We came. We saw. We ate. And did so much more. Fire, Flour & Fork, the annual four-day food gauntlet, kicked off on Halloween and continued through Sunday, Nov. 3, uniting food-curious visitors from across the country for an unforgettable sixth year of bites, smells and the dizzying feeling of being surrounded by passionate food-centric individuals.
The weekend was stuffed with dinners at area restaurants, seminars, demos, panels, and intimate behind-the-scenes tours and talks. This year's theme, "Celebrate Living Links to Land, Legacy and Larder," ignited a sense of community in the food world and showcased the power behind food, its ability to connect individuals, and the importance of reflecting on the culture and history ingrained in its existence. James Beard Award-winning chefs and journalists, farmers, "Top Chef" judges, and local purveyors witnessed, and became a part of, our big-town-small-city experience and ever-expanding food scene.
Read on for a sampling of how I spent my Fire, Flour & Fork.
Thursday, Oct. 31:
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A Virginia spin on chaat with roasted sweet potato, Virginia peanuts, tamarind chutney, lime and pomegranate seeds
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Pan-seared shrimp with curryleaf-mustard tadka and Upma-Inspired grits
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Chef Sunny Baweja stops to speak with a table during the "V for Victory" dinner.
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"Pumpkin Pie-ish" was a riff on traditional pumpkin pie with slow-cooked pumpkin halwa, kaddu laddoo, toasted almonds and chai creme.
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Lamb chops, jeera aloo, collards "saag" and jaggery vinaigrette
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Baweja and Bhatt spoke with the diners after the meal and thanked them for joining them for the first night of Fire, Flour & Fork.
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Alewife hosted the Halloween-themed "Bar Strega," a late-night celebration from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m.
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The inside of Alewife was decked out for a spooky theme during the first of the FFF pop-up bars.
On Thursday in Sunny Baweja’s Indian palace in Short Pump, Lehja, guests were reminded about the power behind the lucky number seven during “V for Victory.” Joining Baweja was the owner of Snack Bar in Oxford, Mississippi, Vishwesh Bhatt, who, after six James Beard Award nominations for Best Chef-South, finally took home the prize earlier this year. The duo bridged traditional Indian techniques and ingredients with Southern flavors and feels. Later that evening, I traveled to Church Hill's Alewife, which was transformed into a spooky Halloween haven for "Bar Strega," FFF's first-ever late-night pop-up. The ladies-only bar team poured witch-inspired cocktails and included Alewife Bar Manager Katy Best, Chelsea Wolf of Alewife, Lindsey Scheer of Heritage and Amy Fisher from Louisville, Kentucky's Meta.
Friday, Nov. 1:
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Moroccan hand pies from The Hilton Hotel Downtown Richmond. They also offered mini chess pies.
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Mama J's offered personal-sized sweet potato pies.
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Butterfinger Wow Pie from Shyndigz, a lofty slice of peanut butter cookie crust topped with layers of chocolate ganache, peanut butter mousse and white chocolate-Butterfinger mousse. They also offered their uber-popular oatmeal cream pies.
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Rostov's Coffee had caffeine handy for everyone who needed a pick-me-up.
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Why, yes, that is a case filled with delights from Proper Pie Co., the Church Hill eatery that embraces New Zealand-style pie making. Co-owner Nikki Price dished out mince and cheese as well as broccoli and Gouda hand pies with a family member visiting from New Zealand.
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Kitchenette got crafty and combined the "pie" and "a la mode" elements of the event with butternut-beef pies topped with a scoop of mashed potatoes.
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Keia Mastrianni, a journalist, author and owner of Milk Glass Pie, shared her small-batch old-fashioned pies.
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A new, cool addition to the signature pie event was ice cream and custard. Scoop dished out a sweet potato pie ice cream with homemade waffle cone pieces, while Jiji Frozen Custard offered its flagship vanilla custard with sprinkles and hot fudge close by.
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Rootstock Provisions went for a savory vegan option, serving Beyond Meat hand pies paired with curried vegetables.
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During "Pie a la Mode" Amy Fisher, a visiting bartender from Meta in Louisville, Kentucky, demonstrated cocktail-making tips and skills for a small group.
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Sweet potato and apple pie with caramel, bourbon pecan and oat crumbles from Pearl's Bake Shoppe
During "Pie a la Mode," an elevated spin on previous years' "Pie in the Sky" events, bakers of savory and sweet pies joined forces with ice cream and custard makers, coffee roasters, cocktail mavericks, and producers of Virginia wines and beers. In the midst of the pie eating, local homebakers competed in a bake-off and had their creations judged by the likes of James Beard Award-winning pastry chef Pichet Ong of Brothers and Sisters in D.C. There was also a spelling bee hosted by Sauer's, a cocktail-making demo from Amy Fisher of Meta and a baking demo from Shyndigz's Madison Pollard.
