American Palate

From seaport pubs to international cuisine, Alexandria's culinary history runs deep.

George Washington danced in the ballroom of Gadsby's Tavern, an Old Town landmark. The Royal Restaurant hung its first shingle a century ago where Market Square is today. Chadwick's has survived fire and flood in its home on the Potomac riverfront. The storefront of legendary Shuman's Bakery may be closed, but the latest generation continues to serve the famous jelly cake to loyal locals. Journalist Hope Nelson curates this tasting menu of some of Alexandria's favorite restaurants, watering holes and breweries - past and present.

Richmond's culinary history spans more than four hundred years and includes forgotten cooks and makers who paved the way for Richmond's vibrant modern food scene. The foodways of local Indian tribes were pivotal to the nation. Unconventional characters such as Mary Randolph, Jasper Crouch, Ellen Kidd, Virginia Randolph and John Dabney used food and drink to break barriers. Family businesses like C.F. Sauer and Sally Bell's Kitchen, recipient of a James Beard America's Classic Award, shaped the local community. Virginia Union University students and two family-run department stores paved the way for restaurant desegregation. Local journalists Maureen Egan and Susan Winiecki, founders of Fire, Flour & Fork, offer an engaging social history complete with classic Richmond recipes.

With more than four hundred years of history, Virginians lay claim to the invention of southern barbecue.

Native Virginian Powhatan tribes slow roasted meat on wooden hurdles or grills. James Madison hosted grand barbecue parties during the colonial and federal eras. The unique combination of vinegar, salt, pepper, oils and various spices forms the mouthwatering barbecue sauce that was first used by colonists in Virginia and then spread throughout the country. Today, authentic Virginia barbecue is regionally diverse and remains culturally vital. Drawing on hundreds of historical and contemporary sources, author, competition barbecue judge and award-winning barbecue cook Joe Haynes documents the delectable history of barbecue in the Old Dominion.

Possibly the region's first craft brewer, Thomas Jefferson grew hops and created his own small-batch brews at his home at Monticello. His brewing, however, was only the beginning. Charlie Papazian got his start homebrewing at the University of Virginia and went on to become a founder of the craft brewing movement. The city was not spared the fervent debate over prohibition, and the area went dry well in advance of the country in 1907. The Brew Ridge Trail set the standard for regional attractions focused on brewery destinations and sees thousands trek through the beautiful countryside enjoying libations. National award-winning breweries like Devils Backbone, Starr Hill and Three Notch'd elevated Charlottesville to a center of craft beer. Author Lee Graves offers a history and guide to brewing in scenic Charlottesville.

The history of dining in Virginia goes back to 1607. Dairy lunches and tearooms dominated the early twentieth-century dining scene. Local favorite Doumar's--famous for inventing the ice cream cone--became the rage at the 1907 Jamestown Exposition, and palatial seaside resorts like the Cavalier attracted patrons to their luxurious dining rooms in the Roaring Twenties. In the 1930s, Bacalis' Hot Dog Place invented the Norfolk Dog, a tradition that's carried on today. Steinhilber's has catered to family nights out for decades, keeping pace as the local food scene has grown and changed. Join local chef and food writer Patrick Evans-Hylton as he recalls the history of Coastal Virginia's restaurants and the personalities that made them unforgettable.

Honeybees have been a part of Virginia's history since they arrived with the first European colonists. They were Jamestown's valuable addition and a Civil War soldier's sweet if painful temptation, and they served as homefront heroes when the world wars caused sugar shortages. In recent years, mead has seen a resurgence along with beekeeping and has claimed a place as a craft beverage in the Commonwealth. Join author Virginia Johnson to hunt escaped swarms flying wild in the forests, visit modern-day observation hives and follow the mead path across the Commonwealth for a taste of history.

With roots in Native American, African and European cooking traditions, Brunswick stew developed in colonial- and Federal-era Virginia, when squirrel was a necessary ingredient.

By the nineteenth century, the mouthwatering delicacy had become an important part of politicking, celebrating and family gatherings. At the same time, it spread beyond Virginia, following barbecue culture into the Carolinas, Georgia, Tennessee and Kentucky. Drawing on historical and contemporary sources, author, award-winning barbecue cook and Brunswick stew expert Joe Haynes entertains with barbecue stew history, legend and lore, complete with authentic recipes.

Raise a glass to Virginia, birthplace of American spirits, and its long history of distilling and imbibing.

Colonist George Thorpe first crafted "corn beere,'? an ancestor to bourbon, in 1620 at Berkeley Plantation, and George Washington once operated one of the nation's largest distilleries. Icy mint juleps were first served in Virginia until the state was one of the first to enact Prohibition. That dark period gave rise to bootlegging, moonshining, and even NASCAR.

Through well documented research, interviews with key stakeholders, and plenty of cocktail recipes for the reader to shake and stir at home, author Patrick Evans-Hylton showcases the rich history of 400 years of drinking in the Commonwealth.

From the early days of Thomas Jefferson's Garden Book" at Monticello to the hustle and bustle of the modern City Market on Water Street, Charlottesville has an illustrious culinary history. The city's cuisine is characterized by a delight in locally raised ingredients. The locavore mentality appears at all levels of Charlottesville's food industry, including the nationally acknowledged methods of Joel Salatin's Polyface Farms, the sourcing of local pork for Chipotle's Charlottesville location and the accessibility of regional ingredients everywhere from Whole Foods Market to online favorite Relay Foods. Author and food enthusiast Casey Ireland explores how Charlottesville's residents have created a food culture that is all their own.."

The story of beer and brewing in Richmond is a reflection of the well-documented and revered place the River City holds in the nation's history. English colonists imbibed together on the banks of the James River. During the Civil War, a brewery was adjacent to a hospital. Beyond historical brews such as the Krueger Brewing Company and Richbrau beer, Richmond is no stranger to the vibrant craft beer culture thriving across the nation. Area brewers, including Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, Legend Brewing Company, Midnight Brewery and Strangeways Brewing, make Richmond a beer lover's paradise. Grab a pint and join author and beer columnist Lee Graves as he recounts the frothy history of Richmond beer.

A fascinating history of Virginia wines, documenting the wine industry's very foundation in this state.

Go beyond the bottle and step inside the minds, and vines, of Virginia's burgeoning wine industry in this groundbreaking volume. Join grape grower and industry insider Walker Elliott Rowe as he guides you through some of the top vineyards and wineries in the Old Dominion. Rowe explores the minds of pioneering winemakers and vineyard owners, stitches together an account of the wine industry's foundation in Virginia, from Jamestown to Jefferson to Barboursville, and uncovers the fascinating missing chapter in Virginia wine history. As the Philip Carter Winery motto explains, ""Before there was Jefferson, there was Carter. "" Rowe goes behind the scenes to interview migrant workers who toil daily in the vineyards, makes the rounds in Richmond with an industry lobbyist and talks shop with winemakers on the science and techniques that have helped put the Virginia wine industry on the map. Also included are twenty-four stunning color photographs from professional photographer Jonathan Timmes and a foreword by noted wine journalist Richard Leahy.