dec./jan. 2010
free
seasonal • local • sustainable • artisanal • unique
winter bragging rights Chefs Keeping It Local All Year
by Marian Burros
Farms: Diversify or Die? by Walter Nicholls Toast the Holidays with Virginia-Made Bubbly D.C’s Soupergirl to the Rescue
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Fire Works is for
Pizza Lovers We start with the finest Italian Caputo flour in a handthrown artisan crust, top it with the finest, freshest local and imported ingredients, then bake it in a wood-fired oven for a uniquely delicious taste experience that will delight the pizza lover in you.
201 Harrison St., SE
Leesburg, VA 20175
703.779.8400 www.fireworkspizza.com
FireWorks.QtPg.Flavor.indd 1
GREAT MEALS GREAT MOMENTS
Whatever the occasion, whatever the season, the casual elegance and inspired food and drink of Magnolias at the Mill make great moments happen.
198 North 21st Street, Purcellville, VA 20132 540.338.9800 www.magnoliasmill.com
11/18/09 9:09 Magnolias.GreatMeals.New.Flavor.indd AM 1
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features
columns
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Putting Their Eggs in Many Different Baskets
Rebel with a Cause Beware Those Sincere Conservation Easements
Designed to save farms and farmland, these easements drive farmers into extinction.
Having found that relying on a single income stream is risky, some farms are diversifying what they grow and the services they offer. We look at how Virginia’s Belle Meade Farm and Maryland’s Sycamore Springs Farm make it work.
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Flavor Holiday Favorites
The Flavor staff shares some ideas for gifts found or made locally (but sold online).
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No Whining in Winter
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Some D.C. area chefs are making an extra effort to use local, seasonal ingredients even in these long winter months. And diners are learning to like it.
Tales from the Field CSA, PDQ
’Tis the season to support local farms by signing up for a CSA.
walter nicholls
marian burros
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joel salatin
Seasonal Table Potatoes: Everyday & Holidays
From latkes to butter-soaked mounds, potatoes find their way into our family traditions. And recipes for holiday hors d’oeuvres from chefs in the Capital foodshed.
theresa curry
michael clune
in every issue virginia
Terroir, our wine section, starts on page 67.
www.flavormags.com
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From the Publisher & the Editor Letters from Readers & Eaters The Guest List Advertiser Directory
Order your local grass fed lamb and other local meats now for the holidays The Rappahannock Natural Foods Cooperative is a true farmers coop. We offer your the convenience of a one stop market for all your natural and local meat, eggs, produce, fruit and other farm products from Rappahannockâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best farms. Order from our website or from our local Farm Store (coming soon) in the River District in Sperryville. We deliver weekly to the Washington DC area.
Sales@RNF.COOP Tel: 540-987-9699 WWW.RNF.COOP
departments 8
Local Grazings Happenings on the Foodie Front
From cookies to cooking shows, from farm-to-school advocates to a farmstand on wheels, we’ve got news for you. And Green Grazings, too, because it’s not just about food.
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Flavor Café Lemaire
The Jefferson Hotel in Richmond, Virginia, has renovated its restaurant and reasserted is commitment to local food.
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Chef Mike Lund brings his devotion to regional farms and his experience at a five-star restaurant to the Shenandoah Valley.
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natalie mesnard
Flavor Café Zynodoa
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amber davis
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mollie cox bryan
Artisans & Entrepreneurs Soupergirl Sara Polon is fighting the good fight to bring seasonal, local soup to the good citizens of Washington, D.C. zach patton
Mindful Living Flipping the Switch to Renewable Energy
Business owners and homeowners in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia are turning to wind energy in their commitment to reduce pollution.
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brie cadman
In the Food Desert Making It Happen
It takes determination to start a food distribution project where others have failed. But Tanikka Cunningham is determined.
zora margolis
Cover photo of creamy parsnip soup in a Vietri bowl taken by Molly McDonald Peterson at Restaurant Eve in Alexandria, Virginia.
from the publisher & the editor As we went to press, we were thrilled to hear that chef Mike Lund of Zynodoa (see page 44) was brought in to help prepare President Obama’s first state dinner on November 24. He was invited by White House executive sous chef Tommy Kurpradit, who, like Lund, had previously worked at The Inn at Little Washington. Together with Uday Huja and Rocky Barnette, also former chefs at the inn, they assisted guest chef Marcus Samuelsson of New York City’s Aquavit and White House executive chef Cristeta Comerford. Not surprisingly, the dishes served included many items from the White House garden (featured in our Aug./Sept. issue). Also served was ThibautJanisson Blanc de Chardonnay Brut (see page 76), made just outside Charlottesville, Virginia. That wonderful news comes after a somber season. We were deeply saddened to hear of the tragic deaths of two women very active in the Capital foodshed’s local food movement: In October, Kathryn Russell of Majesty Farms in North Garden, Virginia, was killed in a car accident. She was one of the founders of the Virginia Independent Consumers and Farmers Association (VICFA) and an advocate for raw milk producers. (She also wrote “Small Farms & Big Government” in our Winter 2009 issue.) In November, Nori Amaya, coowner of Coppi’s Organic Restaurant in D.C., was murdered in her home. She owned the U Street restaurant with her brother, Carlos, who has set up a fund to help him continue teaching self-defense classes to women. Our sincere condolences go out to the Russell and Amaya families. As we get caught up in holiday shopping and meal planning, let us keep in mind that the loved ones we honor at these gatherings are more important than how perfectly prepared the food is.
Melissa J. Harris
Jennifer Conrad Seidel
a slice of humble pie
In “Living by the Work of Their Hands” (Oct./Nov. issue), we said the cheese made at Our Lady of the Angels monastery is dipped into paraffin. In fact, it is dipped into food-grade polymer.
PUBLISHER
Melissa J. Harris account executives
EDITOR
Travis Bjorklund, Tara Griffin, Bridget Brown-Kosene
Jennifer Conrad Seidel
assistant to the publisher
ART DIRECTOR
Kali Kosene
Nora Monroe
graphic designer
photographer Molly McDonald Peterson
circulation & distribution
recipe editor
Theresa Curry editorial assistant
Amber Davis proofreader Laura Merricks
Annie Arnest manager
Christopher Harris CHIEF INVESTMENT & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT OFFICER
Lynn Sullivan ADVISORY BOARD
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flavor magazine • dec./jan. 2010
Matt Benson, Marian Burros, KeriAn Dodson, Sherri Fickel, Stephanie Giles, Sandy Huckstep, Kevin Kraditor, Jim Law, Bernie Prince, Maggie Rogers, John Fox Sullivan, Chad Zakaib
SUBSCRIPTIONS & ADVERTISING
A one-year, six-issue subscription is $32. Send subscription and advertising inquiries to Flavor Magazine, Inc. P.O. Box 100 Sperryville, VA 22740 voice (540) 987-9299 fax (540) 518-9190 info@flavormags.com www.flavormags.com Copyright ©2009 by Flavor Magazine, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission of the publisher is prohibited. Flavor is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts and photographs. Flavor is an independent, bimonthly publication created in VIRGINIA and is not affiliated with any nationally franchised publications.
letters from readers & eaters I am a regular customer of the Farm at Sunnyside and an avid reader of Michael Clune’s column, “Tales from the Field.” However, I was a bit disappointed with his Oct./Nov. column, “Standing Up to Bullies,” which responded to the negative media coverage of Michelle Obama’s appearance at the opening of the White House famers market in Washington, D.C. Clune is right to be annoyed by self-righteous cheap shots at hardworking family farmers and those—like Michelle Obama—who value and promote fresh, local foods. I wish, though, he had named names and rebutted specific criticisms. The Washington Post’s Dana Milbank, for example, wrote in his Sept. 18 column that consumers “could get nearly five dozen eggs at Giant for the $5 Obama spent for her dozen (at the farmers market).” Milbank’s sarcasm misses the point. Apparently, he believes eggs from medicated, maltreated chickens raised in confined animal feeding operations—agribusiness does not Send letters, suggestions, and questions to editor@flavormags.com and read more comments from readers at flavormags.com
even call them farms—are OK for some people because, well, they can’t afford better. Milbank is too busy bashing arugula-eaters to deign to raise the more important questions: Why don’t all Americans have access to fresh, nutritious food, and what can we do about it? Critics like Milbank may be surprised to learn that not everyone has access even to a Giant. Moreover, the tiny, urban convenience stores that pass for grocers in some low-income neighborhoods sell eggs for a lot more than a dollar a dozen. Zora Margolis’s article, “A Desert in Our Midst,” also in the Oct./Nov. issue, describes several laudable efforts to actually address the scarcity of affordable, high-quality food in parts of the inner city. Nancy Maddox, Alexandria, VA I read your last issue with interest, and was surprised to see Two Fat Butchers listed. I got in touch with them, and sure enough, they carry only industrial product. The place that is really on is Blue Ridge Meats. They raise their own grass-fed lamb and deal only with local producers, some grain-fed and a lot of grass-fed, especially chicken and pork—also humanely-raised
veal. This is worth looking into for you, I think. Keep up the good work. Tom Lloyd, Front Royal, VA Editor’s response: We regret that in this case, our vetting process was not thorough enough. I really enjoyed reading the Oct./Nov. 2009 issue. It was first one I had seen and I will look forward to other issues. I do have one comment. I think you dropped the ball by not including Nadolski’s in Goochland, VA, in your butcher article. We have frequented two of the three shops mentioned and find Jonathan Nadolski and his wife’s shop to be the best. He is a former chef and is a real help when buying and cooking food. His selection of meat, game, and poultry is better than most. The next time you feature this type of business, please think about including them. Ed Lawton (no city given)
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Happenings on the Foodie Front Amber Davis
t Despite the boom in farmers markets and the availibility of fresh local produce in Richmond, Virginia, Mark and Suzi Lilly discovered that many less-affluent, inner-city locations had little to no access to these healthy food options. The couple decided to take matters into their own hands by launching an innovative business, called Farm to Family, which brings local and organic food to residents in the city’s so-called food deserts. They operate their mobile business from an old school bus that they converted into a veritable farm stand on wheels. It stocks a large number of products supplied by both local farms, such as Polyface Farms and Mountain View Dairy, and their own organic garden. Farm to Family is also currently offering a subscription-based winter CSA program. After taking a course on the science of food nutrition at Johns Hopkins University, David Nard and Jeni Caron recognized a dearth of quick and wholesome prepared foods in their Maryland community and started D’Nard Foods. The couple does not source their ingredients from any large factory farms, choosing instead to select most of their produce from neighboring farms and regional businesses with high nutritional standards. Every egg used in their recipes is grass-pastured, their cheese is purchased from an organic cheesemaker in Pennsylvania, and their crabmeat comes from Northern Virginia and Maryland. D’Nard Foods distributes about 90 different prepared food items to various markets, co-ops, and supermarkets in and around Washington, D.C., and Maryland.
Farm to Family (540) 872-6528, www.farmtofamilyonline.com D’Nard Foods (410) 371-3814, www.dnardfoods.com
Cookies for Restricted Diets—and Not So Restricted Diets u When Dr. Lucy Gibney realized her child had severe food allergies, she felt compelled to make safe alternatives to sweets. She went on to turn traditional cookie recipes on their heads with her tasty kosher- and vegancertified cookies, which contain no cholesterol, trans fats, dairy milk, butter, eggs, wheat, gluten, casein, peanuts, or tree nuts. Her Norfolk, Virginia-based business, Lucy’s, now produces four varieties of cookies—chocolate chip, oatmeal, sugar, and cinnamon thin—that are stocked at organic markets and retail food stores across the country. The bakery operates under tight allergen-testing criteria, ensuring that all products maintain the same quality and purity. Dr. Lucy’s Cookies (757) 233-9495, www.drlucys.com
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q If you’re looking for a sweet snack while visiting historic downtown Leesburg, Virginia, look no further than the cheerful pink Victorian, which has been home to Lola Cookies & Treats for over three years. When lifelong baker Lola Hooper started the business over eight years ago, she sold her creative baked goods exclusively at local farmers markets. Now, after highprofile press coverage from the likes of Rachael Ray (who made special mention of the shop’s Congo cookie bars), this smalltown bakery is shipping gift items nationwide. The store offers a wide assortment of decorative and festive cookies and bars, as well as seasonal favorites, like pumpkin and gingerbread cupcakes. As always, all desserts are made from scratch using local, seasonal ingredients when available and contain no artificial flavors or preservatives. Lola Cookies & Treats (703) 669-6970, www.lolacookies.com
leigh graves wolf
If You Need It, They Will Come
local grazings
Over the Mountains and Deep in the City to Eat Local Food, We Go!
{ Staunton’s newest restaurant and live music hall, Mockingbird, is featuring some of the freshest foods available throughout Virginia and the mid-Atlantic region and showcasing some of the best local and national touring acts in its 162-seat community venue, the Roots Music Hall. Proprietor Wade Luhn puts his former experiences as an innkeeper, an organic farmer (in New England’s Berkshire Mountains), and a manager of Staunton’s micro-brewery, Queen City Brewing, to work in his vision for the restaurant. The restaurant also displays its commitment to locally sourced products in its extensive use of regional reclaimed oak and cherry for the restaurant’s tables, the bar, the stage, and sections of the original oak flooring.
Jordan River Farm
u Kathleen Richardson will soon be serving up locally sourced and healthy foods in a warm, inviting, unique setting in downtown Richmond, Virginia. Her restaurant, The Urban Farmhouse Market and Café, set to open in early December, will bring organic and locally sourced foods to the mainstream market. Richardson is working with organic food distributors and local bakers, cheese artisans, and coffee roasters to ensure that most of the restaurant’s food will come from farms and markets within a 200-mile radius of the city. In addition to evoking the feel of a traditional farmhouse by keeping the building’s exposed brick and wooden floor intact and uncovered, Richardson is using recycled wood from old farms and barns dating back as far as the 1800s for the restaurant’s construction. t To celebrate its longstanding ties to the region, the circa 19th-century Joshua Wilton House Inn and Restaurant, located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, is offering an ongoing threecourse “Flights and Bites” tasting menu. Each meal pairs food from farmers markets and neighboring farms, such as Polyface Farms, Backfield Farms, and Planet Earth Diversified, with a quality selection of wines from around the world. The small-plate menu has given chef Mark Newsome the chance to creatively evoke the flavors of the region—so much so that he has even begun to cure his own meats in-house. The tasting menu will be offered every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday night from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Vacation Rental and Huntbox at Jordan River Farm
Miriam’s House, Virginia’s Premier green vacation rental, is now expanding to allow guests to bring their own horses and ride our pristine 328 acres of trails. Call 540-636-4775 or visit our website at jordanriverfarm.com
Mockingbird (540) 213-8777, www.mockingbird123.com The Urban Farmhouse Market & Café www.theurbanfarmhouse.net The Joshua Wilton House Inn & Restaurant (540) 434-4464, joshuawilton.com
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local grazings
Clamoring for Clams? Get “dug on the shore and delivered to your door” fresh clams when you subscribe to Old Town Seafood Company’s clam subscription service. The family-run company, based out of Eastville, Virginia, raises clams and oysters in the Chesapeake Bay. Each clam is removed by hand, purged in cages overnight to remove sand or grit, and bagged on the boat. In fact, the clams are guaranteed to be delivered to customers within 24 hours of harvest. To join the service, customers must commit to purchasing 100 Middleneck clams per month at a price of $30. Subscriptions can be picked up at the Old Beach Farmers Market in Virginia Beach and select locations in Norfolk each month. Old Town Seafood Company www.oldtownseafood.com
It’s Sure Sweet to Be Green After lamenting the lack of healthy food options near Washington, D.C.’s Georgetown University, three graduates—Nicolas Jammet, Nathaniel Ru, and Jonathan Neman—developed the eco-friendly combination salad and frozen yogurt shop Sweetgreen in 2007. The trio has just opened a third location in Bethesda, Maryland. Sweetgreen is a green-certified restaurant, and every aspect of the business is built on sustainable initiatives: The wood used in construction is antique reclaimed hickory, all restaurants are powered using 100 percent wind energy, and the flatware and cups used are made from corn. Customers who reuse their plastic salad bowls get a free additional topping. Sweetgreen www.sweetgreen.com
Chips to “Drive” For Arguably one of the most flavorful and natural potato chips on the market, Route 11 Potato Chips have come a long way from their humble beginnings in an old feed store in Middletown, Virginia, over 10 years ago. Today, founder Sarah Cohen runs the company out of a state-of-the-art facility in Mount Jackson, where she and her staff continue to develop and create signature chip flavors like dill pickle, sweet potato, garlic and herb, and Chesapeake crab, which are distributed to almost every corner of the country. Visit the factory to view the chip-frying process (on select days), and then peruse a unique selection of holiday chip tins and dip kits at the company’s gift store. Route 11 Potato Chips (800) 294-SPUD, www.rt11.com 10 flavor magazine • dec./jan. 2010
local grazings
From the Courtroom to the Cutting Board Attorney Lauren DeSantis has made a name for herself in a completely different field as the host of the television series Capital Cooking. In 2008, DeSantis launched her Capital Cooking show to bring individuals closer to their food through detailed explorations of dishes and ingredients used in a variety of D.C.’s top kitchens. Not only does DeSantis explain the process and creation of the food itself, but she also shows her audience how to make signature dishes using ingredients they can find at local grocery stores or famers markets. The show currently reaches approximately 20 million households nationally on the CoLours network. In her spare time, DeSantis teaches cooking classes around D.C. Capital Cooking Show www.capitalcookingshow.com
A Smokin’ Success
Does Cafeteria Food Have to Be Gross? Some of our country’s most unhealthy, well-traveled, and overly processed foods are served up daily to its most vulnerable members—the millions of children attending our nation’s schools. Members of the DC Farm to School Network are pushing metro schools to serve locally grown and minimally processed foods in their school meals and working to reconnect children with the local foods available in their region. The group is also asking schools to provide students with educational opportunities to reinforce healthy eating habits, teach children how to grow and cook food, and encourage environmentally friendly initiatives like recycling. With over 200 members, the group is a part of the National Farm to School Network, which is advocating for a sweeping change in the quality of the food available in every school cafeteria. DC Farm to School Network dcfarmtoschool.org
For 25 years, individuals urged Brandon Belland’s father to sell his beloved barbeque sauce, which he would give as a gift to family and friends. Three months ago, Belland and his father took the leap and made their family’s famous sauce commercially available through their new business, Golden Blends BBQ. The company’s two gourmet sauces are free of preservatives and additives. Bootleggers Blend, the original recipe, has generous portions of garlic and onions sweetened with dark brown sugar. Black Powder Blend is a spicy kick-up of the original that uses crushed red peppers to give it a time-released heat. The sauces are now available at 15 different stores in and around Winchester, Sperryville, and Front Royal, Virginia, and Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia. Golden Blends Barbeque (540) 671-1373, www.goldenblendsbbq.com
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Willow Oaks Daylilies & Christmas Tree Farm in Woodford, Virginia, primarily sells day lilies during warmer months and switches over to Christmas tree cultivation in the winter. The farm has been growing white pine, Douglas fir, Norway spruce, Scotch pine, Leland cypress, and Concolor fir trees on 6 of their 15 acres. The farm also makes live wreaths and sells holiday items at their on-site Christmas shop.
Holiday customers who visit Butler’s Orchard in Germantown, Maryland, can choose from among more than 30 acres of white pine and Douglas fir trees while enjoying complimentary cider and hot chocolate. In addition to selling trees, the orchard also offers custom wreath design. Founded as a 10-acre strawberry farm over 60 years ago, the orchard has expanded its offerings over the years to include blueberries, tart cherries, blackberries, raspberries, apples, and pumpkins.
