Food News: Deandre Wilson, drinking for a cause, and two things involving tears

And neither are sad things!

March 3, 2016; 8:11 AM • by Stephanie Ganz

THE REALNESS

Some impressive names in the Richmond dining community have joined forces to market local food in a big way. Ellwood Thompson’s owner Rick Hood, came up with the idea for Real Local RVA, a group of chefs, farmers, and business owners about two years ago and has been watching his dream materialize ever since. Now the group–which includes founding members Hood, plus Richmond Restaurant Group’s Michelle Williams, Lee Gregory and Joe Sparatta of Southbound, Buster Wright and David Taylor of Libbie Market, and Donnie Caffery of Good Foods Grocery–is launching a website and planning its first networking event. I got a peek inside Real Local RVA’s first all-hands-on-deck meeting at Southbound, and here’s what it looked like.

WILD ABOUT WALTER

Though the name Walter Bundy conjures images of perfect plates–the classic, detailed elegance of the Jefferson’s Lemaire–the man himself is a bit of a mystery. From a distance, he seems quiet, meticulous, even reserved. In a Richmond Magazine feature this month, Stephanie Breijo discovers there’s much more to the man–from a wild streak to a love of the wild, to the stoic sobriety of a chef ready to strike out on his own, Walter Bundy has plenty to share, and we’ll all get a taste at his new restaurant, Shagbark, come mid-May.

HERE’S DEANDRE

If you’ve ever peered into the kitchen at Rappahannock on a busy Friday night, you’ve seen him–head down, focused, moving quickly but calmly. You’ve seen him shucking oysters and smiling a wide grin behind a Rappahannock River Oyster table at Slow Food events and the like. He’s been there the whole time. He’s Deandre Wilson, an integral part of the Rappahannock Restaurant team who’s just been named Chef de Cuisine, as Dylan Fultineer was promoted to the role of Corporate Executive Chef. In the coming months, look for Deandre’s touches on Rappahannock’s menu, as the experienced chef shows us more of his own culinary personality.

#RVA #PSA: CRAFTS FOR A CAUSE AT Q BBQ

If you like your craft beer with a side of good deeds, check this out: Q Barbeque is hosting a month long “Crafts for a Cause” (alas, not a crafting-and-barbecue-eating party) wherein one dollar of every local craft beer sold at any Q Barbeque location will be donated to their charity partner, Comfort Zone Camp, a nonprofit bereavement camp dedicated to helping children who are dealing with the death of a caregiver, parent, or sibling.

ONCE YOU POP, YOU CAN’T STOP

On Thursday, March 10th, Saison chef and co-owner Adam Hall will pop up for the evening at the Cask. Hall will create a menu to compliment four Triple Crossing brews–Falcon Smash, Paranoid Aledroid, Liberty or Death, and Waxing Poetic. Then on Monday, March 14th, the Jackdaw will return to Lunch with donburi, dumplings, and oxtail bolognese from 5:30 PM until there’s not a bite left.

FROM ELSEWHERE…

Meet the Foodini, a 3-D printer that’s changing fine dining as we know it.

I’m sorry, laws of nature, but Peeps Milk is coming back, and there’s nothing we can do to stop it.

Pheasant’s Tears Wine may not, in fact, be made of pheasants’ tears (see this week’s Gram); but you may be able to turn your own (possibly bitter) tears into bitters, thanks to some cuckoos at the British Museum of Food.

SIP: “BEERMOUTH”

It’s a thing. Well, it’s going to be.

BITE: SO MANY OYSTERS

I hesitate to share this news only because I so want to be able to get a seat at the bar, but I am obligated to tell you that Rapp Session has not one but two happy hours, during which you’ll find $1 barcat oysters, half-price Virginia oysters, and ⅓-off oysters from afar, plus drink specials. The first happy hour is from 3:00 to 6:00 PM, and the other is from 11:00 PM to 1:00 AM, so what I’m saying is this: you could enjoy a day filled with FIVE hours of oyster-induced happiness any damn day. YOU’RE WELCOME.

GRAM: @CHEESEBOATNYC

https://instagram.com/p/BCOPnJOmL0w/

If you’re not familiar with khachapuri, I suggest you get familiar with it in the context of it being randomly photoshopped into scenes from famous movies. Then, once you’re good and familiar, mark your calendar because on Sunday, March 20th, Sub Rosa will serve up the magical Georgian flatbread with wines from Pheasant’s Tears Winery as a benefit for their recently displaced friend, winemaker John Wurdeman.

March 3, 2016 8:11 AM · in Fan of the Fan, Shockoe News, and more 0