Tag: Farmacy

Categories
Culture Food & Drink

Small bites

Ooey Gooey Crispy serves upscale grilled cheese sandwiches, hearty soups, and gourmet salads. Staff photo

Arrivederci, stay tuned

There’s little that disappoints us more than a well-loved, local restaurant that’s gone before its time. Mangione’s on Main, known for an inviting ambiance as well as the quality of its hearty Italian cuisine, closed its doors just shy of the restaurant’s third anniversary.

“Our lease was ending, and we knew that we did not have it in us to sign up for a long-term commitment,” says co-owner Elaina Mangione. “We are very proud and fortunate to say that we were able to stay open and serve the community in addition to keeping most of our staff fully employed during the challenges of the pandemic. We had an amazing team and we couldn’t be more proud of them.” 

While patrons are going to miss everything from the bold linguini with clam sauce to the more traditional spaghetti aglio e olio, Mangione says foodies should “stay tuned!” and teases at something new on the horizon. “Something really amazing is likely taking over the space and we cannot wait to welcome them to the community,” she says.

Brew’s through

The team at Wild Wolf Brewing Company sold its last pint at the end of January after more than 10 years in business. Wild Wolf Brewery was created when entrepreneur Mary Wolf and her son Danny came into ownership of a 100-year-old Nelson County schoolhouse. The pair converted the building into a brewery and event space, and went on to produce a variety of award-winning ales and lagers. After so much success, the Wolf family decided to sell its brewing headquarters and ceased operations on January 30.

It’s like a foodie court on the mall

On the flip side of beer news, Rockfish Brewing Co. is expanding its business to a new downtown location (on one side of the former Downtown Grille). This announcement comes shortly after it won second prize at the Crozet Winter Brews Festival for its Nice Marmot Imperial Stout. Rockfish will be the first brewery to have its own storefront on the mall, and aims to open in April. 

Adjacent to Rockfish’s new digs is a neighbor with a familiar menu. The Bebedero has moved its location downstairs to occupy the other part of the former Downtown Grille space, and will be serving its traditional Mexican recipes at the newly remodeled restaurant in February.

Tucked into the CODE Building plaza is the new permanent kitchen from FARMacy Food Truck. FARMacy will continue to serve organic Mexican food to go, with a menu of fan favorites from the mobile edition, while doubling down on its commitment to organic, locally sourced ingredients. Owners Jessica and Gabino Lino’s “food is medicine, so eat good food” philosophy, along with their initial success, proves that you can take the food out of the food truck, but you can’t take the farm out of the FARMacy. Right next door is Ooey Gooey Crispy, the next-level spot for grown-up grilled cheese, soups, salads, and breakfast sammies. Try the Neo-politan, with mozz, tomato conserva, and Parmesan butter, or a buffalo chicken and blue cheese ’wich named for Scott Norwood, the infamous Buffalo Bills’ kicker.

Categories
Culture

Keep on truckin’: Food trucks retool their approach to stay running

The Becerras are trying to make up for the loss of City Market business by serving Mexican tacos in their own neighborhood, and at IX Art Park on Saturdays. Photo by Sanjay Suchak

April in Charlottesville is when the food truck business kicks into high gear. For Ignacio and Maria Becerra, the warm weather typically signals the return of long lines of customers snaking around the perimeter of the Charlottesville City Market, waiting for their Mexican Tacos. But there’s nothing typical for the local food industry this spring. Mexican Tacos now operates Thursday evenings in the Becerra’s neighborhood, as well as at IX Art Park on Saturday mornings, says truck manager Luis Becerra.

Food truck proprietors have had to be inventive to keep serving customers who crave anything but another home-cooked meal while honoring Virginia’s distancing guidelines. Whitney Matthews runs the seafood truck SpiceSea Gourmet, and says the timing couldn’t be worse. “Spring is when wineries and breweries start to host events with food trucks and music,” she says. “All events have been canceled or postponed…and corporate lunch spots have also stopped food truck visits because workers are home.”

The Angelic’s Kitchen truck parks at the high-profile Freebridge area of Pantops, where 250 meets High Street, and it’s still bringing in customers. But owner Angelic Jenkins is scrambling to make up for other losses by adding new delivery options and increasing her marketing. “I had to sign up for DoorDash, GrubHub, and Uber Eats,” says the soul food chef. “I also put together a family meal plan special to pick up from the food truck, and did lots of advertising on social media.”

Sussex Farm food truck owner Jen Naylor ensures her customers can access her mobile food by sending regular emails to let everyone know about availability. All Sussex Farm items are preordered and paid for in advance to ensure less contact at pick-up.