This holiday season, Wayne Miller of Miller Farms Market in Locust Grove, Virginia, is selling freshly-cut Frasier firs provided by his brother’s farm, Willow Springs Tree Farm, in Blacksburg, as well as handmade wreaths. The market is open every day except Sundays with the exception of Christmas Day. During the year, the farm produces a wide variety of products, such as milk, eggs, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, and butternut, acorn, and hubbard squash.
Snead’s Farm in Fredericksburg, Virginia, has been growing Christmas trees on their property since 1981. Now, the blue spruce and white pine tree farm spans 19 acres of their 372-acre property, joining the wide variety of produce the farm grows over the course of a year, like asparagus, sugar snap peas, sweet corn, watermelon, tomatoes, peaches, grapes, and apples.
Willow Oaks Daylilies & Christmas Tree Farm (804) 633-6192, www.virginia christmastrees.org/farms/mcgee Butler’s Orchard (301) 972-3299, www.butlersorchard.com Snead’s Farm (540) 371-1070, www .sneadsfarm.com Miller Farms Market (540) 972-2680, www.millerfarmsmarket.com Willow Springs Tree Farm (888) 731-3300, www.willowsprings.com
Find a list of more Christmas tree farms at sites like www.christmastree.org.
Culpeper, Virginia www.makeupserenity.com 540-522-0777
Cheesemakers Allen Bassler & Jessica King 540.592.3559 www.oakspringdairy.com oakspringdairy@aol.com Handmade raw cow’s milk cheeses, made and aged on the farm. All cheeses are made from high quality Brown Swiss and Jersey milk. Cheese aged from 60 days to 3 years. We make 25 different types of cheese, from Cheddar to Swiss, you’ll be sure to find one you love!
OAK SPRING DAIRY
Caren Wilson is an experienced liscensed master esthetician with a holistic philosophy. She focuses on the medical aspect of skin care and corrective makeup, offering real solutions for appearance enhancement.
Organic, fair trade and soy-free chocolates using local dairy and fruits for seasonal flavors. LLC/VIRGINIA
12 flavor magazine • dec./jan. 2010
www.krishon.com 352-283-9740
jpundt70 on flickr
A Different Winter Crop
local green grazings
Love Thy New Neighbor Fifth Season Gardening Company, an organic and hydroponic agriculture retailer, has opened a new location in Charlottesville, Virginia. The company currently has four locations in North Carolina, where it has been selling quality garden supplies, handmade home products, and beer- and wine-making tools and ingredients since 2000. Company employees are trained to help individuals start, manage, and cultivate their own gardening projects by offering on-site expert advice as well as a wide selection of hydroponic systems, grow lights, climate control equipment, and a full line of organic soils and supplements. Fifth Season Gardening Company (434) 293-2332, www.fifthseasongardening.com
Cancer Profits? It’s counterintuitive to think that companies that promote and support breast cancer awareness and research might actually be contributing to the spread of the cancer itself through their other business initiatives. Yet according to San Francisco-based activist organization Breast Cancer Action (BCA), so-called “pinkwasher” companies have created a business model where they serve to benefit from both. In 2002, BCA launched its first successful national campaign, “Think Before You Pink,” which led to the
Farm-to-Face Eating locally and organically isn’t just good for your body—it’s also good for your skin. The Still Point wellness center in Takoma Park, Maryland, is bringing its clients even closer to local foods by offering a seasonal holistic skincare spa menu. Customers can find unique services, like an enzyme peel with organic pumpkin from D&S Farm or a facial mask using unprocessed honey from Patterson Farms, highlighting products from local area farmers markets and farmers as well as flowers and herbs grown in The Still Point’s own covered garden. All products for sale in their boutique are either organic or 100 percent natural and have a price point of under $50. The Still Point (301) 920-0801, www.stillpointmindandbody.com
removal of rGBH, an artificial growth stimulant linked to breast cancer, from General Mills and Dannon dairy products. BCA’s newest campaign, “Milking Cancer,” targets Eli Lilly, which is both the sole worldwide manufacturer of cancer-causing rGBH and the producer of a line of drugs to treat breast cancer. More than a third of the nation’s dairy products still contain rBGH, which BCA aims to change through mobilizing its over 30,000 members intent on removing the hormone from our food. Breast Cancer Action www.bcaction.org
Better Food Begins Here*
Organic, Soy-Free Feeds • Mineral Supplements • OMRI Approved Fertilizers • Humates Delivery throughout Northern & Central Virginia Call Kevin, Steve or Keith at 888-699-7088 www.countrysidenatural.com * ask your grower or producer if they use Countryside Natural Products.
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local farmers markets, and reserves the remaining for retail florists and their own floral arrangement and design business. The company also offers a variety of classes year round, including winter workshops on designing holiday centerpieces. Gagnon’s business is listed on greenbrideguide.com as a top source for local flowers and sustainable wedding design arrangements.
u Hedge Fine Blooms, owned by Karen Walker since 2007, offers its customers a unique opportunity to purchase rare and specialized floral arrangements. Walker says the store doesn’t carry or buy baby’s breath or other filler flowers. Instead, she purchases many of the flowers from local growers in the region, such as Green & Gold, Roundabout Farm, and Blue Heron Farm. Walker even buys local kale and Lady apples for arrangements and floral displays. Hedge’s original location is in Charlottesville, Virginia’s Main Street Market, and its newest location is on Second Street off the historic Downtown Mall. { When Andrea Gagnon and her husband, Lou, moved back to their eighth-generation family farm in Gainesville, Virginia, to establish the art studio LynnVale Studios, they decided to grow flowers in the abundance of land around them to help defray their business costs. Their side project, however, quickly blossomed. The couple now sells around 85 percent of their flowers to
p Floral designer Stephanie Melvin has always hand-selected the flowers she’s offered at her store, Wisteria. Whether gathering from her own garden—where she grows lavender, hydrangeas, roses, various salvias, rosemary, and other perennials and annuals—or from local farmers markets, Melvin focuses on highlighting seasonal flowers in her arrangements. Originally operating out of a floral design shop in Old Town Alexandria, Melvin moved her store to a studio location near Mount Vernon in 2002, where she will offer a variety of classes this winter. Hedge Fine Blooms (434) 817-9950 www.hedgefineblooms.com LynnVale Studios www.lynnvale.com Wisteria (703) 360-1042, www.wisteriaflorals.com
TURKEY HILL STABLES
540-987-9778 · 268 Fletcher’s Mill Rd · Woodville, VA
NEW HOME CONSTRUCTION RESTORATION KITCHEN AND BATH DESIGN MILLWORK CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT 540.660.1619 www.brannockbuilt.com
14 flavor magazine • dec./jan. 2010
Full board / Field board Indoor and Outdoor Arenas Endless Cross Country Trails Clinics / Lessons Training / Sales Local Event Sponsor An hour or less from eight of Virginia’s finest fox hunts
roses: kristen taylor
Bloom Where They’re Planted Several local florist shops support and sustain local growers and indigenous flowers within their communities.
Food security. The local food movement. Farmers markets. Best ginger recipes. Pickle emporiums. Rich land, poor nutrition. Backyard chickens.
Public radio takes food seriously . . . and not so seriously.
NPR News & NPR Talk
103.5 FM 90.7 FM Charlottesville
Shenandoah Valley
Fostering informed, engaged and culturally enriched communities
The Adventures of
Soupergirl In a basement hidden deep below the nation’s capital, Sara Polon is trying to save the world— one 40-quart stockpot at a time.
! W O P Ka-
Sara Polon is cooking in the Soupergirl secret lair, a kitchen she rents t wo days a week in the basement of a synagogue in Northwest D.C. The soup she’s making this day is a black-eyed pea and mustard green soup, which she describes as a vegan version of Hoppin’ John, the Southern bean-and-rice dish.
16 flavor magazine • dec./jan. 2010
Article and photographs by Zach Patton
artisans & entrepreneurs
Every superhero has a special power. Some can fly. Others can shoot fire, or stop time, or leap tall buildings in a single bound. Sara Polon’s superpower just might be her West African Safari Stew. Polon has spent the past year and a half creating and running Soupergirl, a soup-delivery business in Washington, D.C. Having soup delivered to your door is certainly convenient, but Soupergirl’s mission is bigger than that. Polon uses only seasonal ingredients, sourced exclusively from local farms. The way Polon sees it, it’s a pretty simple idea. “A lot of people want to eat locally. They want to eat healthfully. But nobody has the time. And we’re filling that void.” The soups—all of which are vegan—may be good for you, and they may rely on locally available produce. But don’t expect thin, flavorless broths dotted with bits of limp vegetables. Soupergirl’s concoctions are bold, hefty stews filled with the best ingredients that mid-Atlantic farmers have to offer. Giving her soups quirky names such as “The Hills Are Alive with the Sound of Carrot and Dill Soup” and “Roasted Sweet Potato and Apple Midlife Crisis Soup,” Polon promises you’ll forget that what you’re eating is good for you. “I like to say that our soups are really healthy but we don’t think you’ll notice.” The West African Safari Stew, a peanut soup sweetened with organic sweet potatoes, has become a customer fave, says Polon. “I just look for fresh, really flavorful ingredients.”
The Making of a Hero Like all superheroes, Soupergirl has a great origin story. Two years ago, Polon was working a day job at a travel company in D.C. But she is not as mild-mannered as the typical comic book alter-ego: After college, she did a stint in New York as a standup comedian before moving back to her native Washington. Then she read The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Michael Pollan’s paean to eating locally. The book changed her life. “I really can’t recall a time I’d been so inspired by a book to really do something. I was astounded at the importance of the local food movement.” Catalyzed by the book, Polon decided to focus her life on local food. She considered farming or maybe opening an ice cream shop using fresh ingredients. But then it hit her. “A friend said, ‘You know, you make really good soup.’ The wheels started turning, and out popped Soupergirl.” Polon recruited her mother (alias Soupermom) to help her, and they spent the summer of 2008 trying out ingredients and developing recipes. Friends convened at Polon’s apartment for weekly soup testings. At the same time, Polon began approaching local farms and organic co-ops about purchasing their produce. Then, that November, Polon and her mom officially launched the business, cooking their soups in a D.C. restaurant kitchen during off-hours.
place their orders, and their soup is delivered the next week. There’s no commitment at all, although Polon recently began offering monthly “soupscriptions” for $95. Customers can choose to have the soup delivered to their home or office. They also can opt to pick up their orders at one of several businesses Polon has partnered with, including a frozen yogurt shop in Dupont Circle, a chocolatier in Georgetown, and a yoga studio in Bethesda. The business has grown steadily, and today Soupergirl has around 160 customers each week. Polon and her mother have ditched the restaurant kitchen and set up shop in an industrial kitchen in the basement of a synagogue in Northwest D.C. Polon delivers many of the orders herself, with coolers crammed into her Honda Fit hatchback. But she’s also hired some people to help shuttle the soups.
Cooking in a Cape? Soupergirl’s menu is always built around what’s seasonally available. So although Polon has a good idea of what’s in season, she never knows for sure what soups she’ll be making until a couple weeks in advance. There have been hits and misses: A
“Pe ople wa nt to eat loc ally. . . . Bu t no bo dy has the time. We’re fill ing that vo id.” — Sara Polo n (alias Soup ergi rl)
A Champion of Local Food The way it works is simple. Each Monday, the Soupergirl website posts the flavors of soup that will be available the following week. There’s always one light soup and one that’s heartier entrée fare. (The soups cost about $7 a serving.) Customers www.flavormags.com
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tato Soup Gingered Sweet Po
Yowza!
Yields 7 cups
(as needed) 2 teaspoons olive oil part only, cut in half 1 medium leek, white well, thinly sliced lengthwise, rinsed pped 1 medium carrot, cho oes, peeled and cubed 2 pounds sweet potat fresh ginger, peeled and One 1-inch piece of ger, too) t aside some grated gin finely chopped (se th 4 cups vegetable bro Salt to taste Cilantro for garnish
d leeks and r medium-high heat. Ad Heat oil in soup pot ove (2–3 minten sof to gin be y until the carrot and cook, stirring, d broth Ad . oes and chopped ginger utes). Stir in sweet potat mer sim and , , reduce heat to low and bring to a boil. Cover an ng Usi ). tes nu mi soft (about 30 until sweet potatoes are add ck, thi too is it If th. oo until sm immersion blender, purée water. Salt to taste. sharpness. e grated ginger for extra Before serving, add som Top with cilantro.
Cooking local year-round Go to www.hopkinsordinary.com for a full list of winter 2010 cooking classes
47 Main Street Sperryville, VA 540.987.3383 18 flavor magazine • dec./jan. 2010
white bean, tomato, and kale soup was ditched after customers said it was too bland. And late winter, when the region’s food cupboards are running low, can present a challenge, Polon says. “You’re really left with just potatoes. It’s like, ‘Oh, here comes another potato soup.’ But we make it work.” For the most part, though, Polon says her adventures in local food have been great. “Luckily, we live in an area where we have four full seasons. And with each season comes new produce.” She’d like to move into her own kitchen space and maybe get some delivery trucks. And with orders booming, Polon says she’ll need to add more pick-up sites. Meanwhile, she’ll continue cooking soups and scouring the area for the best local produce. Even after nearly two years of soup, Polon says she’s not tired of it. “No, I love it! I eat soup seven days a week.” Zach Patton is a writer in Washington, D.C. He and his boyfriend write about cooking on their blog, thebittenword.com
Soupergirl (202) 609-7177 info@thesoupergirl.com www.thesoupergirl.com
301-920-0801
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rebel with a cause
Beware Those Sincere Conservation Easements Joel Salatin
These landscape-oriented restrictions make farming unsustainable. molly mcdonald peterson
The words stung. “You cannot build a single structure on this farm.” We wanted to build a chick brooder and a small processing shed in order to add pastured broilers to the farm we leased. This new enterprise was essential to making the whole farm viable. But the nonprofit organization policing the easement was adamant: No new construction. Almost everyone is in favor of preserving green space. How best to do it is another matter. One of the models currently lauded by environmental groups is an easement whereby a landowner voluntarily creates a deed restriction against future development or nonagricultural uses, policed by a trust, in exchange for tax concessions due to the change in real estate value. Landowners proudly display their easement signs at the farm gate: “Protected forever . . .” Protected from what? Protected from innovation, that’s what. Having dealt with several easements on other farms, I can’t imagine a scenario in which I would sign up for one.
For some reason, CREP won’t develop ponds, which I consider far and away the most efficient livestock watering containment and storage system since a pond yields aquatic environments, holds runoff from seasonal floods, and doesn’t punch holes in aquifers. Unlike wells—which, in a drought, can stop without notice—ponds are visible, so a farmer can walk out any day and see how much water is available. The other problem is that the government program only pays for nonportable, capital-intensive watering stations that militate against ecological grazing management. (That is, a farmer cannot rotate his herd around his property but must instead keep it near the watering station, to the degradation of the land.) Furthermore, the government-built fences, with their straight lines and square corners, assault the topography.
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chad m. pelton
Perhaps the most common easement is the government program known as CREP (Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program), which ostensibly protects riparian areas in exchange for fencing and tree establishment and a 10-year cash payment per acre. On one farm we lease, the landowner signed onto the program and subsequently spent tens of thousands of dollars in her 80/20 cost share arrangement. The water system, which cost well over $100,000, completely failed in its first season. After the CREP system failed, we went in and built a pond (fenced off from the cattle, of course) and installed a piped underground water system that serves three times the acreage, that has never failed, and that is conducive to rotational grazing—for one-tenth the cost of the government system. The landowner, incensed over the money she wasted in the easement-based system, asked the government agent in charge to come for a tour of our low-cost alternative system. He wouldn’t come. (So much for a spirit of open-mindedness.) On this farm, we can’t even build a doghouse. The landowners are now quite remorseful that the easement exists. To have a nonfarmer group from 200 miles away telling the landowner what is appropriate according to the easement is like putting an Amish man in charge of nuclear reactor regulations.
On another farm, a young couple wanted to run pastured chickens on their rented farm. But according to the landlord, the easement police considered even portable chicken shelters and eggmobiles to be new construction and therefore inappropriate development. What good is protecting farmland if we don’t protect the farmers and their economic viability on the land? Building a chick brooder and processing shed, or adding a walk-in cooler for an egg inventory, is not antithetical to farming. Indeed, a house for employees and a pavilion for agritourism dinner entertainment are all pieces of the economic puzzle to keep non-industrial farms viable in our modern day. One of the distinctive features and appeal of Colonial Williamsburg is the imbedded craft economy surrounding the farmsteads. The blacksmith, woodworker, barrel maker, shingle maker, spinner, and candlemaker found behind the main farmhouse all contribute to the economic viability of the farm. Economic viability today demands value-adding, which means onfarm infrastructure like you would expect to see in Williamsburg. Too often those policing these easements want to see cows, pretty pastures, and bucolic gambrel barns without realizing that such a landscape never existed sustainably. Real profitable and ecologically sensible working farms had smokehouses, butchering facilities, housing for workers, inventory and distribution centers, and a host of other synergistic enterprises.
What good is protecting farmland if we don’t protect the farmers and their economic viability on the land? One of the main reasons farms have become non-viable today is that they do not include the compatible industry required to keep the money on the farm. Instead, farms have become simply raw commodity production areas that cheaply supply material to valueadded industry offsite. If we are ever going to shake the stranglehold of the industrial food system, we must bring the butchers, bakers, and candlestick makers back to our farms. Ultimately, these easements reduce farm viability and gradually turn Virginia’s pastoral landscape into a wilderness area. That’s probably not the green space folks have in mind. Giving over farm decisions to people who neither farm nor adapt their approaches jeopardizes farmers’ livelihoods. Ultimately, preserving farmers is the only sustainable way to preserve farms. Internationally acclaimed conference speaker and author Joel Salatin and his family operate Polyface Farms in Augusta County near Staunton, Virginia, producing and direct marketing “salad bar” beef, “pigaerator” pork, and pastured poultry. He is now also co-owner, with Joe Cloud, of T&E Meats in Harrisonburg.
RESTAURANT A Name to Remember.... A Meal You’ll Never Forget.
418 W. Main Street Charlottesville, VA Monday - Friday 7 - 6 Saturday 7 - 5
albemarlebakingco.com 434-293-6456
-Tom Sietsema, The Washington Post
219 E Davis St Culpeper, VA www.fotisrestaurant.com (540) 829-8400 www.flavormags.com
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Lemaire Natalie Mesnard Photos by Laura Merricks
Richmond’s newly renovated Lemaire boasts fresh décor, a modern menu, a younger crowd, and a passionate commitment to supporting small farms across Virginia.
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otel guests may not know it, but the Jefferson Hotel’s gourmet restaurant, Lemaire, has always supported Virginia farmers. “Sourcing local food and supporting the region and its farmers has been part of the philosophy since before I came here,” says Lemaire’s director of restaurants and wine Ben Eubanks, a certified sommelier and former executive chef who came onboard in August 2006. Much of this sourcing starts with chef Walter Bundy, a Richmond native who maintains connections with producers all over the state and along the East Coast. “I was taught to use the freshest, most local, best product you can get,” says Bundy, whose carefully selected ingredients and subtle approach to
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Southern cuisine are no longer masked by a restaurant known for its intimidating sense of formality and opulence.
