Mike Webb explains the porn tabs on “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”
Well, here we are in the thick of the congressional election season, with strivers from both parties jostling and jockeying to grab one of the limited number of golden tickets to the halls of political power. This is, it goes without saying, one of our favorite times of the electoral cycle, as the probability of chaos is high, and the likelihood that some neophyte wannabe Congress-critter will make a truly boneheaded mistake is a near certainty.
Case in point: Mike Webb, a former Army officer who claims to be mounting an independent run in Virginia’s 8th Congressional District (he lost the Republican nomination to Charles Hernick last month). A deeply conservative fellow, Webb is basically running his campaign via his Facebook page, where he posts all manner of self-promotional materials, conspiracy theories and extended religious rants.
This compulsive oversharing finally caught up with Webb on May 16, when he posted a screen grab of a map to illustrate his theory that he had been prank called by an Arlington County Republican Committee member. Unfortunately for him, two other visible browser tabs in the screen grab were very obviously porn sites (please feel free to Google “Layla Rivera tight booty” and “Ivone sexy amateur” to see what’s trending on the world wide Webb).
The best part of this entire story has been Webb’s reaction, which has been in turns completely surreal (Facebook posts that addressed the epistemological question, “Is the Lord against porn?” and detailed “the results of my empirical inquiry that introduced me to Layla and Ivone”), and oddly endearing (his goofy appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live”). One thing’s for sure: Webb’s political career might be toast, but his career as an Internet sensation is surely just beginning.
While Webb was certainly the most high-profile misbehaving Old Dominion candidate we’ve seen lately, he certainly wasn’t the only one. Our other favorite imperfect pols include 11th District Republican John Michael Wolfe who, after filing to run against incumbent U.S. Representative Gerry Connolly, failed to show up at the nominating convention, thereby leaving Connolly completely unopposed, and Charlottesville’s own Michael Del Rosso, who unloaded on his opponent after multiple rounds of balloting to choose the Republican standard-bearer for the 5th Congressional District.
Frazzled after a Hunger Games-style winnowing of the field from four candidates down to two, Del Rosso reached his boiling point when one of the eliminated candidates, Jim McKelvey, made an alliance with the eventual victor, state Senator Tom Garrett, which turned the odds decidedly in Garrett’s favor (have we taken this metaphor too far?). Anyway, Del Rosso’s impassioned speech (in which he complained that Garrett “slandered me in Buckingham County, called me a liar… a snake oil salesman”) obviously did little to help him, as he was roundly defeated on the final ballot.
Finally, we simply must mention our favorite non-candidate of the week: Richmond strip club owner Mike Dickinson, who—after failing to clinch the Democratic nomination in the 7th Congressional District—recently decided against a threatened independent bid to challenge current incumbent Dave Brat. Luckily for us, he’s still promising to run for mayor of Richmond, so perhaps our dreams of conducting an extensive interview in his place of business will come true.
And who knows? Maybe we’ll even see Webb there. Doing research, of course.
Odd Dominion is an unabashedly liberal, twice-monthly op-ed column covering Virginia politics.
Josh Ritter brings new passion to the stage at The Jefferson on Friday. Photo: Publicity photo
Josh Ritter is on the road again after the release of his eighth studio album, Sermon on the Rocks, which has received a considerable amount of praise. It marks a transformation for Ritter, who, according to Rolling Stone, is “fully reimagining his own art while still holding close to what’s always made him special.” In 2011, he added writer to his résumé when his novel, Bright’s Passage, appeared on the New York Times Best Sellers list.
Friday 5/27. $20, 8pm. The Jefferson Theater, 110 E Main St. Downtown Mall. 245-4980.
Charlottesville Community Bikes concludes National Bike Month with a “bike-in” screening of Premium Rush, an action film about a bicycle messenger caught in a precarious situation in New York City.
This tribute to local fallen troops, presented by ParadeRest Virginia, includes musical performances, a film screening and a discussion panel.
Sunday, 5/29. $10, 1pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. 979-1333.
Health & Wellness
The Rotary Ramblin’ Rabbit 5K
Blue Ridge Mountain Rotary Club hosts this race to benefit the Ben Hair Just Swim for Life program. The Brooks Family YMCA, which opens in 2017, will be the location for the program, which teaches children how to swim.
Saturday, 5/28 $15-30, 7:30am. Piedmont Virginia Community College, 501 College Dr. 960-9533. ramblin rabbit5k.com.
