The Slice: Bummers and their remedies
I'm going to miss Stock even more than I miss Lily's red sauconys.
SO LONG (FOR NOW), STOCK
In a week full of bummer news, this was one blow that I did not expect: Stock Provisions announced on Monday that they will be closing their Main Street location as of August 27th. UGH. Where will I get my post-market tasso ham biscuits? Where will I banter with my favorite butchers? Where will I find cleverly conceived and named sausages???
There is a glimmer of silver lining. Stock will continue its Meat Club program, with pick-up locations at the Birdhouse Farmers Market, The Veil Brewing Farmers Market and Sub Rosa Bakery. "We have already begun adding flexible options to our Meat Club subscriptions with a la carte options as well as subscription add-ons such as Mixed Charcuterie, NY Strip Steaks, Bacon, Whole Chickens, etc," says Stock's James Lum. "We’ll be slowly expanding these options as we feel we’re able to effectively work them into our schedule. Meat Club members are able to login to their account and add products as needed to be included in their next pick-up."
In an email newsletter, Stock said they are looking for a new location in Richmond to potentially reopen in the future. I asked James what a new location would look like for them: "We will need a lot out of our next space. Visibility, accessibility, convenience, and the proper utilities to operate a production facility. We want to scale down and streamline the retail storefront, while scaling up wholesale production with a USDA inspection," says Lum, adding, "We’ve already started looking. However, we’ll be pretty particular about the process, and won’t be pulling the trigger until everything lines up." Let's hope, for the sake of that ham, they find their forever home and soon.
- 2013 - James Lum and Matt Greene open Stock Provisions in Charlottesville
- January, 2014 - Hunter Hopcroft opens Harvest Grocery + Supply
- January, 2015 - Stock Provisions' Pate de Campagne wins a Good Food Award
- January, 2016 - Stock absorbs Harvest and wins a Good Food Award for their Tasso ham
- June, 2017 - Stock introduces Meat Club
NO, NO NETTIE'S
And the bummers keep on coming, this one is immigration-related. Owner of Nettie's Naturally, Lynette Potgeiter, a native of South Africa, announced that she is forced to close her organic, gluten-free Jackson Ward bakery due to being stuck in Switzerland, unable to get the necessary visa stamp to return to the states. Though Lynette has declined to go into detail about the situation, it appears to be related to her request for a green card which is currently being processed.
I have to say this news leaves me feeling gutted. I worked alongside Lynette when she first started her business in RVA. At the time, she was sharing kitchen space with Pizza Tonight, and I have never seen anyone so meticulous, so obsessed with detail, as Lynette. She cares so much about the quality and integrity of her products, never cutting corners and hanging the expense to make sure the final product is perfect. Her work ethic is inspiring, and she is as reliable as they come.
Lynette is looking into her options to recoup some of the expense she's had to endure to resolve this issue. In an interview with Bizsense, Potgeiter mentioned the idea of selling off equipment, and friends who have spoken with her say she's looking for someone to take over her lease at 100 W. Clay Street. There are also talks of creating a GoFundMe campaign to further offset expenses. We'll post a link as soon as one surfaces.
ROLLIN WITH THE HOMIES
It's not all bad news, guys. Richmond now has rolled ice cream, thanks to NarWhal's Rolled Ice Cream, a mobile business that sets up outside of Zzaam in Carytown, offering a variety of flavors of the newest ice cream novelty. Order a large and eat this week's feelings away.
EYES ON THE RISE
What's better than biscuits? Biscuits AND donuts. Rise, a biscuit & donut franchise founded in Durham, NC in 2012 by CIA-trained chef Tom Ferguson, opens its first Richmond location this Saturday at 7:00 am. Rise specializes in both old school and new timey donuts and biscuits and will be open from 7:00 to 2:00 daily. For opening weekend, Rise will donate 10% of profits to Comfort Zone camp. There are currently 14 Rise locations along the east coast, with three more on the way.
STUDYING THE CLASSICS
Maymont's Beer & Wine Classic is on Friday, September 8th on the Carriage House Lawn with live music by The Whiskey Rebellion and a lawn full of games provided by Clubwaka Richmond. The event will feature nearly a dozen breweries and cideries, including Ardent Craft Ales, Steambell, and Buskey Cider; as well as wine from Barboursville Winery, Elk Island Winery, and Narmada Winery. Tickets range from $15 for designated drivers to $35 for non-Maymont members.
WHERE'S THE BEEF?
Roosevelt chef Mike Braune is at the pop-up game again with Mike Braune's Steakhouse, hosted by Saison on Monday, August 28 from 5:00 to 10:00. Call (804) 269-3689 to reserve a seat.
BLACK HOLE SUN
Stare into the moon/sun (with appropriate eyewear of course) from the rooftop of the Quirk Hotel on Monday, August 21st, with eclipse-inspired cocktails and a killer view. Tickets ($5/person) are required and include those very hard-to-find-if-you-waited-until-now glasses.
SIP OF THE WEEK: HOT COFFEE
Get specific with your sipping this and every Saturday at Blanchard's "Saturdays," a curated coffee experience. Each week, Blanchard's will be pouring a new brew, with sandwiches by Nate's Bagels. Tickets are $10 per person and include food, unlimited coffee pours, and knowledge. 8:30 to 11:30 am, come and go as you please.
For this first installment, Blanchard's will be pouring Kenya Gikrima AA. Here's how they describe it:
The Kenya Gikirima AA is distinctly Kenyan in body and sweetness, but presents incredibly fruit-forward, and spicy notes of Apricot, Blackberry, and Clove. The "AA" distinction refers to the size of screens used to sort coffees - "AA" is the largest screen used in the sorting process. Though not directly related to quality measure, the larger bean size of "AA" and "AB" sorted coffees is a common corollary.
BITE OF THE WEEK: PAWPAWS
I had my first pawpaw sighting of 2017 this week. No, not at the James River, although you can find them ripening on trees all along the riverfront. These were at the Birdhouse market, sold by Heath farm at $2.50 a pint and smelling just as funky/mango-y/banana-y as ever. Read up on the story of the pawpaw in this interview and in the book it references, Pawpaw, In Search of America's Forgotten Fruit, an interesting, if very specific, read.
GRAM OF THE WEEK: @michael_lee_photos
I often find myself wishing Michael Lee would give me some context in the captions, but regardless, this guy knows where and what to eat and is worth a follow if you like being hungry all the time.