A New Space Lemaire had its grand re-opening in July 2009, after two years of renovations. “We knew that when we opened, it needed to be absolutely right,” says Pat Manning, the Jefferson’s assistant general manager. When it first opened in 1986, the restaurant (named for Etienne Lemaire, Thomas Jefferson’s maître d’hôtel) had a dining room that was dark, old-fashioned, even stuffy. Now, visitors find an airy, inviting space that still harmonizes with the historical look and feel of the 115-year-old hotel.
flavor café
New furniture and chandeliers surround a marble bar, the current focal point of the restaurant. “People can come in and see what the new restaurant is about for the price of a cocktail,” says Eubanks. Diners are encouraged to try small dishes from the bar menu, which features reasonably priced offerings such as cornmeal-crusted Chesapeake Bay oysters with a jicama-jalapeno slaw, and a plate of fried green tomatoes with smoked sausage, Maytag blue cheese, shrimp, and sunflower shoots. Selections from the Kluge Estate and Barboursville are included in the restaurant’s wine list, a nod to Eubanks’s optimistic take on Virginia’s wine industry. The change is evident in the atmosphere as well. “The crowd now crosses every single age,” says Manning. Lemaire is no longer just a “special occasion” restaurant. The new concept suggests date nights, evening cocktails, or family outings, while continuing to provide areas for events like wedding receptions and retirement dinners. “It’s just been a dramatic change, and we are thrilled with it,” says Manning. “We’ve had a marvelous response from people who have visited us.”
“People can come in and see what the new restaurant is about for the price of a cocktail.” — restaurant and wine director Ben Eubanks
Southern Flair One of the most important changes in the new restaurant places seasonal, locally sourced ingredients at center stage. A clear commitment to supporting local farmers is now evident in Lemaire’s menu, which identifies farms by name in dishes such as Dave and Dee’s homegrown oyster mushroom risotto and Clark Farms’ grass-fed Virginia beef Delmonico. Chef Bundy—who was named executive chef of Lemaire in 2001—says that supporting local producers is “what I’ve been doing since I’ve been here.” He has worked at restaurants in North Carolina and New Mexico as well as at Thomas Keller’s French Laundry in Napa Valley. At many of these restaurants, local produce was a focus in the kitchen, whether or not it was announced on the menu. But now, says Bundy, “it seems like everyone wants to hear about it.” If people want to hear about it, Bundy is ready to talk. He is eager to tell the story behind each small producer, and he draws on a wide network to supply the restaurant. “Virginia is a great place,” he says, “because we’ve got access to great hams and peanuts, and to the Chesapeake Bay with all its fish and crabs.” He describes in detail the differences between the many oysters he buys from Rappahannock River Oysters. “They’re growing them in different areas of the bay, so they get different flavor profiles because of the grasses and minerals in the water. The Rappahannock oysters taste quite different from the ones grown down in Mobjack Bay, and totally different still from the ones on the Eastern Shore,” he emphasizes. Bundy himself even supplies Lemaire’s kitchen with herbs and summer vegetables. He has a small garden in the hotel’s park-
Black Mission Figs & Edwards Surryano Ham This salad touches all four taste profiles, including saltiness from the ham, acidity from the rosemary-infused balsamic vinegar, bitterness from the arugula, and sweetness from the figs. In this case, we use Edwards “Surryano” ham, cured in nearby Surry, Virginia, peak-of-the-season figs, and fresh garden rosemary. The humanely-raised Berkshire ham is dry-cured, smoked over natural hickory wood, and aged 10 to 14 months. It is done in the Spanish and Italian style. I would pair this with our Kluge Blanc de Blanc sparkling wine. The acidity, light body, and persistent bubbles serve to cleanse the palate between each delicious bite of the salad. —Ben Eubanks
½ cup dark balsamic vinegar 1 small sprig fresh rosemary ½ cup grapeseed oil ¼ cup champagne vinegar ½ shallot, minced 1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, chopped Salt and pepper 6 slices Edwards Surryano ham 3 cups baby arugula 1 cup roasted red peppers, cut into thin strips 2 pints black mission figs, halved
In a small sauce pot over medium heat, reduce the balsamic vinegar with the rosemary sprig until almost syrupy. Discard the rosemary sprig and cool the balsamic reduction. Whisk the oil with the champagne vinegar, shallot, and tarragon. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Place the sliced ham on six individual plates. Toss the arugula with the roasted peppers, figs, and vinaigrette. Place on top of the ham in an artistic fashion. Drizzle the balsamic reduction around the plate.
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flavor café
ing lot, which he and his staff plant and maintain during the growing season. “We have four huge herb beds of parsley, thyme, rosemary, and basil, because I go through a ton of those.” In the summer, he says, “I had ratatouille on the menu and I grew all my own squash and zucchini.” A fall apple salad features fruit from several nearby trees, and the herbs are often used in “farmto-glass” house cocktails. With an urban garden and a chef passionate about regional cuisine at its heart, it is not surprising that the new Lemaire landed a spot on Esquire’s 20 best new restaurants list in October 2009.
Sending a Message Lemaire has a unique reputation in Richmond and across Virginia. “We’re inside a really big shell that’s very visible in the community,” says Eubanks, referring to the historical significance and grand appearance of the Jefferson Hotel. “People still feel like there’s a sense of collective ownership of the property.” This puts the restaurant in a unique place to communicate its Lemaire Restaurant 101 W. Franklin St., Richmond, VA (804) 649-4644 www.lemairerestaurant.com Bar and Lounge Daily, 4 p.m. to 1 a.m., bar menu from 4 p.m. to 12 a.m. Dinner Daily, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
24 flavor magazine • dec./jan. 2010
Lemaire has flourished under the direction of Ben Eubanks, who was promoted to his current position shortly after being hired as general manager.
culinary values and new sense of style. The restaurant introduces old and new customers to a cuisine that emphasizes these locally produced ingredients. “It’s a real responsibility to work here,” says Manning, reflecting on the prominence of the hotel and the restaurant. She and the rest of the staff have taken that responsibility seriously, and their work has yielded a fresh menu, a new décor, and a culinary philosophy that are, as Manning hoped, “absolutely right.” Natalie Mesnard farms, cooks, and writes in Richmond. She works for Amy’s Garden, an organic farm, and Savor Café, a small restaurant that sources ingredients locally, striving to learn as much as possible about every aspect of food.
Where the Blue Ridge Mountains...
Meet the Shenandoah River
26 flavor magazine â&#x20AC;˘ dec./jan. 2010
Front Royal, Virginia
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putting their eggs in many different baskets Walter Nicholls Photos by Molly McDonald Peterson
To stay on the land they love, these farmers know that they must be creative.
For many of today’s boutique farmers in the Capital foodshed, variety is the key to survival. Making a go of it—making the day pay—requires diverse revenue streams and the figurative ability to gently collect an egg with one hand and crack a walnut with the other. In addition to producing agricultural products, some farmers teach and demonstrate their varied talents with an open gate to visitors. Many are obliged to be unique and unusual, with some throwing a seasonal corn maze or petting zoo into the mix. We found two special farms, where day and night blend into one, where chores never seem to end. And that’s just the way these farmers like it.
SYCAMORE SPRING FARM Frederick, M D
Seven years ago, ultrasound technician Carol Rollman made a decision that not only changed her life but, she believes, saved it. The North Carolina native, who 27 years ago moved her four children into a 280-year-old log homestead on seven and a half acres in Frederick, Maryland, was diagnosed with the low bonemineral density condition osteopenia. Today her highly diverse Sycamore Spring Farm provides both a steady income and a means to teach others how to stay well. “When I got the diagnosis, I didn’t want to take chemical drugs the rest of my life. Instead, I bought a goat for the milk and to make cheese, and my bone density went up and up,” says Rollman as she gives a tour of the barnyard, where heritage breed tom turkeys strut past a flock of guinea fowl, bringing raucous squawks. Chickens poke out of the woods. “I was 48, closing in on 50, and I said to myself, ‘If I don’t do this farm operation now, I’ll never do it.’ Then I went gangbusters.” With full speed and energy, she researched the best heirloom breeds of a variety of farm animals, attended agriculture and beekeeping classes, gained certification as a tester for poultry diseases, and learned the how-to of butchering and soapmaking. Soon she was working her land 16 hours a day, seven days a week. “The idea,” says Rollman, “was to be as selfsufficient as possible and have my lifestyle pay for itself.” Her 22-year-old son, Christopher Chung, and her 17-year-old daughter, Olivia Chung, help with chores on weekends. The family acreage is dense with both funky and historic outbuildings, barns, sheds, and coops for heritage breeds of rabbit, geese, and her beloved goats. Customers come to the farm by appointment for fresh meat, which is butchered on the spot. She leases a nearby 54-acre farm for her herd of 20 Scottish Highland cattle. (There is a 10-year waiting list for beef, 28 flavor magazine • dec./jan. 2010
which she sells at premium prices.) More than 50 dozen eggs go out the gate each week. Riding a wave to total sustainability, Rollman has added classes in canning, butchering, cheesemaking, and fermentation of foods over the last several years. Additional income comes from her goat boarding program and dairy maid services, giving those who want it legal access to raw goat milk.
“The most important thing I do is educate people.” — Carol Rollman, Sycamore Spring Farm At Sycamore, neat fenced plots are in place for a wide variety of heirloom vegetables. Rollman started a 22-week community supported agriculture (CSA) program three years ago, with not only vegetables, but also niceties such as sunflowers, walnuts, and pears. This season there were 25 members. Plans for the coming year include doubling the size of the CSA and providing delivery service within an hour’s drive of the farm. Talks are underway with several nearby farmers who will produce other crops, such as corn, which she has no room for. Rollman says her greatest challenge is finding farm workers to help with the endless chores. Few have lasted for long. “For this to work and grow, I have to find someone who cares about more than an hourly wage,” she says. “For this job, you need passion.” Sycamore Spring Farm Frederick, MD (301) 788-6980 www.sycamorespringfarm.org
Carol Rollman has had Sadie the goat (shown at left with her daughter, Ivy) from the farm’s beginning. • inset, left to right: Emily Paige delighting in a newborn bunny; chickens roaming the property freely; some soaps are made Rollman’s goats’ milk; Rollman with freshly picked radishes; a Muscovy duck, one of many species raised at Sycamore Springs.
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BELLE MEADE Sperryville , VA
In 1993, Alexandria resident and newspaper distributor Mike Biniek and D.C. resident and school teacher Susan Hoffman were returning from a weekend date in Madison, Virginia, when they took a bend on scenic F.T. Valley Road in Rappahannock County and spotted an enormous Victorian house with an enticing “For Sale” sign. “Let’s buy a farm,” Hoffman recalls calling out. And that’s when these two future farmers, then in their early 40s, began a discussion of what they would do with 138acres of fertile, rolling land with a terrific view of Shenandoah National Park’s Old Rag Mountain. In short order, they married and moved into the cream-colored, 5,500-square-foot clapboard house, filled with well-preserved architectural detail.
“The dance is first—how to produce it— and then, how to sell it.” — Mike Biniek, Belle Meade Farm With little farming experience, their first thought for making a living on the property was to start a kids’ summer camp and a bed-and-breakfast, which were both in place in two years’ time. Still, they projected that not enough money would come in on a yearly basis. “It became pretty obvious that the camp and bedand-breakfast wouldn’t provide enough income to be here,” says Biniek. “There were pieces that needed to come together, and I didn’t have strong ideas of how to make farming pay.” Inspiration came in 1995 when the couple attended a Virginia Biological Farming Conference, which included a tour of acclaimed innovator Joel Salatin’s Polyface Farms in Augusta County. “That was our introduction to a small-scale, diversified farm,” says Biniek. They took away expertise on where to spend money first (on farm animals) and what can wait until later (fencing). The possibility of sustainability hit home after they saw for themselves how Salatin rotated his animals from one pasture to the next, naturally fertilizing as they went.
At Belle Meade, there are now 60 head of cattle, five pigs, 250 laying hens, and a seasonal flock of 150 turkeys. A one-anda-half-acre organic vegetable garden produces a wide variety of vegetables as well as strawberries and raspberries. Much of the meat and produce is purchased by the Airlie Conference Center in nearby Warrenton. “They are serious about buying local,” says Hoffman. Local stores sell the eggs. After purchasing, moving, and renovating a 1914 schoolhouse on an adjoining property, Biniek and Hoffman opened Belle Meade School in 2007, offering both academics and a hands-on farm education. It now has 25 students, in grades six to ten. Six horses are on hand for the school’s riding program. The charming school building also hosts regular classes in yoga and ballet and is rented for weddings, workshops, and meetings. Guests who stay in the five-room bed-and-breakfast, with its distinctive red trim and sky-blue tin roof, have the option to lounge and swim in an enormous pool or in a one-and-a-halfacre pond stocked with bass, bluegill, and catfish. The couple says their greatest challenge is raising the agricultural revenue from the beef and increasing the size of the herd. “The dance is first—how to produce it—and then, how to sell it,” says Biniek. “I enjoy raising animals. But what I can produce and provide isn’t in a steady enough stream.” From the start, financing the expansion has been paved with hard-to-get loans and mounting debt. Fortunately, the camp and school provide plenty of hands to help with the chores as well as families who are encouraged to purchase the production of the fields. Belle Meade School, Farm, and Bed & Breakfast 353 F.T. Valley Road, Sperryville, VA (540) 987-9748 www.bellemeade.net Walter Nicholls is a former staff reporter for the Washington Post. A native Washingtonian, he has written about farms, food markets, and restaurants for 21 years. He resides in both the Georgetown section of Washington and on an historic homestead in Rappahannock County, Virginia. In addition to contributing to Flavor, Nicholls writes for Chesapeake Life and DC and for the web site BizBash.
many variations on the same theme Maryland Several farms, such as Maryland Sunrise Farm in Gambrills (www.mdsunrisefarm.com) and Bowles Farms in Clements (www .bowlesfarms.com), have seasonal corn mazes and host birthday parties and meetings. The newest attraction at the 540-acre Clark’s Elioak Farm in Ellicott City (www.clarklandfarm.com) is the “Enchanted Forest Pine Tree Maze.” Characters and buildings from an old amusement park are spread throughout the property. The far smaller 33-acre Summer Creek Farm in Thurmont (www.summercreekfarm.com), which specializes in organic vegetables and grains, has recently added a line of gardening supplies, such as farm tools and organic potting soil. Calvert County’s Serenity Farm (www.serenityfarminc.com) is developing a farm museum and renovating a barn as a venue for events.
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Virginia A self-guided farm tour and kids’ educational scavenger hunt started this year at Chicama Run farm in Purcellville (www.chicamarun .com). In nearby Berryville, Smith Meadows Meats (www.smithmeadows .com) has value-added chicken pot pies and beef chili. On April 1, 2010, the Remington dairy operation Cool Lawn Farms (www.cowsatcoollawn farm.com) will open a retail store, selling ice cream made with their grass-fed milk. Goodwin Creek Farm & Bakery (www.aftonvirginia.com) grows produce, raises laying hens, and produces handmade breads and granola. The owners diversified by adding bakery products after crops were devastated by deer. At Eco-Ridge Farm (www.echoridgefarm.org) in Middletown, pick up a CSA share, hold an event on the grounds or in the 19th-century barn, or shop at the nursery. An orchard will be ready soon.
The 1914 schoolhouse, renovated by the proprietors. • inset, left to right: One of the B&B’s five bedrooms; a Belle Meade student does his farm chores; the Victorian house that inspired the owners, now the B&B; students at morning circle with lead teacher Greg Garrison; Susan Hoffman and two students grooming a horse used in the school’s riding program.
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Still Making....Small Town Charm
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Historic Old Town Town Culpeper, Virginia Historic Old Culpeper, Virginia
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holiday Favorites Photos by Sarah Cramer Shields
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y u q Fred Fred Tattoo Sparrow leather collar $24.99 The Big Bad Woof, Takoma Park, MD www.thebigbadwoof.com (202) 291-2404 w Bamboo compost pail $37.95 Cleverbean, Staunton, VA www.cleverbean.com (888) 994-9091 e Eco-Kids Eco-Paint & Eco-Dough $24/5-pc. tube Green Nest, Culpeper, VA greennest@verizon.net (540) 829-6378 r Bootlegger’s Blend BBQ sauce $5.99/pt., $9.99/qt. Golden Blends BBQ, Front Royal, VA www.goldenblendsbbq.com (540) 671-1373
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t District Suds soap $6.95 Greater Goods, Washington, D.C. www.greatergoods.com (202) 449-6070 y Wasmund’s barrel kit $99.90 Copper Fox Distillery, Sperryville, VA www.copperfox.biz (540) 987-8554 u Virginia Feast in a Box $60 (not including wine) Feast, Charlottesville, VA www.feastvirginia.com (434) 244-7800 i Food, Inc., DVD $25.00 Splintered Light Bookstore, Charlottesville, VA www.splinteredlightbooks.com (434) 817-1050
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o Artisanal vinegars $9.95 ea. Virginia Vinegar Works, Nelson County, VA www.virginiavinegarworks.com (434) 953-6232 a Fleurir chocolates from $8.00/4 pc. to $92.00/50 pc. Fleurir Handgrown Chocolates, Hartfield, VA www.fleurirchocolates.com (804) 577-3819 s Hand-thrown pottery from $50.00 to $300.00 Sara Schneidman Gallery, Culpeper, VA www.saraschneidman.com (540) 825-0034 d Todd’s Dirt Seasoning from $5.00 to $18.50 Todd’s Dirt, Severna Park, MD www.toddsdirt.com (410) 919-3873 f Elderberry syrups $8.00 ea. Village Winery & Vineyards, Waterford, VA www.villagewineryandvineyards.com (540) 822-3780
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Restaurant Eve
Dino’s
Addie’s
38 flavor magazine • dec./jan. 2010
Addie’s
No Whining in Winter Marian Burros Photos by Molly McDonald Peterson
Sure, West Coast chefs can find a wide range of local ingredients in winter. But what’s a mid-Atlantic chef to do when farmers markets close and fields lie fallow? “This is my favorite time to cook,” said Cathal Armstrong, chef and owner of Restaurant Eve in Alexandria, “from now until the end of February—all those amazing root vegetables that have so much flavor. I’m happy with turnips, parsnips, rutabaga, carrots. The flavors are so rich and hardy when it’s cold and rainy. Nothing beats a braised dish.” One of the area’s premier chefs is talking about the same vegetables many people gagged on as children. And he acknowledged it. “When they’re overcooked, they lose all their delicious sweetness. That’s a big part of it. We hated them when we were growing up because moms used to overcook them.” But slowly Americans have begun to warm to root vegetables. “There’s a lot more acceptance by diners,” said Barton Seaver,
“At the restaurant, 90 percent of our produce in winter is local.” — Restaurant Eve’s Cathal Armstrong
an owner and chef of Blue Ridge in Glover Park. “If the chef thinks rutabaga is good enough to put on the menu, [diners] are willing to try it.”
