Leesburg, VA October 2020 by City Lifestyle

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LIFESTYLE LETTER

OCTOBER 2020 PUBLISHER

Hann Livingston | hann.livingston@lifestylepubs.com EDITORIAL COORDINATOR

Fearless FEARLESSNESS ISN’T THE ABSENCE OF CONCERN OR CAUTION, AS HAS BECOME OUR DAILY HABIT IN DEALING WITH COVID. It is, rather, courage in the face of something that could well do you harm. It’s opposite, fear, can become debilitating emotion that threatens to disengage us from the world we live in, resulting in

Melinda Gipson | melinda.gipson@lifestylepubs.com ACCO UNT MANAGER

Suzanne Otwell | suzanne.otwell@lifestylepubs.com AD DESIGNER

Matthew Endersbe L AYO UT DESIGNER

Kelsey Proctor

isolation and depression. October is one of those months when we’re supposed to confront the demons that can all too easily immobilize us and help us forget the rewards that come from staring down the darkness. Perfect love is said to cast out fear, so it is interesting that Jennifer Montgomery, executive director of Loudoun Hunger Relief, speaks of food as more than calories to fill your belly – it is love, and family and hope. It's in sharing a meal -- breaking bread together -- that we are made whole. We may whistle past the graveyard, or visit a haunted house for the catharsis that comes of screaming our lungs out in a controlled environment – one where our brain tells us the threat isn’t real. This year our brain is the problem because it's clouded by a cacophony of concerns that seem to offer no end in sight. Our annual Halloween rituals won't clear out the cobwebs – Shocktober has gone virtual and our own tour of Loudoun haunts won't raise a goosebump. While we all seem quite confident that

CORPORATE TEAM CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Steven Schowengerdt CHIEF SALES OFFICER Matthew Perry CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER DeLand Shore

the threat from COVID contagion IS real, I'm left to wonder what happened to the

ART DIRECTOR Sara Minor

equivalent certainty that we can lick this. Surely there’s some middle ground between

OPERATIONS DIRECTOR Janeane Thompson

agoraphobia and a complete return to normalcy.

AD MANAGER Chad Jensen REGIONAL SALES DIRECTOR Eric Williams

On that middle ground we stand and call upon our faith, our knowledge and our

WEB APPLICATIONS Michael O’Connell

preparation to sustain us and see us through the tunnel. By the time this magazine appears, we may well have a vaccine – without one, we’re left to rely on the spirit behind the mask that says, no germ is going to beat me. We are too strong together to let fear get the best of us. 514 W 26TH ST., KANSAS CITY, MO

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY CELESTE LINTHICUM 10

Leesburg Lifestyle | October 2020

Melinda Gipson, Editor

CityLifestyle.com/Leesburg

TENNESSEE | TEXAS | VIRGINIA | WASHINGTON

Proverbs 3:5-6 Leesburg Lifestyle™ is published monthly by Lifestyle Publications LLC. It is distributed via the US Postal Service to some of the Leesburg areas’ most affluent neighborhoods. Articles and advertisements do not necessarily reflect Lifestyle Publications’ opinions. No portion of this magazine may be reproduced in any form without written consent. Lifestyle Publications does not assume responsibility for statements made by advertisers or editorial contributors. Information in Leesburg Lifestyle™ is gathered from sources considered to be reliable, but the accuracy of all information cannot be guaranteed.

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www.VirginiaKitchenandBath.com

INSIDE THE ISSUE OCTOBER 2020

FEATURES 20 Richard Forbes Deals in Absolutes Upgrading the Kitchen, the Second Time Around

26 Loudoun Hunger Relief Grocery donations slowly return to normal in the local fight against hunger

38 Welcome, Fearless Joel Griffin and Brent McCaslin, Courageous Partners in Rebellion

38 20

42 Foraging for Dinner A food-minded walk in the woods with Tarver King

DEPARTMENTS 10

Lifestyle Letter

Around Town

Food & Wine

20 Renovate & Refine 26 Giving Back 32 Road Trip 38 Local Limelight 42 Hot Spot 48 Trend Setter

AROUND TOWN

ADU AUCTIONS STAR WARS REFRIGERATORS FOR CHARITY ADU is raffling two Star Wars refrigerators. The first drawing will be held on October 1st at 10am, so buy tickets before September 30th. 100% of raffle ticket sales will go to the Ronald McDonald House. The next drawing will be held on November 16th, so purchase tickets by the 15th. 100% of the raffle ticket sales will go to the Annapolis Light House Shelter. Got to ADU.COM to enter both contests: $10 for one ticket, or $25 for three tickets.

