Tag: Sweethaus

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Culture Food & Drink

Go ahead, bake our day

Norkeita Goins launched Caked Up Cville and uses bright, imaginative ingredients that make her cupcakes stand out. Photo: Staff Photo

By Chris Martin

Based on the astonishing number of bakers and bakeries in Charlottesville, the city appears to have a voracious appetite for carbs. A quick search on Google lists almost 30 area bakeries, cake spots, bagel makers, patisseries, and farmers’ market stands that offer a wide variety of floury treats. What follows is a sampling of a few of them. 

Norkeita Goins of Caked Up Cville began baking to pass the time when she was furloughed at the beginning of the pandemic. “I started baking again, posting on Facebook, and I made an Instagram,” says Goins. “It seems like it happened overnight…it doesn’t feel like a whole year has passed already.” Goins uses abstract layers of bright buttercream, curated sprinkles, and gold details in sweets that stand out. For fall, she’s planning a pumpkin oreo cheesecake cupcake, and will incorporate Chinese five-spice powder into her bakes to accentuate the season’s flavors. Goins takes orders via cakedupcville.com, and her creations are on Instagram @cakedup_cville. Catch her at the City Market on November 6.      

Drew Reynolds is one of the talented bakers who works at Bowerbird Bakeshop. With a line cook origin story, he made bread at C&O Restaurant, on top of food prep and dinner service. His penchant for pastry landed him a gig at Albemarle Baking Company, and as his time and his experience increased, so did his creativity. Reynolds’ current offerings include a spiced pear butter and marsala zabaglione eclair, an Italian-style whipped custard piped inside pâte à choux, macarons, and more. Peep him on Instagram @druhoo_98. 

Mary Schwartz got her start by working in the front of house at Charlottesville’s Sweethaus cupcakery, and was baking in her spare time before she began working at the Ivy Inn a few days a week to learn more about pastry. When it became clear that breadmaking was her passion, Schwartz made the jump to Albemarle Baking Company, where she’s been developing her talents for the past four years under the mentorship of bakery owner Gerry Newman. 

Schwartz says Newman has taught her to see the fruition of fermentation, and understand the daily changes in the dough. She says that “seeing the racks filled and the bread looking good,” it’s satisfying, “knowing that what we did was the right thing.” Schwartz is currently developing a pickled grape loaf by pickling local grapes with white vinegar, tarragon, and garlic, and utilizing them in the levain. Find her on Instagram @maryfschwartz.

In another realm of delicious things, Sidney Hall of Moon Maiden’s Delights creates plant-based and gluten-free pastries. She mills, soaks, and sprouts the specialty seeds, nuts, legumes, and flours she uses, and, with incredible mindfulness to nutrient density and wellness, she creates an option to indulge without compromise. “I so delight in being able to share delicious, gentle food with folks who have different dietary restrictions, as I myself have been on a healing journey for some time,” says Hall.

She says she’ll be bringing her signature turmeric black pepper coffee cake back to the IX Art Park Saturday market. She also loves to work with carob in the fall, and its complex caramel and coffee flavor might be the perfect complement to a cardamom and green apple pastry that she has in the works. Look for Hall at IX, or Moon Maiden’s Delights on Instagram @moon.maidens.delights. 

Vincent Derquenne is not simply a baker, he’s one of the chef-partners behind Bizou, Luce, Bang!, The Space, and Crush Pad Wines, along with Tim Burgess. What you may not know is that Derquenne has been producing all the croissants for Bizou’s brunch for the majority of the past 10 years—by hand. Humbly, he says he’s turned over croissant production to a recently purchased sheeter, but transitioning from hand lamination is no easy feat for the French chef. Derquenne can be found all over C’ville, hopping between his restaurants, and if you’re lucky, you might hear tales of his time cooking at the Eiffel Tower. More on Derquenne at bizoudowntown.com.

