Jody Kielbasa fills in the highlights of the 29th Virginia Film Festival.
Staff photo
Virginia Film Festival director Jody Kielbasa promised today “the best program in my eight years at the festival” for this year’s November 3-6 cinemathon. The 29th festival will include screen legends Shirley MacLaine and Liv Ullman, and auteur Werner Herzog.
What Kielbasa did not reveal was the opening night film, typically a made-in-Virginia effort. He gave that honor to Governor Terry McAuliffe, who will reveal the mystery film on Thursday.
The centerpiece film will be the North American premiere of The Promise, the German-made documentary of the 1985 murders of the Haysoms, which riveted Central Virginia and put UVA students Elizabeth Haysom, their daughter, and Jens Soering, her besotted boyfriend, behind bars. Soering, who has maintained his innocence, recently filed a petition for absolute pardon.
“Eastbound & Down”‘s Danny McBride, a Richmond native, will be on hand to screen two episodes of his new series, “Vice Principals.”
Catch a young George Stephanopoulos and James Carville in the screening of The War Room, the D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus documentary of Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential run. The filmmakers and Clinton adviser Paul Begala will be around for the Larry Sabato-moderated discussion of the film.
Herzog, 72, director of Fizcarraldo and Grizzly Man, brings his newest film, Into the Inferno.
Other film highlights include a restoration of the 1985 Akiro Kurosawa film Ran, Contemporary Color featuring David Byrne and St. Vincent, Mifune: The Last Samurai, a documentary on the Japanese actor, and The Love Witch, which film fest programmer Wesley Harris called a “comedy-horror technicolor fever dream.”
The festival will screen seven best foreign-language film entries for the 89th Academy Awards, including Spanish director Pedro Almodovar’s newest film, Julieta, based on Alice Munro short stories.
And on the 25th anniversary of Beauty and the Beast, a work-in-progress version of the film will be shown that includes the drawings that became the animation.
Wally Walker was the leading man for the ’76 Cavaliers, taking home MVP honors at the ACC tournament and leading the Hoos with 21 points in the championship game. Courtesy photo
Four minutes to play and the game was tied at 60. A sea of orange yelled from the sidelines as the time continued to whittle down. Three and a half minutes gone—still 60.
Two free throws at the 34-second mark and suddenly they’re up by two.
Up by two? The sixth seed? The team that went 15-11?
It was 1976, and the Virginia Cavaliers were about to beat No. 1 seed North Carolina for their first ACC championship, after upsetting No. 3 North Carolina State and No. 2 Maryland.
“We were 0-6 against those teams,” then-head coach Terry Holland said when he was honored at John Paul Jones Arena September 23, on the 40th anniversary of that win, “but with every one of those teams we had a game that went down to the wire. …We knew we could play with them.”
Wally Walker was the leading man for the ’76
Cavaliers, taking home MVP honors at the tournament and leading the Hoos with 21 points in the championship game.
“Just to see them,” Walker says, smiling as he recalls Virginia’s fans. “I mean tears, and people weeping.”
Walker laughs. “But I mean, we were too.”
That second ACC championship would evade Virginia for Holland’s next 14 years. In fact, it would be almost four decades before Tony Bennett’s 2014 dream team would recapture the title.
But 1981 was also a standout year as UVA went undefeated at home. It was the year Holland took his team to the program’s first Final Four.
And it was the year of Ralph Sampson.
Sampson, the 7’4” center for Virginia and three-time College Player of the Year, was untouchable. The Cavaliers went 27-2 that regular season, falling only to North Carolina and Maryland.
No one knew that in 33 years Bennett’s squad would begin duplicating the 1981 team’s accomplishments, logging back-to-back 30-win seasons in 2014 and 2015, and enjoying an undefeated season at home in 2016.
Asked how the two teams compare, Sampson’s answer is quick: “We would have killed them.”
He laughs. “It also starts with the coach, and I think that the coach that they have here in Tony Bennett is phenomenal. They should keep him here forever if they can.”
Take a step back to Virginia’s second Final Four appearance in 1984. The miracle run. The year that Holland’s team went 21-12 in the regular season and wound up losing to Houston in overtime in the Final Four.
For players such as Rick Carlisle, some moments remain painted vividly in memory, like the team’s overtime win against Arkansas that pushed them into the Sweet 16.
“It was a play designed for Othell Wilson,” Carlisle remembers of the final shot. “He went up for the shot and Albert Robinson…got a piece of the shot. It deflected into my hands, and I just grabbed it and let it go, and it went in.”
Moments like these don’t just happen. Standout years like 1976, 1981 and 1984 were the hard work of a coach and a lot of good players—and many will tell you they see aspects of Holland in Bennett.
“He played for his dad, so I got to see his dad coach,” Holland says of Bennett, “and I think they play a lot like we did. I think he’s taken the stuff that his dad did and added on to it and made good use of the caliber that he has on hand.”
Carlisle goes further, saying the coaches share humility, unselfishness and toughness; he believes Holland set the stage for Bennett.
“Without Terry Holland, there wouldn’t be a Tony Bennett.”
UVA quarterback Kurt Benkert set the passing school record during Saturday's game against Central Michigan.
Photo Pete Emerson
Another 90-degree football day and half the stadium seems to have forgotten there was a game. The hill, one of UVA’s two student sections, is decidedly more green than orange. The bleachers are half-empty. Today is not the day for Virginia to take home a win, no less a 49-35 win over Central Michigan. Today is not a good day for football in Charlottesville.
Regardless of the state of Scott Stadium, the captains flip a coin, the game starts, and the Hoos suffocate defensively, forcing Central Michigan to punt on their first three drives of the game.
The audience is grateful, cheering politely at every defensive stop, but their hearts aren’t in it yet.
