Eat It, Virginia!

Join us as we dive into the unconventional journey of Grayum Vickers, the innovative wine director and sommelier at Richmond’s Lost Letter and Lillian restaurants. Discover how this former high school meteorology teacher and punk rock musician found his passion for wine. Grayum shares his insights on coastal wines, the thrill of serving celebrities, and his excitement about the rare opportunity to offer Dom Pérignon by the glass. Explore how Grayum is helping to redefine Richmond's wine scene with his unique approach and expertise.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amy Cabaniss, owner of Revel Market and Bar in Lakeside and Julep's in downtown Richmond, discusses her Richmond restaurant journey which began in 1998. She highlights the unique features of Revel, including a secret patio and how a trip to New Orleans inspired the venture. She also addresses some of the challenges of running restaurants during inflation, owning a restaurant in downtown Richmond, plans for future events, and some of the celebrities she's served over the years. Send your food and restaurants questions to Eat It, Virginia on Instagram or over email.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tom Ellington and Jon Schott join Robey and Scott to discuss the evolution and growth of Cirrus Vodka and the recent opening of its new tasting room in the Scott's Addition neighborhood of Richmond. The space, known as Ballast, also houses Yellow Umbrella and Slack Tide Fish Co. The tasting room's drink menu, created by Jon, includes a variety of vodka-based cocktails, with a focus on local products.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join hosts Robey Martin and Scott Wise as they embark on a delicious journey through Charlottesville, Virginia. In this episode of Eat It, Virginia, they’re joined by food writer Simon Davidson, who unveils the coveted Charlottesville 29 — his list of the ideal 29 Charlottesville restaurants. Whether you’re a local foodie or planning a visit, this episode is a feast for the ears that will leave you eager to explore the flavors of Charlottesville.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Robey Martin and Scott Wise discuss the latest restaurant news in Virginia, including the expansion of The Fishin' Pig to Innsbrook. Nash Osborn joins to talk about The Fishin' Pig's origins, its growth to six locations, and its philanthropic efforts, including supporting Virginia universities and community events. They also discuss the upcoming opening of The Fox and Lamb in Farmville, offering a members-only speakeasy and event space. Scott shares his experiences at Susie's, Brave Captain, and Pink Room. Robey's offers insight into Stanley's cheesesteaks in Richmond and Frank and Patty's in Virginia Beach.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Justin Ferguson spends his workdays making Virginia real estate deals. But when work is done and it's time to play, Ferguson becomes TheBlackSommRVA, a role that allows him to share the wine knowledge he's learned while becoming a WSET Level 3 certified sommelier. "The more I jumped into this business [commercial real estate], I started being around wine more, and I wanted to be a better agent and understand what my clients want. So I'm like, let me learn about it. I've just kept progressing. And here we are now," he said about the bridging of his real estate and wine careers. "During COVID, it was great when the world was shutting down, and you didn't want to talk to anyone about real estate. I would call people and say, 'Hey, let's drink wine and talk about something other than real estate. We'll sit six feet apart and just be humans.' Real estate is transactional, but it gets too transactional. So, like, hey, Justin is here to provide wine value to me as well." But Ferguson doesn't just use wine to help his real estate career. He's been able to launch a second career as the wine director at The Underground Kitchen in Richmond, Virginia. "It is an experiential dining kitchen. So we're not open every day, which is great," he said. "The Kitchen pays respect and creativity to the LGBTQ community but also to chefs of color with flavors. We like seasoning. Chef Steve Glenn likes Creole and Southern cooking. So that's good portion sizes, but really well-seasoned food. It's fun pairing different cultures with wine." Initially inspired by Dlynn Proctor and the movie SOMM, Ferguson said he hopes his efforts expose more people to the beauty and wonder of wine. "There was a guy, his name was Dlynn Proctor, and he was, like, the only Black guy. There aren't many Black Master Somms. So seeing him in that role sparked the idea — representation matters," Ferguson said about his initial push toward earning his sommelier certification. "Because my family still, to this day, doesn't drink wine; they aren't wine people. They are beer and other alcohol drinkers. I think [wine] wasn't introduced throughout my culture the same way other spirits were." When asked to recommend a bottle of wine for Eat It, Virginia listeners to try, Ferguson did not hesitate. "The thing on top of my mind right now is, honestly, Black winemakers," he said. "One that I've been enjoying is O.P.P wine (Other People's Pinot Noir) by André Mack." Other stuff on this episode: The opening of Ripple Ray's, a Grateful Dead themed bar in Richmond (2:10) The new Mardi Gras menu at Get Tight Lounge (2:45) The Sunday Bagel phenomenon (4:40) The opening of the Ugly Dumpling (6:45) Robey's new column in Style Weekly (7:50) Robey's recent visits to Brave Captain and Susie's (9:00) The Mailbag wants to know about James Beard Awards snubbing Richmond restaurants once again (12:00) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Richmond is kicking off the new year with a fresh vision as Dr. Danny Avula is sworn in as the Mayor of Richmond on January 1, 2025. Just days before officially taking office, Mayor Avula sat down with hosts Scott and Robey to delve into a variety of topics centered around the vibrant restaurant scene in Richmond. In this episode, Mayor Avula reflects on how food and family meals shaped his upbringing and shares his hopes toward fostering a strong partnership between City Hall and local restaurants. Plus, we put him on the spot to reveal his favorite dining spots in both Richmond and its surrounding suburbs. We want to hear from you! Email the show with your thoughts and suggestions for topics you'd like us to cover in 2025. Don't forget to follow us on Instagram for updates and behind-the-scenes content!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Antonio Owen, the chef-owner of Sweet P’s in Richmond, Virginia, recently shared his culinary journey and life philosophies on the “Eat It, Virginia” podcast with Scott Wise and Robey Martin. The veteran’s guiding philosophies in the kitchen is that no job is beneath him. "If you think you’re too good to take out the trash, your whole mindset is wrong," he said. This hands-on mentality has been crucial in establishing a strong, supportive team. The restaurant also embraces fun, with the introduction of “Whitney Wednesdays,” a weekly event celebrating Whitney Houston’s music and food inspired by her favorite dishes. In this episode, Robey also discusses an extensive list of Richmond-area Christmas bars that she helped compile for Style Weekly.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kat McCay Stanley discussed her extensive restaurant ventures, including the recent rebranding of Holy Mackerel in Prince George County, Virginia, to The Salty Siren, which offers a seafood-heavy menu. "When Holy Mackerel hit my radar, there was no turning back. The potential there, the view, the building... So I thought, 'Is this crazy? This is pretty crazy,'" she said about her plan to revamp the restaurant along the James River near the Benjamin Harrison Memorial Bridge. "But I also knew in the back of my mind that if I was willing to chase that craziness, I knew the absolute most dynamite person who would be interested in chasing it with me. So I actually have a 50% business partner there, by the name of Jessica Pilout, and she is the other half of The Salty Siren." McCay Stanley also owns Old Towne's Alibi, a Petersburg dive bar known for its community involvement and zero staff turnover in three years. During her Eat It, Virginia interview, McCay Stanley highlighted her community's efforts after Hurricane Helene, organizing multiple relief trips with trailers and trucks filled with supplies to both North Carolina and Virginia communities impacted by the storm. She emphasized the ongoing need for support in affected area and suggested donating to Covenant Fellowship in Bristol. This episode is sponsored by Richmond WaterSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

