August 2023

BA | 4,671 SQFT | 18.31 AC. Experience unique Oakland, a turnkey, private horse property. This fabulous property includes 18.31 fully fenced acres, and a beautiful home tastefully renovated in 1996 keeping the original 1731 structure. Extensive hardscape makes the immediate yard and pool extremely private while opening the property to mountain views.

SOLD!

“Within a short period of time we knew Rocky Westfall was the right agent to help us sell our lots in Loudoun County. His leadership, confidence, experience, knowledge, humor and people skills were invaluable and made him a pleasure to work with” - John and Vickie

Team members - Nicole Price, Anne Michael Greene & Eric Morrison

Anne Michael Greene | 540-364-9500 | amg@amgreenerealtor.com

Nicole Price | 540-364-5282 | nicole@atokaproperties.com

Eric Morrison | 540-364-5876 | eric.morrison@atokaproperties.com

Call 540-364-9500 | amgreeneco.com | 8390 West Main St. | Marshall, VA 20115

BRITTANY HARTZ REALTOR® Licensed in VA 540.212.3773 brittany@ middleburgrealestate. com

13772 CREST HILL RD | FLINT HILL, VA $515,000

3 BD | 3/2 BA | 2,296 SQFT | 14.6 AC | This must see property sits on 14.78 acres surrounded by beautiful mountain views less than one mile from Flint Hill in a very peaceful setting. The three bedroom two bathroom house has had recent updates including a new roof and new siding. Enjoy the spacious fenced back yard and deck overlooking the rolling fields and Blue Ridge Mountains in the distance. The property includes a spring- fed pond, barn structure with water and power and a full basement with a separate entrance.

ANNE MICHAEL GREENE & CO.

PUBLISHER: Greenhill Media, LLC

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Kaitlin Hill | kaitlin@middleburglife.com

COPY EDITOR & DIGITAL ASSISTANT Susan Stark

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR | PUBLISHER

Christian Bentley christian@middleburglife.com

ADVERTISING SALES REPRESENTATIVES

Sophie Aros | sophie@middleburglife.com

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Jennifer Richards | jennifer@middleburglife.com

ACCOUNTS ADMINISTRATOR

Joanne Maisano

DESIGNER: Elisa Hernandez

PRODUCTION DIRECTOR: Nicky Marshok

ON THE COVER

Bluewater Cocina, set to open mid-August, shared a preview of their menu with Middleburg Life in July. To read more about the new eatery, turn to page 6. Photo by Gracie Withers.

ON THIS PAGE

Sabrina Trout of the Bluewater Kitchen team puts the finishing touch on a refreshing summer margarita. Photo by Gracie Withers.

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CONTRIBUTORS

Heidi Baumstark has been writing for several lifestyle magazines and newspaper publications since 2005, specializing in history-related articles highlighting Virginia’s Piedmont. She has been with Middleburg Life since 2014. Over the years, she has featured hundreds of businesses, leaders, residents, historical sights, lectures, heritage programs, and museums in her work. Heidi hopes to inspire readers to pause and consider the people, places, and events that have shaped the story of our local history.

Michael Butcher is the owner of Butcher Photography. Originally from Christchurch, New Zealand, he resides in Springfield, Virginia, with his family. For the past 15 years, Michael has specialized in portraiture, event, and editorial photography. When not behind the lens, he enjoys gardening and swimming.

Diane Helentjaris chose Loudoun as her “forever home” in 1990 after experiencing Ohio, Michigan, Montreal, San Francisco, and New Jersey. Following years as a clinical physician and public health administrator, she returned to her humanities roots. A finalist in the 2020 Icelandic Writers Retreat, her book “The Indenture of Ivy O’Neill” comes out in June. Diane also writes a monthly newsletter, The Silk Mill, which is dedicated to those in love with fabric in all its glory.

Lia Hobel is a freelance journalist, known in town for her blog, Uplift Loudoun, which she launched during the start of the pandemic to share uplifting stories. In addition to her work for Middleburg Life, Lia writes periodically for online platforms with articles appearing on GOBankingRates, Forbes, Huffington Post, and Yahoo! Lia began her career as a broadcast journalist, but left TV news when she moved to Leesburg, Virginia, with her family. She is a Loudoun 40 Under 40 honoree and a Certified Tourism Ambassador for the county.

Dulcy Hooper and her husband Richard moved to the country from Washington, D.C., nearly ten years ago. Shortly thereafter, both began writing occasional articles for Middleburg Life. Dogs are a big part of the Hoopers’ lives and several of Dulcy’s earlier articles focused on the couple’s Chinese crested powderpuffs!

Victoria Peace is a recent graduate of Georgetown University and holds a degree in French and Art History. On the weekends, she frequently visits her family in The Plains. In her free time, she enjoys playing polo with Twilight Polo Club, riding with the Georgetown Equestrian Team, gardening, walking her family's dogs at Sky Meadows State Park, and visiting her retired horse, Taco. Her perfect “Hunt Country” day would include a stop at the local farmers market in The Plains, a trip to her favorite Middleburg antique stores, and a sunset trail ride in the Virginia countryside.

Callie Broaddus is a Warrenton native and graduate of the University of Virginia with a degree in Architecture. After seven years as a book designer at National Geographic Kids, Callie founded the nonprofit, Reserva: The Youth Land Trust, in 2019. Callie’s land preservation projects and focus on youth empowerment are aided by her talent for storytelling through her camera lens as a professional photographer. In her spare time, Callie enjoys Earl Grey tea, Harry Potter trivia, and dreaming of getting back into the jumper ring.

Bill Kent’s journalism has appeared in more than 40 national and regional publications including the Washington Post, Art & Antiques, Philadelphia Magazine, Baltimore Magazine, New Jersey Monthly, and The Hunt. A former correspondent for the New York Times, he taught writing and journalism at the University of Pennsylvania, Rutgers, and Temple universities, and is the author of seven novels, a Fodor’s Guide, and a history of Atlantic City. After graduating from Oberlin College with majors in English and Religion, he published his first piece in The Georgetowner. When not writing, he enjoys walking his westies on Washington Street.

Carlo Massimo is a reporter based in Washington, D.C., and a columnist at InformationWeek. A poet and literary translator outside work, his book-length translations of Mario Scalesi and Salvatore Mugno are due in 2024. Carlo joined Middleburg Life in April 2023.

Beth Rasin graduated from Middlebury College, where she studied nonfiction creative writing. She worked as a writer and editor at The Chronicle of the Horse for more than 25 years, including 10 years as the president and executive editor. As a freelancer, she’s contributed since 2015 to Middleburg Life, as well as Northern Virginia magazine, Blue Ridge Outdoors, the former Loudoun magazine, and many others. She lives in Hume, where she and her husband and daughter run a boarding facility for retired horses. She enjoys running, hiking, and spending time with her many adopted dogs and cats.

Will Thompson is a writer and photographer interested in all things related to nature, conservation, and outdoor recreation. He has worked in communications and project management roles in renewable energy, international development, and mission-driven journalism. Will graduated from the College of Charleston in 2010 with a B.A. in Communications.

Gracie Withers is a local photographer who grew up in the village of Aldie and has been photographing local weddings, portraits, and events since 2016. She was a contributing photographer at Georgetown University for over three years and also has a wide variety of experience in sports photography. Her passion began when she received her first camera in middle school and she continued to study the craft in high school and in college. She joined Middleburg Life as a contributor in the spring of 2022.