How many games have we started well and lost later?
Nevertheless, the stadium sways left and right joyously and rings with the sound of Virginia’s unique fight song when quarterback Kurt Benkert connects to Olamide Zaccheaus for a Cavalier touchdown with 9:42 to go in the first quarter.
A 44-yard rush by Taquan Mizzel leaves the Cavaliers at first and goal. Another touchdown—6:02 left in the first quarter.
The song swells slightly louder this time. The hill seems slightly fuller.
Virginia has played 10 minutes of suffocating defense and scored twice before the Chippewas are even able to muster a first down.
Benkert outdoes himself for the Cavaliers, delivering them out of danger when the Chippewas land a punt on the 1-yard line, gaining 208 yards in the first quarter alone to CMU’s 43, and continuing to move the ball down the field to give the Hoos a chance to score.
Not even a full minute into the second quarter and UVA has its third touchdown of the game—this time courtesy of Keeon Johnson. Alex Furbank, UVA’s walk-on, Division III soccer-playing kicker, misses the extra point. But the fans don’t care. Too much good has happened already.
A sack by Zach Bradshaw to force a punt and suddenly the crowd goes wild. The weight of Virginia’s 21 points is starting to settle, heavy and comfortably, on the shoulders of their fans.
This is happening.
UVA’s next drive down the field and suddenly the fans are confident. “Touchdown!” a man yells, anticipating Virginia’s score while they’ve still got 4 yards to go. This time, Furbank doesn’t miss his extra kick.
Is this the same team? Is this the team that blew a game to Richmond?
Five minutes left in the second quarter and Central Michigan starts to break through. They’re one and 8 for the first time. They’re close. They score. 28-7.
A remarkable 85-yard touchdown later and suddenly it’s 28-14, 2:26 to halftime. The student bleachers look barren, about half-full.
Was it this empty at the start?
Another Virginia drive that leads nowhere—another punt—and then it’s halftime, 28-14 at the half. That’s good, right?
But what about after halftime? Will the same team run out of the tunnel that ran in when it was 90 degrees and not a good day for football?
CMU kicks off to Virginia and the second half begins. The stadium itself is a study in contrasts: half pulsing with color, half on life support.
The student section is virtually deserted. Empty water bottles litter the hill and used napkins and plates blow in the breeze. You wouldn’t know, by the looks of that hill, that the Cavaliers were hours away from winning their first game of the season.
The third quarter turns into a slew of bad plays for the Cavaliers. An unnecessary roughness call kills Virginia’s drive and forces them to punt early, and the Chippewas intercept Kurt Benkert’s pass for a 47-yard touchdown—it’s 28-21.
Is this where the tables start turning? Is this where the football gods turn their backs on Virginia?
Six seconds into the fourth quarter and the Cavaliers are back at square one. Rush throws a 14-yard touchdown pass to CMU’s Corey Willis and it’s 28-28. All tied up now.
The game is a blank slate. A 15-minute-long window of football.
With 9:36 left in the game, everything changes. Benkert is pressured inside Virginia’s 10-yard line. He runs, a throw goes up…and is caught. Eighty-two yards later and the crowd is electrified—brought back to life like Frankenstein’s monster.
Benkert hits his stride again, connecting short passes to push the Cavs down the field.
A collective shout—the loudest yet: 42-28 Virginia.
Just five more minutes. Just five more minutes of good football.
An interception gives Virginia possession and a well-placed ball to “Smoke” Mizzell puts the Cavaliers up 49-28.
Central Michigan scores with 48 seconds left to put seven fewer points between the teams. But it’s already done. It’s already won. First-year head coach Bronco Mendenhall has his first win of the season, yet it seems half the crowd is still waiting for this game to turn into Richmond, or UConn, or any number of losses in the past seasons.
“We’re not immune yet from that being past history and I’m not sure the stadium was…” Mendenhall says. “It felt like there was this cultural ‘Well, we know what this looks like.’ And I felt that.”
Are the orange stripes too much? Governor Terry McAuliffe checks out polos at Mincer's.
Staff photo
Governor Terry McAuliffe popped into Mincer’s on the Corner this afternoon because he likes to visit small businesses—and he needed a new polo shirt. “Extra large,” says McAuliffe. “I’m pumped.”
He was in Charlottesville to speak to UVA scholars at the Center for Politics and he’d had lunch “with Larry and Terry—” Professor Larry Sabato and UVA President Teresa Sullivan.
At Mincer’s, the governor was faced with some tough choices—which striped shirt to buy. He ended up with a couple and some shorts as well.
Staff photo
He quizzed Mark Mincer on his bestsellers—UVA-emblem jackets and chapstick—as well as Mincer’s biggest sales weekend, in between chatting with customers and posing for photos.
Outside, he spoke to young women dining at the Virginian. “Be sure to vote this year,” he advised.
And he weighed in on the 5th District congressional race, in which Dem Jane Dittmar faces off against Republican state Senator Tom Garrett. Not surprisingly, he endorsed Dittmar. “We need people who can get things done,” he said. “I’m tired of partisanship. We need someone who can work with the new president—Hillary.”
Governor Terry McAuliffe on the Corner. Staff photo
Next stop: Democratic campaign headquarters on the Downtown Mall.
One day it’s 93 outside, but the next it’s 84, and they’re even calling for 81 later in the week. What season is this? Obviously it’s early fall, when the AC can take it easier in the evenings, and the nighttime temps will soon be perfect for sleeping. Better yet, if the heat is easing and the leaves are beginning to turn, that means it’s apple season, and pumpkin season too.