SHOCKTOBER GOES VIRTUAL The ARC of Loudoun has created virtual programming for their annual Shocktober fundraising campaign. They have moved instead to virtual experiences including live-streaming celebrity events, online Shocktober Haunt Classes, a “Why We Shock” fundraising campaign, and much more. Please visit shocktober.org to sign up for virtual events.

Leesburg Lifestyle | October 2020

FOOD & WINE

+ King Richard Blue mild blue flavor, creamy, melt in your mouth texture, aged 4-5 months

+ Little John Cheddar Stirred curd cheddar, firm, but creamy with a nice balance of sweet and sharp, aged 10-12 months ARTICLE MELINDA GIPSON PHOTOGRAPHY ERIN SAACKE

Blessed are the Cheesemakers LOCKSLEY FARMSTEAD CHEESES, THE BEST REASONS NOT TO COOK

Leesburg Lifestyle | October 2020

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NOTHING SAYS “I HATE TO COOK” WITH AS MUCH STYLE AS THE WELL-SOURCED CHARCUTERIE PLATE. And few local farms can offer the variety and flavor of the local cheeses of Locksley Farmstead in Middleburg. Assistant Cheesemaker Erin Saacke, who graduated Virginia Tech with a

+ P r i n c e J o h n Wa s h e d R i n d Soft, silky texture, delivering a mild, meaty & savory flavor accented with hints of fruit & nuts

Dairy Science major and Agricultural Economics minor, has been making cheese for a little more than 2 years. She learned the art “in situ” from Locksley Farmstead Cheese’s consultant Kelly Harding, “the Village Cheesemaker.” Kelly taught Erin how to make each cheese when the farm first launched its cheese “spread” in 2018 and still comes by once a week to make any adjustments and to formulate new cheeses and recipes. A visit to the farmstead is bonused by its co-location and ownership of Chrysalis Vineyard and the Little River Bakehouse whose products pair wonderfully with the cheeses,

+ Merry Men Manchego Creamy and tangy with notes of melted butter

cured meats and local jams. At left are some of the farm’s best!

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Burnett & Williams and The Ampersand Pantry Project are grateful to the many supporters and sponsors who have contributed to our FREE LUNCH PROGRAM since April. Our dedicated and hard-working volunteers included Melat Aboye, Angie Bechtel, Peter Burnett, Jane Cassidy, Ken Courter and Barbara Tulipane, Betsy and John Creamer, Hunter Debutts, Richard Debutts, Desi and Ken Farren, Joy Griffith, Hayden Hauser, Hannah King, Karen Kirkpatrick, Rachel Kirkpatrick, Daniela Lamas, Gabriela Lamas, Marcela Lamas, Marc le Morzellec, Suzanne Otwell, Tori Rives, Lauren Robinson, John Russell, and Sandra and Alan Winter, and many others. Thank you to the generous donors—more than 350 individuals, organizations, businesses, and churches—who gave over $135,000 to support the food costs, and donated food and prep time. And, thank you to the Town of Leesburg for selecting The Ampersand Pantry Project as one of the many non-profit organizations awarded funds through the CARES Act.

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RENOVATE & REFINE

Absolute Kitchens: UNQUALIFIED PERFECTION ARTICLE MELINDA GIPSON PHOTOGRAPHY BOB NAROD PHOTOGRAPHY

WHEN RICHARD FORBES FIRST REDID CAROL’S KITCHEN IN ALEXANDRIA IN 1990, HE WROTE HIS CELL NUMBER ON THE DRYWALL. Some thirty years later it was still there when she decided she wanted to lighten things up and he began again. “At the time I had a Microtech Light [cellphone] that was the size of a brick. I had hair then too,” he quips. It’s not an uncommon story for the Absolute Kitchen guru to make repeat performances for his clients; he’ll be doing the third kitchen for a customer who recently moved to California this fall. The reason why boils down to the fact that everything Richard does is done to perfection. “That’s what Absolute means you know – it means perfect and complete.” Perfect, because each edge is seamless and every appliance, cabinet, countertop and sink are both top of the line and perfectly aligned to what the kitchen’s owner expects to do in it. Since “light” was the reason behind the renovation, Richard first determined the sources of natural light that could flow into the kitchen, then be captured and reflected by light finished cabinetry constructed to his exacting specs by Superior Woodcraft in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. All of the drawers – even the one under the stove – open to full extension on heavy-duty glides, making finding anything a breeze. The sink then became a focal point to correspond with an opening into the adjoining room – with its own light sources – and all the recessed lighting in the ceiling was then aligned to enhance work areas radiating from there. The sink is a story in itself. It’s a Shaw fireclay sink, made in England since the 19th Century, and is built like a tank, in Richard’s words. What he like about it are its classic lines, and the fact that its apron design is equally at home in a very traditional or very contemporary kitchen. “I tend to stay away from ‘trends’ which tend to have only a five to seven year life span,” he explains. 20

Leesburg Lifestyle | October 2020

CONTINUED >

Richard Forbes, Absolute Authority on Kitchens

Richard Always Begins by Capturing the Maximum Amount of Natural Light

CityLifestyle.com/Leesburg

RENOVATE & REFINE (CONTINUED) The Full Effect of Perfect Alignment and Style

The trick to installing one properly is that one has to wait until the sink arrives before fashioning the cabinets and countertop. “They’re not consistent in size and can vary as much s 3/16 of an inch from one to another,” Richard says. Since no variance is allowed in the long, clean lines of the counter and the cabinetry, the sink comes first. To the left side is a dishwasher, and to the right a trash bin. The countertop is a Honed charcoal gray marble, with white veins echoing the white in the floor and the cabinets. The floor is light wood, and the gray wool runner lends an almost marble-like trompe l’oeil effect in its path to the French doors opening on a walled garden. Along the other wall stand the Bosch ovens, Sub-Zero refrigerator and 7-ft-tall wine captain, and pantry, the latter cleverly concealing duct work so that it only appears as deep as the high-end appliances. “Clearly, one or two bottles in the fridge weren’t sufficient,” Richard deadpans. But then, everything he does is much more than “sufficient;” only perfect will do. 22

Leesburg Lifestyle | October 2020

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Leesburg Lifestyle | October 2020

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GIVING GRACE WITH THE GROCERIES:

GIVING BACK

ARTICLE AND PHOTOGRAPHY MELINDA GIPSON

HOW LOUDOUN HUNGER RELIEF IS COPING WITH COVID

Leesburg Lifestyle | October 2020

OSCAR GUERRA’S DAY STARTS AROUND 7 A.M. DRIVING TO A SCORE OF LOCAL GROCERY STORES IN SEARCH OF DONATIONS FOR LOUDOUN’S HUNGRY. When his van is full, he drives it to the back lot of Loudoun Hunger Relief where volunteers whisk it off to grocery carts for waiting families. When COVID hit in mid-March, there wasn’t much to glean from grocery stores, as store shelves often stood empty. The typical bounty of large packaged baked goods nearing expiration from the generosity of Wegmans, Costco and others is on its way back, but in the meantime Loudoun Hunger Relief has had to fashion some work-arounds and has upended its methods of keeping Loudoun’s needy fed. Before COVID, Loudoun grocery stores provided around 60% of food that was donated and available to hungry Loudoun County residents, according to Trish McNeal, Loudoun Hunger Relief’s Deputy Director for supporter engagement. Now, that ratio has shifted to 30% donated by grocers, and the rest either purchased from food service companies, donated from Feeding America’s Blue Ridge Food Bank, shipped in from the USDA’s Farmers to Families Program, or brought in from local farms. Round Hill’s J.K. Community Farm, one of the largest community farms in the country, has been a major supplier of farm fresh fruit and vegetables, as has The Farm at Roundabout Meadows,

the

Piedmont

Environmental

Council’s Donation Only Farm. Donations also come from the Farmer’s Market run by the Loudoun Valley Growers’ Cooperative, with many individual farms contributing as well.

