First the bad news: Seafood at West Main owner Chris Arseneault decided to close his lunch counter in the West Main Market. No more fish and chips, po-boys, and such. Now the good news: he’s opened a sushi counter in its place!

For Arseneault it was a no-brainer. After all, he’s been selling sashimi quality fresh fish for the last six years. And…

“We also expanded within the last two years to include Japanese groceries,” he says, “and my wife, Yoshiko, and I own the business and she’s Japanese.”

Using their sashimi quality yellow-fin tuna and Atlantic salmon, Arseneault says they’re currently offering tuna, salmon, spicy tuna, eel, California, and vegetable rolls.

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The findings of a recent student-run UVA food study have finally been compiled– and it’s big news. We mean that literally. It’s 172 pages long! The product of a class of both graduate and undergraduate students in urban and environmental planning, called “Healthy Communities, Healthy Food Systems (Part III): Global-Local Connections,” the study examines our local food system, the local food movement in general, and according to its executive summary, is “the next step in a longer-term community project to foster better links between local farms and community schools and organizations, food stores, restaurants and residents.” Indeed, the study profiles Feast!, Blue Moon Diner, UVA dining services, Chipotle, a number of local farms– even a single family– in exhaustive fashion.

Conclusions? Well, considering it would take us about a week to read, here’s a quickie overview.

“The desire for a completely self-sustaining local food system is desirable to many; however, in the contemporary globally connected world, this is nearly impossible. A balance between local entities and its respective global ties work to provide a healthy system that most closely resembles the completely idealistic self-sustaining system.”

In other words, how the heck can small farmers feed millions of people?

“Local, organic food may seem phony, even elitist. The luxury of owning a share of Community Supported Agriculture for a weekly box full of unusual produce or paying $2.99 for a pound of ground beef sold at Kroger for $0.99, sets the local movement outside the reach of the everyday citizen.”

Which is the reason some folks call that grocery store on 29 North “Whole Paycheck.”

Still, the study profiles the noble efforts of area farms, restaurants, and organizations to make locally grown food more readily available, and even presents a number of strategies for improving the local food system, such as Feast! owner Kate Collier’s (pictured left) idea of establishing a publicly owned Community Food Center, a kind of local food grocery and distribution center. In particular, it examines Chipotle’s effort to make its Charlottesville franchise the first chain restaurant to use 100 percent locally grown produce.

Of course, there’s much more to the study than we’ve presented here, and co-creator of the UVA class, Tanya Denckla Cobb says the study will be available on the class website within the next week.

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A sampling of their wine, food, and spirits. Featuring a Jazz Cafe by Bill Harris
June 14, 4-7pm, Sperryville.
More info.

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We had the pleasure of visiting Wright’s Dairy-Rite in Staunton last week, an absolutely classic burger joint with the old drive-up service that opened in 1952– three years before Ray Kroc opened his first McDonald’s franchise! The booths and tables inside all have phones for calling in your order– no waiting for that waitress! And we must say their original Superburger is one of the better burgers we’ve had in a while.

For the past 21 years they’ve also hosted two “Cruise-In” events on the Sunday before Memorial Day and the Sunday before Labor Day, which attract classic and antique car owners from around the area (right). Last year, owner Jim Cash says, 210 cars registered for the event, and local police had to close off one lane on the street in front of Wright’s to accommodate them. This Sunday’s Cruise-In happens 2-5pm. Make sure to arrive early, as parking spaces are allocated on a first-come, first-serve basis.

“People just come and have a good ole’ family day,” says Cash, who runs a contest for the best cars at no charge, and gives the winners special dash plaques. “It’s just a really good time.”

Wright’s Dairy-Rite
346 Greenville Avenue, Staunton
540-886-0435

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Okay, we know Charlottesville foodies are loco for local, but this must be a first. On June 10, the Piedmont Environmental Council (which founded the Buy Fresh Buy Local initiative) and the Toliver House are hosting a “Meet the Farmer” dinner at the Gordonsville restaurant. While you’re munching on your locally grown and produced four-course meal, the folks who grew and produced it will be sitting in the wings to answer your questions– kinda of like ingredients label coming to life. Now all we need is for someone to sponsor a “meet the pig” dinner!

It’s not surprising that the Toliver House is hosting. In November 2006, chef Jonathan Hayward made the decision to serve meat and poultry only from Central Virginia farms.

“While it may be more difficult to locate available sources of regionally raised meat and poultry than mass-produced foods,” said Hayward, “if we can make our guests more aware of where and how their food is grown, then we’ve achieved our purpose.”

Featured farms and producers will include Retreat Farm in Rapidan; Planet Earth Diversified in Stanardsville; Caromont Farm in Esmont; and Perfect Flavor Ice Cream in Waynesboro. Wines will be provided by Keswick Vineyards.

Dinner starts at 6:30pm on Tuesday, June 10. Tickets are $50 per person. Call the Piedmont Environmental Council at 434-977-2033 or visit the Buy Local website at buylocalvirginia.com to purchase tickets in advance. This is a fundraiser for the Council’s Buy Fresh Buy Local campaign.

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