN-R
‘A Better Farmer’ Trend
FROM PAGE 13
“We spent a year riding bicycles” from farm to farm “WWOOFing” — Willing Workers On Organic Farms — while in New Zealand and Australia, Lee O’Neill said. They also spent three months in Mexico working as apprentices. “We thought about ... [going organic] for five years,” she said. “It takes a lot of organization. It’s a full-time job for both of us.” “In 2000, people didn’t know what organic was,” she said. “We feel like there’s a demand for it. It has increased our farmers market’s base” of support. They named their farm, Radical Roots, because the first root of the seed is the radical, she explained. Dave O’Neill runs the farm and the farm’s apprenticeship program, which provides apprentices a place to stay, food and a stipend in exchange for help on the farm. Apprentices also take classes, which both O’Neills and crew leader Coriena Witman teach. Lee O’Neill handles the bookwork and takes the produce to the Harrisonburg farmers market and Friendly Food City Co-Op. Deliver-
ies to the co-op are part of an 80-member community supported agriculture program. Members preorder food and pick up a weekly basket of food, which contains eight to 12 items, from June through September. Radical Roots Farm grows a diverse number of crops, with 30 to 50 different ones depending on the time of year. “My experience is: The organic label has a lot of integrity,” she said. “It’s made us a better farmer. “It’s a lot more work, but it’s been a positive experience. We have a sense of peace and ease with being able to share with our customers.” And it’s not just buying and selling organic that is a trend. “There’s a local food movement growing,” Lee O’Neill said. “If I go out to dinner, I’m going to look for a place that uses local ingredients.” She cites some examples in Harrisonburg, including the Little Grill and the Local Chop and Grill, American Indian Café and Blue Nile, all on Main Street, and Bella Luna on Water Street. Contact Caleb M. Soptelean at
Harrisonburg, Va.
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Co-Owner At Jack Brown’s: ‘We Decided To Do One Thing And do It Right’ Succeed
FROM PAGE 15
Aaron Ludwig, and his business partner, Mike Sabin of Miami, Florida, both 43, own Jack Brown’s Beer and Burger Joint and Billy Jack’s Wing and Draft Shack in downtown Harrisonburg. After 16 years of owning a ski and snowboard shop in the area, Ludwig was looking for a new venture. Sabin suggested opening a bar, but in Virginia state law does not allow that. Establishments must sell food and meet a ratio between alcohol sales and food. In 2009, they opened Jack Brown’s downtown, serving up mostly burgers and fries with a few extra items, including fried Oreos. He said the he found they key to success early: service. “We want our employees to host people like they’re hosting
Photos by Jason Lenhart / DN-R
Staff and patrons comprise the busy scene at the successful Clementines in downtown Harrisonburg in April. Owners at Clementine plan to expand Ruby’s, the restaurant's downstairs lounge, into a full-fledged restaurant. someone at their own house,” said Ludwig, adding he wanted employees to treat guests as if they were at their home at Super Bowl party. “It’s always a friendly atmosphere.” In 2011, they opened Billy Jack’s. The expansion continued in 2012 when they opened Jack
Brown’s Single Wide near the entrance to Massanutten Resort. In 2013, Jack Brown’s expanded to Roanoke. Next month, the duo plans to open a location in Birmingham, Alabama. Additional franchise locations are in the works. In addition to the friendly at-
mosphere and good food, he said simplicity has helped with their success. With Jack Brown’s, customers will mostly see burgers on the menu — a variety of burgers, including The Elvis, topped with peanut butter, mayo, applewood smoked bacon and cheese.
“When people go to a restaurant they usually get the same thing … so why not just sell that most popular item,” said Ludwig. “So we decided to do one thing and do it right.” Contact Pete DeLea at 574-6278 or pdelea@dnronline.com
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