Volunteers prepare a shopping cart full of groceries for families to take home.

â&#x20AC;&#x153; We b e l i e v e i n not just giving Carla Fortenberry, Trish McNeal and Executive Dir. Jennifer Montgomery hold the fort

out calories but nutrition and healthy fresh f o o d . T h a t â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s r e a l l y our mission."

COVID 14-day care boxes Working with local farms ensures families have fresh produce. CONTINUED >

CityLifestyle.com/Leesburg

GIVING BACK (CONTINUED)

Loudoun Hunger Relief takes national food deliveries through the Blue Ridge Food Bank

Conveyor belts from Habitat for Humanity help volunteers pack staple food into boxes

Leesburg Lifestyle | October 2020

"...think about the communion around a meal , what a good meal means to you – food is love, f o o d i s c o m f o r t , f o o d i s f a m i l y. " Families’ eyes light up when they see fresh plums

At the height of the COVID crisis in the month of

and watermelons, says Executive Director Jennifer

May, the organization spent the equivalent of its annual

Montgomery. “We believe in not just giving out calories

food budget. Numbers are still fluid, but whereas the

but nutrition and healthy fresh food. That’s really our

numbers of families fed had quadrupled, now it’s only

mission.” That includes frozen meat for three meals,

around double. The county and the group’s supporters

fresh milk, eggs, yogurt, butter and even cream cheese,

always have been generous, so for Jennifer, it’s not

which is typically stored in a refrigerated container

really a numbers game – partly because no one knows

truck behind the building. “We try to be culturally sensi-

what will happen when the weather turns cold and

tive too, and have stocked halal food, staples for Latino

seasonal workers may need assistance.

families, including cooking oil, cabbages and potatoes,

But just as Jennifer was forced to pivot to buying

and things that are staple to their diets. We accommo-

pallets of canned beans from Sysco in the Spring,

date people who are diabetic or hypertensive and need

she’s already looking into acquiring pre-packaged

low salt. We’ve always been that way,” she adds but it’s

food boxes. Even the food service industry, which

become more of a challenge recently.

before was stocking giant cans of tomato sauce and

Being all about choice – “because there’s dignity in

applesauce, is reworking its supply chain to accom-

choice and you know what your family wants to eat

modate fewer university and hotel customers and

more than I do” – used to mean that families could come

more of a mass market.

into the organization’s offices and “shop” for what they needed. In a COVID environment, Jennifer says they

Whatever change is coming, Jennifer is confident in the compassion and creativity of the county to cope.

pivoted to serving families in the parking lot, much as

“This isn’t just 1 million pounds of food, this is dinner

some grocery stores are now doing with curbside ser-

for a senior who needs it,” Jennifer says. “You think

vice. “You make an appointment online or on the phone,

about the communion around a meal, what a good

and then we take some pertinent information, like how

meal means to you – food is love, food is comfort,

many in your family and whether you need diapers or

food is family. When you talk about the best meal you

wipes or feminine hygiene products, and even masks

ever had, it might not have been the meal you had

and gloves and cleaning supplies.”

at a fancy restaurant, it could have been you sitting

“We pack their orders inside and then we take them out

down having a bowl of cereal with your kid yesterday

to their car in the parking lot, they load their groceries, we

and you guys were able to communicate, or perhaps

bring back the carts and sanitize and refill them.” Wash,

something your grandmother made you. It’s more than

rinse, and repeat 500 times a week. Like a well-oiled

calories, it’s also hope. Now more than ever, we feel

machine, volunteers serve 80 families every 2.5-3 hours,

like that’s what’s important.”

six days a week. Deliveries to Sugarland Run in Sterling provide groceries to more than 200 families in 2 hours,

See https://www.loudounhunger.org/ for ways to

and bags of food are delivered along with the Loudoun

donate including how you can use the organization’s

County Public School busses Monday through Friday.