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Knife & Fork

Happy return: Sweethaus is back with a new name

Vivi’s Cakes and Candy is the reincarnation of the much-loved Sweethaus. Photo: Morgan Salyer

When Sweethaus abruptly closed last December, the year ended on a sour note for fans of the bakery’s cheerful confections. But the new year turned out sweetly for Charlottesville, as former manager Billy Koenig and his team opened Vivi’s Cakes and Candy in the former Sweethaus space on Ivy Road, with the same recipes and Koenig as sole proprietor. Named for his 9-year-old daughter, Vivi’s brings back the whimsy and joy that made Sweethaus so beloved. The new spot offers candy, cupcakes, and cakes—no surprise—but Koenig says he hopes to do more special-order business, making cakes for weddings and other sweet occasions. Vivi’s gives us one more reason to be grateful this spring.—Joe Bargmann

Vivi’s Cakes and Candy, 2248 Ivy Rd., 242-9511

Categories
Living

Lampo chef in running for top national award

Executive Chef Ian Redshaw grabs big attention for the cuisine at his little restaurant. Photo: Amy and Jackson Smith

Rising Star Chef of the Year is among the more prestigious accolades at the annual James Beard Awards, and a Charlottesville chef is in the running. Ian Redshaw—a veteran of Tavola and L’etoile, co-owner of Prime 109, and now executive chef at Lampo —has been named a semifinalist in the category recognizing “a chef age 30 or younger who displays exceptional talent, character, and leadership ability, and who is likely to make a significant impact in years to come.” Past awardees include Bobby Flay, David Chang, and Michael Mina, so Redshaw would be in good company if he lands the top honor.

Horton hears a woo!

And the winner is: Horton Vineyards’ 2016 Petit Manseng. The Orange County (near Gordonsville) wine nabbed top honors in the 2019 Governor’s Cup competition, joining 11 others judged the year’s best in Virginia. Non-oenophiles can be forgiven for not knowing petit manseng, a grape grown primarily in southwestern France that acclimates well in Virginia. Aged in French oak, Horton’s winner is a hefty white, with notes of papaya, pineapple, apricot, and peach. Other area wines among the year’s top 12 include five by Michael Shaps Wineworks, two by King Family Vineyards, and one by Barboursville Vineyards.

Grapes divine

A few miles south of Charlottesville, along a dusty, rutted gravel road, you’ll find Loving Cup Vineyard and Winery. It’s tough to get to but worth the effort, largely because of the skills of Karl Hambsch. Recently named Grower of the Year by the Virginia Vineyards Association, Hambsch is the first person in the Commonwealth to obtain organic certifications for both a vineyard and a winery. “Virginia’s wine industry continues to grow, break new ground and plant the innovative seeds for future success,” says Bettina Ring, Virginia’s secretary of agriculture and forestry. “Karl Hambsch exemplifies these traits.” The winery opened in 2012, and now cultivates five acres of grapes.

Happy return

Charlottesville just got a little sweeter. Former Sweethaus co-owner Billy Koenig is back in business with Vivi’s Cakes and Candy. Koenig popped into the C-VILLE office a few days back to deliver samples by baker Rebecca Chambers, so we can vouch for Vivi’s cupcakes—two yums up! Koenig says Chambers will also be working her magic on special orders, including wedding cakes. The shop, named for Koenig’s daughter, is located at 2248 Ivy Rd.

Categories
Living

Sammy love in the new year: Guest sandwiches are back at Keevil & Keevil

The first “guest chef” sandwich to debut at Keevil & Keevil this year is a bologna wonder from Mason Hereford, of New Orleans’ Turkey and the Wolf. Photo courtesy Keevil & Keevil

After a consulting gig at Commonwealth Restaurant & Sky Bar, Harrison Keevil is back full-time at Keevil & Keevil, with some new ideas for the store he co-owns with his wife Jennifer.