Kelsey Naylor (Jen’s daughter)  and Anna Gardner opened the Pye Dog pizza truck last fall. “We’ve switched our business model from wood-fired pizzas to take-home Chicago deep-dish pizzas for now,” says Naylor. “And we’ve been donating all our profits from our sales to the Charlottesville Restaurant Community Fund to try to help out where we can.”

Despite food truck owners’ best efforts, sales have taken a huge hit, and coronavirus fears have transformed how business is conducted.

“My business has been cut by 80 percent,” Matthews says. “I’m also trying to be cautious about my own exposure to the virus. I’m working alone in my truck doing everything.  If I get sick, the business stops completely. So I try to limit my time and exposure to being around others.”

Farmacy food truck’s Jessica Hogan and her husband have lost their day jobs and are now solely reliant upon Farmacy’s income. They’ve adapted quickly to the new reality, creating family-sized meals and using the truck to deliver to people’s homes. Hogan looks at the ability to continue connecting with the community as a silver lining.

“We are having to adapt and flow with what the universe is telling us to do,” she says. “We have been wanting to do the food truck full-time for a while now and just couldn’t because of our other jobs. Now we are forced to, but in a way that’s kinda cool. I respect the change. And embrace it. Nothing wrong with getting creative.”

Truck stops 

Here’s how to track down your favorite food truck

Spice Sea Gourmet (seafood)

spiceseagourmet.com

@spiceseagourmet (Instagram)

TheSpiceSeaGourmet (Facebook)

 

Farmacy Food Truck (Mexican fusion)

@farmacy.cville (Instagram)

farmacy.guru (Facebook)

 

Pye Dog (pizza)

@pyedogpizza (Instagram)

pyedogpizza (Facebook)

 

Sussex Farm (Korean kimchi and prepared foods)

@themamabirdfarm (Instagram)

sussexfarmkimchi (Facebook)

 

Tacos Gomez  (tacos)

@tacogomez  (Instagram)

Or call 953-5408

 

Little Manila (Filipino food) 

@littlemanilacville (Instagram)

LittleManilaCville (Facebook)

 

Ignacio & Maria’s Mexican Tacos (tacos)

@mexicantacoscville (Instagram)

Mexicantacoscville (Facebook) 

 

Angelic’s Kitchen (soul food)

@angelicskitchen, (Instagram)

Angelics-Kitchen-CateringLLC (Facebook)

 

Devil’s Backbone Mobile Carryout (pub fare)

website

 

106 Street Food (gourmet sandwiches)

website

@106streetfoods (Instagram)

106streetfood (Facebook)

 

106 Grilled (pressed sandwiches/panini)

@106grilled (Instagram)

 

106 Eastview (traditional and fusion Japanese fare)

@106eastview (Instagram)

 

Catch the Chef  (burgers, cheesesteaks, chicken, fish, breakfast)

@cvillecatchthechef (Instagram)

cvillecatchthechef (Facebook) 

 

El Tako Nako (tacos)

2405 Hydraulic Rd., 305-8918

 

The Pie Guy (Australian-style savory pies)

website

@thepieguycville (Instagram)

 

Blue Ridge Pizza (wood-fired pizza)

website

@BlueRidgePizza (Instagram)

 

SANJAY SUCHAK

 

 

Categories
Food & Drink Living

Moveable feast: Chasing the food trucks

Little Manila. Photo by Eze Amos.

Food trucks offer some of the most creative and culturally diverse cuisine in town—but they can be elusive. Stumbling upon one is often a happy accident—a bonus while attending a festival or visiting a vineyard. We wanted to see if we could turn that on its head and provide a guide to finding your favorite food trucks—to make discovering them more intentional. We invited about 30 to send us their fall schedules. Fewer than half responded, and many told us they’re mostly booked for private events. It’s good to know that food trucks are flourishing here, even if it means we’re not always on the guest list (sniff). In any case, here’s our well-intentioned but noncomprehensive guide to grabbing food on the go through the end of November.

106 Food Trucks

In 2016, owner/chef Will Cooper rolled out his flagship truck, 106 Street Food, with a mission to shake up the sandwich world with creative variations on traditional favorites (falafel with provolone, pork schnitzel with lemon aioli, and Angus burger with smoked gouda, bacon, and fried egg, to name a few). Since then, Cooper has expanded his fleet to three trucks, each with a different style. 106-street-food.business.site

106 Street Food

American cuisine with international influences—falafel pitas, pork schnitzels, and big burgers.