Food & Drink
Chili of All Nations
Sample chili at this cookoff that benefits Service Dogs of Virginia, a local nonprofit that raises, trains and finds placements for canines that aid disabled citizens.
Sunday, 5/29. Free, 11am-4pm. Foods of All Nations, 2121 Ivy Rd. 295-9503.
Michael Joseph Harris fronts two bands, Hot Club and Ultrafaux for an evening of gypsy jazz at the Garage. Photo: Publicity photo
Made popular in the 1930s and ’40s, gypsy jazz is in the middle of a renaissance, and Baltimore’s Michael Joseph Harris (left) is bringing it to the stage in two formations. His traditional band, Hot Club, relies on the classic repertoire, while Ultrafaux is guided by modern inspirations and original compositions and brings in the swing in the spirit of guitarist Django Reinhardt. “This is social music in its roots,” Harris told the Baltimore Sun.
Thursday 5/26. Free, 8pm. The Garage. 250 N. First St. thegaragecville.com.
Dom Starsia has finished his last season as UVA lacrosse coach. Photo Matt Riley/UVA media relations
What’s under that robe?
UVA’s enhanced, heavy-duty security for its 187th final exercises, which included the opening of the robes for grads and faculty before entering the Lawn, is considered a “best practice” common at other large, public research universities, according UVA spokesperson Anthony de Bruyn, who points out that at a UNESCO World Heritage site, such security measures are “entirely reasonable.”
Starsia out
UVA’s lacrosse coach Dom Starsia will not have his contract renewed after 24 seasons, Athletics Director Craig Littlepage announced May 23. The move, reminiscent of the ouster of longtime women’s basketball coach Debbie Ryan, came after several weeks of speculation about the future of the Hall of Fame coach. Starsia, 64, will collect the remaining $400,000 on his contract, which runs through January.
Unwelcome selfies
Drivers using an ignition interlock device into which they must blow to make sure they haven’t been tippling before the car starts, now have to install cameras to make sure they’re not using their 6-year-olds to blow into the device, courtesy of Governor Terry McAuliffe.
Alleged Rivanna Trail attacker arrested
Brien Thomas Gray-Anderson, 20, is charged with attempted rape and two counts of sexual battery from earlier incidents of groped runners. Five family members attended his May 23 hearing, but Judge Bob Downer declined to set bond until his concerns for public safety are satisfied.
photo Charlottesville Police
May the Force be with you, Espn
Not only did parents Melissa and David McLain give their almost May 4-born twins middle names Luke and Leia in honor of Star Wars Day, but their newborn son bears the moniker Espn, in a nod to the sports network, the Newsplex reports. The twins’ birth marked Sentara Martha Jefferson’s Dr. Edward Wolanski’s 5,000th baby delivered since 2000.
THE FACTS
Two out of 15 confirmed cases of the Zika virus in Virginia are in the health region that includes Charlottesville.
Only eight states have more confirmed cases than Virginia, including New York with 114, Florida with 109 and California with 44.
As of May 20, 157 pregnant women in the U.S. have the Zika virus.
About 80 percent of people who are
infected do not become sick.
There have been 544 travel-associated cases in the U.S.
No American mosquito-borne Zika cases have been reported.
Sources: Virginia Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Quote of the week
“You’ll notice they didn’t give me a gun yet.”
—New Charlottesville Police Chief Al Thomas, after he was sworn in May 23 and clipped on his badge.
Charlottesville native Carl Anderson built his reputation as a widely respected singer-songwriter before following his heart to Nashville. Photo: Publicity photo
Countrified singer-songwriter Carl Anderson no longer calls Charlottesville home. He’s not planning to record his next album locally at White Star Sound, like he did his first one. And he no longer tours with a hometown band behind him.
But for one night, he’ll make an exception.
When Anderson takes the stage at The Southern Café and Music Hall on May 28, he’ll be supported by Charlottesville favorite Sam Wilson of Sons of Bill.
Sam will likewise play guitar during Anderson’s performance, and Abe Wilson will chip in on drums. Anderson said the trio (he’s still trying to get Sons of Bill frontman James Wilson to join the fun) has never played together per se, though he’s toured and jammed with the Sons.
“We’re gonna have one long rehearsal, and that should do the trick,” says Anderson. “Sam is just remarkable. If he listens to the songs and has a rehearsal, he’ll be good.”