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CityLifestyle.com/Leesburg

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ROAD TRIP

Leesburg Haunts in Time for Halloween TAKE A TRIP DOWN LEESBURG'S HAUNTED LANE AND END UP AT THIS YEAR'S VIRTUAL SHOCKTOBER ARTICLE KEELER ANDERSON HUNT

Leesburg Lifestyle | October 2020

Paxton Manor, site of Shocktober

The one constant in Loudoun County is change -- so why haven’t our ghosts gotten the memo? For all the doubters who dispute that certain places in Leesburg are haunted, we offer the time-honored observations of Keeler Anderson Hunt, current owner of The Leesburg Ghost Tours, founded by Joe Holbert in 1992, as well as the historical record that keeps our local legends alive. OUR TRADITIONAL “GHOST TOUR” BEGINS WITH AN OBSERVATION: WHILE THE HAUNTINGS REMAIN THE SAME, THE BUSINESSES ALONG KING STREET IN THE HEART OF LEESBURG HAVE CHANGED HANDS MORE TIMES THAN ANYONE ALIVE CAN COUNT. We begin at the Georgetown Café and talk about the old Green Tree Restaurant where Kings Court Tavern is now located. Patrons often observe things sliding across the tables in front of them without any apparent cause. Eugene Knight, a permanent resident of room 4 in the upstairs Colonial Inn for 20 years, who died in the late 1990’s, has been said to visit, as has the apparition of a maiden in room 10, who has been trying to evict others from her space for a century. Across the street, at 18 S. King Street, was the former home of Sweet Celebrations, where candy was sometimes seen to be tossed around the store by some restless spirit. Whether this ghost was offended or frustrated by the sweets is hard to say, but her fury scared away the young couple and their children within a few years. The new owners of Rebellion at 1 N. King Street—well known in both Arlington and D.C. for great bourbon and food—may need to work with the resident ghost if they continue to find doors open and things strewn about. At 19 N. King Street, you may feel the need to console an old friend in her grief. In 1860, Eliza Thompson found herself widowed. Without the right to own land, she was served to leave her home and fought furiously though through the court to keep the home. Some say she will never leave because of that fight and hopefully she likes the newly remodeled interior. The piano room is now a brightly lit living room, and behind the wall where her husband had sat, is now a pane of glass. However, the thought of Eliza’s depression over the missing family is what makes this place so interesting. It was told by the previous owners, CONTINUED >

CityLifestyle.com/Leesburg

ROAD TRIP (CONTINUED)

1 N. King Street

as far as the ghost of Eliza was concerned, the owners wife, Martha (who had the same first name as her grandaughter) had brought a new family into her home, including two grandsons. One had the same name as Eliza’s real great grandson, Patrick. She had spent many years lovingly looking after the children, but even they knew that she didn’t like changes. Although I love the look of the new interior, I know that Eliza is having a fit, and will be surprised when the new owners come calling. Passing by the Union Cemetery at Ida Lee Park, the little headstones that line the back border remind me of where we are headed next: Paxton Mansion, current home of the Arc of Loudoun, made famous by its annual transformation into a haunted house called Shocktober. Shocktober has gone virtual this year, but even without its seasonal decoration, this unique Italian Villa takes your breath away. If there was ever a mansion more suitable for a good old-fashion haunting, we can’t name it. Whether you are a believer in the legends of Jedediah Carver who was exiled from Leesburg after being found guilty of mutilating animals and moved his family into to the massive underground lake beneath the property, or Dale Carlheim, the character father in the story for Shocktober, who owned the home and found the

Leesburg Lifestyle | October 2020

Just take a stroll down King Street and feel the haunt.

