This post is not going to help me or anyone adhere to sober January, but I had to share these pictures somewhere besides Twitter. While crouching before the floor-level shelves of scratch’n'dent wine at Fresh to Frozen Salvage Grocery on Midlo, I nearly fell over at the sight of four bottles of 2009 Volver Single Vineyard Tempranillo. Sure, I tend to like Spanish reds, but I’d just heard of this bottle the night before on a blog that called it the best wine bargain of the year. Weird that it would immediately present itself in such a random place and for only $5.25. The labels were stained, so I hoped the only issues were cosmetic, and I bought all four bottles.

Feeling a little magic in the air, I went around the store taking pictures of the beer bargains. In recent months, I’d bought a few $10 cases of Flying Dog variety packs that taste like they were almost good as new. Another case of NC’s Cottonwood winter ale was a value at 8% alcohol, lots of hops, but a little off from some kind of neglect (Paul Karns called it oxidized and didn’t finish the bit I poured for him). It’s not bad if you’re already buzzed, tho (yeah, I’m not proud). So, this Organic IPA from the Napa valley might be a hit or a miss. I’d never seen it before. Beer Advocate readers gave it 78 out of 100. I didn’t bring it home, but maybe you’ll want to.

I got excited when I saw the words Belgian and beer together, but a little deflated when I saw the beers that were included in this holiday box. Whatever with my snobbery. All three of these would hit the spot for any epicure at 5 o’clock on a weeknight.  Lefe is a good yeasty golden ale. Hoegaarden is an icon of blonde beer smoothness. And Stella Artois is just what the doctor ordered, if the other beer options are Budweiser’s American products (yes. Bud bought Stella a while back).  Anywho, for $18, that’s three $6 sixers. If they were normally $10 each, then you saved $12.  Somehow, that wasn’t enticing enough for me, but you might see it differently.

Whatever a Paulaner Wiesn Bier tastes like, that mug is humongous.  When you find out your friend is gonna have a keg at their next party, this is the perfect thing to bring if you don’t wanna remember any of it. Upon further reading, I see that beer is a light and fruity Oktoberfest that’s rated 87 by Beer Advocate members. Damn. Shoulda bought it. But, then again. I don’t think I want to spend a year or two recovering from the damage that I’d do to myself with that mug in the cupboard.

This is probably the best deal of the lot, if it’s not skunked. Perfect for winter, the founders of the Beer Advocate site basically said it’s a flawless dark beer. Well, a salvage store might be able to bring out some flaws, but for that price, it’s gotta be tempting to find out.  Anybody wanna split a case with me? Notice that I glossed over the Rolling Rocks. They also had some generic looking cases of Mexican beer. No gracias.

From the proprietors of the Farm to Family bus/market:

Mark and I have recently been made aware of the many questions, comments, opinions and concerns expressed on this blog regarding Farm to Family in both Jason’s post on the trend toward grower’s only farmers markets and in Alicia’s subsequent critique of our Farm Bus. I don’t know either of these people. We are concerned about remarks made here about our business, our reputation, ourselves and are taking your feedback very seriously.  We are making positive changes to make things better. We are a fairly new business (3 years), and we don’t have all the answers. We are human beings who make mistakes, sometimes things slip through the cracks and we are sincerely sorry if we offended anyone. We are a work in progress and we are trying to do a better job with a complicated business with all the passion we can. We don’t have any support network and we are trying to do this as well as we can with what little resources we have available to us. Please have patience with us,– the world is changing quickly and there are not a lot of clear cut answers on what is exactly the right thing to do or how to do it. At the end of the day, hopefully we have helped someone or made their life a little easier.

My goal in writing is not to further antagonize anyone, or stir the pot anymore than it is already but I do want to address major inaccuracies and connect with everyone here so that we can better serve our customers. Unfortunately I am not going to address everyone’s statements individually, as I don’t want to take up more space than I am already. Please contact me off this blog if you want to talk to me about anything as I feel phone or in person communication is more effective. I feel that people need to work together and support each other, our world is hard enough, and I hope that we can all move forward and do that.