Anderson, an Albemarle High School alum, has taken a circuitous path to playing at the Southern with a couple of pals from Charlottesville. He’s currently on his second stint in Nashville, the landing pad for so many local musicians looking to make it big.
Anderson’s first visit to Music City was a short-lived affair he blamed on following a girl. This time, he has a day job at a juice bar to support his music career and says he’s there to stay.
“I don’t know if I could have come up anywhere else than Charlottesville,” Anderson says. “It is a perfect setup. I played at The Gravity Lounge all the time—I could walk over, have a conversation with [the owner], and he would book me to open for Tommy Ramone—but I did reach the point where it was important for me to leave.”
Certainly Anderson’s local roots are deep. He grew up in Madison County, where his parents moved after meeting while playing gigs in Richmond. “There was music in the house all the time,” Anderson says. “My dad was a great singer but was…too unstable to have a career. He could have.”
Anderson says the C’ville music scene provided the stability he needed to have the career his dad never did. He met so many other local singer-songwriters who supported him, he says. One of those was Carleigh Nesbit, the country singer who lured Anderson to Nashville for the first go-round.
“Some of the best songwriters I know are back in Charlottesville, but the industry certainly is here in Nashville,” Anderson says.
On his return trip to Nashville, Anderson found a booking agent, finished his second full-length, Risk of Loss, and built a team to “do something with it.” That led to a pretty good run of tour dates last year, but Anderson’s taken some time off more recently. Other than a performance at the Stagecoach Music Festival in California last month, he’s been writing songs and bouncing ideas off the icons who come and go around the juice bar, such as Kacey Musgraves and Parker Gispert of The Whigs.
“There are a lot of interesting people hanging around, and it’s a very collaborative scene and supportive of songwriters and musicians,” Anderson says.
The current mini-tour, with one other date on the schedule but more likely to be added, is intended to support a new track that should turn into a full album by the end of the year.
That album could represent a diversion from his traditionally alt-country sound judging by the first single, “Not Forgotten You,” which is more modern-country, more radio-ready than Anderson’s previous efforts.
“It’s definitely sitting more in the mainstream, but that’s not such an intentional thing,” he says. “I have been listening to more pop radio, and it has influenced my writing of late. I’m kind of leaning in and writing outside the Americana format for a little bit and seeing what happens.”
Is the new Carl Anderson looking to break into pop country long term? Not necessarily, he says. And while “Not Forgotten You” might not be the best example of his overall style, he wanted to get it out there. It was, after all, his first work with heavy-hitting producer Johnny Duke of Little Big Town.
It was also Anderson’s first time working with “a proper session band.” And yep, those were Nashville’s finest (including Duke on guitar) providing the fills.
Old habits are hard to break, though, and Anderson says he finds himself falling back into writing the Americana-style ballads he’s long leaned on. He says he’s working on 12 or 13 songs right now and hopes to get in the studio by the fall. But what those songs will end up sounding like together is anyone’s guess.
Heck, Anderson doesn’t even know what town he’ll end up living in.
“I think I will come back to Charlottesville at some point, but Nashville has been an industry boot camp,” he says.
UVA Baseball's Justin Novak brings his A-game to the Charlottesville Tom Sox. Photo: Amy Jackson
Justin Novak’s fingers were bleeding. A Band-Aid flapped uselessly from one of the cuts that had been pummeled for nine innings by balls thrown and hit hard to third base. The white knickerbocker-style pants of his UVA uniform were streaked with dirt. The stadium was almost empty and the lights were shutting off. He walked into the pressroom and sat down. He never mentioned his battered hands.
The Charlottesville Tom Sox are a new baseball team. In only their second year, they are still building a local following and an identity. This year they will start the season with an extra incentive for fans to come out and watch games. The Tom Sox will have Novak, a member of the 2015 College World Series-winning UVA baseball team. Wrapping up his second year at UVA, Novak excels as a hitter and a base-runner, and serves as a utility player who can play almost any position on the field. He was forged as a player in Tokyo, in the world’s most disciplined and challenging system of youth baseball.
“Practices from elementary school were from eight in the morning to six at night every weekend, so you’d have to pack a lunch,” Novak says. “Every weekend and Japanese holiday was filled with practice and repetition in baseball, unless there was a game.”
None of the American players whom Novak faces grew up on 10-hour baseball practices. It has produced a rare focus and discipline.
