Inside the soaring Main Street Station Train Shed, 800 guests arrived Sunday evening for the seventh annual Elbys, the Richmond region’s dining awards, hosted by Richmond magazine and benefiting Shalom Farms.
Named after master chef Paul Elbling, who now oversees Richmond’s French Food Festival, the Elbys recognize the work of Richmond chefs, restaurant staffers, restaurateurs, producers and the industry’s most ardent supporters. This year’s awards ceremony, reception and dinner were a tribute to the “family meal” tradition in restaurants, where staff members gather to eat before doors open. The homespun Elby awards, “cross-stitched” and bound in embroidery hoops, were created by Richmond-based laser artisans Big Secret.
From the stage, speakers also recognized industry figures who passed away recently: 2014 Elby Legacy Award-winner Hollister Lindley and Michelle Turner, a co-owner of Cafe Rustica and longtime fixture at the Bamboo Cafe.
Judges named Joe Sparatta, of Heritage and Southbound, Chef of the Year; Dutch & Co. was named Restaurant of the Year, and Beverage Program of the Year was awarded to Brenner Pass.
It’s a repeat win for both Sparatta and Dutch & Co. Sparatta took home the award back in 2015, and Dutch & Co. was recognized in 2016. (2017’s winners were not eligible for awards this year.)
A judge’s comment for Joe Sparatta:
“Overall this was my favorite experience from beginning to the end of the meal. The charcuterie plate was creative and fresh. The chicken liver mousse was beautiful and innovative. The fresh pasta was cooked to perfection. The talented skills of the chef reflected in his menu and food. I am still thinking about the cheesecake dessert.”
A judge’s comment for Dutch & Co.:
“We had a lot of good meals in Richmond, but few managed to channel what felt (as least to an outsider) like local ingredients and regional flavors reimagined with the level of sophistication, creativity and polish that Dutch & Co. displayed. This is definitely a restaurant I’d tell my readers in Philadelphia to visit, because [it] reflects a sense of Richmond’s culinary identity updated for 2018.”
A judge’s comment for Brenner Pass:
“Sophisticated execution of high-concept drinks did not let complexity get in the way of harmony of flavors. They were also BEAUTIFUL. Still thinking about From the Sun and the Snowbunny. BTW, our fondue meal here was one of the most memorable of the trip, as well.”
Other winners were:
Restaurateur of the Year: Jared Golden and Michelle Williams
Best New Restaurant (Opened between Nov. 1, 2016, and Oct. 31, 2017): Little Saint
Best Family-Friendly Restaurant: Laura Lee’s
Brewery of the Year: Ardent Craft Ales
Classically Richmond: Edo’s Squid
Coffee Roastery: Blanchard’s Coffee Roasting Company
Front-of-House Personality: Patti Wright of Pop’s Market on Grace
Global-Dining Experience: Peter Chang Scott’s Addition
Grab-and-Go Food: Union Market
Pastry Chef: Sara Ayyash of Lemaire/The Jefferson Hotel
Promoter of Sustainability: Ellwood Thompson’s
Product or Producer of the Year: Village Garden
The Restaurant Regular of the Year: Greg Gilliam and Richard Stone
Culinary Students of the Year: Grace Dupont of Culinard and Denton Taylor and Caroline Horiuchi of Reynolds
Sixty-five local industry professionals, food writers and culinary instructors submitted nominations for the 2018 awards. Category winners were chosen by separate panels of out-of-town judges — chefs, food critics and editors, restaurateurs, and other industry experts — who visited, ate and drank in January and February. The panelists visited the restaurants independently of one another. Lead judges included Philadelphia Inquirer Food and Beverage Critic Craig LaBan, Charleston Post and Courier Food and Beverage Critic Hanna Raskin, Chef/restaurateur Scott Drewno, Chef/restaurateur Josh Perkins, and Chef/restaurateur Ferhat Yalcin.
Event sponsors included Performance Food Group, Keany Produce, Graduate Hotel, Woodford Reserve, Everyday Gourmet, Richmond Region Tourism, Virginia Linen Service, Virginia Wine Board, Doubletake Video and Virginia Grown.
Community reception partners included Taste the Local, The Jasper, Country Vintner, Culinard and Reynolds Community College.
Net ticket proceeds from the event benefit the nonprofits Shalom Farms, Tricycle Gardens and the Virginia Oyster Shell Recycling Project.
For a complete list of nominees and more about the Elby awards, see here.
