edacious (e·da·cious – /iˈdāSHəs/ – adjective. Of, relating to, or given to eating. From the Latin edere, to eat. Synonyms: voracious – gluttonous – ravenous – greedy – piggish.)

Charlottesville, Virginia, like many other communities has hyperactive social media when it comes to food. Too often this results in folks talking ABOUT rather than talking WITH one another. Edacious attempts to bridge that gap, to create connection and strengthen community. To move the focus away from the pretty Instagrammed plate and toward the hardworking individuals doing the WORK OF FOOD in our restaurants, on our farms, in our stores, and around our conference tables.

This is a podcast for enthusiasts, chefs, producers and purveyors, as well as anyone ravenous about food in their region. Every other Thursday writer Jenée Libby will bring in someone with food passion to talk, laugh, and promote general food hijinks. By fostering connection, we celebrate the bounty that exists not only in our hometown, but throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia and the rest of the country. Hopefully, she won’t piss off too many people. But then that wouldn’t be any fun, would it?

Learn more at edacious.co

Edacious - Food Talk for Gluttons

🗣 🎙 Welcome to “First Person Cville” — the podcast.
Here’s Episode 1 which features writer and librarian Katrina Spencer. 
“Public Violence, Our Trusty Companion" was written following the May 2022 Uvalde shooting at Robb Elementary in Texas. The audio prepared to complement this written piece was recorded preceding the November 2022 shooting at the University of Virginia.
Figuring out how to deal with violence...might just be what it means to be a person right now...
#cvilleinclusivemedia #cvilletomorrow #vinegarhillmagazine #imhotalkshow

First Person Charlottesville - Katrina Spencer

Edacious - Food Talk for Gluttons is two years old! http://edacious.co/061 Talking up a blue streak! This year saw many changes including a new website, merchandising, and a new sponsorship model that will keep this podcast strong in its focus on community and on the stories of folks doing the Work of Food in our area. People edacious about what they do.

Here are my favorites. The episodes where I was firing on all cylinders, where the conversations ran deep. I've included short clips of each as well as my own thoughts on why these talks left me feeling I'd moved monumentally forward on life's short trajectory.

All my guests were terrific, but these five most closely represent this podcast's mission. To showcase our food community and give voice to the folks working hard to make sure we eat well. If there is one recurrent theme here it is community because whether it's a beehive, a street festival, a hospital, or a pie shop every one of the folks I talked to strive every day to make sure we are stronger together.

Sixty episodes, hours and hours of conversation, and close to 30,000 downloads. I've learned so much. I'm filled to the brim with gratitude because without you, without this community, Edacious simply would not exist. Thank you. After two years of triumphs and missteps Edacious is going along full-steam ahead with exciting new ventures and projects in the works. Before tackling all of them, I wanted to take a minute to look back. To reflect on a truly great year. Sure 2016 was no picnic, but here? It was good. All good. If you only listen to one episode, make it this one.

This episode is sponsored by MarieBette Café and Bakery and listeners like you who donated their support at Patreon, who wants every creator in the world to achieve sustainable income. Thank you.

Edacious

061 Happy 2nd Anniversary Edacious!

Teaching Work. Defining Success. What does success mean in today's culinary world? How do you define it for yourself against industry expectations? Meet Chef Todd Grieger of Culinard, The Culinary Institute of Virginia College in Richmond, someone who knows the Charlottesville food scene quite well. Especially since he's worked in most of our restaurants over the past 20 years. http://edacious.co/062/

It was while at Red Pump that Todd came to some realizations. Namely, when you work your whole life to get to this point and it just doesn't work out, what then? Feeling a bit burned out, he took a teaching position at Culinard. In addition, cooks a few nights at Oakhart Social and chips in to help wife Jaclyn at BBQ Exchange Events & Catering. All the while deciding next steps. Taking time out to reflect and reassess what exactly it means to be a successful chef beyond what the television shows tell you it should be.

How is teaching different from working the line? What skills do you have to call on? What special challenges and triumphs are involved and how difficult is it to change hats? How do you teach a student and motivate a line cook who isn't being paid? Many of his students come to class embarking on a second career. How can he tell which students will succeed? The best way is WORK ETHIC. Show up on time. Wash dishes if you see they're dirty. Work clean. Label things. The basics. Talent helps, but you won't succeed without the basics. You have to keep the long view when you start out and be willing to do all the jobs, even the unattractive ones.

