VA Foodie

04/17/2025

If you're visiting Staunton, VA, here are some of our favorite places to eat & drink! https://vafoodie.com/the-best-places-to-eat-in-staunton-va/

04/16/2025

When Chef Ashton Carter met Ian Newell of Goatocado at Yoga Jam in Floyd, VA, he had no idea that encounter would eventually lead him to Richmond. After working in a variety of restaurants and farms all over Virginia, Chef Ashton landed in Varina, to help run Celeste Farms owned by Ian.
Now, Chef Ashton brings his culinary expertise to the table, tapping into the local produce and creating amazing meals.
Celeste Farms hosts incredible farm-to-table dinners that often book out months in advance. (Plan ahead if you want a ticket!)

Learn more about them here: https://www.celestefarms.com/

04/15/2025

Whether you’re just passing through or you’re spending some time in Front Royal, Virginia, there are a few, must-visit restaurants! Here are some of our favorites 😍 https://vafoodie.com/things-to-do-in-front-royal-va/

Glen Manor Vineyards Soul Mountain Restaurant & Bar Down Home Comfort Bakery Khukuri Nepali Cuisine Los Potrillos Mexican Restaurant

04/08/2025

With ongoing uncertainty surrounding federal funding for food access programs and local agriculture, initiatives like Virginia Fresh Match play a crucial role in bridging the gap. Learn how they're expanding to serve the community.

With grocery prices up 23% since 2020, nearly half of Virginia families are being forced to cut back on fresh produce due to rising costs. Across the state, families face impossible choices between food, rent,

04/08/2025

Look at this photograph of the dining room in the Hotel Warwick of Newport News, built in 1928. 😍 What do you think was on the menu?

📸 via Newport News Public Library System

04/03/2025

(ad) Looking for your next girls’ trip destination? Head to Williamsburg! I went here for a girls’ weekend and these are the must-visit places for the best food & drinks:
Start in Yorktown and visit for lunch and for dessert, and then stroll down Yorktown beach! You can walk along the waterfront, visit the local bookstore, then stop in to and visit at the American Revolution Museum. 
Then head into Williamsburg and grab dinner at . If the weather is nice, try to snag a seat on the patio! They also have great drink selections, so grab a local beer or try one of their cocktails!
When it’s time to rest your head, take a load off at . This retro motel has been thoughtfully restored, and it has such a cool vibe. They have 22 rooms and suites, so there’s plenty of room for your whole squad!
The next morning, try a hot yoga class at .circle.va or hop on an e-bike ride along the Virginia Capital Trail at in so you can work up an appetite.
When you’re hungry, grab breakfast at .co. If they have the kerfuffle pancake on the menu, you MUST order it. This was also a great spot for the gluten-free girlies, with plenty of GF options.
When you’re ready for lunch, hit up and ask for the house dressing on your sandwich. Trust me.
Spend the afternoon walking around , and be sure to tour the Governor’s Palace.
For dinner, grab your girlfriends and head to a wine tasting at followed by dinner at the Gabriel Archer Tavern. If they have the chocolate torte on the menu, order it.
The next morning, you must visit for one of their famous sticky buns, and you should also grab a triple onion bagel for the road. If you’re still feeling hungry on your way home, stop by for a smoothie bowl!

We had such a fun girls’ trip in , and the food scene is amazing! I can’t wait to go back. If you have a favorite spot in Williamsburg, let me know in the comments!

03/29/2025

The weather is getting beautiful and our calendars are filling up with all sorts of fun events for April! For the full list, check out vafoodie.com!

🌯 National Burrito Day April 5 (tag your favorite burrito spot - we’d love to give them a try)
🎵 Sip & Swiftie Brunch (pictured) April 12 & April 13
🍽️ Richmond Restaurant Week April 21-27

✨ If you’d like your event featured on our May line up, please send the deets to [email protected] by April 20th!

03/20/2025

Ready to hit up the farmer's markets? Here are a few of our favorite places to shop in the springtime!
https://vafoodie.com/the-best-spring-markets-in-virginia-and-what-to-buy/

What's your favorite market to visit?

