Danville Virginia now has a Farm to Table restaurant. Last weekend The 616 had its grand opening.
Ribbon cutting at The 616. The restaurant is in a part of town once known as Neapolis.
The executive chef (and part owner)Chris King is also a farmer. He and his partner Darcy Cropp own King Cropp Farm, one of a handful of local chemical-free farms. They are mainstays at our farmers market.
We’re excited to see Danville finally getting on board with Farm to Table. We’re especially pleased that our farm is one of the partner farms, and our food is on the menu. Because Chris and Darcy are farmers, they understand the seasonality of food production. The menu at The 616 will change daily, to reflect what is available locally.
We’re hoping the restaurant will be a great success.
All the best to the restaurant endeavor. Congrats to you guys for being a producer! That’s exciting.
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Thanks. We especially like the fact that the chef/owner is a farmer. He gets it and is very fair.
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You’re right, that would make a big difference.
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thanks
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You’re welcome.
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Wonderful, Bill! Just think how many more people you will be feeding.
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We’re pleased that locally produced food is now available for people who choose to eat at a restaurant. It’s about time Danville got around to having a Farm to Table restaurant!
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It must be the most satisfying feeling to walk into a restaurant and see someone eat food you grew and cared for all season. To watch a kid taste some spaghetti squash for the first time and puff up their little lips and say: mmm, that’s good. 🙂
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So far they’ve served our okra, eggplant, arugula and various Asian greens. Some restaurants/chefs will say to farms, “Here’s a list of what we have on our menu. Can you provide any of it?” But in this case the chef says, “What do you available? We’ll create a menu based on what you can provide.” That’s truly seasonal eating.
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That is wonderful. I just recently read this awesome post by Eddie, about a restaurant in Duluth, MN that does some neat things, if you have a minute, this is a great story: http://eddygilmore.com/2015/09/28/inefficient-crazy-and-utterly-delicious/
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I read and enjoyed it too, but didn’t connect the two like you did. (Hey I’m low on sleep)
Very apropos.
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Wow- so encouraging!! I live in west central Georgia, & how I wish for such a place!! Best of luck to this endeavor. I enjoy your blog. Thanks. Mary Ann
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Thanks Mary Ann. In some places these days farm to table restaurants are very popular. But here it was a long time coming. But if it can happen here, it can happen anywhere! Hoping you have one in your community soon.
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Bill, one more small step for quality food in restaurants. I’m glad to hear that some comes from White Flint Farm.
I had the best viewing of the Blood moon and eclipse right from the curb in front of my house. The sky was totally clear and the view was awesome. Every one on the block was outside watch the greatest heavenly event to be seen in years. The next one won’t be until 2033. In 18 years I probably won’t really care to watch to moon.
Have a great day growing for the 616.
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Aw, man how cool. It was super-overcast here. Bummer.
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Glad you got a good look at it Dave. It’s been raining here for days, so we missed it.
We’ve been under drought conditions until the last week. Now we’ve had well over 5 inches of rain, with more on the way. Adios drought. 🙂
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You know what’s funny? In 1977-80, one of my favorite places to eat was a little joint in Berkeley called Chez Panisse. There was this kooky owner named Alice Waters who seemed to think that in season, local food, well-prepared, would attract diners.
It certainly did. We couldn’t afford to eat there often, but a couple of times a month we did, just because the food was so good. The menu has changed over time, of course, but I see a couple of the items I loved — including her gazpacho — still are on the menu.
I just checked the menu offerings and prices for this week. May your local farm-to-table restaurant do so well!
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Wow. Ms. Waters is a food movement celebrity, as you likely know. How cool that you went there long before it was trendy. I swallowed hard when I saw the prices. The 616 ain’t cheap, but nothing like that!
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Thought of you this morning when I read this: http://priceonomics.com/the-cheese-board-collective/
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Oh, gosh. I don’t have time for a good reading this morning, but I can’t wait to dig into it (I wish I could dig into the pizza again! Had some the last time I was in Berkeley.)
I remember making a purchase or a few at the Cheese Board, and my favorite coffee place, Café Espresso, was one of the first to use Peets coffee. Good times!
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I think it takes courage to open a restaurant, just like it takes courage to become a farmer. The best of luck to them. –Curt
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