Lynchburg Living magazine’s Lynchburg Restaurant Week is a delicious way for locals and visitors alike to connect with the local flavors that make our community unique. From mouthwatering barbecue and soul-nourishing fried chicken to tantalizing spiced dishes and indulgently sweet desserts, this year’s Lynchburg Restaurant Week may just be our best yet.
From June 17 to June 24, a full roster of restaurants will be opening their doors and serving up fixed price menus with three-course meal options specially created for this culinary week. During Lynchburg Restaurant Week, you’ll have the chance to sample inventive appetizers, delectable entrees, rich desserts—and maybe even a beverage or two. But, don’t worry, if you have dietary restrictions that aren’t covered under a Lynchburg Restaurant Week menu or you’re simply craving something specific, you can order off-menu too.
If you found a dish that you can’t stop dreaming about or Lynchburg Restaurant Week led you to your new favorite restaurant, now is your time to share the love! All during Lynchburg Restaurant Week, you’ll have the opportunity to vote for your favorite participating restaurant. If they happen to be the lucky winner, they’ll receive some goodies from the Lynchburg Living team that’ll help support their business even further—a win win for everybody.
Presented by Lynchburg Living, this event is unlike any other in our area, featuring only local, home-grown eateries and benefiting the important work of local, nonprofit organizations, we’ve found a way to provide the public with great food at unbeatable prices all while helping a great cause.
Lynchburg Restaurant Week brings fabulous food to the greater Lynchburg region. Don’t miss a thing and follow us on Facebook; you may even catch some giveaway opportunities!
Take us along with you! Tag @LynchburgLiving on Instagram or Facebook and use #LRW2023 to show us the delicious meals you’re having.3
Vote for your favorite restaurant!
A New Dining Dynasty
Hen + Hound’s Plans for their Culinary Corner
Blue jeans and baseball caps are the typical uniform you might find downtown restaurateurs Dave and Chris Henderson in. The Lynchburg natives that founded The Water Dog and The Glass House have expanded their portfolio to bring Fratelli Italian Kitchen and Wine Bar and No. 7 Rooftop Bar into their new management group, Hen + Hound.
“Truth be told, we didn’t set out to start a management company,” Dave said.
Seeing the potential growth in their current businesses, Dave and Chris wanted to elevate their management team to run both sites effectively, with clear, delineated tasks for everyone.
“So out of necessity, we created the management company, and my chef suggested the name and we immediately loved it. ‘Hen’ is short for Henderson, and ‘Hound’ because we love dogs.”
Aside from adding new restaurants to Hen + Hound’s portfolio, the Hendersons also plan to reinvent The Glass House.
“While we desperately wanted to maintain it as a small music venue capable of bringing in local and regional musicians, COVID-19 forced us to make some pretty difficult decisions on the future of The Glass House,” Chris said.
Anyone walking down Jefferson St. will likely have seen the packed-up patio furniture, and maybe even pressed their face up against the glass of the former music venue to see what all the changes were about.
Photos by Ashlee Glenn. Left to right: Dave Henderson, Managing Partner. Candace Vinson, Executive Chef. Chris Henderson, Director of Operations. Courtney Henderson, Director of Marketing
“Our goal with The Glass House now is to create an upscale, sophisticated cocktail bar and lounge with a hyper-local, seasonal tapas-style menu capturing the essence of elevated southern cuisine,” Chris said.
According to Dave, Hen + Hound plans to reopen The Glass House “in late spring or early summer.”
The philosophy of innovation and elevation extends beyond The Glass House. Dave says that Hen + Hound’s management of Fratelli and No. 7 came about through happenstance.
“Those two establishments were going through a management transition and, frankly, we happened to be at the right place at the right time. We took over operations of both establishments on November 1 of last year with a six-phase plan to reintroduce them to Lynchburg,” Dave said.
While some of those phases concern behind the scenes operations, If you recently visited either restaurant, you may have noticed a few changes.
According to Dave, the six phases for the restaurants are: keep the doors open and make sure everyone gets paid; transition into new administrative systems, contracts, and suppliers; elevate existing menus; introduce local and sustainable food systems into the menus; delivering new experiences to customers, such as jazz nights at Fratelli, or bourbon and cigar pairing nights at No. 7; and the potential extension of hours to be open earlier and possibly introduce weekend brunch.
Phases one through three of Hen + Hound’s reinvention plan are complete, while the following three are in progress or still in the concept stage.
Both Dave and Chris have professional histories that uniquely qualify them to play a part in expanding the downtown restaurant scene. While Dave has experience on the financial side as a banker, Chris spent most of his life drawn to restaurant work of all kinds, either through necessity or preference.
“Everything I’ve done professionally in my life has led me to this moment with Hen + Hound. At the most basic level, I’ve worked my entire life for others to build and maintain their restaurants. Now we get to level up and build establishments with our own hands and our own vision for the restaurants and how they fit within our community,” Chris said.
Considering the varied food, drinks, and experiences you can and will be able to have at the four Hen + Hound restaurants, the Hendersons are still aiming for a fairly simple goal.
“The downtown community is now more than ever looking for new experiences that break the mold of the traditional restaurant experience. I think that we have a really unique opportunity—and, frankly, a responsibility—to help create a stronger and more vibrant community,” Dave said.
In just about every word they speak about their new undertaking, Dave and Chris agree that the key element of Hen + Hound is community.
As they spoke, Dave and Chris pointed out the various quirks and kitsch elements that make The Water Dog a fun and unique dining experience. It’s that point of difference that Dave feels the downtown food scene needs to draw customers in and make them feel like a business is more than “just a restaurant.”