Thomas Jefferson, Virginia’s first foodie, was of course an enthusiastic planter himself. “Cultivars of the earth are the most valuable citizens,” Jefferson wrote John Jay in August 1785.“They are the most vigorous, the most independent. . . . and they are tied to their country and wedded to its liberty and interests by the most lasting bands.” Jefferson planted over one thousand fruit trees in Monticello’s South Orchard, including Hewe’s Crab and Taliaferro apple trees for making cider, and Newtown Pippin and Esopus Spitzenburg for good eating—one of his favorite pursuits.
The Taliaferro, Jefferson said, was “the best cider apple existing,” producing a beverage “more like wine than any other liquor I have tasted which was not wine.” Today the Taliaferro is “Monticello’s mystery apple”—no one is sure what it was. According to one 1835 description, the fruit was “the size of a grape shot, or from one to two inches in diameter; of a white color, streaked with red; with a sprightly acid, not good for the table, but apparently a very valuable cider fruit. This is understood to be a Virginia fruit, and the apple from which Mr. Jefferson’s favorite cider was made.”
Cultivating fruit has a long history in these parts, going at least as far back as the early 17th century and the first English settlers in Jamestown. In 1629, Captain John Smith wrote that apples, peaches,apricots, and figs were “prosper[ing] exceedingly” in the Virginia Colony. By 1642 Virginia’s first governor, William Berkley, was cultivating 1,500 fruit trees; in 1694 he decreed that every planter must, “for every 500 acres granted him … enclose and fence a quarter-acre of ground near his dwelling house for orchards and gardens.” By 1800, most plantations had orchards, and some grew as many as 10,000 trees.
Today Virginia is in fact the seventh largest apple-growing state in the country, with apple country stretching from the mountainous northern Shenandoah Valley through the Roanoke Valley into Albemarle and Rappahannock counties, and Patrick and Carroll counties in the southwest. Its roughly 150 commercial orchards yield an estimated 700 bushels per acre, 70 percent of which is sold for processing into apple cider and apple butter and other products. Monetarily, apples are our 15th largest crop, accounting for roughly $37 million in farm sales in 2014, the latest year for which data are available, and contributing an estimated $235 million annually to the state’s economy, according to the Virginia Apple Growers Association. Our growing hard cider industry includes more than 20 producers, who sell their products both locally and nationwide. All told, our apple bounty finds eager buyers in 15 states and more than 20 countries including India, Panama, Costa Rica, and Guatemala. Here at home come fall, it’s pick-your-own season, and harvest festivals abound.
Despite a relatively warm winter followed by spring freezes and too much late spring and early summer rain, Virginia apple growers expect a good crop this year, albeit of slightly smaller than usual apples, according to the Virginia Department Of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
Growers having been picking Gala apples since August and are now picking Red and Golden Delicious. Ginger Gold, Pink Lady, McIntosh, Honey Crisp, Stayman and others will follow.
Fortunately, most of the state has had dry weather just prior to harvest, which brings out the fruit’s natural sugars and makes for very sweet apples.
“It’s going to be a great apple season,” says Cynthia Chiles, whose family has been growing fruit in Albemarle County for over 100 years. Her great-grandfathers first planted peach and apple trees in Crozet in 1912, and began operating Carter Mountain Orchard in the 70s. After a bad freeze in 1974 left the family with so little fruit at either orchard that the usual picking and packing routine wasn’t worth its while, it ran an ad in the newspaper, “cleaned out a tiny section of an old barn, set up a card table and a cigar box, and wondered if anyone would come.” They did. They still do—what was meant to be a one-time, emergency measure became an annual April through November, pick-your-own-fruit tradition at now much-expanded farm stands at the Crozet and Carter Mountain orchards.
Chiles Peach Orchard and Farm Market in Crozet is open from early May through Thanksgiving, selling peaches, strawberries, sweet cherries, pumpkins and apples. Local pickers have been welcome since the 1974 freeze. Visitors today will find a frozen yogurt machine, and an ice cream parlor too. Apples and peaches may be picked in season.
Chiles’ Fourth Annual Fall Into Fun Festival on September 26 and 27 celebrates the season with apple and pumpkin picking plus games, prizes, and food. The Men of Mt. Moriah Methodist Church will be up all Friday night cooking apple butter in a kettle, finally putting the still warm treat into jars for sale around 1:00 p.m. on Saturday afternoon.
Located next to Michie Tavern, down the road from Monticello, Carter Mountain Orchard offers a 40-mile view, and grows 17 varieties of apples plus three kinds of peaches. One of the family’s many little known apple varieties is the September Wonder, an early variety of Fuji, crisp and sweet. Picking season on the mountain starts in mid-August and runs through November; right now they’re picking Golden Delicious and Jonagold. Pumpkins, gourds and zinnias are on sale as well.
Carter Mountain’s 2nd Annual Halloween “Spooktacular” is scheduled for broad daylight on October 30. Registration for the Pumpkin Carving Contest begins at 10:00 a.m. The contest is free but pumpkins must be purchased at Carter. Carving tools, props and decorations should be brought from home. Kids under 15 need an adult present during the carving. The event begins at 10:30 a.m. Awards will be given out at 11:30 a.m. for Best Youth overall, Most Artistic, Scariest, and Funniest.
The Halloween Parade is at 1:00 p.m., with the Costume Contest following at 1:30; prizes will be given in the Youth, Teen, and Adult categories. Kids in costume can Trick-or-Treat the cashiers. The Caramel Apple Dipping Station ($4 per apple) will be open from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Hayrides will take place all day, weather permitting, at $3 per person. Kids under 2 ride free.
Vintage Virginia Apples and Albemarle CiderWorks are labors of love for the Shelton family, southern Albemarle County farmers since 1986, when Bud Shelton planted 20 fruit trees on his newly purchased property. In 1992, inspired by heirloom apple tastings at Monticello, they began planting vintage varieties themselves. Today the Shelton family orchard comprises more than 200 cultivars, including two recent additions, GoldRush, a late 20th century variety developed by Purdue University, and MonArk, an early ripening cultivar from the University of Arkansas.