“We’re bringing back the guest sandwiches —where I ask friends what their dream sandwich is and try to make it come to life with local ingredients,” Keevil says. He’ll start with a take on Charlottesville native/UVA grad Mason Hereford’s famed bologna sandwich.

Hereford’s New Orleans sandwich shop, Turkey and the Wolf, was voted Bon Appetit’s best restaurant in America in 2017, and was also a James Beard finalist for best new restaurant that year. He’s famed for turning your average sandwich into a work of wonder.

“Mason asked us to make an all-Virginia version of his fried bologna sandwich,” Keevil says. Hereford shared a family recipe for mustard, which will be mixed with Duke’s mayonnaise. The bologna is made from local grass-fed beef, the bread comes from Albemarle Baking Company, and it’s all topped off with Route 11 Potato Chips.

Other chefs with guest sandwich offerings in the months to come will include Jason Alley, owner of Pasture and Comfort in Richmond, and Trigg Brown, formerly of Ten and Blue Light, and now co-owner of Win Son, a Taiwanese-American restaurant in Brooklyn.

The chef whose sandwiches sell the most during this multi-month smackdown will make a $500 donation to the charity of his choice, and Keevil & Keevil will then match the donation for Therapeutic Adventures, in honor of a friend of Harrison’s who passed away last summer and had lived a very full life with only one leg.

Keevil says they’ve got some other new things brewing at the shop, including seasonally focused sandwiches and pick up/takeaway dinners.

“We’ll do some beef bourguignon, lasagna, and some more heartier stuff during the winter, keeping an eye on the weather,” he says. “If it’s going to warm up, we’ll do some lighter stuff, and if it’s colder, we’ll do more braising. We’ll have delicious stuff people can grab and take home to feed their family. Now that I’m back in the kitchen full-time, I have a lot of ideas and energy and a lot of new time to dedicate to creating delicious food here.”

So long, farewell to Jose De Brito

After a year at the helm of Fleurie’s kitchen, esteemed local chef Jose De Brito is leaving to return home to Washington, Virginia, where he and his wife settled when he worked at the Inn at Little Washington.

De Brito, who at times could be as professionally elusive as Peter Chang once was, rose to prominence when he headed the kitchen at The Alley Light, earning praise in the food world with his French cuisine.

Fleurie owner Brian Helleberg says he hates to lose a gifted chef but understood his need to return home.

“Chef Jose had been keeping an apartment in Charlottesville for the work week and was missing his wife and home in Little Washington,” he says. “It was certainly a privilege to have him as the chef and although I’ll miss his presence, I’ll look forward to continuing our friendship.”

Helleberg says Fleurie is in good hands with Joe Walker, the new chef de cuisine.

“Walker is going to surprise some people when they see just how good he is,” he says. “Chef Joe has been immersed in great kitchen culture and Michelin star food his whole career, and I think Jose would be the first to agree that his ceiling isn’t even visible from here.”

No sweet ending for Sweethaus

Sweethaus, the sole remaining cupcakery in Charlottesville, unceremoniously closed its doors days before Christmas with no explanation. The store’s other two locations, in Ivy and Brooklyn, appear to have closed as well.

A little nookie

The Nook is under new management, sort of, after owner Stu Rifkin sold his share of the business to longtime co-owner Gina Wood.

More downtown pastries on the way

Looks like MarieBette’s satellite shop on Water Street should be opened by the end of the month. Co-owner Jason Becton said they fell behind due to some contractor issues, but are hoping for a late-January launch.

Categories
News

In brief: Out of business, second wettest, medically deficient and more

staff photo

Knock, knock. Who’s [not] there?

Sears. Sweethaus. Performance Bicycle. And Brown’s Cleaners, just to name a few recent local closings that left community members shocked, and in at least one case, without their clothes.

The closing of Sears at Fashion Square Mall heralds the demise of one of America’s most iconic retailers, known for its mail-order catalogue more than 100 years before Amazon appeared on the scene. The Charlottesville store has been at the mall since it opened in 1980.

Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce president Elizabeth Cromwell says it’s not unexpected that companies will move away, merge, or close their doors for good—but it matters how they do it.

“There is a natural cycle for business communities,” says Cromwell. “How these organizations communicate changes to their customers is critical.”

While most of the closings were abrupt, Brown’s is of a different magnitude.

Signs suddenly posted on the doors of its four locations on Christmas Eve directed customers to check the legal section of the Daily Progress for information on where and when to pick up their held-hostage dry cleaning. It then took about a week and a half for any information to be published on how to reunite people with their belongings.

If you’re wondering, clothes can be picked up from 8am to noon at the High Street location, and 1:30pm to 5:30pm at the Preston Avenue location January 7-11 and January 15-18. Dry cleaning left at the Millmont Street and Ivy Road stores can be picked up on High Street. All furs will be at the Preston location.

And a GoFundMe has been started for the reported 34 employees who learned on that December holiday that they no longer had a job. At press time, it had raised approximately $7,000.

Quote of the week

“I didn’t want to be that person that has to see a sports psychologist … [but] it didn’t just help me on the court, it helped me in life.”—UVA basketball player and ACC Player of the Week Kyle Guy talks about anxiety and stress to SB Nation

In brief

Legal Aid roll

After persuading a judge to issue an injunction on the suspension of driver’s licenses for unpaid fines, Legal Aid Justice Center scored another victory in federal court January 2, when Judge Norman Moon ruled the Fluvanna Correctional Center for Women had violated a 2016 settlement agreement to improve its “constitutionally deficient” medical care. At least four women have died since the settlement, and Moon gave the prison 45 days to correct violations.

Legendary coach dies

George Welsh UVA athletics

Former UVA football coach George Welsh, who led the Cavaliers to a pinnacle unseen since he retired after the 2000 season, died January 2 at age 85. Hall of Famer Welsh took over the Virginia program in 1982 and guided the team to 12 bowl games, two ACC co-championships, and a 9-10 record against Virginia Tech, which has since beaten UVA for 15 straight seasons.

Another A12 sentence

Daniel Borden, an Ohio man who was 18 when he came to the Unite the Right rally, will serve three years and 10 months for his part in the brutal parking garage beating of DeAndre Harris. The prosecutor and judge agreed Borden appeared “gleeful” in videos taken after the attack, but his age and guilty plea mitigated the sentence. Two others charged in the event are serving six and eight years.

‘Mass exodus’

Charlottesville Police Chief RaShall Brackney says the department is currently down 22 officers, and salary, lack of take-home cars, post-August 12 attitudes, and the demeanor of those on the Police Civilian Review Board are to blame, according to the Daily Progress. Outgoing Sheriff Chip Harding suggested Brackney could be the problem, prompting an impromptu press conference by City Manager Mike Murphy.

Election season

Three people have announced runs for open seats on City Council now held by Wes Bellamy, Kathy Galvin, and Mike Signer. Community organizers Don Gathers and Michael Payne launched campaigns January 8 for the June 11 Dem primary nomination, and Sena Magill joined the race January 9. No word yet from the incumbents on their plans.

By the numbers

Second-wettest year ever

skyclad ap

Record-breaking rainfall made 2018 the second-soggiest year since McCormick Observatory started keeping records 118 years ago. The week before Christmas, 2018 held the No. 4 spot with 68.69 inches, but over the holiday more than three inches drenched the area to put the year’s total at 72.14 inches, barely eking by No. 3, 1937, and over two inches shy of the No. 1 year—super-moist 2003, which followed worst-drought 2002.

And in top 25 wettest years since 1900, six of those have happened since 2000. Time to invest in rain boots?

Top five rainiest years

1. 2003 74.55″

2. 2018 72.14″

3. 1937 72.07″

4. 1948 69.72″

5. 1972 66.03″

Numbers provided by Jerry Stenger, director of the State Climatology Office at UVA.