Saturday, Nov. 2:
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The lineup of bottles explored during Restaurant Adarra's "It's So Natural" wine class. The selections were from small winemakers in the Czech Republic, Sicily and Spain. Owners Lyne and Randall Doetzer are both Level 2 sommeliers.
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The third wine poured was Costador "La Metamorphika Macabeu Brisat" 2017. The grapes came from 70-year-old vines planted in clay, stony and calcareous soils, leading to notes of minerality. The skin contact or orange wine was fermented in wooden barrels.
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The bar inside Restaurant Adarra. Each guest received a mini book with specifics about the wine including the maker, grapes, soil and fermentation, plus an area to take notes on the various wines tasted.
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The atmosphere was laid-back and convivial, with guests talking among themselves about what they were tasting while the Doetzers provided insights.
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Milan Nestarec "Danger 380 V" 2018 was the first glass poured. A pet-nat that ferments in 3-year-old wooden barrels presented notes of grapefruit and was reminiscent of a gose or sour ale.
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The final offering was a funky, natural vermouth Randall referred to as "life wine." The Partida Creus "MUZ" NV from Spain is made using indigenous red and white grapes and fermented in a stainless tank. It paired beautifully with olives.
Saturday, drinking commenced early as Jackson Ward’s Restaurant Adarra turned its Basque-inspired escape into a convivial wine class during “It’s So Natural.” Boasting a wine program that focuses on low- to no-intervention wines, Level 2 sommeliers and owners Lyne and Randall Doetzer guided guests through the funkier, and oftentimes less explored, world of natural vintages.
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Guests for the event were greeted with The Inn at Little Washington’s famous truffled popcorn for a snack during the interview.
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Guests were also offered a cocktail from mixologist Lindsey Scheer featuring popcorn-infused Virago Spirits rum and Coca-Cola.
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Phillip Rhodes (left) and Patrick O'Connell during the interview. Afterward O'Connell was the guest of honor at David Shannon's L'Opossum dinner, "Who's Your Daddy?" Guests chefs included Noah Sandoval of Oriole, Kumiko & Kikko, and Bonnie Moore of Willowsford and The Inn at Little Washington.
O'Connell talked about his one-of-a-kind community in the mountains outside of D.C. and how his life feels like a series of movie scenes and clips. He opened up about early days at The Inn, how he critiques his staff and his love for his Dalmatian, Luray.
Garden & Gun magazine’s Phillip Rhodes led an intimate discussion with The Inn at Little Washington's dazzling chef-owner, Patrick O’Connell, recent recipient of a third Michelin star and a James Beard Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award winner. "Dining as Living Theatre" revealed a personal side of O’Connell and his endearing, body-shaking laugh. Guests also previewed the upcoming PBS production "The Inn at Little Washington: A Delicious New Documentary," which follows the inn's quirky cast of characters.
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Duck confit with dry suya spice and roasted plantain with peanut dressing from Therese Nelson, chef and founder of Black Culinary History, an organization she founded to connect chefs of color and preserve African American heritage. The 1900s dish was an ode to the mother of modern Southern cuisine, Edna Lewis, while also highlighting West African influences in the state.
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Chefs were each paired with a century and displayed signs that offered insight into their culinary creations.
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Dave Smoke-McCluskey of the Native Seedkeepers celebrated the 1700s with a three sisters scoop with hominy, smoked turkey, blue crab and toasted sunflower seeds, as well as this roasted sweet potato with toasted sunflower seeds.
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Richmond's Shola Walker of Mahogany Sweets recreated Malinda Russell's Cream Cake for the 1800s. Russell learned cooking from Fanny Steward in Lynchburg and published the first known cookbook by an African American woman in the country.
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Smoked trout salad with celery root from Acacia Mid-town, representing the 1900s. Acacia opened in 1998 and has focused on Virginia seafood ever since. The dish was chosen to highlight the 2,900 miles of wild trout streams in the state.
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Devin Rose of White Stone's Adrift re-created a 1900s-inspired recipe from Bessie Gunter's "Housekeeper's Companion of Virginia." Called Virginia Salad, it features sweet potato, honeycrisp apple butter, peanut crumble and puffed sorghum.
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Katrina Giavos was joined by her mother, Stella Dikos, who served her famed Brunswick Stew. Dikos learned the stew recipe from a friend, Roberta Bray, while working at Harrison Street's The Village Cafe, which her husband, Stavros, owned over 50 years ago. Diners would seek out the stew, one of the first Southern staples Dikos learned how to make, and her fresh-made bread.
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Shagbark Chef de Cuisine Brandon MacConnell got in touch with the 2000s and made a Virginia peanut and benne baklava with Edwards Surryano ham and Goochland honey. MacConnell says the dish was "Virginia's bounty on a plate, including benne, an essential medicinal and kitchen garden plant."
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Jamie Leeds of Hank's Oyster Bar in D.C. said, "Look ahead to our plant-based future, from foraging to nondairy cheese," with a mushroom Bolognese cannelloni with cashew Parmesan.