“A strong vibrant urban core is vital to the success of our region. The Water Dog has embraced their location in the core of downtown as a catalyst for dynamic growth, success, and community. A successful downtown requires activity and The Water Dog has become the hub for community engagement, a hub for community,” Megan Lucas CEO and Chief Economic Development Officer for the Lynchburg Regional Business Alliance said.
The Hendersons suggest they have some exciting developments on the horizon for Hen + Hound. And, although they’ve received offers to bring other businesses under the newly formed management group, for the moment they are content with honing the formula with their current portfolio.
“We are pretty happy just trying to help make our little corner of the world in downtown Lynchburg, the kind of place we know it can be,” Chris said.
Artist Profile: Andrew Williams
Muralist paints life on a large scale
Muralist Andrew Williams has always been an artist. Born in West Palm Beach, Florida, Williams’ mother was a proponent of his connection with the arts from an early age.
“I had great access to art stores,” Williams remembered. “My mom would buy charcoal pencil sets and paper—I still have my first drawing pad. It started with charcoal drawings, and then I got into drawing Disney characters. From there, I transitioned to watercolor.”
That transition to watercolor was the first time Williams experimented with color—an experiment that led to his future as the muralist he is today. In 2016, Williams was contracted by The Draper Mercantile and Trading Company in Draper, Virginia, for a large-scale mural.
“I was good friends with the folks at Draper Mercantile and I had gifted the owner a watercolor of the building,” he said. “She offered to have me take a stab at the wall outside, which already had a mural on it, but it was faded. It’s a 160-foot wall and was the first mural I ever did.”
Photos Courtesy of Andrew Williams
The Draper Mercantile mural took three months for Williams to complete. The process began with sketches with pen and pencil on paper and then, once approved by the owner, the design transitioned onto the wall surface.
“While I was working on that mural, I was contacted by someone from Wytheville to do a 90-foot mural,” Williams said. “And it just kind of snowballed from there.”
In 2018, Williams’ muralist work brought him to Lynchburg when he was commissioned to paint a mural of Donkey Kong at The Water Dog. Then, just a few years later, The Water Dog team commissioned Williams to paint a large-scale sign for the entrance of Oktoberfest in downtown Lynchburg.
Photos Courtesy of Andrew Williams
“Dave [one of the owners of The Water Dog] wanted Donkey Kong, so that was pretty straight forward,” he explained. “But, as for the Oktoberfest sign, that was an incorporation of the logo mixed with German characters and beer. Dave pushed the envelope for me with the Oktoberfest sign because it opened up a different path to travel down and seeing the opportunities that can come with that. I’m excited to see the evolution of public art, and that’s what I’m trying to focus on for these next few years. I’m excited to see what’s next after murals for public art—what balances between a mural, a sculpture, etc. I’m excited to continue to explore the beautification of public events.”
Williams’ work keeps him traveling all over Virginia—hopping from one commission to the next. As of this writing, Williams has just finished a memorial for a WWII veteran and is currently working on a three-dimensional mural in Roanoke.
“I’m at the point in my career where I can find a wall that’s begging to be beautified,” Williams said. “I see a vision, and then I cold call it and pitch it. I’m not afraid to tackle any sort of project that someone may have. The more unique and the more crazy a project is, the more I want to do it. I’m not scared to push the envelope on some of these projects.”
A Focus on Food
The Summit Revamps their Culinary Program
Photos Courtesy of The Summit
Good nutrition is important at every age. Not only is food essential to life but it is also emotional, evokes the senses, and should taste good! The residents living at The Summit, a senior living facility in Lynchburg, are enjoying a major food upgrade with even more culinary progress on the horizon. Gone are the days of institutional food service in order to make way for fresh, exciting choices as residents enjoy a true destination dining experience.
For the last twenty years, The Summit has offered seniors Independent Living homes, spacious apartments, and Assisted Living residences with twenty-four-hour care.
“With its mission of providing residents with choices for purposeful living, The Summit is shifting services and amenities to be customizable, putting choices in the hands of those that call the community home,” explained Marketing Director Brenda Dixon.
Some of those choices extend to dining and meals.
“Our vision at The Summit is to provide a place for residents’ wellness to flourish where dining becomes an integral part of any wellness routine,” Dixon said. “While it has been known that a diet centered around fresh ingredients can improve your physical well-being, research is now finding that healthy eating habits can benefit your mental well-being as well. We promote community and friendship here at The Summit and we can’t think of a better way to promote community than through our culinary program by sharing a great experience around a great meal with friends. Our goal is to create a place where our residents know they can come and enjoy food that will help them maintain a healthy lifestyle.”
Photos Courtesy of The Summit
The menu at The Summit has gone through its share of changes over the years. Most recently, flexibility in menu creation, vendor sourcing, and resident input have become top priority. The atmosphere in the dining room at The Summit now feels more like a restaurant where community members can eat and enjoy. Residents choose from various meal plans, decide how often they want to eat, what they would like to eat, and how they want to spend their money on meals.
Some options on a recent menu, which rotates often, include pan-seared pork chop with peach barbecue sauce, grilled mahi with lemon garlic cream, and marinated beef medallions with mushroom demi-glace. If vegetarian choices are preferred, there is a vast array including butternut squash curry, spinach and artichoke dip pasta, and stewed chickpeas with eggplant and tomatoes. If a resident has a sweet tooth, there is a delicious dessert menu that includes French silk pie, cannoli, and brown sugar cake. There are also frequent ticketed coursed meals with wine pairings that residents can enjoy together as a community.