People who have immediate concerns and questions about anything that I have written, or has been written here about us, or anything we do, or our business, or anything Mark or I have said, especially about source of our produce and other goods, or if you have received unacceptable customer service,  please address me about it. If you do not tell us you are unhappy, we may not know about it and can’t do anything about it. We are not in this business to upset anyone, or rip you off and we want you to be happy with what we do, or we will refund your money or do whatever else it takes to resolve the situation. We will do our best to answer you or rectify the situation.

Our email is farmtofamilyinfo (at) gmail.com
or phone 804-767-8570.
You can also come to our market at
2817 Mechanicsville Turnpike, RVA 23223

We extend an open invitation to anyone who wishes to learn more about Farm to  Family or our business to come hang out with me at the market, or to accompany Mark on any of his foraging trips.

Farm to Family sources from our local food shed. The farthest away we source is 168.27 miles in Bolar, VA for maple syrup, but we are trying to source with farmers closer to home. We occasionally cross state lines into NC or Maryland for items such as kiwi, or butterbeans and recently have gotten sweet potatoes from out of state, but its still within our food shed. You can visit our website http://thefarmbus.com/food/ for a list of all items sold, farm/vendor of origin, and their location, and website if they have one. We also now have these listed in our market along with growing practices and certifications to the best of our knowledge. I havent yet figured out how best to do this on the bus, but am open to any suggestions. Not all ingredients in artisanally made food items are local or organic but the people who make them are from our food shed. Some accessories sold in our store are not local, but may make your life more sustainable and enjoyable (reusable produce bags, cheese cloth, tea infusers and honey dippers).

All of our current farmers, aggregators and 3rd party distributors are open to your questions about their growing practices and origin of product, including the Shenandoah Valley Produce Auction in Dayton Virginia, who we do work with on a regular basis.

SVPA does auction items from out of state and of varying agricultural practices but they also work with excellent farmers with very clean growing practices, many who are USDA certified organic, or with other certifications, some of whom are Mennonite (not Amish). Many of these Mennonites have extremely sustainable farming practices, save seeds and work with hoophouses  to extend the growing season. They use alternative methods to control pests and fungus. Many of them farm with organic or natural farming practices, but choose to not be certified for many reasons (time, money, government involvement). Mark has spent a lot of time getting to know these farmers and has visited their farms. We respect what they do and how they do it. Unfortunately Richmond does not have a food hub, and the auction serves that purpose for us as well as many other prominent produce buyers in the Richmond area. In addition to our work with the auction, we are increasingly trying to source closer to home as much as possible.

Many people automatically assume that everything we sell we grow ourselves, or is USDA Certified Organic. That is not true. We work with other farmers to help sell the food that they grow.  Some of the fruits and veggies we source are USDA Certified Organic, but mostly we work with small farmers who use organic or natural methods but are not certified (farms generating less than $5,000 per year are not required to certify by the USDA), so the majority of our farmers are Natural Certified, or are natural growers (using Natural Certified methods but not certified). Our fruit farmers (Agriberry, Crown Orchards, Saunders Brothers) use integrative pest management methods. From time to time something we sell may be conventional and will be labeled as such. The meat, dairy and poultry products we sell are pastured, and are hand-raised without antibiotics or hormones, and are all inspected and/or processed under their respective government supervision when not exempted. All the  dairy is legal to sell in the state of Virginia and is inspected monthly at minimum and also spot checked by VDACS, USDA and the Health Department. I personally try to educate our customers as much as I can either verbally, with signage or by directing them to where they can find more information. We work closely with VDACS, who is our regulatory agency. If you have questions, ask us.

I have spoken with all of our current farmers about your requests for information on farming practices and transparency. Mark has met with SVPA auction management regarding concerns we and other buyers have about transparency  and organization of produce. He made suggestions to the effect that all items be clearly labeled with farm of origin, location of the farm, and farming practice, and that out of state items be separated from Virginia items. They have agreed and will be implementing these changes next auction season. Anyone interested in talking with the auction manager regarding our patronage of the auction, farming practices of anyone participating in the auction including the Mennonite farmers are welcome to call him. The reputation and business of all of our farmers, vendors, aggregators is also at stake here, as well as the well-being of all of our customers, so we wish to address your concerns with accuracy and speed.

