For Thanksgiving, more Americans travel to see friends and family than at any time the rest of the year. It is the quintessential food-focused holiday, steeped in the act of gathering, of sharing, and of breaking bread together.
In our work on the Our Local Commons project—both the blog and the books—we’ve encountered this intersection of fine company and food in many shapes and forms. We were fortunate to witness one of the best expressions of this in early June of this year, as we congregated in a Charlottesville backyard with dozens of others from the local restaurant scene—chefs, sous chefs, cooks, growers, and farmers alike—for a truly homegrown event: Chefs’ Night.
The first Chefs’ Night took place at Josh Cordonnier’s house, near downtown Charlottesville, a few years ago. Josh, an amateur cook, was known to drop by the Ivy Inn for a stint here or there, helping out in the kitchen. That particular evening, Mike Perry—then sous chef at The Ivy Inn Restaurant and now head chef at Harvest Moon Catering—borrowed Josh’s newly refinished kitchen to try out some recipes. As the evening progressed, a few friends from the Ivy and other restaurants around town stopped by to see what was cooking. An evening of delicious food, ample drinks, and plenty of ruckus conversation ensued until the early hours of the morning. A good time was had by all and thus, Chefs’ Night was born.
The event has repeated itself many times, sometimes with a handful of cooks, sometimes with a larger crowd. In June, Chef Angelo Vangelopoulos decided to put on a large Chefs’ Night, inviting a wide swath of individuals involved with the local restaurant scene, and sponsoring a feature about the evening—and the community that makes it possible—in Our Local Commons—Charlottesville, Volume II.
Chickens and a whole goat turned on spits in Josh’s backyard, while every burner on the stove inside hosted a pot or pan. Guests rolled in with every type of side dish imaginable, from soft shell crabs to pastries, pots of simmered beans, roasted vegetables, homemade bread and much, much more. A large table was constructed of sawhorses and boards in the backyard to host the feast. As the summer cicadas began to echo through the neighborhood and the light of the day grew long, Angelo offered a toast, met with a hearty, “Hear, hear!” by the guests, who then filled their plates, mingled and ate, and filled their plates again. The sunlight eventually faded, replaced by a beautiful, clear summer evening. Voices rose and fell as conversations drew on long into the night.
That evening embodied for us the beauty of food as a means to bring people together, and we hope that same feeling of community was part of your Thanksgiving day, be it at a table surrounded by your friends, your family, or both.
We’ll leave you with some of Angelo’s words, part of the short speech he gave ahead of the dinner:
“I think it’s a great town we live in. There’s a lot of talent here. There’s a lot of great customers here. I feel privileged and honored to be a part of it. It’s my mission to really spread the word about everyone I know and everything that makes this place special.
“Tonight’s just really a celebration about that. I hope all of you will find some good conversation along the way. I appreciate you being here to support us and I hope you enjoy it, so thank you. Cheers!”
We couldn’t say it better ourselves. We wish you the best of this season of gratitude.
The post Behind the Scenes – Chefs’ Night + The Ivy Inn Restaurant appeared first on Our Local Commons.