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The bygone Henderson’s General Store on the Northern Neck, owned by Richmond chef Brittanny Anderson’s great-grandmother
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Henderson’s was open for nearly 40 years.
Brittany Anderson comes from a family of oystermen, crabbers and home cooks. The James Beard Award-nominated Richmond chef became accustomed long ago to picking crabs and plucking fish from Virginia waterways. At Thanksgiving, oyster stuffing was a staple, and during sunnier months, there was always a pot of sizzling oil on the stove ready for the drop of a battered bivalve.
And though the restaurateur behind Brenner Pass, Black Lodge, Metzger Bar & Butchery, and Pink Room operates concepts that align with the Alpine and Alsatian regions of Europe, at heart, Anderson is a Westmoreland County girl, and her culinary identity is just as much defined by her upbringing near the Northern Neck.
Now, she’s bringing her heritage front and center with the launch of Seashell, a “fish shack” pop-up inspired by her great-grandmother and the waterways of Virginia. Starting April 26, Anderson will bring the concept to the patio of Brenner Pass in Scott’s Addition with a bimonthly series dubbed Seashell Saturdays.
Anderson says, “The whole thing is based around my great-grandmother [Dora Henderson]. She had a little gas station and a general store, it was called Henderson’s in Montross on the Northern Neck.”
Dora Henderson, Brittanny Anderson’s great grandmother
Most every coastal community is anchored by those mom-and-pop shops, family-run joints that feel like a living time capsule and are stocked with everything from bait and bread to soda pop and sunglasses. Living to nearly 100, Henderson operated her store for almost four decades.
“I always just saw her as this, like, kind of country cook, but really, she was a business owner,” Anderson says. “I just never thought about it and how kind of parallel her life was to mine.”
A couple years ago, Anderson unearthed old snapshots of her great-grandmother’s store, complete with a post office and gas station, and got a deeper glimpse of her legacy. Last summer, Anderson purchased a 1978 work-in-progress sailboat. It’s currently docked in Kinsale, a 10 minute-drive from her great-grandmother’s former business.
“When I was a little kid, I cooked alongside her,” Anderson says. “I’ve been kind of inspired by her, and I’ve been feeling an urge … to just get back to cooking more comforting food, or food that’s more accessible. That’s kind of how I feel about what Seashell is, which is just like a fun fish shack kind of cooking, but with modern global twists.”
Promising a casual patio party of chilled seafood, the menu on Seashell Saturdays will feature oyster shooters, beer and wine that pair well with brine, refreshing ceviches and crudo, plus crab and lobster and seasonal surprises. Everything will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis.
Anderson notes a faithful allegiance to local bivalves, including Gloucester-based Matheson Oysters. “We’re only going to do Virginia,” she says. “I’m trying to find some different Virginia oysters that maybe people haven’t had before or aren’t as widely distributed. I do feel like it’s important to highlight the ones here, especially like some of the smaller producers. Virginia has some of the best oysters in the country.”
Anderson hosted her first Seashell catering event earlier this month. Helping to spark the concept of a chef-driven, nomadic oyster bar: the acquisition of a giant cooler on wheels with a drain, an auction item scored from the sale of Hadad’s Lake in Henrico. Anderson’s plan is to operate Seashell beyond the Brenner Pass patio, perhaps making it a more permanent venture down the line. “I figured this would be a fun way to kind of get people introduced to the concept and start talking about it,” she says.
Slowly but surely, Anderson has been drifting closer to her roots, an evolution she welcomes. “Honestly, it’s very much a huge part of my life and who I am,” she says. “As I’ve gotten older, I realized, wow, this is actually really special, really important, and not everybody has that, so I’ve definitely leaned in. You find your way back to it.”
Seashell pop-ups at Brenner Pass happen from 3 to 6 p.m. every other Saturday beginning April 26.