David Whitby, owner of Shoreline Seafood Market, discussed his journey from his parents starting Yellow Umbrella to his new venture Shoreline -- a seafood market and a 10-seat restaurant for special dinners. Whitby emphasized the importance of sourcing high-quality seafood globally and shared tips for new seafood cooks who might be intimidated to prepare seafood at home. Robey and Scott also discussed the state of service at Richmond-area restaurants. Slide into their DMs to tell them which restaurants always deliver the goods.     Shoreline Seafood Market 10614 Patterson Avenue Henrico, Va. 23238See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When you think of Virginia's finest food and drink, you might think of Virginia ham, Virginia oysters, and Virginia wine. But Marshall Rabil suggests Virginia peanuts should be atop that list. Rabil should know a thing or two about peanuts. (36:35) His grandparents, Dot and HJ Hubbard, started Hubbard Peanut Company, which you may now know as Hubs, in Sedley, Virginia, back in 1954. (21:07) Rabil shared his family's peanut story with Scott and Robey, plus shared details about the upcoming Homegrown Harvest Festival he helped create as a showcase for restaurants and food purveyors in that part of Virginia. (50:11) "I've been in Charleston, New York, I think Richmond is really growing as a food destination. I think it's going to be known as one of the greatest places to eat in the country. It's slow. I mean, the restaurant scene has popped off, but I don't think that Tidewater, Virginia gets the credit that it deserves as the culinary destination with the bounty of ingredients that we have from the Chesapeake Bay and the ocean and all of our farms and the farmers that are raising animals sustainably," he said. "So I always wanted to work with chefs and bring a party to Southampton County and Franklin. And so last year we created this festival to benefit the Food Bank and the CROP Foundation. And this year we've kind of expanded it." Click here for ticket and schedule information. Other topics discussed on this episode of Eat It, Virginia include: A new bagel place in Richmond (2:30) The opening of Toast at Scott's Walk (5:10) Gelati Celesti Turns 40 (6:25) The opening of Southern Kitchen at Stony Point Fashion Park (10:40) The thought process behind Richmond restaurants offering (or not offering) reservations (11:40) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Restaurant owner, entrepreneur, media personality, and community cheerleader Kelli Lemon wears many hats in Richmond, Virginia. On this episode of "Eat It, Virginia," Kelli shared why she decided to open Urban Hang Suite in downtown Richmond and what that experience has taught her about life, business, and the city she calls home. "Kendra [Feather] is the reason Hang Suite is open," Lemon said. "Creative Mornings, I think it was January 2017. My topic was a question mark, it was like a mystery. I was like, I'm looking for this thing, that's kind of a hangout, where people could talk to each other, but it's not a restaurant, it could be a cafe. And I think it was Anne Marie that yelled out, "Do it!" It was either Kendra or Anne Marie. And then the next day, Kendra called me. It was like, I want to show you this space." In addition to Urban Hang Suite, Kelli talked about her roles at the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the Virginia Black Restaurant Experience, the Art of Noise, and the birth of her podcast Coffee with Strangers. Here are some links to other things mentioned in this episode: Learn more about RVA Wing Wars here. Learn more about the Art of Noise here. This episode is sponsored by the Virginia Museum of History & Culture and its new exhibit Julia Child: A Recipe For Life. This episode is sponsored by Project Birdie.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ty Walker and his wife Shannon own and operate Smoke in Chimneys trout farm in New Castle, Virginia. In this Eat It, Virginia episode, Walker joined Scott and Robey and shared his experience revitalizing a 1930s trout hatchery. He discussed the challenges of starting and running a sustainable fish farm, including public perception, infrastructure limitations, and high start-up costs. (22:45) Walker also touched on the big role faith has played in his business. (50:05) Other topics discussed in this episode include: The restaurants Robey included on the July 2024 Hot List (1:58) The situation with Brittanny Anderson and the Pink Room (8:22) An update on the whereabouts of Richmond chef Bobo Catoe (11:20) The mystery and annoyance surrounding the lack of prices on menus (13:05) The best ways to reach the podcast are through Instagram DMs and email. This episode is sponsored by the Virginia Museum of History & Culture and its new exhibit Julia Child: A Recipe For Life.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The James Beard Awards, the food world's equivalent to the Oscars in Hollywood, snubbed Richmond restaurants and chefs for the third year in a row, Richmond Times-Dispatch restaurant critic Justin Lo (who appeared way back on Ep. 8) wrote in a recent article that appeared in the city paper. Lo laid out his reasoning behind the so-called snubs and later called his article a conversation starter on the topic. Well, consider the conversation continued. On this episode of "Eat It, Virginia!" co-host Robey Martin shares her beliefs about why no Richmond chefs nor restaurants have been honored by James Beard since the pandemic. She also lays out what Richmond restaurants and their fans should do to help Richmond get back on the James Beard map (15:15). Before that, Scott shares some recent breakfast and coffee experiences (2:45) at Rise and Shine Diner in Ashland and Café y Sabor, Brecotea, and Brick Road Coffee Co. all along various parts of West Broad Street in Henrico County. Robey also wants you yo know about a special Juneteenth Celebration dinner (8:40) with Dr. Leni Sorensen at The Roosevelt in Richmond. Tickets are available here. This episode is sponsored by the Virginia Museum of History & Culture and its new exhibit Julia Child: A Recipe For Life.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Virginia Museum of History and Culture curator Paige Newman and her team spent months diving into the life and cultural impact of celebrity chef and icon Julia Child. Her mission was to season Julia Child: A Recipe for Life, a national touring exhibit, to a Virginia audience. "At first I was like, what are those? But as you delve in, in the exhibit we have five sections and we call them Virginia  à la carte," Newman said. "My first thought was, of course, James Hemings, Thomas Jefferson's enslaved chef. He had to learn the art of French cookery when Jefferson became Minister of France. And that was my first thought, we have to include James Hemings. Then doing a little more research, I'm like, oh, Julia Child was in Richmond in 1976, promoting her fourth book and she did a demo and a book signing down at Thalheimer's department store. Another was, of course, Patrick O'Connell." Learn more about the Julia Child: A Recipe for Life exhibit here. Before the interview with Paige, Scott and Robey discussed new exciting updates involving past guests Keya Wingfield (2:32) and Brittanny Anderson (3:51). Plus we jump into the Eat It, Virginia mailbag to answer your questions (6:20). This episode is sponsored by the Virginia Museum of History & Culture and its new exhibit Julia Child: A Recipe For Life.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Robey Martin and Scott Wise are joined by James Beard-nominated chef Travis Milton. Milton discussed the cultural significance of Appalachian cuisine and its role as an economic driver in Bristol, Virginia, where his restaurant Hickory, at Nicewonder Farm & Vineyards, is located.  He emphasized the importance of investing in local talent and building a strong team with diverse skills and experiences to create a unique and elevated dining experience for customers. Milton also discussed his mentors, his time cooking in Richmond restaurants, and mental health struggles in the hospitality industry. (Jump straight to interview 18:15) Before the interview, Scott and Robey talked about new restaurants opening in Richmond (2:07), Scott shared details of his epic Spring Break trip to Buc-ee's and Graceland in Memphis (4:32), Robey has issues with some restaurants near her home (10:21), and Scott and Robey made new friends while having a night out on the town (16:05). This episode is sponsored by the Virginia Museum of History & Culture and its new exhibit Julia Child: A Recipe For Life.