A trip down memory lane

Do you see any ghosts??

caves underneath, the true story of the home puts one on guard. In 1921 when Rachael Paxton willed the home to be used as a place of healing, it became a home for the ill, wounded and dying children of the area— who often drew their last breaths there. Below the mansion stands a hidden underground lake and series of caverns that have often been cited as the restless home to another “Lady in White.” In the time following Rachel’s death, the home has been an orphanage, a daycare center, and is now The Arc of Loudoun, which works with children and adults with disabilities—helping them to thrive in the community. The ghostly children that peek from behind doors and hide from the adults must be delighted to see children back on the grounds. And what must they think of Shocktober each year? For tour information and reservations go to www.VSRA.net and preregister. Private tours

Old Leesburg

and parties are being given at this time. You can also email us at Leesburgtours@yahoo.com

CityLifestyle.com/Leesburg

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LOCAL LIMELIGHT

Welcome, Fearless REBELLION LEESBURG CONCOCTS A SIGNATURE DRINK FOR FEARFUL TIMES ARTICLE KRISTIN MILLS PHOTOGRAPHY CELESTE LINTHICUM

EDITOR’S NOTE: WHEN WE HEARD THAT TWO VETERANS -- PARTNERS IN

REBELLION,

BOURBON-FO-

CUSED BAR ALREADY POPULAR IN D.C., ARLINGTON AND WILMINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA -- WOULD SOON BE ADDING THEIR ESTABLISHMENT TO LEESBURG’S HISTORIC DOWNTOWN CULINARY SCENE DURING A PANDEMIC, WE SAID, “THAT’S FEARLESS!” Then we asked them to immortalize this sentiment with a signature cocktail to help us all embrace the uncertainty that is COVID-19 and still live our lives with joy and purpose. We asked them to call it “Fearless.”

The Recipe Fearless takes a new riff on an old classic – the iconic Manhattan cocktail. The cocktail combines Rebellion’s Catoctin Creek Barrel Select – a unique rye whisky that has been aged in a 53-gallon barrel once used for Añejo Tequila; the herbal touch of Bénédictine; sweet vermouth and bitters and infuses it with a charred bourbon cherry. The mezcal-like finish that comes from the whiskey, plus the smoky richness of the cherry, gives this drink plenty of oomph and complexity. + 2 oz Catoctin Creek Barrel Select* + .5 oz Bénédictine D.O.M + .5 oz sweet vermouth + 2 dashes orange bitters Fearless: A Cocktail for Our Times

+ 2 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters + Charred bourbon cherry, pierced with a silver sword to garnish Add all the ingredients into a mixing glass with ice and stir until well-chilled. Strain into a coupe. Char the cherry by placing cherry on hot dry skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes, or until charred and fragrant. Skewer cherry on cocktail pick and drop in. *Available at both Rebellion’s Virginia locations.

Leesburg Lifestyle | October 2020

Joel Griffin and Brent McCaslin, the 'Fearless' Vets Behind Rebellion Leesburg

Behind Rebellion Rebellion’s partnership

Leesburg between

location

PROOFhospitality

Management Company, owner of the original Rebellion concept, and Fold Three Hospitality, a venture between longtime friends, Joel Griffin and Brent McCaslin (pictured at right). Rebellion’s basic tenets were formed from a brief, yet important, part of American history, The Whiskey Rebellion, a time whose struggles and sacrifices deserve to be honored. Each location offers more than 150 types of bourbon and whiskey as well as a great selection of cocktails, wine and beer. While Rebellion loves bourbon, it also exemplifies all the characteristics of the classic American tavern, providing upscale dining without the added price. Joel, Co-owner and Managing Partner of Fold Three Hospitality, said, “When you come into the restaurant, you’ll see a quote by Thomas Jefferson that says, ‘A little rebellion now and then is a good thing.’ Rebellion is embodied in the values of our founding fathers, and we want to bring their values into everything we’re doing here – the environment, the food, the drinks and the impact we make in our community.” Inspired by community and built on the principles of integrity, quality and creativity, Fold Three restaurants offer a place of occasion and gathering for the neighborhood. Each restaurant sits in historic corners of communities and celebrates local culture. In Leesburg, Rebellion will open this fall at 1 N. King Street. Fold Three Hospitality is named for the third fold of the American Flag, made in honor and remembrance of each veteran departing our ranks, who gave a portion of his or her life for the defense of our country to attain peace throughout the world. Since opening in DC in 2014, Rebellion has received notoriety for DC’s Best Burger and has been listed as one of America’s Best Bourbon Bars by Bourbon Review Magazine. Join the Rebellion by following them on social media or visiting www.rebellionworldwide.com. CityLifestyle.com/Leesburg

