11 “I THINK THAT IS THE BIGGEST THING FOR ME, HELPING WHEN YOU AREN’T ASKED.” -- BRE BOGERT p. 11
table of contents
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UPCOMING
The Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival is just around the corner; make plans for Winchester Craft Beer Week and more.
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LIKE A SOMM
Just how does one taste wine like a sommelier? We talk to two local wine experts for tips you can use.
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GOOD FOOD
Don’t judge a book by its cover. Onofrio Castiglia tells us about local restaurants serving great food in unexpected locations — the gas station.
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MOVERS + SHAKERS
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A chef, a pastor, an artist and more make up our inaugural group of local people who are making things happen.
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THE LAST PAGE
A look ahead to the Summer issue.
ON THE COVER: Meet our inaugural group of Movers & Shakers, nominated by the community, on page 11. Photo by Jeff Taylor. Access Magazine is published by The Winchester Star.
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upcoming U P CO M I N G
SAVE THE DATE
Events to put in your calendar from now through July FESTIVALS • APRIL 27 - MAY 6
SHENANDOAH APPLE BLOSSOM FESTIVAL
When else, except during The Bloom, does your attire requirements include a poodle skirt, cowboy boots, a derby hat, acid wash jeans, a sportcoat and tie, and of course, dresses and shirts in shades of pink and green? Luckily, you won’t be wearing all those things at the same time. The 91st Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival brings all those outfits together with events like the Oldies Rock & Roll Dance, the Country Music Dance, the Bloomtown Derby Food and Wine Experience, the 80’s Dance, the Commonwealth Men’s Luncheon, the Bloomer’s Luncheon, parades, midway, arts and crafts festival, and more, which make up the 10-day festival with more than 30 events. Stay tuned for who this year’s celebrity guests will be. For the full schedule of events, visit thebloom.com.
SHOP • MAY 18 - 20
SPRING MARKET
Trinkets and treasures and tables, oh my! The Luckett’s Store Spring Market is one of the biggest showcases for vintage furniture and finds on the East Coast. Join 10,000 of your closet friends for three days worth of shopping, where you’ll find architectural salvage, repurposed furniture, mid-century modern marvels, vintage clothing, decor, and more. In its 19th year, the Lucketts Spring Market is a ‘must-do’ for many DC Metro antique fans. They’ll also have live music, beer gardens, food trucks, and workshops. May 18 - 20, Clarke County Fairgrounds. $10 - $30 VIP. For tickets, schedule, and vendors, visit luckettstore.com.
M O R E EV E N T S Chef’s Dinner benefiting the Terr y Sinclair Health Clinic Winchester Country Club April 26
BEER • JUNE 3 - 9
WINCHESTER CRAFT BEER WEEK + HOP BLOSSOM
A week full of craft beer dinners and special events at local restaurants and businesses leads up to the crown jewel of Winchester Craft Beer Week: the Hop Blossom Craft Beer Festival on June 9. Old Town Winchester’s pedestrian mall turns into a sea of craft breweries and beer aficionados. See the full schedule of events online at winchestercraftbeerweek. com and hopblossom.com.
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Amuse Art Fair Museum of the Shenandoah Valley May 26 - 27
Art at the Mill Burwell-Morgan Mill April 28 - May 13
Nature Connects: Art with LEGO Bricks Museum of the Shenandoah Valley May 4 - September 3
“The Explorer’s Club” Winchester Little Theatre May 11 - 26
Virginia Herb Festival Sunflower Cottage June 2 - 3
Of Ale + Histor y Beer Festival Belle Grove Plantation May 12
Gardens at Night Museum of the Shenandoah Valley June 8, July 13, August 10, September 14
Kidzfest Old Town Winchester May 19
New Orleans Festival James Charles Winery June 23
Newtown Heritage Festival Stephens City May 25 - 26
Art at Belle Grove Belle Grove Plantation June 23
FOOD • JUNE 16
ARTS • JUNE 21 - JULY 1
Local restaurants pair their offerings with wines from around the world at An International Affair of Food and Wine. The Rotary Club of Winchester’s much-anticipated event will benefit the Tom and Shelia Baker Fund, which will provide scholarships to kids with cancer to attend a special camp just for them, Special Love’s Camp Fantastic. June 16, location to be announced. $100. winchesterrotary.org
Inspired by the real-life Newsboys Strike of 1899, “Newsies” is the classic Broadway tale of charismatic Jack Kelly who leads a ragged band of teenaged “newsies” to take on publishing titans Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst. Showtimes 2:30 p.m. and 8 p.m., June 21 - July 1, Ohrstrom-Bryant Theatre. $18 - $36. ssmtva.org
AN INTERNATIONAL AFFAIR OF FOOD + WINE
“NEWSIES”
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wine HOW TO TASTE WINE
LIKE A SOMMELIER When a sommelier tastes wine, what are they looking for? How do they discern different notes like honeysuckle or tobacco? While the process of becoming a sommelier is an involved and lengthy one, we spoke with local longtime sommelier Charlie Fish, owner of Murphy Beverage Company in Old Town Winchester, and soon-to-be sommelier, Tom Donegan, general manager of Crush Wine Bar in Creekside Station, for some tips to help you better enjoy that glass of wine.
