Lately it seems like all eyes are on Richmond. Frommer’s named the city a top worldwide destination claiming, “while you weren’t looking, Richmond got cool.” The New York Times says, “Richmond is strutting with confidence” as it emerges as a “new player on the Southern art and culinary scene.” And Outside magazine says residents are “absolutely justified in their zealotry.”
But what does a foodie city taste like? What makes an “it” neighborhood? What does it mean to be one of the happiest cities in America? And, as a university that brings in students from all over the world but once struggled to burst its own bubble, what’s our place in all of this?
Spend a weekend here with an itinerary like this and you’ll get a few answers. Delicate and hop-forward, classic French with a dash of comfort. A place that preserves history without shying away from innovation. Spiders who love RVA and work together to make our home a better place.
Friday No matter how you travel to Richmond, the first thing any road warrior needs is a solid cup of coffee. Consider the custom University of Richmond blend from David Blanchard, ’02, owner of Blanchard’s Coffee. His business started as a hobby with a monthly subscription for friends and family. “I’ve always loved coffee and building things and tinkering,” Blanchard says. “This seemed like a great fit for all of them.” Just three months into it, after an accidental meeting with a grocery store vice president, wholesale requests were coming in and the hobby turned into a lot of hard work.
Restaurants (including several on these pages), coffee shops, and grocery stores up and down the East Coast now offer Blanchard’s Coffee, but you should walk through Blanchard’s production facility in Manchester and see what goes into your cup — from raw bean delivery to the roaster to packaging. You’ll have to take a bag of coffee with you for a taste, but Stephen Robertson, director of sales and marketing, still encourages a visit. “We like people to see where their coffee comes from,” he says. “Even though it seems like a weird place, it’s the best way for us to communicate what we’re passionate about.”
From Blanchard’s Coffee, drive across the Manchester Bridge to Olio Downtown on the ground floor of a high-rise office building on East Main Street. Owner Jason Savedoff, ’01 — like Blanchard, a financier turned artisan food maker — got the idea for Olio while having a few beers at a European market in the nearby Fan district. He made the owner an offer and a month later, that space was his. It started off as a market for hard-to-find goods — think specialty cheeses and one of the biggest selections of olive oil in the city — but with the growth of sites like Amazon, Savedoff turned his attention to producing “the best sandwiches in town.” His go-to? The El Conquistador, which comes with roasted pork, fig jam, peppers, and aged cheddar. “If someone comes in and orders that sandwich, as my bubbie would say, that’s a mensch right there.”
As Olio grew to include two restaurants, food trucks, and a catering division, Savedoff shifted back to the business side but still stays involved, grabbing a bit of roast beef off the slicer for a “quality control test.” He now also runs a consulting business where he helps nonprofits and entrepreneurs — including restaurants — get started and survive. “A lot of consultants have never owned a business,” he says. “It makes a huge difference when you’ve lived it. I understand what clients are talking about and what they’re feeling.”
After grabbing a picnic lunch from Olio, set out for Goochland, about 30 minutes west of Richmond. Perched on a hill surrounded by sweeping pastoral landscapes, order a Redneck Soap Opera quadruple ale or a Magic Beaver Belgian pale ale from Sean Pumphrey, GB’09, and Farris Loutfi, GB’10, at Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery (top). The experience of enjoying a craft beer in the middle of an open field wasn’t exactly part of the plan, Pumphrey says. “We always knew we’d have a tasting room when we opened. We just didn’t think anyone would come to it.”
He was wrong. On an average Saturday, 300 to 500 people make the trek; more than 3,000 came out for Despot Day, when Lickinghole released its signature Enlightened Despot imperial stout, and more breweries will soon have an opportunity to offer a similar experience. To open their business, Virginia’s first farm brewery, Pumphrey and his wife, Lisa, campaigned a rewriting of county and state laws to allow landowners with more than 50 acres to open a microbrewery without zoning commissions and permits. Pumphrey says nearly a dozen farm breweries may be opening in the next year. “It’s cool and fun to know that I helped pave the way to change the beer scene a little bit,” he says.
Next, trade land for sea with oysters from Travis Croxton, ’97, at Rappahannock restaurant (left) on East Grace Street. Croxton may not have literally put your oysters on the plate, but he got them there. The restaurant is part of Rappahannock River Oysters, an oyster hatchery founded by Croxton’s great-grandfather in 1899. When the company almost closed in 2001, Croxton and his cousin Ryan took it over with no experience or equipment and eventually expanded it to include three restaurants in Virginia and Washington, D.C., all focused on farm- and bay-to-table food. “Knowing that it was the heritage of our family, we didn’t want to let that fritter away,” he says. “Plus it gave us an opportunity to do something different in life.”