Local Food Doesn’t Hibernate For those who think local food goes away with the first frost, Armstrong has a message. “There are plenty of things to keep us amused. At the restaurant, 90 percent of our produce in winter is local.” Across the country, the push is on to serve local ingredients all year round, not only because they taste better and last longer, but also because buying locally may reduce the carbon footprint and is better for the environment. And with all the food safety problems in recent years, people feel more comfortable with ingredients grown nearby on small farms. Local and sustainable have become important buzzwords that appear to have staying power. Dozens of chefs in the D.C. area, like Armstrong, are confident that, at least until February, there are plenty of choices. In addition to buying at the farmers markets, some of which
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Addie’s
Restaurant Eve
operate year-round, these chefs have contracts with co-ops like Tuscarora Organic Growers in Pennsylvania and Northern Neck Fruit and Vegetables in Virginia. They also contract with individual farmers who grow to order. The pool from which to choose keeps getting bigger. “It’s easy here in Washington,” Seaver said. “There are lots of farmers with good distribution networks.” And not just for produce. Sources of local meats and all kinds of poultry, as well as dairy products, breads, and even dried beans and grains, are becoming more plentiful. Jim Crawford of New Morning Farm in Pennsylvania, who sells in the Washington area through the Tuscarora Co-op, said the number of members in the co-op will jump from 28 to 48 next year. “We’ve never had that amount of growth at one time,” he said, “and the number of young people going into farming is even more amazing.” What they are planting—celery root, salsify, sweet white turnips, scarlet turnips, watermelon radishes, Jerusalem artichokes, kohlrabi, microgreens, herbs—expands every season. Now they are using high tunnels, or hoop houses, to grow arugula, different lettuces, and spinach. Jose Andres is expanding the area’s growing season for tomatoes with a greenhouse on the Eastern Shore. His seven Washington-area restaurants need a year-round supply. No one is arguing that the tomatoes grown indoors will be as good as field tomatoes in the middle of summer. But, as John
Dino’s gelato freezer is filled with 200 to 300 quarts of concentrated summer tomato sauce. 40 flavor magazine • dec./jan. 2010
Dino’s
Paul Damato, the chef at Jaleo in Bethesda pointed out, “At least they won’t have to come all the way from Mexico.”
Sustainability Is Not Seasonal Shopping for local produce sounds romantically old-fashioned but requires dedication. It is much more time-consuming than calling up a couple of distributors and having everything delivered. “If I go to four or five markets a week, it adds three hours a day,” said Vicki Reh, the executive chef at Buck’s Fishing and Camping in D.C.’s Upper Northwest. “But I think the produce I get is so beautiful, it’s definitely worth the effort.” No one at Buck’s will miss the conventional green salad in the dead of winter when they can have fire-roasted peppers dressed with a little balsamic, pickled onions, and Romenesko cauliflower with big chunks of housemade cottage cheese. Dean Gold, owner with his wife of Dino’s in Cleveland Park,
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“Every piece of animal that comes to me, I use.” — Nate Waugman of Addie’s
hangs around farmers markets until closing time. Then he buys up whatever is left over at a greatly reduced price. On occasion, he has had to make a choice between his wife riding back to the restaurant in his car and taking the produce. The produce always wins: She takes Metro. Right now his gelato freezer is filled with 200 to 300 quarts of concentrated summer tomato sauce, ready to heat and spoon on pasta. A spectacular dish of potatoes that have been sautéed in duck fat and topped with a mascarpone-horseradish sauce and translucently thin slices of spec (smoked prosciutto) made from American Berkshire pigs is satisfying enough to make it a meal. It is definitely a cold-weather dish. “We have a core group of customers that get what we do,” Gold said. “To them, seasonality is incredibly important because of flavor—and because it’s sustainable. Even our to-go containers are biodegradable.”
An A for Effort But there are limits: Gold cannot afford local beef. It’s too expensive for his restaurant. There is concern about the cost of local food. “I’ve heard a lot of this lately,” said Restaurant Eve’s Armstrong, but buying local
Dino’s
ingredients saves his restaurant money. The chef offered an anecdote to prove his point. Not so long ago, he turned the running of Eve over to one of his chefs while he was busy with another project. When he returned, he was upset to find the chef had been buying from conventional suppliers and put a stop to it immediately, returning to his local suppliers. “If you buy from a conventional supplier, the food is already two weeks old at least,” he said. “It’s lost its sweetness; it has a shorter shelf life. You have to throw things away because they are spoiled. So the waste factor tends to balance the cost. We found that not having to throw anything away dropped our food cost 3 percent.” For restaurants, there’s also money to be saved if the chef has butchering skills. “It helps if you can buy the whole pig or steer and butcher it yourself,” said Nate Waugman of Addie’s in Rockville. “Every piece of animal that comes to me, I use— making pigs’ heads into scrapple and head cheese.” When he arrived less than a year ago at Addie’s, part of the local Black Restaurant Group, 20 percent of the ingredients at the restaurant were local. This summer it jumped to between 80 and 90 percent, and he expects to keep 50 percent of his produce local this winter. Not every chef wants to go to this much trouble, Waugman said, “but if people don’t think this way, we won’t have any farmers. It is getting easier because now everyone wants it, because they want bragging rights. I think in 20 years, most cities will be able to buy local.” Marian Burros was on staff at The New York Times for 27 years and still writes for them. She has lived in the Washington area since 1959, and at one time or other, she worked for the The Washington Post and the late lamented Washington Star and Washington Daily News. She was also a consumer reporter for D.C.’s WRC-TV. The author of 13 cookbooks, she has been writing about small farms and the pleasures of local food since the 1980s.
Find chef-tested winter recipes from Blue Ridge, Buck’s Fishing and Camping, Dino’s, and Restaurant Eve as well as a list of 25 restaurants in and around D.C. sourcing locally this season at flavormags.com/enhanced.
42 flavor magazine • dec./jan. 2010
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Mollie Cox Bryan Photos by Molly McDonald Peterson
Zynodoa
After six years in the kitchen at The Inn at Little Washington, chef Michael Lund steps out on his own, with his mentor’s local food principles guiding the way.
W
alking into Zynodoa from the streets of historic downtown Staunton, Virginia, is a pleasant surprise. Sleek and contemporary in design and color, the restaurant immediately sets itself apart from other local establishments. Of course, the buzz around Zynodoa is not just about its elegant design. The restaurant recently welcomed a new executive chef: Michael Lund, who ventured out on his own after working for Patrick O’Connell, the world-renowned chef at the five-star Inn at Little Washington in Washington, Virginia. In his last year at the inn, Lund was executive sous chef. “He [O’Connell] talks about the concept of ambassadorship and I am hoping to carry on his traditions,” says Lund, who is just as dedicated to local food as his mentor always has been— even before it was called the “local food movement.” As Lund moves through the kitchen, where his two-person kitchen staff is working, he points out the scrap bucket. “I think it’s really important that we see where it all goes—you know, all
44 flavor magazine • dec./jan. 2010
the peels and bits. We use it all. Right now, we are feeding a local pig with it. That pig will be on the menu in a few weeks.” An Artist’s Studio
Susan Goode, one of the owners of the two-year-old establishment, can hardly contain her enthusiasm at having Lund working at her 65-seat restaurant. “We are extremely lucky to be able to offer our customers this wonderful dining experience here with Michael. We created the palette. We just needed the artist.” Lund’s palette includes a small but efficient kitchen, a dining area with beautifully appointed mahogany tables, and a long couch placed along the store window offset by comfortable cushions with bold geometric patterns. The atmosphere is upscale but relaxing. The menu Lund is creating at Zynodoa offers “creatively prepared Southern cuisine,” an apt reflection of the setting and the people behind the restaurant. This sense of a perfect fit also
flavor café
encompasses Lund’s life away from the restaurant. He has a one-yearold daughter and now lives just a seven-minute walk from his work. His in-laws live close by and can be more a part of their lives. With all these things coming together, he is really able to focus on the details of his work. Does that spoon and bowl combination give the eater a comfortable experience? Are all the plates coming out of the kitchen perfect? Are the bathrooms and windows clean? “I really feel like it’s all a reflection of me. I just want to give the guests the best experience,” he says. The Whole Team
Lund began his food training at Walters State Community College in Sevierville, Tennessee. While majoring in hotel management, he ended up working in a local restaurant as a kitchen
manager. Then he took an externship at The Inn at Little Washington, where, he freely admits, his real culinary education began. He also credits his many years as a rugby player with giving him an appreciation for teamwork. “It works the same way in the kitchen,” he says. “If one person isn’t a team player, or is having a bad day, it shows.” His new team includes the restaurant staff and many local farmers, food artisans, and winemakers— almost 50 of whom are listed on Zynodoa’s website. In fact, the origin of most ingredients is made clear on the menu. Roasted Elk Run acorn squash and Critzer ginger gold apple bisque
Mustard Braised Polyface Chicken with Napa Cabbage, Fennel Slaw & Pear Barbeque This dish makes wonderful use of the legs and thighs of a whole chicken. Believers of “waste not, want not,” we use the chicken breast for a main course and the wings and carcasses for stock. This dish turns the legs and thighs into a scrumptious appetizer sampling, using end-of-the season vegetables from local farms—onions from Bob Pingry, Napa cabbage from Elk Run Farms, fennel from Harvest Thyme, pears from Critzer Family Farms—a Polyface chicken, and vinegar from Vinegar Works. The beauty of this dish is that the chicken-cooking process yields the “slaw” marinade. —chef Mike Lund Preparation time: 30 minutes Cooking time: 45 minutes Makes 2 large or 4 appetizer servings Preheat the oven to 400 F and line the bottom of an oven-safe pan. (An 8-by-8 casserole dish is perfect.)
In a small saucepan over high heat, reduce the vinegar by half. Reduce heat to medium, whisk in stock, and then simmer for 5 minutes. Whisk in mustard. Remove from heat and pour evenly over chicken and cabbage.
For the slaw ½ sweet onion, fine julienne 1 small head Napa cabbage, finely sliced 2 bulbs fennel, hearts only, finely sliced, fronds reserved for garnish
For the sauce 1 tablespoon clarified butter ½ sweet onion, roughly chopped 2 pears, cored and chopped (peels are fine) Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar ½ cup chicken stock 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
Mix the onion, cabbage, and fennel together. Spread in the casserole dish.
For the chicken Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste 2 chicken thighs and legs, split 2 tablespoons clarified butter or cooking oil Liberally season the chicken on both sides. In a heavy-bottomed sauté pan or cast iron skillet, heat butter. Add chicken, skin-side down, and sear until golden brown and crispy, about 3 minutes. Turn and sear on flesh side for 2 minutes. Arrange the chicken skinside up on the cabbage mix.
For the braising liquid ¼ cup apple cider vinegar 1½ cups chicken stock 2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
Cover dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes.
In a small sauté pan over medium heat, add butter and sauté onion and pears until translucent. Season with salt and pepper. Deglaze with vinegar and cook for 1 minute. Add stock and cook for 4 minutes. Then whisk in mustard. Remove from heat and purée until smooth. Return to the pan and hold warm until ready to serve. To plate Spoon a generous helping of the slaw on the center of the plate. Arrange chicken on top of the slaw. (If you’re up for the task, quickly separate the meat from the bones and discard the bones before plating the chicken. If your guests aren’t afraid to use their hands, then don’t bother with the de-boning!) Drizzle the sauce on top. Garnish with the reserved fennel fronds. www.flavormags.com
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flavor café
with curry cream. Polyface Farms chicken Parmesan with Singing Earth eggplant, oven-roasted cherry tomatoes, Mona Lisa pappardelle pasta, and Parmesan broth. Moroccan stuffed Casta Line brown trout with Perfect Flavor “logurt” tzatziki, garbanzo bean salad, Caromont Farm fresh feta, capers, and kalamata olives. Bountiful Shenandoah
Sarah and Jeff Goode named the restaurant after Zynodoa (zinah-DOH-uh), a Native American whose name—reworked into Shenandoah—was also given to this valley and its river. As they explain on the website, “Zynodoa was an Indian brave known for his strength, courage, and appreciation of our valley’s bounty.” Lund and the restaurant’s namesake have a bit in common. “I am in awe of the local produce. It’s an amazing experience taking these local ingredients and applying my classical French training,” says Lund. “I’m amazed by the local farmers market here. It’s almost ingredient overload, at times.” The Goode family is more than amazed by it. They are part of it, being farmers themselves. In fact, they grow much of the produce for the restaurant in nearby Swoope. They are finding that farming, like the restaurant business, is best learned hands-on.
46 flavor magazine • dec./jan. 2010
“We created the palette. We just needed the artist.” — co-owner Susan Goode Two and half years in, Goode says they are certainly still learning. “This year we planted way too many tomatoes and had to be extremely creative in using them,” she laughs. “Eating locally is exactly what our grandparents have always done. I think it’s a shame that the pendulum has swung so far in the other direction, but now it’s coming back to a more balanced view. One that makes sense for everybody,” Lund says. Mollie Cox Bryan is the author of Mrs. Rowe’s Little Book of Southern Pies and Mrs. Rowe’s Restaurant Cookbook: A Lifetime of Recipes from the Shenandoah Valley.
Zynodoa 115 E. Beverley St., Staunton, VA (540) 885-7775 zynodoa.com Wed.–Sat., 5 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Sun., 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Kid Pan Alley Celebrates Its First 10 Years 1,500 Songs written with 25,000 Children So Far!
Inspiring kids to be creators of their own music, not just consumers of popular culture
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“Power to the organizers of this remarkable initiative.” –Maestro Lorin Maazel Former Music Director, NY Philharmonic
“Thousands of kids are working together to write songs. And they’re proving they have quite a knack for tunesmithing.” –Oxford American
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48 flavor magazine â&#x20AC;˘ dec./jan. 2010
mindful living
W
ith turbines dotting ridgetops and horizons, wind energy is no longer a foreign concept to most Americans. Even large corporations like Intel and PepsiCo are reaching corporate sustainability goals by buying wind power credits. But alternative energy isn’t as prevalent among local coffee shops and burger joints, and most of us aren’t exactly relying on a strong breeze to power the kitchen lights. Yet across the Capital foodshed, the green energy market is making it easier for homeowners and small businesses to purchase wind energy credits, connecting intangible gusts straight to our electrical outlets.
Flipping the Switch to Renewable Energy Brie Cadman
Wind power is increasingly available to residents and small businesses in the Capital foodshed.
Something in the Air
julianna wilson
The benefits of solar, wind, and other renewable energy sources are clear: Compared to fossil fuels and nuclear power, these inexhaustible resources offer cleaner air and water as well as energy independence. Despite these advantages, renewable energy options are limited by cost and availability. According to the Energy Information Administration, only about 7 percent of total energy consumption in the United States came from renewable sources in 2008. Wind power accounts for less than 2 percent, but generation has doubled in the past year. Supply has grown with the demand for clean energy, increasing its availability on the open market. “Purchasing wind energy is easier than people think. The logistics were simple,” says Nicolas Jammet, owner of Sweetgreen, a salad and frozen yogurt eatery with locations in Maryland and D.C. Wind energy credits were a natural extension of the company’s overall sustainability concept, which includes biodegradable packaging and menus that sprout into wildflowers when planted.
Switching Grids Since D.C. and Maryland are deregulated markets, customers like Sweetgreen are still billed through their distributors (Pepco or Baltimore Gas and Electric) but can shop around for alternative suppliers.
These turbines in West Virginia are part of a 44-turbine constellation that generates enough electricity to power 22,000 homes.
One such supplier is Washington Gas Energy Services, which serves the midAtlantic. Through their CleanSteps program, businesses and residents can opt for 50 or 100 percent wind power supplied by local wind farms. By signing a one- or twoyear fixed-rate contract—currently around $0.116 per kilowatt-hour—customers avoid the volatility and seasonality inherent in the traditional energy market prices. Deregulation has also opened the door for energy brokers. Clean Currents, a
Maryland-based green power marketer, arranged the deal for Sweetgreen, as well as for other businesses and residences looking for wind power without having to install their own turbine. “We’d love to have a wind tower, but they won’t allow that up here,” says Dale Roberts, owner of the Java Shack, an Arlington-based coffee shop. Though Roberts recently installed solar panels, he sought out Clean Currents when looking to green the café’s energy use three years ago. www.flavormags.com
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At the time, his energy supplier, Dominion Virginia Power, didn’t offer wind power options. Dominion has since gotten hip to green energy. Starting January 1, 2009, Dominion’s business and residential customers can purchase renewable certificates equal to some or all of their electrical use. These customers pay a premium—$0.015 per kilowatt-hour for residences—meaning a household using 1,000 kWh per month would pay an extra $15. According to Dominion’s website, the reduction in carbon dioxide emissions from this plan is equivalent to taking one and a half cars off the road each year.
Bringing Wind Home It’s simplest to imagine energy going straight from the wind farm to the consumer, but the logistics of renewable energy are a bit more complicated. Electricity generated by wind farms or other renewable sources is sent to a main grid, where it is mixed with energy from other sources, like coal and nuclear. Once the electricity is distributed, it’s impossible to distinguish where it originated. Therefore, a pointof-generation tracking system was developed, called Renewable Energy Credits (RECs), or “green tags.” Each megawatt-hour of power supplied by a wind farm is equivalent to one REC. These RECs help tally the environmental benefits of clean energy, and their sales help support renewable energy projects and reduce the need for fossil fuels. RECs can be bundled together with the actual electricity and sold as renewable energy, or they can be purchased as a distinct product. So even if a local utility or open market doesn’t offer green power options, consumers can buy credits directly. Dozens of national providers offer RECs equal to energy use, separate from a utility bill. For example, a business may consume and pay for traditionally generated energy but then buy RECs in addition to that. According to Jim Maguire, president of WindCurrents, a Marylandbased REC provider, this allows purchasers to “to buy local energy and support local projects.” For instance, customers in Maryland can specify that their wind power credits come from projects in Pennsylvania, whereas a utility might offer renewable energy from across the nation. Regardless of method, renewable energy credits give consumers the option to support wind energy. And although the overall structure of energy supply and demand won’t change with a single household, every little bit helps. For Sweetgreen’s Jammet, the idea is clear: “When everyone starts doing it, that’s when it has the greatest effect.” A native of Northern California, Brie Cadman is a freelance writer currently living in Charlottesville. She tries to use wind energy to her advantage whenever she is biking around town.
Green Energy Providers A state-by-state list of green power providers and national REC suppliers can be found at eere.energy.gov/greenpower.
50 flavor magazine • dec./jan. 2010
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seasonal table
Potatoes
Everyday & Holidays Theresa Curry
On a plot of northern Shenandoah Valley land his family has farmed for four generations, Andrew Schaefer carefully lifts potatoes from the fertile earth. Schaefer uses a labor-intensive harvesting method designed to avoid nicking the beautiful Rose Gold, All-Blue, and Kennebec potatoes in his Singers Glen potato patch. The potato harvest at Wildside Farms takes three people. “Two people with forks lift the potatoes gently from each side, and the picker grabs them,” Schaefer says. Although he’s been offering his produce for sale locally for years, this was his first year selling at the Harrisonburg Farmers Market. Schaefer is certified as an organic farmer, and the certification process for potatoes is particularly rigorous. That’s because seed potatoes—cut from the “eyes” of a mature potato—are considered transplants rather than seeds, so all the seed stock must be organic. The organic designation is important for potato buyers, too. Pesticides can’t be washed from the potato exterior. They concentrate under the skin and alter the genetic makeup of the next generation. All potato farmers battle the Colorado potato beetle. As an organic farmer, Schaefer controls the beetles by handpicking, nurturing his soil, and planting a variety of crops. £ Long before I ever knew there were different kinds of potatoes, I watched my mother mash potatoes for Christmas and Thanksgiving dinners and to go with our Sunday roast beef. Her thinking was that if you’re going to have pan drippings, you need a creamy mound from which to scoop a gravy lake.
Sometimes, in those pre-microwave days, we had to speed up the potato-cooking process. If I heard my mother calling her daughters to the kitchen a half-hour before dinnertime, I knew she was behind and needed the four of us right away. I’d get the water boiling in our largest pot, peel the potatoes as fast as I could, and cut them in tiny pieces to simmer quickly. It was a game for us, the rush to get dinner on the table by 6:30, the tension heightened by my father and grandfather pointedly looking at watches and rattling newspapers. Older members of the kitchen crew sipped sherry to quiet our nerves, and any friend or boyfriend regularly in the house got used to our mad dash to the kitchen at dinnertime. Visitors were always welcome, and we defined the number of guests at the huge table by the number of potatoes that went in the oven or into the pot. When it was time for mashed potatoes, my mother put the boiled potatoes in the mixer with lots of butter, salt, and pepper. She was leery of milk or any liquid that would dilute the taste and consistency; in fact, she returned the potatoes to the hot pan after draining to make sure they’d be dry enough to absorb lots of butter. If the pan was commandeered for a last-minute vegetable, she’d dump the potatoes on a cookie sheet and put them in a hot oven for 10 minutes or so to dry out. In the years since, I’ve varied the recipe, added roasted garlic, used olive oil, left the skins on, folded in goat cheese, and incorporated mashed turnips. But for holiday meals I keep it simple, honoring those evenings in the kitchen with my mother and sisters.