Staggering. That’s the word we see most when describing the cost of long-term care. Here are some numbers to give you an idea: By plugging in the 20117 zip code in the Genworth Cost of Care Tool, the monthly range of coverage starting with in-home care is $5,664, an assisted living facility is $6,310, and a private room in a nursing home is $13,844. So yes, staggering is an apt word to use.

Americans turning 65 today have a 52% chance of needing long-term care services yet less than 5% of Americans have any coverage or plan in place.

Now if you are like a lot of people, you are filing this statistic under the heading of “WARNING-SCARY-MORTALITY-IGNORE” and we don’t blame you. It is unsettling.

The good news is there are solutions for care in your dotage. Below are a few options which can be tailored specifically to your unique situation be it a true need for long-term care, legacy planning, asset protection or a combination of these.

1.) The Traditional Long-Term care coverage approach is probably what most folks are familiar with. It can be likened to car insurance or term life insurance. You pay an annual fee for a certain amount of coverage in the future. In the past, carriers have woefully underestimated care costs resulting in annual premiums increasing more than expected. This has given long-term care coverage a bad rap (and rightfully so). Fortunately, LTC companies seem to have a better handle on pricing future care costs than they did in prior years. The drawback here is if you never use it, you lose it.

2.) Asset based Long-Term Care is a form of hybrid long-term care insurance which is comprised of a cash value asset and has a life insurance death benefit rider. You may fund this type of option with either a single upfront premium payment or with scheduled annual premiums. At the very start of your policy, the premium you have paid into the policy becomes your long-term care benefit pool and provides an initial significantly increased monthly benefit. If you never use the long-term care benefit on these policies, your loved ones are still entitled to an income tax free death benefit which is typically equal to or more than the premium paid. You may also access the cash value in the policy should you need it or decide not to continue with the policy (surrender charges may apply). The focus with this solution is long-term care coverage with the life insurance as an added perk.

3.) Life Insurance with a Long-Term Care Rider is a permanent cash value life insurance policy with a rider that allows you to pull a certain amount from the death benefit to cover long-term care costs. This is a versatile solution in that it forces you to build cash value within the policy, provides income tax free death benefit, and long-term care. This is a great option for someone who wishes to leave a legacy behind for their children or for a charity while at the same time protecting their other assets from care costs.

Let’s be very clear. The above descriptions of these long-term care solutions are scratching the surface. There are so many considerations when you are thinking about long-term care insurance. Is it a cash indemnity policy? Is there inflation protection? Can family members get reimbursed for care? Can I pay out of my HSA account and do I get a tax deduction? The list goes on and it’s crucial that you work with someone who carefully considers your situation and these specific questions.

Eldercare is becoming a crisis in the United States as our boomers age. While places like Westminster Canterbury or Orchard Ridge are really great options, they often have long waiting lists and at the end of the day, they are not your home. The majority of elders would prefer to remain in their homes if that is an option. If you can’t self-insure, these new solutions are worth having a conversation about and learning how one might help you and your family.

Lucy Zimmerman, CFP®

Tom Wiseman

Bluewater CoCina: Casual Cuisine in an Enchanting Setting

Imagine a feast of fresh ingredients picked only a few feet from your seat surrounded by plants, herbs, and flowers, right in the historic district of downtown Middleburg. Bluewater Cocina, slated to open mid-August, will offer just that in the form of tacos, seasonal margaritas, wine, and beer served in the gardens of Nature Composed, a lovely little garden shop and floral design studio at 12 South Pendleton Street.

Bluewater Cocina is owned by Christina Kozich and her husband, Michael Kozich, of Bluewater Kitchen, a boutique, full-service catering and event company which opened in 2013. In November 2019, an opportunity popped up for the couple to open The Market at Bluewater Kitchen, a charming market in Upperville with creative grab-and-go meals, catering, tailgate party menus made completely from scratch, specialty baked goods, and locally curated finds of Bluewater | Page 7

Coming soon! Bluewater Cocina is slated to open mid-August.

Written by Heidi Baumstark

Photos by Gracie Withers

jams, sauces, drinks, and gifts. “The Market is our home base,” says Christina Kozich. “It’s where it all happens and it’s the heart of the operation.” When opportunity came knocking again, the husband and wife team answered by expanding their culinary empire into Nature Composed’s backyard with the help of the shop’s owner, Jenn Pineau.

Kozich explains, “Jenn and I have become

good friends and I’ve seen her take that building [Nature Composed] from bare bones and turn it into her vibe in such an experiential space. We’re very excited about being there!”

Kozich and Pineau’s working relationship stems from the early days of Bluewater’s catering business when Kozich and her team rented the upper level of Nature Composed to host tastings and rental appointments, before opening The Market at Bluewater Kitchen.

Though the Koziches moved to Upperville, the relationship with Pineau remained. Pineau still designs the window boxes in front of The Market at Bluewater Kitchen using flowers from her Madison County farm.

In 2021, Kozich and crew started selling their signature tacos at the Hunt Country Farmer’s Market at Buchanan Hall on Wednesday evenings. “Everyone loved our tacos,” Kozich remembers. “We got a lot of positive feedback, and since we run tacos as a special at The Market, we thought tacos could be our focus for Bluewater Cocina.” She continues, “I thought there was a

need for more casual, affordable options while still giving people great food and great hospitality. Because when you work in Middleburg — you eat in Middleburg. As the area grows, we wanted to offer more approachable options for a broader audience.”

Pineau adds, “I was putting the word out about leasing the backyard of my shop, and Christina was the first to say ‘yes.’” She continues, “Christina’s going to do it the right way; they know how to do business. We have a nice, collaborative relationship.” Not only providing location, Pineau will contribute to the new spot’s ingredient list, too. “And we’re growing lots of plants in the backyard of the shop for their tacos and tequila drinks, including herbs, peppers, tomatillos, tomatoes, and microgreens. In the middle of a historic district, you can only plant so much in a small place; but I like to think we’re also growing relationships and gatherings,” she finishes. The garden setting will include patio dining,

Left: Jenn Pineau and Christina Kozich. Right: Shrimp tacos on homemade tortillas.

Bluewater | From page 6 Bluewater | Page 8

Bluewater | From page 7

under the covered pergola with hanging vines and café string lighting, or at tables in the garden. “People love being in the backyard,” Pineau notes. “A space where people come together with food and plants. There’s so much life there.”

Menu items include an impressive list of taco varieties, salad

serts created by their pastry chef will be seasonally influenced, too.

The drinks are thoughtfully crafted as well. Margaritas are made with tequila and fresh-squeezed juices, not premade mixes. Summer margarita examples are blueberry and basil. Other cocktails will include mezcal, a smoky-type spirit much like tequila.

Those who don’t have the time to enjoy the charming patio can take the party on the road with taco boxes, chip platters, and margarita pitchers. To-go options are perfect for tailgates or family gatherings.

bowls, chips, and salsas, plus a rotating menu of fresh-catch fish tacos. Bluewater works with sustainable fisheries that overnight fresh-caught product. The culinary team will be preparing their own ceviche, salsa, and guacamole with ingredients that change with the seasons. Des-

Kozich shares, “I want customers to walk away happy. Gathering around a table with good food and friends is where memories are made. I want people to think, ‘Ok… when are we coming back?’”

For more information on the new eatery, visit bluewatercocina. com or call (540) 326-1719. For info on catering and The Market at Bluewater Kitchen, visit themarketatbluewaterkitchen.com ML

Top: Many dishes will be made with ingredients straight from the Nature Composed garden. Bottom: The Bluewater Cocina team celebrates the new project with Pineau. Right: The patio setting has a bar perfect for enjoying cocktails.