“My dad’s actually an American,” says Novak, in perfect English. “He’s from a small town in Illinois. But he was in the Air Force. So we were stationed in this place called Yokota Air Base until I was in eighth grade. Then he retired from the Air Force and he got a job with the [U.S.] State Department [in Japan].”
In an April 15 UVA home game against North Carolina, Novak played third base. That position is often called the hot corner, because so many balls from right-handed hitters head in that direction. He grabbed ball after ball from the air or off the ground and made perfect throws to get runners out. Each time, the same thing without hesitation. “Playing baseball in Japan, there’s a lot of emphasis on repetition,” says Novak. “Doing something right until you can’t do it wrong.”
Novak came up to the plate in the bottom of the third inning and swung at the second pitch. A line-drive went out to center field. He ran to first base. As the pitcher faced the next batter, Novak began creeping toward second base, preparing to steal. Four times the pitcher threw the ball to the first baseman, attempting to pick Novak off. Four times Novak dove for the base and beat the tag. He advanced to second base on a single and then ran for home plate on a double, barely beating the tag by the catcher, and scoring a run.
UVA baseball dates back to 1889. Its first game was against Richmond College (UVA won 13-4). Baseball gloves were in their infancy and most players still caught balls bare-handed, resulting in badly battered hands. In those days, there was no rotation of starting pitchers or a staff of relief pitchers to step in when a player was worn out. A team had one pitcher who threw every pitch of every game. Injuries were frequent, and most pitchers had short careers as they burned their arms out.
Justin Novak, a member of UVA’s NCAA Baseball College World Series championship team, will likely rotate between second and third base this season for the Charlottesville Tom Sox. Photo: Jim Daves, UVA Media Relations
Japan’s baseball history goes back almost as far as the United States’. An American ex-pat introduced the game in the 1870s. The rules are the same as American baseball, but the culture is different. American baseball has a reputation for being a somewhat relaxed sport. We call it our national pastime, whereas Japanese baseball is seen as almost a martial art and is connected to the ancient samurai concept of bushido, the way of the warrior.
“Japanese baseball is all built on pride,” says Novak. “It’s all internal. Even if you are a small player, you’ve got to be tough. Know the fundamentals.”
“A player like Justin with a story like his, there’s nobody else like him in the league,” says Mike Paduano, director of operations for the Tom Sox. Players from the Japanese system rarely enter the American college baseball system.
The Koshien high school baseball tournaments in Japan are considered every bit as serious as major league baseball is in the United States. “High school baseball in Japan is really, really popular,” says Novak. “It’s televised, just like March Madness over here. They will have the TV on in the clubhouse and all the professional teams are watching their old high school compete in Koshien.” Novak’s Koshien experience has uniquely prepared him for the pressures of playing for America’s top-ranked college baseball team.
“It’s so serious that the coaches blow out the kids’ arms and stuff like that,” Novak says.
High school players may be asked to throw more than 100 pitches in a single day and then brought back to the field to do it again the next day. The intense demands on players at all levels of Japanese baseball lead to a high rate of injuries and shortened careers. Novak may be fortunate for being skilled at playing every position on the field except for pitcher. He arrived at UVA with two healthy arms.
“That’s what we absolutely love about Justin,” says Paduano. “This year, I’ve seen him play second base, third base, shortstop and catch. He’s a heck of an infielder because of his soft hands and his quick feet. I think he’s got a good range. I think between second base and third base is where we’ll utilize him a lot this year. We love his versatility.”
In the game against North Carolina, Novak came up to bat in the bottom of the eighth inning. The bases were loaded with two outs. The stadium erupted in cheers. The pitcher stared at Novak for a long time before a timeout was called. North Carolina’s players and coach held a meeting at the pitcher’s mound. A relief pitcher was brought in to stop Novak and end the inning. Two strikes and three balls were thrown. Then Novak hit a ball foul to stay alive.
On the next pitch, he slammed a ball by third base and a runner scored.
“I felt calm today,” Novak said after the game. “I was seeing the ball pretty well today, which was pretty awesome. When I get into two strikes I actually tell myself in Japanese, ‘You gotta win it. Katsu-sol, katsu-sol, katsu-sol.’ Which is, katsu means win. …Like, ‘I’m gonna win this, I’m gonna win this pitch, I’m gonna win this pitch.’ Growing up through a Japanese baseball system, I picked up a lot of slang. I think in Japanese a lot of the time.”
