Author: Maeve Hayden

Thomas Jefferson—you love him, or you love to hate him. Either way, wouldn’t it be interesting to ask ol’ TJ some questions? We thought so, so we spoke to historical impersonator Bill Barker, Monticello’s resident Thomas Jefferson. A veteran historical actor and interpreter, Barker portrayed Jefferson in Colonial Williamsburg for 26 years before coming to Monticello in 2019. Barker regularly pops up at Monticello and at other events around Charlottesville, and he’s also performed as Jefferson at the White House, the Palace of Versailles, and more. Together, Jefferson and Barker answer some very pressing questions on favorite foods, books, and emojis. Got more burning questions for TJ? Catch Barker in action November 24 at 6pm at the Rotunda Planetarium public viewing night. rotunda.virginia.edu and monticello.org

Name: Col. Thomas Jefferson. (Many have forgotten, I was commissioned Lieutenant Colonel of Albemarle Militia before the American Revolution.)

Age: 80 years, in this year of ’23 (1823).

Hometown: Charlottesville, Albemarle County, Commonwealth of Virginia.

Job(s): Farmer, public servant, and educator.

Describe a perfect day: Rise before the sun and complete necessary administrative and personal correspondence before breakfast. Have breakfast with family, friends, and guests, then spend several hours in my study reading and pursuing further efforts to create a universal system of education for our commonwealth and our nation. Ride horseback across fields and through the woods in the surrounding neighborhood, conversing with many whom I meet along the way. Have dinner in the late afternoon with family, friends and guests, accompanied by a bottle of elegant wine to share at the table after the repast. In the early evening I would enjoy a family read, musicale, or enlightening conversation. To bed about 9:30–10pm after a good read upon something in moral authority.

Proudest accomplishment: Acquiring the hand of Mrs. Jefferson in marriage. We were only married for “ten years of uncheckered happiness.”

What’s your favorite part of your house, Monticello: Views of the out of doors from every window in the house.

Favorite food: Vegetables well-cooked, especially the English pea.

Favorite wine: An elegant claret, Haut-Brion.

Favorite book and/or author: The Complete Works of William Shakespeare and The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy by Rev. Lawrence Stern.

Were you a good slave owner: No individual entitled under the laws of man to the ownership of his fellow man, thereby denying another their right to live their own lives, may be considered a good owner of an enslaved individual.

How do you celebrate Thanksgiving: Welcoming many around the table to enjoy the bounty of a successful harvest while giving thanks for good health and the continued efforts for providing the inherent right of the pursuit of happiness for every individual.

Favorite Thanksgiving dish: Cooked pasta cut in short hollow tubes and smothered in melted Parmesan cheese.

Now we’ll pass the quill to TJ’s good friend, Bill Barker. 

Name: Bill Barker

Age: 70 years.

Hometown: Abington, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.

Job: Historical Interpreter (Thomas Jefferson).

What’s the hardest thing about being Thomas Jefferson: Interpreting him in the context of his own time and place to the “presentism” of a time and place 200 years after his own.

Is the costume comfortable: Yes.

Favorite local restaurant: The delightful variety of many great restaurants in Charlottesville makes it impolitic to recognize simply one.

Who is your hero: My mother and father.

Best advice you ever got: “Do you want to know who you are? Don’t ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you.”

Proudest accomplishment: Every time, if possible, I may help someone to be happy.

Describe a perfect day: Tomorrow.

If you could be reincarnated as a person or thing, what would you be: Me, and live it all over again.

If you had three wishes, what would you wish for: Tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and the day after the day after tomorrow.

Do you have any pets: I grew up with cats and dogs, but no pet at present.

Favorite movie and/or show: The Lost King and “Finding Your Roots” with Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

Favorite book: Any history or biography in which the factual story is stranger than fiction.

What are you listening to right now: Nothing at present, while focused on this interview.

Go-to karaoke song: None.

Who’d play you in a movie: Me.