Step 1: Look at it “The first thing I do is tilt it at a 45 degree angle and I look at it, and normally do a gentle swirl,” said Donegan. “You can overswirl a wine before you get to your nose. So I just slowly rotate it in the glass. I’m looking at the core, the outside of it, you can tell different things like the age. If the meniscus is really watery then it’s typically a young wine, if there’s color in there, it’s a little older.” The meniscus is the edge of the wine where it meets the glass.
Step 2: Gently swirl, sniff Continue the gentle swirl from step one. Bring the glass up to your nose, and keep your mouth open, advised Donegan. When he was studying for the Level One Introductory sommelier exam, a master sommelier suggested leaving his mouth open slightly, because it activates other sensory perceptors, ultimately enhancing the ability to pull out certain aromatics. Donegan said to inhale in several small sniffs instead of a deeper inhalation. Continu-
“YOU CAN LEARN TO TASTE. YOU’RE NOT GOING TO PULL A NOTE OUT, LIKE WHITE LILY, UNLESS YOU’VE ACTUALLY SMELLED WHITE LILIES. YOU HAVE TO ACTUALLY GO OUT AND DO THAT. ”
-TOM DONEGAN
ing the gentle swirl, you’ll experience the secondary aromatics, which are overpowered during the big swirl. Fish said that sometimes people will question swirling. “They think it’s just being snooty or think you’re just trying to be pretentious. But there are two main reasons to do it. The first is to get the aromatics up into the top of the glass so you can smell it. The second thing is to see the legs.” If the legs, or wine droplets, are slow to run down the glass, that means it’s a fuller-bodied wine, like a cabernet sauvingon. If it kind of “sheets off,” it’s a lighter-bodied wine, like a pinot noir. More legs indicate that the wine has a higher alcohol content, or higher sugar content.
Step 3: The big swirl Now it’s time for the full swirl, when you’re hit with the primary notes. Pulling notes out of a wine is often the most difficult step for people. Both Fish and Donegan say there’s only one way to develop this skill: smell everything. “Go home and smell every spice in your cabinet. In the summer go out and grab a tomato leaf in your garden and crumple it up and smell it,” said Fish. Donegan had to do this when studying for his level one exam. “I haven’t experience a dried violet,” said Donegan. “So let’s get a violet and smell it when it’s fresh, when it’s wet, when it’s dried, and when it’s decomposing in water. But if you don’t do that you’ll never be able to pull out a dried violet.”
Step 4: Swish “Don’t be afraid to play with your food,” said Donegan. “I like to feel it on all sides of my mouth, you detect different things on different parts of your mouth.” Donegan advised doing a kind of slurp to get the air moving. “80 percent of your tasting is through your sense of smell.” Fish said people may laugh at the idea of slurping but it is beneficial. “What you’re doing is drawing air across the wine, to get it up into your sinus cavity. That’s where you do the majority of tasting — it’s smell.” Fish recommends holding the wine in your mouth, swishing it around, and then spitting out that first tasting. “Think about what you’re tasting. Do you like it? Do you not like it? Why?”
food
GOOD EATS F RO M A
GAS STATION
Onofrio Castiglia visits some of the area’s best-kept foodie secrets, telling the stories of the people who own these gas station eateries and what you should eat on your next visit.