Novak struggled as a hitter in 2015 with a .100 batting average but is now batting .297. Anything better than .250 is considered good in the major leagues. (Batting .300 means that a player hits the ball on average three out of every 10 times he comes up to bat.)
“I started on opening day last year and I struggled a lot. I only had like six, seven hits, and I hit below .100,” he says. “Going through that struggle I learned a lot about myself. …It’s just really humbling knowing that sometimes you make mistakes and you just have to learn from it. Things don’t go your way all the time. I’ve definitely gotten mentally tougher.”
“I’ve watched Justin in 40 or 45 games this year and last year,” says Paduano. “And what he does best is just go 100 miles an hour all the time and give 110 percent every single time. He has this intensity. You can’t stop him.”
Novak, a rising third-year at UVA, honed his skills in the rigorous Japanese Little League system. Photo: Jim Daves, UVA Media Relations
The Tom Sox represent the return of summer baseball to Charlottesville after decades without either a minor league or summer college team. Long ago, Charlottesville was a big baseball town at certain times of the year. Before highways and planes made Florida accessible, the Boston Red Sox conducted spring training in Charlottesville, starting in 1901. The predecessors of today’s Atlanta Braves and Minnesota Twins also used Charlottesville for spring training in the early 20th century. UVA’s Lambeth Field hosted all of them, as well as other major and minor league teams that passed through to play exhibition games.
Novak didn’t think he had much of a chance of getting into UVA through the baseball program. “I visited, and honestly I didn’t think I was going to go here because they were ranked No. 1 at the time,” he says. “Surprisingly, they rolled the dice on me. I’m really thankful for the coaching staff for seeing whatever they saw in me. I’m trying to go out there every day and prove them right and just do whatever I can to help the team.”
UVA’s final exercises were last weekend, and the first Tom Sox game starts at 7pm on June 1. Playing at their home field at Charlottesville High School, the C-VILLE Weekly ballpark, the Tom Sox players will have been together for less than two weeks when they begin competing. But, unlike spring training for major league baseball, all the players will arrive fully tuned-up after months of playing college ball.
Three players from the 2015 Tom Sox team will return. A trio of pitchers, Brian Fortier, Josh Sharik and Zach Cook, was part of the inaugural 2015 team that came within one game of making it to the playoffs. And three Charlottesville residents will be coming home from college to play for their local team: Harvard’s catcher, Jake Allen, pitcher Michael Dailey of VCU and Liberty University outfielder Jack Morris.
Fan turnout for the Tom Sox’s inaugural season was solid. “We had usually at least 400 people at most games and sometimes we had a few thousand,” says Paduano. The bleachers were almost always near-full, and picnickers dotted the outfield. Elementary school-aged Little League players ran in packs with gloves, running to catch foul balls and crowding the exit from the dugout to ask for autographs. To a third-grader, these guys are heroes. Real baseball players whom they might see in major league uniforms before long.
When the Tom Sox take the field on opening day, for most fans it is just a baseball game. But for the players, the stakes are higher. The Tom Sox play in the Valley League, an organization dating back to 1897 that fields college players who are driven to hone and demonstrate their skills during the summer. Top-level college players hope to get drafted by major league teams. Otherwise, their playing careers will typically end after graduation. Major league scouts will likely be attending Tom Sox games incognito and looking for young players to sign.
With a batting average above the norm and a set of skills that can put him anywhere on the field, Novak might have a better chance than most at getting the attention of a major league ball club. But he says he tries not to look in the stands during games—his focus is on the game: Katsu-sol.
“That’s the dream, obviously,” says Novak. “That’s the reason why everyone’s playing right now. But I can’t get caught up in all the scouts and stuff like that. You just gotta try to live in the moment.”
Getting into character
One of the Tom Sox mascot interns dressed as Cosmo the Sheepdog and entertained participants at Relay for Life last Friday at Charlottesville High School. The baseball club’s prairie dog mascot will make its debut at the team’s home opener on Wednesday, June 1. Photo: Ryan Jones
On a recent Thursday evening, Joby Giacalone’s enthusiasm wasn’t dampened by the threat of rain at Charlottesville High School’s baseball field. “This is a very exciting time for us,” he told his summer interns, who were sitting in the bleachers with their parents. “We are on the ground floor of something that hasn’t been done before.”