Vendors from the local farmers’ market will be on hand forVintage’s16th annual Apple Harvest Festival on Saturday, November 5 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Hosted by the Cove Garden Ruritans and Vintage Virginia Apples at Rural Ridge Orchard in North Garden, it will feature hay rides over the mountain, cider tasting, and live music by bluegrass boys Gallatin Canyon and old-time country singer Jim Waive. The folks at Vintage and the Charlottesville Cooking School will co-host a juried pie contest offering a first prize gift certificate of $100 to Vintage Virginia Apples.Entries are due by 11:30 a.m. the day of the festival.All pies will be sold by the slice to benefit the charitable efforts of the Cove Garden Ruritans.
Seamans’ Orchard in Tyro in Nelson County grew out of a family agricultural business begun by the Lea brothers in 1933. Third and fourth generation Seamans still operate the orchard and live on the land today, growing Jonathan, Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Virginia Gold, Mutsu, Jonagold,September Wonder (Early Fuji) and Empire apples. Seamans’ and Silver Creek Orchards, also in Tyro, have held Apple Butter Makin’ Festivals the first and third Saturdays in October for over 30 years. This year on October 1 and 15 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Silvercreek, family members from both orchards will get together again to make apple butter the old-fashioned way in large copper kettles, constantly stirring it while it cooks. Their exact recipe, is a jointly held secret.
Besides picking pumpkins and enjoying a lunch made by the Crozet Lions Club, festival goers will find craft booths, a corn maze, Mingo the Clown, and a host of children’s activities including scavenger hunts, hayrides, face painting, pumpkin painting, and donut decorating. Secrets of the Blue Ridge author Phil James will sign his books. The Maury River Band willplay from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on October 1, and Bennie Dodd will play on October 15. Products for sale will include apples, apple butter, jams, jellies, and cider.
Graves Mountain Lodge in Syria opened in 1965. Their pick-your-own apple orchard is open from Saturday, September 20 through Sunday, October 19. Summer Rambo, Ginger Gold, McIntosh, Gala, Honeycrisp, Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, and Royal Court (Courtland) apples are available in September. Grimes Golden, Empire and Stayman apples ripen in late September. Mutsu, York, Rome and Granny Smith apples ripen in early October, Winesaps and Fujis in mid-October, and Pink Ladies in late October.
The 47th annual Graves Mountain Apple Harvest Festival will take place on October 1-2, 8, and 15-16, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Along with musical guests and cloggers, the festival will feature horseback rides and hayrides, a hay mountain, and a hay maze, and over 70 arts and crafts vendors. Festival goers can pick fruit, watch apple butter being cooked over an open fire, and admire goats, sheep, cows, pigs, chickens, peacocks, ducks and horses.
Pumpkin and gourd hunters in Madison County know to stop by Greenfield Farm, two miles north of Ruckersville on Dairy Road, where they can choose from a variety of heirloom pumpkins, or pick their own. In addition, Greenfield is proud to offer “fun and educational activities for people of all ages.” Greenfield raises cows for beef cattle, but it’s also home to miniature ponies, sheep and goats, a little potbellied pig, donkeys, a turkey, a chicken and a few bantam chickens.
Farm manager Diane Branham grew up on the farm. Today she makes the five-acre corn maze, planting the corn in June, using grid paper to draw a pattern, clearing rows in the cornfield, and staking eight mailboxes for kids to find clues in. Trips through the maze typically take 30 to 60 minutes. The object is to find each mailbox.
Hayrides at Greenfield run every hour on the hour on weekends, but kids can also enjoy a giant hay slide, a spider climb up large bales of hay, a rope spider web, plus sand and corn pits.Toddlers can romp in the kiddie corral.
Greenfield is open Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Sundays from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Groups of 10 or more are welcome anytime, but should call ahead for appointments during the week. The $6 admission charge includes all the activities. Kids under 2 are free with adult admission.
Apple cider, apple butter, and hearty Virginia apples themselves – now’s the time!
“Perhaps the first and biggest benefit people get from volunteering is the satisfaction of incorporating service into their lives and making a difference in their community and country,”says the Corporation for National and Community Service.
A seldom recognized bonus: In the past twenty years, studies have shown that people who volunteer reap health benefits such as lower mortality rates, greater functional ability, and lower rates of depression later in life than those who do not volunteer.
For some folks, volunteering just comes naturally. They are generous with their time and money without even realizing the enormous positive difference they make in their communities. In 2014, for example, Virginians ranked 18th among all states for volunteering with more than 30 percent of residents donating more than 300 million hours of service and $7 billion (yes, billion!) in the value of services contributed.
Some people, of course, volunteer for groups involving their own children as a room parent, soccer coach, or scout leader. Others volunteer for their religious organization such as Linda (who prefers not to use her last name) who serves on Thursdays at Holy Comforter’s soup kitchen.
“My Dad used to take us to feed the poor,” she recalls. “Yesterday we served 237 people who came in for lunch. I love talking with the people and I know we make a difference. Can you imagine just being hungry here in Charlottesville?”
Linda’s husband volunteers at several organizations including Meals on Wheels. Others serve a remarkable range of services in our region from volunteer firefighters to dog walkers to hospice friendly visitors, food closet staffers and much more.
Big Impact On a large scale, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville has partnered with 170 low-income families in the past 25 years to help them become homeowners.
Using the basic Habitat model, community volunteers join forces with people who are working to own their own homes. Hundreds of volunteers work on committees, serve at the Habitat Resale Store on Harris Street with its inventory of donated building supplies, and actually help build homes.