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HOT SPOT

A FOOD-MINDED WALK IN THE WOODS WITH TARVER KING

Leesburg Lifestyle | October 2020

ARTICLE KRISTIN ROCK | PHOTOGRAPHY CELESTE LINTHICUM

Foraging for Dinner THE DRIVEWAY AT THE RESTAURANT AT PATOWMACK FARM IS A GRAVEL ROAD INTO THE PAST. Looking up the hill, across a field of milkweed towards the acclaimed Lovettsville restaurant, you might miss the trail head into the woods. But the woods is where we’re headed with Chef Tarver King, to forage for the dinner service this week. Tarver is recognized as one of the Mid-Atlantic’s best chefs. He is a James Beard Award Finalist, and the Restaurant at Patowmack Farm has won praise or its ever-changing found, grown, and raised menus served alfresco on the patio or in the glass house. Foraging for his multi-course meals is one-part history lesson and one-part love letter to the land. Here the path is winding and rutted from a recent storm that washed down towards Catoctin Creek. Beech trees and black walnut share the canopy with oaks and hickory covered with vines. We’re on our way towards the site of the restaurant’s annual Feast in the Forest, gathering ingredients from among the foliage and the forest floor. There’s no grocery cart, but it’s a wild version of grocery shopping all the same. Tarver stops and kneels to dig up chicory and snag a handful of spicebush berries. He’s an endless source of information on plants, describing the spicy, citrus-like fragrance the berries will bring to a curry, and the Christmassy smell of Virginia juniper that will flavor a brine. If the cultivated farm on the other side of the hill is the restaurant’s pantry, these woods are its spice cabinet, giving diners a true taste of Loudoun. We’re looking for chicken of the woods mushrooms, light-colored tree huggers with the texture and taste of chicken. Tarver serves of them as a vegetarian entree, marinated with kombu and garlic, then breaded and southern fried. Many diners have demanded to see the mushroom after taking a bite, convinced that a cutlet of fried chicken has been mistakenly served. While we don’t find any “chickens” on our hunt, Chef Tarver points down a deer path and says they will Dining in and from the forest at the Restaurant at Potowmack Farm

return to the menu this fall. Tarver explains that mushrooms are his favorite forage find because they are so challenging to locate. “Chanterelles made me CONTINUED >

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HOT SPOT (CONTINUED)

Swordfish marinated with cedar and grape leaves from Linden Vineyards

â&#x20AC;&#x153; When people hear foraging , they expect sticks and bark , not a wild olive or a berr y w i t h j u i c e t h a t t a s t e s l i k e a f r u i t r o l l u p .â&#x20AC;?