Washington St. | P.O. Box 1380 | Middleburg, VA 20118 | 540.687.5588 | sheridanmacmahon.com

from throughout | | 6 kitchen | cottage lighted stream, acres

110 E. Washington St. | P.O. Box 1380 | Middleburg, VA 20118 | 540.687.5588 | sheridanmacmahon.com

HICKORY TREE FARM

THE PLAINS, VIRGINIA

304 acres | Main house, stunning guest house w/ garage, 2 tenant houses, manager’s house, apartment complex, pool, 5 barns, approx 60 stalls, 3/4 mile all weather sand track, pond & extensive paddocks, fencing & sheds | Panoramic views of Bull Run Mountains & the Blue Ridge Mountains | Original home site still surrounded by towering trees, garden & stone walls

SPRING GLADE

$7,950,000

Helen MacMahon 540.454.1930

MIddLEBuRG, VIRGINIA

MIDWOOD

THE PLAINS, VIRGINIA

64 acres on a lake in two parcels and extensive Little River frontage between Middleburg and The Plains Elegant French Country stone home with a slate roof Very well-appointed home with large rooms for entertaining and an elevator 5 bedrooms, including two large suites with balconies Full compound includes a large pool with spa and spacious pool house, pavilion, tennis court, gazebo, barn with two apartments, equipment building/garage and 2 generators | All major systems updated Open fields and rolling pasture with extensive wooded trails in prime Orange County Hunt territory

French Country home, with renovations in 1999 & 2017 | 4 BR, 5 full & 2 half BA, 5 FP, hardwood floors, flagstone terrace | Beautiful drive to hilltop stetting overlooking pond, lake & mountains | Im provements include pool, 2-car garage, 2 BR guest house & apartment | Lovely boxwood gardens | Kitchen allowance to be provided | 79.89 acres

Paul MacMahon 703.609.1905

ATOKA STORE

FULTON RUN

MIDDLEBURG, VIRGINIA

SALEM HILL

MARSHALL, VIRGINIA

Middleburg Hunt location House built in 2020, Amish built, quality construction, frame exterior and metal roof 3 BR, 3 1/2 BA, 11 ft ceilings, moldings, tons of light Antique french doors from the Heinz family estate | 50 acres are gently rolling & useable | 40 acres are fenced 4 large paddocks & 3 small holding fields | 24x48 barn/farm structure w/ tack room, 24 x 14 run in shed, 12 x36 2-bay run in shed w/ feed room, 12 x14 tack room Mountain views, koi pond $2,982,250

Paul MacMahon 703.609.1905

$4,900,000

Helen MacMahon 540.454.1930

Well protected Fauquier location | 6 bedrooms | 4 full and 2 half baths | 3 fireplaces | Great views | Pool with large flagstone terrace | Large county kitchen | 4-car detached garage with apartment/ office | 9-stall barn | Covered arena | Outdoor ring | 4 stall shed row barn | 51 fenced acres

Brian MacMahon 703.609.1868

$3,690,000

Mahon

GLENDONNELL

CATESBY VINEYARD

203 acres in River frontage 4 full & 3 1/2 Gunnite pool and private | 5 stall Jim paddocks, pasture | Old d

helen MacMahon 540.454.1930

MARSHALL, VIRGINIA

Property has been a landmark for community for decades Major frontage on Route 50 & Atoka Rd Commercial kitchen, beer cooler, grocery items, pizza oven, in store seating | Potential to be very lucrative Property also improved by older home, old gas station has been renovated for potential office space or storage & stone spring house | 2 lots w/ commercial village zoning.

$2,700,000

Paul MacMahon 703.609.1905

Brian MacMahon 703.609.1868

WARRENTON, VIRGINIA

Built in 1918 Features light-filled rooms, a center hallway with arched doorways leading to the living room, dining room, and 2nd floor Kitchen gives the gourmet cook all the amenities for efficient food prep | dining and living rooms are perfect | 5 wood-burning fireplaces A separate office and gym on the first floor Four bedrooms, 2 full baths on the 2nd floor, 2 half on the first | The home has a rear stone patio for outdoor generating—a detached garage with room for additional storage | Oil radiator heat, town sewer and water | 1.14 Acres

$1,700,000

Lynn Wiley 540.454.1527

GAME CREEK

104 & 106 PENDLETON STREET

MIDDLEBURG, VIRGINIA

MIddLEBuRG, VIRGINIA

RECTORTOWN ROAD

MARSHALL, VIRGINIA

UPPERVILLE, VIRGINIA

44.55 acres of which 15 acres are producing grapes | 8.5 acres of Chambourcin, Traminette on 4.3 acres and Vidal Blanc on 2.1 acres. Vineyard infrastructure includes fencing, irrigation system and computerized well | Perc site for 4 bedroom home. Property is in conservation easement | Property can be converted to Residential use.

$1,300,000

Paul MacMahon 703.609.1905

Brian MacMahon 703.609.1868

HALCYON HILL

FOREST HILL ROAD

RECTORTOWN, VIRGINIA

BLUEMONT, VIRGINIA

Rare opportunity 2 recorded lots with C-3 zoning in the town of Middleburg 2 separate buildings with 8 offices, 5 storage bays and ample parking

All buildings are in excellent condition

$1,250,000

Paul MacMahon 703.609.1905

Brian MacMahon 703.609.1868

A remarkable property located within a private enclave just minutes from town | Stone and stucco manor house with main level master suite | 7 additional BR | 5 stone FP | Beautiful gardens, terraces, salt water pool, cabana, carriage house & stable with 2 paddocks | Lovely finishes throughout & sweeping lawn to private trails to Goose Creek | 31 acres | Private, elegant & convenient

Lovely country home on private lot in the village of Rectortown FIBER INTERNET Open floor plan with main level suite and home office Upper level overlooks large family room with two story vaulted ceiling and stone fireplace and two large bedrooms and second family room Multiple porches and decks with extensive plantings - easy maintenance.

$1,100,000

Helen MacMahon 540.454.1930

$2,650,000

helen MacMahon 540.454.1930

17 acres of rolling pasture land in the village of Rectortown | Convenient to both Routes 50 & 66 | Newly renovated | Private setting with magnificent mountain views | 4 bedrooms, 4 full bath, 1 half bath, 2 fireplaces | Heated pool & spa | 2 bedroom guest house | Large shed & 2-car garage

East side of Blue Ridge, all wooded, old logging trail, could clear views of Loudoun Valley and Bull Run Mountains 10.94 acres, easy access to Routes 7 and 50 Tough to match the seclusion.

$250,000

Paul MacMahon 703.609.1905

Brian MacMahon 703.609.1868

$2,475,000

Paul MacMahon 703.609.1905

dELAPLANE, Circa 1850’s rebuilt at beams and Barn also 2 bedroom multiple building outside Paul

MEET YOUR NEIGHBOR: TARA JENSEN TALKS FLOUR POWER

Over the next few weeks, Hamilton-based baker Tara Jensen will do a baking popup at the Hamilton Mercantile and a baking workshop at the Ballenger Farm. Jensen, Southern Living’s 2021 Cook of the Year, will also deliver the manuscript of her third cookbook, “Pizza Practice.” (Her second, “Flour Power,” made several 2022 best cookbook lists, including the Washington Post’s.)

Why pizza?

