Given the state of the economy, one of the most remarkable aspects of the 2008 Year in Food was how many brave folks decided to take the plunge and open a restaurant or some type of eatery. Still, the local restaurant world is bracing itself for 2009, which appears to be shaping up to be a rough one economically.

But as one local restaurateur pointed out this year, following the auctioning off of OXO on Water Street, which went for a mere $3,000 after the owners ran into some financial problems, starting a restaurant isn’t necessarily all about the Benjamins.

“Everybody thinks you get rich in the restaurant business, but you don’t,” said Hot Cake’s Keith Rosenfeld, who had hoped to score some catering equipment at the auction. “It’s often more a labor of love and a way to have a job that let’s you stay in Charlottesville.”

But Rosenfeld said it had become a tougher playing field.

“We used to have very few good restaurants,” he said. “… but now we have many, plus tons of chains. In my opinion, Charlottesville has been over-restauranted for some time, and I’m afraid we may see more of these auctions before the economy turns around.”

So far, there hasn’t been a rash of auctions, though Ponderosa’s equipment was auctioned off soon after Rosenfeld’s comments, but the economy hasn’t turned around yet either.

But enough of this gloomy talk! On to the Dish stories of the year… (more)

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Singer-songwriter Lauren Hoffman (right) hangs out with Lynchburg’s Starlight Café owners, Carri Sickmen and her partner, Julie Kotowski and their daughter, Ruby.
PHOTO BY COURTENEY STUART

It’s been over a year since we checked in with the Starlight Cafe down in Lynchburg, the funky coffee house, music venue, and eatery that Ché-ville transplants Caroline Rawls Sickmen and Julie Kotowski purchased from developer Oliver Kuttner, who appears to be trying to single-handedly revive the former home of Jerry Falwell, a beautiful small city over-looking a river that just hasn’t been able to find its groove.

Well, apparently things are going pretty good. Sickman says there are major renovations going on at its Fifth Street location–when we visited last year, there were alot of unoccupied spaces–and the entire 500 block where the cafe is located is open for business.

“We’ve been very busy and we are happy to have several old Charlottesville people living in downtown Lynchburg,” says Sickmen. ” I got an ABC license back in the spring and I carry all of the Blue Mountain Brewery Beer, and just got some excellent Sake in.”

Sickmen also reports that local coffee Roaster Doug Escalera, who created the 50 and 90 blends for the original Higher Grounds, moved his operation from Charlottesville to Lynchburg last year. “We’re very happy to have his excellent coffee roasts available to us, excellent freshness,” she says.

Hmm…Lynchburg…road trip, anyone?

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Our favorite tapas place is teaming up with C-Ville Weekly to put on a New Year’s Eve ” Sugar ” party (Hey, how come we weren’t invited?). Apparently, they’ll be introducing new “molecular gastronomy tapas” (do we need to know calculus to eat that?) and partying all night long with DISUNSHINE. Doors open at 9:30pm on December 31, and dress is chic, or formal, or Charlottesville Chic. Cover $10.

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Holiday Pet Food Drive: Voices for Animals is collecting donated cat and dog food for pet owners in need December 20 and 21 at Kroger’s on Emmet Street. Check their website for more information.

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Michael Crafaik stands outside Michael’s Bistro this past summer.
FILE PHOTO BY MARISSA D’ORAZIO

Longtime Michael’s Bistro owner and former politician J. Michael Crafaik III, 37, died Saturday, December 13 at UVA hospital, according to an obituary in today’s Daily Progress.

His tragic death of a self-inflicted wound followed a long struggle with bipolar disorder, according to his step-mother Kay Neeley, who told the Hook on Friday that there was “no chance of his recovery.”

A 1993 UVA grad, Crafaik made a name for himself not long after graduating by running for city council candidate in his mid-20s in 1996, and again in 1998. But he is perhaps best known for Michael’s Bistro, the eponymous restaurant on the Corner that he started before getting into politics— and which was among the first restaurants to offer fine dining and microbrews in that part of town.

In 2000, Crafaik successfully gained the chair of the city’s Republican Party, but on the night he won that post, he was involved in a dust-up at Mono Loco restaurant. He filed a criminal assault charge against the Republican leader he ousted.

Pundits couldn’t help but notice that Crafaik achieved his greatest political success in the same year that George W. Bush won the presidency with a national Republican Party very different from Crafaik’s vision.

While Bush was directing spending to religious organizations and fighting such potentially life-saving technologies stem-cell research and— some might argue– also leading it into the politcal doldrums now affecting it, Crafaik was pressed for a new kind of Republicanism, one founded on freedom. Crafaik was part of a philosphical movement that considered the best government to be the one that gets out of the way

In 2005, Crafaik himself became the target of charges after an altercation with an employer. He was eventually acquitted, and spent some time in a mental health facility in Williamsburg.

In July of this past summer, Michael’s Bistro shut down briefly after Crafaik and his partner, Chuck Adcock, had a falling out. After a large-scale staff walkout, the restaurant reopened in August.

Friends say Crafaik’s troubles were dwarfed by his personal qualities which include intelligence, creativity, and kindness.

“He was charming, funny, and I liked working for him,” says former Michael’s Bistro employee Haley Kreutzer, echoing a sentiment voiced by many. “I still can’t believe he’s gone.”

–originally published at 3:23pm Friday, December 12, under the headline: “Restaurateur, former candidate Crafaik mortally wounded.”

–last updated 2:20pm, Sunday, December 14

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