Saturday Start your morning on the banks of the majestic James River (above) with a stand-up paddleboard lesson from Bryan Smith, ’95, owner of Black Dog Paddle. Smith knows his way around Richmond’s main waterway; while a student at Richmond, he taught whitewater kayaking. After a friend later introduced him to SUP, as stand-up paddleboarding is affectionately called, he was hooked. When a search for classes in Richmond turned up empty, Smith and his wife, Camille, filled the gap.
An intro class with Black Dog Paddle — for which, by the way, you can register through the School of Professional and Continuing Studies — includes instruction in gear, safety, balance drills, and maneuvering the board. Smith says not to worry about falling in. It’s the best way to get comfortable on the board and on a hot summer day, you’ll welcome it.
Once you feel solid on the board, find your flow in SUP yoga or bring Fido along for SUP With Your Pup. If you’re more interested in communing with nature, an eco-tour in Pocahontas State Park might be your speed. On the two-hour tour, it’s not uncommon to be 50 feet away from a beaver, great blue heron, or even a bald eagle. Smith says being on a paddleboard can offer a new perspective on the natural world. “It takes the blinders off,” he says. “You start to look into the water. You can see fish. You can look at the shoreline and see the animal interactions. You can listen to the birds. It makes interacting with your environment much more magical than standing on the shore or in a boat going 20 miles an hour.”
Surely you’ve worked up your appetite, so head back across the river for lunch at Lift. This coffee shop in the arts corridor near Richmond’s former campus has seen a lot of changes. Scott Garnett, R’90, opened it at a time when there wasn’t a coffee shop or casual meeting place for miles. But Garnett, a real estate agent, knew that a single coffee shop was just one dent in a neighborhood with so much potential. His ongoing work with the Downtown Neighborhood Association makes it easier for others to follow suit, and more business owners have. “Around here, we’re all trying to help each other out,” Garnett says. “It’s not cutthroat. We’ve all realized the only way we’re going to succeed is to help each other.”
If your weekend has your Spider pride in Richmond soaring, channel it into service. Holly Gordon, ’03, is the programs and operations manager for HandsOn Greater Richmond, a center that offers one-stop shopping for volunteers to quickly get involved with community projects, even for just an afternoon. Prospective volunteers can then visit the opportunity calendar on the HandsOn website to search for options by location or issue area, sign up, and show up.
In just the last few years, Gordon has seen a steady rise in the number of people coming to their doors. “People feel ownership of Richmond, like they can make a difference,” she says. “And it’s a small enough town that you can. In a city like New York, with so many issues and so many neighborhoods, I don’t know that I would feel like I would have the ability to make the kind of change I would like to see. In Richmond, it feels possible.”
Whether you spent the afternoon assisting the staff at an urban farm or walking dogs for a rescue organization, you’ll be hungry again. Find Chris Ripp, B’88, at one of Richmond’s true gems, Can Can Brasserie in Carytown (left). With its floor-to-ceiling windows and red and white awnings, the classic French bistro has been an anchor on the Mile of Style for the last decade. Ripp, Can Can’s owner and executive chef, opened it to recreate the French brasserie experience he fell in love with while living in Europe for two years after graduation. “If you give [diners] a chance to step out of that day-to-day world and step into a different experience that reminds them of places they’ve traveled to, you’re creating something very special,” Ripp says.
His attention to detail extends to every inch of both the space and the menu. Even the French fries had to be perfect. “That was really the calling card,” he says. “Make sure everything we do, especially the simple things, we do really well.”
Wind your way through the open-air dining room and grab a seat at the 75-foot zinc bar where Ripp has a carefully chosen menu of beer, wine, and craft cocktails. Consider the Belle Isle Reviver, made with premium moonshine from Vince Riggi, ’07, Alex Wotring, ’07, and Brian Marks. Their company, Belle Isle Craft Spirits, pays homage to the city island where Civil War soldiers once turned their corn rations into moonshine.
This isn’t undrinkable hooch that will make you go blind. Rather, it’s designed for the craft cocktail market. “The cleanliness on the palate and the sweetness on the back end takes on the character of what you’re drinking,” Riggi says. “It’s a blank canvas, and it allows these artists to create something new. It’s really cool to see, whether you’re talking about martinis and manhattans or infusions and culinary dishes.” Local mixologists at places like Can Can and Rappahannock are letting their creative juices flow with ingredients like beet infusions, earl grey syrup, and rhubarb bitters. Riggi and Wotring are also experimenting with special releases, like their recent honey-habanero infusion. Or if you’re one to keep it simple, follow Riggi’s lead and order a Belle Isle on the rocks.