Harrisonburg Farmers Market (Official) Old Town Farmers' Market, Alexandria, VA Arlington Farmers Market by FreshFarm South of the James Farmers Market Charlottesville City Market

Springtime in Virginia is a foodie’s dream, especially for those who love farm-fresh produce from local markets. We love winter markets, too, but it's hard to beat the spring and summer produce packed with crisp

03/01/2025

🍀 March is HERE! From local wine to St. Patrick's Day events, there is something for every taste - check out our full list on the blog for events happening all over the state. We're sharing the ✨highlights✨ below ⬇️ Let us know in the comments where you'll be!

🍽️ 2/24 - 2/2 Restaurant Week (Fairfax)
🍽️ 3/2 - International Food Fest (Manassas)
🍽️ 3/14 Pi-Day Pizza Party (Ashland)
🍽️ 3/14 St. Patrick's Day at (Williamsburg)
🍽️ 3/29-3/30 Norfolk Street Food Festival (Norfolk)

So many fun things for foodies to do! Cheers 🍻

📸:

02/26/2025

Don't miss an exclusive screening of Finding Edna Lewis, the first major documentary on the groundbreaking Virginia-born chef, produced and hosted by Deb Freeman. Explore Edna’s impact on Southern cuisine and food culture in a thought-provoking discussion.

📅 Thursday, Feb. 27, 5:30 PM |
📍 Institute for Contemporary Art at VCU | $40 pp

Meet this week’s .weekly Guest Editor, Deb Freeman ()!

Deb is a culinary anthropologist exploring the intersections of race, culture, and food in Virginia and the South. She’s the executive producer and host of ‘Finding Edna Lewis’ on PBS and the creator of ‘Setting the Table,’ an award-winning podcast on Black foodways. You may have seen her on ‘Finding Flavor’ (Max), ‘The Key Ingredient’ (PBS), or read her work in Eater, Condé Nast Traveler, Food52, and more!

✨Check out Deb’s top event picks:

Discover the Legacy of Edna Lewis – Special Screening Event
➡️ An exclusive screening of Finding Edna Lewis, the first major documentary on the groundbreaking Virginia-born chef, produced and hosted by Deb Freeman. Explore Edna’s impact on Southern cuisine and food culture in a thought-provoking discussion.
📅 Thursday, Feb. 27, 5:30 PM |
📍 | $40 pp

Free Tours of the Black History Museum & Cultural Center of Virginia
➡️ Join AARP Virginia every Friday during Black History Month for a free guided tour exploring key themes of Black history. Spaces are limited—reserve your spot today!
today!
📅 Feb. 21 & 28, 1:00 - 2:00 PM |
📍 | FREE

Abraham Lincoln at Home in the Kitchen
➡️ Did you know Lincoln used to cook for his family? This presentation dives into 19th-century recipes like jumble cookies, rhubarb tonic, and slow-cooked barbecue—giving a taste of history at Lincoln’s dinner table.
📅 Sunday, Feb. 23, 2:00 - 3:00 PM |
📍 Meadow Farm Museum at Crump Park | FREE

Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra in Concert
➡️ Experience Richmond’s rising stars as the Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra () performs Haydn’s Symphony No. 103 alongside woodwinds, brass, and percussion.
📅 Sunday, Feb. 23, 7:00 PM |
📍 Carpenter Theatre at | FREE

Want to receive future volumes of Here.Weekly in your inbox? Subscribe at hereweekly.com.

02/24/2025

The 2025 Governor's Cup Winners were just announced and we are SO excited about this list! 🏆
If you're not familiar with the Governor's Cup, it's one of the most stringent wine competitions in the US. Judges use the 100 point scale to rate the most outstanding wines Virginia has to offer. So this list of winners? You can trust they're the best of the best! Cheers to these champs! 🍷 You can see the full list at virginiawine.org.
Some of our favorites on the list are ' 2021 Meritage & 2023 Viognier. 😍

Grab a ticket to the Governor's Cup gala on March 13th, and you can taste these award-winning wines!
This list also includes cider, and we were thrilled to see & on the list! There are so many great ones, we can't name them all 😅 so check out the full list!

02/19/2025

Stay cozy during this weather and make a pot of this vegetable lentil soup! Nearly everything in this recipe came from 🥰 https://vafoodie.com/vegetable-lentil-soup/

02/18/2025

We heard it's National Drink Wine Day, so who are we to argue? 😉 You can certainly pop the cork of your favorite local bottle of Virginia wine, but here are a few ideas to take your wine tasting to the next level:

✍️ Take a wine tasting class at places like (Richmond) or (Washington, VA)

🛍️ Visit a bottle shop like (Richmond), (Arlington) or (Charlottesville)

🚲 Go on an e-bike wine tour with and explore some of the best wineries in the Shenandoah Valley!

