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A latte at Ironclad Coffee Roasters (Photo by Sarah Der)
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Ironclad Coffee Roasters (Photo by Sarah Der)
Heat of the Moment
Later, pumpkin spice — Aunt Mabel’s in town. At the beginning of the month, Shockoe Bottom coffee shop Ironclad Coffee Roasters will introduce Aunt Mabel’s sweet potato latte. Using Ironclad’s Bare-Knuckle Espresso and South Mountain Creamery milk, baristas add a homemade sauce made from whole sweet potatoes, plenty of butter, brown sugar and a blend of spices for a caffeinated fall dream. Order in house to get the full experience: A cup adorned with toasted-to-order artisan marshmallows and candied pecans.
A visit to Recluse Roasting Project — a weekend-only coffee shop owned and operated by former Olympia Coffee Roasters employees Aimee Biggerstaff and Jack Fleming, and tucked into a Scott’s Addition alleyway — feels like a mini RVA adventure. Order a ginger-spiced dirty chai from the walk-up window for a seasonal pick-me-up with lingering hints of clove and molasses. And if cardamom buns from Pizza Bones are on the menu, you know what to do.
“Unkol” Chuck’s Brunswick Stew can be found at St. Stephen’s Farmers Market or online. (Photo by Jay Paul)
Stew for the Soul
Born and raised in Alberta, the heart of Virginia Brunswick stew country, Charles Johnson grew up eating the hearty, labor-intensive Southern soup. He’s the co-owner of “Unkol” Chuck’s Brunswick Stew with his wife, Cheryl, and they have been selling an average of 400-600 quarts of their famed stew, a recipe passed down for generations, per week, since debuting in 2011. Made with chicken — shredded, to be exact — potatoes, baby lima beans, corn and tomatoes, it slowly simmers through the night over hickory wood. According to Johnson, if the stew ain’t cooked in a giant cast-iron pot, “It ain’t the real deal,” he says.
When Stella’s restaurant matriarch Stella Dikos immigrated to Richmond from Greece over 50 years ago and began working at The Village Cafe, she quickly became known for Brunswick stew. The recipe, taught to Dikos by co-worker and friend Roberta Bray, has been feeding Richmonders for decades, and it lives on at the various Stella’s Grocery outposts.
Photo by David Eaton courtesy Black Heath Meadery
Ah, Honey, Honey
At Scott’s Addition’s Black Heath Meadery, a cozy watering hole dedicated to honey wine, fall marks a cornucopia of new releases. Over a six-week period, owner Bill Cavendar will debut a handful of melomels — meads made with fruit that is harvested at peak ripeness — such as Berry Goode, which will feature blueberries from Swift Creek Berry Farm, as well as Red Razz and Bramble Bee, made with raspberries and blackberries from Agriberry Farms. “Each of these melomels is crafted to highlight the aromatics and flavors of Virginia honey and fruit,” Cavendar says. Near Thanksgiving, Black Heath will also drop the ultimate fireside sipper: Joy, a spiced mead bursting with flavors of orange and lemon zest, cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon that can be served warm like a mulled wine.
Jesse’s Mom Grilled Cheese from Cheddar Jackson (Photo by Jay Paul)
5 Other Ways to Savor Fall
Soup Dumplings, Peter Chang
Chicken and Kumara Pie, Proper Pie Co.
Jesse’s Mom Grilled Cheese, Cheddar Jackson
Maple Brown Butter Pumpkin Cookies, Wonder City Bakery
Seasonal Roasted Oysters, Alewife