We are not farmers, nor have we represented ourselves as such, although from before the beginning of our business we have grown food ourselves at our home. We still grow food at home and now we also strive to grow on land at our market to sell on the bus and at the market and indeed were doing so at the point we left the SOTJ.  We are distributors of food, and we are proud to do that. We would like to be spending more time with our bus in areas that don’t have as much access to fresh food, but the unfortunate reality is that in order to stay in business here in Richmond, we have had to go to other areas.  This is a very hard time economically for small businesses so we are doing what we have to to stay open, and soon we hope that things are moving into place so we can return on a more regular basis to underserved areas. In the meantime, our market is located on the edge of  Church Hill and Highland Park, areas that we have visited with the bus, and is within walking distance for many of our customers. We feel the area where our market is in (which is a short bike ride from our home) is diverse racially and economically, although demographics state that it is primarily African Amerian. We do take food stamps, also for our shares.

A rash of Richmond restaurant closings is putting a damper on this holiday season, especially for those unfortunate small food business owners and their crestfallen loyal customers. Without meddling in their business’s inner workings, it’s hard for those of us scratching our heads to grasp the hardships faced by our favorite food purveyors. Location? Personnel? The economy? Promotion? It’s rarely clear where to point the finger when a restaurant shuts down.

However, there is something public citizens can do to create a more friendly environment for restaurant start-ups: We can demand the elimination of Richmond’s 6% meals tax. It’s probably no coincidence that Nate’s Taco Truck Stop and Cafe Ole Carytown closed down shortly after the City carried out its audit of many local restaurants and hit them with a bill for the hefty balance. When you’re still working out the kinks in your operation and trying new things,

(more…)

Now that we’re a one car household, it’s pretty rare that I find myself heading out Midlothian Turnpike. But, when I do, I’m certainly looking to stretch some modest means between a few of Richmond’s best bargain shops: Marshall’s, Fresh to Frozen Grocery Salvage, La Michoacana ice cream… It was on one of those trips that I did a double take while passing the old The Hook Fish’n Chips (that was the name, right?). The sign had changed and now the restaurant was flush with people. Otherwise, no exterior make-over. Exact same neon “fish” and “shrimp” ablaze in the windows.  There was just some additional signage: this is a Mexican joint now.

The next time I passed, I did a U-ey and pulled in for a bite. Inside, every seat was taken. At the bottom of a long list of specialties, the word “huaraches” jumped out at me, so I ordered that without deliberation. The word holds special meaning for me, because I had to learn it on my Mexico City honey moon. Street vendors were pressing oblong corncakes bigger than your head, searing them on giant comals, topping them sparingly with amazing chili sauces and lightly with cheese. The perfect snack. The product on Midlo is miles apart from the Mexico City style. Instead, heaping like a tostada, unfortunately topped with bland salady veg that waters down the experience. Order meat on yours and maybe you’ll enjoy it more.

This was my introduction to Taqueria Panchito, my personal “Restaurante of the Year.” But I wasn’t put off. While waiting on my food, I spied a man’s impressive sub-style sandwich. It was Dagwood-esque. On top of several layers sat the unmistakeably red al pastor pork. He had the top bun off and was preparing to drizzle one or all of the three house salsas on it. A couple glances at his ritual and I knew I’d be back to follow in his footsteps.

The thing about Panchito’s (in the Richmond parlance) is its transparency. Three sides of the restaurant are all windows, so you know who’s in there. Is there space? People you know? Very different from the numerous Latino establishments that are foreboding hole-in-the-wall storefronts with little light.  Ducking into those places often yields the best eats, but Panchito’s adds a much more accessible and social atmosphere, greasy spoon though it may be (depending on your definition). (more…)

The following was left by Alicia as a comment about farmers markets and the expectations we have of the vendors.  A few weeks afterwards, Farm to Family issued a response.

At the risk of making myself unpopular, I’m going to say it: I’ve got beef with the Veggie Bus guy.

