The Book
Commons
1. A dining hall
2. Land belonging to an entire community
3. Cultural and natural resources that are shared by and accessible to all members of a society
Food creates community. Charlottesville is our commons.
Charlottesville COMMONS 2013 is an 8.5″ x 11″, 152 page, soft-bound book filled with stories, full-color photographs, and 30 recipes from local chefs, farmers, growers, bakers and food enthusiasts. It was created by Andrea Hubbell and Sarah Cramer Shields, photographers and co-creators of Beyond the Flavor, as well as our editor, Jenny Paurys.
Feature-length stories in the book include:
- The career of a local baker
- A 500-acre organic farm and the local chefs it supplies
- Efforts to discover and recreate authentic Virginia cuisine
- The cidermaking revolution
- Old-world butchery principles
- Catering in one of the country’s more popular wedding destinations using local ingredients
- Charlottesville’s City Schoolyard Garden program
- The genesis of a quarter-acre CSA
- A family’s favorite picnic spots amid Central Virginia’s natural beauty
- How a local restaurant launched a pastry chef’s career
- Connecting amateur bakers with farm-raised ingredients
- Monastery-made cheese
- Virginia ham pride
- Professional advice for choosing a knife
- Creating a sustainable food region through the lens of cheesemaking
If you are interested in selling COMMONS in your retail store, or just want additional information, please drop us a line!
Add to this seasonal ingredient suggestions, 30 tested recipes from local food professionals and enthusiasts, beautiful hand-drawn maps courtesy of Dani Antol at Rock Paper Scissors, and you have a publication that reflects the energetic, collaborative environment of Charlottesville.
This first edition of COMMONS has a theme of heritage, tradition, memory, and innovation. The local food community revealed in its pages is one of genuine collaboration and hard work that embodies the idea that a rising tide lifts all ships. We are so excited to share this publication with our friends and neighbors, both in the Charlottesville community and beyond.
We are thrilled to announce that the book has also been selected for inclusion in the 2014 Virginia Festival of the Book!
If you are interested in buying a copy of Charlottesville COMMONS 2013, you can find it at these retailers today:
- Roxie Daisy
- Feast!
- The Happy Cook
- The Spice Diva
- Sweethaus
- Rock Paper Scissors
- Scarpa
- Paradox Pastry
- Albemarle Baking Co.
- Shenandoah Joe on Preston Avenue
- King Family Vineyards
- BBQ Exchange
- O’ Suzannah
- JM Stock Provisions and Supply
- Early Mountain Vineyards
- UVA Bookstore