On a Sunday in early November, we gathered with our community’s farmers and chefs, bakers and cooks, artisans and retailers, brewers, wine and cidermakers, and many more at the annual Our Local Commons Friendsgiving event—our opportunity to express gratitude for the community that has embraced us, and our projects, over the past few years. There, in the presence of so many pillars of our local food community, we raised our glasses to the successes of 2014 and to the opportunities that lie ahead for all of us in the New Year.
Our Local Commons has so much to be thankful for from this past year. Our Local Commons Charlottesville—Volume II has enjoyed an enthusiastic response, while Volume I is nearly sold out. And in 2015 we have a new project to embrace, as Volume III gets underway. All were made possible by the support of sponsors and readers who stepped up to help us create an advertisement-free, independent reflection of the incredibly supportive, inventive, and vibrant local food community that envelops our town.
For Friendsgiving 2014, we were joined by event sponsors Shenandoah Joe, Amore Events, Potter’s Craft Cider, Three Notch’d Brewing Co., MS Events, and The Barbeque Exchange, which each lended their deep bench of talent to make the evening beautiful, delicious, and truly one-of-a-kind. Guests brought dishes to share and made donations to Toy Lift, an annual toy drive for which Dave Fafara, owner of Shenandoah Joe Coffee Roasters, works tirelessly.
The evening was filled with the warmth of friends and colleagues who genuinely enjoy one another’s company, and we were reminded again—as we are so often—of the special kinship this community shares. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to all those who made the event a success.
And thank you to all of you who read the blog and the book and find ways large and small to support your local food community and, in turn, make our beloved town and state that much better. Happy Thanksgiving to you all!
With Gratitude,
The Our Local Commons Team
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