Sunday It wouldn’t be Sunday morning — or afternoon — without brunch, and Chris Danahy, R’87, at The Tavern (below) just off campus has you covered. Here you’ll find huevos rancheros, sausage and ’taters, quiche, and a selection of local craft beer (in case you’re in the mood for another taste of Lickinghole Creek). Danahy opened the neighborhood restaurant in 1990 after leaving then-Spider hangout Barry’s. While it’s close to campus, he caters to neighborhood families.
Danahy’s Tavern has constantly evolved over the last 25 years as the city of Richmond has grown and changed. He updated the menu to include more sophisticated fare and traded carafes of Chablis for 20 taps of local beer, but his goal of being an approachable neighborhood restaurant has remained. “When we first opened, it’s crazy how simple this place was,” he says. “We survived because we had good service and good food and we were friendly.” The Tavern has also become an unofficial alumni gathering spot, especially to celebrate a Spider victory or reminisce with old friends during Reunion Weekend.
Belly full, swing around the corner to Grove Avenue and drop in to visit Susan Stanley Sprinkle, W’81, at Stanley Antiques and Fine Art. The art history graduate had a career in art conservation, fine art, and antiques, but when a space opened up near the shops at Libbie and Grove, she knew it was time to open her own place. Step inside the quaint green house and find a cozy living room with chairs, tables, and paintings from the 18th century to modern reproductions designed by Sprinkle.
She buys only what she loves. “Whether I’m at estate sales or I’m in London,” she says, “if I want it, somebody else is going to want it.”
Not everything Sprinkle finds makes its way into her shop. Every once in a while, she comes across a piece that’s too special and significant. That’s when she steps in as a broker, helping the owners find a home where the general public can enjoy it. One such painting, “Lady Clara de Clare” by William Dickinson Washington, hangs in the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (above). Head just a few miles down Grove Avenue and find it in the American Art gallery, now managed in part by assistant curator Chris Oliver, ’05.
Over a cup of coffee (one option: a Blanchard’s custom blend designed for VMFA) in the museum’s Best Café, Oliver and membership director Tom Zydel, ’05, describe overlapping careers that began with internships at the VMFA as undergraduates and included stints at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art before returning to Richmond. “It has a fabulous collection that’s going to be growing for a long time to come,” Oliver says. “I don’t like when people say, ‘It’s a great institution for a city of that nature.’ It’s a great institution.”
The works in Oliver’s gallery include more than 2,000 paintings, sculptures, furniture, and ceramics. His personal favorite? A portrait of singer and civil rights activist Marian Anderson by Beauford Delaney. The permanent collection is always free and open to the public, but if you’re in town this spring, don’t miss the special exhibition, “Van Gogh, Manet, and Matisse: The Art of the Flower.”
You could spend days wandering the VMFA’s massive collection, but there’s just as much happening beyond the grounds, including school programs, partnerships with nearby museums, and fellowships for local artists. “The VMFA is a center to help people grow in the art world,” Zydel says. “Richmond has a great art scene. It’s a vibrant artistic community, and we are the anchor to that.”
Perhaps more than the accolades, it’s that spirit of collaboration and creativity, of championing another’s accomplishments rather than fretting over the competition, that makes Richmond a city worth celebrating.
A weekend tour can barely scratch the surface, but when you’re toasting a Spider victory with a glass of Lickinghole Creek’s Enlightened Despot at The Tavern, or enjoying a cup of Blanchard’s coffee with one of Ripp’s perfectly airy croissants, or tackling a street cleanup project a block or two from Lift, you start to see Richmond alumni aren’t simply operating successful businesses in a vacuum. It’s not even a case of good old-fashioned alumni backscratching. These Spider brewers and paddlers, chefs and harvesters, they all see a city full of people with big ideas, who are always asking “what if …,” who see that the success of one is the success of many — and they embrace the movement.
“We have a great network of people in small business who have a shared story of accomplishments and heartache,” says David Blanchard. “There’s been such a boom of cool small businesses, which I think shows that people love this city and they want it to be a city they’re proud of.
We know this list is just the beginning, so you tell us — what would your weekend in Richmond look like? Let us know on Twitter and Instagram with the hashtag #URinRVA. If you’re a Spider with a business in Richmond or anywhere, email magazine@richmond.edu and we’ll send a Spider sticker for your shop window.
Kim Catley is a writer at the University of Richmond. She logged more than a hundred miles, sampled food and drinks, downed a lot of coffee, and wandered museum halls — all for the story. Yeah, that’s it. For the story.