“Habitat is a place where a woman can lift a hammer and work,” says Charlottesville resident Deb Shapiro, “and there are challenges like the time I was up on a roof. It’s a great opportunity to serve the community and learn skills at the same time.”
The individuals seeking to own a Habitat home must attend a variety of classes related to home ownership and contribute many hours of work. “Getting housing is a blessing for the owners,” Shapiro says, “but it’s not a hand out.It’s definitely something they have earned.”
More recently Habitat has shifted its focus from single dwellings to entire neighborhoods such as Southwood.Almost ten years ago, Habitat purchased the 100-acre Southwood Mobile Home Park which today has nearly 350 trailers and more than 1,500 residents. The long-term plan is to redevelop the site as a mixed-income neighborhood and Habitat has already invested more than $2 million on maintenance, sewer upgrades and repairs.
Habitat clearly improves the low-income housing situation in our area, which makes a big difference to the new homeowners, but also to the community as a whole. For information, visit CvilleHabitat.org.
Many thrift shops in our region are almost entirely staffed by volunteers who pick up, accept and sort donations and serve at cash registers for worthy causes. Examples are Twice is Nice on Preston Avenue that supports JABA’s Mountainside residence in Crozet, the Schoolhouse Thrift Shop on Rio Road that supports several local agencies including Habitat, the SPCA Rummage Store in Seminole Square that helps fund the local shelter, and the Salvation Army Thrift Store on Cherry Avenue that furthers the organization’s mission.
One at a Time Some agencies have volunteers who help just one person at a time. For example, Tori Tremaglio is a tutor with Literacy Volunteers of Charlottesville/Albemarle. In the past year, 336 volunteers, from 18 to over 85, worked with 413 students. (A training session for new tutors is scheduled for Saturday, September 24th with another in mid-October.) For more information, visit LiteracyForAll.org
“I’m working now with a woman from Sudan,” Tremaglio says, “and we meet two hours a week at our offices at The Jefferson School. I love the one-on-one format and you can make an incredible difference in one person’s life.”
The relationship often goes beyond simply teaching someone to read. Tremaglio reports that her student is now navigating buses, working, and using the library because she got a library card. “I’ve worked with four people over the years. What I love is making that difference for one person and seeing the world through someone else’s eyes.”
Where Can I Volunteer? There are a number of avenues to find positions. For example, VolunteerMatch.org is searchable by location and area of interest and even includes virtual volunteer opportunities that can be accomplished remotely by computer.
Locally, the United Way website has a broad list of both one-time and ongoing opportunities at CvilleVolunteer.org.
On the first Sunday of each month, the Daily Progress has an extensive listing of local groups seeking volunteers. (These listings can also be found online at Daily Progress.com.)
“I’ve gotten reports of good responses,” says Liz Wood who maintains all the daily listings for the paper and gives time to her church. “In fact, the volunteering listing is one of the tasks I enjoy most about my job because I know it makes a difference.”
Marilyn Pribus lives in Albemarle County with her husband.Over the years she has volunteered in positions from Cub Scout den mother to a listener at a suicide hotline. She is currently a member of the Charlottesville Threshold Choir which sings for hospice patients and others in need of strength, comfort, and peace. For information visit CharlottesvilleThresholdChoir.org.
Christian and and Rochelle DeBaun recently returned from a two-week vacation in Scotland. One of them emerged as an international superstar. Photo by: Christian DeBaun
When local photographer Christian DeBaun set out on a Scottish vacation with his wife in August, he never imagined he’d return to the United States an international superstar.
“I’ve been getting e-mails and friend requests and phone calls from people all over the world,” DeBaun says. “It’s been phenomenal.”
His claim to fame? A “silly post,” he says, in a 90,000-member travel group on Facebook called “Scotland From The Roadside,” where a list of 23 of DeBaun’s post-trip observations have so far received 832 shares, more than 5,000 likes and over 600 comments from fellow travelers.
”I literally scribbled the thing up in 15 minutes and went to bed,” he says. But by the time he woke up the next morning, it was clear that his droll conclusions about the country he spent two weeks driving through hadn’t slipped under the radar.
DeBaun first had an interview with Scottish newspaper The Daily Record and at least five other European media outlets have since picked up the post.
“From hotel waste buckets that are too small, to being caught short because there aren’t enough public toilets, an American tourist has revealed Scotland’s good, bad and infuriating bits,” writes Sandra Dick, a reporter from The Scotsman. “Chris DeBaun’s fascinating reflections of his holiday to Scotland reveals how others see us—and not all of it is entirely complimentary.”
Some of our favorite observations from the man who calls himself a Yank in Scotland:
There are no bathrooms in Scotland on the roads. I plan to start a page called “Peeing By the Roadside.”
I saw exactly two police cars in Scotland (1,100 miles covered). One cop parked and texting on his cell phone near a roundabout in Glasgow, the other smoking a cigarette by his car in Glencoe. Nothing like the U.S.
Driving in Scotland (especially down the side of Loch Lomond) is a terrifying death sport. Scotland could use some wider roads.
Trash cans in Scottish hotel rooms are always the size of a coffee can (you can fit one Kleenex and an empty bag of crisps inside—and that’s it. The foot pedal (to open the can) is usually dirty.
Americans fret about haggis. It’s f’ing awesome.
Good Cullen skink is almost better than whisky. [That’s a thick soup with smoked haddock, potatoes and onions—editor.]
And DeBaun’s 15 minutes of fame still aren’t over. He received a letter from the British Broadcasting Corporation September 21, asking for permission to turn his observations into a short film segment for its television channel BBC One.
“Most of all,” wrote DeBraun to his new friends, “we were always received with warmth and graciousness all across this beautiful country by everyone. If you are ever in central Virginia (USA), look me up. Dinner and a pint will be on me.”