Todd's current obsession? Pizza! He cooked great ones during his tenure at Red Pump. Could his own place be in the future? Eons ago he started at The Brick Oven in Charlottesville. Maybe he'll come full circle and pour his immense talents into wood-fired dough? Lord, let's hope so. Wherever he ends up I'm grateful for this fascinating conversation with a deep-thinking chef whose attention to detail presents itself in his food. I would put him on our Mount Rushmore of chefs without a second thought. It's why I was so excited to hear he was still around, still working the line in his own way. Which to me is the greatest success there is.

062 - Todd Grieger, Culinard

Gluten-Free Work. Welcome to a conversation about bread, community, and how one small business owner is trying to tie those two things together. Susan Weiner of Orange Dot Baking Company, with her gluten-free Major Muffins, wants to not only provide a delicious bread to folks suffering from celiac disease but also hopes to provide job training for folks in our community who so desperately need it. http://edacious.co/063/

Despite the gluten-free backlash, there are millions of folks out there who can't eat bread but would like to. Susan fills that gap. And she truly does. This isn't cardboard folks. Major Muffins have the texture of bread, the flavor of bread. On first bite I was reminded of a really great seeded whole grain. If you hadn't told me it was gluten-free I never would've guessed. Great on their own or toasted. Serve with wedges of cheese. Make a sandwich. Anything you would use a seeded cracker for is a perfect vehicle.

You can find Major Muffins at many retail outlets including Market Street Market and Rebecca's Natural Foods. Buy a sandwich at Bellair Market, or eat one of her delicious creations (try the Figgy Piggy!) at the Charlottesville City Market. There are ten grams of protein per muffin because it's made with high protein flours like oat flour, oat bran, quinoa, amaranth and other ancient grains.

Orange Dot is named after the Orange Dot Report written by Ridge Schuyler and Great Stone Bakery of Ben and Jerry's fame, which has an open-hiring policy and who work to alleviate poverty in their own community. Susan envisions a similar company goal, one with a quadruple bottom line: social, environmental, financial, and nutritional. It's a way to wrap all of her passions together into one. Ultimate goal? To have an Orange Dot Bakery in every single major American city so she can impact folks who are gluten-free as well as those who need work, providing a source of job training for those folks on the first rung of the economic ladder.

Enjoy the ambient sounds of me chewing almost every variety of Major Muffin...then go get some for yourself. Cheers!

063 - Susan Weiner, Orange Dot Baking Company

Writing Work. Rhubarb Love. And Hustle. Welcome to the first in a series of FOUR podcasts celebrating the Virginia Festival of the Book! (http://edacious.co/064) In the next four days you will hear from the country's best and brightest when it comes to food writing. Today's episode? Food writer Sheri Castle, whose newest creation, Rhubarb, presents this misunderstood vegetable in a way it's never been discussed before. Sheri will be appearing at two events as part of the festival, including a talk I'm moderating, "Save Room! Cookbooks With a Sweet Tooth!" 3/22, 4-5:30pm at Barnes & Noble.

Do you need culinary training to be a good food writer? Not necessarily, according to Sheri. Just as a doctor doesn't need to know every disease, a writer doesn't have to be a chef. By the same token, there is a clear difference between a food writer and a food typist, someone with only an interest and a blog. You've got to have a clear, profound STORY, not just an anecdote. Rhubarb is definitely that, a compendium of recipes and stories. Lots of stories about her connection, and ours, to this tart and tangy item. Sheri was thrilled to be asked to write about this misjudged vegetable which isn't just for pies! It has the same flavor profile as citrus, is very high in vitamin C, and works incredibly well in savory dishes.

In Rhubarb she shares its long history going back to the Victorian era. We discuss how to grow it, tips for storage, the differences between fresh and frozen, its medicinal properties, and her fond memories of dipping fresh-cut stalks into Tang as a snack. Yes, Tang! Did you know you can purchase hothouse rhubarb year-round? That's what Sheri did while doing research for this book. At one point she guesstimates she had 90 pounds of the stuff in her fridge. Nigella Lawson counts herself as a fan of this book and talks about it often on her website. 

Sheri also talks about her lengthy process for recipe testing. Often cookbook recipes never turn out at home. Why is that? Sheri explains. Sheri has also appeared on Vivian Howard's show, A Chef's Life, talking about her love of casseroles. As I've said, she wears many hats. Her favorite topper? To get up in front of a group of people and tell food stories. Which is why you should definitely get your butt down to ALL of her events. After you listen to this episode of course. Cheers!

