We Mill Because We Must: Sub Rosa Bakery

Fall is just around the corner and we are getting into that brown liquor with Mary Allison, distiller at Richmond's own Reservoir Distillery. Reservoir has a small portfolio of whiskeys made with Virginia-grown grains—and often aged in Virginia wood, too—making their bottles a real local treat. We sat down with Mary to drink some rye and talk about her work at Reservoir, what she loves about whiskey, and why you should probably visit their Scott's Addition tasting room BEFORE your dinner at Peter Chang's, not after.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Reservoir Distillery
• Moore Street Cafe

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• Richmond Famous
• Richmond Famous on Instagram
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Next up on the beverage parade, Virginia's OG historical quaff, CIDER! Courtney Mailey, founder and original cider maker, opened Blue Bee in 2012. It quickly became one of Richmond's most-loved beverages and since 2016 has resided in the old Richmond city stables in Scott's Addition. We joined Courtney at the cidery and she talked to us about wildling apples, blue orchard bees, her favorite cider experiments, and the process of opening Virginia's first urban cidery.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Blue Bee
• Blue Bee on Instagram
• Foggy Ridge Cider
• Albemarle Ciderworks

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• Richmond Famous
• Richmond Famous on Instagram
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Since 2009 Lamplighter Coffee Roasters has been at the forefront of the RVA coffee scene. Their original location on Addison street in the Fan has been called "Richmond's Living Room" and coffee lovers all over the city know them for their friendly, warm vibe, incredible specialty coffee, and coffee training and education programs. We chatted with Noelle Forest, one of Lamplighter's three founders, about coffee in Richmond past and present.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Lamplighter

• Lamplighter on Instagram

• Alamo BBQ

• Richmond Cycling Corps

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• Richmond Famous

• Richmond Famous on Instagram

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Richmond’s chefs, home cooks, and those with an eye for impeccable design already know Mr. Rob Bland, the proprietor and curator of specialty home and kitchen goods shop Accoutre in Scott’s Addition. We visited with him at the beautiful space and talked shop. (Get it?) Accoutre is the spot for hand-crafted, well-designed kitchen and housewares. We talked with Rob about his backstory, his favorite kitchen tools, and the Richmond dining scene. Oh and some brush talk and mayonnaise talk. Lots of mayonnaise talk.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Accoutre

• Accoutre on Instagram

• Longoven

• Iris Hantverk

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• Richmond Famous

• Richmond Famous on Instagram

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To celebrate their 20th episode, Nicole and Laura asked each other some of the questions they always ask their guests: how’d you end up in Richmond? How did you start working on food? What is your motto and WHERE DO YOU LIKE TO EAT PIZZA? Listen in to hear the answers.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Dinamo

• Nota Bene

• Giustino’s Pizza

• Patrick Henry Pub

• Van Halen

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• Richmond Famous

• Richmond Famous on Instagram

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Nominated as a James Beard Award semifinalist three times and known around the country for its incomparable bread and pastry work, Richmond’s own Sub Rosa Bakery hardly needs an introduction. Brother and sister team Evrim and Evin Dogu have put their all into the Church Hill spot, building it from a table in Evrim’s apartment to the thriving neighborhood center that it is today. We talked to them about what drew them to food, their relationship to the Richmond community, food culture vs. restaurant culture, milling their own flour, and what’s coming up for the bakery in the near future.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Sub Rosa on Instagram

• Bird House Farmers’ Market

• Antoine Guerlain and Sparrowbush Farm

• Dave Bauer

• Andrew Heyn and New American Stone Mills

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• Richmond Famous

• Richmond Famous on Instagram

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We know you’ve heard of Abuelita’s: #rvadine can’t stop talking about the delicious food coming out of Karina Benavides' and Everardo Fonseca’s temple to guisos Mexicanos. The two restaurant veterans, who are partners both in life and in love, opened a spot centered around Mexican home cooking and hospitality that is truly their own. We talk about thinking outside the “Mexican box;" the challenges involved in sticking with their vision; what it’s like being the hot new spot in Richmond; and their recent Elby nomination.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Abuelita’s

• Abuelita’s Instagram

• Cask Cafe

• El Cerro Azul

• Pepe’s

• Don Pepe’s

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• Richmond Famous

• Richmond Famous on Instagram

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017 Michelle Parrish Soul N’ Vinegar

Show Notes:

Nestled in the north end of Church Hill, in an area not far from some of the restaurants that helped put Richmond on the national dining map is a humble and petite food shop on a mission to feed its neighbors. Michelle Parrish talks with us about Soul N’ Vinegar, her oasis in a food desert, which serves "diverse foods for diverse peoples." Inspired by an entrepreneurial reality show and seeing friends running their own businesses, Michelle decided to take her years of culinary experience to an underserved community. She explains her journey, how she got the funds to build her business, and the secret to her vegan mayo.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Soul & Vinegar

• Soul & Vinegar Instagram

• Amuse

• Secco

• Whisk

• Robinson Theater

• Blue Sky Fund

• Art 180

• Oakwood Arts

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• Richmond Famous

• Richmond Famous on Instagram

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Richmond restaurant stalwart Abi Huntington, General Manager at beloved Italian-Jewish spot Dinamo, is our guest this week. Abbi cut her industry teeth at old-school Richmond haunts like Joe’s Inn and Avalon, where she started to fall for wine. Self-described as a "half-ass oenophile," she chatted with us about wine, the restaurant industry, leaving the city, confronting the new development near VCU, and confronting sexism in the wine industry.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Dinamo on Instagram

• Joe’s Inn

• Women in Wine

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• Richmond Famous

• Richmond Famous on Instagram

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From working together in the restaurant scene—long before Richmond was even a blip on the national food radar—to learning the ins and outs of growing food from seed up at a Northern farm, Melissa and Frayser Micou have had quite a journey to their current oasis in the city, Pomona Plants and Coffee. These past adventures inform their plant shop-cum-soda fountain-cum-coffee salon and make it one of the most thoughtfully curated spots in the city to chill. Pop in, pick a plant friend, order a beverage and a bite and feel the calming plant vibes wash over you. Trust us, it’s a lovely place to linger.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Pomona Plants & Coffee Instagram

• Thicket Design

• Bamboo Cafe

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• Richmond Famous

• Richmond Famous on Instagram

• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts