From Local Royalty, the Best Ham Biscuit on the Planet Photos © Tiffany of Dillonkeenphotography
C
onsider the ham biscuit. It’s small, savory and a staple in this part of Virginia. Now, let’s take it one step further. For forty years, the local Queen of the Ham Biscuit was the late Barbara Page {March 28, 1937 - May 12, 2022). No gathering of any size could be complete without her culinary work on a silver platter. Although Barbara has passed away, her biscuits live on made by daughter Patti Page Brown. Daughter Sandra Page Walker, son James Page, Jr. and son Michael Page assist. Often referred to fondly as Babs or Bobbi Ann Page, Barbara grew up in Loudoun County with her parents, Mary and George Johnson. She moved to Clarke in 1986. One of seven siblings who left school after the seventh grade, she began working at age 14, often cleaning and cooking. She married James E. Page, Sr. in 1954 and they had five children. From her experience in the kitchen, she started Bab’s Creative Catering, which continues. Our biggest question of all is “What’s the secret to this biscuit business?” The answer came from Babs’ daughter Patti Page Brown, a retired CPA and a doppelgänger of her mother. “Honey butter.”
Patti Page Brown
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Ham Biscuits
Sandra Page Walker
MIDDLEBURG SUSTAINABLE COMMITTEE| Autumn 2022
James Page, Jr.
Sisters at work