Who is responsible for these tasty changes at The Summit? Mitch Rodhe recently has become the Director of Culinary Services and has had a hand in implementing many improvements in his department. If you recognize his name, it could be from his last role as the Food and Beverage Director at the Craddock Terry Hotel, which includes Shoemakers and Waterstone Pizza.
Currently, only lunch and dinner are available to residents but a café is slated to open later this year where breakfast will be offered, including sandwiches, pastries, fresh fruit, bagels, and smoothies. Snacks and bites will be available focusing on finger foods and hors d’oeuvres to accompany the atmosphere of mingling and fellowship.
Photos Courtesy of The Summit
“The community can come together, soak up those gorgeous views, and enjoy a glass of wine and some appetizers,” Rodhe said of the café and its ability to utilize an outdoor patio area on warmer days.
Chef Rodhe assures that The Summit is able to meet each resident’s dietary needs and wants whether they are due to allergies or medical restrictions but also if a resident eats gluten-free or vegetarian by choice. The Summit has new resident meetings, focus groups, and committees to discover what residents love to eat and how they are able to deliver meals in a safe and delicious way.
“We’re going to continue the traditions of culinary excellence at The Summit, along with new options for the residents we serve,” Rodhe said.
The idea of sustainability and farm-to-table focuses are important to The Summit and will become even more so later this year. Culinary Services is challenging vendors to offer a wider selection of locally grown fruit and produce. They also hope to partner with Lynchburg Grows, a nonprofit urban farm, to increase local sourcing availability. There is a plan to implement an herb garden and produce beds on the property to feature in daily recipes. Plant-based menu selections will be featured on the daily menu offerings incorporating plant-based proteins, fresh grains, and vegetables to meet the growing demand for vegetarian and vegan meal options.
Chef Rodhe shared, “Buffets and action stations will become more frequent to allow our residents to get to know our kitchen team. Plus, action stations have the benefit of showcasing our ingredients before they become entrees, thus enhancing customization, temperature, and freshness of our dishes.”
Not only will this new culinary program, with its emphasis on resident engagement and satisfaction, improve quality of life for The Summit residents, it will also work to further engage the residents’ visitors.
“Our goal is to build a culinary experience in which residents are excited to host their family and friends, creating a quality experience for all residents and guests,” Dixon said. “An experience that brings joy to their days and quality nourishment to their bodies.”
Summer on a Plate
Recipes & Photos Courtesy of Laura Miner, Cook at Home Mom
Nothing says summer like making dishes with fresh, local ingredients. Kick off the season with summer-inspired recipes by food blogger Laura Miner. Find Laura’s kitchen tour on page 65 and find more of her delicious, healthy recipes at cookathomemom.com.
Beetroot & Feta Salad (photo above)
This delicious and easy beetroot and feta salad is tossed with walnuts, dates, and fresh herbs, then drizzled in a simple vinaigrette—the perfect side or appetizer.
Servings: 4 servings Calories: 308kcal Total Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients
2 cups diced cooked beets (About 3-4 medium beets) 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese 1/2 cup chopped walnuts 4 pitted dates diced 2 Tablespoons minced fresh mint 2 Tablespoons minced fresh dill 2 Tablespoons vinegar use white balsamic, regular balsamic, or red wine vinegar. 3 Tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
1. Prep the ingredients. Dice the beets, mince the herbs, and chop the walnuts and dates into small pieces.
2. Add all the ingredients to a medium-sized bowl. Toss with the oil and vinegar and season to taste with salt and pepper. Because the feta cheese is fairly salty, you may not need much extra salt. And that’s it!
3. Serve right away or cover and refrigerate until you’re ready to eat it.
4 apriums 1 small bunch fresh basil 4 ounces prosciutto 4 ounces mozzarella cheese (either buy mozzarella pearls or slice into bite sized pieces) 2 Tablespoons balsamic reduction or use balsamic vinegar salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Prepare the Chicken
1. Preheat your grill to medium, about 375F. Trim the chicken breasts and gently pound them to a uniform thickness.
2. Whisk the oil and vinegar together and drizzle over the chicken breasts in a rimmed dish. Sprinkle with the Italian seasoning and cover. Marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes.
3. Brush the grill with a little oil and lay the chicken breasts with space between them on the grill. Cook for about 5 minutes, turn, and cook for another 5 minutes or until cooked through.
Do the Prep Work
1. Meanwhile, wash and dice the apriums. Slice the basil. Get the prosciutto, balsamic reduction and mozzarella cheese out of the fridge.
Assemble & Serve
1. Arrange the cooked chicken breasts on a large platter and top with the diced apriums, mozzarella pearls, slices of prosciutto, and fresh basil. Drizzle the balsamic reduction and season lightly with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
A delicious and simple meal filled with bright, delicious flavors!
Servings: 4 people Calories: 914kcal Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes Equipment: Pressure Cooker / Instant Pot
Ingredients
1 pork shoulder roast 1 head bibb or butter lettuce 2 avocados 1 Tablespoon minced cilantro
Pickled Cabbage
2 cups purple cabbage thinly sliced or shredded 1 clove garlic 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar 2 Tablespoons lime juice 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
Cook the Pork Roast
1. Add the pork roast and 1 cup of water or broth to your Instant Pot. Cover and turn to High Pressure (or Meat/Stew) and set to cook for 55 minutes. Alternately, to cook the pork directly from frozen, set the Instant Pot to High Pressure for 75 minutes.
2. Once the pork is cooked, allow for a Natural Pressure Release (simply wait for the pressure to release, which takes about 15 minutes). Open the lid and remove the roast. Use two forks to shred the pork into bite sized pieces. Spoon a bit of the liquid over the shredded pork.
