The Change-maker
By Kelli Lemon, owner of Urban Hang Suite, co-founder of Richmond Black Restaurant Experience and the podcast “Coffee With Strangers RVA”
I know I’m a dreamer.
I’ve been dreaming since I was privileged to join the industry with Mama J's in 2009, witnessing huge changes in that time, specifically over the last couple of years.
The Richmond dining scene has transformed the tourism industry. People now come to Richmond simply for the food. Writers and travelers visit seeking out one particular restaurant or chef, then end up being blown away by all the local talent — like small mom-and-pop places that maybe weren’t on their radar. They often end up coming back again, and hell, some even move here.
In late 2019, the "Virginia Is for Restaurant Lovers" campaign was launched to shed light on the impact of restaurants. There's also been more diversity at food festivals and celebrations, specifically with the creation of black and Latinx restaurant weeks that help showcase the good eating that everyone is doing in the city.
While Richmond is full of history and diverse cuisine, and I believe we are making progress, we still have work to do. I would love to see more creativity with resources in the industry. There are dope concepts in need of marketing/brand strategy in order for the community to simply know they exist, yet they lack the capital to do so. Similarly, there are certain dining experiences that are not affordable for all Richmonders.
My true vision is for the Richmond dining scene to reach a level where places don't feel as segregated. I think in order to promote a more inclusive environment, we need to work together more often and be open to sharing resources among hospitality groups. I know it's a hefty dream, but that's what I would love to see as we strive to advance our city and grow.
An Bui (Photo by Jay Paul)
Q&A: The Beermaster
An Bui, owner of The Answer Brewpub and Mekong
Richmond Magazine: Richmond didn’t always have a beer scene, correct?
An Bui: When we first opened in ’95, Richmond was a beer desert. This was a PBR town, and there were only two breweries, Legend and Richbrau. We first started carrying Belgian beer in ’98, and nobody wanted it. So we started doing beer dinners and tastings with people around town to get the word out. Then we started hosting the homebrewers club, [The James RIver Homebrewers Association] and it exploded.
RM: Wait, a homebrewers club?
Bui: Yeah. [In the beginning] we met every month, and something like 80% of the brewers around town were part of it. Hardywood, Lickinghole, Ardent and Triple Crossing all came to these meetings, and we had our own little think tank. A lot of the beer drunk in RVA came from that group.
RM: What’s next for the beer scene in Richmond?
Bui: I think about that so much! It all goes in phases, but I think the focus is going to be small. We got all the big ones now that cater to everyone. Next is going to be small, mom-and-pop places that do the wild stuff — like Final Gravity’s smaller-batch, almost homebrew [beers] or Tabol and their fruit beers.
Linda and Clay Trainum (Photo by John Robinson)
The Sustainable Farmers
By Clay and Linda Trainum, owners of Autumn Olive Farms
Perhaps we were just lucky, or perhaps providence reached out to us early on, when everything and everyone was new and the challenges were many for our fledgling farm business. Either way, we came to Richmond with products and a plan in late 2011. What we did not know was that the city was on the cusp of something great and was going to build significantly on that foundation in the years that followed. Who could have known back then that as the national passion for great food and local and wonderful ingredients blossomed, Richmond would take a lead role, recognized as a perfect setting to grow, develop and attract so many wonderful and talented people.
Our first foray into Richmond included contact with chefs Jason Alley, Lee Gregory, Walter Bundy and Belmont Butchery owner Tanya Cauthen.
Not long after, we met Joe Sparatta, who, along with his wife, Emilia, had a plan to open a neighborhood restaurant that would source and serve great food and ingredients. That concept became Heritage, a vision and template that we believe was instrumental in Richmond’s culinary growth.
In the years following, we were working with talented chefs who taught us the industry and helped us to develop our products with their input and critique, while also rising to prominence, from Dutch & Co.’s Caleb Shriver to Perch’s Mike Ledesma and Saison’s Adam Hall. We could go on.