That something is the creation of a mascot for the Charlottesville Tom Sox, the Valley League baseball team that will kick off its second season on June 1 against the New Market Rebels. With a couple weeks to go before the team’s prairie dog mascot makes its home opener debut, Giacalone has his work cut out for him: He will train two high school students in the art of mascotting—something the 54-year-old knows a thing or two about.
In the early 1990s, Giacalone earned his living as Dinger the Dinosaur, MLB’s Colorado Rockies mascot. He also worked briefly as the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets mascot, and was employed for five years as Homer the Dragon by the AAA Charlotte Knights baseball club. After retiring from professional mascotting in 1995, Giacalone moved to Charlottesville, where, in addition to taking an IT job at the University of Virginia, he served as the Cavman coach for several years. He also created Cosmo the Sheepdog, who appears at a variety of local events every year.
Cosmo performed at eight Tom Sox games last season, but “what we’re doing now is developing a character with the goal to teach,” Giacalone says. “I want to show our organization and the fans what having a true mascot—not one who stands around and shakes hands—can do for an evening of fun.”
After each game, he wants every person in the stands to say, “I can’t wait to come back.” According to Giacalone, the Tom Sox led the Valley League in attendance last season, with an average of 675 fans a night.
In addition to introducing the community to the team’s new mascot, Giacalone intends to “create an internship program that will be here 30 years from now; a place where people will come to learn and hone the craft that is sports mascotting. I hope [some of our interns] really aspire to continue to do this—it is not easy, and it’s not just putting on a costume and acting like an idiot.”
A few weeks earlier, Giacalone had set up a mascot recruiting table at CHS, hoping to interest curious students on their way to lunch.
“It smells like a sweaty sock in here,” said one after pulling on the massive dragon head Giacalone brought along. “Now gimme the paws!”
Giacalone complied, and then helped her attach a large dog tail, explaining that “a tail is fun because you can hit people with it.” Once suited up, the potential intern waded unsteadily into the noontime crowd, joyfully whacking anyone who got close with her newly acquired body parts.
“One of the reasons mascots never stop moving is because they’re like a cartoon,” an amused Giacalone explained.“If a cartoon stopped moving, it would just be a drawing.”
And then he opened his computer and shared an image of the Tom Sox prairie dog costume, which is still being fine-tuned. “This is version three,” Giacalone said. “The first one looked way too much like Yogi Bear. A prairie dog is a very unique character, and I knew going in that it would be a challenge in the looks department.” He said he wanted a character that is cute and “cartoony,” but doesn’t restrict the performer in any way: “A costume you can run around in.”
The prairie dog, who is being named via an online contest, will wear a blue Tom Sox No. 3 jersey (think third U.S. president). Giacalone told a small group of CHS students that Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, while on their Thomas Jefferson-commissioned expedition, encountered the creature for the first time in Nebraska, and sent a live one home to the then-president of the United States.
Two of those students are now in the stands at the baseball field, listening as Giacalone explains that they will trade off working the 21 Tom Sox home games this season. The duo, who will remain anonymous until the final game when their identities are revealed, will entertain the crowd pre-game, participate in mascot-fan races around the bases and perform between a couple of innings at every game. When not in costume, they will assist the intern who’s working as the mascot that night, as well as learn about other Tom Sox-related jobs, such as ticketing, music and announcing. The prairie dog will also appear at functions and events throughout the year, to “keep baseball in the community’s mind,” Giacalone says.
“I love baseball,” he adds. “Every boy wants to be a major league player when he grows up. And I did wear a major league uniform during major league baseball games. But mine had a tail.”
The Greenbrier was bilked by its former fine dining director, who took a job at Darden while the hotel thought he was seeking cancer treatment.
Photo Bobak Ha’Eri
The Greenbrier in West Virginia may no longer be a five-diamond resort, but in the food and beverage world, to be its director of fine dining is still a pretty sweet gig. Carmelo “Carmine” Carrozza held that position for barely two weeks before he told his boss he had cancer and was seeking medical treatment. While still on the payroll, he took a job at UVA’s Darden School Foundation here in Charlottesville.
Carrozza, 57, pleaded guilty in federal court in West Virginia on May 3 to one count of wire fraud for swindling The Greenbrier of $48,000. The few people locally who talked on the record about him describe him as a congenial guy with a New York accent.
“He was very friendly in a New York way,” says Darden professor Greg Fairchild, who says it’s a style he was familiar with from living there. “I was shocked to hear the story.”