Make the Pickled Cabbage
1. While the pork is cooking, make the pickled cabbage. Thinly slice the cabbage. Set it in a bowl or mason jar.
2. Bring the apple cider, garlic, lime juice and seasonings to a simmer. Pour the mixture over the cabbage and stir it to coat. Set it on the counter and allow it to come to room temperature.
Prep the Ingredients
1. Mince the cilantro and slice the limes. Wash the lettuce leaves. Wait until just before serving to dice the avocado to prevent it from browning.
Assemble and Serve
1. Serve the pork, pickled cabbage, avocado, and cilantro, with slices of lime, and assemble in individual lettuce cups.
How a Local Non-Profit is Supporting Expecting Parents
Photos by Ashlee Glen
With two years under its belt, Birth in Color Central Virginia has trained a fourth group of doulas to help support pregnant women of color and their families in the Lynchburg region throughout their entire birth journey. Doulas work alongside the other professionals responsible for birth care by offering physical, emotional, and informational support during and shortly after childbirth—efforts that have been proven to improve maternal mortality rates during childbirth.
Miosha McDaniel, a doula for Birth in Color Central Virginia, said the maternal mortality rate for Black women during delivery is three times higher than that of white women.
“That’s a really scary number and we understand that a lot of women walk in wondering if they’re going to be able to come out of the hospital with their babies,” she said.
In just two years, Birth in Color Central Virginia has already received hundreds of applications from women wanting support from the program’s doulas and wanting someone who understands their needs and struggles.
Kenda Sutton-El, Executive Director of Birth in Color RVA.
Kenda Sutton-El, executive director of Birth in Color RVA, created the flagship organization four years ago in Richmond after realizing the birthing needs of women of color—especially Black women, who needed support, education, and advocacy. She launched Birth in Color Central Virginia as RVA’s sister organization in 2021.
McDaniel said most doulas meet with their clients two to four times throughout their pregnancy to educate them on what their rights are and how they should be protected within the birthing spaces of hospitals. The doulas also hold community baby showers, childbirth classes, including classes for spouses and partners.
“We serve them emotionally, physically, and we’re really heavy on advocacy as well,” she said. “Because a lot of the time in the hospital rooms, the partner is uncomfortable and doesn’t know how to speak up or doesn’t know what to say. And that’s where the doula can step in and advocate for them and educate them on what the doctor or nurse is saying.”
Doulas also provide comfort measures including acupuncture, acupressure, and the “double hip squeeze,” which is performed during a contraction to help with discomfort in the lower back and pelvis.
“So a lot of education goes into being a doula, a lot of advocacy, and a lot of mental and emotional support, because that’s a really trying time when labor comes around,” McDaniel said.
Birth in Color Central Virginia has trained more than 20 women to become doulas but not everyone serves at once, she said. Right now, the program has about 10 active doulas.
Miosha McDaniel
McDaniel said the program is important to have in the area because, before the program launched, there weren’t many doulas who were women of color.
“When I was pregnant with both of my little ones, I used doulas, but they didn’t look like me,” McDaniel said. “And a lot of the times when I would walk into appointments at the doctors’ offices or even with my doulas they didn’t understand or know how to advocate for me as a Black woman.
And it was uncomfortable. I’m just a pregnant person. Don’t look at my color, just look at me being a pregnant person and coming in wanting to be educated. “
McDaniel said that Sutton-El noticed this as well when she looked around doctors’ offices and hospitals searching for women of color who worked there.
“We understand that it’s not going to be fixed overnight, but we are grateful for the role that we do get to play in helping change those numbers,” McDaniel said. “We are the first collective of Black women who serve Black women in our city. So I think it’s really special that [Sutton-El] thought that Lynchburg was worth investing in and supporting to help support other women.”
For others in the community looking to help, McDaniel advises them to have the awkward conversations and ask how they can support these women.
“Most importantly, if you see something, say something. That’s my biggest thing. If you are in a doctor’s office and you’re overhearing something or a conversation that’s going on that might be inappropriate or is not a supportive or inclusive conversation, speak up and say something,” she said.
She added that each doula is paid through donations and grants because the organization doesn’t require families to pay for their services.
“We believe that everyone should have a doula,” McDaniel said. “Every birthing person deserves that support and advocacy outside of their partner, their spouse, or family members. So donations help us do the work that we’re doing. And if you can’t support financially, just share about Birth in Color by getting the word out and talking about the work that we’re doing.”
Now more than ever, the community needs to support one another, especially women, she said.
“I think it’s a really trying time that we’re going through right now where women’s bodies are being policed,” she said. “We know our bodies the best and I think that we all need to come together to support one another and advocate for every person no matter what and no matter who they are.”
Frozen Memories
Lynchburg resident aims to keep ice cream history alive
If it wasn’t for the mob, Strawberry Shortcake Bars and Chocolate Eclairs might not have been everyone’s favorite summer treat. And what’s a visit from the ice cream truck if you can’t get one of those to help you cool off?
That’s just one of the facts ice cream enthusiast Robert Jacobs (or Pops) loves to share when people spot him around Lynchburg with his authentic 1967 Ford Good Humor ice cream truck.
“It’s a neat story,” he said. “The mob demanded that Good Humor pay protection money and [their owner] refused. So, they blew up the factory that housed the trucks in Chicago and [the idea of an ice cream truck] gained national attention after that.”
After surviving a mob hit, it’s no surprise that the Good Humor brand has been around for more than 100 years. What started as an idea by Harry Burt in 1920 has turned into a multi-billion-dollar delicious empire.
