marvelous local meal at Maya

This past Monday night at Maya in Charlottesville was a locavore's dream dinner. As each of the five courses was brought out, the person whose produce or meats or wines we were enjoying spoke to us about what went into the production of each ingredient. A wonderful way to become better acquainted with the farmers and artisans who make our food.

People like Peter Hatch from Monticello Gardens, renowned winemaker Gabrielle Rausse, Rob and Megan Weary from Roundabout Farm, Richard Bean from Double H Farm, Tom Silliman from Sweet Dog Farm. Everything but three minor ingredients were sourced locally (Maya owner Peter Castiglione joked the local ingredients were so flavorful, chef Christian Kelly didn't even need salt and pepper).

Needless to say, the menu was amazing: creamy, smoky white bean soup with andouille, chicken, kale, and broccoli (paired with Gabrielle Rausse's Bianco). The second course was a salad of autumn lettuce with local smoked trout (from Rag Mountain Trout) and pecans in a sherry vinaigrette (served with Rausse's pinot grigio). Next, a to-die-for braised pork shoulder with gnocchi (merlot). Then a chicken breast rolled with smoked ham, served over an Appalachian cheese sauce (cabernet sauvignon). As a fellow diner commented, the flavor combination of the chicken, ham, and cheese was reminiscent of a perfectly prepared croque madame.

And for dessert? A local apple tart tatin—so flaky, and spiced like any perfect autumn pie should be. (Served with Rausse's dessert wine Collage.)

The best part is knowing Maya will do a local meal like this all over again in January. Or if you can't wait for that, try its $40 Thanksgiving menu. It promises to be just as stunning—and just as local.

great wine deal for the holidays!

You can now enjoy wine tastings for free at three area wineries by spending $10 on what's called a Holiday Passport. With it, you are able to visit Jefferson Vineyards, Kluge Estate Winery, and Keswick Vineyards as many times as you like during November and December—with complimentary tastings. You also get a 15 percent discount on the purchase of designated wines, such as the Kluge SP Blanc de Blanc (pictured).

We love the idea that while we're going "shopping" for bottles of local wines as holiday gifts, we're able to sample all of the possibilities. Hey, even Santa finds time to treat himself every now and again.

You can buy a Holiday Passport at any of the three wineries mentioned above. See you there!

our thoughts are with two local farming families

You probably already heard about the tragic car accident that took the life of Majesty Farm owner Kathryn Russell. You can show Kathryn's family your love and support with a donation to Open Hands, a nonprofit that remits the funds to the family (and it is tax deductible for you). Send checks to Open Hands, 523 Lexington Avenue, Charlottesville, VA 22902. Make a note on the memo line of the check that it's for the Kathryn Russell fund. If you have questions, contact Julie Curry at 823-1537 or curryjuliea@gmail.com.

And you probably know him by face, since he's been at the Charlottesville City Market (and is one of the founders) since the beginning. Jack Cason was injured in a car accident on his way to the Saturday morning market in mid October. He is suffering 1st-, 2nd-, and 3rd-degree burns and at last report is still at UVA Hospital. Many of the vendors at the Charlottesville farmers' market are taking donations for the rest of the season for Jack and his family. Look for donation cans around the market if you'd like to help.

edible blue ridge on tv!

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).

Catch Steve next time on CBS 19's evening news on November 4th at around 6:40 p.m. promoting even more of Central Virginia's great local foods.

renowned chef comes to zynodoa

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.

art for farming

A Harrisonburg artist named Soula Pefkaros has a great documentary photography exhibit at Clementine Cafe through the month of September, featuring small, ecologically conscious farms and farmers. Included are several growers from the region: Mark Jones from Sharondale Farm in Keswick, Dave and Lee O'Neill from Radical Roots in Keezletown, and Tom Benevento from Muddy Bike Garden in Harrisonburg.

You can find out more here:
website: http://web.me.com/soulapefkaros
photoblog: http://soula.smugmug.com

blue ribbon...and beer

A dispatch from Steve:

Those of you who’ve read the latest issue of Edible Blue Ridge know that while I’m growing several varieties of tomatoes in our family garden this year, I only drool over the candy-sweet, bite-size, neon-orange Sun Golds (“Vine-Ripened Memories,” page 10, EBR Summer 2009). Well, they’ve returned my affection. Believe it or not, my little Sun Golds earned a blue ribbon in the cherry tomato competition at the Albemarle County Fair! Okay, there wasn’t exactly a crush of entrants in that category, but there were enough that I feel dang proud to have brought home the blue. Official judging was based on uniformity in size, quality, freedom from injury, and attractive appearance—which means the judges didn’t even pop the warm Sun Golds into their mouths and discover their best trait. In accepting this award, I’d like to thank the sun, the rain, the dirt, and all the little bugs who left my ’maters alone. I plan to enter again next year—and so should you!

You’d think that would be the biggest thrill I could have at the fair. But I was also tapped to judge the homebrew beer competition. (It was a choice between that and insect collections, which really isn’t a choice at all.) Unlike with tomatoes, I pretty much like all beer—lagers, ales, pale, dark, bitter, nutty, hoppy, malty—so it was tough to choose. Luckily, my pal Matt selflessly volunteered to help out (by the way, he scored second place for his blackberry jam entry). So we sat in a tent one sweaty evening, munching pretzels and sipping the chilled efforts of local homebrewers. Not surprisingly, all the entrants were ales, since that style ferments at room temperature and doesn’t require a lot of extra equipment. The competition was close, forcing us to open a second bottle of a few beers…just to make sure we were being fair. In the end, the standouts were a perfectly hoppy IPA and a crisp winter lager, both of which earned blue ribbons. Cheers to you, local homebrewers, for making this year’s fair a thrill even before I strapped myself into the Tilt-A-Whirl.