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cou Cou Rachou bakery owner Rachel De Jong grew up in a large family in Charlottesville, Virginia. She credited her family with helping her discover her passion in the kitchen. "I'm one of five children, so food was around a lot. When you're feeding seven people in the house, I was always in the kitchen, I was always watching my mom. But I had a huge sweet tooth," she said. "And of course, all my brothers always wanted cookies around. My mom preferred to do the cooking, baking not quite, so I just assumed the role and started baking all the time." Her love of baking eventually landed her in school at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, France.  Stints at Baker's Palette and Gearharts Fine Chocolates in Charlottesville came next followed by the opportunity to work with Chef Patrick O'Connell at The Inn at Little Washington. Over her four years at the Inn, De Jong's kitchen experience grew. "The pastry department was baking for the gift shop, it was baking the cookie boxes for favor, the little cute Inn boxes, doing things for room service. Very often, we had VIPs in the kitchen and dessert was one of chef's go-to's to make them feel welcome and special and change up their dinner," she said. "He never liked for people to get the same thing every time, he liked to surprise them. So dessert was often one of those ways that he would do that." Then, after launching her baking concept during the pandemic, De Jong opened Cou Cou Rachou in November 2021. Listen to Eat It, Virginia to hear Rachel De Jong share how she chooses ingredients for her croissants and pastries, what it's like working before the sun rises, and how Julia Child inspires her to this day. This episode is sponsored by the Virginia Museum of History & Culture and its new exhibit Julia Child: A Recipe For Life. Cou Cou Rachou 917 Preston Ave Suite B Charlottesville, VA 22903  434-270-0583See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When 14-year-old Bertrand Chemel walked into the bakery near his grandmother's home in France, his life changed forever. Summers at the bakery turned into a more formal kitchen education at culinary school in France. With a degree in hand and military service behind him, Chemel landed at one the finest restaurants in France — Michel Gaudin's restaurant in the Alps. What followed was a culinary adventure that eventually led Chemel to the United States and his current restaurant 2941 in Falls Church, Virginia. Chef Chemel's restaurant was recently nominated as the most Outstanding Restaurant in the United States by the James Beard Foundation. 2941 is the only restaurant in Virginia to make the semi-final round in that category. What makes the experience at 2941 special enough to earn such a prestigious nomination? Chef Chemel discusses his food, his family, and his leadership style in the kitchen with Scott Wise and Robey Martin on the latest episode of Eat It, Virginia!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Maria Martin and her family recently opened a Richmond outpost of Juan More Taco on Robinson Street in The Fan. The family also owns and operates a Juan More Taco in Fredericksburg. Virginia. But the story of Juan More Taco begins in Honduras, where Maria was born and raised. "Honduras has a lot of Mediterranean Middle Eastern influence. And we use a lot of spices and I'm not saying spices in the sense of spicy hot food, just flavorful," Maria Martin said when asked to describe Honduran food. "I go to some places [taco restaurants in the U.S.] and I have to see what I'm eating because everything tastes the same. There is no difference. For us and our places, every meat has distinct flavors. So that's the beauty of the Honduran flavors that we have put into our food. You can really, really taste the flavors." Love eventually brought Martin to Virginia where she and her husband raised their children. Once the children were grown and out of the house, Maria sought another job. She went from feeding her family and friends to feeding her community through a food truck. "We started researching and we find this little tiny trailer in Florida. We went, we saw it, we bought it. By December 2, 2016, we opened our doors and served food through our window," she said. "It was amazing. Not even six months later, and I have people saying you know, we want to support you to open a brick and mortar. But I'm like, I'm not ready." She was ready a few years later. Juan More Taco opened as a restaurant in Fredericksburg in 2019. In March 2020, Maria put in a big order of food for the restaurant just before COVID-19 shuttered the industry. Or so she thought. "In my head, I'm like, 'Oh my God, I'm losing my business,'" she recalled. "I just had a $3,000 delivery of food. What am I going to do? The first thing that comes to my mind is we can feed the elderly, right?" Martin and her family put out the word on social media. That first week, about a dozen people took her up on her offer for free food. By the end of that summer, Maria and Juan More Taco were feeding 75 seniors every single day. "COVID was our busiest time. It was insanely busy. I had like 20 employees. We didn't close one day of the week. It was work, work, work, work work. We were super busy with the food truck," she said. On this episode of Eat It, Virginia, listen to Maria Martin talk about what she learned about herself and her business during the pandemic and learn why she chose Richmond to open her next restaurant.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brennan Griffith is not from Thailand, nor is he of Thai descent. But Griffith's Thai-inspired pop-up Nam Prik Pao has been turning heads and causing spicy sweats in the Richmond dining community. "[Thai food] is what I'm most obsessed with," Griffith said when asked why he chose that cuisine to base his business. "I love other cuisines. But I haven't had that connection with anything else to the degree that I have with Thai food." Started in 2019 and reborn after the COVID-19 pandemic, Griffith typically pops up at Sub Rosa Bakery in Church Hill. "The first pop-up, my mom bought some extra tickets specifically so I could invite other restaurant people. So some of the people I invited were Evrim and Evin from Sub Rosa," Griffith said. "Four courses into a seven-course meal, Evin's like, 'Brennan, when are you doing this at Sub Rosa?' So that was another validating moment of just having successful restaurant people say like, 'this is delicious.'" Listen to the entire podcast to hear why Robey thinks Brennan and Nam Pril Pao succeed where some other Thai offerings in town do not.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Trey Owens' life is a beautiful circle. After growing up in Richmond, Owens' life took him around the world working on cruise ships and later military vessels. He eventually landed back in Richmond where he became part of the team that opened both Soul Taco and JewFro, the latter a restaurant that combines African and Jewish cuisine.  "The focus [of JewFro] is to bring people together and to start, or/and continue the conversation about these two culinary pathways, these two cultures, and what is so similar about them," Owens said. Owens was selected this year to travel to Israel to learn more about the people and the food.  "We got to meet Palestinians. We got to meet Israelis. We got to meet Ethiopian-Israeli Jews. We got to meet Muslims. Just so many different people that we got to meet and talk to," he said. "What I really learned and saw was that the people themselves all got along. It was only that when I got into formal places, I'm not gonna say where, but you could kind of see the divide. And it's just like, come on, you know, these people who I met and bumped shoulders with, you know what I mean, they don't feel that way." Listen to Eat It, Virginia, to hear more about Trey's trip and his culinary that took him around the world and back home.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When the people who run Massachuttes-based Burtons Grill & Bar asked John Haggai to be the company's new CEO, he pulled what can only be described as a baller move.  "[I said] I'm not moving to Boston, as beautiful as it is, plus I have kids, I'm not moving, there's no way. So I thought that was a deal breaker," but it wasn't Haggai said. So he added another stipulation. "And I said I'm building a restaurant in Richmond. Richmond is awesome but it's not quite big enough of a city typically that we're in. We're in Charlotte. We're going to Atlanta. We're in some bigger markets. And I'm like, I think one could do really well here. That was the really ballsy move was to build a restaurant, right when I took over in my town." Haggai moved to Virginia 20 years ago to manage Outback restaurants. He stayed in Richmond and eventually left Outback to be part of the team that founded both Cafe Caturra and Tazza Kitchen. "I had brunch at Tazza two days ago," he said. "It's like my second favorite restaurant now." So what can you expect at his favorite restaurant? Allen Brothers steaks for one. "They're the best cutting house in the United States," he said of his steak supplier. "We use single source, North Dakota ranch, Black Angus cattle. It is the best, no doubt. If you eat a steak at Burtons and you cut into it, it's phenomenal. And you'll pay $20 less than you will wherever." Haggai said Burtons was also proud of its ability to be accessible to anyone. "People who have accessibility [issues], people with special needs, and the big one is really the dietary restrictions and allergy friendly because that's a tough one to pull off in our business." Burtons Grill & Bar is located at 3520 West Cary Street in the new Carytown Exchange shopping center.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Three years after she first appeared on Eat It, Virginia (Episode 43, Sept. 2020), Keya Wingfield returns to the podcast. In this episode, she discusses the ups and downs of life after winning her Food Network baking championship, the incredible community she's fostered in Richmond, and the launch of her new product -- Bombay Chips.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Shawn Eubank and Michael Smith of Native Selections join the podcast to discuss the world of natural wine. Smith previously appeared in Episode 26,See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Leah Branch, the executive chef at The Roosevelt in Richmond, exudes quiet confidence in the kitchen and the podcast studio. She prefers to let her plates do the talking. Fortunately, the Chesterfield native was willing to sit down with Scott and Robey to share her story on this episode of Eat It, Virginia! This episode is presented by Duke's Mayo and SUPPER | SUMMER | SOMM.    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A lot has happened to Rabia Kamara since she first appeared on Eat It, Virginia in August 2020. In fact, that first interview took place before Kamara even opened her now Northside neighborhood-defining ice cream shop Ruby Scoops. "We are now at a place where when houses are listed in Northside, we are in there as a perk, 'you can walk to Ruby Scoops,'" Kamara said about her ice cream shop's success. While sweet, the journey has not always been easy. Kamara opens up about the challenges that come with running her small businesses, the sometimes harsh reality of everyone's favorite reality cooking shows. and the planning of her upcoming wedding. Of course she also breaks down the science behind her crowd-pleasing Duke's Mayo ice cream treats. This epsisode of Eat It, Virginia is presented by Duke's Mayo Hot Tomato Summer July 24-30, 2023.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bobby Kruger has managed or owned multiple Richmond-area restaurants and venues, but he got his start as a teenager at the Appplebee's in Chester. "One of the bartenders that I worked with there, ended up coming up and getting a job in Richmond at a place called Surfish Station, which was where Bandito's is now," Kruger said as he retraced his steps in the Richmond restaurant industry. "When I was 18, I left Applebee's and got a job there as a server. And that was my first Richmond restaurant job." From there Kruger followed mentor Holly Green to Julep's where he learned about upscaling dining and bartending. "It was a high-standard environment, but they really took care of me and taught me a lot of stuff," he said.  Then came a short-lived stint running the Fan House.  "I looked at it for a long time as a failure, that my first restaurant ownership didn't last that long. But I feel like I learned as much there in less than a year than I learned anywhere else for as long as I've been, he said. That newfound knowledge eventually led Kruger to open The Hoff with Carter Snipes in Scott's Addition. "That was a huge project. A 10,000-square foot building, three levels, four bars, four different concepts inside of it," Kruger said. "Our first year of business, the amount of revenue we did by the third year of business, we had done a 1,000% increase in revenue. And so then, you know, in 2019, we decided to take a swing on Brambly Park." Kruger and his team secured the Scott's Addition property that became Brambly Park winery in November 2019. Then came 2020.  "We had a plan in place, some of which we held true to, but COVID really did change a lot of how I was planning on doing that place," he said. How did COVID change Brambly Park? Why did he swipe right on Alchemy Coffee? And what the heck is Bobby Kruger now doing in Chesterfield County? All that, and much more, on this episode of Eat It, Virginia! Eat It, Virginia is presented by Duke's Mayo Hot Tomato Summer July 24-30, 2023.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Devin Rose was born and raised in a restaurant family in the town of White Stone, Virginia. So it makes perfect sense that Devin and his wife Kati now own and operate one of the most acclaimed restaurants in that town -- Adrift. In fact, Robey Martin called Adrift the best, little-known, restaurant in Virginia.   "There's just an incredible care and detail to the food," Martin said of Adrift, four years after that article was written, on this week's Eat It Virginia podcast. "I'm always utterly impressed." Rose said owning a restaurant and raising his son in his hometown has been a dream. But the road back home wasn't straight and included stops at The Inn at Little Washington and the Central Coast of California. We hope you enjoy learning more about the Roses and their restaurant Adrift. On the podcast, Scott and Rodey also talked about Anthem LemonAid and the Restaurant Challenge sponsored by CBS. Restaurants are invited to create a lemon-inspired dish or drink to sell anytime now through July 23, 2023. After restaurants donate a portion of the proceeds at the end of the event, the business that raises the most money will win an advertising package from CBS 6 valued at over $1,500. Message us if you plan to participate or have any questions. Also, Scott and Robey are emceeing the Positively Delicious dining event on July 15, 2023. The event raises money for The Positive Vibe Foundation. The foundation provides pre-employment training, job skills, and community to young adults with disabilities. You can support the foundation. learn more about the event, and buy tickets here.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After 100+ episodes, "Eat It, Virginia" finally put the focus on condiments. And what better condiment to feature than Richmond, Virginia-based Duke's Mayo? Founded more than 100 years ago in South Carolina, the Richmond, Virginia-based C.F. Sauer Company bought the brand in 1929. Over the generations, Duke's Mayo has become synonymous with Southern cooking. These days, Duke's is the fastest-growing mayo brand in the country, brand manager Rebecca Lupesco said. "Our team is based in Richmond. We work with a creative agency here in Richmond. We are all over the South and actually, we're national because Kroger has just taken the brand on a national level," Lupesco said. "But we advertise and market the brand all over the Southeast." The job of marketing the mayo, Lupesco said, is making it relevant to current culture. "We have [Duke's] diehards who literally get Duke's tattoos on their bodies. And so it's really just celebrating our fans, celebrating the product, celebrating the chefs that use us and telling stories and really fun and meaningful ways," she said. One story-telling vehicle Duke's uses is an event they call Hot Tomato Summer. From July 24 - 30, restaurants in Richmond, Greenville, South Carolina, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Charleston, South Carolina will feature dishes that allow both Duke's and tomatoes to shine. "We started [Hot Tomato Summer] here in Richmond in 2021. It was really just a way to, coming out of the pandemic, drive traffic and fun back to some of the restaurants and really help our core customers," she said. "All the restaurants who were involved in it really liked it. So we brought it back last year, for year two, and expanded to Greenville. And then this year, we are expanding into two more cities." College football is another big branding opportunity for Duke's. This year the Duke's Mayo Classic college football game will air Saturday, September 2 at 7:30 p.m. The Duke's Mayo Bowl will air on December 27 at 5:30 p.m. As per tradition, the winning coach will have mayo dumper on their head. Listen to the podcast to hear how that messy tradition began. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is it possible that the best pizza in Richmond is served out of a truck? Eat It, Virginia podcast co-host and Virginia food critic Robey Martin said yes, it's 100 percent possible. The pizza Joe Lajoie creates in a truck for River City Wood Fire Pizza consistently ranks among the best slices in town. But don't ask Joe if he thinks his pizza is the best in Richmond. "Often people say, 'Do you want to be the best pizza in Richmond?' I go, 'Never,' River City Wood River Pizza boss Joe Lajoie said. "When they ask why not, I say I want to be one of the best pizzas in Richmond because I love Richmond. I've lived here all my life. It's collective. I want it to be a big borough or a big neighborhood, right? And you can't have that if you start off with the chest pounding." For the last 10 years, the construction worker turned sheriff's deputy turned pizza chef has been baking pizza pies out of his food truck at weddings, concerts, and other events around Virginia. He said pizza is much more than toppings, sauce, and crust. "Pizza is tied to memories," he said."You remember being a kid and sitting at the bar and getting a slice. People have this belief of what good pizza is and I personally think that they'll eat something and go that's not as good as this one, and a lot of that is because the memories are not tied to it." On this episode of Eat It, Virginia, Lajoie shared his success story and the scary moments that happened during COVID when he turned online ordering on. "COVID was the dragon, we had to learn how to drive," he said. "We turn [online ordering] on and everybody has a cash register [smartphone] in their hand. And within nine minutes we hit $1,800 in orders. I'm like, shut it off! They're big family orders, nobody's getting where they go, and everybody's ordering like crazy. I'm like, holy crap, this is nuts." See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A veteran of New York City's fine dining world, the pandemic forced Erin Keene to take a step back and reset her life. That reset landed the Pennsylvania native in Richmond, Virginia, where she opened Second Bottle Wine Shop in Richmond's Church Hill neighborhood. "I was in a place where I was ready for a big jump. Life as I knew it had really just shut off [in New York City]. In that time, I started formulating the plans for this wine shop," Keene said. "While I was on the journey to find where the best place or where the best fit would be for it, I had a camping trip planned down here to visit a good friend of mine. We're sitting around the campfire and she's like, 'What about Richmond?' It was like huge fireworks. I had never thought about it as a place that I wanted to live. But all of a sudden, I was like, it makes so much sense in so many ways." Keene made the move to Richmond in 2020 and opened Second Bottle on N. 27th Street in Church Hill in 2021. "I was very struck by Church Hill," Keene said about her decision to locate in that particular Richmond neighborhood. "The green space was a big part of that. I have a dog, so that was appealing, all these parks that are very close by, within walking distance. And then the food scene really. What I had experienced of it was exciting The fear of leaving New York is always that you'll be bored or there won't be enough things to excite you and I didn't feel like that would be the case here. And that is exactly what I've experienced." For people who don't live in the neighborhood and are unsure whether it's worth a drive to Church Hill to buy wine, Keene offered this pitch. "One of the biggest things we offer, or what we aim to offer, is our service and hospitality while you're here," she said. "If it's the end of a long day, and you don't want to talk to anyone you don't have to, but myself and Garrett, who works with me, strive to get to know you and get to know your palate and what you like to drink and what you like to cook and what you've had before that you liked or maybe didn't like, so that you get that customized service or help when you come in. It's what love about it, actually."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It did not take long for Jesse Wykle and his restaurant Aloha Snacks to make an impact in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Months after he opened Aloha Snacks in 2018, Food Network Star Bobby Flay's producers called and invited Wykle onto the hit show "Beat Bobby Flay." Wykle defeated the Iron Chef by challenging Bobby Flay in a battle over the Filipino favorite lumpia. Back home in Virginia Beach, Wykle's food at Aloha Snacks is heavily influenced by Asian and Hawaiian cuisine and his own Southern roots.  "You can put anything in a sushi roll. We've got some poke bowls with fried green tomatoes, which we call the farmer's poke, a little coconut aoli, some pressed mango, and some salmon," Wykle said about one of the dishes he serves at Aloha Snacks in Virginia Beach. Wykle sits on boards working to improve the Virginia Beach business community and hopes to see many new customers when the Something in the Water festival returns to Virginia Beach April 28 thru April 30. Aloha Snacks is located at 501 Laskin Road in Virginia Beach, Virginia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bill Cavender makes award-winning mead at Black Heath Meadery in Richmond, Virginia. His business in Scott's Addition recently celebrated its eighth birthday. Cavender discussed the beginnings of Black Heath Meadery on a recent episode of the Eat It, Virginia podcast with Scott Wise and Robey Martin. Black Heath Meadery 1313 Altamont Ave. Richmond, VA 23230See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Get to know new Richmond restaurant Penny's Wine ShopSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ben Watters and Rachel Best. the couple behind Blue Atlas Restaurant and Market in Richmond, Virginia, started their business and their family during the pandemic. For Watters, Blue Atlas was born out of his passion for food and learning how other cultures eat. "I love being a food dork," Watters told Scott Wise and Robey Martin during his Eat It, Virginia podcast interview. "If I find something on Instagram that I've never heard of before, like the Georgian flatbread we now serve, we both do the deep dive on why they make it the way they do, why they're using this certain type of yeast, why they do this with the cheese, and all these cool components. So that we're learning along." It's that curiosity which has shaped Blue Atlas into its current mission. "We're a shared, small plate experience of global cuisine," Watters said when asked to describe Blue Atlas. "We have the menu broken up into the four regions of the world and we try and represent them to the best of our ability." Learn about the couple's journey toward opening a restaurant during the pandemic, their attempt to balance restaurant ownership with parenthood, and the meal that helped Ben win Rachel's heart. Also on this episode, Scott and Robey share their Best Bites of the Week, Robey's at Parterre Restaurant in Richmond and Scott's at Fine Creek Brewing in Powhatan.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Joye B. Moore's smile is infectious. But behind the sixth-generation baker's big grin and loud laugh, there is pain. Before moving to Virginia, Moore grew up in North Carolina and Texas where she lived with an abusive stepparent and a mother with severe mental health challenges. "My mother was undiagnosed with mental illness, that the family, just due to cultural reasons was not aware of," she said. "So at some point, we ended up living with my second great-grandmother." It was there, in her grandparents' gardens and kitchens, where Moore learned about the importance of good food and family. "I know they are proud of us. We are walking talking manifestations of all of their prayers heard," she said. Moore is talking about what she and her family have been able to do with Joyebells.  