Burt had come up with what he believed was a competitor to ice cream: a chocolate coated frozen treat. There was just one critique from his daughter: good, but way too messy to eat.
It was Burt’s son who first suggested the idea of adding a stick. That way, people could avoid getting their hands sticky or dirty. From there came more than 50 options of treats for customers to choose from.
But today only about 100 models of the Good Humor trucks remain—with one making its home in Lynchburg.
Robert Jacobs. Photo by Ashlee Glenn
“Who Doesn’t Love Ice Cream?”
For Jacobs, the ice cream truck has always reminded him of great childhood memories.
“With five kids we didn’t really have a lot of money,” he said. “But when the ice cream guy came around it was a treat.”
It only made sense to eventually buy one as an adult.
“I had looked at several of them and finally did get one,” Jacobs said. “I figured it could be something I did once I retired, but I didn’t really do anything with it and ended up selling it.”
But after moving to Lynchburg to be closer to family several years ago, Jacobs decided to try again.
Finding an authentic one was not an easy task. While the trucks were once abundant, Good Humor sold its fleet in 1976 to focus on selling their ice cream in grocery stores. Many were lost, scrapped, or repurposed into other trucks like Mr. Softee.
Thankfully, Jacobs found another one and got it working once again. However, he didn’t stop there. If Jacobs was going to keep true authenticity of a Good Humor truck, he wanted to do it right. He invested in the starch white uniform and even the triangle hat.
“Starting out, ice cream was considered scary because it wasn’t sanitary,” Jacobs said. “That’s why, when you see photos of the uniform, it’s white because [Burt] wanted it to remind people of a doctor—which meant safe and clean.”
Being a Good Humor Man though is more than just a nice uniform. According to Jacobs, truck drivers had extensive customer service training they were required to do. Because of that it was considered a good job back in the ’30s and ’40s.
“That’s why they would come around and hand out ice cream from the curb,” Jacobs said. “It was about the personal face-to-face experience. In more modern ice cream trucks, someone hands you ice cream through a window instead of coming out of the truck.”
Jacobs said he found videos and articles online that helped him get the etiquette down. Then it was time to get it out on the road.
“We live in Boonsboro so I would just go up and down the block,” he said. “But it’s hard to hear because it doesn’t have a speaker with music. It just has a little bell that I ring instead.”
Now you can find Jacobs around at parks, special events, car dealerships, and even house visits.
Photo by Ashlee Glenn
“People have always come up to me and told me what good memories it brings back to them,” Jacobs said. “I had this family call me and asked me to come to their house so their six-year-old could see the truck with his grandparents. So at 10 a.m. I pulled up to the house and they all came out and took pictures. It was really special.”
Jacobs said he never expected the response he’s gotten.
“It all started when someone posted a photo of me on Living in Lynchburg [Facebook group] with the truck,” he said. “I think it got about 300 shares and it blew up. People wanted me to come to their neighborhoods.”
This year Jacobs said he’s working on getting his two trucks up and running for the summer.
“It’s a labor of love,” he said. “The cost can quickly add up. But I love doing this and hearing about people’s good memories.”
So if you see Jacobs out with the truck this summer, the real question is, what should you order?
“Creamsicles, Strawberry Shortcakes, Chocolate Eclairs—those are my big sellers.”
A Full Circle Moment
Fleming Mountain Grill breathes new life into an iconic space
It isn’t a surprise that when the name “Mitchell” is used in conversation within the Hill City, it is most often answered with one question, “As in Mitchell’s Grocery?”
With the opening of the beloved location’s doors in 1949 came residents from all across town to fuel their tanks, catch up with a friend, or grab some of Mitchell’s famous fried chicken. From their warm atmosphere to their warm meals, the spot became a home for any and all.
The grocery stood firmly at 1060 Lee Jackson Hwy. for sixty-five years until the closing of its doors in 2014. Today, most Lynchburg locals still recall both the authentic fried chicken and friendship that came from within Mitchell’s Grocery walls; a place that offered up much more than just a meal to anyone who went there for gas or grub. As of January 2023, however, the place has been made anew. Today, sitting within Mitchell’s Grocery Store’s footprint is Fleming Mountain Grill—a revamped version of the old, treasured space, now serving hospitality, smiles, and the best ribeye in town.
This chapter of the story began years ago after the Mitchell’s Grocery chapter came to an end. Somewhere in Wilson, North Carolina sat Roger Keeling, a baseball coach who had stumbled into a run-down steakhouse in a cinder block building. Despite the appearance of the restaurant, the food was impeccable. So impeccable that Keeling, upon returning to his home in Lynchburg, thought, “We need something like that in Lynchburg.” Going back to the Wilson spot soon after, Roger knew. “The old Mitchell’s Store,” he said to his wife, Carolyn. “That’s where we need to put a steakhouse.”
After deciding to make those thoughts a reality, the Keelings knew they couldn’t be the sole operators. Enter Kevin Smith, an experienced butcher who was told of the idea and posed the question, “Are you interested?” He visited that same place in Wilson that sparked Roger’s vision and replied, “Yeah, I like it.”
Photo on left by Ashlee Glenn. Photo on right courtesy of ODD+EVEN
The Keelings’ dream soon transpired from an idea, to purchasing the old Mitchell’s Grocery building in April of 2022, to finally turning it into the restaurant they imagined. With Roger’s background in construction, Carolyn’s superior design eye, and Kevin’s knack for “physically destroying things,” as Roger jokes, the process took from the end of May 2022 to the end of December 2022, about 8 months.