Celebrity crush: Gilbert and Sullivan.

Most used app on your phone: Ancestry.com.

Last text you sent: “I’m almost finished with the interview.”

Most used emoji: I rarely use emojis.

Subject that causes you to rant: A closed mind.

Best journey you ever went on:
My life.

Next journey: Have to wait and see… 

Favorite word: Pleasure.

Hottest take: Never go back to the darkest ages to find the greatest enlightenment/Human nature does not change.

What have you forgotten today: The dream I had last night.

Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello

It’s the most wonderful time of the year—holiday baking shows are hitting the air. This year, one of Charlottesville’s own chefs is making his TV debut. Charles Zimmerman works as assistant pastry chef at Farmington Country Club, where he whips up everything from delicately frosted wedding cakes to small-but-sweet seasonal bites. Zimmerman is currently showcasing his talents on Food Network’s “Holiday Wars,” where nine teams, including a cookie maker, cake artist, and a sugar artist, tackle a series of festive challenges. Zimmerman serves as the sugar artist for his team, The Sugar Bandits. Last week, his Margarita Rose creation earned him praise from all the judges. Tune in this Sunday at 9pm to see how Zimmerman and The Sugar Bandits fare. @chefcharleszimmerman

Name: Charles Zimmerman.

Age: 31.

Pronouns: He/him.

Hometown: Concord, California.

Job: Assistant pastry chef at Farmington Country Club.

What’s something about your job that people would be surprised to learn: There is SO much math involved in food—pastry specifically. Ratios to convert yields of recipes, percentages of fat and water in formulas, costing, inventory, etc. 

Favorite dessert to eat: Strawberry shortcake—only in peak strawberry season.

Favorite dessert to make: Shelled bon bons. So challenging, yet so rewarding. 

What was it like competing on “Holiday Wars”: It was a whirlwind. I have never done anything like it, and most of the other contestants had done some sort of television before, so I felt totally out of my element. But I have worked in stressful situations in many different jobs, so I think I handled the pressure well.

Was there anything surprising you encountered about filming a TV show: I can’t ruin any of the TV magic … but I will say: The set was extremely cold. It’s because of the many lights and equipment generating heat, and pastry is greatly affected by temperature, so it’s better to be too cold than too hot. I got hand warmers to keep in my pockets during judging because we had to stand still for sometimes hours on end.

Favorite local restaurant: Lampo or Alley Light.

Bodo’s order: Egg bagel with bacon and Swiss, or an everything bagel, add pesto.

What’s your comfort food: Ramen. Not instant, the legit stuff.

Who is your hero: My mentor and inspiration, Chef Mellisa Root.

Best advice you ever got: Listen to everyone and everything, but don’t let anyone know you’re listening.

Proudest accomplishment: Working at Per Se in NYC.

Describe a perfect day: Anything outdoors on a sunny 80-degree day, most likely with a cocktail.

If you could be reincarnated as a person or thing, what would you be: Maybe an eagle, if I can keep my human consciousness, because I think flying would be incredible. 

Most embarrassing moment: That I can speak of? Probably falling asleep on a subway and getting woken up by commuters going to work at 6:30am in deep Brooklyn. I lived in Queens…

Do you have any pets: Nope.

Favorite movie and/or show: “Parks and Recreation.” And “Schitt’s Creek.”

Favorite book: Currently: Pastries by Pierre Hermé just for some inspiration. It’s been too long since I read a non-food book… 

What are you listening to right now: Emotion by Carly Rae Jepsen.

Go-to karaoke song: “Born This Way,” Lady Gaga.

Best Halloween costume you’ve worn: I know, it’s so cliché, but David from “Schitt’s Creek.” I only really needed sunglasses and a few rings.

Who’d play you in a movie: Chris Evans. He’s an up-and-coming actor who I’ve been told I look like. Google him.

Celebrity crush: Milo Ventimiglia.

Most used app on your phone: Instagram.

Last text you sent: “Do you have a great pumpkin bread recipe?” 