Moore and her family started making pies after she lost her job at a nonprofit in 2019. Moore started by selling just five pies a week at the Dairy Bar in Scott's Addition, to making 10 pies a week for that restaurant. She then jumped production to between 100 and 200 pies a week for other local stores before Food Lion took notice. Production then jumped to 1,800 pies a month to meet the demand for area retailers. It now has shelf space at all 1,100-plus locations in Food Lion's 10-state footprint. It's also grown into all 600 Sam's Club stores nationwide. “We look at each other and can't believe it. Pies, pies did this. It's surreal,” Moore said in an interview with the Associated Press. “I'm most proud of my family, all of us coming together, all of us coming together to elevate our historical family trajectory.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Torchy's Tacos will open its second Richmond-area restaurant in February. The new location, in the recently-built Carytown Exchange shopping center, is not far from where the Austin, Texas-based taco chain's CEO and founder came into this world. "I was born at Richmond Memorial Hospital," Torchy's Tacos boss Mike Rypka told Scott and Robey on the Eat It, Virginia podcast. "We lived off of Monument Avenue. My mom and dad used to work for the Richmond newspaper. They were both journalists. My dad was a photographer. My mom was a journalist." While the family moved to Northern Virginia about five years later, Rypka said he had "crazy memories" of his time in Richmond. Fortunately for Torchy's fans, Rypka found his way into the kitchen where a variety of experiences led him to start a taco truck in Texas. After a few years, Rypka's idea grew from a truck to a single restaurant to now more than 100 Torchy's Tacos across the U.S. The Short Pump location opened in January and a Midlothian location will join the Carytown spot later this year. Learn more about Rypka's journey from Richmond to Texas Taco King on this episode of Eat It, Virginia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cocodrilo opened to much fanfare on Richmond's Grove Avenue in March 2022. The restaurant had a Latin America-inspired menu created by Lemaire alum Chef Brad Slemaker, Shagbark alum Chef Brandon MacConnell, and River City Roll owner Rob Long and a huge open-flame grill Less than a year later, the chefs remain, the grill remains, but Cocodrilo is no more. In its place, the restaurant owners will open Bar West. "We were proud of the food we were putting out and I think that the reviews for the cuisine at Cocodrilo speak for themselves and none of that changes. The culinary staff is not changing at all," Long said on the most recent Eat It, Virginia podcast. So why the drastic change less than a year after opening? The team behind Bar West (the restaurant space formerly known as Cocodrilo) shares their story with Scott and Robey on this week's Eat It, Virginia!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We made it to the end of another year! Thank you for listening and being a part of our podcast community. We wish you Happy Holidays and much health and happiness in the new year. See you in 2023. love, Scott and RobeySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Elle Correll's life sounds a bit like a country song. Born and raised in Franklin, Virginia, she moved away from the small town when the paper mill closed down. Her friend Will also had to move. But apples would bring the friends back together. "I was living in DC. It was a lot of fun, but its time had played out. He was living in Richmond opening the cidery," Elle Correll said. "So when I met him, the cidery was under construction here in Scott's Addition. I was like, okay, you're really good at like the founder, CEO thing. But you could use some help on the PR, marketing, and the telling people about it side. Enter Elle." The friends were dating when they launched the cidery in 2016. They got married about a year later. "It is super fun and it is also very stressful. We work all the time," she said about working with her husband. "But it is fun because you get to learn about your partner so much more than you would if you just saw them in the evenings because you see how they are at work and their strengths and their weaknesses and how they play out in different locations." Learn more about Elle Correll, Buskey Cider, and Enneagrams on this week's Eat It, Virginia! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's Thanksgiving week and we are so very thankful to all of you for downloading, listening, and being a part of the Eat It, Virginia community.  We recently took part in a gathering of Richmond-area foodies, we'll call it a Foodie Friendsgiving. In between sips and bites, we had a conversation about where people are eating, which restaurants are consistently great, and what the Richmond food scene is currently missing. We covered a lot of other topics too!  If you like this format, please let us know! You're about to hear a bunch of voices in this podcast, so here's a list of names and Instagram handles to help you keep track of who's who:  Robey Martin -- Call Me Robey Scott Wise --  Scott_Wise James L. Ford III -- Just Something I Ate Srija Kothakonda The VA Foodies Saakshi Gunda The VA Foodies Nick Barahona - Nick's Food Review Sara Riso -- RVAFoodsandStuffs Kici Cofield -- Well Read and Fed Elaine  -- Miss Elaine Neous  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Angela Petruzzelli is about to open her dream Italian restaurant Sprezza in downtown Richmond.  When she moved to Richmond with her boyfriend in 2020, she recognized restaurants that served Italian food, but the style of Italian food they served was not the kind she preferred. "[Italian] food is not only something I relate so strongly to, but it's something that I felt was missing here. And so the minute I moved to Richmond, I knew immediately that I could bring what I grew up eating here," Petruzzelli said. "Obviously I say this with so much respect for the Italian food that already exists here, but I think that Richmond was missing authentic Italian food, Italian food that you would find in Italy, Italian food that I grew up eating that my Nonna used to make." Petruzzelli's family is from Southern coastal Italy where seafood rules. "We love linguine alle vongole (linguine with clams). We do a lot of cozze which are muscles. A lot of octopus, a lot of sea urchin," she said. 'It's an acquired taste, but when you put it in pasta, it's so velvety and so perfect like it's just the best thing ever. You don't find it that much in the United States, so I'm so excited to do that." Shortly after moving to Richmond from Miami, the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the city. "Honestly, it took me a year and a half to know that people even lived in Richmond. When we moved here, [her boyfriend's] company put us up in Short Pump and it was a ghost town. We would go to Short Pump mall, and obviously, the stores were all closed. We would just walk around and be like, 'Wow, what a nice mall. It's so sad no one is here," she said. It was during that time of isolation that the idea of Sprezza was born. "He was working from home. And I was like, 'Oh, we live in an apartment complex and nobody's leaving their houses, I could start selling trays of lasagna,'" she said. "Then I started doing more research and I started becoming a little bit more reasonable with what I could actually do. And I saw the pop-up [restaurant] scene was crazy here." After establishing a social media presence and reaching out to people already entrenched in Richmond restaurants, Petruzzelli began hosting Sprezza pop-ups. It did not take long for word to spread and for her events to sell out. "It was me making all the food from front to end and then [my boyfriend] putting it in the bags and handing it off to customers. That's how we went for six or seven months," she said. "[We sold out pop-ups] every time for almost a year and a half now. I've never not sold out. I mean if that's not a sign to go for it. I don't know what it is." In Petruzzelli's case, going for it means opening Sprezza -- the restaurant. She found a location where the old Morton's once served steaks in Shockoe Slip. "I want it to feel elevated and really special. I don't want it to feel like an Olive Garden or a Cheesecake Factory. I want it also to be a place where you come and you're comfortable," she said. "In Italy a white tablecloth is standard. So I want it to be a place where you go and have an amazing, phenomenal meal. But I want it to be a place where you can also go and you don't feel uncomfortable hanging out for two and a half hours and drinking four bottles of wine and getting a little loud." She hopes to have Sprezza up and running in 2022, perhaps as early as mid-November.