Don’t get me wrong. I think what he’s trying to do is great, and I love the idea that anyone with the time and means can buy (or salvage) a bus and start a program in their own area. My ‘beef’ lies in the disconnect between principal and practice. I think that consumers have a right to make informed decisions, to know what they are buying, and to not be misled. I was all about getting on the bus, Gus… until I did. And then I was sad– and a little bit mad.

According to Mark Lilly’s (self-penned) Huffington Post blog entry entitled ‘Beginning,’ he has “created a perfect local, sustainable food distribution system that can penetrate any demographic area in any city or town with nutritious, tasty, organic, local food.” He goes on to say that he “[sources] local products from family, friends or anyone that grows clean food within a 150-mile radius of where I am located in Richmond, VA. I build relationships with local farmers, drive to their farm, load up the bus, and then distribute it into the urban landscape through set routes.” Although his straw-hat persona suggests otherwise, Mark is primarily peddles wares grown by others. I have no problem with Virginia farmers needing middlemen to get their goods to market so that they can keep running the farm. In fact, it’s a darn good idea… if only the execution matched the ideals.

The Farm to Family website states that “[Mark] is an expert in local food distribution, the slow food movement, marketing, CSA’s and setting up a successful small sustainable business concept.” I guess, in the same way that a person whose dog has had a littler of puppies might consider themselves a ‘dog breeder,’ he might be an expert. In which case, I’m an expert, too. I’ve read several books on the subject and I follow the ‘slow-food’ movement in the news and blogosphere and Twitterverse. I have also taken graduate and undergraduate courses in Natural Resources, Food Science, and Agriculture in which sustainability, the collapse of the global food chain, and alternatives to industrial farming practices were discussed ad nauseum. But I don’t go around calling myself an expert, because I’m not. I’m just a person with a strong interest in a subject who tries to educate themselves as much as possible. Mark has a bachelors degree in Fine Arts from VCU and took some courses for a Disaster Science degree at the University of Richmond — a degree which he did not finish. Now, I could care less that a person started taking courses and, for whatever reason(s), decided not to finish a program– but you do NOT get to call yourself an expert for so doing.

I rode with Mark in mid-April on one of his weekly runs to the Shenandoah Valley. We hit up the Shenandoah Valley Produce Auction in Dayton, VA, where he purchased rhubarb, strawberries, bean sprouts, asparagus, tomatoes, lettuce, watercress, herbs, and some flowers. Much of the produce up for auction was brought to market by large-scale Mennonite farmers– but some of it was also trucked in by other distributors from parts unknown. I watched Mark bidding because I was curious, once I saw how the auction worked, how he knew where the stuff he was buying came from. When I questioned this he said “Oh, I ask.” Well, maybe he does ask sometimes– but he did not ask that day. (more…)

It’s gotten to the point that you can’t throw a rock in Richmond without hitting a food blogger. As one of those eating/writing enthusiasts, I would just ask that you substitute for those rocks with fried sugar-toad sliders (or vegan alternative) and aim for our mouths.  Surprisingly, few of the 75 food bloggers that are showcased at EatingRichmond.com have actually ever met.  Twice, we’ve gathered at Olio, but the contingent, thought fun, attendance was just a fraction of our total population.

Well, here’s hoping the third time is the charm… On Thursday, December 15th, at 6:30, Olio is opening its doors to Richmond’s food blog writers and the people who love them (okay, appreciate, or at least, can relate to).  They’ll have their normal extensive gourmet menu and the beer and wine will be for sale at their surprisingly affordable rates (for a restaurant, anyhow).  Its should go until about 9pm, or later if it’s still in full swing.

How ’bout we pack the house this time? Let’s buy Olio out of every Belgian beer they have in stock.  And stinky cheese. Lots of it.  The food blogging “community” has grown exponentially since EatingRichmond.com began.  It’s time to meet the new crop.  And our points of view are getting increasingly diverse, bringing all kinds of culinary and consumer perspectives to the table. In fact, far from being some kind of homogenous social clique, Richmond’s food bloggers are geographically far flung and there isn’t much we  likely agree on.  Wouldn’t that make for perfect party conversation?  Quirky people and their palates, the perfect pairing to spice up the holidays.  And Olio’s market is a great place to shop for presents and stocking stuffers too.