When all else fails, choose carbs: That’s the motto of this issue of Knife & Fork, in which we introduce you (or remind you of) 20 perfect comfort foods. Here’s what you’ll find inside:
Warm, creamy, cheesy, tender, buttery—this issue, we’re serving up a gooey forkful of comfort foods to tuck into. From grilled cheese to chili, these dishes will melt the chilliest of hearts (and hands, if you’re wrapping yours around a bowl of tomato soup). Read more here.
Photo: Rammelkamp Foto
Wine and dine
Ever thought about your Virginia wine bucket list? Our wine columnist, Erin Scala, spills, er, spells it out for you in this issue, with 10 perfect spots for sipping (and what to eat while you’re there). Sharpen your pencils—and don’t forget to hydrate. Read more here.
Orzo's seasonal mac'n'cheese never disappoints. Photo: Tom McGovern
I conjure a memory of my grandmother—bent over a stainless steel pot of salty potatoes, holding an electric mixer and a jug of milk—every time I cook mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving and, like anyone who has a favorite comfort food, it warms me. This isn’t a new phenomenon. Because scent is tied to memory, just the smell of a familiar dish can help us feel less alone, which is why we reach for a bowl of pasta or a cheeseburger on a bad day. This issue delivers those divine comfort foods as they’re interpreted locally, from a Turkish casserole to a twist on huevos rancheros. Savor every bite.—C.W.
By Shea Gibbs, Kathleen Herring, Dan Testa and Caite White
Photo: Tom McGovern
MEAT UP
Pot roast
at Bizou
Pot roast may just be the perfect recipe for this diner-cum-gastropub—it’s homey and comforting but a blank slate for adventurous flavors. Once the weather starts to cool, Bizou’s menu runs the gamut of profiles and preparations for beef pot roast, from Italian-style to traditional Americana to Asian-inspired.
“What we’ll use as a garnish depends on the season,” chef Brett Venditti says. That will likely mean starting with the Italian, braised for several hours at about 300 degrees in red wine and tomato and served with polenta. Then, “as the weather gets cooler and cooler, we’ll go heartier with roasted or smashed potatoes, Brussels sprouts and carrots.”
The secret to the dish’s success—whatever the preparation—is a nice piece of meat. Venditti says Bizou starts with a chuck roast and portions individual servings, tying them with twine to create a uniform shape. “They hold together and it promotes more even cooking throughout all portions,” he says. Then it’s off to a hard sear before going in that luxurious low-temperature bath.
Photo: John Robinson
CLUCKIN’ AWESOME
Fried chicken
at Michie Tavern
Juicy, perfectly seasoned and fried till dark, Michie Tavern’s chicken is out of this world. Or, at least, out of this century. The Colonial Revival-era house once served as the social center of its community and, today, boasts tours of the tavern and servers in period dress to authenticate the experience. In the winter months, hit the buffet (with other 18th-century fare like stewed tomatoes and black-eyed peas and, yes, chicken), then find a seat by the fireplace to warm yourself—both inside and out.
Photo: Tom McGovern
WHAT A HANDFUL
Meatloaf
at South Fork Food Truck
Here’s what we’d call a comfort-food sandwich: Two slices of sourdough bread piled with smoked jalapeño meatloaf, garlic mashed potatoes, green tomato salsa, chipotle barbecue sauce and bacon. The local food truck has a menu filled with twists on Southern classics, but it’s the meatloaf sandwich that’s become owner Phillip Gerringer’s signature dish. Find it at local festivals and events, plus every Thursday night at Champion Brewing Company.
Photo: Tom McGovern
DYNAMIC DUO
Grilled cheese (and tomato soup)
at Revolutionary Soup
In 2013, NPR published an article asserting that cookies taste better when they’re dunked in milk or, even better, hot tea. The wetness and heat releases more cookie flavor, the article said, according to the findings of a British chef who used a high-tech gadget to measure food flavors before and after dunking. Could the same principle apply to the combo of grilled cheese and tomato soup? We’d wager yes. Especially at Rev Soup, where the duo of grilled cheese and creamy tomato bisque is a no-brainer.
Photo: Rammelkamp Foto
TRIED AND TRUE
Huevos rancheros
at Blue Moon Diner
How do you make diner eggs cooked to your very own specifications even better? Add Blue Moon Diner’s zesty housemade salsa with fresh and stewed tomatoes, tomatillos, sweet and jalapeño peppers, onion and spices. And lucky for you, the line cooks will even do it for you in the form of the Huevos Bluemoonos, the local favorite’s take on huevos rancheros.
With two eggs any style over hash browns with melted cheddar, salsa and toast, the Bluemoonos may not be traditional, but they’re simple comfort at its best. “The Bluemoonos lack the beans and tortilla to be a true rancheros, but our regulars might riot in the streets if we change our beloved version,” owner Laura Galgano says. “We sell more Huevos Bluemoonos with over-easy eggs and sourdough toast than any other way, but the best part about breakfast in the U.S. is the variety of egg preparation.”
Photo: Tom McGovern
WITH A TWIST
Cinnamon buns
at Paradox Pastry
The Glass Building bakery’s take on the classic cinnamon bun is the sinful hybrid of a warm, flaky croissant and ooey gooey cinnamon bun. Made from croissant dough rolled in cinnamon sugar and twisted into a circle, the fresh-baked delights are drizzled in maple cream cheese frosting. Be prepared to share (or take some home for later!), as these treats are larger than your average cinnamon bun or croissant, and, between crumbs and sticky frosting, you’ll need more than one napkin to avoid making a mess. That’s not to say the mess isn’t worth it (it totally is).
