The best of all festivals, an Indian Feast, and Virginia Wine for everyone!
Saison's Peruvian Chicken at this year's Folk Feast
FULL AS FOLK
The Richmond Folk Festival kicked off on Tuesday with Folk Feast, a dine-around fundraising event for Richmond's most beloved festival. The fourth year of Folk Feast was, arguably, the best one yet, with 19 restaurants represented, plus wine, beer, and cider. If my coverage on CBS6 and Stephanie Breijo's pics in Richmond Magazine aren't enough to inspire some serious FOMO, perhaps nothing will.
TOMTEN GOES BOLLYWOOD
On Sunday, October 23rd, Tomten Farm is hosting an Indian-inspired feast on their farm. The $60 tickets include a pre-dinner cocktail, the aforementioned feast, and non-alcoholic beverages throughout. BYOB is encouraged. Tomten Farm co-owner Autumn Campbell says the dinner will draw from Julie Sahni’s Classic Indian Cooking and will err on the side of spicy.
DO YOU KNOW THE MUSHROOM MAN?
Steve Haas' mushrooms (aka haashrooms) are a regular staple in my family meal plan, and seeing Steve and Liz at the farmers markets is one of the best parts of our week. Steve always manages to tuck away a few foraged oyster mushrooms for me because he knows they're my favorite, and that's just one of the reasons why he's awesome.
Distinction Magazine followed Steve and international botanist (and my pawpaw connection) Rebecca Hollingsworth around to see just what you can find if you know where to look.
GIVE 'EM SHELL
Like we said last week, the Shell-Raiser Shindig is back for year two, and you do not want to miss it. This week, the chefs released their menu items, and this is shaping up to be very delicious, indeed. See for yourself:
Walter Bundy, Shagbark (Richmond)
Chesapeake Bay She Crab Bisque: Jumbo Lump Blue Crab, Virginia Hickory Smoked Slab Bacon, Late Season Corn, Fermented Hot Sauce.
John Hoffman, Fossett’s at the Keswick (Charlottesville)
Porcini & Trotter Cassoulet: Wild Porcini, Autumn Olive Trotter, Chicharones , VA Peanuts
Ian Robbins, The Gabriel Archer Tavern at the Williamsburg Winery (Williamsburg)
Border Springs Farm Lamb with Butternut Squash Puree, Roasted Carrot, Sage Marshmallow, Granola
Mike Ledesma, East Coast Provisions, The Daily and Hill Café (Richmond)
Roasted Cedar Pointe Oyster with citrus herb butter and aged parmesan cheese
Kevin Church, Postbellum (Richmond)
Foie Apple Fritters with cinnamon sugar and foie-anglaise
Rodney Einhorn, Terrapin (Va Beach)
Fried Sugar Toads, with Black Garlic BBQ Sauce, Pickled Sweet & Spicy Peppers, Cilantro, and Lime
IF YOU DO NOTHING ELSE...
Read this. It's well past time to address mental health issues in the foodservice industry in a meaningful way, and this article by Daniel Patterson is a good place to start:
"The fact is, you will find very few well-adjusted cooks. The culinary profession has one of the highest rates of mental illness in the country, and its workers are particularly prone to depression. Depression is closely linked to stress, low incomes, exhaustion and hostile work environments, all of which restaurants have in ample supply. People may come to us damaged, but the working conditions often exacerbate the problem, as does putting workers in close proximity to alcohol and often drugs. We are an industry built on feeding and caring for people, but too often we can’t take care of ourselves."
SIP: MICHAEL SHAPS TANNAT 2013
Winner of the 2016 Governor's Cup Gold Medal, this wine features the Tannat grape, a traditional grape in France that's picking up steam in Virginia winemaking. This is an intense, spicy, rich wine that would pair well with lamb stew or something equally bold.
BITE: YELLOW UMBRELLA'S FRIED SOFTSHELL SANDWICH
It's the end of the softies for the season (sniff, sniff, goodbye babies!), so stock up on the wee crabs at Yellow Umbrella, and get yourself a fried softy sammy while you're at it. Friday and Saturday from 11:00-2:00, $10.
GRAM: @VAWINE
October is Virginia Wine Month! Consider yourself ENABLED.