Restoration has always been important to the Ramsey family: There’s Luke, whose company Ramsey Restoration focuses on the construction and preservation of historical property, and who learned how to build log cabins from his father. And there’s Adrienne, who formerly served as a spokesperson for the Food Routes Network (the same folks who developed the […]
New Year’s is more of a drinking-and-kissing holiday than one meant for feasting. But don’t let a good start-of-the-year meal go overlooked, especially if you might leave some luck on the table. We asked some local food folks to cook us up New Year’s Day nosh that was traditional (to capitalize on all that good […]
For mother of six Lynsie Steele, necessity was the mother invention as she tried to feed a large family on a shoestring. “I was trying to find ways to save money so I challenged myself to cut my grocery bill in half,” says the food entrepreneur. She decided to blog about the meal plans she […]
Chef Mark Gresge missed making soup. From 1992 to 2014, Gresge ran the beloved local French restaurant L’étoile. “To me,” Gresge says, “French country cooking was the perfect cuisine. Depth of flavor, locally sourced product, a true sense of region in the cooking.” L’étoile had always run catering alongside its restaurant operations, but the growth […]
Mike Appleby figured he’d keep his big city job when he moved to Charlottesville. Appleby’s Boston-based employer kept him on to run a development team when he moved to C’ville to get married. But Appleby quickly came to love the area—“it’s the nicest place I’ve seen anywhere,” he says—and five years later he hatched a […]
After selling the tech business he’d built over 15 years, Eric Walter wanted to do something more rewarding. “More fulfilling spiritually,” he says. “Out from behind a desk and outside.” His Chicago tech business, Gorilla, had Patagonia as a client. “Sustainability infused everything they do,” says Walter. “That changed something for me.” After considering a […]
Crissanne Raymond developed an original veggie burger recipe more than 30 years ago in her hometown of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands. Riffing off of her mother’s lentil soup recipe, she built a burger from a lentil and barley base, flavored it with roasted vegetables and tamari, and used it to feed her growing […]
Years ago, Cynthia Chiles’ mom made hand-lettered fliers to let people know when to come pick apples from the family’s orchards. She took out a classified ad when fruit was ripe. When Chiles took up a leadership role at Crown Orchard 15 years ago, she still did the marketing herself. “I have a degree in […]
There are more 1099 contractors in the workforce than ever before and their numbers continue to rise. The term “1099” comes from a series of IRS documents that are designed to report income received outside of salaried employment. This can include investment returns, tax refunds, and income made as an independent contractor or freelancer. The […]
When Rachel Brozenske, VP with Allison Partners, sat down on a Wednesday morning in October with Linnea White, the two of them were feeling out the possibility of a coach-client relationship. Brozenske has been a business coach for more than a dozen years; White bought the boutique Darling, just off the Downtown Mall, with a […]
Two days into training camp with the Chicago Bears, Maurice Covington’s hamstring tore—and took his future plans with it. “Being focused about football and wanting to make it to the NFL and then having that taken from me,” says the former UVA wide receiver, “that transition was terrible.” A decade later, Covington has turned that […]
Here’s the next level, folks. You might be eating local and shopping local, but are you wearing local? The garments we don often come from very faraway places and seem to just appear out of nowhere; an oft-reported statistic from the American Apparel & Footwear Association states that 97 percent of the clothes sold in […]
The eight-harness loom that Andrea Korotky bought in mid-1970s New York is still a daily companion, standing in the corner of her Charlottesville studio. When the weaver sits down to the loom—which is roughly the size of an upright piano—her more than 40 years of experience are obvious in the fluidity and confidence of her […]
Stepping into Joshua Farnsworth’s Wood and Shop schoolhouse is like wrenching open a time capsule. Traditional woodworking instruments, including saws and handheld shaving tools, dangle from pegs and hug the surrounding white walls. Walking among the homemade workbenches and rustling up a rush of sawdust, you slip back a few centuries. Farnsworth began to home […]
Chris Conklin grew up in a family that liked to figure things out. He learned at an early age how to restore old cars and farmhouses, and he loved to make things from scratch. So when his photographer wife, Jen Fariello, came home one day from a photo shoot in Ivy and asked him to […]
There’s just something about leather: It’s at once rugged and polished. And always cool. Plus, it’s a material that’s easy to source in our area, thanks to local saddle shops and nearby tanneries. Here are three hand-crafters making your next favorite accessory. Stamp of approval Siberia native Daniel Foytik became fascinated with leather as a […]
One night when artist Laurel Smith was sleeping, her mind projected her future onto the backs of her eyes. She dreamt up a whirring dremel tool, a jewelry-making instrument then somewhat unfamiliar to her, and awoke with a newfound sense of purpose. A D.C.-based event planner in her 20s at the time, Smith sensed she […]
What’s not to love about a handmade piece of jewelry? Here are five local gems worth wearing. Direct from nature As a kid, Rebecca Perea-Kane would play with Fimo clay, sculpting tiny animals with her sister (“we must have made hundreds of them,” she says). No surprise, then, that her line of delicate jewelry celebrates […]
By Ken Wilson – When Frank Kessler and the Kessler Group began construction on what was to be the largest planned unit development in Albemarle County in 1989, their goal was to create the “ultimate living community that would allow families to raise their children in a close-knit environment where residents enjoyed well-planned amenities.” Almost […]
By Marilyn Pribus – “Each time it rains, pollutants such as nitrogen, phosphorus, zinc, and even lead flow directly into our sewers and waterways,” laments horticulturist Karyn Smith of Stanardsville. Since much of the water in our area is drawn from the Rivanna River watershed which encompasses Charlottesville, all of Albemarle County and parts of […]
By Celeste M. Smucker – Commercial real estate in Charlottesville and the Valley (including shops, office buildings, apartment complexes, manufacturing plants, subdivisions and warehouses) continues its impressive growth with more of the same predicted for 2019. And so long as families continue to visit and move here for the natural beauty, outdoor activities, job opportunities, […]
By Celeste M. Smucker – Is golf your game? Or maybe it’s tennis, pickleball, or swimming? (How does a saltwater pool sound?) And wouldn’t it be great if, when you get home, tired out from a workout and ready to relax, you could enjoy beautiful scenery while you sit on your deck and take in […]
By Marilyn Pribus – One of the most appealing quality-of-life aspects of Central Virginia is our vibrant art scene thanks to artisans who populate studios in both Charlottesville and the nearby, scenic Blue Ridge countryside. “We have an extraordinary group of talented people working sometimes in obscurity,” declares Joe Samuels who, with his wife Owie, […]