Richmond Food News: Week of Nov. 11-15

Local food businesses strive to go national, Virginia farmers go green with hemp, Scuffletown says so long, and a heaping helping of events

by

From Startup to Shelf

We live in a food-obsessed town, and beyond eating in restaurants, Richmonders are big proponents of local products and the purveyors behind them. But the path from startup to shelf takes a village — branding experts, commissary kitchens, supportive grocers — not to mention unwavering resilience, to transform dreams to reality. I spent time with two of the city's most tenacious food businesses, vegan cheese company UnMoo and frozen treat experts Nightingale Ice Cream Sandwiches, to explore their journeys from home-kitchen experiments toward national renown. (Richmond magazine)

Vagabond Kitchens

Pop-up life is not for those who can't roll with the punches: Food may run out in one hour, or three; 10 people may show up, or 50; there may be secret menu items, there may not — but that's the beauty of it. Offering everything from Cambodian congee to chocolate-chip sourdough bagels, handmade pasta and Mexican beef stew, these upcoming pop-ups from area bartenders, bakers and chefs are looking for a spot on your dining agenda. (Richmond magazine) 

A Budding Venture

Hemp is celebrating one year of legality in Virginia, and farmers across the state are going green as they get to know this new crop. Local farmer Amy Hicks of Amy’s Garden has started growing the newly sanctioned plants for CBD, part of 10,000 acres expected to be planted throughout the commonwealth. (Richmond magazine)

Strawberry > Scuffletown > Shuttered

Farewell to the slap-your-mama catfish and grits, the striking black garlic potato salad, and the suspense-inducing cocktail roulette wheel. After just five months in business, Scuffletown Garden, the greenery-laden upgrade of Strawberry Street Cafe, will close its doors on Sunday, Nov. 17. No word yet on the fate of the "Jeopardy!"-famous bathtub. (Richmond magazine)

For the Shuck of It

Whether you’re a firm believer in eating oysters only during months with “r” in them or you throw back briny boys all year long, writer Stephanie Ganz offers some tricks of the trade for buying bivalves and shares a few spots around town where oysters shine. (Richmond magazine)

Snack Naturally

Next time you reach for just any old granola bar, think again, because there’s a locally made energy bar in town free from gluten and dairy but not taste. When certified health coach Sara McGlothlin struggled to find snack options to recommend to clients, she took matters into her own hands and launched Gratisfied, whose Empower Bars can be found at local markets. (Richmond magazine)

ICYMI

Things continue to get sweeter in Petersburg. Last week, we shared news of malts and milkshakes on Sycamore Street at Bopper’s Malt Shop, and this week there is Burnette’s Baked Goods. The recently opened bakery and cafe will host an official ribbon cutting on Saturday, Nov. 16, at noon. (News release)

Grilling-season favorites will be under one roof in The Fan when a Belmont Pizzeria co-owner opens Capital Burger and Dogs at 814 N. Robinson St. The 25-seat outpost will open in early 2020 for lunch and dinner, and menu items will be named after Richmond landmarks. (Richmond BizSense)

Adding to the slew of eat-ertainment concepts in Scott’s Addition, which include Tang & Biscuit, Bingo Beer Co., and River City Roll, Slingshot Social Game Club opened last week at 3301 W. Clay St. The new venture from the owner of bar-arcade The Circuit, also in Scott’s Addition, features fresh twists on skeeball, bocce and duckpin bowling, along with 42 taps and bar bites. (Richmond BizSense)

Scott’s Addition welcomed another new neighbor last week, Truckle Cheesemongers, which has set up shop inside Blue Bee Cider’s tasting room.

Already with four locations in the Richmond area, The Pit and the Peel has announced plans to open an almost 5,000-square-foot commercial kitchen in Henrico, dubbed The Pit and the Peel Kitchen of Excellence, and will open a fifth spot in Norfolk by March 2020. (Richmond BizSense)

Grit Coffee, which shared a space inside the Champion Brewing taproom downtown that closed in August, has found a new home at 409 Libbie Ave. (Richmond BizSense)

Sheep Hill Bistro, which opened in June in the former Magpie space in Carver, closed on Nov. 4. The executive chef and co-owner, previously of Hanover Tavern and the Commonwealth Club, was dishing out comfort food and had hoped to shed light on the history of the neighborhood through the venture. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

After 15 years in business, Cha Cha’s Southwest Kitchen & Bar — previously known as Cha Cha’s Cantina — has bid farewell to Shockoe as of Nov. 11. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

Smoke Pit Grill, the Henrico strip-mall barbecue joint from longtime competition-circuit pitmaster Gordon Taylor and his wife, Lori, will shut its doors Nov. 30. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

RVA Love

Alewife, the barely year-old solo project in Church Hill from Chef-owner Lee Gregory, was ranked No. 6 on Esquire's list of best new restaurants in America. Writer Jeff Gordinier says, “A meal at Alewife feels, to me, like a feast aboard a friendly pirate ship.” Aye aye, matey.

Upcoming Events

In Other Food News …

  • It seems people’s love and understanding of what we eat continues to grow with the opening of more and more museums and cultural centers around the world that are dedicated to food. The most recent is the Cité Internationale de la Gastronomie de Lyon (International City of Gastronomy of Lyon), opened last month in France, which looks at food beyond just the edible experience. (The New York Times)