Throughout the renovation, they strove to bring a new look while keeping the roots of the old grocery there.
“Mitchell’s was such a centerpiece of our community,” Keeling noted. “We wanted to build around some of the existing building—to create a space where people would walk in the doors and feel like they were home.”
“Country elegance,” Keeling deemed the atmosphere of the space. “It’s meant to feel like you’re just outside of the city and heading into the mountains, like you’re sitting in our living room, having dinner.”
Due to Smith’s familiarity with meat and the Keelings’ previous ownerships of two restaurants outside of Virginia, the owners knew their place would be a steakhouse. But when the future opening of Fleming Mountain Grill was announced, there was one question on everyone’s mind: “Is Mitchell’s fried chicken coming back?”
The owners got connected with Kay Mitchell, the last owner of the store.
“We brought Kay on as a small partner to ensure we got the old chicken right,” Roger Keeling explained.
“It’s the real deal!” Smith chimed in with agreement. “There would be no way to do fried chicken without it being Mitchell’s.”
Photos by Ashlee Glenn
The original fried chicken isn’t the only staple on the Fleming Mountain Grill menu, however. They specialize in high-end meats across the menu, including rib eyes, tenderloins, and filets. Table cut by Smith himself upon ordering, the popular 1920 rib eye from Greater Omaha Packing Company is one of the top signature meals at the restaurant.
“It’s a very high-end steak,” noted Smith. He tells customers who order it, “The royal family of Dubai gets their meat from Greater Omaha Packing Company, so here, you’re eating like royalty.”
The excellence of Fleming Mountain Grill doesn’t stop with their menu, either.
“When people come in, we have a beautiful live edge bar,” Smith stated. “No one else in the Lynchburg area has that.”
Behind the bar is Mixologist and Bar Manager Michelle Simmons, who has been in the community for twenty years and excels in making craft cocktails.
Keeling and Smith emphasize how important each of their customers’ experiences at Fleming Mountain Grill is to them, and they aren’t shy to give credit to each of their thirty-two employees. They think all of their staff members are “in the right seat on their bus”; everyone is vital to the success of the restaurant.
Kay Mitchell routinely visits the kitchen at Fleming Mountain Grill to “check up on” the fried chicken. She watches over the kitchen staff’s shoulders to ensure the seasoning, breading, and fry on the fried chicken is up to Mitchell’s historic standards. If it isn’t, she will consult the staff on how to improve. So if you’re wondering if the Fleming Mountain Grill chicken is really up to Mitchell’s fried chicken standard—it is. Photo by Ashlee Glenn.
Most of the staff is handpicked, for that matter. Keeling and Smith sang the praises of their team members, including Alice Ritchey and Tommaso “Tommy” Crouse, employees who have been in the service industry for years. The younger servers just starting out are equally important to the operation as well. Keeling and Smith emphasize how they are constantly working with and investing in the next generation.
Smith voiced that the restaurant is always progressing, and that clearly is rooted in the passion exuding from all parts of the operation: from behind the bar to front of house, from steaks to cocktails, from the staff to the owners.
“We’re barely eight weeks old [at the time of this writing], but we’re always learning and evolving,” said Keeling. “Our goal is to get better every day. We know we will occasionally mess up, but we want to strive to get better and better, so we become a long term staple in this community.”
Fleming Mountain Grill is the perfect blend of old and new, a mixture of nostalgia and novelty. It serves as a fresh breath of air and a commitment to the community that even when one door closes, another one opens—and sometimes, it’s a familiar door that calls you back home.
Inside a Food Blogger’s Light-Filled Kitchen
Laura Miner knows a thing or two about a well-run kitchen. As a mom of three and the creator behind the popular food blog Cook at Home Mom, Miner spends much of her time testing recipes and creating content for her blog, all while serving up three square meals a day for her family.
“I always wanted the kitchen to be the center of the home, like it was for my mother and grandmother,” Miner said.
A New York native, Miner grew up around food and the community that it can create. Her grandmother was known for hosting big family meals and get-togethers and it was in her kitchen that Miner herself began to cook.
“Every Sunday, we were there and she always had something cooking,” Miner recounted. “The kitchen was the center of the household and food was always at the center of our family. I learned the basics from my grandmother and, as I got older and went away to college, I would call her and say, ‘Okay, I have a can of beans and an onion here, and I think I have some pasta in the cabinet,’ and she would basically give me a cooking lesson on the phone.”
It was after Miner got married and had kids that she started experimenting more in the kitchen—deviating from the soul-nourishing cheese and pasta staples from her childhood and learning how to adapt recipes to her and her family’s preferences. She started her blog, Cook at Home Mom, in 2014 on a whim and a means to connect with others creatively. At that time, she had just moved to Lynchburg with her family and was a new stay-at-home-mom and the blog served as a hobby, creative outlet, and, by 2018, her full-time job.
Steady readers of Cook at Home Mom will notice an emphasis on whole, healthy foods, many of which are Whole30, paleo, or low-carb friendly.
Laura Miner. Photo by Ashlee Glen
“I didn’t grow up eating that way,” Miner explained. “I grew up eating pasta and cheese—all the things that are good for the soul but not necessarily good for my body. I did the Whole30 in 2015 and I found that all sorts of lifelong issues that I had felt—rosacea, joint pain, inflammation issues—disappeared. I hadn’t realized before then that I was having reactions to certain foods. So anti-inflammatory diets have just helped me feel better. After I finished the Whole30, I started transitioning to a paleo-type of diet—but I still do occasionally eat bread and cheese.”