064 - Sheri Castle, Rhubarb

Wine Work. Taco Work. Writing Work. Welcome to the second in a series of FOUR podcasts celebrating the Virginia Festival of the Book! (http://edacious.co/065) From March 16th to 19th you will hear from the country's best and brightest when it comes to food writing. Today's episode? Award-winning food author Todd Kliman, former critic for The Washingtonian, author of The Wild Vine, and a contributor to this year's Best American Food Writing series. Todd will be appearing at an event Sunday, March 26th at JMRL from 1-2:30pm as part of that series.

I first became aware of Todd's writing because of his Oxford American piece on Peter Chang which went viral and did much to promote that nomadic chef's mystique. But it was during Todd's 2014 presentation at the SFA Summer Symposium in Richmond, where he talked about his book The Wild Vine, that I knew I'd have to meet him somehow. The Wild Vine isn't just about grapes, but about identity, immigration, and overcoming fear to reinvent yourself. A truly American-born idea. Daniel Norton discovered the only true American grape, the Norton, way back in Jefferson's time. Norton Street, a 2-block long narrow lane in Richmond marks the location of Magnolia Farm where the discovery took place. His gravestone in Shockhoe Hill Cemetery lies forlornly in a forgotten corner.

Today accomplished vintner Jenni McCloud of Chrysalis Vineyards is Norton's champion, an expert in appreciating this often overlooked and misunderstood wine and the only transgender vineyard owner in America. Recognition for Norton and his grape are building. Developments are happening. Listen to learn more. 

Likewise, Todd's piece in the Best of American Food Writing 2016 is about way more than tacos and mezcal in Mexico. It's about democracy, his own sense of disorientation, then discovery, and the danger and sense of extremity of culture that permeates everything when you live on the edge of the volcano that is Mexico City. How does one bite of a beetle transport you back 400 years while at the same time showing you the future of foodstuffs? We talk about it.

Most people don't even know what food writing is, assuming we're all either cookbook authors or critics. Which simply isn't the case. Food writing goes deep causing the writer to think, to consider, to connect. When you read a Yelp review or even a review from an esteemed critic, it's flat, consisting of their opinions and stars. A soundbite that doesn't do nearly enough to encompass the real work and passion dozens of folks have done to bring forth that meal to your plate.

Like Norton and McCloud, Todd is in the process of reinvention, refusing to be pigeonholed into the "food writer" label. He left his position at The Washingtonian and is expanding his horizons, including a new book which explores yearning, loss, memory, time, and the nature of joy called, "Happiness is Otherwise".  Look for it soon. After this conversation? I can't wait to read it.

It was such a privilege to talk at length with one of my favorite food writers whose work I've followed for many years. Anyone interested in writing, literature, or who loves the deep questions in general, will get a lot out of this episode. Enjoy! Then head out to JMRL on 3/26 from 1-2:30pm. See you there!

065 Todd Kliman, The Wild Vine, Best American Food Writing 2016

Community Work. In a Diner. With Chef Ashley Christensen at The Virginia Festival of the Book. Welcome to my latest episode! (http://edacious.co/069) Were you a bad food enthusiast? Did you miss Chef Ashley Christensen of Poole's Diner giving her stupendous talk at the Virginia Festival of the Book? No worries, Edacious taped it for you! Ashley grew up in North Carolina as part of a family who felt it important to cook and eat meals together no matter how busy their lives. It's a philosophy she took to her adult life. Putting creative energy into food and watching people share it which often develops into deep conversations over it.

Her initial curiosity and interest in food quickly developed into a catalyst for social change and community. Setting her intention, she decided to create a higher level of hospitality, one that starts with food but goes deeper to connection. A hospitality which creates a profound level of trust between the chef and the guest. Customer is something she considers "The C-Word," and something never to be uttered in any of her restaurants. Her commitment to this belief isn't just lip service. She has the word "Guest" tattooed on her forearm.

Her first restaurant, Poole's Diner, reflects this intention. It's not fancy, but a place you visit once a week. Or more. A place where you can be a regular. All the menus are on chalkboards so you have to physically get up and move about to decide. Which sparks conversation because most of them hang above booths. The double horseshoe bar encourages conversation because no matter where you sit, you can see the other patrons. Even the word "diner" evokes comfort. It's a place where someone in a tux can dine next to somebody just off work in a dirty tee shirt.