“I’ve read 45 books about pizza and they were all written by men,” she says over coffee at Doppio Bunny, a Purcellville coffee shop where she likes to do her writing.

That, and, when she went to Italy to learn the art, “I saw women making pizza with one hand and holding a baby on their hips with the other. It was very inspirational.”

Add to that the fact that she genuinely loves pizza, spending two days making the dough from freshly ground small-batch grains and dressing the pie with “yard sauce” — olive oil with freshly chopped herbs and spices — fresh mozzarella, and edible flowers.

One more reason: In her first cookbook, “A Baker’s Year,” Jensen wrote about Sunday night pizza parties at her bakery high up in the North Carolina mountains. Among the guests invited by a mutual friend was Marley Green, a civil engineer whose pickup truck broke down in her driveway.

“I was suspicious at first,” Jensen recalls. “I said to myself, ‘I can’t date this guy if he doesn’t take care of his truck.’” She found out soon enough that he did take care of his truck and the breakdown was not his fault. They have been married for six years now and have a 3-year-old daughter, Violet. After a sojourn in Wise County, Virginia, where Green was finishing a planning assignment and Jensen did online baking workshops, they and their two dogs moved to a Hamilton farm that has been in Green’s family for three generations.

Some other plans are on hold, including a trip to the Loire Valley to learn French baking techniques and the speech Jensen was to give at the annual Mid-Atlantic Grain Fair and Conference in Washington, D.C., because Jensen is about to give birth to twins.

“We haven’t picked the names yet. We named Violet after a flower, so we’re thinking of flowers.”

Jensen is also thinking about a place for a storefront in Hunt Country. Having worked in and owned bakeries for most of her life, she is not sure exactly where or when it will open, but,

during quiet moments, she sees herself and her children inhabiting an upstairs room above the bakery, where she writes as her children play. Downstairs will be her portable grain mill and wood-burning oven.

Of Hamilton she says, “It’s been incredible.” She continues, “I’ve found my place to be. This is home.”

Jensen was born and educated in Maine. Aspiring to a career in the arts, she earned a degree in human ecology from the Bar Harbor’s College of the Atlantic and worked part-time at a local bakery. Her interest in art and baking converged to the point that she saw them as nearly identical pursuits. She worked her way through a handful of bakeries on both the East and West Coasts, eventually starting her own bakery, Smoke Signals, near Asheville in Marshall, North Carolina, where her work attracted the attention of food and travel writers.

Though Jensen’s writing can verge on the mystical — “As we make bread, we make ourselves,” she says in “A Baker’s Year” — she supports her methods with a factual, scientific understanding of why her techniques work so well.

Part of this is due to a web presence that began with a YouTube channel with online demos and workshops and now includes a website and Instagram page with well over 110,000 visitors.

Glance at some of the food pictures and the first thing you notice is how good it looks. Jensen does not use a food cosmetologist. What you see on her web pages is what comes out of the oven.

Long before home baking became such a doit-yourself pandemic relief that grocery stores ran out of flour and yeast, Tara Jensen was getting phone calls at all hours, not just from the United States, but throughout the English-speaking world, from amateur bakers begging for advice. The subject of articles as well as a recipe contributor to Bon Appétit, Southern Living, and the Washington Post, Jensen was dubbed by one food critic “the sourdough whisperer.”

She gets about 80 students at a time in her online baking classes. Her weekend workshops at Ballenger Farm get about eight students who, according to Ballenger Manager Elizabeth Andrews, tend to come from everywhere but Hunt Country.

“It’s amazing to me that we have the real deal living right in our own backyard and people don’t know it,” Andrews says. “We get people from New York, California, and Europe who come only to

Flour | Page 11

Written by Bill Kent | Photos by Gracie Withers Tara Jensen shows off her bread baking skills at a recent workshop.

take Tara’s workshops.”

Andrews acknowledges that the word is getting out. “When Tara does a pop-up at the [Hamilton] Mercantile, you can’t find a parking space. When I can’t get there, she saves things for me.”

A favorite goodie for Andrews? “I get the biggest surprises from things that you would normally take for granted, like pita bread. I’ve had pita millions of times. But when Tara makes it, you feel like you’re tasting it for the first time. You taste it, and it’s like, now you know what it’s supposed to be.”

In the words of Washington Post food writer Becky Krystal, “for the bread baker or wannabe in your life, I can’t imagine a better teacher.”

For Eleanor Marshall, a professional baker based in the New Gorge region of West Virginia, Jensen is different from other bakers and do-ityourself foodie explainers.

“She offers a depth of information for true understanding, rather than just a cut and dried recipe to follow. She even includes diagrams of each part of a grain berry.” Marshall continues, “You can tell that Tara has a background as an artist, because her baked goods are so beautiful.”

Marshall did not find Jensen on the internet. She was given Jensen’s “Flour Power” cookbook by a professional chef. She eventually took a weekend workshop with Jensen at Ballenger Farm.

“We made a sourdough sandwich loaf and a

marbled deli rye. There was a crazy windstorm and all the power went out the night before we needed to bake! We scrambled to find candles. The power still hadn’t come back by the morning, but since Tara brought her own wood-burning oven, we could bake with a wood fire and make beautiful loaves. It really felt good to be self-sufficient in that small way.”

Lynne Anderson, an amateur baker from Waterford, now sells croissants at Waterford’s Corner Store after taking Jensen’s croissant workshop.

“Tara does a great job of explaining things in an understandable, relatable way,” Anderson says. “And she makes you feel comfortable asking questions, even if the questions are really basic. She’s also great at troubleshooting where things can go wrong, which is hugely helpful for beginning bakers, because there’s a lot that can go wrong.”

Jensen considers herself to be a teacher as much as a baker or an author. For her, baking is part of a larger spiritual process in which the result — be it a cake, loaf, pie, cookie, or a workshop — is a culmination of what has gone on before, from the wood obtained for heating the oven to the use of locally grown and milled flours, with water and unprocessed ingredients free from pesticides, preservatives, or additives. She advocates for growing grains that can thrive in a local climate (she has a few acres waving in the breeze on her Hamilton farmstead), personally harvesting them (she cuts the stalks down with a scythe), milling them in small batches, and creating a rising culture by exposing the wet dough to the air around you.

This said, Jensen also realizes that many lack the land or the inclination to grow their own grains, and is happy to recommend local flour from Deep Roots Milling in Roseland, or Foggy Mountain Milling in Chantilly.

Or you can go to a supermarket and bring home a sack of flour (Jensen’s videos and recipes are on the King Arthur Flour website) and a packet of yeast.

“We all begin with something and we go on from there. I tell my students time is the biggest ingredient in baking,” Jensen says. “We are the unpredictable element. Time helps us get to know ourselves and appreciate what’s happening to us.” ML

Top left: Her cookbook “Flour Power” is the ultimate guide to sourdough. Top right: Attentive students watch Jensen at work. Bottom: The results of a successful workshop.

Welcome Secretariat!

Come

Tuesday 8/8

4 PM - Arrival at Middleburg Community Center (MCC)

5-7 PM - Secretariat Welcome Reception at MCC, Meet & Greet with Kate Tweedy, Leeanne Ladin and Jocelyn Russell

Benefiting Loudoun Therapeutic Riding

Get Tickets Here:

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Wednesday 8/9

celebrate the 50th anniversary of Secretariat’s Triple Crown victory with a number of events in Middleburg, highlighted by the display of a 21 by 11 foot bronze statue!

the inn at little washington

Celebrates 45 Years of Wins & Whimsy

Written by Beth Rasin | Photos courtesy of The Inn at Little Washington

In the summer of 2020, as restaurants began reopening following the early COVID-19 shutdowns, many meals were a bit muted, with strict restrictions on seating capacities. However, stepping inside the dining room at The Inn at Little Washington, guests experienced the opulent surroundings, the surprising and unpredictable combinations of styles, textures, and patterns on the walls and furniture, and, even more rare in those days, a packed party with every table full.