“This was an aberrant period of his life,” says Jack Tinney, Carrozza’s Charleston, West Virginia, attorney. His client has a long history working in the hotel industry, and he got the job at The Greenbrier through an industry contact, says Tinney.
Carrozza started his job at the White Sulphur Springs resort May 28, 2013. By June 13, 2013, he stopped working and said he had cancer, according to court documents. He kept the HR department and the COO at Greenbrier informed about his alleged treatments with calls, texts and e-mails, and started a job with Darden around August 23, 2013.
He continued to collect a paycheck from The Greenbrier until December 2013, direct depositing $48,356, according to the plea agreement. Greenbrier spokesperson Erik Hastings declined to say how the resort learned Carrozza was double-dipping, and owner Jim Justice, who is running for governor in West Virginia, did not return a call from C-VILLE Weekly.
Carrozza was also renting a house in Charlottesville. “I have no knowledge of this,” says Cathy Harding of her tenant’s guilty plea when contacted by a reporter. “He was vetted by the property manager.”
Apparently Carrozza also was vetted by The Greenbrier and by the Darden foundation, where he was in charge of hospitality and conventions, but those entities are remaining mum about his employment and his background.
“Carmine Carrozza is no longer an employee of the Darden School Foundation,” writes Sophie Munz, Darden director of media relations, in an e-mail. “As this is a personnel matter, we have no additional comments.”
The foundation runs the school’s executive education program and operates a 69,000-square-foot conference center, the 177-room Inn at Darden and the Abbott Center Dining Room and is, notes Munz, exempt from the Freedom of Information Act.
Tinney declined a request for comment on behalf of his client, who remains free on bond.
According to a Department of Justice release, Carrozza has agreed to pay restitution. He faces up to 20 years when he is sentenced August 17.
Fairchild has some experience with felons through his work at Darden’s prisoner entrepreneurship program, and says it’s a diverse world with people who can be “smart, funny and cool.” Says Fairchild, Carrozza “is a dude I would have had dinner with.”
Ethan Zuckerman walks the small-footprint walk, using recycled Coke kegs for the company’s kombucha, which is sold in reusable bottles.
Photo Tom McGovern
When we last checked in on Barefoot Bucha proprietors Kate and Ethan Zuckerman in November, their probiotic beverage business was going great guns, except for a little trouble with Gallo, which objected to their attempt to register a trademark. The wine goliath feared that drinkers of Barefoot wine would be confused and buy non-alcoholic kombucha instead.
In April, E&J Gallo Winery, the largest wine company in the world, sued the Nelson County mom-and-pop company for trademark infringement and unfair competition. Not only does Gallo take issue with the company’s use of the barefoot name and a footprint logo, but it notes Barefoot Bucha has a photo of kombucha in a wine glass on its Facebook page.
The complaint alleges the Zuckermans’ Conscious Cultures LLC is marketing kombucha as a mixer for alcoholic beverages and offering up suggestions on Facebook like the GingeRoar with bourbon and Ginger Bucha or the Luck o’ the Irish kombucha champagne cocktail.
Gallo also worries that Whole Foods shoppers will become confused because Barefoot Bucha, which is dispensed from kegs into reusable bottles, is sold next to wine displays, where Whole Foods carries Barefoot’s pinot grigio. “Survey evidence shows consumers are confused into thinking defendant’s product” is affiliated with Gallo’s brand, the lawsuit alleges.
Gallo points out in its suit that the Barefoot Bucha is fermented. However, although the tea that’s the basis of kombucha is fermented, the final product is non-alcoholic and is certified organic, a claim Barefoot wines can’t make.
Nonetheless, the probiotic drink is “likely to cause confusion, to cause mistake and/or deceive customers,” asserts Gallo. Barefoot Bucha is trading off and receiving the benefit of “goodwill and the valuable reputation” of Gallo, claims the suit, which could cause “irreparable injury” to the manufacturer’s annual $4 billion bottom line.
Barefoot wine and Barefoot Bucha: Confused? Photo Tom McGovern
Gallo has a history of going after companies it says are infringing on its trademarks, even if the products bear no relation to wine. For example, it’s challenged footwear, juice and clothing companies that used the barefoot moniker, according to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. And it’s gone after a sports equipment company called Gallostix, alleging the name might confuse consumers or dilute its brand.
That’s known as trademark bullying, a concept that’s becoming more prevalent, says David Pratt with M-Cam, a local intellectual property finance firm. The predominant firm often sues, he says, because it can say, “Why not, we can afford it,” with much more devastating consequences for the smaller company.