Saturday, October 19, noon-9pm Bold Rock Hard Cider

Sunday, October 20, 1-7pm, Bald Top Brewing Co.

Wednesday, October 23, noon-6pm, King Family Vineyards

Friday, November 1, 5-11pm, Tomtoberfest

106 Grilled

Pressed sandwiches and paninis, like Cuban and caprese.

Saturday, October 19, noon-9pm, Bold Rock Hard Cider

Friday, October 25, 5-8pm, Starr Hill Brewery

Saturday, October. 26, 11am-9pm, Bold Rock Hard Cider

106 Eastview

Traditional and fusion Japanese fare like okonomiyaki and moco loco.

Saturday, October 19, noon-5pm, DuCard Vineyards

Tuesday, October 23, 5-8pm, Starr Hill Brewery

Friday, October 25, 4-11pm, Bald Top Brewing Co.

Sunday, October 27, noon-6pm, Chisholm Vineyards

 

Angelic’s Mobile Kitchen

Angelic Jenkins has been satisfying customers’ cravings for Southern cooking for five years. Her specialty is fried fish, but her soul food repertoire is complete. You can often find her on weekdays on Pantops Mountain, at 1538 E. High St. Call ahead to see if she’s there. angelicskitchen.com

Saturday, October 26, noon-6pm, Eden Ministries Fall Festival

Tuesday, October 29, 11am-1pm, Dairy Market apartments groundbreaking

Saturday, November 23, 9am-2pm, Cornucopia Festival

 

The Bavarian Chef

The Bavarian Chef has been serving traditional German schnitzel—both veal and pork—in Madison since 1974. Between the home base and the food truck, the restaurant dishes up about 500 schnitzels a week. The food truck menu also includes snacks such as a pretzel with beer cheese and mustard dips, pommes frites, potato pancakes with sour cream, and homemade applesauce—and sausages, lots of sausages! thebavarianchef.com

Saturday, October 26, noon-5pm, Chisholm Vineyards

Saturday, November 2, 9am-6pm, Montpelier Races

Wednesday, November 13, 6-8:30pm, Bald Top Brewing Co.

 

Carpe Donut

“Tender and steamy on the inside, slightly crisped on the outside.” That’s how Carpe Donut describes its apple cider donuts, and it’s on the money. For the better part of 12 years, the family-run business owned by Matt Rohdie and Jen Downie has churned out that singularly delectable donut, offered plain or sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. But about a year ago, they expanded their offerings to include flavors like toasted coconut and double blueberry. (Carpe Donuts’ brick-and-mortar shop, in the McIntire Shopping Plaza, is open 8am-1pm weekdays.) carpedonut.org

Saturdays, 8am-1pm, at City Market

Wednesday, October 23, 6-10pm, Elvis Costello, Sprint Pavilion

Saturday, November 2, 10am-5pm, Vintage Virginia Apples Annual Harvest Festival

Friday, November 8, 6-10pm, Wilco, Sprint Pavilion

 

Catch the Chef

Chef Tyler Berry is famous for his cheeseburgers, Philly cheesesteaks, Boom Boom Shrimp, and fries with five distinctive toppings (the Baconator, for example). You can often catch Berry’s trucks—he also has a mobile “deli” that features wraps and sandwiches—in the Lowe’s parking lot in Ruckersville. Facebook @catchthechef

Saturday, October 19, noon-3pm, Keswick Vineyards

Sunday, October 20, noon-5pm, Chisholm Vineyards

Saturday, October 26, noon-8pm, Wilderness Run Vineyards

Sunday, October 27, noon-3pm, Keswick Vineyards

 

Farmacy

Wholesome, organic, Mexican-inspired fare by owner Jessica Hogan and her partner/chef Gabino Lino, whose local food experience includes working at Feast! and Beer Run. Our favorite is the Super-Naan Taco (pork al pastor with shredded lettuce and kale, onion, cilantro, feta, and guac, served on garlic naan topped with sour cream and a side of salsa). farmacy.guru

Saturday, October 19, 10am-5pm, Liberty Mills Farm

Friday, October 25, 5-8pm, Pollak Vineyards

Saturday, November 2, 10am-5pm, Albemarle Cider Festival

Saturday, November 16, 11am-5pm, Thomas Jefferson Wine Festival

Friday, November 22, 5-8pm, Glass House Winery

 

