Eat It, Virginia!

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)

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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 

434-270-0583

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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!

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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.

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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.

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