Categories
Living

Snowing in Space gives a jolt to West Main

Snowing in Space offers nitro-brewed coffee (similar to a Guinness in body, sans alcohol) in several flavors at its brick-and-mortar space at 705 W. Main St. Photo by Tom McGovern

Just when we thought the 700 block of West Main Street couldn’t get any more delicious, with Pearl’s Bake Shoppe, JM Stock Provisions, Bella’s Restaurant and Doma Korean Kitchen all in a row, it’s gotten even tastier (and a bit more energetic).

Snowing in Space Coffee Co. opened last week at 705 W. Main St., in the spot formerly occupied by C’ville-ian Brewing Co. This is the first brick-and-mortar location for the nitro coffee slingers who have had their brews on tap at Paradox Pastry and Keevil & Keevil Grocery and Kitchen for the past few months.

Co-owner Paul Dierkes says nitro coffee is more like craft beer than brewed coffee—in fact, it’s similar to a Guinness: smooth, thick and creamy. To make nitro coffee, Snowing in Space brews and kegs a large batch of coffee, then slowly pumps nitrogen gas into the keg at a high pressure to agitate the brew before tapping it. It’s generally served cold and tastes great black, but you can add cream and sugar. Snowing in Space has partnered with local bean experts Shenandoah Joe, Trager Brothers Coffee and Shark Mountain Coffee Company on more than six flavors of nitro coffee, and has collaborated with Virginia Distillery Company on a whiskey barrel-aged nitro coffee.

Various flavors of Snowing in Space nitro —such as the caramel-and-vanilla-flavored Nom Nom and the blueberry, cherry and dark chocolate Big Blue Thing—are on tap at the shop, along with a nitro espresso (or, as they call it, Rocket Fuel) that’s used to make hot and cold espresso drinks. If you’re feeling adventurous, try one of the specialty drinks such as the Dirty ChaIRISH, a chai latte with espresso and Irish cream flavor.

To help stave off caffeine jitters, they’ll have snacks, too, such as cinnamon maple twists, savory stuffed mini croissants, pepperoni rolls and mini beignets from Paradox Pastry, as well as ice cream sandwiches and pop tarts from Wonderment.

While there be sure to check out the giant handmade Lite-Brite on the back wall and the painting of Bill Murray in the bathroom.

How sweet it is

Sweethaus is settling in to its new bigger spot in the IX building, next door to Brazos Tacos. Don’t worry, the bakery still offers its usual treats—full-size and mini cupcakes and coffee, plus jars of pay-by-the-pound chocolate and gummy candies. There’s a big open room where you can enjoy your sweet snack with friends, but if you want a little more privacy, there’s a mezzanine-level nook with sofas and cozy chairs perfect for studying or reading.

Roll with it

Have you ever looked at the buttery, flaky croissants at MarieBette Café & Bakery and wondered, “How do they do that”? Or gazed longingly at the Albemarle Baking Co.’s golden crusted loaves and thought, “I wish I could bake bread like that”? If so, you’re in luck—Sharlene McNeish of LEVAIN Baking Studio can teach you. McNeish has renovated her farm garage in Troy into a baking studio stocked with mixers, dough sheeter, three ovens (including a wood-fired oven) and more, all for the purpose of teaching bakers of all levels how to make pastry and artisan breads. McNeish trained at the San Francisco Baking Institute and is Association of Neapolitan Pizzaiuoli certified. Go to levainbakingstudio.com for more info.

Categories
Living

Restaurant Week feeds into local community

Aromas Cafe, which will be serving meals like this jumbo black tiger shrimp over white bean cassoulet at the $29 price point, is one of nine restaurants to join Restaurant Week for the first time this winter. Photo by Tom McGovern

As you scramble to make your Restaurant Week reservations, as you finally get to your table and lay a napkin over your lap and lift your fork to your lips, take a moment to reflect on how your dinner is more than a treat for your taste buds. It’s helping feed thousands of people right here in Virginia.

