Taking a Chance (con't)
They had come too far to quit, but the restaurant could not run on desire alone. Luckily, a few breaks rolled in. Their landlord made an in-kind donation of rent, Beth’s dad surprised them with a check, and local vendors allowed delayed payments. They made it! foodē opened! As Beth described it in her blog,“. . . Day 1 of the First 365. I’m not quite sure what to say … even though we are starting this venture four months later than we thought (and might I add thousands – and I mean thousands – of dollars poorer), it’s almost as if we still had no idea what to expect.”
Starting a business is a whirlwind of rules, restrictions, permits and paperwork. What begins as a romantic desire to be one’s own boss soon gives way to the reality of going it alone. Stress levels soar, confidence nosedives, and there is never enough money. And that’s all before opening. Recognizing that success in the corporate world was not going to be enough, two first-timers, Joy Crump and Beth Black, took the plunge. They quit high paying corporate jobs with benefits and plunged into the unfamiliar world of small restaurant ownership.
Over two years later, Joy and Beth are breathing again. foodē is a success. As the first farm-to-table restaurant in the Fredericksburg area, their philosophy is simple: the freshest, cleanest ingredients make the best dishes. They also believe in supporting the local community by serving products grown and harvested in the local region. They serve only the best organically-grown vegetables, organically-raised beef, free-range chickens and hormone-free eggs along with other quality products from Virginia and neighboring states. On any given day, they source between 85 percent to 90 percent of their food from local farms and merchants. Although finding the best suppliers was a grueling process, it has paid off ten-fold.
On a recent data-gathering visit for brunch, my “research team” found their food superceded expectations. We started with the cherry apple salad, a unique treat of organic greens, sweetly spiced pecans, dried organic tart cherries, and gala apples dressed with a house-made creamy feta. After getting our daily fiber requirement out of the way, we moved on to the real reason for our visit: the buttermilk biscuits with pecan brown sugar cinnamon butter and . . . drum roll please . . .the chicken and waffle. The buttermilk fried chicken is the closest thing to bliss I have found. The juicy, succulent chicken is lightly coated in a crunchy buttermilk crust with just the right amount of seasoning. The biscuits have soft and tender outsides with a delicate, flakey crust with the cinnamon butter adding a hint of sweetness to the savory biscuit.
Although word-of-mouth is what brings people into the restaurant, attention to detail and outstanding customer service keeps them coming back. Joy and Beth are relentless in their quest to satisfy customers. Joy adjusts dishes daily based on customer feedback. The customers are part of the owners’ extended family. Both owners recognize the importance of regulars and nurture them on a daily basis. As a result, the Fredericksburg community has embraced foodē and its two spunky owners. As Joy described it, “The people of Fredericksburg are phenomenal. First I got married to them, and then I fell in love.”
As a tribute to the community, Joy has shared her recipe for Sweet Potato Dip. The recipe highlights her creativity as a chef in using the freshest, in-season local produce.
sweet potato dip (makes about 1 qt.)
ingredients:
3 lbs. sweet potatoes
about 2 tbs olive oil
1 small red onion, small diced
1 bunch fresh cilantro (most of the stems removed), chopped fine
2 roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped fine
juice of 1 lemon
1 tbs honey
½ fresh
jalapeño chile, seeded and chopped fine
salt and pepper to taste
method:
bake sweets at 400 degrees until fully tender and very soft, about 80 minutes. cool potatoes for about 20 minutes or until you can easily handle them. scoop flesh into the bowl of a food processor (discard the skins). add the remaining ingredients and puree using the pulse button until the dip is nicely incorporated. you should still see small bits of onion, cilantro and jalapeño and you may need to scrape the sides of the bowl during the process. season to taste with the salt and pepper. serve with corn tortilla chips.
To conduct your own research, visit foodē at 1006 Caroline Street, Fredericksburg, Virginia, (540) 479-1370. They are open Tuesday through Friday for lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and dinner from 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday hours are 10 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. for brunch and 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. for dinner. On Sundays, they serve brunch only from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Just make sure you leave me a piece of chicken; it sells out quickly!
Starting a business is a whirlwind of rules, restrictions, permits and paperwork. What begins as a romantic desire to be one’s own boss soon gives way to the reality of going it alone. Stress levels soar, confidence nosedives, and there is never enough money. And that’s all before opening. Recognizing that success in the corporate world was not going to be enough, two first-timers, Joy Crump and Beth Black, took the plunge. They quit high paying corporate jobs with benefits and plunged into the unfamiliar world of small restaurant ownership.
Over two years later, Joy and Beth are breathing again. foodē is a success. As the first farm-to-table restaurant in the Fredericksburg area, their philosophy is simple: the freshest, cleanest ingredients make the best dishes. They also believe in supporting the local community by serving products grown and harvested in the local region. They serve only the best organically-grown vegetables, organically-raised beef, free-range chickens and hormone-free eggs along with other quality products from Virginia and neighboring states. On any given day, they source between 85 percent to 90 percent of their food from local farms and merchants. Although finding the best suppliers was a grueling process, it has paid off ten-fold.
On a recent data-gathering visit for brunch, my “research team” found their food superceded expectations. We started with the cherry apple salad, a unique treat of organic greens, sweetly spiced pecans, dried organic tart cherries, and gala apples dressed with a house-made creamy feta. After getting our daily fiber requirement out of the way, we moved on to the real reason for our visit: the buttermilk biscuits with pecan brown sugar cinnamon butter and . . . drum roll please . . .the chicken and waffle. The buttermilk fried chicken is the closest thing to bliss I have found. The juicy, succulent chicken is lightly coated in a crunchy buttermilk crust with just the right amount of seasoning. The biscuits have soft and tender outsides with a delicate, flakey crust with the cinnamon butter adding a hint of sweetness to the savory biscuit.
Although word-of-mouth is what brings people into the restaurant, attention to detail and outstanding customer service keeps them coming back. Joy and Beth are relentless in their quest to satisfy customers. Joy adjusts dishes daily based on customer feedback. The customers are part of the owners’ extended family. Both owners recognize the importance of regulars and nurture them on a daily basis. As a result, the Fredericksburg community has embraced foodē and its two spunky owners. As Joy described it, “The people of Fredericksburg are phenomenal. First I got married to them, and then I fell in love.”
As a tribute to the community, Joy has shared her recipe for Sweet Potato Dip. The recipe highlights her creativity as a chef in using the freshest, in-season local produce.
sweet potato dip (makes about 1 qt.)
ingredients:
3 lbs. sweet potatoes
about 2 tbs olive oil
1 small red onion, small diced
1 bunch fresh cilantro (most of the stems removed), chopped fine
2 roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped fine
juice of 1 lemon
1 tbs honey
½ fresh
jalapeño chile, seeded and chopped fine
salt and pepper to taste
method:
bake sweets at 400 degrees until fully tender and very soft, about 80 minutes. cool potatoes for about 20 minutes or until you can easily handle them. scoop flesh into the bowl of a food processor (discard the skins). add the remaining ingredients and puree using the pulse button until the dip is nicely incorporated. you should still see small bits of onion, cilantro and jalapeño and you may need to scrape the sides of the bowl during the process. season to taste with the salt and pepper. serve with corn tortilla chips.
To conduct your own research, visit foodē at 1006 Caroline Street, Fredericksburg, Virginia, (540) 479-1370. They are open Tuesday through Friday for lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and dinner from 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday hours are 10 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. for brunch and 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. for dinner. On Sundays, they serve brunch only from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Just make sure you leave me a piece of chicken; it sells out quickly!