There’s also an economic bullying aspect, should a multinational producer like Gallo ever decide to go into the kombucha business. By suing, if it ever wanted to acquire Barefoot Bucha, it possibly could do so at a distressed price, explains Pratt. “I’m not saying that’s going to happen,” he adds.
But it is a trend he’s seeing and is called a “roll up” on a certain market. “People who provide capital think in those terms,” he says.
Gallo’s D.C. attorney, John Froemming, did not return a phone call from C-VILLE. Nor did Conscious Cultures’ attorney, Jessica Fajfar with the University of San Francisco Law Clinic.
While Kate Zuckerman declined to comment about the suit, in an earlier interview she said she hoped to be able to work out something with Gallo because she and her husband built a brand that people recognize as a quality organic product, and they picked the name barefoot because they want to leave a small footprint on the Earth.
Gallo, which sent a cease-and-desist letter before filing the suit, wants Conscious Cultures enjoined from using the barefoot name and logo, and all its bottles, labels and materials bearing the Barefoot Bucha brand delivered to Gallo for destruction.
The California company also wants all of Conscious Cultures’ profits and for the Nelson company to pay damages, treble damages and Gallo’s attorneys’ fees.
Hadley Rodland, general manager of The Juice Place, says their philosophy is “healthy and fresh.” They don’t use any ice in their smoothies—just fruits and vegetables. Photo: Ézé Amos
Just in time for warmer weather (God willing), there’s a new spot on the Downtown Mall for cold, refreshing beverages—not the boozy kind, but the fruity kind.
Introducing The Juice Place, the brainchild of Market Street Market owners Steven and Raphael Strumlauf. The guys started overhauling the old Pearl space at 201 E. Market St. a couple of months ago, and they held a soft opening early last week.
“The entire philosophy is pretty simple,” says General Manager Hadley Rodland. “The concept is basically that everything is healthy, fresh and tastes good. Great ingredients and achievable price points. We want to be able to serve almost anybody something really good.”
The vegetarian- and vegan-friendly menu features juices, classics such as carrot (Rodland’s favorite) and orange, plus combos such as apple, carrot and ginger, and cucumber, celery, apple and mint. There are also seven smoothies, such as the creamy almond date, a filling and not-too-sweet combination of banana, almond butter, dates, peaches and hemp hearts, and absolutely no ice.
“Due to the owners’ and my commitment to things being really good and fresh across the board, there is no ice in any of our smoothies,” Rodland says. “It’s all just fruit and vegetables.”
For a quick jolt of nutrients, the menu also includes four shots, which are exactly what they sound like: small servings of super-concentrated juices with additions such as honey, oil of oregano and reishi (an herbal mushroom common in China). You can’t beet (see what we did there?) the Tiger Blood, a small deep-red pour of beet juice, lemon, ginger and cayenne. The Juice Place is open seven days a week. Check out thejuiceplacecville.com for more information and the full menu.
Sister sandwiches
Grilled cheese sandwich with bacon marmalade? Yes, please.
Not surprisingly, that concoction is coming from the Brookville team. Last week Brookville owners Harrison and Jennifer Keevil announced they will take over the old Gibson’s Grocery on Hinton Avenue and rebrand it as Keevil & Keevil Grocery and Kitchen.
The space will continue to operate as a convenience and grocery store, but the Keevils will also create a new menu of made-to-order and takeaway sandwiches and salads. And if a grilled oyster mushroom Reuben or a pork belly banh mi doesn’t appeal to you, Keevil also plans to collaborate with other chefs in the area to feature a guest chef sandwich each month.
Tasty tidbits
Grocery gaieties…As more grocery giants continue to pop up around town and wow their customers with amenities, other stores are trying to keep up with the competition. Harris Teeter, for example, recently added a beer and wine tasting bar as part of a larger remodel. Single malt shenanigans…Introducing The Virginia Whisky Experience, a new walking tour of Virginia Distillery Company complete with a look at the production distillery plus an interactive museum. Coffee collab…Want some spice in your morning (or afternoon, or evening) coffee? Shark Mountain Coffee Company recently partnered with LA-based fashion and lifestyle website Mademoiselle Meme to create a turmeric ginger cappuccino. Order it in the IX coffee shop or check out the recipe at mademoisellememe.com/eats.
This article was updated at 3:46pm May 27 to correct the former business in The Juice Place spot.