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ajesh “Raj” Sood, John Fox and Anna Lopez have a lot in common. To name a few things: they each sell delicious home cooked food in their local gas station eateries, they all maintain close relationships – friendships, really – with their customers and they all get to work early in the morning. Like, really early in the morning. “We get here at 4:30,” said Fox, who owns Greenwood Grocery and Deli at the intersection of Greenwood Road and Senseny Road in eastern Frederick County. That determination and stamina are necessary when it comes to running a successful small business. Sood, who owns Neer Food Mart at the intersection of Jubal Early Drive and Valley Avenue in Winchester, observes his Hindu faith by reciting morning prayers with his family behind the counter in the store each morning, well before the sun comes up. Lopez doesn’t mind the early and long hours; when she first opened Delicias Mexicanas Cafe seven years ago she was working low wage jobs in the service industry to make ends meet for her children, nieces and nephews. Now, having a full-time job working and paying rent for herself makes up for the stresses of small business life. Sood, Fox and Lopez know their customers by name, calling out to them from their counters and waving to them from the gas pumps. Each of them take care to use local suppliers and as much locally and regionally produced product as they can, whether it be beer or bacon, in their in-store food service and catering. And each represent an important facet of their community. Their businesses are places where a person can gas up, grab a bite and feel good about supporting local business.
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Neer Food Mart
he newest gas station eatery in the area is quickly becoming a popular spot to get lunch or dinner, as well as craft beer. A lot of that has to do with Sood and the energy he brings to his shopkeeping. “I call it the ‘Raj Mahal,’” said one customer recently of Neer, playing on Sood’s nickname and the famous Taj Mahal of India. “He’s the man.” The name “Neer” is the name of Sood’s youngest child, his 3-year-old daughter, after whom he decided to name his business. In 2016 Sood, 41, moved to Winchester specifically to open a business. For years he lived and worked in Washington, D.C., operating a limousine service. “It was a huge change, coming from D.C. to here,” he said. But not more shocking than coming to D.C. from India, where he and his wife were born and raised. The family has decided they’ve landed in a good spot to raise their three kids, ages 9, 5, and 3. “I do love the Winchester city.” The Citgo gas station where they opened Neer
“I CALL IT THE ‘RAJ MAHAL,’” SAID ONE CUSTOMER RECENTLY OF NEER FOOD MART, PLAYING ON SOOD’S NICKNAME.
BEEF PATTY
The bacon cheeseburger from Greenwood Deli on Senseny Road in Frederick County.
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HOT STUFF Tacos from Delicias Mexicana in Winchester.
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food Food Mart was boarded up and empty when they arrived. Sood said it was a lot of work to get the place ready to open. After contemplating a number of concepts, Sood decided to go with Krispy Krunchy Chicken franchise -— one of the “fastest growing convenience store based quick service restaurant... concepts in the nation,” according to its website. He also incorporated Hunt Brothers Pizza in the store. “Everything fresh,” Sood said, explaining that the chicken is breaded and cooked in-house. He takes care not to cook too much at one time, so the product under the heat lamp has never been there very long when a customer buys it. If you want it made from scratch and are willing to wait a few minutes — no problem. On top of that, Sood takes pride in his steak and cheese sandwiches and, perhaps above all, his craft beer selection. “It’s all about customer service,” Sood said. “If we have to order something for them, we love to do that.” Sood can spend hours hunting down a product requested by one of his customers. Because of this he has beer and wine selections not found anywhere else in the area — regional Canadian pilsners, Irish black ale, Vietnamese lager, and beer from Winchester breweries, of course. He’ll take the time to walk a customer through each shelf of beer selections until they’ve found the right one for them. Sood personally delivers food and beer around the city. He is the only local beer delivery service and enjoys the rec-
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CRISPY AND CRUNCHY
The fresh fried chicken at Neer Food Mart in Winchester.
photo by GINGER PERRY
ognition he gets when people see the Krispy Krunchy logo on his car. “People say ‘hey, you are Raj?’ I’m like, yeah!” It’s this more than anything that gets Sood excited to be in business here. He likes being part of a community instead of just “a dollar bill” among many in a big market. He’s hired several part-time employees to help him and his wife; their 9-year-old son already helps by working the register after school. This helps Sood and his family run their business seven days a week, opening at 6 a.m. and closing at 9 p.m. Except on Sunday, when they open from 7 to 7. “Everywhere you go in the city, people are very helpful,” Sood said. He said interacting with his with his neighbors makes him happy. “They just give you more positivity.”
