Made in Virginia Awards 2024

Stephanie Ganz, our Food judge, dreams about food like runners dream about marathons—she’s all in. After attending culinary school at Johnson & Wales, she made her mark on the Commonwealth’s culinary scene, first sharpening her skills at Fat Canary in Williamsburg before moving on to Millie’s in Richmond. Now, her full-time focus is writing about food, recipes, chefs, and restaurants. For us, she covers Virginia’s dynamic dining destinations, which is why we call her an unofficial ambassador of Virginia’s hotter-than-hot culinary culture. Her favorite food of the moment is a delicious fig honey butter she makes from the fig tree outside her kitchen window. Food is a family affair in the Ganz household. Her 12-year-old makes a mean focaccia, and her youngest is obsessed with tinned sardines.

Frank Morgan loves a glass of fine wine, reading, running, hiking with his wife and daughter, anything UVA-related, travel, and avoiding home repair projects. A data privacy law and compliance professional by day, he has flown nearly two million miles and visited 35 countries, which, in 2009, inspired him to begin chronicling his wine travels in an online wine journal, DrinkWhatYouLike. He’s the wine columnist for The Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press newspapers, contributes to other publications, writes engaging wine-related articles for us, and organizes statewide wine competitions, including the Virginia Governor’s Cup. As our 2024 Drink judge, he sipped and swirled wines from every corner of the state, as well as artisanal waters, spirits, and the occasional beer.

Charlotte Safavi is serious about beautiful homes and great design. She contributes to Milieu, House Beautiful, Traditional Home, and more, and we were thrilled she accepted our invitation to be our Home & Lifestyle judge for this year’s Made in Virginia Awards. This London-born, Oxford- educated style maker’s first career was as a Hollywood agent before she shifted gears, moved East, and developed a thriving freelance career as a shelter magazine writer, producer, and stylist. Along the way she launched Stylish Productions, which creates magazine-quality imagery for architects, builders and interior designers. Charlotte is especially partial to Fortnum & Mason’s Earl Grey tea, travel, and backgammon. She lives with her family in Alexandria.

Heather Bien is a frequent Virginia Living contributor and our official style guru. When she’s not writing for us, she covers style, design, entertaining, and travel for magazines like Southern Living, Martha Stewart Living, and her own blog, C’est Bien. You’ll often find her waxing poetic over a well-worn patina, sifting through the dusty shelves of a small town antique shop, planning her next house renovation project, or finding another way to incorporate pattern into her home and wardrobe. Heather splits her time between Washington, D.C., and Locust Hill on the Rappahannock River in Middlesex County. Naturally, she was invited to be our Made In Virginia Style & Beauty judge. HeatherBien.com