Early paw paws join spicebush berries in the foraging basket 44

Leesburg Lifestyle | October 2020

fall in love with foraging. I searched for a long time before I even found one,” he says. “Then, it was as if my eyes had been opened. I could literally pick them out of the shadows around me.” Foraging may sound haphazard, like wandering in the woods. But with an experienced chef who knows every hill and stream, it’s very purposeful. We’re visiting plants Tarver knows and greeting trees like old friends. But it is Virginia’s sweet treats -- wine berries, nannyberries, frost grapes, and recently bluebells – that the Chef likes serving to foraging first timers. “When people hear foraging, they expect sticks and bark, not a wild olive or a berry with juice that tastes like a fruit roll up.” Tarver has been at Patowmack Farm long enough to be in tune with what’s in season and to know where hidden treasures can be found across the 42-acre property. Though he’ll be leaving this month to plan a new restaurant opening next summer, he muses about the menu for Feast in the Forest, a multi-course dinner event that includes a hike through the woods to get to dining tables set on the edge of the creek. The event, scheduled annually for late October, is an homage to the Farm’s origins with a menu that is entirely wild. The rest of our walk reveals that it’s a great year for paw paws, that morels like to hide in the root structure of beech trees, and that sunchokes have been mapped by their blooms this summer so they can be dug up this fall. Tarver says they’ve partnered with local wineries and distilleries as well as local organic and sustainably minded farmers and hunters for the Feast, and will be inviting each to talk about their own land and their process of stewarding its bounty. Desert, under the guidance of chef Nate Shapiro, has in the past included hickory nut pies and candy boxes filled with wild berry jellies and French-style macaroons. Feast in the Forest is scheduled for October 18th. Reservations tend to book well before the leaves start changing, but diners can get the forage-to-table experience at dinner on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings, brunch on Sundays, or at one of the Restaurant’s monthly Sunday Suppers. Look for upcoming menus inspired by the March Region of Italy on November 8 and Bangladesh on December 6. Also note that this spring owner Beverly Morton Billard, who has Found on the forest floor, a giant puffball mushroom

owned and farmed the land since 1986, introduced weekly family style to-go meals and packed picnics in addition to in-person dining. Reservations and pre-orders are required. The Restaurant at Patowmack Farm practices social distancing and year-round outdoor dining. See https://www.patowmackfarm.com/. Kristin Rock has been in love with Loudoun for more than 20 years. She’s a content strategist and writer with Inkwell Creative, developing written and digital assets for a variety of clients and passionately eradicating typos from take-out menus. www.InTheInkwell.com CityLifestyle.com/Leesburg

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Leesburg Lifestyle | October 2020

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BOTH BEAUTIFUL AND FUNCTIONAL A 2020 CHRYSALIS NATIONAL AWARD WINNING REMODEL FROM MICHAEL NASH SHOWS THE POWER OF GOOD DESIGN.

HOMEOWNERS IN VIENNA WERE TIRED OF THEIR DRAB, SINGLE-FAMILY COLONIAL HOME APPEARANCE. Red brick and a Michael Nash Design Build. The home was not only transformed into a craftsman-style beauty, but now features a usable outdoor area that extends the family’s living space by bringing them outside. The new wraparound front porch is large enough to accommodate an outdoor sitting space and ties in with the covered back porch, which is used as an extension of the kitchen. The aesthetics of the home were improved by dark bronze metal roofing, tapered columns over stone pillars and new porch cedar ceiling panels. The transformation of the home was so incredible, the neighborhood committee selected it as an icon home for festive holidays.

Leesburg Lifestyle | October 2020

ARTICLE HANN LIVINGSTON

non-functional front porch led to a complete outdoor renovation with

BRIGHT IDEA Adding a fish pond with a running river and water-garden landscaping gives a feeling of nature. A drainage and erosion problem was also solved by adding this feature.Â

CONTINUED >

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TREND SETTER (CONTINUED)

was significantly upgraded by adding a three-sided front porch, new landscaping and a flagstone walkway, which required a major excavation from two sides of the house.

BRIGHT IDEA

The curb-appeal of the home

TIPS FOR OUTDOOR RENOVATIONS FROM MASTER DESIGNER/ REMODELER, SONNY NA ZEMIAN: + Identify the problems with the house. How do we improve the look of the house, and what is the intent of the design for function? + Once you do the diagnosis with the design team, then designing and implementation is easy. The only times you run into problems is when you overlook details in step 1. + Each house has its own DNA so there is no one-size-fits-all solution. It is extremely important to work with a knowledgeable team that understands renovation is not cookie cutter, but follows the spoken needs and issues. + Outdoor living is much different than it used to be. You really want to be able to “live in” and enjoy your outdoor environment, aesthetically and functionally. How do you want to enjoy your property and what changes will make it more of a used space? 50

Leesburg Lifestyle | October 2020

ELEVATE EVERYTHING