Greenwood Grocery
hen John Fox left his job with an audio-visual company in Northern Virginia to open his own business in Frederick County in 2014, his son was not even a year old. More than 13 years and two more kids later, he said it’s been pretty amazing to raise his kids amidst the bustle of a family business. “We just didn’t want to raise a family inside the Beltway,” Fox said of himself and his wife, both North Carolina natives. “It was fine for us when we were younger, but we didn’t want to be just trapped there.” His wife, Anne, had family in the Winchester area and they often visited for holidays. They started looking around for business opportunities and found the gas station on Greenwood Road was for sale. Fresh and locally sourced is the name of the game for Fox, who opens at 5 a.m. on the weekdays, 6 on the weekends. He serves construction workers and commuters, who come to the deli for the fresh breakfast sandwiches and coffee in the mornings. Seared burgers and roast chickens are popular in the afternoons before the store settles into operating more as a general convenience store and gas station in the evening. Burgers are cooked fresh to order on a meticulously clean grill — an important part of ensuring good flavor, Fox said. He buys the carefully seasoned beef from regional producers — the same is true of the bacon and chicken. “There’s no secret to it,” Fox said of his menu. “We want to put out good, fresh, high quality products consistently.” With his kids approaching working age, Fox said he’s looking forward to a healthy supply of “cheap labor” to pay him back for all the meals they’ve eaten. “They don’t have a choice,” Fox said, laughing. “They’re going to be working off years and years of candy and food.” Fox, 45, needs the help. He has 11 full and part-time employees to get everything done. He calls them “co-workers,” because he works register and grill shifts right alongside them. “We get out in the community a lot,” Fox said. The Foxes are members of the local Chamber of Commerce and they sponsors local sports teams. “That’s a big part of what we do.” Fox attributes Greenwood’s popularity to its community mindedness and focus on cleanliness and quality. A large pin board is covered with the business cards of other local entrepreneurs. “Our customers are great, they know what we’re about,” Fox said. “Just about everyone that comes in is local and we’re probably going to call them by name.”
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Delicias Mexicanas
nna Lopez, 48, spent years toiling for a new life in America when the opportunity to take over a fledgling restaurant came about, quite unexpectedly. Feeling nervously ambitious, she consulted with her family to see what they thought of the idea; they were behind her, and she went for it.
THE TRIO
Fresh tacos trio from Delicious Mexicanas featuring carnitas, beef, and chicken.
“WE WANTED SOMETHING DIFFERENT FROM THE REST OF THE RESTAURANTS AROUND.” -IGNACIO LOPEZ
That was seven years ago. What came of it was Delicias Mexicanas in the Exxon gas station at 1709 Berryville Pike. The concept was simple — make simple food typical of what can be found around the Lopez home in Veracruz — an elongated and mountainous Mexican state bordering the Gulf of Mexico. The family was happy to learn there were numerous Mexican restaurants in the area, but quickly became disillusioned with what they were serving. Why does everything come with shredded yellow cheese? They wanted fresh tortillas for cow tongue and spicy pork tacos, they wanted radishes and real chile sauce. “It was disappointing,” said Ignacio Lopez, a 34-year-old farmer who sometimes serves as a translator for his aunt. “We want something different from the rest of the restaurants around.” Anna Lopez, with her knowledge of Mexican cooking and the help of her nieces and friends, was well suited to provide that. “People love the food,” Lopez said in Spanish. She’s proud to share it with them. “Sometimes they just order a little bit of everything and what they like
most they keep ordering.” Tamales, empanadas and fried chicken sandwiches with stewed green chile peppers are popular menu items, as are the Mexican sodas and homemade salsa. Ignacio Lopez said the restaurant has inspired local Hispanic eateries to start using fresh corn tortillas and traditionally seasoned meats. “It makes a difference.” Opening up right next to Flor Blanca, a Salvadorian diner serving plated dinners, has made the gas station a focal point of the local Hispanic and Latino communities. “It’s been a good business,” Ignacio Lopez said. More and more people are coming into the restaurant, not just the Hispanics. “My boss included,” he laughed about his employer on a farm outside of Front Royal. He said people shouldn’t feel any reservation about giving the food a try. They may find they like it. “You’d be surprised,” Lopez said with sly and amused smile. “A lot of white people eat spicy.” •
Online: Find more photos and video interviews for this story online at winchesterstar.com/access/magazine
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Charles Harbaugh IV TH E M IDDLETOWN M ASTERM IN D
MOVERS + SHAKERS:
noun. People who are active or influential in some field or endeavor.
