(From left) Longoven's Andrew Manning, Megan Phelan and Patrick Phelan (Photo courtesy Longoven)
Patrick Phelan, his wife, Megan, and fellow business partner Andrew Manning may be best known as the chefs and proprietors behind the Scott’s Addition gastronomic haven Longoven, but the trio share an even more prominent and compelling role in their lives, as parents.
Following the devastating fire at William Fox Elementary School on the night of Friday, Feb. 11, as Longoven’s owners discussed how they could contribute to the community in response, their thoughts shifted from the initial shock and sadness to ways to help in the long term.
“I kind of started thinking, 'What’s something we could do that is extremely ambitious?' ” says Phelan, whose daughter attends Westover Hills Elementary school, while Manning’s children are students at Fox. “There was something in our gut that was pulling and tugging and saying, ‘Is there a deeper relationship to be made here?’ ”
And while a dinner to benefit the Fan educational institution seemed like a natural way to contribute, Phelan and his team saw a bigger picture, recognizing that the school on Hanover Avenue could serve as a catalyst for change.
"Although Fox has provided an opportunity to shine a light on one school, if you look beyond that, there is the realization that we need to think of the entire RPS [Richmond Public Schools] and what we can do as a whole,” Phelan says. “If we have one dinner, why not have a dinner for every school?"
Starting next month, Longoven will do just that, launching a series of culinary fundraisers that will take place over the course of two years, with proceeds benefiting each of the 25 public elementary schools in the Richmond system.
“We have a broader vision of touching all of RPS,” says Phelan, whose sister and mother have backgrounds in education. “Our goal is to raise as much money on an evening as possible.”
The inaugural dinner on March 3 will benefit Fox Elementary School, and after food and staff costs are paid, 100% of sales will go to the school. While the event is free, guests are encouraged to pay what they can or what they want, and cocktails that evening will be available for purchase, with the funds being allocated directly to the school.
The partners are currently planning a calendar of future events at Longoven, each dedicated to a specific elementary school in the city. Similar to the centers of learning themselves, Phelan says, the series is not a one-size-fits-all situation, instead presenting varying themes and price points depending on anything from the time of year to the resources the schools need.
“It may be a seated dinner or a lunch outside, it might be a guest chef that visits, it might be sandwiches out the window,” he says. “Our goal is to fashion an experience at that moment to raise as much money as possible.”
Whether a 12-course blowout and a high-priced ticket or a more casual, affordable affair, the overall mission is to raise immediate and impactful funds for Richmond elementary schools.
“A very targeted, quick infusion of funds to where the school feels they're best needed at that moment,” Phelan explains, noting that they plan to engage with schools each month to gauge their needs. “Whether operations, a specific teacher, a classroom, technology, infrastructure, student meals — something so the money can have an immediate impact."
Springing into action mere days after the fire at Fox and contacting RPS Superintendent Jason Kamras as well as Fox Principal Daniela Jacobs, Phelan says, they are moving quickly and understand the next two years will involve a learning curve. Their hope is that they can get to know their home, school system and community better and, in turn, give more.
Since announcing the dinner series via Instagram, Longoven has received an outpouring of support from food and beverage comrades including purveyors, farmers, brewers and wine reps asking what they can do to help.
"It’s about keeping the momentum and gathering a coalition of people that can put a great event together,” Phelan says. “Hopefully that momentum carries into this being sustainable and more people getting involved."
Reservations for the debut dinner will be available starting Friday, Feb. 18, and announced via Instagram. With the second anniversary of restaurant shutdowns following the onset of the pandemic approaching, Phelan says he’s looking forward to establishing a tradition at Longoven that isn’t based on the survival of the business and navigating new variants of the coronavirus, but rather something that roots them even more deeply in the community.
“It feels good to know once a month we’re going to set up these chairs and vacuum these floors and clean these bathrooms and do all the details we do every day for a specific purpose outside of just internal dining, and to be constantly reminded we can be something bigger than just the walls that contain Longoven," he says. “It’s a pretty simple transaction — great hospitality and a gift to the community that supports us. I think as long as we stay focused on that … we have a chance to do something really impactful.”