Freelance feature writer Theresa Curry contributes to a number of publications, including The Virginian Pilot, The Charlottesville Daily Progress, The Augusta Free Press, and The Harrisonburg Daily News Record.
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£ Kate Neckowitz fries shredded raw potatoes into potato latkes, a dish that has meaning beyond being festive and delicious. She celebrates Hanukkah at her Harrisonburg home with lots of latkes, which are scooped up and smothered with applesauce and sour cream by her husband and three sons.
The latkes and doughnuts fried by Jews all over the world for Hanukkah celebrate the oil that miraculously kept burning at the rededication of the temple. One day’s supply lasted seven days, time enough to press and refine another batch of olive oil. Neckowitz uses peanut oil and either baking or Yukon Gold potatoes, and she usually quadruples her recipe, below.
Kate’s Potato Latkes 1 egg 1 small onion cut in chunks 2 tablespoons matzo meal ½ teaspoon salt Dash pepper 3 medium potatoes, peeled Peanut oil for frying Combine all ingredients except the potatoes and oil in a blender and process until smooth. Grate the potatoes on the coarse side of the box grater and combine with the blender mixture. In a large skillet, heat ½ inch oil until hot. Drop in scant 1/3 cupfuls of the potato mixture several inches apart. Flatten each mound into a 4-inch circle. Fry until golden brown, turning once. Drain on paper towels. Keep warm in a 200 F oven while frying the rest. Serve with apple sauce and sour cream.
Find Theresa Curry’s recipe for Salmon–Potato Chowder at flavormags.com/enhanced.
Holiday Hors d’Oeuvres Smoked Bluefish Salad Acacia Mid-Town, Richmond, VA This dish has been on and off Acacia's menu seasonally since it opened. Smoking is a great preparation for this full-flavored, robust fish and works well with the fresh, clean flavors of the salad. Check your local seafood shops for smoked bluefish. Preparation time: 45 minutes Serves 4–6 For the salad 3 bowls of ice water for ice baths 1 medium celery root 2 stalks celery 1 hothouse Roma tomato 2 cups water Juice of 1 lemon 2 Granny Smith apples Peel and julienne celery root. Blanch in boiling salted water for about 1 minute until soft but still crisp. Remove, reserving hot water for next step, and place in ice bath. Julienne celery. Blanch in reboiled water for about 30 seconds until soft but still crisp. Remove and place in ice bath. Bring another pot of salted water to a boil. Score each end of the tomato. Blanch the tomato for about 15 seconds, until the skin starts to pull away. Remove and place in the ice bath. When tomato is cool, peel, cut in half lengthwise, remove seeds, and dice. Prepare a bowl with 2 cups water and the juice of one lemon. Peel and julienne apples. Place slices in lemon water. For the mousseline ¼ cup mayonnaise, high-quality or homemade 1 lemon, zested and juiced 2 ounces heavy cream, whipped to a soft peak Salt and pepper to taste Put mayonnaise in the bowl of a mixer. Add lemon juice and zest. Using a rubber spatula, fold the whipped cream into the mayonnaise. Season with salt and pepper. To assemble 8 ounces smoked bluefish In a medium bowl, combine drained celery root, drained celery, drained apples, and tomato. Using a wooden spoon, mix in the mousseline. Add 4 ounces of bluefish. Plate individual salads on appetizer plates, garnishing with the reserved bluefish.
Bacon-Wrapped Medjool Dates with Goat Cheese Balducci’s Food Lovers Market, Locations in MD & VA Corporate executive chef Caitlin Rogers says these are easy to make, completely addictive, and perfect for entertaining. The dates can be stuffed, wrapped, and refrigerated until just before guests arrive. She suggests using Firefly Farms Allegheny chèvre and Edwards smoked bacon and pairing a full-bodied red wine, like a Spanish Rioja, to complement the smoky, sweet dates.
MOUNT WELBY the perfect place to vacation this winter
Preparation time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 5 minutes Makes 12 1 dozen Medjool dates 3 tablespoons fresh goat cheese 6 strips bacon, cut in half to make 12 shorter pieces Preheat the broiler with the rack about 4 inches from the heat source. Line a cookie sheet with parchment or foil and set aside. Cut a slit down the length of the dates and remove the pit. Stuff a piece of goat cheese in the cavity. Make sure the date is tucked back around the cheese. Wrap the bacon snuggly around the dates. Place the dates, bacon-seam side down, on the cookie sheet. Broil until bacon is golden brown and crispy, about 5 minutes. Keep a close eye on them so they don’t burn. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Hongos con Almohadas Mas, Charlottesville, VA This dish—fresh bear's tooth mushrooms sautéed with amontillado, garlic, and Mahon cheese dumplings—is simple and very rustic. When foragers bring chef Tomas Rahal mushrooms, he tries to process them as little as possible. High in antioxidants and many other good compounds, mushrooms are chock full of flavor and require very little in the way of heavy spices or such. "Serve this with a crisp Albariño or Rueda wine," suggests Rahal, "or live on the edge with a gran reserva rioja like Muga Prada Enea '99." Cut an hour off the cooking time by using store-bought gnocchi. Cooking time: 1 hour, 20 minutes Serves 4
Mount Welby is a luxurious vacation rental in the foot hills of the Shenandoah Mountains. Minutes from Little Washington and Middleburg, this historic house built in 1823 can easily accommodate 10-12 guests at a time. Relax in the Jacuzzi or snuggle up with a book next to one of the six fireplaces. Enjoy spectacular views in every direction on this 63 acre estate in the heart of Virginia Wine Country just 60 miles from Washington.
www.mountwelby.com www.flavormags.com
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For the dumplings 1 pound Yukon gold potatoes (3 or 4 medium potatoes), peeled, boiled until tender, cooled 1 pound (about 2 cups, equal the potatoes' weight) sifted potato or rice flour 1 teaspoon sea salt ½ teaspoon white pepper Pinch cinnamon ½ cup grated Mahon aged cheddar, Asiago, or Parmesan-Reggiano cheese 2 eggs Splash of amontillado Crush potatoes and measure. Set aside. Measure an equal amount of rice or potato flour and mix in salt, pepper, cinnamon, and cheese. Add dry ingredients to potatoes along with eggs and work quickly with hands to form a mass. Do not overwork. Refrigerate for an hour. Remove to counter. With hands, roll out into a series of strands or thick ropes, and dust lightly with a little flour. Cut into nuggets that fit on a fork, no bigger. Press with your thumb or leave as is, dust again with flour, and chill until ready to cook. For the mushrooms 1 pound bear’s tooth mushrooms (or any wild or fresh mushrooms) Olive oil 3 cloves fresh garlic, peeled, sliced very thin Pinch nutmeg Pinch white pepper Fresh lemon juice Gray sea salt Splash of amontillado Clean the mushrooms, shaking out any bits of bark dirt or pests. Cut large mushrooms into 1-by-2-inch blocks. Heat sauté pan to medium-high, add olive oil to cover bottom. Place mushrooms on hot oil and brown well on each side. Add garlic, nutmeg, white pepper, lemon juice, and gray salt to taste. As they cook, break larger mushroom pieces up into dumpling-sized pieces. Add just enough amontillado to float the mushroom pieces that stick to the bottom. Cook until the juices are nearly absorbed. To finish 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cold While the mushrooms are cooking, bring unsalted cold water to a boil, add dump-
54 flavor magazine • dec./jan. 2010
lings, and cook until they all float. Scoop out of water, drain but not completely, add to pan with mushrooms, and adjust seasonings to taste. Add butter and swirl in the pan. Serve.
Brandied Walnut Country Pâté with Butternut Jam Addie’s Restaurant, Rockville, MD This rustic pâté incorporates the earthy seasonal tastes of walnuts and maple syrup. The spicy butternut squash jam provides a perfect taste, texture, and color contrast for this winter appetizer, or serve it with crusty bread by the fire for a satisfying meal. Because the pâté and the jam require different cooking temperatures, chef Nate Waugaman suggests making the pâté a day or so ahead of when it will be served. Both the pâté and the jam keep for five days, covered tightly and refrigerated. Preparation time: 1 hour Cooking time: 2½ hours Serves 12 For the pâté 1 cup shelled and cleaned black walnuts (chestnuts or pistachios may be substituted) 1 cup brandy ¼ cup maple syrup ¼ cup each of finely diced celery, onion, and carrot Kosher salt and ground black pepper 2 ounces bacon fat or butter 6 ounces sliced nitrate-free bacon or enough slices to line a 2-quart terrine 2 pounds pork shoulder, ground 3 egg whites ½ cup heavy cream ½ pound pork belly, ground ¼ pound minced pork liver or chicken livers (optional) 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves Preheat the oven to 325 F. Line a 2-quart terrine or baking dish with the sliced bacon. Cut a piece of cardboard just smaller than the top of the terrine mold. Wrap it with aluminum foil and then plastic wrap. Combine walnuts, brandy, and syrup in a saucepan. Simmer on low heat until liquid is reduced by half. Set aside and allow walnuts to cool in the liquid. Separate liquid from walnuts.
seasonal table
Combine celery, onion, carrot, and fat in a small saucepan. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Cover pan and cook on low heat until vegetables are soft but without browning. Remove from pan and cool until needed.
solved. Add roasted squash and pods to vinegar. Simmer until liquid is about ¾ of the way reduced. Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl. Chill until ready to serve alongside pâté.
Place about 1∕3 of the ground pork shoulder in a food processor and season with 1½ teaspoons salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Pulse the meat about 10 times.
Crispy Potato Cake with Gingered Sweet Potato Mousse & Cranberry Chutney J's Gourmet, Front Royal, VA
With the food processor running, slowly add egg whites, one at a time. Drizzle heavy cream and reduced brandy liquid from the walnuts into the food processor. Blend until all the ingredients are incorporated. The mixture should look like a thick mousse. In a large mixing bowl, combine mousse with the remaining ground shoulder, belly, and liver. Add vegetables, walnuts, and thyme. Mix until fully combined. Take a small amount of the mixture and cook in a small sauté pan to check for seasoning. Adjust seasoning if necessary. Spoon mixture evenly into the bacon-lined terrine and smooth the top. Place terrine in a larger baking dish filled with hot water about half way up the terrine. Bake for about 1½ hours or until the internal temperature of pâté reaches 150 F. Remove terrine from the oven. Place wrapped cardboard on top of the terrine. Place a small weight on top of the cardboard while the terrine cools. Once the terrine reaches room temperature, refrigerate overnight. When ready to serve, unmold pâté and slice. For the jam 2 small or 1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into small cubes Olive oil Salt and pepper 1/8 teaspoon each of ground cloves, cinnamon, ground ginger, and nutmeg 1 cup sugar 1 cup red wine vinegar 3 star anise pods 5 green cardamom pods Preheat oven to 375 F. Place squash in a baking dish and toss with enough olive oil to evenly coat. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Add ground spices. Cover the dish and roast for 20 to 30 minutes until the squash is tender. Combine sugar and vinegar in a 2-quart saucepan and simmer until sugar is dis-
Chef David Gedney combines a creamy, sweet potato mousse with crispy fried potato cakes and a tart, spicy chutney in a seasonal hors d'oeuvre. He suggests topping these two-tone potato cakes with a bit of roast game bird or venison. Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 1 hour Serves 4 For the mousse 1 sweet potato, peeled and diced 1 finger of fresh ginger, grated or minced Salt and pepper ½ cup heavy cream Place potato in a pot with just enough water to cover and bring to a boil. When soft, drain water and transfer potato to a food processor. Add ginger and purée until smooth. Season and let cool. Whip cream to stiff peak. In thirds, fold cream into sweet potato mixture. Chill until ready to use. For the cakes 1 russet potato Salt and pepper ¼ cup vegetable oil Peel potato and shred with a box grater or a food processor. Season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a non-stick skillet. Working in 1 tablespoon bunches, squeeze water from potatoes and flatten into little pancakes. Place in skillet and brown on both sides. When crispy, transfer to drain onto paper towels. For the chutney 1 cup cranberries ½ cup orange juice ½ cup sugar Pinch each of ground nutmeg, ground clove, and ground cinnamon 1 finger fresh ginger, grated or minced Place all ingredients in a pot and cover www.flavormags.com
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with water. Simmer on medium heat until reduced and thick. Chill until ready to use. To assemble and serve Put about a tablespoon of mousse on each potato cake and top with chutney.
Pan-Roasted Nantucket Bay Scallops with Florida Citrus, Pickled Fennel & Sage Butter Vintage 50, Leesburg, VA Chef Aaron McCloud loves the hearty flavors of winter and reaping the great products of the harvest. Nantucket Bay scallops are only available for a few weeks at some specialty seafood markets. If you can’t find them, McCloud suggests substituting diver sea scallops. Pair a crisp, dry sauvignon blanc to keep up with the citrus and cut through the sweetness of the scallops and buttery sauce. For a beer, try Vintage 50’s Catoctin Kolsch. Marinating time: 2–48 hours Preparation time: 30 minutes Cooking time: 15 minutes Serves 6 For the salad 1 ruby grapefruit
T&E Meats
1 clementine 1 Satsuma tangerine ¼ preserved lemon 1 fennel bulb 2 tablespoons white sugar Cut grapefruit, clementines, and tangerines into segments, saving juice, and set aside. Mince preserved lemon and set aside. With a vegetable peeler, cut fennel paper thin. Place it in a bowl with all of the reserved juice and sugar. Let sit for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days. For the butter 8 leaves baby spinach 5 leaves basil 2 cloves raw garlic 10 leaves sage ½ cup soft butter 2 tablespoons heavy cream Salt and pepper Place spinach, basil, garlic, and sage in a blender. Slowly add softened butter and then blast it until the sauce takes on a dark green color. Thin the sauce with heavy cream. Season with salt and pepper.
Great for all of your holiday cooking and entertaining.
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For the scallops 24 Nantucket Bay scallops Salt and white pepper 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon butter 1 sprig thyme Make sure that your scallops are patted dry. Then season with salt and white pepper. It is important to cook them quickly in a very hot pan to avoid overcooking. Pour a small amount of olive oil into a very hot, large sauté pan. Carefully place scallops in the pan, separated from each other, and let caramelize all around. Nap scallops with butter and thyme. To assemble and serve 6 English breakfast radishes, thinly sliced Olive oil Salt to taste Toss radishes with oil and salt. In another bowl, gently toss the pickled fennel, citrus segments, and minced preserved lemon. Present the scallops scattered on a platter with the citrus salad and sage butter, or plate individually. Garnish with radishes.
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in the food desert
Making It Happen Zora Margolis
Tanikka Cunningham is a tenacious woman who believes everyone in her neighborhood should have access to fresh food.
A
dozen high-spirited children are running around inside the Riverside Community Center at Marvin Gaye Park in D.C.’s Ward 7. Chomping on apples, they’re wiping down and setting the tables where they’ve been decorating butternut squash cupcakes made in the weekly cooking class. Some of their parents are there, too. Most live in housing projects nearby. When Tanikka Cunningham started a farmers market at the Riverside Center, there were kids who’d never tasted a plum, seen a green bean that hadn’t come out of a can, or eaten anything remotely like the kale and bean stew they’ve helped prepare for dinner tonight. While the class participants eat, shoppers wander in, some using EBT cards (aka food stamps), WIC checks, or Seniors Get Fresh vouchers to buy apples, freshly-dug sweet potatoes, and bunches of carrots, collards, and kale. Everything is fresh, local, and organic. And inexpensive. Turning the Tide “The popularity of the farmers market and the cooking classes are a testament to the quality and affordability of the food that Tanikka provides,” says Autumn Saxton-Ross, director of health at the Riverside Center. “There’s no comparison with what’s available at the Safeway on 17th and Benning.” “I don’t get much sleep,” admits 30-year-old Tanikka Cunningham, executive director of Healthy Solutions, the
58 flavor magazine • dec./jan. 2010
Anacostia-based nonprofit organization she founded. These days, in addition to the weekly Riverside Center market, she supplies twice-monthly boxes of fresh, mostly organic produce to hundreds of households in Wards 7 and 8 through a co-op
“If you usually give this to the food banks basically for free, why ask people to pay for it?” — Tanikka Cunningham, executive director of Healthy Solutions she calls “The Freggie Box Program.” She has also been supplying the fresh produce for seven convenience stores participating in D.C.’s Food Research and Action Center’s Healthy Corner Store Program, which aims to increase the availability of fresh fruits and vegetables to residents of the so-called food desert east of the Anacostia River. (She soon will be supplying the entire program.) Another reason for her sleep deprivation? Cunningham is the mother of four children under the age of seven, whom she homeschools. The cooperative that Tanikka Cunningham started recently made organic oranges available for $0.25 each—when they were selling for $1.00 at stores over the river.
A (Closer to) Home-Based Business “It all started with canned fruit cocktail,” laughs Cunningham. Back in 2003, this native of Riverdale, Maryland, was a new mother who had recently left a job in the emergency room at George Washington University Hospital. Her sister, Latisha Watford, was a new mother, too, and had just moved to North Carolina, where the two had spent summers with their sharecropper grandparents. Both wanted to find a way to work from home. They looked into government contracts. They found one: supplying canned fruit to the North Carolina prison system. One contract led to another. By late 2004, they had a $6.5 million dollar contract to supply produce to the U.S. military. They developed their own network of large and small farmers to provide them with product and even studied to become USDA inspectors. It was exhilarating but exhausting. They found themselves moving 100,000 pounds of produce in and out of their Tidewater warehouse on a daily basis, unloading trucks until 4 a.m., seeing their husbands and children only on weekends. “It was no way to live,” Cunningham says. “For our families’ sakes, in May 2005, we closed the business.” Back in Anacostia, she decided to apply her skills and contacts to doing what she could about the lack of high-quality produce in her neighborhood, east of the Anacostia River. She started a cooperative at the Benning Terrace housing project, distributing Freggie Boxes and selling produce, essentially at her cost. She taught business skills to teenagers even as she introduced them and their parents to the benefits of eating a healthier diet. Then the D.C. Housing Authority kicked her out, because, as she was told, “If it’s a business, it can’t be run on government property.” Ironically, the same D.C. government is working on a study to find ways to combat obesity and improve diet and health outcomes. Cunningham has been unable to find another space nearby.
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A Woman of Action Cunningham explains why the Anacostia farmers market closed after a year: Most of the market’s produce came from the same gleaning program that supplies D.C. area food banks and programs that feed the homeless. “If you usually give this to the food banks basically for free, because it is second quality, why ask people to pay for it?” asks Cunningham. “Our thought is that the best food should be available and affordable to the people in this community.” She’s planning a special co-op box for Thanksgiving and Christmas deliveries, called “Healthy for the Holidays,” working with the Ward 7 councilperson’s office and the local Boys and Girls Club. In addition to carrying fresh produce, the boxes will contain a fresh turkey, eggs, milk, and other holiday foods. Door-to-door delivery will be provided for senior citizens. No stranger to grant proposals and program evaluation reports, Cunningham is fundamentally a woman of action. She’s not paying herself a salary right now, but she’s making sure that the underserved people who participate in her cooperative get freshly picked, organically grown oranges from Florida at four for a dollar—the very same oranges that sell for a dollar apiece at the gleaming supermarkets across the river. Zora Margolis has lived in Washington, D.C., since 1996. She wrote about the Dupont Circle farmers market in the Aug./Sept. issue of Flavor and co-hosts the farmers market forum on www.donrockwell.com, D.C.’s popular food lovers’ discussion site.