Full, that is, of mannequins, dressed by a theater company and placed around the tables, drinking wine, eating, holding hands and in one case, even proposing.

“It was our way of enhancing the dining experience instead of diminishing it [during the

restrictions],” says Patrick O’Connell, the inn’s proprietor and chef of 45 years. “People were smiling, taking pictures. It was great fun. The intent was to keep the feeling of a party alive.”

For O’Connell, this was just another opportunity for his creativity to set The Inn at Little Washington apart. After all, this was far from the first — or even most daunting — challenge he’d faced while establishing the greater Washington, D.C., area’s first and only three-star Michelin restaurant.

The novel approach garnered 98 media stories worldwide. “The publicity we received by our solution to social distancing allowed us to surge after the pandemic,” O’Connell says.

It’s all part of a resourcefulness he believes is bred into people in rural communities like his

adopted Rappahannock County, in the eastern foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. “If D.C. ceased to exist, we’d be fine out here with what we have,” he says, referring to the inn’s farm, gardens, and greenhouse that supply his kitchen — and, he says, the wild raspberries he finds on mid-summer mornings while walking his Dalmation, Luray (adopted from the nearby town of the same name).

“It’s inspirational, and it’s part of the joy of living here,” he says. “You can and will survive; you’re a survivor.”

AN OUTHOUSE AND A FRYING PAN

In 1976, O’Connell rented half of a garage that

Inn | Page 15

Chef Patrick O’Connell.

came with a junkyard and outhouse for $200 per month. It was a step up from the mountain shack where he’d started his catering business using a wood stove and electric frying pan. By 1979, he’d purchased the garage that he says had been “patiently waiting for a miracle” and began the journey of creating what would become one of the world’s top restaurants.

“I’ve never been grounded in reality,” he says. “My vision has always been the best of anything.”

But the town, at first, didn’t necessarily embrace that vision. “Change is difficult to adjust to, and it was initially hard to relate to what we were doing,” he says. “People didn’t understand that food could attract people or why it cost so much; they didn’t have a reference point.”

But as the inn took off, earning one award after another, property values soared. With the inn’s contributions via the food and lodging taxes, the town built a sewer and water system. “I think we [now] have a larger fan club than group of mystified people,” says O’Connell, who has continued to buy and improve buildings in the town. In addition to the main inn, five other cottages in the town host guests, and there are shops, gardens, a ballroom, and a walking trail. In late 2021, O’Connell added another, more casual, dining option with Patty O’s Cafe & Bakery, which, like the inn, also occupies a converted garage.

The process of gaining trust and growth took time. But his most recent expansion plans, which include a carriage house with 10 rooms, a courtyard, pool, and spa, unanimously passed the town council.

O’Connell believes establishing the inn in Rappahannock County made the endeavor twice as difficult as it would have been if done close to a metro area. “Things move more slowly; there’s fear of change. There was no liquor license when we moved here, to a town with a population of 100,” he says. “Initially there was nothing delivered here, and it was considered impossible. We didn’t

even have the electric to run AC or the kitchen. They were hurdles we had to overcome. It wasn’t just considered a challenge; it was considered insurmountable.”

But O’Connell says his stubbornness, maybe even a little insanity, drove him on.

“It’s like living in a film; something happens every half-hour that I find funny or whacked, just the unlikeliness of what has happened here,” he shares. “No one knows what makes it tick, where it’s come from to what it is now, especially people in our industry. It’s a kind of tenacity, like a plant that thrives in the desert — a beautiful flower that’s not watered, in parched soil,” he adds with a laugh. “I have a sense that it’s come full circle, that it’s now almost making sense.”

INVENTIVENESS AND WHIMSY

In the early days, while running a catering business, O’Connell says he could briefly rest following an event. Now, however, he rarely takes a break. “You get in a groove, and it’s like breathing; you don’t stop. There’s always something pushing you forward and pulling you back, swimming against the tide,” he says.

But he doesn’t think of it as work. Instead, “It’s like a big house with lots of company,” he says.

After the restaurant’s first year, he used the money he’d earned to fly to France to better understand the benchmark for the world’s finest dining. “There was not a model in the U.S. for what we wanted to do,” he explains. “The culture there has a different respect for chefs. They’re regarded as movie stars, celebrities. None of that had reached America then.”

He especially fell in love with Michelin three-star properties in the countryside. “You’d see them in these tiny towns, where people flew in by helicopter, heads of state and royalty. Most of them were in their third generation of operation, because it takes that time to build the place and clientele.”

Inn | Page 16

Top: The original service station building before being transformed. Middle: The menu from opening night. Bottom: Chef O’Connell celebrates the Michelin rating with his team.

Even as he learned about his international competition, O’Connell wanted more for his establishment.

“The quality, inventiveness, and whimsy in the food is the lure that draws people in,” he says. “But it’s the attention to detail that they remark on every night. Every aspect of the experience is at the same level — the room, breakfast, tea, dinner, the gardens, all are one.”

He likens the experience to visiting a private home in the 1920s, with an enormous staff, anything provided or accommodated, and completely separated from reality.

In addition to transporting people out of the modern, urban environment, he also wants to remove them from the culture of sameness and commercialism and imbue a sense of place.

“People should clearly feel where they are,” says O’Connell, who believes the focus on locally grown ingredients is one of the reasons they earned the Michelin Guide’s Green Star sustainability emblem. “They’re not in the city, and the menu should reflect that.”

As he toured top European restaurants, however, O’Connell noted one thing he didn’t want to emulate: the intimidating atmosphere. “For myself to thoroughly enjoy a meal, I had to be myself, relaxed,” he says. “I think this is the greatest contribution American chefs have brought to fine dining: the relaxed approach, the idea that it can be fun. We take our work seriously, but we don’t take ourselves seriously. We have fun. This is more like going to a party at someone’s house. You can be whoever you are, come as you are. There’s no dress code, expectation of the guests or intimidation. If you’re not having fun, we feel like we haven’t succeeded.”

AN INSPIRATION

Even before encountering the challenges presented by a small, rural town, 30 or 40 minutes from the nearest grocery store, O’Connell had to surmount an American culture in which, he says, restaurant work was not highly regard-

ed. Yet from his first job with food, he immediately knew it would be his home.

“It was a group of diverse, fascinating people,” he says. “It encapsulated all my interests: theater, food, people. It was where I belonged.”

Decades later, one of his proudest honors of countless national and international awards is his National Humanities Medal, received at the White House in November 2020.

“This was not just for myself but recognition that chefs would be regarded like other artists,” he says. “It was very meaningful that the culture recognized important chefs and great restaurants.”

Now, he says, the onslaught of food television, among other factors, has made the idea of being a chef seem glamorous, artful, prestigious. “It’s a false sense of reality, but it’s intrigued [people],” he says.

Still, O’Connell, 77, a James Beard Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award winner, believes he’s only achieved about 60 percent of his vision. “We still have the 50th anniversary to look forward to,” he says. “Every five years this place won’t resemble itself.”

He has no plans to retire, claiming he “doesn’t like golf or staring at the ocean.”