Richmond is a place that embraces great food and food culture, and the consumers are a third part of the passion. Without them, none of the above happens. Richmonders have spoken. They have high standards and expectations regarding food and atmosphere, and the city’s chefs and restaurants are delivering while the rest of the country is taking notice. Like the mighty James River that courses through the city, there is a strong current flowing in the right direction through Richmond’s food scene. It is our hope that we have also made positive contributions from the purveyor side of the equation. We feel like privileged participants who arrived at a most fortunate time to see it all unfold.
Photo courtesy Dare Jearman
Q&A: The Front-of-house Queen
Dare Jearman, general manager of Perch
RM: When you first entered the industry, was the dining scene as professional as it is today?
Dare Jearman: [Laughs] No, it wasn’t. In the ’90s, I was at 3rd Street Diner, and out front it was cigarette-smoking waitresses in Suicide Girl outfits and [a member of] Lamb of God working the line in the back. … So many were just VCU students. It was the Wild West.
RM: After 2000, there seemed to be a shift in standards, especially for the front of house.
Jearman: It did change. At Six Burner, owner Ry Marchant encouraged us in food and alcohol education, and later, when he opened Pasture with Michele Jones and Jason Alley, they all worked to educate the staff on the dishes and drinks.
RM: Do you think that education is more prevalent in the field now?
Jearman: Most definitely. Yelp and Facebook reviews can get posted before diners even leave a restaurant, and chefs and owners pay close attention to protect their reputations. Server education and knowledge, from ingredients to wine pairings, can make the difference between a good review and a bad one.
Michelle Williams (Photo by Sarah Der)
The Seasoned Restaurateur
By Michelle Williams, co-owner of Richmond Restaurant Group, which operates The Hard Shell, The Daily Kitchen & Bar, East and West Coast Provisions, The Hill Cafe, and Barrio Taqueria + Tequila
In 1995, we opened our first restaurant, The Hard Shell, which approaches its 25th birthday this year. Not many years prior to its inception, there were a handful of local operators looking to do something different and stray from the typical chain offerings or mom-and-pop greasy spoons, instead aiming to rejuvenate long-forgotten neighborhoods. Shockoe Slip and Shockoe Bottom were beginning to hit their stride, and people were filling the streets, moving from place to place enjoying dinner, cocktails and nightlife in this new hip area of town (much like Scott’s Addition now). Little did we know that this would mark the beginning of what would become our Richmond of today — a little big town with some of the best food on the East Coast. While attending VCU for art, I began working the front of house at the Tobacco Company, before eventually transitioning to culinary school and ultimately to the kitchen. My business partner of 25 years, Jared Golden, was working across the street at The Bus Stop. Our paths continued to cross over the coming months and years — mutual friends, new jobs in the Bottom (Island Grill and Awful Arthur’s), late nights after work both standing in the pizza window line at Rock Bottom, or at Area 51 and 1708 Social Club. Richmond was very hip then, maybe as much as it is now, but the rest of the country hadn’t caught on yet. As I reflect on our city years ago, I realize that we haven’t traveled too far from where we were, just today millions of people know about the great restaurant scene we have, now complemented by a more thriving arts and entertainment scene that was originally missing.
Bobby Kruger (Photo by Jay Paul)
Q&A: The Cocktail Aficionado
By Bobby Kruger, owner of The HofGarden
RM: In a way, you kind of kicked off the craft cocktail movement 10 years ago with The Mint, your after-hours speak-easy.
Bobby Kruger: There were other people doing great cocktails back then, but yeah, the speakeasy part was an evolution of a successful cocktail program at Julep’s, where the focus was not necessarily on the most extravagant. The nice thing about moving into the whole speak-easy aspect was the cocktail became the focal point, and it was all bit of a show with techniques and special ingredients.
RM: Have cocktail lists become as ubiquitous as wine lists?
Kruger: Having a quality cocktail program is much more important than it was 10 to 15 years ago. Since it’s quality- and technique-driven, you’re seeing all these other professionals, chefs and even sommeliers, making the jump where they can implement their philosophies behind the bar in a new way.
RM: It’s more than simply mixing drinks.
Kruger: Yes, the inspiration and passion for new products is leading to partnerships between bartenders and breweries or chefs to create new pop-ups and other collaborative efforts.
Interviews have been edited for length and clarity.