HELP NEEDED: I’ve been hard at work creating and losing and not updating my email list of all 75 of us.  To help pull together full participation, please spread the word to any food blog writers or enthusiasts.  This is the Facebook event page. RSVPs are appreciated, but not required. If the link doesn’t work, just search “Richmond food blogger”.

That’s right. I resisted the urge to intro each of these books that I own and shamefully haven’t really used. I don’t have the right.  I need to regain their trust first.  Have any of you cooked out of these books? Let’s discuss. Maybe it will motivate me.

Warning: I may confess my remorse-fulness in the comments.

I’ve gotten a jump start on holiday shopping, and so should you. Actually, my wife’s birthday is in early December, so I’ve got no choice. But, it’s still a good strategy to cherry-pick the clearance bins now so you can kick back and relax on Black Friday. Now, why cookbooks? If you’re like me, the answer is an emphatic NO. Stop. You don’t use the ones you have. Why buy more? Maybe I shouldn’t, but I can still make some recommendations and live vicariously through you. It’s David Chang’s fault for luring me to The bookstore to find his Lucky Peach magazine ($12!?) and then got whiplash noticing a few interesting cookbook finds. Really, if ever there was a cookbook to actually merit its place in your home, this is the one – NO. Make that five! Let us begin…

Be Your Own Paprika Pusherman
I own this Spanish cookbook and I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw it in the bargain section at B&N, down from $50 to $15. It’s a telephone book of Spanish staples, the Joy of Spanish Cooking, if you will. Without a great Spanish restaurant in town, or tapas to write home about, your kitchen could easily crank out paprika dusted food that earns you an unrivaled reputation for Spanish fare.

Occupy the Kitchen
Though a little depressing, it was less surprising to find Mark Bittman’s book/movie tie-in cookbook remaindered for quick sale. I know that people don’t buy cookbooks so they can be guided towards more conscientious consuming. Or maybe they do. Diet books sell like crazy. People love to say they saw Food Inc. But, what are we doing about it in the kitchen? Mark Bitman’s prescription is all about attention to our ingredients. In a general sense, he’s reworking the proportions of our meals to revolve less around meat and dairy and more around everything else, especially the unprocessed stuff. I’ve got his How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. He knows what he’s doing. Only here, the food is a little more creative and enticing. Maybe you haven’t noticed, but Mark Bittman is the food world’s go-to source for updates on the Occupy Wall Street movement. The man is keeping it real when it comes to the civic obligations that are mandated by the qpolitics/economics of our industrialized food supply. That’s reason enough to buy his books, specifically this book. How bout this: 500 recipes for $10. That’s 20 cents per recipe. Go get it!

Molto Vegetable
Mario Batali is large. He contains multitudes. Hence, you should not replicate his diet. That was my thought after flipping through my wife’s copy of The Babbo Cookbook which seems to revolve around the most obscure collection of zoo animals and their most delicate body parts. I imagined he ate them with a nice Chianti. So, of course, I passed on his NASCAR themed grilling book too. And yet, improbably, the Iron Chef has reformed his ways. The wry but joyful television persona did an about face in terms of his diet. The result isn’t unlike Mark Bittman’s approach. With this Molto Batali book, the focus is on big family style food, but it’s relatively accessible and relatively healthy. It was his previous book (really the one I’m recommending here), Molto Gusto, that focuses on vegetables, and toning down the ridiculously disproportionate consumption of flesh (hence, you will probably see it in the bargain bin shortly). Be glad Mario’s cardiologist got to him before you had to make an appointment yourself.