“No one should retire from welcoming guests to their home,” he says. “I’m doing what I enjoy.”

And it seems that the challenges he’s overcome, whether related to infrastructure, supply chain, or a global pandemic, have somehow added to his pride — and influence.

“This place has inspired many people, that you can fulfill your dream in an out-of-the-way place, not through the conventional method in a city,” he says. “You can do it your way. You don’t have to be in New York to succeed. I hope I’ve given them a sense of reverence, passion for what I’m doing. If you keep doing it long enough, if you stay the course, good things will come your way, if you’re lucky.” ML

Top: The Inn at Little Washington. Middle: A dessert from Patty O’s Cafe. Bottom: Patty O’s Cafe.

Inn

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THE GARLIC KING & QUEEN of loudoun County

Written by Carlo Massimo | Photos by Kaitlin Hill

The harvest was over, but on Virginia’s only major garlic farm the work was only halfway done. Garlic takes at least two weeks to cure, and Peter and Kathy Durand of Snickers Run Farm, in Bluemont, had laid out some 35,000 bulbs on wooden racks in an extension of their barn. The air was heavy with the loamy smell of fresh garlic, less like garlicky breath than like certain red Burgundies, and no one could quite hear each other under the roar of three attic fans. But Peter Durand looked ecstatic. He walked through the racks, indicating the five varieties he grew: the spicy Asian Tempest, sometimes called Seoul

Sister, small and ruby-toned and especially popular with Asian customers; the Elephant, with its massive cloves and mild flavor, which is in fact a kind of leek and not really a garlic; the ruddy, aromatic Chesnok, a variety from the republic of Georgia; the German Hardy, with its eight clove bulbs, a bestseller at farmers markets; and a variety of Music garlic that Peter has dubbed Bluemont Music, ideal for slow cooking. These are hardneck varieties, with a long, hard stalk like a shoot of bamboo.

When these bulbs are dry, the Durands will scrape off the outermost layers of paper and brush

Garlic | Page 19

Kathy and Peter Durand.

“ It was hard to find good garlic in Virginia.”

– Durand

off the remaining dust and carry them to farmers markets like EatLoco in Ashburn, where return customers brave long lines for whatever product is in season: the delicate, scallion-like green garlic of April, the tendrils known as garlic scapes in June, traditional garlic in July and August, Yukon gold and other potato varieties in October, and a variety of garlic products, like garlic powder and pickled scapes, year-round. (Snickers Run has a Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services-certified commercial kitchen on the premises.) A few shops around Loudoun County carry their products as well, like the store at Great Country Farms and (starting in August) the Lovettsville Coop.

It’s a brisk business. This year, Snickers Farm made finalist in the vote for the Best of Loudoun County in the Farmers Market Vendor category. That customer loyalty is all the more remarkable given the cost of good garlic. Snickers Run’s goes for about $3 a bulb, or $24.95 a pound — considerably more than what you would pay in a supermarket. But just three years into this adventure, the Durands are netting a profit. The difference between the cheap, familiar, softneck garlic and Snickers Run’s hardnecks is quality.

“It was hard to find good garlic in Virginia,” Peter shares. “Most of it was grown in China,

and none of it was all that good.” This created a strange gap in the market. Consumers wanted good garlic, particularly in Northern Virginia’s foodie scene and in the East Asian community. The local soil is well-suited to it, with a pH of about 6.7, as is the climate, with its winter freezes and hot summers. Why not start growing it? You wouldn’t guess it from his working hands, but Peter was an executive in the tech industry before he started planting garlic, and Snickers Run Farm is a proper start-up, run by an expert.

“I grew up in Hillsboro, basically on a farm,” Peter explains, “and I always wanted to do this.” Until the pandemic, he commuted every day to downtown D.C.; the 63-acre property he and Kathy had purchased in Bluemont in 2015 was uncultivated. The switch to remote work freed up his day by several hours. It was about this time that Kathy, an animal rescue veteran, discovered an escaped cow on the property. (Her children’s book “Vegan the Cow” describes the incident in detail.) The Durands liked this unexpected new pet enough to start developing their property to accommodate it: a new barn, a field of orchard grass (the 13 round bales around the property are all homegrown and baled), and several new rescue cows and pigs, among them a Limousin steer. It was a hobby at first; Peter found that with the right headset, he could conduct business meet-

ings while driving his 1952 McCormick tractor. The idea for a garlic farm became a solid plan toward the end of 2020.

Only an acre and a half of the Snickers Run property is given over to garlic, but that’s more than it seems. An acre of garlic will yield about 50,000 bulbs, and the plants thrive in their 80foot rows, reaching about two feet in height. Snickers Run doesn’t hold an organic certification, but the Durands don’t use chemical pesticide, and only fertilize with the manure of their own cows. A wheat cover crop, probiotics, regular soil rotation, and testing (with the assistance of Virginia Tech’s agricultural extension) keeps the soil healthy, evidenced by the abundance of earthworms and marauding turkeys who feed on them.

“During harvest,” Peter says, “this is a sevenday-a-week job, 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. You really have to love it to do it.” It’s rough work, too, with lots of crawling and stooping. Although the Durands are tough and visibly fit, they generally hire about three helpers for the harvest. Loudoun County’s Economic Development Department has been instrumental, Peter adds, in making Snickers Run viable.

So what’s next for Virginia’s foremost garlic farm? “We’re definitely giving more seminars for

Garlic | From page 18

Left: Kathy Durand with one of her rescue cows, Mr. Fig. Right: The garlic barn.

Garlic | Page 20

Garlic | From page 19

local groups about gardening and growing garlic. Local restaurants have been asking about possibly working together,” he says; and then, after some thought: “And so has a major hotel chain, for the restaurant in its Washington hotel.” The Durands will probably be planting an acre or two more of garlic come October — it sounds like very little, but that’s almost double their current acreage — and investing more in outreach: Instagram, advertising, T-shirts. Is a “Garlic King of Loudoun County” T-shirt in the works? Peter and Kathy laugh. It’s a warm laugh — the Durands are warm people — but it’s not much of an exaggeration. As far as garlic goes, the Durands are the king and queen.

For more information visit: snickersrunfarm. com. ML

“You really have to love it to do it.” – Durand

Top left: Cleaned garlic. Top right: Snickers Run Farm garlic products. Bottom: Garlic keepers.

CUPCAKE HEAVEN COMES TO MARSHALL

Written by Beth Rasin |

As you enter Cupcake Heaven’s new location on Main Street in Marshall, you feel a bit like you’ve been transported into a childhood dream — happy, vivid colors greet you on the wall as you first walk in, distracting your attention only briefly before you spy the array of decadent cupcakes, scones, and other treats in the display case. And once you’ve had the first taste of soft icing, perhaps decorated with sprinkles or candies, you are well underway to a euphoric sugar rush in the small store that owner Kim Newman calls “a little taste of heaven on earth.”

The hardest part may be selecting which of the sweet treats to enjoy, and Newman admits she can’t help you with that.

“Everyone likes something different,” says Newman, whose personal preferred cupcake is mint chocolate chip. “That’s the fun of it; it’s choose your own personal flavor.”

Cakes have long been a passion for Newman, who began decorating them when she was 12, and for years sold cakes she made from her home. In 2008, while living in Gainesville, she found a coffee bar in Haymarket where she could sell her gourmet cupcakes.

“Cupcakes were all the rage at the time be-

cause they were on [the TV show] ‘Sex and the City,’” says Newman.