Food Research and Action Center www.frac.org Healthy Solutions www.healthysolutionsgroup.org The Riverside Center www.washingtonparks.net /riverside.html www.flavormags.com
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tales from the field
CSA, PDQ Michael Clune
’Tis the season to be thinking about next year’s CSA share. molly mcdonald peterson
T
oday was Local Foods Day in our county’s elementary and high schools. The menu featured hamburgers made from local beef, salads containing organic vegetables from our farm, and an apple crisp made with apples from a nearby orchard. Parents were invited to come dine with their children. Cruising the room, answering questions from both students and parents, I was gratified to see that the kids loved the food, which came from less than 10 miles away. That’s when it hit me. Why is supporting local agriculture so important? Simple. It’s important because we want these kids to enjoy local foods from their communities 20 years from now—communities that have not been concreted or overdeveloped, communities that instead remain, at least partially, in agriculture. So the question is, how can we make sure that happens? Easy! Support your local farms by shopping at the farmers market, signing up with a buyers club, or subscribing to a communitysupported agriculture (CSA) program.
Projected revenue from a share program has a consistency that an outdoor farmers market cannot provide. Adopted from European models, CSAs and farm-share programs have been in the United States since 1986. Customers, sometimes called subscribers or shareholders, buy a “share” in the farm. Depending on the farm’s production, this share can include a cornucopia of farm-fresh products: vegetables, fruits, eggs, and in some cases, meats. While some farms have on-farm share pickups, others deliver to specific drop points on a weekly basis, which is very helpful if there isn’t an active farmers market in the area. Farms with a presence at a market may have shareholders pick up at their stall. At our farm, shareholders pick up their weekly portion on Tuesday afternoon or Saturday morning. Many CSAs will have shares ready to go in baskets or boxes. Rather than box the vegetables for dispersal, we arrange all our vegetables “farmers market style,”
60 flavor magazine • dec./jan. 2010
combining varieties, textures, and colors in such a way as to highlight the quality of every head, bunch, or bulb. This serves two purposes. The first is that our shareholders, working off the weekly list, can select that particular vegetable that appeals to them, either by size or look. Secondly, we make every share day an event rather than a chore. The idea is that we are not just conducting business. We are constructing a farm community where everyone’s participation is necessary for the success of the program as a whole. Recipes are shared, weekly events are recalled, and in some cases, I get all the county gossip that I missed at the barbershop. People meet their neighbors and friendships are formed. In appreciation for their participation, we host potluck dinners for our shareholders—a great way to get feedback and taste some of the recipes that were invented over the share season. In my opinion, a share program is a win-win for all parties involved. Philosophically, an on-farm program epitomizes what local agriculture means: fresh food provided to our customers with minimal mile “additives.” Economically, projected revenue from a share program has a consistency that an outdoor farmers market cannot offer. Professionally, I feel that a farm share program is a true collaboration for both the shareholder and the farmer. By signing up for membership, the shareholder acknowledges and shares the risk with the producer, should Mother Nature decide to play some of her tricks. In most CSAs, the sale of shares early in the season gives the farmer capital with which he or she can purchase seeds or materials that will be needed during the growing season. Lastly, and most importantly, a bond is formed between shareholder and farmer in that you, as the shareholder, have instant access to how your food was produced, from seed to harvest. Many communities have share programs in place. I recommend you start your research well before the season starts, because most share programs fill up quickly—as early as January and February. (We’ll put a list of CSAs in the Capital foodshed up at flavormags.com.) Michael Clune is the director of farm operations for the Farm at Sunnyside in Washington, Virginia. A former firefighter and paramedic, he is an ardent advocate of local, sustainable agriculture.
Christmas in the LoudounVaLLeys 2009 Guide to trees, Greens, and hoLiday ProduCts
Reach more than 300,000 readers in the Capital foodshed with an ad in
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62 flavor magazine â&#x20AC;˘ dec./jan. 2010
the guest list
Simon Sidaman-Eristoff and Virginia Murphy
FreshFarm Markets 2009 Farmland Feast November 9, 2009 Washington, D.C.
Kate Yonkers, Maddy Beckwith, Nora Pouillon
Zeke Emanuel, Henry Richardson, Joesph Yosses, Hunt Prothro
People gathered together at the Ritz-Carlton to partake in a four-course meal paired exquisitely with a variety of wines. The event also included an auction, in which proceeds supported the charitable contributions to the community made by Freshfarm Markets. photos by greg â&#x20AC;&#x153;fritzâ&#x20AC;? blakey
Jane Black and Zeke Emanuel
Joan Fabry and Michael Klein
Joe Yonan, Ann Yonkers, Jane Black
Raw Milk Revolution Event
Mike Peterson and David E. Gumpert
November 7, 2009 Charlottesville, VA
This event at Piedmont Virginia Community College included a book signing and reception with author David Gumpert and author-farmer Joel Salatin. photos by molly mcdonald peterson
Holly Russell, Lynn Russell, Emily Russell Sides, Laura Russell, Rachael Kambic
Joy, Tim, Elliot and Oliver Alexander
Christine Solem and John Coles
Fresh Screening October 20, 2009 Alexandria, VA
Wendy Gray Ogden and Joel Salatin
Melissa Harris and Robert Wiedmaier
Heather Stouffer, Jennifer Mulchandani, Elizabeth Adams
Christy and Tom Przystawik
The evening at the George Washington Masonic Memorial began by sampling local foods, which segwayed into the screening of the film Fresh. A panel discussion moderated by Alexandria City Councilman Rob Krupicka followed. Donations from the event went to ALIVE! food shelter, making locally produced food available to the less fortunate. photos by molly mcdonald peterson
Green Festival October 11, 2009 Washington, D.C.
Kali Kosene
Scott Lastrapes and Nazirah K. Amen
Rachel Lubich, Kathy Kern, Shana Meshbesher
Cornel West
At the D.C. Convention Center, Global Exchange and Green America brought together more than 350 green businesses and other featured exhibitors to promote the ever-growing sustainable living movement. photos by molly mcdonald peterson
www.flavormags.com
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Simple, Local, Like Home
Two Convenient Locations One Great Experience Using the freshest local ingredients. The Vintage Restaurant Group creates decedent delights of culinary creations
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SQN Communications 64 flavor magazine â&#x20AC;˘ dec./jan. 2010
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Leesburg, Virginia
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Washington, DC
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the guest list
Tricycle Gardens Harvest Dinner Richmond, VA October 3, 2009
Nellie Appleby
Janelle Eggelston, William Snyder, Bev Eggelston
Bev Eggleston Sr., Leslie Suttle
Lisa Taranto, Andrea Almond, Anne Durkin
Roger and Anne Boeve
More than 200 people attended this celebration and fundraiser, held at the Robinson Theater in Church Hill. Proceeds from the night’s ticket sales and the auction further Tricycle Garden’s efforts to establish community gardens and local food systems. photos by angel morton
Andrea Almond, Paz Ochs
Farm-to-Table Local Foods Day November 11, 2009 Rappahannock County, VA
Don Looch, Caroline and Chris Parrish, Ashleigh and Alex Sharp
Robert Chappell and Trista Scheuerlein
Jen Rattigan and Coriena Reynolds
Kenner Love, Jimmy Nguyen, Joyce Harman, Michael Clune, Bob Anderson, Matt Benson
This second-annual event featured local farmers and other agricultural officials dedicated to educating the youth of Rappahannock County Public Schools about where their food comes from, how to eat right, and the economic benefits of sourcing locally. photos by molly mcdonald peterson
Fresh Screening
Jennifer Conrad Seidel, Ana Sophia Joanes, Sally Fallon, Monica Corrado, Hiu Newcomb, Joel Salatin
November 8, 2009 Oakton, VA
Ori Anon, Ana Sophia Joanes, Maayan Anon
Daniel and Sheri Salatin
Our most recent screening of Ana Sophia Joanes’s film Fresh took place at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fairfax. A panel discussion featuring several local food heroes was moderated by Flavor editor Jennifer Conrad Seidel. photos by molly mcdonald peterson
Food, Inc. Screening October 22, 2009 Warrenton, VA Casey Gustowarow and Stacey Carlberg
R. Moses Thompson, Holli Thompson, Bill Couzens
Rick Wasmund and Helen Wasmund
Wasmund’s Ribbon Cutting November 18, 2009 Sperryville, VA
Whiskey enthusiasts and members of the Sperryville community joined Rick Wasmund in his ribboncutting ceremony celebrating the beginning of on-site sales at Copper Fox Distillery. Rick Wasmund, John C. McCarthy, Sean McCaskey
This screening of Robert Kenner’s eye-opening film, Food, Inc., took place at the Highland School’s Rice Theatre, which accepted donations on behalf of the Next Generation Choices Foundation’s Less Cancer Program. An exclusive Q&A session with Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms topped off the night. photos by molly mcdonald peterson
Joel Salatin and Holli Thompson
photos by molly mcdonald peterson
www.flavormags.com
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Master Class in White Wine Blending jan. 16 & jan. 23
join us for the ultimate winery experience. seminar session with winemaker andy reagan gives insight into the art and science of wine blending, with a focus on Chardonnay and viognier. Graduated cylinders, calculators, pens and paper provided – your palate and imagination complete the toolkit. all wines drawn from barrel. reservations are required and space is limited. $40 per person includes gourmet buffet.
to reserve, call (800) 272-3042
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(434) 984-4272
www.SugarleafVineyards.com 3613 walnut branch lane n o rt h ga r d e n , Va 2 2 9 5 9 66 flavor magazine • dec./jan. 2010
located between Monticello and ash lawn on thomas jefferson’s original 1774 vineyard sites. Open 9am to 5pm daily for tours and tastings. WWW.jeffersOnvineyards.COM
virginia
December/January 2010
Features
76 Champagne in Translation Claude Thibaut grew up making champagne with his family in France. Now he makes it in Virginia. Grace Reynolds
Departments
74 winemaker’s notes Ben Renshaw Having walked the rows for years, Ben Renshaw has started one of Virginia’s newest labels.
80 pairing This with That: A Holiday Guide From start to finish, your holiday meal will shine with the right wine pairings. Antoinette Landragin
84 imbibe Virginia’s Craft Beer Zeitgeist Devils Backbone brews award-winning, German-influenced beer near Wintergreen’s ski slopes. Amber Davis
Columns
82 blind tasting Sweet Virginia Avoiding dessert wines? There’s no need to be afraid any longer. Evan Williams
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flights drink seasonally photo by laura merricks wines courtesy market street wineshop downtown
www.flavormags.com
taken at albemarle baking company
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For the month of December we have a two for one tasting fee if you bring in this ad!
W HITE H ALL V INEYARDS
We invite you to come visit our state-ofthe-art winery, located just 13 miles from historic Charlottesville in the foothills of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. A visit to the vineyard has been described as “pure romance,” and we look forward to sharing our internationally renowned, award-winning wines with you!
Winter hours have started: Open Saturday and Sunday 11am-5pm. Please check our website for upcoming events.
“Come warm yourself by the fire.”
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VERITAS VINEYARD & WINERY
Open for Tours and Tastings Wed - Sun 11am - 5pm 434-823-8615 5282 Sugar Ridge Road Crozet, VA 22932 www.whitehallvineyards.com
www.veritaswines.com • 540-456-8000
Flights
Amber Davis
Peeking Through the Virginia Vines Silverthorn Films, a full-service film production company based out of Charlottesville, Virginia, has just completed Vintage: The Wine Makers Year, a feature-length documentary that explores the growth of Virginia’s award-winning wine industry. Focusing on vineyards in the Monticello AVA region, the filmmakers traveled to wineries such as Barboursville, King Family, Kluge, White Hall, Jefferson, and Veritas over the course of the 2008 grape-growing season to interview some of Virginia’s most prominent winemakers and to get exclusive footage of the winemaking process. The film is scheduled for a national release on PBS in 2010.
max cook
Silverthorn Films (434) 825-7040, www.silverthornfilms.com
Sharing a Legacy
Don’t Pass Up The Passenger Brothers Derek and Tom Brown are reinventing both the traditional ambiance of a cocktail bar and the formulaic nature of cocktails themselves in their first business venture, The Passenger. Having poured and created drinks at some of the most prominent restaurants in Washington, D.C., the Brown brothers set out to create a unique venue for their celebrated spirits. Located in a former hardware store (c.1890), the brothers decided to keep many of the raw construction elements visible, such as the old hardwood floorboards and exposed brick walls. The bar’s most unusual feature—a backroom cocktail club and laboratory where Derek will explore the history of specialized concoctions—is set to open in 2010. In addition to putting together an affordable wine selection, the brothers have thrown out the notion of using preset cocktail menus: Each cocktail is made to order, giving customers a little creative license of their own.
When you work for a business carrying Thomas Jefferson’s name, it isn’t long before you begin to develop an interest in its historical ties to the iconic president. While researching Jefferson’s legacy, Mario Bevilacqua, the food and beverage manager for The Jefferson Hotel in Washington, D.C., met Jefferson Vineyards’ general manager Chad Zakaib at a food expo in Richmond and discussed opportunities for collaboration. The hotel’s sommelier, Michael Scaffidi, later traveled to Jefferson Vineyards to help winemaker Andy Reagan develop, package, and bottle a cuvée, a Bordeaux blend (84% merlot, 10% cabernet sauvignon, 6% petit verdot) exclusively for the hotel. According to Zakaib, the wine symbolizes and celebrates Jefferson’s legacy as America’s first wine connoisseur. Jefferson Vineyards (434) 977-3042, www.jeffersonvineyards.com The Jefferson Hotel (202) 448-2300, www.jeffersondc.com
The Passenger passengerdc.com
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Flights Tavola = Table
sarah cramer shields
Currently occupying the location of a former boutique wine shop in Charlottesville, Virginia, Tavola restaurant is building on the traditions established by the former in its commitment to artisanal wines. Tavola offers over 70 rotating wines, which sommelier Dan Cotting can pair with any seasonal offering at the Italian restaurant, or which customers may purchase at a retail discount for home consumption. According to Cotting, the restaurant emphasizes wines that showcase deep roots to their regional heritage and are strong representations of their specific varietals. Most of the wine selection comes from European vineyards, whose viticulturalists have been practicing organic or biodynamic wine production for centuries. Tavola (434) 972-9463, www.tavolavino.com
A Winter Wonderland of Events at Local Wineries Join Keswick Vineyards as they host their second annual Winemakers Dinner on December 3 at 6 p.m. The event pairs five unreleased reserve wines with a five-course dinner catered by Charlottesville’s Harvest Moon catering company, and costs $100 per person. The vineyard’s winemaker, Stephen Barnard, will be hosting the event. James River Cellars in Glen Allen, Virginia, will be offering two red wine vertical tastings in January. Vertical tastings enable consumers to try different vintages of the same wine varietal in order to compare and contrast different elements of the wine from one year to the next. On January 16 and 17, they will be pouring merlot vintages from 2002 through 2008. On January 23 and 24, they will be pouring cabernet franc vintages from 2002 through 2008. The event cost is $10 per person.
q If that isn’t enough to satisfy your chili and wine craving, head to Gray Ghost Vineyards in Amissville, Virginia, on January 30. From 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., guests can enjoy venison chili and a glass of wine for $15 per person. Keswick Vineyard (434) 244-3341, keswickvineyards.com Harvest Moon Catering (434) 296-9091, www.hmcatering.com James River Cellars (804) 550-7516, jamesrivercellars.com Fox Meadow Winery (540) 636-6777, foxmeadowwinery.com The Apple House (540) 636-6329, www.theapplehouse.net Gray Ghost Vineyards (540) 937-4869, www.grayghostvineyards.com
jon renaut
Combat the cold with a hot bowl of chili and a glass of wine during Chili Days of January, taking place on January 16 and 17 at Fox Meadow Winery in Linden, Virginia. Individuals can enjoy chili (prepared by Apple House caterers), a glass of wine, and bread for $13.
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A Capital Wine Education Washington D.C.’s Capital Wine School offers a variety of classes to provide individuals at all levels of wine exposure and training with “a seriously fun wine education.” In addition to being a published author, an event consultant, and a business owner, founder Jay Youmans has a wealth of experience and education to impart to the program: In 2004, he became the twenty-first American to pass the Master of Wine exam, considered the most comprehensive and difficult wine certification in the industry. The school offers classes throughout the year—from wine tasting sessions, to week-long certification programs, all the way to master’s degrees— at four locations in the D.C. metro area, including two locations in Maryland. Capital Wine School www.capitalwineschool.com
Saturdays and Sundays
Buy one tasting, get one free with this ad
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Fresh - Local - Seasonal
OCTAGON Generous in every sense. Cheeses, Savories, Meats & Fine Prepared Foods “Drinking good wine with good food in good company is one of life’s most civilized pleasures.”
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M. Broadbent
Good Food with Good Wine Farmstead Fromage Blanc with Spiced Almonds & Fruit Soft-ripened Jersey or Chèvre Aged Raw Milk Washed-Rind Tomme
20 Gold Medals 2 Monticello Cups World Wine Championship Chicago, 2009
ELDERBERRY The Perfect Gift for this Holiday Season Order online or in our tasting room www.villagewineryandvineyards.com Retail Outlets: Village Winery, Waterford; Wegmans, Dulles Store-isle 15A & 6A; Natural Mercantile, Hamilton; Hill High Orchards, Round Hill; Very Virginia Store, Leesburg.
Three Great Elderberry Products Elderberry Syrup Elderberry Beverage Mix Elderberry & Chocolate Syrup
Cheese Confections & Pâté Maison Winter Soups & Stews, Artisan Sandwiches & Panini
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7155 Wisconsin Ave. Bethesda, MD
337 Gay Steet Washington, VA
(540) 860-9090
www.barboursvillewine.com
540-882-3780
PRESENTS
WINEMAKER WEDNESDAYS 5 - 8PM
December 9: Gadino Cellars - Bill Gadino December 16: Sweely Estate - Franz Ventre January 13: Jefferson Vineyards - Chad Zakaib January 20: Old House Vineyards - Damien Blanchon January 27: Fabbioli Cellars - Doug Fabbioli
Great local food and a fun social atmosphere! Open 7 days a week; Lunch & Dinner • Live Music on Weekends • • Thursday Trivia Nights • • Sunday Brunch 10-2pm •
www.griffintavern.com Flint Hill, Va 540-675-3227
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Closed Jan 1 - 14 Open Jan 15th
A casual time to meet winemakers and sample their wines paired with Virginia cheeses. Held at The Frenchman’s Corner, 141 E Davis St in Culpeper. Call 540-825-8025 for more information.
drin k S easonally Photos by Molly McDonald Peterson
Traditional Eggnog The Local • Charlottesville, Virginia 12 eggs, separated 1½ cups sugar 2 cups Wasmund’s Single-Malt Whisky, bourbon, or spiced rum ¾ cup brandy 6 cups milk 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg, separated 2 cups heavy cream In a large bowl and using a mixer, beat egg yolks together with sugar for about 10 minutes. (You want the mixture to be firm and the color of butter.) Very slowly, add whisky and brandy—just a little at a time. Allow the mixture to cool in the fridge for up to 6 hours, depending on how long before your party you’re making the eggnog. A half hour before your guests arrive, stir the milk into the chilled yolk mixture. Stir in 1½ teaspoons ground nutmeg. In a separate bowl, beat the cream with a mixer on high speed until the cream forms stiff peaks. In yet another bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the egg-white mixture into the egg-yolk mixture. Then gently fold the cream into the egg mixture. After ladling into cups, garnish with the remaining ground nutmeg.
