Roanoke farmers markets making local foods more accessible
The plump local peaches with their velveteen skin looked too good for LaRue Dickerson to pass up on a blistering July afternoon. After picking up his 2-year-old daughter, Lynessa, from the Total Action for Progress HeadStart preschool on Shenandoah Avenue in Roanoke, Dickerson, 30, stopped at a farm stand outside the school and bought his family some fruit to supplement the tomatoes, cucumbers, squash and peas he grows. “Peaches is
Review: Roanoke’s newest Fork sticks to the standards
Those who frequent dining establishments in and around Roanoke are probably familiar with the Fork restaurants — a string of three local eateries that dot the Roanoke landscape and feature items such as brick-oven pizzas, hot dogs, burgers and salads . The flagship location, Fork in the Alley, can be found in south Roanoke, while the second, Fork in the City, is located at Sixth Street and Marshall Avenue. In
Out & about: Get free samples at Roanoke City Market Building on Sunday
A little food, a little beer and a little bluegrass will combine to lure citizens to the Roanoke City Market Building this Sunday for a meet-and-greet with vendors. At “Meet the Market,” shoppers will have a chance to taste free samples provided by the food court’s nine vendors: Queso Southwestern Grill, Habana Cafe, Allsports Cafe, Euro Bakery, Firefly Fare, Fork in the Market, Bayou Snowballs, New York Subs and Hong
FRONT BURNER: Enter our Instagram food photo contest
If someone whipped out a camera at the dinner table 20 years ago, they’d probably attract some funny looks. Today, thanks to the proliferation of cellphones and our obsession with food and cooking, taking a picture before eating is almost as normal as draping a napkin across our laps. We plate and style our food at home as if we work for Bon Appetit. We snap a picture of every
Review: Grady’s BBQ a good catch near Claytor Lake
If you fish on the New River, you’ve probably heard of The Sportsman, a gas station, convenience store and campground located right on the river below Claytor Lake Dam near Radford. But maybe you don’t know that Grady’s BBQ, a restaurant located inside the store, is a pretty nifty stop for vittles that can be eaten in a natural setting. Neither of us is a fisherman, but we traveled to
GOOD LIBATIONS: Exploring Thomas Jefferson’s Italian connection
The study of how forged friendships have influenced the course of history can be fascinating. Consider the 40-year friendship of founding father Thomas Jefferson and Philip Mazzei. Mazzei was born in the Italian region of Tuscany (home of Chianti) in 1730. After school he practiced medicine in Turkey before moving to London in 1755 to become a wine merchant. He was introduced to Benjamin Franklin and Virginia businessman and politician
FRONT BURNER: Pearisburg native shows there’s more to s’mores
Roasted marshmallows, chocolate and graham crackers combine for a flavor that instantly transports many of us to happy times spent perched beside a campfire with a sharpened stick in hand. For 38-year-old Pearisburg native Susan Whetzel , the taste of s’mores means so much more — it is the flavor of success. Whetzel’s cookbook, “The S’mores Cookbook,” was recently published by Adams Media , with a foreword by TV food
Review: Classics on the menu at Hometown Family Restaurant
Hometown Family Restaurant on Brambleton Avenue in Roanoke County has been serving generous portions of American favorites since they opened in September 2012. The restaurant, which is styled like a log cabin, is located in the former Pitt Boss BBQ location. My first trip to Hometown was for dinner on a Sunday evening. The interior has a casual, homey feel with a spacious dining room and a choice of booths
FRONT BURNER: Umami: The 5th flavor
Let’s pretend for a moment that we are contestants on “Jeopardy!” The category is “The human body” and the answer Alex reads is “The five distinct flavors detected by human taste buds.” This is easy, you might think, because we learned this in grade school. You can even picture the diagram of the human tongue labeled with the flavors picked up by each region of the organ. You frantically buzz
Review: Jim’s offers tasty, solid roadside fare
Longtime residents of the New River Valley may remember the “old” Cloyd’s Mountain Road, a twisted stretch of asphalt that made Virginia 100 seem like a near-certain death trap. In the late 1990s the mountain received a face-lift that changed the entire landscape and straightened out those tight turns. One landmark that survived the massive road project was Jim’s Drive-Inn . The drive-in is nestled at the base of Cloyd’s
FRONT BURNER: Amplified tastes at Rock & Roll Diner food truck
During his 20s, Charlie Hamill sweated through shifts as a restaurant prep cook, whipping up sauces by the gallon so he could afford to do what he loved most: make music. These days, the 46-year-old Roanoke native finds himself playing a lot of gigs to help fund his main endeavor: cooking. The irony of the situation is not lost on Hamill, but in a way, it makes perfect sense. He
