Fed and pampered
Whoa, baby—there’s a new meal service in town. Inspired by requests from local moms who read Heng Ou’s The First Forty Days, a book about Ou’s experience being cared for post-birth by an herbalist aunt, the Charlottesville Cooking School is now offering Mama Meals, a program of Ou’s menus intended to increase postpartum health and vitality. Owner Martha Stafford and chef Tom Whitehead prepare all of the deliveries, offering items like organic chicken bone broth, congee, crustless quiche, nikujaga (a Japanese beef stew) with snow peas and potatoes and date and almond butter bites. New parents can choose a two-week plan for $510 or a six-week plan for $1,500.
The Juice Laundry expands to UVA Corner
Come June, you’ll be able to get Juice Laundry cold-pressed juices, nut milks, smoothies and smoothie bowls on the UVA Corner. The new location will be the organic, all-vegan juice producer’s fourth—JL already operates two shops, one in the Coca-Cola building on Preston Avenue and another at The Yards in Washington, D.C., plus a satellite location at Purvelo spinning studio on West Main Street. Juice Laundry founder Mike Keenan says he’ll have more specifics on the Corner location soon.
Tropical pairing
If you’re a fan of the Cuban sandwich, keep an eye out for the El Guero food truck, run by local winemaker Derek Young. Food blogger C. Simon Davidson reports that Young will serve sandwiches that are a blend of the Tampa- and Miami-style Cuban sandwiches, featuring roast pork, ham, salami, Swiss cheese, dill pickles and mustard pressed between soft bread (a Miami Cuban staple), served with a side of plantain chips.