Photo: Tom McGovern
TOP LAYERS
Lasagna
at Fellini’s #9
Fellini’s takes all the things you love about meat lasagna and then does you one better. Yes, the slow-cooked pork and beef Bolognese, layered with ricotta, Parmesan, mozzarella and herbs, are rich and comfortingly familiar in the ways you expect. But the ground lamb lends the dish an earthy, rustic flavor that takes it to another level.
The marinara complements the meat and cheese, but it also has a bright, sweet quality that offsets the savory elements. And the pasta is skillfully cooked: Firm and chewy, its layers serve as the infrastructure holding the lasagna together so you can tuck into it with the side of a fork. The dish pairs well with a medium-bodied red wine, like the 2013 California Merlot on the menu.
And the comfort extends to the atmosphere at the downtown institution, too. On a recent Saturday evening, the pianist played a jazz-inflected version of “Someday My Prince Will Come,” and a server rushed drinks to a table where, as she had informed the bartender, a “really awkward” first date was underway. Bad date or no, hopefully they ordered the lasagna.
Photo: Tom McGovern
NEW ROUTINE
Poutine
at Kardinal Hall
Even though it has a fancy-sounding French name, Canadian poutine is typically a fast-food item served in greasy-spoon diners. But at beer garden Kardinal Hall, the cheese curds and gravy snack get an upgrade with the addition of (eater’s choice!) toppings like sweet peppers, caramelized onion or garlic mushrooms. All that over fries? Mais oui!
Photo: Tom McGovern
GET YOUR OATS
Oatmeal
at Oakhurst Inn Café
Toto, we’re not eating Quaker Oats anymore. At Oakhurst Inn’s popular café, baby beets, curried yogurt, avocado, black beans and harissa unite over warm, creamy steel-cut Irish oats for a Southwestern take on the breakfast staple.
Photo: Tom McGovern
HILL OF BEANS
Chili
at South Street Brewery
There’s no point in eating chili if there isn’t a little kick to it. And this vegetarian version at South Street brings the heat. Topped with green onions and cheddar cheese, it’s an autumn staple. (Bonus: The veggie chili takes center stage in the brewery’s woncho dish, too, over crispy wontons topped with smoked gouda cheese sauce, cilantro sour cream and fresh herbs.)
CUCKOO FOR CAKE
Cake
at Chandler’s Bakery
Cakes on cakes on cakes—that’s what you can expect at Chandler’s. Cheerily displayed alongside cookies, pastries, breakfast croissants and other delectable chocolate-covered or sugary goodies is the chocolate cake with Oreo buttercream filling—creamy pudding sandwiched between thick, chocolatey cake layers. Or, if you’re looking for something a little lighter, go for a yellow cake with raspberry and cheesecake filling and buttercream frosting—all the creamy melt-in-your-mouth flavor of a dense slice of cheesecake, but made much fluffier by the yellow cake. For coffee-lovers, there’s a “checkerboard” cake: squares of chocolate and yellow cake, filled with a strong mocha buttercream and topped in an almost-too-decadent fudge frosting. The choices are endless.
Photo: Tom McGovern
HELLO, DUMPLING
Chicken and dumplings
at The Whiskey Jar
The aroma from a bowl of chicken and dumplings evokes memories of being a kid called in for lunch on a cold day. Bright green chives float atop a golden broth that is the star of the dish: savory, light and flavorful.
Like other dishes here, chicken and dumplings, a Southern staple, shines for its simplicity. At The Whiskey Jar, you’ll find in the broth a hearty portion of shredded mostly white meat chicken joined by handmade, irregular dumplings that resemble gnocchi in size and shape. But as they absorb the broth, the dumplings grow more pillowy, starchy and creamy.
The dish pairs well with a dry Chenin Blanc, or a pilsner by the St. George brewery in Hampton, Virginia. Depending on one’s condition, and the weather outside, consider also pairing a cup (or a bowl) of the chicken and dumplings with a ham biscuit. After a session of ice skating at the Main Street Arena across the mall, a bowl of chicken and dumplings at The Whiskey Jar offers the makings of a pretty perfect autumn afternoon.
FOR THE SOUL
Chicken noodle soup
at Ace Biscuit & Barbecue
The key to good chicken noodle is from-scratch ingredients: rich, flavorful stock with no shelf life-enhancing preservatives, rustic hunks of pasta dough, crisp-tender vegetables and juicy, never-frozen chicken. Lucky for lovers of the original comfort soup, Ace Biscuit & Barbecue owner Brian Ashworth and his team don’t cut corners. Ace’s chicken noodle soup, available sporadically, occasionally features the extra kick of house-smoked chicken simmered alongside handmade fettuccine noodles and fresh onion, celery and carrots.
“Sometimes it’s smoked chicken noodle soup and sometimes it’s just chicken noodle soup, but it’s always awesome,” Ashworth says.
Indeed, according to Ashworth everything at Ace is made from scratch—other than Duke’s mayo (“the only mayo in the world”) and Martin’s potato rolls (“they are the best”). You know what? Add a roll slathered in Duke’s to our soup order.
Photo: Rammelkamp Foto
I SHALL WANT
Shepherd’s pie
at Tin Whistle Irish Pub
The beauty of a shepherd’s pie rests in its simplicity. It doesn’t require a lot of ingredients, especially when one of those ingredients is tender ground lamb, sourced, as the Tin Whistle Irish Pub does, from a local farm. Carrots, celery and onions complement the lamb, along with the occasional seasonal vegetable (leeks, on a recent visit).
This being an Irish dish, the next essential ingredient is potatoes. The Tin Whistle tops its shepherd’s pie with a generous layer of salty, creamy spuds and bakes it to a golden crust on top. Scallions scatter amid the contours.