That coffee bar served her well for three and a half years before she eventually settled on her current location on Jefferson Street in Haymarket, in a quaint little house. Then last year, at the urging of her brother, Mark, Newman began offering franchise opportunities, and she decided opening another location near her home in Marshall would create excitement about the brand. The Marshall store had a soft opening in April and a grand opening on June 3.

“It’s a simple concept,” she explains. “I like to see kids’ faces light up; it’s a simple indulgence to take kids out, hang out with them, and eat cupcakes.”

Cupcake Heaven isn’t just for the kids, though — they offer a full coffee bar and pastry selection, as well as smoothies and flavored lemonades.

For Newman, the work is a family affair. In addition to her brother’s involvement, her oldest son bakes the cupcakes, and her daughter is currently managing the Marshall store.

“We’ve been doing it for so long, it’s part of who we are,” she says.

Photos by Michael Butcher

“It’s nice to have something for the local community.” – Newman

Cupcake | Page 25

Classics like chocolate and red velvet are among the many flavors available at Cupcake Heaven in Marshall.

Cupcake | From page 24

In the two years she’s lived in Marshall, Newman has seen the town grow. She believes her cupcake shop is a much-needed activity that local families can do together.

“It’s nice to have something for the local community,” she says. “And it’s one mile from my house, so I can walk to work.”

In August, a new Cupcake Heaven franchise will also be opening in Lexington, Virginia. Newman is just beginning to train the owner. And if Newman’s brother has his way, there will be another one before long in Las Vegas.

“I’ve done this for 15 years, and it’s enabled me to buy a house,” says Newman. “I would like to help make other people successful, too.”

Cupcake Heaven, which is open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., offers 12 flavors of cupcakes each day. Eight are standard (think red velvet, triple chocolate, cookies n’ cream, or vanilla divine), and four are flavors

everyone. Your guests may or may not like the flavor you choose for a cake, she says, but with cupcakes — whether at birthday parties, weddings, graduations, or other celebrations — people can make their own selections.

“They’re easy to eat; you don’t have to cut them — unless you want to cut and share,” she says.

Newman was shocked at the traffic during their first week of business in April, but things have calmed down, even as more people continue to find the shop.

“We have our regular coffee drinkers in the morning — we have the best chai latte around,” she adds.

Even as her business grows, Newman says she never felt nervous about making the jump to opening a second store and beyond. She has faith that the community will reward her hard work and benefit from another offering in town.

“I don’t get scared of change or trying new

of the week (like Kentucky bourbon, maple bacon, or Oreo cheesecake) or seasonal. Follow their social media or check their website, cupcakeheavenandcafe.com , to see each day’s selection.

For Newman, part of the appeal of cupcakes over cakes is the ability to offer variety and please

things,” she says. “You have to have faith that things will work out, or make them work out. I started in the recession [with the Haymarket store], and I tried it, and God blessed it, and we kept going. Same thing in COVID; we did delivery and curbside pickup, whatever we had to do. I’m not nervous — I said I’d try it, and it’s working out great. You make it happen.” ML

“You have to have faith that things will work out, or make them work out.” – Newman

Top: A cute sign beckons dessert lovers to come in. Middle left: A lineup of enticing cupcakes. Middle right: The new shop is bright and inviting. Bottom: A generous pile of sprinkles add to the fun.

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Favorite Recipes from the Middleburg United Methodist Church Cookbook

Story by Kaitlin Hill

For many, the most meaningful place to gather is around a table. Meals hold memories of the connections made between family, friends, and even new friends that participate in the shared experience of dining together. The unique bond made over communal meals is captured in recipes where a cook, novice or expert, can return and recreate a feeling of comfort or joy time and time again.

The Middleburg United Methodist Church’s “Favorite Recipes” cookbook achieves just that across 100-plus recipes from breakfast to bird food. Read in between the ingredient list lines for Foxcroft Banana Bread or step-by-step instructions for Mrs. Mary Lee Phelps’ Corn Pudding to find so much more than just

good food.

Of the cookbook, Reverend Jonathan Jennings Lamb writes:

The Middleburg United Methodist Church is excited to announce the release of their much-anticipated cookbook, a true labor of love that embodies the spirit of our congregation's commitment to community, fellowship, and faith.

A cherished compilation of suppertime prayers and family recipes, lovingly contributed by members and loved ones from our church, the cookbook serves as both a keepsake and a reminder of the lasting connections we share with one another. Within these pages, you will find cherished recipes passed down through

generations. The recipes reflect the diversity and richness of our congregation.

Each dish holds a story, a memory, and a piece of our shared history. Some contributors are still with us, their passion for cooking and fellowship alive and well. Others have departed from this world, leaving behind a legacy of love and culinary expertise that continues to inspire and nourish us. Through this cookbook, we honor their memory and celebrate the lives they lived.

With that in mind, here are three recipes from the cookbook which highlight the best of summer ingredients, are perfect for gatherings, and capture the spirit of the congregation members who provided them.

CORN PUDDING

By Mrs. Mary Lee Phelps

• 1 can of golden crushed corn

• 2 eggs, slightly beaten

• 2 tablespoons of flour

• 2 tablespoons of sugar

• 1 cup of milk

• Salt and pepper, to taste

• Lots of butter

Mix all ingredients together. Place in a buttered casserole dish. Bake in a slow 300 F oven for 1 hour.

Editor's Note: The can of golden corn is a 15-ounce can. For the “lots of butter” measurement, I used 1 stick (½ cup) of butter, melted. I baked the pudding for five additional minutes until only a slight wiggle remained in the center. Finally, I garnished with fresh chives.

CRAB CAKES

with Roma Salsa and Lemon Butter

By Gail May

ROMA SALSA:

• 2 cups of diced roma tomatoes

• ½ cup of diced yellow onion

• ¼ cup of chopped fresh cilantro

• 1 tablespoon of minced garlic

• ¼ cup of fresh lemon juice

• 2 tablespoons of fresh lime juice

• 1 tablespoon of salt

• ½ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper

Combine tomatoes, onion, cilantro, garlic, lemon juice, lime juice, salt, and pepper in a small serving bowl. Cover and chill.

LEMON BUTTER:

• 1 lemon, peeled and quartered

• 1 shallot, minced

• ¼ cup of white wine

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 ½ teaspoons of whole black peppercorns

• 2 cups (4 sticks) of unsalted butter cut into pieces

• 1 ½ teaspoons of salt

• ¼ teaspoon of white pepper

Combine lemon, shallot, white wine, bay leaf, and pepper in a heavy saucepan. Reduce liquid over low heat until the mixture is almost dry. Strain liquid, removing bay leaf, peppercorns, and any large particles. Whisk butter, one piece at a time, into strained lemon mixture. Let butter melt before adding additional pieces. Do not allow mixture to boil as butter will break down. Set aside and keep warm.

CRAB CAKES:

• 2 tablespoons + 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

• ½ cup diced green bell pepper

• ½ cup of diced yellow onion

• 2 tablespoons of minced garlic

• 2 tablespoons of Creole mustard

• 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce

• Pinch of cayenne pepper

• 1 tablespoon of salt

• ½ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper

• ½ cup of bread crumbs

• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten

• 1 ½ pounds of fresh lump crabmeat

• ½ cup minced green onions

• 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter

Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet. Add bell peppers, onions, and garlic; sauté until tender. Add mustard, Worcestershire,

cayenne, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Add breadcrumbs and sauté 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Place mixture in a bowl. Fold in eggs, stirring to blend. Stir in crabmeat and green onions; mix well. Chill 30 to 40 minutes. Shape mixture into 12 small crab cakes. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet. Sauté 4 crab cakes on both sides until golden brown. Repeat with remaining crab cakes, adding an additional 1 tablespoon of butter and oil as needed with each batch.