Our inaugural search for the movers and shakers in Winchester, Frederick and Clarke counties brought in a cascade of nominations from our community. We present to you five innovators, creators, and trailblazers who are making our communities a better place to
LIVE, WORK AND PLAY.
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When you hear about all of the positions Charles Harbaugh holds, you can’t help but wonder if he sleeps. He serves NW Works full-time as its business manager, teaches business classes at Lord Fairfax Community College, and is in his sixth year as mayor of Middletown. “I have a passion for serving the community and I mean that — all of my jobs are related to that,” he said. NW Works, a nonprofit organization that trains and employs adults with disabilities or significant barriers to employment, is where Harbaugh plans to gain and grow business contracts with large corporations like Rubbermaid, Hood, and Fortessa. “When their CEOs, their top financial people, (visit NW Works) their mouths drop because they just see the difference their companies are making. . . My goal is to get them (NW Works employees) making real money, and earning a liveable wage here in Frederick County because we’re trying to keep and retain talent.” At Lord Fairfax Community College, he seeks to bring in business owners to give first-hand knowledge to his students. “I want them to learn real, tangible information that they can take from day one out into the community,” he said. In his hometown of Middletown, he was elected to town council in 2010, appointed to vice mayor, and then elected as mayor in 2012. “Middletown has changed a lot — it used to be somewhat of a retirement community, an elder population. Now, new families are moving in, with young kids, so we’ve had to transition to that,” he said. That transition has led Harbaugh to create many new community events such as an Easter egg hunt, a car show, a Christmas parade, and even a farm-to-table dinner in the middle of Main Street that raised $15,000 for NW Works. Harbaugh has also brought Washington Redskins players like Preston Smith to ride in the town’s parades. Harbaugh takes pride in seven years with no tax increases, new playground equipment, and the construction of a new baseball diamond. “Middletown is trying to be ahead of the curve. . . What is the community going to want in five years, what’s this place going to look like in 10 years? It’s responsible planning, capital improvement plans, comprehensive plans, a responsible budget, especially financially.”
Special thanks to Bell’s Fine Clothing for providing attire for Charles. He is wearing a Canali blazer, To Boot camel suede shoes and coordinating belt, 7 Downie St. white jacquard shirt with red and blue trim, Meyer Egyptian cotton trousers.
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cover story Kerry Stavely, who owns Tin Top Art & Handmade on the Loudoun Street Mall with her husband, Neil, is a part of a new wave of artists working to grow the arts scene in Winchester. The couple created Horse and Hare, which specializes in linocut and woodcut printmaking, back in 2008. “At the time, our daughter was really young, it was an easy medium to pick up and put down — so we could sit in our living room and carve on a small linoleum block and could put it away instead of getting out all your paint and materials,” she explained. Today, their fantastical prints of pop culture icons, tarots, animals and beasts grace everything from notecards to pillowcases. In 2014, they started Tin Top with help from her friend Jill Donnelli-Hu. In addition to carrying unique handcrafted gifts from artisans across the U.S., the store’s walls play host to a changing gallery exhibition. Stavely likes to showcase a variety of artwork and styles, but especially enjoys showcasing work that makes you think. “An artist can present an idea or perspective in a way we haven’t seen or experienced before, and if effective, strike a chord and perhaps transform us in some way,” she said. Stavely has since played a role in several local art projects, working with other local artists and art professionals. Her friend Kim Johnston started both the Winchester Art Market, a monthly art fair (currently on hiatus), and kicked off the Winchester Art Murals project, which seeks to beautify under-used spaces. Stavely has been one of Johnston’s most ardent supporters. Three years ago, Jamianne Amicucci, the former owner of The Gray Gallery, Stavely, and Johnston came together to create Amuse Art Fair. The two-day event, which takes place during Memorial Day weekend at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley, brings together more than 50 regional artisans. Next on Stavely’s list: more public art. “One of the things I really want to see is a Patsy Cline sculpture. I actually spoke to an artist in Roanoke who does bronze sculpture and I’ve kind of been playing around with the idea with Jamianne and Kim,” she said. Stavely feels passionately that the arts strengthen a community. “I think art and communities feed each other. We need each for the other to thrive. When people are involved or engaged with
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kerry stavely TH E ARTS ACTIVIST
art in some way, even in the most general sense — seeing a mural downtown, a busker on the walking mall, going to a festival or craft market — it gives them a connection to their place and hopefully a sense of pride and ownership, which in turn hopefully makes them want to be involved more in their community. Not to mention, the wonderful economic impact the arts has on communities.”