One dollar from each Restaurant Week meal served will go to the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, this year’s charity partner beneficiary.

Charlottesville Restaurant Week has partnered with the BRAFB in years prior, and it’s been an enormous help, says Millie Winstead, director of development at the food bank. In winter 2015, Charlottesville Restaurant Week donated about $23,000 to the food bank.

BRAFB’s four branches—Charlottesville, Verona, Lynchburg and Winchester—serve more than 25,000 individuals via 200 partner agencies throughout 25 counties and eight cities. For every dollar the food bank receives, 96 cents goes toward programming, Winstead says. In previous years, the money went into the food bank’s general fund.

But this year, the money will go to the Agency Capacity Fund, a new initiative intended to help BRAFB partner agencies meet increasing demands. In March, the BRAFB will issue a request for proposals from its partner agencies, which can submit applications for money from the fund for things such as shelving, refrigerators or coolers.

“Hunger is something that unfortunately persists in our communities,” says Abena Foreman-Trice, director of communications for the BRAFB. “We’re still seeing more neighbors on average per month coming to our partner agencies than we were before the Great Recession.”

Most of the food bank’s agencies are small and run by volunteers; many of them are faith-based organizations supporting a pantry or kitchen that feeds maybe 50 families every other week, serving “a group of people that wouldn’t otherwise have [food],” Winstead says. While the agencies receive regular food donations, Winstead says that pantries often need help meeting physical and organizational needs.

For example, food cannot be stored on the floor; it must be kept on shelves. A $100 shelving unit may not seem like much, Winstead says, but it’s an awful lot for a kitchen with a $1,500 operating budget.

“Food banking is changing,” Winstead says. “Back in the day, when it was starting, it was a lot of canned food items. Now, about one quarter of the food we distribute is fresh produce, so the ability to have a cooler, a refrigerator or a cooler blanket to drape over produce” in the pantry or during distribution to families is key.

Restaurant Week is the chance for the community to “understand how their support can make an impact for someone who is trying to make ends meet,” Foreman-Trice says. “When someone falls short, we’re here to try and make sure they have one less worry, to make sure that they know there’s at least somewhere where they can get food to eat to get them and their families through.”

Winstead says she’s “blown away constantly by the giving nature of the restaurant community here,” noting that they receive donations from restaurants throughout the year.

This time, a record-high 44 restaurants are participating in Restaurant Week, and instead of the usual seven days, the event will run for nine, from Friday, January 20, through Sunday, January 29.

First-time participants include Blue Ridge Café, Los Jarochos, Maharaja, Mono Loco and Petit Pois all at the $19 price point; Aroma’s Café, Heirloom at The Graduate Charlottesville and Timberwood Taphouse at the $29 price point; and Water Street at the $39 price point.

Changes at IX

Last week, Shark Mountain Coffee Co. announced the sudden closing of its location at the Studio IX in an emotional Facebook post written by Shark Mountain owner Jonny Nuckols. Nuckols chalks up the dissolution of the café, which closed January 11 after a year and a half in operation, to “irreconcilable differences between Shark and management of Studio IX.” Shark Mountain will continue to operate its café in the iLab at UVA’s Darden School of Business and will look for a potential new café location.

And Sweethaus has moved out of its West Main Street location and into a space at IX, next door to Brazo’s Tacos. A post on the bakery’s Instagram account states it hopes to open in its new spot by this weekend.

Taste of what’s to come

Junction, Melissa Close-Hart and Adam Frazier’s long-anticipated TexMex restaurant, will open Thursday, January 26, on Hinton Avenue in Belmont. Look for more details on the restaurant in next week’s Small Bites column.

Eat up!

We have three Restaurant Week gift certificates to give away. For a chance to win, leave a comment about which restaurant’s menu you’re most excited about and why.