Watch Edible Blue Ridge publisher Steve Russell talk apples with anchor Beth Duffy on CBS 19's evening news (go to the Newsplex website to see the video). 
It's big news in the Central Virginia food world (and you're hearing it here first): Michael Lund is now executive chef at Staunton's Zynodoa Restaurant after having spent six years at the five-star Inn at Little Washington in Washington, VA.
He tells us he's smitten with charming Staunton, where there's a burgeoning local-foods scene—with foodie hotspots like Staunton Grocery and soon-to-open Mockingbird. And not too far away are a number of Valley farmers and artisans, with whom he says he's excited to work.
Of course, along with some fierce cooking skills, he brings a passion for incorporating local ingredients into his menu. That commitment stems from a belief that it's the right thing to do—and because it simply tastes better. "We need to take back our food sources before there's nothing left to take back," he says.
So what was it like to work at the Inn at Little Washington, a restaurant that has won numerous awards, including being named the world's best by Travel & Leisure magazine? Lund says it was a great learning experience. “I developed an eye for extreme detail, detail far beyond that of a normal human," he says. "In chef Patrick O’Connell’s words, ‘If it were easy, Mikey, everybody would do it.’” We can't wait to see (and taste) all that he will bring to Zynodoa's table.
