John Haddad

John Haddad has written about food and travel for nearly 20 years. He founded Slow Food RVA in Richmond and is the Slow Food Councilor of Virginia. [email protected]

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Food

21 Spoons Is Culinary Art with a Mission

Ann Butler keeps busy teaching the next generation about food—how to have a healthy relationship with what goes on their table and into their communities, but also important life skills rooted in food.

Food

Food From the Heart

Chef Travis Milton’s Appalachian love song. A standard-bearer of Appalachian cuisine, Travis Milton has finally come home to roost. At his new restaurant Hickory, at Nicewonder Farm & Vineyards in Bristol, he takes a reverent, sophisticated, often playful approach to the Appalachian food of his childhood. “We are committed to the […]

Food

Elfin’ Fun Holiday Cocktails

Like Santa, you’ll spot this Christmas “Miracle” all over this season The Christmas-themed cocktail bar Miracle will be stirring up liquid cheer this holiday season at two Virginia locations: Sense of Thai in Ashburn’s One Loudoun, and The Jasper in Richmond’s Carytown neighborhood. Known for their kitschy décor and irreverent libations—Jingle Balls […]

Food

Riviera Dreaming

Anina Belle of Le Chef’s Wife makes French cuisine accessible for home cooks. McLean, VA (Photography by Scott Suchman) Sometimes, fairytales do come true. When she left her home in British Columbia for a semester in the South of France, Anina Belle couldn’t foresee the life-changing impact that decision would have on […]

Food

Authentic Appalachian Flavors

For Chef Travis Milton, his newest restaurant is a passion project. KIRK CHAMBERS Travis Milton has been a standard-bearer of Appalachian cuisine for the past decade. He’s already pouring his passion for the region’s flavors into Nicewonder’s inaugural restaurant, Taste: Wood-Fired Kitchen, which serves small plates and casual fare. Born and raised […]

Food

Road to Food Stardom

Hatch Kitchen stirs up next-level tastemakers. Tyler Darden (Photography by Tyler Darden) We’ve all known that friend: The one whose homemade salad dressing tastes so good, you wish she’d bottle it. The grill master whose rib sauce beats anything you’ve found in stores (you know, you’ve searched). Or the weekend baker whose […]

Food

A Taste of Paris in Charlottesville

With Cou Cou Rachou, Rachel De Jong brings authentic French baking to the Blue Ridge. (Photo of Rachel De Jong by Fred+Elliot) Long before we met in person, I met Rachel De Jong’s lovely sourdough bread at Charlottesville’s Broadcloth restaurant. The loaf left a lasting impression. So when I heard that she […]

Food

Local Flavors Shine

Close ties to purveyors elevate Chef Tucker Yoder’s ever-changing menus at Broadcloth. (Photo courtesy of Broadcloth) As we pulled up to the Wool Factory, just a mile from downtown Charlottesville, the skies opened. We scurried through the deluge down a series of cascading steps, across a courtyard, and into the dry embrace […]

Food

Small But Mighty

Packed with flavor and nutrients, microgreens can power up your diet. Wissing, Michael StockFood 13238680 Various microgreens You’ve probably noticed microgreens at farmers markets or natural food stores. But do you know what these nutrient-dense flavor bombs can do for your diet? While they emerged on the culinary landscape back in the […]

Food

Happy Farmers, Healthy Chickens

Farmer Focus brings better birds to your table. (Photography courtesy of Farmer Focus) Do you know where your chicken crossed the road? Unless you’re buying from a local farmer or specialty market, it’s hard to know where your chicken comes from. Farmer Focus is changing that. Founded in 2012 with 300 birds […]

Food

Charlottesville’s Waterbird Takes Flight

Canned cocktails make a splash. This bird is about to leave the nest. A few short years ago, canned cocktails weren’t a viable offering in Virginia. But in 2019, Waterbird founder Wilson Craig testified before the Virginia House and Senate in support of legislation that puts ready-to-drink cocktails in the same category as wine […]

Drink

Barrel Fever

As bourbon demand rises, Virginia is bringing the barrels. Back in 1964, when Congress officially recognized bourbon as a “distinctive product of the United States,” it created a handful of rules to govern its making. In addition to US provenance, corn content, and distillation proof limits; the law dictates aging bourbon for […]

HOME

Going Native

Create a gorgeous, low-maintenance yard full of birds and butterflies by landscaping with local plants. Imagine opening your door to a yard of beautiful flower beds teeming with butterflies and birds. You still have a lawn, but it takes much less time to mow, and you don’t have to bother with bagging […]

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Events

March 19, 2025

Clay Creations: A Ceramic Celebration Exhibition – Call for Entries

Crossroads Art Center

March 19, 2025

Spring Garden Tours at Brent and Becky’s

Brent and Becky’s Bulbs

March 19, 2025

Trumpeting Equality: The Women’s Suffrage March of 1913

Virginia War Memorial

Restoration of 17-Century Ship in Virginia Sets Sails

—By Katie Farthing With the winds of hope and prosperity filling its sails, the Susan Constant landed at Jamestown in 1607 with 54 Englishmen aboard hoping for glory and gold. Fast forward 400 years, the original three-masted square rig has long since disappeared, but her lore has remained a vital connection to Virginia’s past, […]

by Staff

10 Speakeasies Across Virginia & How to Find Them

Tucked in hidden alleyways and behind disguised doors lie some of the state’s best-kept secrets … and cocktails. Speakeasies promising vintage vibes and low-light charm dot the map far and wide, but where to find them? Here are 10 to get you started on a journey to delicious drinks and illicit adventures of 1920s allure. […]

by Hope Cartwright

Ensuring Loudoun County’s Country Roads Remain Rural

By Regan Hofmann Something happens when you leave the pavement. Suddenly, the journey becomes more about where you are than where you are going. You have arrived somewhere special even though you are still on your way. Whether it’s the tire of your car or bike, your sneaker, or a horse’s steel-clad shoe that crosses […]

by Staff

John Haddad

All Posts

21 Spoons Is Culinary Art with a Mission

Current Issue

Events

Clay Creations: A Ceramic Celebration Exhibition – Call for Entries

Spring Garden Tours at Brent and Becky’s

Trumpeting Equality: The Women’s Suffrage March of 1913

Most Popular

Restoration of 17-Century Ship in Virginia Sets Sails

10 Speakeasies Across Virginia & How to Find Them

Ensuring Loudoun County’s Country Roads Remain Rural

John Haddad

All Posts

21 Spoons Is Culinary Art with a Mission

Current Issue

Events

Clay Creations: A Ceramic Celebration Exhibition – Call for Entries

Spring Garden Tours at Brent and Becky’s

Trumpeting Equality: The Women’s Suffrage March of 1913

Get our most popularweekly newsletter: VL Today

Most Popular

Restoration of 17-Century Ship in Virginia Sets Sails

10 Speakeasies Across Virginia & How to Find Them

Ensuring Loudoun County’s Country Roads Remain Rural

Get our most popularweekly newsletter: VL Today

Get our most popular
weekly newsletter: VL Today

Get our most popular
weekly newsletter: VL Today