Most used emoji: Wink face.

Subject that causes you to rant: The American agriculture industry.

Best journey you ever went on: Studying abroad in Singapore and Malaysia.

Next journey: Trip to Hawaii for the first time in January with my family.

Favorite curse word: F**k.

Hottest take: I do like pineapple on my pizza, rules are meant to be broken.

What have you forgotten today: To call my parents, and will continue to forget until they text “are you alive?”

There’s always a special energy in the air when musicians play their hometown stage. Guitarist Joe Lawlor is usually on the road with Dave Matthews Band, where he works behind the scenes in the audio crew. An accomplished musician in his own right, Lawlor is a founding member of several progressive funk and rock bands, like Egypt. Ahead of his duties at Dave Matthews Band’s November 10–11 John Paul Jones Arena shows, Lawlor will lead his own sets influenced by funk, blues, and classic rock at The Jefferson Theater with his band, Joe Lawlor and Friends, on November 9. The Longway, Kristen Rae Bowden, and Afro Asia are a few of the acts that’ll jam alongside Lawlor, plus a host of special suprise guests. jeffersontheater.com

Name: Joe Lawlor.

Age: 55.

Pronouns: He/him/his.

Hometown: Hard to say. I was born in Washington, D.C., and grew up in northern Virginia, Vermont, and Massachusetts. I’ve lived in Charlottesville for the past 25 years.

Job(s): Part of the touring audio crew for the Dave Matthews Band for the last 21 years. Specifically, I am the live recording engineer and archivist. I’ve been a professional guitar player for 37 years.

Coolest venue you’ve played: That’s tough. I sat in with DMB at the Hollywood Bowl and the Gorge. Both are iconic venues, but my band Egypt played at CBGB’s in NYC regularly in the ’90s. Now that was cool!

What’s something about your job that people would be surprised to learn: There are over 100 of us on the DMB crew, traveling in 10 buses and carrying 12 tractor-trailers worth of equipment.

Favorite local restaurant: Thai Cuisine and Noodle House [and] Public Fish & Oyster.

Who is your hero: Leo Fender. He was a genius inventor and tinkerer who came up with the Stratocaster and hundreds of other tools for musicians.

Best advice you ever got: Let them dig their own graves.

Proudest accomplishment: Every good gig. Making good music always makes me feel proud.

Describe a perfect day: A cup of strong English breakfast tea. A recording session or rehearsal. A killer gig.

If you could be reincarnated as a person or thing, what would you be: My cat Zeppelin. He has a good life.

If you had three wishes, what would you wish for: Peace around the world. The end of sexism and racism and a loud tube guitar amp.

Do you have any pets: Kristen and I have two cats, Zeppelin and Janis.

Favorite movie and/or show: The Big Lebowski and anything by director Wes Anderson.

Favorite book: Jitterbug Perfume.

Favorite musician: Jeff Beck for bending strings. Eddie Van Halen for reckless abandon and energy. Chris Whitley for songwriting.

Favorite song: “Dirt Floor” by Chris Whitley.

Favorite album: Van Halen one.

What are you listening to right now: “Succession” in the background.

Go-to karaoke song: It would be an instrumental with lots of air guitar.

Who’d play you in a movie: Javier Bardem (says my girlfriend Kristen Rae Bowden).

Celebrity crush: Jessica Chastain.

Most used app on your phone: Voice memo (I record song ideas and music daily).

Last text you sent: “Of course that’s why I sent them. They are different sizes. Choose the right size for your purpose.”

Most used emoji: Thumbs up.

Subject that causes you to rant: The ways our medical system doesn’t work.

Best journey you ever went on: I’m still on it.

Next journey: South Africa with DMB.

Travel must-haves: Noise canceling headphones, a guitar, and layers.

Favorite curse word: Dang!

Hottest take: I’m a Dapper Dan man.

What have you forgotten today: I’m not sure but I’ll find out when I get off the plane.