This being an Irish dish, it pairs rather well with a beer: Try a Smithwick’s (pronounced “smiddiks”), a dark red Irish ale from Kilkenny. Not as toasty as a stout, nor as hoppy as a pale ale, Smithwick’s is balanced and drinkable. You don’t want a beer that’s too heavy. After all, you’ve got a steaming shepherd’s pie presented in its own cast iron skillet before you. Armed with just a spoon and a napkin, it’s everything you need.
Photo: Rammelkamp Foto
WHIP IT GOOD
Mashed potatoes
at Maya
While the list of sides at Maya reads like the Dictionary of Delicious Southern Foods (cheddar biscuits, collard greens, cornbread…), it’s the whipped potatoes that define “comfort food” for us. Chef/co-owner Christian Kelly says the recipe is “pretty simple, like most of our food”: Red bliss potatoes are boiled in salted water, then mashed by hand with “a ridiculous amount” of butter and rosemary-infused heavy cream. Double orders aren’t uncommon. “I need a sign that says, ‘Keep hands and feet away from face while eating,’” Kelly says. “Might lose a digit.”
Photo: Tom McGovern
HOTSHOT
Turkey melt
at Timbercreek Market
It’s a pretty simple concept: Melt cheese over turkey, put on bread. But at Timbercreek, where the turkey—like all the restaurant’s meat— is conscientiously raised and sourced from namesake Timbercreek Farm and smoked in-house, it’s anything but ordinary. Cheddar cheese meets garlic mayo, alfalfa sprouts and housemade pickles on Albemarle Baking Company pain de campagne. Your new favorite lunch option? That’s an easy yes.
Photo: Rammelkamp Foto
BRIGHT, HOT
Chicken tikka masala
at Maharaja
The origins of chicken tikka masala are hard to pin down definitively; immigrants in the United Kingdom are said to have modified Indian chicken tikka, adding the sauce for an island that likes its gravy. And Maharaja executes the dish elegantly. Pieces of marinated white meat chicken are grilled in a clay oven, then finished in a tomato cream sauce. It arrives on the table with a burst of bright, orange-red color. A halved tomato rests at the center of the dish, accompanied by a pinch of cilantro. Spooned over buttery basmati rice, with a piece of soft, charred naan to sop up the sauce, it warms to the core. But that oversimplifies it: Notes of coriander, onions and chiles are present as well. On that last note, if you ask for “medium heat,” that is no less than what you’ll get, and the cream offsets the chiles so the heat builds gradually over the course of the meal.
Perhaps pair the chicken tikka masala with a bottle of cold Kingfisher, an Indian lager. In a cozy corner booth of Maharaja’s warmly lit dining room, it’s easy to feel transported.
Photo: Rammelkamp Foto
WHO LOVES CHEESE?
Casserole
at Sultan Kebab
Sucuk. It’s a little hard to pronounce (“su-juk”), but not at all hard to love. Cooked and served in a small ceramic ramekin, the spiced Turkish beef sausage is baked with tomatoes and kashar cheese (similar to cheddar when hot and melty). The dish comes with a small loaf of fresh-baked bread, but you’ll want a fork to scoop up the delicious gooey cheese, which nicely balances the slight spiciness of the sausage. The distinctive flavor comes from the garlic and spices in the sausage but is made perfect by a generous sprinkling of paprika over top of the dish. Also recommended here: hummus casserole, which the restaurant makes fresh every day.
Photo: Tom McGovern
SECRET’S IN THE SAUCE
Biscuits and gravy
at The Pigeon Hole
If you’re having second thoughts about braving the Corner this fall, take a moment to consider the unctuous warmth of The Pigeon Hole’s Biscuits and Red Eye Gravy. Two flaky, buttery homemade biscuits are the perfect vehicle for the Hole’s rich gravy and two eggs over easy. (You can substitute other egg styles, but why would you want to?) What makes the gravy red eye? It’s cooked with ham fat and has coffee grounds and brewed coffee for tang—not to mention a convenient boost of energy.
“Typically [red eye] used to just be a pan gravy made with leftovers,” kitchen manager Corwyn Sergent says. “But it got to the point where, to make it look good and hold on the biscuit, we’ve adapted it to more closely resemble a sausage gravy.”
According to Sergent, adding cream at the end is the secret to getting that hybrid red eye-sausage effect. And we all know hybrids are delicious.
Photo: Rammelkamp Foto
CHIPS AHOY
Fish and chips
at Shebeen Pub & Braai
Traditionally an English dish, fish and chips is as straightforward as comfort food comes: fish, battered and fried, served with hot fries. And South African pub Shebeen does the meal up right. Crispy battered cod is wrapped in newsprint (read your C-VILLE!) and accompanied on a plate by fries, tartar sauce and a slice of lemon. No muss, no fuss.
Photo: Rammelkamp Foto
SIDE EYE
Coconut rice
at Bang!
Warm, sweet, a little bit sticky—just the texture alone would be enough to make you say “mmm.” And we know the menu at Bang! has plenty to drool over, but don’t overlook this $3 side. Perfectly proportioned in a small dish for one, the coconut rice should be savored on its own (with a martini, of course).
There’s hot chocolate and then there’s the warm, silky-smooth blend of housemade ganache and milk they whip up at MarieBette Café & Bakery. Rich, just thick enough and not too sweet, this cuppa wonderful is made to be sipped slowly and savored. It’s a grown-up version of a childhood favorite, served in a place that treats the art of hot chocolate-making with the respect and care it deserves. And during the cold months, it comes topped with marshmallows, cut from a fresh-out-of-the-oven baking sheet. Stop in on Valentine’s Day, and those marshmallows are raspberry-flavored and heart-shaped; on St. Patrick’s Day, they’re green, mint-flavored and floating atop what we call perfection in a 12-ounce cup.
