A handful of Richmond restaurateurs are heading south this week for the 14th annual Charleston Wine + Food festival, taking place March 6-10. The port city will welcome a host of heavy-hitters in the dining and drinking world, leading an assortment of more than a hundred epicurean experiences. The festival is centered around a celebration of cultural and culinary diversity, while also recognizing that the foundation of food is hospitality. The event provides a setting to unite leaders in the industry who advocate for those connections.
Local and/or native chefs participating in previous Charleston Wine + Food festivals include David Dunlap (Maple & Pine), Lee Gregory (during his time at The Roosevelt), Sean Brock, Brittanny Anderson (Brenner Pass, Metzger Bar & Butchery) and Jason Alley (Pasture, Comfort). All of the 2019 events featuring Richmond-area chefs and restaurateurs have sold out, but we chatted about the festival with several familiar faces on the regional dining scene who will make the trip this year, for the first time or the ninth.
Alex Graf (left) and Chris Fultz make their first appearance at Charleston Wine + Food this year. (Photo courtesy of ZZQ)
The Novices
Alex Graf and Chris Fultz, owners of ZZQ
Years Participating: One
The husband-and-wife team make their debut appearance this year. They were asked to participate in the 2018 fest but were on the brink of opening their Scott’s Addition smokehouse, which celebrated its first anniversary March 2.
2019 Events: Graf will participate in Smokin’ in the Boys’ Room on Friday, March 8. The woman-centric BBQ event ditches misconceptions surrounding the world of 'cue and demands acknowledgment of the ladies of the pit.
“For me, it’s truly about ZZQ and getting that recognition,” says Graf. “We have a lot of women that work at ZZQ, and the biggest percentage of them is actually in the smokehouse, which I think is pretty amazing and brings to light the breaking of the ceiling.”
Graf and Fultz will participate in Southern Renaissance, a showcase of chefs pushing the limits and reinventing the cuisine that celebrates the heritage, land and traditions of the South. Fultz plans to draw his culinary inspiration from Southwest Texas with a barbacoa dish.
The duo both say that, to them, the spirit of the South lies in hospitality, and despite ZZQ's fast-casual format, it's something they feel they’ve pulled off at the restaurant.
“Hospitality in the service industry is starting to step up and something we focus on," explains Fultz. "I have tremendous pride in carrying the banner of RVA. When we started building this brand and thinking about ZZQ and how it was going to be a part of the kind of food renaissance in RVA and help carry that to the next level, we were bringing high expectations of ourselves, our restaurant, our food and our people, and we’ve been able to manifest that because we personally want Richmond to be taken seriously like Charleston. There's no reason we can't compete on that level.”
Tuffy Stone heads to Charleston this week for his fourth Wine + Food appearance. (Photo by Stephanie Breijo)
The Repeat Attendee
Tuffy Stone, owner of Q Barbeque and author of "Cool Smoke: The Art of Great Barbecue"
Years participating: Four
2019 Events: Stone returns to Charleston Wine + Food with a double dose of smoke-tinged appearances. Winederlust on Friday, March 8, pairs wine from around the globe with flame-kissed dishes cooked over a wood fire.
“There are so many great chefs and food people in [Richmond]. It’s grown a lot, and barbecue has come along with that growth,” Stone says. “To see a couple Richmonders going down there, not only with our RVA hats and banners, but being brought down for cooking with fire, is really cool.”
Stone will turn to his cookbook, released last year, and riff on his own goose pastrami recipe, this time reaching for duck and pairing it with wilted cabbage, spiced nuts and sun-dried cherries. At Culinary Village — the pulse of the weekend and hub of culinary activity with hours of demos and tastings — Stone will serve up pork burgers with apple jam, spiced cheddar cheese and cabbage slaw.
“A lot of times I hear people say Richmond is the next Charleston,” Stone says. “I’ve been in the food business since 1986, so [Richmond has] come a long way, and just looking at the James Beard Awards with Richmonder nominations, I think it's awesome. Charleston is just such a beautiful part of the world, and if you happen to love food, there’s all sorts of culinary delights and finds down there. I think going down this year and having Richmond represented, camaraderie will come along with that. When you go to these places you feel like you bring it — you’re thinking, all right, Richmond is in the house, and that’s always great."
Ryan (left) and Travis Croxton are no strangers to Charleston Wine + Food, making their ninth appearance this year. (Photo by Jay Paul)
The Veterans
Ryan and Travis Croxton, Rappahannock Oyster Co., Rapphannock, Merroir
Years Participating: Nine
2019 Events: The Croxton brothers may have traveled to Los Angeles, Aspen and Atlanta for food festivals, but Charleston is on their can't-miss list after developing friendships with attendees and industry figures over the years.
“When we began attending these festivals, the national media had not yet 'found' Richmond, and it feels good to see that the seeds planted all those years ago have taken root, and now I hear about other cities that want to be the next Richmond," says Travis. "These festivals are a lot of work and not as easy as they seem, and I think Richmond owes thanks to folks like Jason Alley that sacrificed their time, money and energy to start this process almost a decade ago. Everyone sees the headlines, but not many people see the ugly side — breaking down an after-party at 4 a.m. and then setting up a brunch event at 8 a.m. the next day. Or figuring out what to do when the airline loses a cooler of your prep and you need to make alternative plans for your menu item. But it's worth it when you see the Virginia team putting out dishes that the patrons taste and then realize [are] on par or better than [the dishes from] the celebrity chefs that are working beside all of us.”
The duo opened an oyster bar in Charleston in 2017 and at this year's Food + Wine will host their signature Rappahannock Oyster Bar Wine Lunch on Friday, March 8, where sipping wine and throwing back shells rule the day.
For the fifth straight year the Croxtons anchor Shucked! — the oyster soiree with views of the coast that boasts brews, brine and bites from the sea. On Sunday, the experience concludes in the parking lot of their Charleston outpost during the Southern Renaissance event, where Chef Kevin Kelly, formerly of Rappahannock D.C., will showcase his focus on sustainable seafood. Travis notes, “Kelly has quietly become one of the best chefs in the country."