Special thanks to Scarpa Alta for providing attire for Kerry. She is wearing a JoyJoy navy statement sleeve top, and dark wash BlankNYC jeans, Majestic Bird print pumps by Sam Edelman. Necklace by The Artful Sojourn, available at Tin Top.
cheryl ash Cheryl Ash’s restaurant, Sweet NOLA’s, didn’t start like most do. “One day about four years ago, I came in here when it was completely empty, the previous restaurant had just vacated, and I sat in the middle of the floor and I kind of let the building tell me what it wanted to be… It felt like places I go in New Orleans,” said Ash, who was a caterer at the time. That deep-rooted desire for authenticity has led to the creation of a unique New Orleans’-style restaurant with a cult-like following, a restaurant that has been one of the leading forces in the foodie revolution in Winchester. Ash feels the local dining scene is on a major upswing. In addition to many new and exciting restaurants being added in the last few years, it’s the environment of the restaurant community that Ash likes best. “I think we could easily be a foodie or culinary destination, if we’re good stewards of what’s already here… I like how progressive our food scene has become and how collaborative all the chefs are here. We can literally call anybody and we seem to all want to be collaborators, not competitors.” While many independent restaurants choose to locate on the Loudoun Street Mall, Ash bucked that expectation by selecting a space on the north end of town. “I see this area could very easily be kind of an artsy bohemian enclave of Winchester,” she said. Ash so believes in the redevelopment of the area, that she has a second business in the works. As well as being at the helm of an exceptional dining experience (and trust us, the food is as authentic as it comes), Ash uses her restaurant to benefit the community. She cooks weekly for the homeless at the Winchester Rescue Mission, hosts events that benefit local animal rescues (she even plans to add a “barking lot” with a special menu for dogs), offers a discount to civil servants and students, cooks free meals for traveling musicians performing at Shenandoah University, and also works closely with the university’s Conservatory jazz students. Students who play at her restaurant are paid a musicians’ wage that she would pay any other professional musician who performs at her restaurant, and she helps teach them the business through hands-on experience. From the food, the music, and the atmosphere, you’ll feel you’ve been on a minivacation to the Crescent City. “I like the person to feel when they come in here that they’re getting a great big warm hug from New Orleans and the south.” Mission accomplished.
TH E CU LINARY CATLYST
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cover story bre bogert TH E CL AR KE CONN ECTOR
Special thanks Kimberly’s for providing attire for Bre. She is wearing Spanx Leggings in Port Navy, Lilly Pulitzer Florin Top in Via Amor, and | SPRING 2018 18 ACCESS Current Air Jacket in grey.
How do you know Bre Bogert? Perhaps you saw her Facebook photos of a dog up for adoption at the Clarke County Animal Shelter. Maybe it’s from 4-H. You might have voted for her as a write-in candidate for the Boyce Town Council. She may even be on your emergency call list to pick your kids up from school. “People know me from all different things. It’s funny people will say ‘Oh you’re Bre!’ And I’ll say ‘oh no, which one do you know me from? Is it from pictures, is it from government stuff?’” she said with a laugh. Bogert is one of the friendliest and most helpful people you’d ever meet. After years of living and working in Northern Virginia, Bre joked that the internet brought her and her husband, Matt, to Boyce. Missing a sense of community, the couple sought out small-town life in the mountains to raise their family — but needed be somewhere she could work from home. After downgrading from full-time to freelance, she was able to get more involved in the Clarke community and hasn’t looked back. In the fall of 2016, she started a photography business. Soon after, she read in the paper that Boyce was looking for a write-in candidate for town council. “I always wanted to help Boyce, we’re right there in town, so I paid $67 for two signs, put them in my yard, and said write in Bre Bogert. And I won,” she said. That led to more board appointments, and deeper involvement in her adopted community. More than that, Bogert is perhaps known best for helping people in a more behind-the-scenes way. “When we lived here before I knew anybody, I would get sick and think who would take my kid to preschool?” With a husband who worked in Sterling, and family in other states, it was up to her to drive her two kids to school. Now that she freelances, she offers to help out
other local moms. “I remember thinking there’s no reason why I can’t do that. I think I’m on 17 people’s emergency contact lists because I’m home now and I always keep an extra car seat in my car, because I’ve been able to pick them up.” Thanks to a friend who owns a farm, this winter Bre found herself with ample bones to make broth. She had too much and started dropping off fresh bone broth to people who were sick. And to Bogert, that’s what community really boils down to — truly looking out for your neighbors. “It’s actually taking the time to find something you can do for someone who actually needs it. . . And that’s the biggest part for me, it’s not only doing stuff for people, but feeling that you are needed to do something for someone else. Feeling that pull that you need to help somebody. Helping when you aren’t asked.”k One of her biggest goals is to help connect people in the community with causes. Bogert said people ask her all the time about how and when to donate to certain organizations. She often invites a friend along with her to walk the dogs at the animal shelter. “I had no clue you could go to the shelter and say hey, do you need a dog to be walked? You can do that.” She wants to help people to realize they can do things big and small to help their community. She hopes to one day help connect people to create an abused women’s shelter for the Clarke community. Shelters in nearby communities are often full. “I’m sure other people are thinking it. I just need to find those people. I would love to help.”