Ratio-nalize This
I didn’t want to recommend a newly published full-price cookbook. The usual suspects are all lined up there, faced-out on the shelf, or getting the end-cap treatment, with their urgent message to the people that just so happens to coincide with the holiday season 6-7-8 years running (looking at you, Jamie). But, Michael Ruhlman’s latest caught my eye on its surface and again when I started looking at the contents. He’s teaching you 20 cooking techniques and 100 recipes associated with those techniques. Sign me up. I need the basics. Even if I already know some of this stuff, I’ll finally find out that my hunches were right or wrong. The pictures were particularly exciting. The processes that are mainstays in professional kitchens are clarified here for the novice. Its a gift that keeps on giving.

Tacopalooza
You probably don’t know who Mark Miller is (these books were offered at Crate and Barrel, by the way). Neither do I. Except that an old roommate worked at a Southwestern place in Georgia, and the head chef had studied under Mark Miller, whom he couldn’t say enough about. So, she hipped me to the guy which led to me buying his salsa book. In fact, I found it in the Barnes and Noble bargain bin the day after hearing of Mark Miller. It’s an amazing listing of salsas, ranging from tame to ingenious to kinda bonkers. Many of his other cookbooks, I haven’t seen in person yet, but they seem to revolve around his New Mexican restaurant the Coyote Cafe. People of Virginia, from all I’ve read, we could only hope for such a restaurant. Anywho, imagine my excitement to see that the dude has written a book about tacos. I’ve worked my way through the stellar Nates Taco Truck offerings, the saucy Boka Truck “takos”, and my own silly assembly line dinners at home. This book has the potential to turn all of that on its head. I’m sorry Nate and Parick and my own wife, but it’s true. There are always better tacos out there. And with this book, we have the roadmap to make them ourselves.

UPDATE: this list largely came from one impromptu visit to B&N. Since I’ve rediscovered my cookbook obsession, I’ll probably be adding to this entry over the next month.

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While at Marshalls recently, I grabbed a couple cookbooks to show to my wife. They were each $5.99. But, I had a bunch of stuff in the cart even though I had left my wallet at home. I had to scale back to a moderate total if I was going to ask Karen to pay for it. Now that I’m in feverish cookbook craving mode, I wish I’d bought them. Maybe another visit is in order. Here they are for your consideration. Keep in mind, they were mostly curiosities to me and not recommendations, per se.

California Italian

I’ve tinkered with making infused oils and I’m starting to accumulate enough vinegars to take up a whole shelf in my cupboard. So, this book intrigued me. But, the real reason I picked it up was Michael Chiarello. I’d seen him on Top Chef, ruffling feathers. And on Top Chef Masters, giving the Saveur editor a hard time. He seems to put a lot of himself into his cooking, he fully commits to being a prick when he wants to. From what I’ve seen on TV, Chiarello is rigid and methodical, steely, and confident. And those attributes may be the reason I put that cookbook back on the shelf. Now, I’m kicking myself. I watched an episode of The Next Iron Chef tonight, admired the dishes he presented, and wished I had a book of his to flip through. His rustic Italian food always sounds amazing. So, here’s one that got away. Maybe I’ll decide differently next time.

Picturesque Mise En Place

Speaking of Italian food, I knew I didn’t need this cookbook… until I opened it. An Italian basics book isn’t for me. But, what does “from above” mean? I’d never seen this line of books. The aerial view of the ingredients and the steps could really make a difference to the right visual learner type person. Is that me? I dunno. Karen? Maybe. She’d at least appreciate it from a graphic design perspective. But, we own too many cookbooks to simply add novelties for the heck of it. But, I kinda wish I had brought it home. Have any of you used one of these “from above” books?

Beguiling Packaging

Is it a book, or is it a box? Actually, the box contained 14 mini-books, each focusing on two different vegetables. The top features place-holders shaped like the veggies in question, sticking up out of the green ground colored book spines. What a regal treatment for the most important food group. It’s about time. It’s also about time somone actually bought this book and cooked from it. Hence, I found it at Olie’s bargain/salvage store for $9.99. If that’s too much, Amazon offers it for $14.99 with free shipping. It’s a perfect novelty gift. I’ve got one from a yard sale. Have I cooked from it? No. Maybe this item should be listed in its companion post about cookbooks that I’m neglecting. By the way, Ollie’s also has Bittman’s How to Cook Everything (and the Vegetarian version, for about $15.