Firefly on the Fly

The mobile wing of the restaurant takes its chefs, servers, and menu offerings on the road. And, if the truck’s Facebook feed is any indication, the crew seems to have a lot of fun on these field trips. Daily specials and menu items reflect Firefly’s emphasis on providing vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options as well as bestsellers like the grass-fed Virginia beef burger. fireflycville.com

Friday, October 18, 5-8pm, The Fralin Museum of Art

Saturday, October 19, noon-4pm, Blenheim Vineyards

Sunday, October 20, noon-4pm, Liberty Mills Farm

Saturday, October 26, 5-8pm, Knight’s Gambit Vineyard

Sunday, October 27, noon-4pm, Liberty Mills Farm

Wednesday, October 30, 5-8pm, King Family Vineyards

Saturday, November 2, 10:30am-5:30pm, ARTCHO

Sunday, November 3, time TBD, Blenheim Vineyards

 

Good Waffles & Co.

Serves just what the name suggests, plus a few things you might not expect. Chicken-N-Waffles? Yes, of course. But also loaded waffle fries, waffle pudding, seasonal soups, and daily specials, and the signature bubble waffles with toppings savory or sweet. Fall desserts include bourbon apple pie—a waffle topped with housemade brown butter bourbon truffle ice cream, sliced apples, caramel sauce, and whipped cream. goodwafflesco.com

Wednesday, October 23, 5-8pm, King Family Vineyards

Saturday, November 2, 10:30am-5:30pm, ARTCHO

Wednesday, November 20, 5-8pm, King Family Vineyards

 

Little Manila

A lot of folks are hungry for the Filipino food Jessica and Fernando Dizon cook up in their truck. Nearly every weekday, you can find them at a lunchtime spot with people lined up for platters of pork or chicken barbecue served with rice, pancit noodles, or lumpia (fried spring roll). Facebook and Instagram @littlemanilacville

Saturday, October 19 and 26, 8am-1pm, City Market

Wednesday, October 23, 6-10pm, Elvis Costello, Sprint Pavilion

Friday, November 1, 5-11pm, Tomtoberfest

Saturday, November 2, 9, 16, 23, and 30, 8am-1pm, City Market

 

The SpiceSea Gourmet

Chef Whitney Matthews’ award-winning food truck is rolling out a cold-weather menu that includes she-crab soup (a secret family recipe), New England clam chowder, soft shell crab po’ boys, and fried lobster mac ‘n’ cheese. spiceseagourmet.com

Friday, October 18, 5:30-8pm, Grace Estate Winery

Saturday, October 19, noon-4pm, Valley Road Vineyards

Friday, October 25, 5-8pm, Decipher Brewing

Saturday, October 26, 5:30-8pm, Grace Estate Winery

Friday, November 1, 5-8pm, Decipher Brewing

 

Wonderment Bakeshop & Creamery

Founder Stephanie Taylor calls herself a “dessert enthusiast,” and credits her parents with encouraging both her sweet tooth and her love of baking from a young age. The goodies she dispenses from her adorable teal blue truck—artisan ice cream sandwiches and homemade pop-tarts—might make you think she’s never grown up. Not that we’re judging. In fact, we’re happy to indulge our inner child—especially with ice cream. Our seasonal favorite is her pumpkin pie in pop-tart form, with flaky crust, perfectly spiced filling, and that familiar brown sugar frosting. Taylor makes everything from scratch: ice cream, cookies, pastry crusts, and fillings. cvillewonderment.com

Saturday, October 19 and 26, 8am-1pm, City Market

Saturday, October 26, noon-6pm, Bold Rock Fall Foliage Festival

Saturday, November 2 and 9, 8am-1pm, City Market

 

Events & Festivals

Eden Ministries Fall Festival

Saturday, October 26, 11am-6pm, Keswick. eden-ministries.com

Bold Rock Fall Foliage Festival

Saturday, October 26, 11am-9pm, Nellysford. boldrock.com

Tomtoberfest

Friday, November 1, IX Art Park. tomtomfest.com

ARTCHO

Saturday, November 2, 10:30am-5:30pm, IX Art Park. artcho.org

Montpelier Races

Saturday, November 2, 9am-6pm, James Madison’s Montpelier, Montpelier Station. montpelier.org

Vintage Virginia Apples Annual Harvest Festival

Saturday, November 2, 10am-5pm, Albemarle CiderWorks, North Garden. albemarleciderworks.com

Thomas Jefferson Wine Festival

Saturday, November 16, 11am-5pm, Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest, Forest. poplarforest.org

Cornucopia Festival

Saturday, November 23, 9am-2pm, Louisa. Search for “cornucopia” on eventbrite.com