“I just want to help everybody.” That one phrase uttered by Brandan Thomas contains volumes of passion that simply can’t be expressed through the written word. Thomas, founder and pastor of Canvas Church and executive director of the Winchester Rescue Mission, helps a tremendous amount of people through these two roles. “I say this all the time, if it wasn’t for God’s grace I would be with the guys at the mission. He’s given me a different opportunity and I want to be able to give them a different opportunity,” he said of the homeless men and women he serves. A pastor since he was 19, Thomas said one of his longtime goals was to start a church. Canvas Church began in 2013 in a garage with only a handful of people and has since grown to 200-plus in attendance at Virginia Avenue Charlotte DeHart Elementary School. “I wanted to start a church for people who were all kinds of messed up,” he said. “Before it became popular, we used the term ‘me too’ on a regular basis. I would say from the stage, ‘I’m messed up’ and you’d hear back from the congregation ‘me too,’ and that kind of became our theme.” At the Winchester Rescue Mission, Thomas implemented a case management program where they work one-on-one with each person to help find solutions through local organizations like Literacy Volunteers, St. Claire’s, the Free Medical Clinic, WATTS, the Salvation Army, NW Works, among others. The Mission recently opened a women’s shelter with four beds, which is already full. Thomas hopes to soon add another women’s shelter. On frigid nights, you may find him driving around to homeless camps around the city, handing out blankets and inviting them to come to the Rescue Mission. “I have to earn their trust to get them to come into the Mission. So the way we earn their trust is we go to them on their turf and we let them know they are cared about, they matter, and that they deserve
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brandan thomas TH E CARIN G CRUSADER
a whole different lifestyle than what is currently open to them. “I really have this goal: I don’t want to just put a Band-aid on homelessness, I want to see it ended. The way it’s ended is a very holistic approach of helping individuals get the services they need to get out of the situation they’re in,” he said.i • e
Special thanks to mcKee’s, the men’s store at Kimberly’s, for providing attire for Brandan. He is wearing a Crittenden light pink sportcoat, Gordon of New Orleans button down shirt, R. Hanauer pocket square, Berle tan lightweight wool trouser, Johnston & Murphy brown tan loafers with linen detail, Johnston & Murphy belt.
Access Magazine is published quarterly by The Winchester Star 2 N. Kent Street Winchester, VA 22601 Jenny Baker Special Projects Editor jbaker@winchesterstar.com For advertising inquiries, call 540.667.3200 or email Chrissy Hill at chill@winchesterstar.com
SPRING 2018 | ACCESS 21
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Enjoy behind-the-scenes photos and read more about our Movers & Shakers online at winchesterstar.com/access/magazine
IN THE NEXT
ACCESS MAGAZINE Stay tuned for our Summer issue, which comes out mid-July. We’re going to explore some of the area’s local legends and lore — like how during World War II the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, D.C., hid famous paintings in a vault under John Handley High School. And is there really a tunnel under North Cameron Street? How about the infamous tire fire started by an arsonist on Halloween 1983 that burned more than 7 million tires and took more than nine months to burn out, making national headlines? Other features include three creative summertime cocktails from local restaurants you can recreate at home, plus features on the arts, events, and more.
22 ACCESS | SPRING 2018