Blue Ridge Blue Boar’s Head Inn • Charlottesville, Virginia Blue colored sugar ½ ounce blue colored liqueur 2½ ounces Blue Ridge Vodka ½ ounce fresh lemon juice Dash of lemonade Slice of orange Add all of the liquid ingredients to your cocktail shaker with some ice. Shake well. Strain into a martini glass rim coated with blue sugar. Garnish with an orange slice or a strip of lemon peel.
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winema k er ’ s notes
Ben Renshaw
With experience managing other people’s vineyards and a little help from his friends, Ben Renshaw has launched his own label. Photos by Molly McDonald Peterson
Ben Renshaw began his career in Virginia’s wine industry in 1998 at Tarara Winery. An independent vineyard manager since 2005, he is now making wine for his own 8 Chains North label. In 2007, the label’s first year, Renshaw made 250 cases of Lo. Co. Vino, a blend of traminette and vidal blanc, which sold out in a few months. Production this year will reach 1,500 cases, using grapes Renshaw raises himself on his sister’s farm in Leesburg, Virginia, and grapes from other vineyards he manages. His wines are currently available at Fabbioli Cellars in Loudoun County. Renshaw plans to open his own tasting room in 2010 on property he recently purchased with his fiancé in Waterford.
I
t has been said many times, in many ways, by many people: Great wine starts in the vineyard. I am in the vineyard every day. I walk it, scout it, prune it, hedge it, leaf-pull it, touch it, feel it, love it. I put my heart and soul into the land, the space, the vines, and the fruit, making it my own holy ground. There is no task in the vineyard, no matter how difficult or mundane, that is worse than the best day in the “real world.” I always think and worry about the vineyard. I maintain constant contact with colleagues of other exceptional vineyards to get past the looming disaster du jour. One year it was Japanese beetles; the last two have been downy mildew. Add to those perennial issues too much rain at the wrong time, not enough rain at the right time, the ever-expanding deer population, and a half dozen other constant issues, and—voila!—you have the ingredients for the obsession known as vineyard management in Virginia. There is never enough time and everything is time sensitive. Hurry, hurry, go, go! And I love it, because when the harvest comes in September and October, I know that I earned every one of those yellow lugs filled with 25 pounds of grapes. They are, literally, the fruits of my labor and represent the best I have to offer. Then, all of a sudden, after six to seven months of work, it all ends in one day. The vineyard is slowly prepared for the following season, and the sense of urgency is replaced by tranquility and peace. But if you have that much passion for what you do, you simply cannot check out and go skiing for the next four months! Following the crush is a constant passion. My vineyard is planted at my sister’s farm in Leesburg, Virginia. She and her husband grow their own fruits, vegetables, and grains for their bakery in Leesburg, because they believe in the highest quality local ingredients. We are simpatico in this attitude, so when they offered me ground on which to plant my vineyard, I jumped at the opportunity. At that time, I planned to sell all the grapes I grew. After all, I was happy and my time was more than full not only with vineyard management, but also with successful winemaking for those vineyard clients. As my own vineyard obsession deepened, however, I was compelled to follow my own crush. With the help of some very good friends—like Doug Fabbioli and Colleen Berg of Fabbioli Cellars and Clyde and Teri Housel of Hiddencroft Vineyards—I now 74
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make wine out of my own grapes and grapes that I grow for clients at other vineyards in the county. The family connection is growing. My niece, Petra Cox, will soon return from an internship at Cooper Mountain Winery in Oregon, the first leg of her crushing journey. Before setting off to New Zealand’s wine country, she will spend some time here working with me and planning her own vineyard.
There is no task in the vineyard, no matter how difficult or mundane, that is worse than the best day in the “real world.”
Ben Renshaw (opposite) planted his vineyard on a farm owned by his sister, Avis Renshaw, and her husband, Steven Cox, co-owners of Mom’s Apple Pie Company. He uses the winemaking facilities at Fabbioli Cellars (above), where his 8 Chains North wine is available for tasting.
There are different styles and approaches to the art of making wine. Some rely more on chemistry, some more on gut feeling based on experience, and many on a combination of these. However, the terroir of the fruit is the highest card in the deck and probably the factor with the most influence on the end product. Help from the winemaking community, lots of research, and a few years’ experience has allowed me to make a living as a winemaker, but making wine from my own grapes has allowed me to be a successful winemaker. I think the passion I put into my wines is a natural progression of the passion that I put into the vineyard, allowing me to contribute to the growing reputation of Virginia wines. www.flavormags.com
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Champagne in Translation Grace Reynolds Photos by Sarah Cramer Shields
Claude Thibaut makes sparkling wine in Virginia using what he learned growing up in Champagne and working his way up in California.
O
n a journey spanning more than 25 years, Claude Thibaut has carried his sparkling-wine expertise from France to Virginia, with stops in Australia and California on the way. As a consultant, he has brought sparkling wine to a list of wineries that reads more like a who’s who of American wine, including Jordan (the bottle with the eyecatching “J” painted on it), Iron Horse, and Kendall-Jackson. We’re lucky enough to now have him here in Afton, Virginia, where he leases space from Veritas Winery and has created his own label with an old friend.
From Champagne to Charlottesville Thibaut-Janisson was born from a long friendship that began in a Grand Cru village in the Champagne region of France. Thibaut and his friend Manuel Janisson, both from champagne-producing families in the town, started in the family businesses at a young age. When Thibaut came to work in California in 1983, he had already spent a few years working in Australia, and Janisson was looking for some experience working in California. Thibaut arranged for Janisson to come work with him, and the two young men began talking of one day producing a sparkling wine together. About 25 years later, they agreed that Virginia could be the place to do it. Thibaut came to Charlottesville with his wife in 2003 to consult at Kluge Estate Winery, and since then he has provided his services for numerous Virginia wineries, including Veritas. In 2005, after seeing the potential for Virginia sparkling wine, Thibaut and Janisson began their joint venture, and in 2007 they had the first release of their nonvintage blanc de chardonnay. Janisson continues his successful work in his family’s business (Janisson et Fils), and he provides consultation and financing for equipment and operations. Meanwhile, Thibaut controls the entire winemaking process.
Methode Thibaut For his blanc de chardonnay, Thibaut sources all of the grapes, exclusively chardonnay, from the Monticello AVA (American Viticultural Area). Roughly half of these grapes come from a nearby vineyard, Ivy Creek Farm, which has some of the oldest chardonnay vines around—dating back to 1982. The fruit from these old vines adds to Thibaut’s success: The older the vine, the less fruit it produces, but in exchange, the quality is superior. Thibaut visits and chooses a harvest date for his fruit based on its sugar and acid levels. This is always early in the season, because chardonnay destined for sparkling wine must be picked when acidity is high. Chardonnay grapes grown in Virginia have a lower acidity to start with than their French cousins, so he picks all of his fruit within a week’s time in order to hit that prime acidity level.
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He uses the “methode champenoise,” the traditional method of making champagne in which the wine goes through a secondary fermentation in the bottle and ages on the lees for about two years before being riddled, disgorged, and then finally readied for sale. In Champagne, there are a multitude of rigid rules to comply with in order to make wine that carries the name of the famous region. That is not the case here. “I know which steps of the method I have to respect,” Thibaut says. “I use the same method I would use in Champagne, but here the change is in the fruit. I want people, when they taste the sparkling wine, to be able to tell it has the same finesse [as one made in Champagne].” One thousand cases were made of the first-released ThibautJanisson Blanc de Chardonnay Brut, and they made their way mostly to small retailers and restaurants. This was facilitated in
“Everybody said, ‘There’s no way Sonoma County can compete with Napa.’ I can see that same kind of evolution happening here.” — Claude Thibaut
part by Thibaut’s wife, Pamela Margaux, head of Margaux and Company—a wine importer and distributor carrying ThibautJanisson, Janisson et Fils, and other fine imported and domestic labels. The fine, crisp finesse of this wine is immediately evident. Whether it will stand the test of time, a trait that its Old World inspiration is renowned for, remains to be seen. “The quality of a French champagne is the aging potential. They can age for years and years,” says Thibaut. “The question mark here is, are the wines going to age?” While American wine drinkers have grown in number and
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Bottles of Thibaut’s blanc de chardonnay rest in gyropalettes (left) for about a week to bring the lees, or sediment, into the bottlenecks before they are disgorged. This equipment (center) comprises Thibaut’s disgorging line. Thibaut makes his wine at Veritas Winery in Afton, Virginia, west of Charlottesville.
sophistication during Thibaut’s nearly three decades in the business here, the wine cultures of America and his native France are still worlds apart, and this is especially evident with sparkling wine. “Sparkling wine here—it’s not like France. Here they still think of drinking it as a celebration, or that men don’t look good drinking it, or that you can’t drink it by yourself,” remarks Thibaut. Part of this is due to the marketing of champagne, by the famed eponymous region itself, as a marker of luxury or prestige. Thibaut aims to work around this image. “When you tell people that you can do a lot of food pairings with sparkling wine,” Thibaut says, “well, then you have a lot of educating to do.”
Processes & Predictions Thibaut works with many Virginia wineries in their sparklingwine production, and operates his own disgorging line. The line helps automate the disgorgement process, a procedure unique to sparkling wine. After the wine has aged on the lees in the bottle for at least two years, the bottles are put into a gyropalette, a machine that automates the riddling process. Riddling—slowly turning the bottles to force the lees into the neck of the bottles—was traditionally and painstakingly done by hand. After about a week in the gyropalettes, the lees must be extracted (disgorged) from the bottles. This is done by quickly freezing the lees in the neck of the bottle, popping the cap off, extracting the lees, and refilling the bottle with a precisely mixed recipe of sugar, wine, and often “secret” ingredients (this stage is called dosage). The bottles are then corked and the familiar wire cage is put on to contain the bubbly. Thibaut gets to see a lot of the behind-the-scenes action in the Virginia wine business, and he’s positively excited about it. “It reminds me of Sonoma County in 1980—it was all farms
Thibaut-Janisson (434) 996-3307 www.tjwinery.com
then. Everybody said, ‘There’s no way Sonoma County can compete with Napa.’ I can see that same kind of evolution happening here.” He also sees more and more people asking for local wines, and notes that this is important in pushing Virginia wine to the forefront. “There is a demand from the consumer that can kind of force the sommelier to bring in more.” Plans are in place for another product, “Virginia Fizz,” perhaps in spring. This sparkling wine will have more modern packaging than the blanc de chardonnay, which has a very elegant bottle and a more classy, traditional label, and it will be marketed toward a younger, urban crowd, with a more fruity character and a little less time on the lees. Thibaut is working on this project with some D.C. mixologists to develop the perfect sparkling wine to be used as a base for cocktails. Between the two wines, he hopes to be producing 2,000 cases in three years and then go up to 4,000 to 5,000 cases in five years or so. With sparkling wine, Thibaut has a niche that allows him to focus in on what he does and likes best. He notes that other wineries with a wide variety of grapes and wines “are still researching and experimenting. I don’t really experiment because I know what I already do best.” Grace Reynolds is a Piedmont, Virginia, native who has worked in the U.S. and international wine business for over a decade. She’s a firm believer that sparkling wine is an acceptable and often preferable complement to any meal.
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pairing
This with That A Holiday Guide
Antoinette Landragin Photo by Molly McDonald Peterson
Your cheat sheet for holiday menu planning and pairing. For wine and food lovers, the cooler months of the year mean one thing: It’s time to pull cooking companions Mauviel and Le Creuset out from storage, polish Eisch glasses and Grandma’s silverware, and start planning the menu for holiday festivities. While choosing wines to match your menu, remember that all wine and food pairings are personal. They require nothing more than a working sense of smell and taste and good judgment. To create a well-balanced pairing, streamline the weight and flavor of the food with the acidity and distinguishing characteristics of the wine. When hosting a holiday dinner party, the key is to keep it simple. Leave the complex canapés to the chefs of Michelin three-star restaurants. Start the party off right by complementing the vibrant and sometimes nervous energy of the gathering with a light aperitif and finger foods. Serve guests a glass of chilled Kluge Estate Cru ($19.99) with store-bought duck liver terrine spread on warm toast, garnished with grapes that have been briefly sautéed in a sugar melt. Meanwhile, circulate bowls of spiced walnuts to keep appetites titillated until all the guests have arrived. When the aperitif has come to an end, it is time for appetizers. The 2007 Linden Vineyard Hardscrabble Chardonnay ($25.99) has bright fruit lined with fine acidity and is a great wine to start a meal. It marries well with smoked trout and scallop mousseline served with a drizzle of pink and green peppercorn sauce. For an unconventional alternative that is easy to prepare and just as stunning, pair the 2008 Rappahannock Cellars Viognier ($17.99) with Moroccan tajines or Indian kebabs, both of which make an original presentation. For your main course, mushrooms flambéed with Armagnac served over a classically prepared Angus filet mignon from Neala Farm in Madison County, Virginia, perfectly complement the bold and ripe fruit profile of the 2007 Pearmund Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon ($22.99). To satisfy even the most difficult-to-please gourmands, try a white bean cassoulet made with duck meat and plump slices of Italian sausage,
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topped with a grated Parmigiano-Reggiano crust. Serve with thick cuts of lightly grilled baguette rubbed with a clove of garlic, and pair with a bottle of 2007 Tannat from the Winery at La Grange ($21.99), a rich and hearty full-bodied red. Another idea is coq au vin, a classic dish that is so delicious your guests will have no qualms when asking for seconds—or thirds. Just be sure to serve it with a nice pour of the 2006 Linden Vineyards Hardscrabble Red ($23.99), a cooler-climate blend that flourishes with this dish. Hosts adorning their tables with white linens may not appreciate guests mopping residual sauces from their plates and smacking their lips in appreciation of such hearty dishes, no matter how much of a hit the food may be. In this case, roasted chicken with a side of roasted root vegetables is a marvelous alternative. The chicken is very simply prepared and requires only a sprinkle of herbes de Provence and lemon slices, onion rings, and sprigs of fresh thyme and rosemary for the stuffing. This dish pairs well with blends, such as the 2007 Boxwood Winery Topiary Red ($21.99), which has an elegant body trailed by light, round tannins and a burst of peppered spice on the finish.
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holiday celebration with good food, good company, and good conversation. To conclude the meal, present guests with a large tray of assorted cheeses from Stonyman Gourmet in Little Washington, homemade walnut and date cheesecake, and truffle chocolates from Chocolaterie Wanders in Manassas. Match with late-harvest wines such as Adieu by Gray Ghost Vineyards ($23.99) or Raisin d’Etre from Michael Shaps ($23.99), or let guests revisit their favorite red of the night, should any remain. Other wines that fit the holiday table well are the lighter-styled 2007 Michael Shaps Viognier ($19.99), the fruity and elegant 2007 Rappahannock Cellars Cabernet Franc ($17.99), the chewy and concentrated 2005 Kluge Estate New World Red ($29.99), and the rich 2007 Boxwood Winery Red ($17.99). These wines all show great richness, balance, and complexity and are fit for any holiday celebration with good food, good company, and good conversation. Antoinette Landragin co-owns the Cork and Fork retail stores—in Gainesville, Virginia, Bethesda, Maryland, and D.C.’s Logan Circle area (opening soon)—with her parents, Anna and Dominique Landragin.
www.thewinekitchen.com 7 South King St. Leesburg, VA 20175 703.777.WINE
Eat, Drink, Simply.
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blind tasting
Sweet Virginia
Evan Williams
Photo by Laura Merricks
Admit it. Dessert wines scare you.
On the whole, sweet wines can be incredibly intimidating, if for no other reason than there’s so much syrupy, cloying plonk floating around out there. At the same time, finding balance in dessert wine is a monumental challenge for winemakers, especially in a relatively new growing region like Virginia. However, this isn’t to say that good sweet wine is impossible to find. In fact, that’s precisely what these blind tastings are for—to discover what the region has to offer. First, though, a small discussion on the many different types of red and white dessert wines, how they are made, and what to look for in the results.
Homework Before Dessert The simplest method is late harvesting—allowing the grapes to overripen on the vine, thus concentrating the sugars. In Virginia, the favorite varietal for this method has often been Viognier, as its bright tropical fruit and rich style serve dessert wines quite well. Chaptalization is the process of adding sugar to the juice in order to increase the level of sweetness. Boytrytis, or “noble rot,” is a special fungus that attacks grape bunches on the vine (most notably in Sauternes, France), resulting in sweet raisins from which the juice is taken. Similarly, passito wines are made by drying the fruit after harvest. Eiswein (ice wine) is the traditional German practice of harvesting the grapes, typically late in the growing season and in the early morning, while they are still frozen, and removing much of the ice to leave behind a very sugary elixir. This practice is often replicated in other parts of the world by freezing the grapes manually after harvesting. Last is fortification, the practice of arresting fermentation before all of the sugars are consumed by adding distilled spirits (typically brandy). This is the process made famous in large part by red port wines.
Overcoming Your Fears For our blind tasting, we sampled seven whites and three reds. The lineup included late-harvest wines, a passito-style wine, and several fortified offerings. In all probability, some were likely chaptalized.
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The overall impressions from the tasting panel ranged from “cloyingly sweet, not enough fruit” to “compares to Quarts de Chaume and beerenauslese”—respected wines made with the noble rot method. Obviously, there was quite a range both in terms of style and quality, but the result of our tasting was a diverse melange of wines to please almost any palate. Kluge Cru Aperitif, Non-Vintage ($21.00) I remember tasting this wine years ago at a festival, and it was oddly alcoholic, very hot, and flabby. I later learned that this is a fortified white wine. This latest iteration is much improved, with notes of vanilla, coconut rum, and cake frosting. This is made from Chardonnay grapes, but the juice seems to just be a vehicle for the oak and strong alcohol notes. It’s not terribly sweet and works very well as a base for a richer Kir (white wine spiked with crème de cassis). This pairs well with strong cheeses rather than with dessert. 2008 Pearmund Cellars Late Harvest Viognier ($11.25) This was a bright, fresh example of late-harvested Virginia Viognier. In terms of sweetness, it hits a “sweet” spot, if you will, stopping just short of being cloying. There’s a bready, funky earthy note laid over apricots and peaches, finished off by a great mulling-spice character. Perfect for late autumn and the holidays, this is a sweeter wine for those looking for more residual sugar. It would certainly marry perfectly with apple tart or honey gelato. 2005 Barboursville Malvaxia ($29.99) This is a wonderful example of the passito style of drying the grapes after harvest, and it was by most accounts the panel’s choice for “wine of the night.” It reminds one of German beerenauslese or even Sauternes: it’s very extracted and raisiny, with a viscous texture and massive mouthfeel. Despite all of this richness, though, it never goes overboard with residual sugar, due in large part to a nice, gentle late-palate acidity that cleans up after the wine. This acidity turns the wine from something that could be poured over pancakes into a refreshing dessert pairing wine—something that would stand up very well to baked pears or even pan-seared foie gras. Outstanding! Evan Williams, a Virginia native who has worked in various facets of the wine industry, is part-owner of the Wine Guild of Charlottesville.
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Virginia’s Craft Beer Zeitgeist
imbibe
Devils Backbone Brewing Company helps secure central Virginia’s prominence as a wine and beer region. Amber Davis Photos by Laura Merricks
W
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hen a brewery brings home medals in four of the 78 categories judged at this year’s Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colorado—widely considered the most prestigious and competitive beer festival in the country—many would attribute the victories to years of production and refinement. For Virginia’s newest brewery, Devils Backbone Brewing Company, the win (one gold and three silver medals) came after being open for less than a year. “Virginia has been behind the times in the craft beer industry, and every year Colorado and California get the most medals,” says brewery proprietor Steve Crandall. “People in Virginia are beginning to demand craft beer. They want something that evokes Old World character but that is still a Virginia product.”