Out & about: Ewald Notter to show his confectionery talents at Taubman
Some artists work in water colors, clay or metals, but Ewald Notter of Switzerland is world famous for the beautiful creations he makes with sugar and chocolate. On Tuesday , the renowned master of confectionery arts will be at the Taubman Museum of Art for a demonstration of his talents. His appearance is made possible by the Southwestern Virginia chapter of the American Culinary Federation and the museum. Notter is
Out & about: City Farmers Market making stops at Riverside Sport Complex
Beginning next week, Roanoke City Farmers Market shoppers will find their favorite vendors, along with food trucks and live music, at the Riverside Sports Complex every Thursday evening from 4 to 7 p.m. through Aug. 29. City Market at the River is an event aimed at giving customers an additional opportunity to shop for local meat, produce and other goods during the work week. In addition to the Thursday night
Review: Simple and homemade at Sarah’s Place
As downtown Roanoke’s living options have expanded, so too have the number of casual and easy dining options, now including Sarah’s Place, a small café and bakery located in The Patrick Henry on Jefferson Street. Sarah’s Place describes itself as specializing in “simply good food,” serving the early morning breakfast crowd and lunch goers throughout the week. My first visit to Sarah’s Place was around eight o’clock one morning for
FRONT BURNER: Dehydrating food a little tricky, a lot of fun
While other kids were eating Fruit Roll-Ups in the 1980s, Terry Doyle’s three daughters snacked on fruit leather made from homemade applesauce and other pureed fruit in their mother’s food dehydrator. That was just one way Doyle was able to squeeze every penny from her husband’s Marine Corps income, which was the only income their family ever had. “I never wasted anything,” said Doyle, who has settled in Roanoke with
Review: Fine dining at The Bank in Pearisburg proves sound investment
I recently coerced two well-traveled ladies — who have sampled cuisine from South Carolina’s shores to the South of France — to join me for a fine dining expedition to The Bank Food and Drink in Pearisburg. The owners of the former bank, Linda and Lynn Haynes, had leased it to several restaurateurs before deciding to remodel and reopen the restaurant themselves in 2012. Chef Michael Behmoiras leads the kitchen.
FRONT BURNER: Roanoke chefs share their favorite local dishes
One of the Food Network’s most interesting shows is “The Best Thing I Ever Ate,” in which celebrity chefs and other well-known food personalities are asked where they like to eat during their time off. If I’m clicking through the channels and this show is on, I always have to stop so I can learn about Bobby Flay’s favorite BBQ ribs or the restaurant Sunny Anderson always hits up for
Review: Habana Cafe brings Cuban flair to downtown Roanoke
I’ve heard grumbling that the renovated Roanoke City Market Building lacks the charm and atmosphere of the old place. To those people and to anyone looking for a great place to spend a summer evening, I’d recom mend a trip to Habana Cafe. This restaurant and bar opened in the market building in January 2012. Owner Yordanys “Yordy” Rosenda got the idea to open the restaurant while his other business,
GOOD LIBATIONS: Delaware's Dogfish Head pushes the envelope of creative brewing
I recently found myself in Delaware. Because I was only a few miles from Milton, home of the innovative Dogfish Head brewery, I cruised over to visit it. The tours are popular, so booking online in advance is recommended. We drove through bucolic countryside with dairy cattle and emerald fields of corn, grain and other crops. We knew we were approaching the brewery when we saw a group of tall,
FRONT BURNER: Creating stand out side dishes
At a big summer cookout, when the table is laden with side dishes, my eyes tend to pass right over the pasta and potato salads. I have nothing against a good macaroni salad or someone’s family potato salad recipe, but my stomach can only stretch so much. I’d rather fill that valuable real estate with something new and unusual. Besides, while down-home family standards have their place at every cookout,
1. 41-vehicle wreck ties up traffic Sunday on I-81 in Rockbridge County
2. Virginia Tech football roster has holes on picture day
3. Medicare penalties hit hospitals in Roanoke, New River Valleys
4. Microfestivus beer event gets downtown Roanoke hopping
5. McFarling: 2 little numbers are a big hurdle for Virginia Tech football
6. DAN CASEY: Copter cost still stirring up dust
7. Roanoke farmers markets making local foods more accessible
8. Arrest made in case of missing Nelson County teen
9. Virginia attorney general's office grows under Ken Cuccinelli
10. Man's drowning is 5th in Lynchburg area
THE ROANOKE TIMES