🎧 Listen to on the podcast! (The episode came out just a couple of weeks ago!)

What's your favorite way to enjoy a glass of local wine?

02/13/2025

🍔 Here’s your sign to skip the fancy dinner and grab a juicy, drool-worthy burger! Nothing says LOVE quite like a classic burger. 😉

We’ve gathered our list of the top-rated spots in Virginia - check it below 👇 but we’ve got the full list on VAFoodie.com

📍SMASHED RVA - Richmond

Recommend: The Mac Smash and the OG Smash

📍EAZZZY BURGER - Richmond

Recommend: The chile relleno burger

📍BURGER HAVEN- Chesapeake

Recommend: The classic burger (oh, and they now have a veggie burger on the menu!)

📍BIG BUNS - Arlington, Fairfax, Ashburn, Herndon, Reston, & Vienna

Recommend: The big short burger (February’s Burger of the month!)

📍REPEAL BOURBON - Virginia Beach

Recommend: Californication and Silly Gr**go

📍CITIZEN BURGER BAR - Charlottesville

Recommend: The Hotness (OR the Kinda Vegan)

📍RED APRON BUTCHER - Fairfax

Recommend: The Red Apron Original

📍 NEW NECK BURGER - Tappahannock & Kimarnock

Recommend: Top Notch Truffle Burger

📍BROWN CHICKEN BROWN COW - Newport News

Recommend: Local Yokel

YOUR TURN! Tag your favorite spot so we have some new places to try 🫶

02/12/2025

Here are a few itineraries for getting active and fed in every corner of the state: paired destinations for fitness and food an hour or less apart! Which one will you try?

https://vafoodie.com/2017-2-20-stay-fit-and-fed-with-a-virginia-day-trip/

02/11/2025

Festival season will be here before you know it so start marking your calendar NOW for these food events happening in 2025! https://vafoodie.com/2025-food-festivals-in-virginia/

Here are a few we've got our eyes on:
Tom Tom Founder’s Festival – Charlottesville: April 16-20, 2025
Williamsburg Craft Beer Festival – Williamsburg: May 3, 2025
JamPacked Craft Beer & Music Festival– Richmond: August 9, 2025

Festival season is around the corner, and tons of events are being held all over the state, from Blue Ridge to Tidewater. The key ingredient to any good festival? The food & drinks! Read on

02/08/2025

This is Gillian Field, co-owner of Union Market, in the shop’s wine aisle. The community market sells a variety of international and local goods, including this bottle of Common Wealth Crush Co.’s Party Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc, produced in the Shenandoah Valley.⁠
⁠https://virginialiving.com/towns/exploring-richmonds-church-hill-bakeries-history-and-more/
⁠
Written by Hope Cartwright⁠
Photo by Fred + Elliott⁠
⁠

02/03/2025

Valentine’s Day is around the corner so ditch the generic chocolates and enjoy a tasty handcrafted treat from local Virginia chocolatiers! 😍 Our guide on VAFoodie.com will help you discover local chocolate makers who make tasty truffles and decadent desserts.

Here are some of our favorites:
has been around since 2001, creating distinctive artisan chocolates in Charlottesville, VA. You can find their bars all around Virginia in places like in Ashland and in Richmond!
Warfels Sweet Shoppe, operating since 1993 in Shenandoah Valley, produces fresh, quality chocolates and sweets in small batches. We recommend the chocolate pecan toffee. 🤤

(pictured) has artisan chocolates that are all handmade in small batches and will have expanded hours the week of Valentine’s Day!

is a family-owned chocolate shop with locations in Arlington and Mclean. They have beautifully made chocolate truffles with flavors ranging from cardamom orange (their vegan flavor) to raspberry to bourbon pecan.

is the place to go for gourmet chocolate in the Virginia Beach area. They have some amazing treats like truffles and chocolate covered strawberries! 🍓

in Wi******er aims to create memorable and delicious artisan chocolates using fresh, local ingredients and time-honored French methods.

in Roanoke has plenty of special occasion chocolate cakes. If you have a special order, place at least 48 hours in advance!

Do you have a favorite chocolate that we missed? Tell us in the comments!

Check out VAFoodie.com for the full list of chocolatiers in Virginia!