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Christine Wansleben cut her teeth in the fine dining world of New York City before opening Richmond cooking school Mise En Place in Shockoe Slip. "Danny Meyer was opening two restaurants [in New York City] and I had the opportunity to apply. Then I got accepted and I joined the opening team at Eleven Madison Park," Wansleben said about her time in New York. "I felt it was something I couldn't pass up. One to work for a Danny Meyer establishment. And to work in a restaurant where everything is top of the line and there's anticipation." After years in the city, Wansleben was looking for a slower, more family-friendly pace of life and a friend recommended Richmond. "We moved here in 2001. So in 2000, we started checking out the food scene, I started subscribing to Richmond Magazine, checking out the top caterers because we figured that it had a decent enough food scene at the time that we could both come down and get jobs." Wansleben landed a steady catering gig with Tuffy Stone at A Sharper Palate. "He was great," she said about her time with Tuffy. "Not only do so many great food professionals and chefs come through there and help out, but it also allowed me to learn Richmond and what people like to eat." She also got the opportunity to teach others what she learned over the years in kitchens big and small. "Tuffy would often teach classes at Complete Gourmet in Carytown and there would be times when he couldn't do it," Wansleben said. "So he would ask either myself or sometimes one of my co-chefs to go and teach it for him. And that's what inspired me to look into opening Mise En Place." Now nearly 20 years later, Mise En Place has cemented itself as one of Richmond's best places to take a cooking class by yourself, with a friend, or as a corporate team-building excerise.   Learn more about Mise En Place and Diner En Blanc on this episode of Eat It, Virginia!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aline and Dale Reitzer have owned three Richmond restaurants, in three different Richmond neighborhoods, over the course of three decades.  Acacia in Carytown served guests from 1998 thru 2007. In December 2008, the Reitzers opened a new Acacia near the Fan on Cary and Robinson. That location closed just before the pandemic in 2020. "Everyone thought we were geniuses because we closed right before the pandemic, which was purely by luck," chef Dale Reitzer, who has been honored with multiple James Beard Award nominations, said. "But now we're picking probably the worst time to construct a restaurant. So I think it's come back to even the playing field out." The Reitzers are in the construction phase of a new Acacia restaurant, this time at Libbie Mill. They hope to have Acacia midtown open by the end of the year.  But Acacia isn't the couple's only claim to food fame.  Aline Reitzer started Richmond Restaurant Week as a way to raise awareness about the city's restaurants and raise money for the food bank. "I grew up in New Jersey and being in the restaurant business when New York Restaurant Week started, you could go to Union Pacific and all these amazing restaurants and you know what you're going to spend, and it was affordable, and you get to try these restaurants," Aline Reitzer said. "In 2001, I brought on nine local restaurants. They sat on our porch overlooking Carytown and I pitched the idea to them. I knew that Richmond was a very charitable and giving community. I knew that you couldn't just say, 'Hey, it's Restaurant Week, go out to eat and support the restaurants.' So I wanted to line up this opportunity with Central Virginia Food Bank [now Feed More]. So restaurateurs are feeding the general public on every given day and this money would then, in turn, feed those in need."  Richmond Restaurant Week run October 24-30.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Constantine Giavos comes from Richmond restaurant royalty. The son of Katrina and Johnny Giavos, Constantine's grandmother is Stella — yes that Stella — the namesake and inspiration behind his family's most well-known restaurant. Serving as creative director for his family's impressive portfolio of restaurants, it was the re-launch of Stella's that launched Constantine into the family business. "I started with the relaunch of Stella's in 2011. That's when I really got involved," Giavos, who studied at the Parsons School of Design in New York said. "Continental was the second one. It kind of steamrolled from there." While his parents and others handle what comes out of the kitchen at Giavos-family restaurants such as the aforementioned Stella's, Continental (2x), plus Little Nickel, Sidewalk Cafe, Kuba Kuba (2x), Galley, and Perly's, Constantine handles what you experience upon entering the space. He sets the tone by, among other things, designing each restaurant's decor, choosing the dishes and drinkware, settling on menu font types, and curating the playlists that send music into guests' ears while hearty portions fill their bellies.  Learn all about Constantine, his design philosophies, and his music career on this episode of Eat It, Virginia!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fat Rabbit bakery owner Ellyn Hopper transitioned from working for others in Richmond to becoming a full-time business owner near the beginning of the pandemic in 2020. "I had been doing wedding cakes along the side of working a full-time baking job for other companies," Hopper, who previously worked at Richmond spots like WPA Bakery and Stella's Market, said. "When the pandemic hit, I was less comfortable working in a huge kitchen setting. So I pulled back and I decided to invest a little bit more in Fat Rabbit, and it just seemed to work." In the early months of the pandemic, Hopper was baking out of her home kitchen and making cake deliveries all over town. "There were some days where I was making 10 to 15 deliveries daily, of different orders," she said about the early days of her business. "I just got into this weird little at-home rhythm where I'd wake up really early, bake like crazy, and then around 4 p.m. just head out and drive to people's houses and drop off." "I think the time was right. People were home. They wanted comfort food and things that were going to make them feel happy." Fast forward two years and Hopper has opened a standalone Fat Rabbit bakery in the Church Hill/Union Hill neighborhood. The Venable Street bakery's soft opening earlier this summer created long lines down the block. "It was personally one of the best days of my life. The neighborhood came out. Richmond came out to support us. We open the doors to a line down the block. We planned to be open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and I think we sold out by 11. So it was really quite an incredible day," Hopper said. "I haven't fully wrapped my head around it yet just how wonderful it was. We felt so much support from neighbors all over." We hope you enjoy this episode of Eat It, Virginia! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Deb Freeman is a food podcast superstar. The Norfolk native and current Richmond-area resident hosts "Setting the Table," one of the country's highest-rated food podcasts. In fact, the podcast reached #1 status during its first season earlier this year.  "I was hoping that someone would listen to it. I did not know that people all over the world would listen to it," Freeman told Scott and Robey on the Eat It, Virginia podcast. "I was just really caught off guard, I was just like, 'alright, I'm gonna check the stats, check the chart.' And it hit number one, I almost fell out of the chair." Freeman's podcast focuses on the impact African Americans have made on American food. "I knew I wanted to do something about Black baking. I wrote an article on yellow cake and people that I did not know were sending me pictures of their grandmothers and their mothers and sharing their memories and crying. So things like that kind of spark, oh, this might be an interesting podcast," Freeman said. " So I lay out, who I would like to talk to who would be interesting. Cheryl Day, who wrote an incredible book, James Beard nominated, was kind enough to say yes. Carla Hall was kind enough to say yes." In addition to Black baking, Freeman explores Black brewing, Black farming, and lays out the argument for Virginia being the birthplace of American barbecue. "Barbecue was created in Virginia," Freeman stated with confidence. "It was the combination of Native Americans, enslaved African Americans, and Europeans, that mixture was not happening anywhere else at the time. You've got pigs and vinegar from Europeans, you've got some smoking techniques from Native Americans, and then you've got not only the seasoning techniques of Africans, and later African Americans, but really knowing how to cook something low and slow. "That's something that only happened in Virginia, and people need to be proud of it you're from Virginia. Let's talk about it because people aren't talking about it." Oh yes, we talk about it much more on this episode of Eat It, Virginia!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mac McCormack probably owns more whisky than anyone you know. The owner of three Richmond-area restaurants that bear his name, the McCormack's locations boast impressively-stocked bars with a wide array of whisky. "I would guess in the 15 to 18,000 bottle [range] right now," McCormack answered when asked about his selection across McCormack's Big Whisky Grill at Regency Square, McCormack's Whisky Grill in the Fan, and McCormack's Irish Pub in Shockoe Bottom. "I don't know that anybody has more of a selection than we do at Big Whiskey. I don't see how they could, because it took me 10 years to put this collection together. Virginia has some restrictions where we have to buy everything from the ABC. And so one of the reasons we have so many bottles and backstock is because of that. So when things become available, I buy as many as I can, just to make sure that we keep them in stock, because I have to not think about today or tomorrow, I have to think about five years from now. And some of the products that we carry, the only reason we have them is that I stocked them 15 years ago having no idea that they will become so popular." When you sit down at one of McCormack's bars, don't be surprised if he steers you away from his most expensive bourbon pours. "My job as a bartender here is to show people the ones that they don't have to pay that money for. If people are doing that, and it's not the corporate guys in suits and it's not their money, I say, well, why don't we take a third of that shot price and I'll show you four whiskies that cost a third of that, that I think are almost as good or equally as good. And you don't have to waste a bunch of money," he said. "I understand the value of the bottles that I have, but I actually down-sell people all the time from those kinds of crazy expensive pours. We're a restaurant and I want you to come here once every two weeks, once every three weeks for dinner, I don't want you to just think of us as the expensive place." McCormack recently reopened his new Big Whisky Grill at Regency Square in Henrico's West End. Learn more about his restaurants and ascension to the top of the Virginia bourbon scene on this week's episode of Eat It, Virginia!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's a greenhouse in Goochland growing some of the freshest lettuce in town. Greenswell Growers hopes its hydroponically-grown greens can solve a grocery store concern for some shoppers. "We've all been in the grocery store picked up that package of greens and seen that wet, nasty tray in the bottom of it and put it back on the shelf and said, I'm not eating that," Greenswell Growers president Carl Gupton said on the Eat It, Virginia podcast. "The reason is that that was harvested three, four, five, six days ago at a minimum. It's harvested, cool chain there [California or Arizona], traveled across the country, hit a distribution center. It's not just a problem of fresh produce, they've got drought. We've all seen the mega droughts going on in California. It's changing the way that we are consuming. Throw COVID on top of it and the supply chain is broken in a lot of ways for our food system. We talk with some of our food distributors and when they order from the West Coast, they don't know if they're getting 100% of their order, 75% or 50% of their order. What we can do is bring predictable supply and have a product ready for them on demand with a predictable supply model and we know it's good, clean, healthy, fresh produce. That's our goal." You can find Greenswell Growers at several Richmond-area restaurants and at stores like Food Lion and at Harris Teeter stores in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads. "Hampton Roads has really embraced our product. Richmond has as well," Gupton said. "But we're seeing a lot of movement out in the beach communities, whether it's Outer Banks, whether it's Virginia Beach, or Ocean City through Performance Food Group." Learn more about Greenswell Growers and the process they go through to bring fresh greens from the greenhouse to the table on this week's Eat It, Virginia podcast. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gwen and Brittny Hurt are the mother-daughter team behind Shoe Crazy Wine and Spirits. They started the Richmond-based business after one of the worst weeks of their lives. "I was downsized from a company I spent 17 years in," Gwen shared on the Eat It, Virginia podcast. "They said they needed to replace my skills with other skills. I have a degree from a historically black college here in the U.S and I was working in China, and they said they needed [someone from] Yale or Harvard or an Ivy League school because our organization was now being reported to the board. So they let me go." When Gwen flew back to the states after losing her job, the situation did not improve. "I was going to my office to clean my desk and we were in a car accident. We were at a red light and this gentleman slammed into us at 55 miles an hour," she said. "So we get the bad news at the hospital. My back is injured. My neck is injured. Brittny's bursa sac and her hip were destroyed." It was during their at-home recovery, that their new life emerged.  "We did physical therapy. It was a year of physical therapy. And after three, four weeks of crying in my room with the shades drawn, Brittny's trapped upstairs with her cane. She couldn't walk, I could barely move. I got on my walker and I just said, I can't stay in this room anymore," Gwen said. "So I kind of took the walker and toddled out into the great room and said, 'Brittny, we're going into the wine business.'" And with that, Shoe Crazy Wine was born. But the hard work was only just beginning.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chef Danny Mena and Beverage Director Lauren Spain recently opened Big Kitchen Hospitality's newest restaurant Conejo in Richmond, Virginia. For Mena, a native of Mexico City, Conejo is a chance for him to show off a side of his hometown he finds under-represented at many Mexican restaurants in the U.S. "Mexico City is very cosmopolitan. It's not the typical idea that a lot of people have of Mexican food. It's a big city with a lot going on. And that's my influence," he said. "I'm a city boy, born and raised. And so that's what we're trying to bring [here], a modern take on traditional food." Mena cooked in some big-name New York City restaurants and opened two of his own (Hecho en Dumbo and La Loncheria) before he was tapped to lead the Conejo kitchen. And in that kitchen, Mena said he and his team lean on quality ingredients. "The quality of meat that we use, the quality of ingredients that we do is far superior [to many other Mexican restaurants]," he said. "We luckily have the time, the effort, the knowledge, and the resources to be able to do that." So what should you order on your first visit to Conejo? "The best seller, and this is every Mexican restaurant, is the guacamole. People go into a Mexican restaurant and before they look at a menu they order guacamole and two margaritas and then look at the menu," Mena said. "But really our best seller right now and is a Baja taco. It's one of those we put on that we kind of play with a lot. We use a fish called hake, which is similar to cod, but it's a little bit firmer, but still nice and flaky. We do this beer vodka batter. So it's kind of somewhere between like a Korean fried chicken beer batter and like Japanese tempura. So it's crispy, it's nice and light and flaky." Conjeo 5820 Patterson Avenue Richmond, VA 23226 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.