Clifton Inn Chefs in the Garden Dinner Series
Last Monday, the Clifton Inn hosted the second dinner of its Chefs in the Garden series where they invite additional chefs to join head Chef Tucker for a multiple-course dinner in the garden. Each of the chefs dreams up and creates their own courses. The most recent dinner featured Chef Joe Sparatta from Heritage (Richmond), Tim … Continue reading
Firenze Files: Restaurant Report
Ciao! I am finally back with another post from the lovely Firenze. It’s been a crazy couple of weeks with visits to Sienna, San Gimignano, Chianti, and the Amalfi coast. Not to mention I’m still at school so I do have to go through the motions of homework and midterms and the like. This post … Continue reading
Caramelized Vegetables
A few months ago upon one of my visits to the Clifton Inn kitchen, I tried a preparation of a super simple ingredient that one of the chefs at the Clifton Inn dreamed-up. It was cooked cabbage. But it wasn’t stewed or braised or even fermented. It was simply a big green cabbage, quartered, and … Continue reading
Heirloom Tomatoes with Mayonnaise
I’ve been working on my food photography since going to a Food Photography seminar with Andrea and Sarah, the masterminds behind Beyond the Flavor. I’m still using the camera on my phone, but I’m making an effort to take my dishes outside to photograph them in natural light. I learned that it makes the color more … Continue reading
Barbecue Exchange
Over my spring break, I got a new motorcycle! This isn’t directly food-related, but I wanted to share the whole story of visiting Barbecue Exchange, which is a barbecue joint in Gordonsville that my family frequents often on our motorcycles. We waited for a nice, sunny afternoon, and we set off on our bikes: me … Continue reading
Truffle Honey Parmesan Fries
This post is about a dish I affectionately call “Magic Sweet Taters.” They’re a riff on the truffle honey fries I just blogged about at Avalon restaurant. I decided to make my version with sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes because they’re a more Paleo-friendly starch in that they’re more nutrient dense and that they … Continue reading
Dinner at Avalon in Richmond
The first weekend of my spring break, I attended a Matchbox 20 concert in Richmond. I made two earth-shattering discoveries on the night of the concert: the first was that the lead singer, Rob Thomas, of Matchbox 20 is the same person as Rob Thomas, solo artist. I know it seems like a trivial discovery, … Continue reading
Beet Sliders
Beets are a little bit off the fall-flavor trend I’ve been sticking to, but I wanted to share the story of this dish regardless. I just tried beets for the first time this year and found them delicious. This is the first way I tried cooking beets, and they came out splendidly! I started by … Continue reading
Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes
The Thanksgiving recipe series is finished, and I want to share a few more fall-themed recipes before the next holiday arrives. Christmas is so close, but it really doesn’t feel like it yet in Charlottesville. It’s gorgeously sunny and 60 degrees today, hardly the typical weather for mid-December. It keeps me in the fall spirit … Continue reading
Thanksgiving Series: Autumn Cranberry Salad
Happy very belated Thanksgiving. Although that particular holiday has passed, I have wonderful pictures and recipes to share from November! Please excuse lateness of this post and perhaps take ideas for the upcoming Christmas holiday season. This post will be the first in a short series about the dishes my family served at Thanksgiving, so … Continue reading