Creative Simplicity for Vegetarians

So, besides Bittman’s, there are some crappy cookbooks at Ollie’s. Most of’em, actually. But, I enjoy the hunt, even with my nagging children in tow. When I saw the words, Greens, Everyday on the spine of this one, I immediately thought it would be great to eat greens everyday. Actually, this one is from from a restaurant called Greens (they’ve got a few cookbooks). It’s one of the most respected vegetarian restaurants in San Francisco, if not the country. The food is creative, accessible, and generally heathy. On my recent visit to the Bay Area, I went to Millennium and had stellar food. But, it seems I should have visited the more affordable and understated, Greens. Although, this book came out in 2003, and the veggie section of the bookstore has quadrupled since then, the food ideas aren’t painfully dated (like Moosewood, everything Deborah Madison, etc). Sure, the restaurant is connected to the local Buddist community, the cookbook isn’t all woo-woo, or hippy dippy. And, the bottom line is, it’s listed at $45. Amazon sells it for $29.99. And I got mine for $3.99.

Music to My Stomach

Somehow, more than two months since it came out, I’ve just heard that two Richmond natives put out a musical cookbook featuring a who’s who of celebrity chefs (Mario Batali, David Chang, Tom Coliccio, John Besh, Isa Chandra, and more). The band is One Ring Zero, once a Richmond mainstay, now mostly Brooklyn based, I think. Is this why Richmond media has neglected this foodie pop-culture news story? It reminds me of Richmonder, Amir Sadollah. He migrated to Brooklyn too, but not until after he’d won an entire MMA competition on a nationally broadcasted reality show. But, not a shred of Richmond media coverage for Amir either. Obviously, I’d love to get this critically acclaimed cookbook/CD combo for Xmas (it’s getting talked up all over the food news outlets, so you should be able to find it at locally owned shops). But there’s clearly a larger story to tell here. I’m going to let our local media outlets rifle through their round file for The Recipe Project’s neglected press release. If we don’t see any coverage, I’ll try to put something together proper in time for last minute gifts.

By now, you’ve probably heard that Richmond has given birth to a foodie movie: Pimento Cheese, Please! A piece of cinema that follows a unique, but traditional dish through its native Southern habitat, out on the town at restaurants, in the limelight with celebrity chefs, and into your grocer’s refrigerated section. After a Kickstarter fundraising effort, Nicole Lang Key produced the movie with help from friends, and the premier is now scheduled for November 9th at the Hippodrome (cheese samples from various local chefs included in the price of admission).

I don’t know about you, but the anticipation is making me hungry for pimento cheese. Not just any pimento cheese, but EVERY pimento cheese that Richmond has to offer.  As I see it, if you like something, or even if you’re just curious about it, you should try it EVERYWHERE in town (and attempt making it yourself, of course).  And then you should get into the minutia of how each place does theirs differently, spicy or mild, cheap ingredients or gourmet, old fashioned or heavily embellished.  And then,  returning to the root question of, “Why has [insert food tradition here] become gospel in the local cuisine?”  Well, that’s my idea of fun, stereo-typical “foodie” though it may be.

• Mosaic
• Parkside Cafe (with a blackened green tomato)
  
• Black Sheep
• Comfort
• The Roosevelt
• Hill Cafe (in a blt)
• Chez Foushee
  
• Ms. Marshalls
• Sally Bell’s
• Lemaire
• The Citizen (topped with jerk seasoned greens)

An Ordering Tip

Excuse me, I don’t know if I want the pimento cheese sandwich until I hear someone here say the P word. [awkward pause while server obliges] Hahahaha. Hilarious. You dropped a syllable.  My “-menta” sandwich is gonna taste that much better. Bring on the cheese salad!

We’ve been canning like mad this year. There’s pizza sauce, sofrito, tomato-basil jam, peach salsa… But, it’s not enough. We want more.
So, we’ll be bringing a can or two of each of our stockpiled goodies to this weekend’s Yes We CAN event and see what we can get in exchange.

Here’s a blog post with details from the event hosts at Richmond Food Collective. Hope to see you there.