Saturday night the VMFA was transformed into a time portal as attendees adventured through Virginia’s foodways for "Sampling the Centuries." Over 20 chefs, the majority of them from across the state, commemorated 400 years of Virginia. Each chef was paired with a specific century and tasked with taking guests on a culinary journey showcasing food history and ingredients popular in the state during that time. Among the participants were James Hemming Foundation founder Ashbell McElveen, Ryan Collins of Charlottesville's Little Star, Alex Pasco of Tides Inn in Irvington, Bradley Griffin of Sarah Jean's Eatery in Glade Spring and Joy Crump of Foode in Fredericksburg.
Sunday, Nov. 3:
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A team from Cardinal State Butchers, joined by Linda Tranium of Autumn Olive Farms (center), participated for the first time in "Food U" and showcased their pate, pickles, Tasso ham, pastrami and more.
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Brent Stubblefield of Join or Die knives talked about the processes of knifemaking and sharpening.
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Richmond's Back Pocket Provisions showcased its newest product, Bloody Baja bloody mary mix, a collaboration with Staunton's The Shack, and offered samples using Richmond's Cirrus Vodka.
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During "Food U," UnMoo founder Josh Kadrich (right) took part in the live taping of the James Beard Award-winning podcast "Sporkful" along with Matthieu Finot of King Family Vineyards.
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Truckle Cheesemongers owner Maggie Bradshaw sampled cheese at "Food U."
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Dan Giusti (left), a former Noma head chef and founder of Brigaid, and Esquire Food and Drinks Editor and author of "Hungry" Jeff Gordinier spoke on the need to change school lunches. They were then joined in judging the "School Lunch Throwdown" by Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Jason Kamras (right).
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Returning to FFF was Justin Cherry of Halfcrown Bakehouse in South Carolina and his portable Colonial-style clay oven.
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For the "School Lunch Throwdown," chefs were asked to re-create a school lunch using the $1.25 standard rate. Former Southbound Chef de Cuisine Craig Perkinson prepared a pizza with a side salad with apples tossed in green goddess dressing.
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The winner of the throwdown was Josh Reed of Brewer's Waffles in Manchester, who prepared a cornbread waffle topped with greek yogurt, blueberries and oats.
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Joy Crump also participated in the "School Lunch Throwdown" and presented a spin on a chicken gyro.
On Sunday I grabbed my backpack for an educational morning at "Food U," held at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture. The event featured various sessions and seminars from "Tasting Tent Confidential," with an array of Virginia's Finest products to sample, to lessons in knife sharpening; a Q&A with Maneet Chuahan, a longtime "Chopped" judge; and a discussion of Toni Tipton Martin's new book, "Jubilee: Recipes From Two Centuries of African American Cooking."
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Baby-back ribs served with a smoked apple honey sauce and Saucy's famous "que balls"
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Lunch/Supper dished out smoked and fried hen of the woods mushroom sliders with chow chow, teardrop hot sauce and house-made pickles.
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Foie gras s'more, anyone? Dutch & Co. combined sweet and savory flavors for this creation, featuring graham cracker, mole negro, foie gras ganache and an apple cider marshmallow.
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"Cool Smoke" author and competitive pitmaster Tuffy Stone served duck pastrami with wilted cabbage, sun-dried cherries and spiced pecans.
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San Antonio's 2M Smokehouse made its first FFF appearance, serving pork jowl tacos and slaw.
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Jackfruit lettuce wraps with hoisin sauce, sambal jelly, peanuts, shredded carrots, cilantro and jalapeños from Oak & Apple
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Robey Martin led a panel on African American pitmasters that included (from left), Southern food and culture historian Howard Conyers; Mike Lindsey of EAT Restaurant Partners; Therese Nelson, founder of Black Culinary History; Lamont Hawkins of Inner City Blues; and James Beard Award-winning author Adrian Miller.
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Beef cheeks with sweet-tea beets and Brussels sprouts from ZZQ. Chef and co-owner Chris Fultz also joined a barbecue panel along with Esaul Ramos of 2M Smokehouse and Mike Lindsey of EAT Restaurant Partners.
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Carena Ives of Carena's Jamican Grille served jerk prime rib with bok choy and mac and cheese.
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Beef brisket with warm Virginia-grown apple butter, fire-roasted butternut squash, pickled green beans and goat cheese from Sandston Smokehouse.
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Ellwood Thompson's 100% vegan dish with Carolina-style barbecue, ranch, coleslaw and baguette
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Keith Edwards of Edwards Ham served bite-sized portions of deviled country ham.
That afternoon I headed to Historic Tredegar and the American Civil War Museum for the signature event "Smoke on the Water." As the sun set, the comforting aroma of smoked meats drifted through the air, bluegrass twanged in the distance, and guests savored an assortment of roasted and smoked offerings along with newly debuted panel discussions.
Note: Richmond magazine Associate Publisher Susan Winiecki is a co-founder of Fire, Flour & Fork.
