The following is a companion piece to our 2025 Best Restaurants list.
BEVERAGE DIRECTOR
Sophia Kim, Alewife
With a resume that covers a wide swath of RVA dining history — Sticky Rice, Saison, Mamma Zu, Dutch & Co., Longoven — Sophia Kim is one of the city’s most recognizable faces behind the bar. She currently manages the beverage program at Alewife, relying on instinct and intuition while working the well five days a week. “A really interesting talent bartenders develop,” Kim says, “is the listening/not listening thing and knowing when to jump in.” Emphasizing kindness and collaboration with colleagues, she says, "The new way is with mutual respect and communication and valuing each other as equals.” Striking a balance between offering seasonal showstoppers, casual Wednesday-night wines and nonalcoholic sips, Kim says, “It is about the food and drink, but also about the feeling people have when they leave.”
HOST
Denzel Lewis, Pho Tay Do
At Pho Tay Do, Denzel Lewis is often the first — and sometimes the only — staffer diners at the Vietnamese restaurant interact with. For many regulars, he’s half the reason they come through the door. Born in the Bronx, New York, Lewis says hospitality comes naturally. “My house was the one everyone gathered at,” he recalls. “I’ve always been around all kinds of people.” He got his start washing dishes at IHOP, then spent five years at Burger King; he says with a laugh, “I had customers who loved me there, too.” Eventually, he married into the Pho Tay Do family. “I’m a Black guy working in a Vietnamese shop,” he says. “Some people might look at me and think I don’t know what I’m doing — then I start speaking Vietnamese.” Reflecting on his role, he says, “You have to set the foundation. Everything builds from there.”
GENERAL MANAGER
Ally Waufle, Lost Letter
Ally Waufle loves puzzles, and she views each night of service at Lost Letter as fitting the pieces together smoothly. “I’m there as support, and I go wherever I’m needed the most,” she says. “What piece do I need to be to make it complete?” After moving to Richmond in 2020, she worked at Can Can Brasserie and Brenner Pass before landing at Lost Letter in 2023. She started as a food runner and has gone on to wear every hat, making her a truly mutable manager. The sommelier and silent conductor adjusts to the flow of service — hopping on the line to expedite orders or guiding a guest through the wine list. “We always talk about matching the energy. … If something throws me off, I just own it and keep moving,” she says.
KITCHEN ASSISTANT
Dilma Dunes, Abuelita’s
The guiding light of Abuelita’s menu are guisos, hearty Mexican stews on display when you enter the South Side eatery. The healing soups are typically made by Dilma Dunes, who clocks in for her shifts at 7 a.m. Leading the kitchen staff, she has a hand in making tortillas and salsas, and is described by the owners as the “unofficial taste tester with an impeccable palate.” Originally from Guatemala, Dunes sold tamales and empanadas before relocating to Richmond to be near her daughter. “Cooking has always been a part of me; it comes from the heart,” she says. Asked what she enjoys about working at a family-owned business, she says, “I feel comfortable.”
SERVER
Susan Worsham, L’Opossum
A day-one server at the whimsical Oregon Hill dining lair L’Opossum, Susan Worsham is a dedicated cast member in the culinary theater. “I like to be a part of this show,” says the industry lifer. “It doesn’t feel like it’s a job; I get to go into a whole other world, too.” Worsham first met David Shannon at Helen’s in 1997, and she’s been a loyal disciple since. An artist at heart, she shares Shannon’s reverence for the transportive details that bring his vision to life for both wide-eyed first-timers and seasoned regulars. “He’s setting the stage where you can have this beautiful moment with whoever you’re dining with,” she says. “It’s not just a chocolate bar, but the golden ticket, a land of pure imagination.”
OYSTER SOMMELIER
Tyler Yates, Slack Tide Fish Co.
Tyler Yates entered the restaurant world in 2018, working everywhere from Buffalo Wild Wings to food trucks, Lemaire and Birdie’s oyster bar. Though bivalves had always been part of his upbringing — “As a family, we always had oysters; it was a holiday tradition,” he says — at Birdie’s they began to make a deeper impression. During the pandemic, Yates earned his Oyster Master Guild certification. Now the oyster sommelier at Scott’s Addition’s Slack Tide Fish Co., Yates oversees every aspect of the raw bar, including sourcing, menu descriptions, crafting accoutrements and interacting with guests. “We really do set the tone for the entire dining experience,” he says.
DISHWASHER
Lillian Thorne, Grisette
Helming the humble dish pit, Lillian Thorne is Grisette’s behind-the-scenes superstar. The high-energy former theater kid from North Carolina joined the restaurant and got their first-ever dishwashing gig in 2023, craving a change of pace after years in health care. “It’s nice to throw on my bandana, my bleach-stained dishwashing shirt, crack my knuckles and get to work,” they say. Thorne sees themself as a facilitator of flow, tuned in to every need — like when a sous chef needs that missing spatula. “It’s about efficiency, communication and care for the team,” they say. “I think having people around you who take so much pride, that’s why we work well together.” Their fave dish pit view: a triple sink on the grounds of Old Tavern Farm during Grisette’s annual farm dinners.