There’s a natural crossover between the recipes Miner shares on her blog and the meals that make their way to her family’s table. On and off the internet, Miner prioritizes whole foods while still leaving plenty of room for special indulgences.
“We don’t have our kids follow any strict protocol or anything like that. My main concern is their overall health,” she said. “I think it’s good to allow them to experience all the different foods that there are and talk in kid-friendly terms about the decisions that we make. When we are watching what we eat, we talk about it not in terms of what we can’t have, but in terms of what we can have. To little kids, that makes sense in a way that is less harmful than talking about food as either ‘good’ or ‘bad.’ And we explain to them that their taste buds change every now and again and that they may now like a food that they didn’t before. I want them to have a good relationship with food.”
The prioritization of accessible whole foods plus the daily cadence of creating new content for her blog means Miner requires a lot out of a kitchen. But when they moved into their Lynchburg home, its piecemealed kitchen quickly exposed inefficiencies and frustration.
“The kitchen was essentially three separate rooms,” said Miner. “We had to knock out two walls. There was a full wall and a door between the kitchen and the dining room. For us, it just didn’t make sense.”
Despite the glaring inefficiencies of the space, Miner and her family spent a full year living in and getting to know their home before jumping into renovations.
“Over time, you think about how you use the space and how you want to use the space,” she said.
After observing, cooking, and learning, renovations got underway. The Miners knocked out the ancillary walls to completely open the kitchen into their living room and took down the door between the kitchen and dining room. What was left was a flood of northwestern light that gradually softens throughout the year as the tall trees in their backyard leaf out in the spring and summer.
Opening up the kitchen into the living room left two stunning bay windows that allow light to stream in.
“We went through several rounds of designs, and I was really worried about the windows, that they would look clunky or strange. But we wound up figuring out a way to make it work,” she said.
The new open space served as a blank canvas for what the new kitchen could be.
“I wanted the kitchen to be a place that was calm,” Miner explained. “I didn’t want it to feel crowded or cluttered, which meant we needed a lot of storage. And, of course, I wanted to focus on the utility of the kitchen. I wanted a place for everything, and I wanted everything easily accessible so I could cook quickly and with expedience.”
As a focal point to the kitchen, Miner had a large island installed with enough seating for her family of five. Miner opted for marble countertops despite countless warnings that they would get chipped and stained over time.
“I made my peace with it,” she laughed. “We opted for a leathered finish, so it really hides and masks any wear. I’m hard on the kitchen and I cook a lot. I also have little kids. So, I wanted something more durable but couldn’t find anything that matched that finish that I loved so much. I felt it brought a lot of warmth to a white kitchen.”
The island features abundant storage underneath and beside the deep stainless steel farmhouse sink, but the true storage abilities of the space can be found in the cabinets across and adjacent to the island.
Within arm’s reach of the stove is a dedicated, tiered spice drawer that keeps the many spices and seasonings Miner uses organized and close at hand.
“I knew I didn’t want to be rifling through cabinets,” she explained. “I wanted to be able to go through it in quick order.”
Other efficiencies found their way into Miner’s kitchen redesign—from electrical outlets in the pantries and a dedicated coffee space to a uniquely placed kettle faucet.
Photo on left courtesy of Laura Miner. Photo on right by Ashlee Glenn
“I fill my Berkey [water filtration system] twice a day, so I knew that I wanted a dedicated faucet right above it,” she said. “I also wanted the coffee out of the way so people could come in and make themselves a cup and not interrupt me while I was making breakfast. You just have to know how you work and how you function.”
Miner prioritized design and functionality decisions that felt timeless—like the picket tile backsplash and cabinet finishes—with enough flexibility for the kitchen to continue to evolve as their needs change.
“A designer once told me, ‘Don’t do anything permanent if you’re not sure.’ That’s advice that I took to heart,” she said.
Miner doesn’t consider her kitchen to be “finished,” and it may never be. For now, future plans include installing bay window seating and storage and continuing to spend her days whipping up nourishing meals for her family and readers.
Room at the Table
Amelia Perry Pride’s Steadfast Quest for Equity in—and Beyond—Home Economics
By: Emily Mook | Photos by Ashlee Glen
“I would rather wear out working among all classes of my race than to rust out seeing so much to be done.” – Amelia Perry Pride (in a letter to Orra Langhorne, 1899)
Although she was one of Lynchburg’s most groundbreaking, altruistic, and inspiring citizens, Amelia Perry Pride is not as well-known as she should be.
“During her time, everybody knew her, and yet today, I feel like nobody knows her,” said Ted Delaney, Director of the Lynchburg Museum System.
Photograph of the Polk Street Elementary School, 908 Polk Street, Lynchburg, Virginia, in 1911. Principal Amelia Perry Pride (1857–1932) is pictured standing on the right holding a hat in her left hand. This was Pride’s last class before retiring after 30 years as an educator in the local public school system. Photo courtesy of Lynchburg Museum System.
Perhaps this is partially the case because Pride, a free biracial woman born in Lynchburg in 1857, did not seem to be concerned with her own prominence. A monumentally generous and seemingly tireless philanthropist, Pride focused her energies on bettering the lives of others—particularly people of color who were less fortunate than she—rather than on widely broadcasting her own name and achievements. Additionally, Pride was more concerned with practical matters of equity and equality than with outright innovation. It also cannot go without saying that the accomplishments of people of color are routinely and unjustly undervalued.
Whatever the reasons may be for Pride’s relative lack of present-day recognition, her story is unquestionably worth knowing and celebrating. Among her most remarkable endeavors are her founding and running of the Theresa Pierce Cooking School, which ultimately became the basis for the public home economics curriculum for Lynchburg City Schools.