Now more than ever in these challenging times it's important for folks from different backgrounds to come together over food on a regular basis. Food can spark conversation. Maybe folks who disagree can find commonality somehow over something they mutually love and respect. A terrific talk and my favorite one of the festival. Ashley's mission is one I strive for here on the podcast each and every day. Connection, community, and conversation with food as a starting point. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Cheers!

069 - Virginia Festival Of The Book, Ashley Christensen, Poole's Diner

Government by the people can't work without getting reliable information in the people's hands. So when disinformation artists hijack the media, democracy itself is put at risk. On this debut episode of Democracy in Danger, political historian Nicole Hemmer joins hosts Will Hitchcock and Siva Vaidhyanathan to explore the roots of the powerful right-wing media in America, and their influence on Republican politics. How did the party of Abe Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt become the house of Trump and Breitbart?

Democracy in Danger

Illiberal Media

Populist regimes are gaining ground across the world, and perhaps nowhere have the consequences been more dramatic than in Brazil. Under the chaotic leadership of president Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil has become a major hot spot in the coronavirus pandemic. In this episode, Will and Siva talk to historian Federico Finchelstein about the rise of populism in Brazil and elsewhere in Latin America. For someone who grew up during Argentina's Dirty War, these current populists trends echo fascist regimes of the past.

Populismo

The U.S. Constitution guarantees religious freedom, but also freedom from religion — an idea that rankles many white Evangelicals who would like to see America remade in their own image of Christianity. Religion scholar Matt Hedstrom speaks with Siva and Will about the ideology of Christian nationalism and its harder-core variety, dominionism. Arguably, Hedstrom says, it’s not traditional religious piety but a muscular resistance to pluralism that lies at the core of this belief system.

God's Country

Donald Trump has called Mexican migrants criminals and rapists, vowed to build a "beautiful" wall along the southern border, and presided over traumatic family separations among asylum seekers. But nativist ideology in U.S. politics — and policy — is nothing new. Immigration scholar Erika Lee walks Will and Siva through America's spotty record as a nation of immigrants, from the Naturalization Act of 1790, which barred nonwhite people from becoming citizens, to the Trump administration's Muslim ban in 2017.

Xenophobia

Leah Wright Rigueur calls America a failed state. As a polity, she says, the United States has failed black people, falling short of its promises of equality and justice. This summer’s protests are a dramatic diagnostic of that failure — the latest in a long history of wake-up calls. But this is also, perhaps, a transformative moment, a sign of hope. Rigueur, a Harvard historian and public policy expert, discusses the importance of heeding black protest, black politics, and black demands for reparations.

Broken Promises

Internet giants like Facebook, Google and Twitter aren’t just part of the disinformation problem — they are the problem, according to author Nina Jankowicz. Her new book, “How to Lose the Information War,” details Russia’s efforts to meddle in the affairs of other countries by turning the tools of free speech against democracy itself. In this interview with Will and Siva, Jankowicz makes clear the stakes are high, but the solutions — regulation and education — are within our grasp.

Disinformation Wars

What draws young people into the universe of toxic far-right groups that pine for a White ethno-state? The temptation to hate often begins with innocent chatter before it’s fed by degrees — and algorithms, says Cynthia Miller-Idriss, a sociologist and education expert who tracks such groups. They work through a mix of alluring aesthetics, direct appeals in social media and online gaming, even in old-fashioned flyers on college campuses. But, Miller-Idriss has found, the path to extremism can be disrupted.

Tempting Hate

Charleston. Tree of Life. Christchurch. All these deadly attacks have some grim details in common — their death tolls were massive... white-power ideology fueled their architects... and they only seemed to be the work of loners, according to historian Kathleen Belew. Join Will and Siva as Belew traces the unsettling history of anti-government militias since the 1980s. Often misunderstood in this story, she says, is the deadliest act of domestic terrorism on record in America: the Oklahoma City bombing.

No Lone Wolves

In 1890, Mississippi adopted a new constitution that offered a blueprint for Jim Crow. It all but banned African Americans from voting, erecting a charade of roadblocks: poll taxes, literacy tests and other targeted assaults on the franchise. As historian Carol Anderson explains, such laws blocked Black citizens from polling booths for decades. And today, she says — as the core safeguards of the Voting Rights Act unravel — Americans keep risking their lives to protect the kernel of democracy: their ballots.

Voting Blocked

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069 - Virginia Festival Of The Book, Ashley Christensen, Poole's Diner

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