Charlottesville Food by Casey Ireland

Published by American Palate
    A Division of The History Press
    Charleston, SC 29403
    www.historypress.net
    Copyright © 2014 by Casey Ireland
    All rights reserved
    First published 2014
    e-book edition 2014
    ISBN 978.1.62584.165.0
    Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
    Ireland, Casey, author.
    Charlottesville food : a history of eating local in Jefferson’s city / Casey Ireland.
    pages cm
    Summary: “From the early days of ThomasJefferson’s Garden Book at Monticelloto the hustle and bustle of the modern City Market on Water Street, Charlottesville has an illustrious culinary history. The city’s cuisine ischaracterized by a delight in locally raised ingredients. The locavorementality appears at all levels of Charlottesville’s food industry, includingthe nationally acknowledged methods of Joel Salatin’s Polyface Farms, thesourcing of local pork for Chipotle’s Charlottesville location and theaccessibility of regional ingredients everywhere from Whole Foods Market toonline favorite Relay Foods. Author and food enthusiast Casey Ireland explores how Charlottesville’s residents have created a food culture that is all their own”--Provided by publisher.
    Summary: “A history of food culture past and present in Charlottesville, VA”--Provided by publisher.
    Includes bibliographical references (pages ).
    print edition ISBN 978-1-62619-027-6 (paperback)
    1. Local food--Virginia--Charlottsville--History. 2. Cooking--Virginia--Charlottsville--History. 3. Charlottsville (Va.)--Social life and customs. I. Title.
    TX360.U63C435 2014
    641.59755’48--dc23
    2013050304
    Notice : The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. It is offered without guarantee on the part of the author or The History Press. The author and The History Press disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.
    All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever without prior written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

For my parents and sister, lovers of good meals and good books .

Foreword
    A few months ago, I went to Portland, Maine, to visit family and friends. Over truffled mac and cheese with a massive glistening pillow of lobster meat on top, my cousin asked me if the farm-to-table movement was as strong in Charlottesville as it was in Portland. I nodded vigorously and told her that Forbes magazine had referred to us as the “locavore capital of the world” and that we’ve also long enjoyed the honor of having more restaurants per capita than anywhere else in the country. At this, the locals at the table let out a collective guffaw. Portland, they said, is well known to have the most restaurants per capita in the country, and the local food movement is not really even a “movement” there because it’s the way it’s always been. We all took sips of our locally produced pale ales and cabernets and smiled tight smiles at each other.
    Reflecting on this later, I decided that both of us must be wrong. Surely there are more restaurants per capita in New York City than in either Portland or Charlottesville. And what are the chances that this local food craze sweeping the nation started in one of our small towns? Some quick Googling revealed that the current title-holder of “most restaurants per capita” is actually Juneau, Alaska, and that there is no consensus whatsoever about the origins of this modern incarnation of the local food movement (though Michael Pollan and Joel Salatin are surely founding fathers, with the latter giving central Virginia an edge over Portland, if I may be so bold).
    So why are we sparring over mac and cheese, trying to claim some small victory in this local food arena for our little towns?
    Until recently, my wife and I ran a restaurant reviews and food news blog in