Born to biracial parents and orphaned by the age of 16, Pride demonstrated early abilities to take care of, motivate, and challenge herself. After attending local schools as a child, she continued her education at the highly esteemed Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute (known today as Hampton University) and graduated in 1879 from the teachers’ education program. Upon her graduation, Hampton immediately hired Pride to teach a group of Native American girls through its missionary program. Over the next decade, she taught at various Lynchburg public schools, including Polk Street Colored School, Old Payne School, and Jackson Street School, and she went on to serve as the principal of Polk Street School from 1890 to 1911. She was one of the first Black women employed by the Lynchburg School system. Pride also established The Dorchester Home (a retirement home for elderly Black women) in 1897, the McKenzie Sewing School (a free sewing school for Black children) in 1898, and the Theresa Pierce Cooking School (a free cooking school for Black girls) in 1903.
The Theresa Pierce Cooking School was held in a house owned by Pride and her husband, Claiborne Gladman Pride, and located on Madison Street across from the couple’s home. Its name evinces a common practice of that time period.
“[A white couple named] Wallace and Stella Pierce donated money to Amelia Pride to start the school in memory of their deceased daughter, Theresa,” Delaney noted. “At Hampton Institute, each student was sponsored by someone, and students were expected to write their sponsors letters. Sponsors were typically white people in the North trying to help Black people in the South. Amelia Pride herself was expected to write letters to her sponsors to update them on what she was working on. She had this model of how you were supposed to do things: Get sponsors to underwrite your projects and keep in touch with them. It was very natural and normal for her to make contact with Wallace Pierce, get him to underwrite the school, and name the school after his daughter.”
In fact, Pride was generally extremely adept and resourceful when it came to using her identity as an affluent biracial individual to enact positive change.
This copy is inscribed on the inside front cover in blue ink “Sister C’s book”. Per correspondence from the donors, this was Caroline C. Smith (1877-1959) who was “informally adopted by the Prides when she was 9 years old”.
“Another thing she was very skilled at was, through her connections to the white community, getting white people to donate to her causes and being able to walk that line,” stated Delaney. “She was in a socioeconomic class where she could socialize with white people and gain their support while at the same time—because she was considered ‘colored’ or ‘Negro’ by the society of that time—she had full reign to work, lead, and start initiatives in Black communities. She used her position—which was very much on the line of race—to navigate both worlds.”
Although there are no rosters or other data sources indicating the number or ages of students who attended the cooking school, Delaney believes that students likely ranged in age from about eight years old (old enough to follow a basic recipe) to 15-20 years old (old enough to get work on their own). That said, he also thinks that Pride would have been unlikely to turn adults in need of basic cooking instruction away.
“It wouldn’t surprise me at all if she had some adults in the classes,” he said. “She was so equal opportunity. Whoever was in need, she was going to help.”
According to Delaney, Pride’s granddaughter Miriam Pride Kyle said her grandmother was committed to helping families learn how to grow and prepare nutritious foods. An avid gardener herself, Pride insisted on adding a garden to the grounds of Polk Street School to facilitate this learning and took matters into her own hands when her request was initially denied.
“The school board denied her request to plow a plot of land behind Polk Street School,” Kyle recalled in 1981. “She got a horse and plow and proceeded to do it herself. It was reported immediately and a man was sent out to do it. She taught gardening to pupils and canning to their parents.”
Pride’s focus on imparting essential skills also applied to her curriculum for the Theresa Pierce Cooking School.
“As far as I’m aware, there was nothing particularly revolutionary about her cooking and she didn’t have a signature dish,” said Delaney. “At that time, she was really worried that there were young people—and even older people—who maybe had been enslaved, were now on their own, and had never been taught things as basic as boiling water. She really focused on the core principles of cooking and being able to feed yourself. Reading her letters and articles that she sent to [Hampton Institute periodical] The Southern Workman, I think that in everything—cooking, sewing, The Dorchester Home—she was really about imparting those fundamental life skills that many of us take for granted and assume that everyone knows or has the opportunity to learn at home with family.”
The Theresa Pierce Cooking School was transferred to Virginia Theological Seminary and College (known today as the Virginia University of Lynchburg) during the 1916-1917 school year. An excerpt from the College’s 1920-1921 catalog (seen to the left) outlines Pierce’s (likely somewhat modified) curriculum.
In 1949, 17 years after Pride’s death, Lynchburg City Schools created a new home economics building at Dunbar High School and named it the Amelia Pride Center in Pride’s honor.
“The oral history is that her cooking school and curriculum were generally integrated into the public schools here for Black students,” Delaney noted.
Today, the Amelia Pride Center is part of the Paul Laurence Dunbar Middle School for Innovation campus, and it houses continuing education and alternative secondary education programs. Pride’s steadfast legacy lives on, and her name is one we should all feel proud to know.
“She was in command at all times!” Kyle said of Pride in 1981. “It was often said of her: ‘When Mrs. Amelia Perry Pride walks down the street, the street has been walked down.’ I’m sure she could have persuaded the rattles off a snake if she had to in order to help someone.”
“She strikes me as one of the hardest-working, most productive people who lived in Lynchburg,” stated Delaney. “Starting schools, starting an old folks’ home, and taking on the many other initiatives that she took on were not easy tasks by any means. These are major accomplishments, and they require not only your own hard work and investment, but also the ability to mobilize other people and to get other people to follow your vision and support you. It’s really amazing to see how much she accomplished and to think about the forces she was able to marshal to support her work. She was an incredible woman in this community.”