To serve, spoon lemon butter onto a serving platter, place crab cakes on lemon butter, and top with a dollop of Roma salsa.

Editor’s Note: I used yellow mustard as a substitute for the Creole mustard, and a red bell pepper in place of a green.

FRESH STRAWBERRY PIE

By Nancy Lee Comer

• 1 pint of strawberries

• 1 (9-inch) baked pie crust

• 1 cup of water

• 1 cup of sugar

• 2 tablespoons of cornstarch

• 1 small box of strawberry Jello

Combine water, sugar, and cornstarch in a saucepan; bring to boil, remove from heat. Add 1 small package of strawberry Jello. Pour over strawberries; cool. Pour into a 9-inch pie crust. Serve with whipped cream.

Editor’s Note: For the strawberries, I halved or quartered them depending on their size and used 32 ounces of them.

The Middleburg United Methodist Church “Favorite Recipes” cookbook is available for purchase. For more information, visit mburgumc.org/cookbook or contact Sarah Brissing at 703-727-2183 or sarahbrissing@gmail.com. ML

Our Favorite Local Gifts for Foodies

Selected

Photos by Kaitlin Hill

Italy on a Plate by Susan Gravely, $48, Available at Crème de la Crème

Charcuterie To-Go, $6.49 - $16.49, Available at Market Salamander

Handmade Espresso Cups, $15 each, Available at Les Jardins De Bagatelle

Chili Honey, $12.99, Available at Middleburg Gourmet

Seeds, $3.75 each, Available at Nature Composed

Fields of Athenry Cheeses, $11.35 - $15.99, Available at Fields of Athenry Farm Shop & Side Saddle Bistro

DJECO Kelly & Johnny Burger Set, $30, and Constructive Eating Silverware, $20, Available at The PLAYroom

If there ever was a love beyond “beings,“ this was my one true love. Mortgage Hall has challenged and rewarded me on a daily basis over the past decade and I have given it my all. I’m so thankful that it once was mine. My girls and I have called it our Virginia home for as long as they can remember. We bid farewell to our “Mortgage Hall.” We will keep our memories forever.

I want to thank the community and neighbors for their support over the years. Starting a “b&b” out in our protected preserved land can be frowned upon, but I believe I succeeded gracefully. It has been an honor and privilege to share Mortgage Hall. It has become a place of serenity and escape for many travelers. Commonly referred to as “grand yet humble,” “stately not stuffy” and “a very special place away from the world.” I hope it continues to be all of those things.

– Sabrina Sutton

35487 Snake Hill Rd, Middleburg, VA 20117

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Best of 90’s Summer Camp

August 7 - 11 | 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. | schoolofrock.com

Join School of Rock in Haymarket to celebrate the best bands of the 90’s during a five-day instructional camp. Over the course of the camp, students will learn songs from Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Green Day, Weezer, and more. The camp will end with a live performance by the students, showcasing their newly acquired song repertoire. This camp is intended for students who have had previous instruction and are between the ages of 7 and 18. For more information and to book, visit: schoolofrock.com/music-camps/ haymarket

“Secretariat” Screening and Kate Tweedy

Meet and Greet

August 8 | 7 p.m. | ltrf.org

Join Loudoun Therapeutic Riding at the Middleburg Community Center for a special screening of Disney’s “Secretariat.” This free screening is

part of a celebration to mark the 50th anniversary tour of Secretariat’s Triple Crown journey in 1973. LTR will host a welcome reception at the Community Center from 5 to 7 p.m. in advance of the movie screening. Kate Tweedy, the daughter of Secretariat’s owner, will be on-site to share behind-the-scenes stories from the film. For more information and tickets, visit: ltrf.org/ event/secretariat-welcome-reception

Ninth Anniversary Celebration at Old Bust Head

August 11 - 13 | oldbusthead.com

Join Old Bust Head Brewery for a weekend of celebration to mark their ninth anniversary! The weekend will feature two new beer releases: Honey Wheat Wine on draft and in 750mL bottles and Birthday Cake Imperial Stout on draft only. Attendees will also enjoy live music from 5 to 8 p.m. and local food trucks each night of the party weekend. For more information visit: oldbusthead.com/brewery-events

Fly Fishing Film Tour Hosted by Bluewater Kitchen

August 12 | 5 to 9 p.m. | themarketatbluewaterkitchen.com

The 2023 Fly Fishing Film Tour is coming to Middleburg this August! Join Bluewater Kitchen and Prospect Solar as they bring world renowned fly fishing footage to the big screen at the Middleburg Community Center. The evening will also feature great food, local brews, and bluegrass music, all while raising funds for the Goose Creek Association. For more information and tickets, visit: themarketatbluewaterkitchen. com/flyfishingfilmtour

Third Annual Family Reunion at Salamander August 17 - 20 | salamanderhotels.com/ familyreunion

Presented by chef and author Kwame Onwuachi in collaboration with Dotdash Meredith’s FOOD

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS

& WINE and Sheila Johnson’s Salamander Hotels & Resorts, the third annual Family Reunion returns to Middleburg. Celebrate diversity in the culinary and hospitality industry with a weekend of panel discussions, culinary demonstrations, and fantastic food. This experience gives attendees the opportunity to interact with celebrity participants like Carla Hall, Rodney Scott, Nina Compton, and Mashama Bailey, among others. For more information and tickets, visit: salamanderhotels.com/familyreunion.

Jumping Safely in the Hunt Field:

A Clinic with Juliet Graham

August 19 | 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Join Juliet Graham, a winning steeplechase jockey and former Honorary Whipper In to the Piedmont Fox Hounds, at Gum Tree Farm for a day of instruction before the upcoming hunt season. Graham offers her experience and instruction to

help participants in the clinic become more confident hunters in the field. Each ride, which will be divided into three groups of four, will last for a duration of 90 minutes. There is a $100 fee to ride, and a $50 fee to audit the class. All proceeds will benefit the Piedmont Foxhounds Conservation Fund and refreshments will be provided. Tickets are available through allevents.in

Wildflower Walk at Roundabout Meadows

August 25 | 4:30 to 6 p.m.

Join the Piedmont Environmental Council’s Tree Planting and Stewardship Coordinator Linnea Stewart and Gilberts Corner Farm and Land Manager Dana Melby for a one-mile walk along Old Carolina Road Trail. During the walk, participants will learn all about local wildflowers and the PEC’s efforts to restore the meadow. Participants can park at the Mt. Zion Historic Park parking lot and plan for a 90-minute, all-levels accessible walk. Admission is free, but donations are welcome.

Nature Camp for Grown-Ups

August 26 - 27 | 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. | cliftoninstitute.org

The Clifton Institute is offering a weekend-long summer camp for grown-ups with an overnight option! Nature activities will start on August 26 and end in the afternoon the following day. Participants who choose to stay overnight will set up their tents near the property’s farmhouse. Daily activities include workshops, nature walks, journaling, crafts, and more. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner will be provided and all materials for the activities are included. Campers will need to provide their own tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, and any other equipment to make the stay comfortable. The camp’s cost is $150 each ($125 for Friends of the Clifton Institute) and reservations are required. For more information visit: cliftoninstitute.org/event/naturecampforgrownups23

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