• Dec./Jan. 2010
“They want something that evokes Old World character but that is still a Virginia product.” — owner Steve Crandall
Hooked by Hefeweizen While skiing in the northern Italian Alps over 20 years ago, Crandall had his first German beer, the hefeweizen Weihenstephan, and was hooked. He then began to take note of the growing craft beer industry in America and many breweries in the west located near ski resorts and mountains. Crandall wanted to focus on replicating the brewing process used in Germany, where breweries must adhere to a law called the Reinheitsgebot, an order put in effect in 1516 to protect the purity of all German beer. Brewmasters there may use only four ingredients to produce their concoctions: water, hops, barley, and yeast. Today, many craft breweries in America are modeling their techniques on these pure-brewing principles in search of higher-quality artisanal beer, believing additives and other preservatives actually damage the true flavor of the beer itself. Having taken over his father’s custom home-building company in Nelson County, Crandall used his knowledge of the region to develop a brewery site at the base of Wintergreen Resort. “The area needed an anchor that would attract people, and now our brewery is drawing people from over an hour away,” says Crandall, who proudly notes that it quickly became a destination brewery.
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500 Delfosse Winery Lane Faber, VA 22938 (434)263-6100 www.delfossewine.com finewines@delfossewine.com
German Craft, Virginia Product While the brewery prides itself in its commitment to local food and even maintains a garden on-site for the full-service restaurant’s use, the focus is on the quality and craftsmanship of the beer. It’s a young brewery, but the beer is steeped in the rich tradition of English and German brewpubs, thanks to the versatile education of brewmaster Jason Oliver. Oliver began brewing in 1996 at The Wharf Rat, an English-themed brewery in Baltimore. After attending brewing school at the University of California, Davis, in 1998 and working for several years at a brewpub in Old Town Alexandria, Oliver became a regional brewery supervisor for Gordon Biersch’s mid-Atlantic division. Although Oliver honed his German brewing techniques at Gordon Biersch, he did not have the freedom to experiment with his brews until coming to Devils Backbone. “Opportunities to brew in the mountains are few and far between,” says Oliver. “When I found out the brewing equipment they bought was among the best in the country, I knew I wanted to work on it as a brewer because of the additional levels of control and flexibility.” This year, they will produce around 800 barrels. The brewery’s majestic building (left and center) incorporates recycled corrugated tin metal, antique pine and oak furniture and floorboards, and local river bedrock stonework. If you want to take beer home, you’ll need a refillable growler (right).
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Award
Winning
In addition to making four core, year-round beers, Oliver produces anywhere from four to six rotating seasonal beers, usually including a Belgian-influenced beer, like his Dark Abbey, and a dark beer, like his Baltic-style Danzig Porter. The brewery boasts 10 beers on tap. This winter, Oliver will introduce several strong beers that he is currently brewing. Around New Year’s, Oliver plans on tapping his Tectonic barley wine, a rich English beer around 10 to 11 percent ABV (alcohol by volume), his Scottish-style “Kilt Flasher,” a rich, malty, ruby-hued beer around 7.8 percent ABV, and his appropriately named “Collaborator” Doppelbock, a Bavarianstyle strong lager around 8 percent ABV, co-brewed with Starr Hill Brewery and Blacksburg Brewing Company.
What’s on the Horizon Crandall has ambitious future goals for increasing production and distribution. Currently, the brewery employs a reusable growler system. Future plans include building an additional production and bottling facility near the brewery. “We certainly recognize our shortcomings,” says general manager Chris Trotter. “We could have our beer all over the state at this point, and having a secondary facility in addition to our current brewery would be huge.”
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PAIRINGS The light crispness and carbonation of the Gold Leaf Lager will complement most dishes, from spinach salad to hearty pizza or onion rings. The Vienna Lager pairs well with sausage, burgers, and steaks because the juicy maltiness of the beer brings out the flavors in the meat. The Eight Point IPA can cut through spicy Indian food or hot habanero wings with its refreshing bitterness. The fruity banana and spicy clove notes of the Wintergreen Weiss Hefeweizen make an intriguing pairing with desserts, like bread pudding, cobblers, or banana pancakes.
Brewmaster Jason Oliver (above, at left) produces four year-round beers and four to six seasonal ones.
After the meteoric success of their first year, Crandall and his crew are excited about the future. “We’ve gotten a lot of support from the county, and we’ve been able to thrive despite the downturn in the economy,” says Crandall. “What’s even more rewarding than a national beer festival’s acknowledgment that we are producing some spectacular beers is that people like what we are doing and have welcomed us into the community.” Flavor editorial assistant Amber Davis developed an appreciation for local food, wine, and craft beer while a student at the University of Virginia.
Devils Backbone Brewing Company 200 Mosbys Run, Roseland, VA (434) 361-1001 dbbrewingcompany.com Seasonal beer on tap can be found at several other locations, including Fardowners in Crozet, Beer Run in Charlottesville, and The Edge at Wintergreen.
advertiser directory Al Hamraa Restaurant [p. 65] 929 2nd St. SE, Charlottesville, VA (434) 972-9907 www.alhamraa.net Albemarle Baking Co. [p. 21] 418 W. Main St., Charlottesville, VA (434) 293-6456 www.albemarlebakingco.com Alpaca Compost [p. 87] Gordonsville, VA (540) 832-3025 www.alpacacompost.com Angel Morton Photography [p. 59] (804) 317-5330 www.angelmorton.com Apartment 2g [p. 26] 206 S. Royal Ave., Front Royal, VA (540) 636-7306 www.jsgourmet.com Apple House [p. 26] 4675 John Marshall Hwy., Linden, VA (540) 636-6329 www.theapplehouse.net Barboursville Vineyards [p. 72] 17655 Winery Rd., Barboursville, VA (540) 832-9748 www.barboursvillewine.com Belle Meade Farm, School & B&B [p. 62] 353 F.T. Valley Rd., Sperryville, VA (540) 987-9748 www.bellemeade.net Big Bad Woof [p. 19] 117 Carroll St. NW, Washington, DC (202) 291-2404 www.thebigbadwoof.com Blenheim Vineyards [p. 83] 31 Blenheim Farm, Charlottesville, VA (434) 293-5366 www.blenheimvineyards.com Blue Ridge Meats [p. 27] 2391 Guard Hill Rd., Middletown, VA (540) 636-6050 www.blueridgemeats.com Boar’s Head Inn [p. 55] 200 Ednam Dr., Charlottesville, VA (434) 296-2181 www.boarsheadinn.com Brannock Built [p. 14] Linden, VA (540) 660-1619 www.brannockbuilt.com Bread & Brew [p. 70] 1247 20th St. NW, Washington, DC (202) 466-2676 www.breadandbrew.com Butcher’s Block Market [p. 41] 1600 King St., Alexandria, VA (703) 894-5253 www.butchersblockrw.com Central Coffee Roasters [p. 57] 11836 Lee Hwy., Sperryville, VA (877) 594-1006 www.centralcoffee.com Chesapeake Bay Distillery [p. 86] Virginia Beach, VA (757) 692-4083 www.chesapeakebaydistillery.com Chiusano Italian Table [p. 87] 110 E. Cameron St., Culpeper, VA (540) 727-7998 Cliffton Construction [p. 48] (540) 937-7416 Countryside Natural Products [p. 13] 1688 Jefferson Hwy. Fisherville, VA (540) 946-8080 www.countrysidenatural.com Culpeper Chamber of Commerce [p. 33] 109 S. Commerce St., Culpeper, VA (540) 825-8628 www.culpepervachamber.com
Delfosse [p. 85] 500 Delfosse Winery Ln., Faber, VA (434) 263-6100 www.delfossewine.com Edible Landscaping [p. 54] 361 Spirit Ridge Ln., Afton, VA (434) 361-9134 www.ediblelandscaping.com Feast [p. 47] 416 W. Main St., Charlottesville, VA (434) 244-7800 www.feastvirginia.com Fireworks Pizza [p. 1] 201 Harrison St. SE, Leesburg, VA (703) 779-8400 www.fireworkspizza.com Fleurir Hand Grown Chocolates [p. 65] (804) 577-3819 www.fleurirchocolates.com See ad on p. 65. Food Matters [p. 43] 4906 Brenman Park Dr. Alexandria, VA (703) 461-3663 www.foodmattersva.com Foti’s Restaurant [p. 21] 219 E. Davis St., Culpeper, VA (540) 829-8400 www.fotisrestaurant.com Fountain Hall Bed & Breakfast [p. 32] 609 S. East St., Culpeper, VA (800) 298-4748 www.fountainhall.com Frenchman’s Corner [p. 33] 129 E. Davis St., Culpeper, VA (540) 825-8025 www.frenchmancorner.com Froggy Spring Farm [p. 87] 95 Nethers Rd., Sperryville, VA (540) 987-9230 Front Royal Visitors Center [p. 27] 414 E. Main St., Front Royal, VA (540) 635-5788 www.discoverfrontroyal.com Funk Brothers Furniture [p. 46] 1304 E. Market St., Charlottesville, VA (434) 293-9562 www.funkbrothersfurniture.com Georgie Mae’s [p. 32] 154 E. Davis St., Culpeper, VA (540) 825-0032 Glen Manor Vineyards [p. 26] 2244 Browntown Rd. Front Royal, VA (540) 635-6324 www.glenmanorvineyards.com Golden Blends BBQ [p. 26] Front Royal, VA www.goldenblendsbbq.com Green Nest [p. 33] 102 N. Main St., Culpeper, VA (540) 829-6378 www.greennestva.blogspot.com
Greenway Beef [p. 87] 1392 S. Genito Rd., Burkeville, VA (804) 836-8567 www.greenwaybeef.com Greenwood Gourmet Grocery [p. 57] 6701 Rockfish Gap Tpk., Crozet, VA (540) 456-6431 www.greenwoodgourmet.com Griffin Tavern & Restaurant [p. 72] 659 Zachary Taylor Hwy. Flint Hill, VA (540) 675-3227 www.griffintavern.com Gunpowder Bison & Trading [p. 6] 1270 Monkton Rd., Monkton, MD (410) 343-2277 www.gunpowderbison.com Hearthstone School [p. 14] 11576 Lee Hwy., Sperryville, VA (540) 987-9212 www.hearthstoneschool.org Henselstone Window & Door Systems [p. 51] Amissville, VA (540) 937-5796 www.henselstone.com Home Farm Store [p.43] 1 Washington St., Middleburg, VA (540) 687-8882 www.homefarmstores.com Hopkins Ordinary [p. 18] 47 Main St., Sperryville, VA (540) 987-3383 www.hopkinsordinary.com Jefferson Vineyards [p. 66] 1353 Thomas Jefferson Pkwy. Charlottesville, VA (800) 272-3042 www.jeffersonvineyards.com Jordan River Farm [p. 9] Huntly, VA (540) 636-4775 www.jordanriverfarm.com
Kid Pan Alley [p. 47] www.kidpanalley.org King Family Vineyards [p. 68] 6550 Roseland Farm, Crozet, VA (434) 823-7800 www.kingfamilyvineyards.com Krishon Chocolates [p. 12] (352) 283-9740 www.krishon.com The Local [p. 7] 824 Hinton Ave., Charlottesville, VA (434) 984-9749 www.thelocal-cville.com The Local Flavor [p. 37] Rappahannock, VA www.farmbuyersclub.com Loudoun Farms [p. 61] (703) 777-0426 www.loudounfarms.org Lula Blu Boutique [p. 32] 141 E. Davis St., Culpeper, VA (540) 727-2020 www.lulablu.com Magnolias at the Mill [p. 1] 198 N. 21st St., Purcellville, VA (540) 338-9800 www.magnoliasmill.com Main Street Market [p. 2] 416 W. Main St., Charlottesville, VA www.themainstmarket.com Makeup Serenity [p. 12] 102 N. Main St. #200, Culpeper, VA (540) 522-0777 www.makeupserenity.com Market Street Wine Shop [p. 81] 311 E. Market St., Charlottesville, VA (434) 979-9463 1448 Seminole Tr., Charlottesville, VA (434) 964-9463 www.marketstreetwine.com
Mas [p. 37] 501 Monticello Rd. Charlottesville, VA (434) 981-8195 www.mastapas.com Meet the Farmer TV [p. 88] watch.meetthefarmer.tv MJM Photography [p. 85] (540) 547-4201 www.mjmphotography.biz Mom’s Apple Pie [p. 24] 126 A Commerce St., Occoquan, VA (703) 497-7437 220 Loudoun St. SE, Leesburg, VA (703) 771-8590 www.momsapplepieco.com MOM’s Organic Market [inside front cover] Multiple Locations www.myorganicmarket.com Mount Vernon Farm [p. 7] 206 Mount Vernon Ln., Sperryville, VA (540) 987-9559 www.mountvernonfarm.net Mount Welby [p. 53] Linden, VA (540) 364-9000 www.mountwelby.com Mountain Laurel Montessori School [p. 54] 23 Sunny Slope Ln., Flint Hill, VA (540) 636-4257 www.mountainlaurelmontessori.org Mountain Massage [p. 26] 402 Virginia Ave., Front Royal, VA (540) 636-4551 Oak Spring Dairy [p. 12] 8370 Oak Spring Rd., Upperville, VA (540) 592-3559 www.oakspringdairy.com
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advertiser directory Occasions Caterers [p. 79] 5458 3rd St. NE, Washington, DC (202) 546-7400 www.occasionscaterers.com Paul Harris Tree Services [p. 48] Rappahannock, VA (540) 987-9871 harristreecare@verizon.net Pepperberries [p. 33] 102 N. Main St. #101, Culpeper, VA (540) 829-2290 www.pepperberriesva.com Piedmont Environmental Council [p. 88] www.pecva.org Purple Mountain Organics [p. 19] Takoma Park, MD (301) 891-2488 www.purplemountainorganics.com Rappahannock Cellars [p. 46] 14437 Hume Rd., Huntly, VA (540) 635-9398 www.rappahannockcellars.com Rappahannock Natural Foods Co-op [p. 4] 3 River Ln., Sperryville, VA (540) 987-9699 www.rnf.coop Ravens Nest [p. 32] 254 E. Davis St., Culpeper, VA (540) 827-4185 Rebecca’s Natural Food [p. 10] Barracks Road Shopping Center Charlottesville, VA (434) 977-1965 www.rebeccasnaturalfood.com Red Fox Inn [p. 61] 2 E. Washington St., Middleburg, VA (540) 687-6301 www.redfox.com
Red Truck Bakery & Market [p. 57] 22 Waterloo St., Warrenton, VA (540) 347-2224 www.redtruckbakery.com R.H. Ballard [p. 59] 307 Main St., Washington, VA (540) 675-1411 www.rhballard.com Roscoe’s Pizzeria [p. 19] 7040 Carroll Ave., Takoma Park, MD (301) 920-0804 www.roscoespizzeria.com Route 11 Potato Chips [back cover] 11 Edwards Way, Mount Jackson, VA (540) 477-9664 www.rt11.com Roy Wheeler Realty [p. 50] 37 C Main St., Sperryville, VA (540) 987-8500 www.cheriwoodard.com Sacred Plant Traditions [p. 13] Charlottesville, VA (434) 295-3820 www.sacredplanttraditions.com Sara Schneidman [p. 32] 122 E. Davis St., Culpeper, VA (540) 825-0034 www.saraschneidman.com Shenandoah Joe Coffee Roasters [p. 37] 945 Preston Ave., Charlottesville, VA (434) 295-4563 2214 Ivy Rd., Charlottesville, VA (434) 923-4563 www.shenandoahjoe.com Slow Food Vast Wine Fundraiser Front Royal, VA www.slowfoodvastwine.org
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SQN Communications [p. 64] 3 Royal St. SE, Leesburg, VA (703) 737-6300 www.sqncommunications.com The Still Point [p. 19] 7009 Carroll Ave., Lower Level Takoma Park, MD (301) 920-0801 www.stillpointmindandbody.com Stoneybrook Organic Farm [p. 21] 37091 Charlestown Pk., Hillsboro, VA (540) 668-9067 www.stoneybrookfarm.org Stonyman Gourmet Farmer [p. 72] 337 Gay St., Washington, VA (540) 860-9090 Sugarleaf Vineyards [p. 66] 3613 Walnut Branch Ln. North Garden, VA (434) 984-4272 www.sugarleafvineyards.com T&E Meats [p. 56] 256 Charles St., Harrisonburg, VA (540) 434-9920 www.temeat.com Takoma Park Silver Spring Co-op [p. 19] 201 Ethan Allen Ave. Takoma Park, MD (301) 891-2667 8309 Grubb Rd., Silver Spring, MD (240) 247-2667 www.tpss.coop Tarara Winery [p. 70] 13648 Tarara Ln., Leesburg, VA (703) 771-7100 www.tarara.com Tastings of Charlottesville [p. 73] 502 E. Market St., Charlottesville, VA (434) 293-3663 www.tastingsofcville.com
Tea, Lace & Roses [p. 32] 123 W. Davis St., Culpeper, VA (540) 829-9700 www.tealaceandroses.com Thibaut-Janisson [p. 56] (434) 996-3307 www.tjwinery.com Thornton River Grille [p. 11] 3710 Sperryville Pk., Sperryville, VA (540) 987-8790 www.thorntonrivergrille.com Todd’s Dirt [p. 56] Severna Park, MD www.toddsdirt.com Toigo Orchards [p. 43] 750 S. Mountain Estates Rd. Shippensburg, PA (888) 323-8884 www.toigoorchards.com Tranquil Soul [p. 19] 7014 B Westmoreland Ave. Takoma Park, MD (240) 254-5250 www.tranquilsoul.com Triple Oak Bakery [p. 87] 11692 A Lee Hwy., Sperryville, VA (540) 987-9122 www.tripleoakbakery.com Turkey Hill Stables [p. 14] 268 Fletcher’s Mill Rd., Woodville, VA (540) 987-9778 Tuscarora Mill [p. 1] 203 Harrison St. SE, Leesburg, VA (703) 771-9300 www.tuskies.com Unicorn Winery [p. 68] 489 Old Bridge Rd., Amissville, VA (540) 349-5885 www.unicornwinery.com
Veritas Winery [p. 68] 151 Veritas Ln., Afton, VA (540) 456-8000 www.veritaswines.com Village Winery & Vineyards [p. 72] 40405 Browns Ln., Waterford, VA (540) 882-3780 www.villagewineryandvineyards.com Vino e Formaggio [p. 26] 124 E. Main St., Front Royal, VA (540) 635-2812 www.vinoeformaggio.com Vintage 50 [p. 64] 50 Catoctin Cr. NE, Leesburg, VA (703) 777-2169 www.vintage50.com Virginia Farm Bureau [p. 25] www.saveourfoodfestival.com Virginia Truffle Growers [p. 41] Rixeyville, VA (540) 937-9881 www.virginiatrufflegrowers.com Virginia Wine of the Month Club [p. 73] (800) 826-0534 www.vawineclub.com Wasmund’s Whisky [inside back cover] 9 River Ln., Sperryville, VA (540) 987-8554 www.copperfox.biz White Hall [p. 68] 5282 Sugar Ridge Rd., Crozet, VA (434) 823-8615 www.whitehallvineyards.com The Wine Kitchen [p. 81] 7 S. King St., Leesburg, VA (703) 777-9463 www.thewinekitchen.com WMRA/ NPR [p. 15] www.wmra.org
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