Local Bits and Pieces from the Industry

A Grassroots Effort Paid Off
Construction is finally underway on Grassroots Local Market, a community-owned natural foods store located on Main Street. The effort to recruit stakeholders launched in September 2012, and the project gained a lot of momentum within the past couple of years. After overcoming some loan hurdles, the store is expected to open for business by mid-summer! Find more updates on their Facebook page.

Free Fruit
Hangry kids in the grocery store? Kroger Mid-Atlantic has the solution—and it’s a healthy one! Cruise through the produce department when you arrive and you’ll find a child-size display of fruit. Children under the age of 12 are encouraged to pick out a piece for themselves. The goal is to make the shopping experience a little bit more pleasant for parents and reinforce healthy eating habits.

Sunday Supper Club
Who doesn’t love a good dinner party? Lynchburg’s new vegan restaurant, Urbavore, is now hosting an intimate Supper Club the last Sunday of each month at their restaurant on Church Street. By intimate we mean only 12 seats available. Tickets are up for sale two weeks before the event so you’ll have to act fast! Keep an eye on their website, www.urbavorekitchen.com, to register.

All Aboard the Veggie Van
Lynchburg Grows’ produce stand on wheels is back for the 2018 season—and they would love your help! According to a USDA study, over a quarter of Lynchburg residents live in what’s described as a food desert and don’t have easy access to healthy foods. The Veggie Van visits different drop-off points in the city that have the most need for fresh produce. To be a volunteer driver or passenger, visit lynchburggrows.org.

Beale’s Branches Out
The tasty brew made by Beale’s Brewery in Bedford is no longer just a local favorite. Beale’s began distributing in Roanoke, Lynchburg and Bedford in the fall of 2017. This past March, the brewery expanded its distribution even further to the Richmond area. Beale’s touts “approachable” beers that are low-ABV—from the popular Gold (their version of a Munich Helles lager) to Silver, Red, Black and Brown varieties.

Step away from the grill this summer and let someone else do the work once in awhile. We recommend these three unique local burgers, all perfectly paired with craft beer.

The Mac Attack
at Beale’s Brewery
510 Grove St., Bedford • www.bealesbeer.com

Two house ground chuck and brisket blend patties topped with American cheese, homemade mac and cheese, and hot sauce. (Add bacon for extra flavor.)

Take your napkin and tuck it into your collar because this burger experience isn’t for the prim and proper. The Mac Attack at Beale’s Brewery combines the classic American cheeseburger with an all-time favorite comfort food—then a rich and complex tangy hot sauce seals the deal.

According to pitmaster Neal Agee, “Everything on this burger is made in house, fresh daily.” Be sure to ask for a fork because you’ll want to scrape up every last bit of this messy creation from your plate.

Wash it down with: A flight of Beale’s beers that are brewed just feet from where you sit. (Pictured: Gold, Silver, Red and Black)

Black & Blue Bacon Jam Burger
at Benjamin’s Restaurant
14900 Forest Rd., Forest • www.cowsandcrabs.com

80/20 Sterling Silver ground chuck topped with blue cheese crumbles, Benton’s Smoky Mountain Tennessee bacon mixed with caramelized onions, brown sugar and local honey, and Arugula.

Sweet, spicy, creamy, smoky, juicy—if it’s possible to pack every savory flavor into one beef experience, Benjamin’s Restaurant accomplished that with their Black & Blue Bacon Jam Burger. “It has a wider spectrum of flavors and unique ingredients than most other burgers,” explained owner Benjamin McGehee.

The bold blue cheese is the perfect complement to a unique “bacon jam” and some spicy Arugula. We would give this burger two thumbs up but we’re too busy stuffing our faces.

Wash it down with: Ben recommends a “big IPA” that can stand up to the burger’s powerful flavor, particularly the Hells Frozen IPA from Apocalypse
Ale Works.

The Hogtown
at Fifth and Federal Station
801 Fifth Street, Lynchburg • www.fifthandfederal.com

8oz. burger cooked to your preference topped with slow cooked pulled pork, house smoked bacon and a savory bacon bourbon jam.

Barbecue… bacon… bourbon… your encounter with a burger doesn’t get much more Southern than this.

The Hogtown is crafted 
by Fifth and Federal’s
Chef Rufus, formerly
of Toy Town Soul
Food in Amherst—this piece of pork lovin’ goodness is a nod to the nearby Madison Heights.

Y’all will not be able to put this one down after the first bite.

Wash it down with: Their house brew, Chaos Federal Reserve—a Scottish ale brewed by Chaos Brewing Company then aged in Smith Bowman bourbon barrels.