Food & Drink
Area’s longest running food festival returns to serve up taste of Armenian food, culture this weekend
The 59th annual Armenian Food Festival kicks off this Friday evening at St. James Armenian Church on Pepper Avenue in the Near West End.
If you’re in the mood for good Mediterranean fare, St. James Armenian Church is definitely the place to be this weekend.
The church is hosting the 59th annual Armenian Food Festival this Friday, September 8th through Sunday the 10th. The festival features a wide selection of traditional Armenian food, wine, and beer, plus live music on the festival stage throughout the weekend.
The festival is the longest running event of its kind in town. You’ll find a few culinary similarities to the larger Greek and Lebanese food festivals, but with a slightly smaller crowd and fewer lines, which is never a bad thing.
All of the food available is prepared by church members and includes shish kabobs, cheese beoreg, Armenian meat pies, stuffed grape leaves, hummus, the festival’s famous and original hye burger, sweet and savory pastries and more. Traditional music and dancing will also take place on the festival stage. Armenian beer and wine is available.
The church is located at 834 Pepper Avenue, off of Patterson Avenue. Admission is free and parking is available near the site. Credit cards are accepted at all booths. Admission is free; pay as you go at each a la carte booth.
A small taste of the festival menu is below.
Click here to check out the full menu online.
The festival runs Friday and Saturday from 11:30 AM until 9:00 PM and Sunday from noon until 7:00 PM.
For more information, visit the festival website here.
Business
New full-service commercial kitchen, fast casual food hall opens Wednesday
The new facility consists of 16 kitchen suites, each operating unique dining concepts. For the initial launch, ChefSuite has announced three restaurant concepts available for pick-up or delivery through their website, order.chefsuite.com, or through DoorDash, UberEats, GrubHub, and other delivery apps.
ChefSuite, a full-service commercial cooking facility and fast-casual food hall, will open its flagship location in midtown at 4711 W. Broad Street this Wednesday. The brainchild of co-founders Jay Modi and Jarnail Tucker, and Chairman Andrew Kadish, ChefSuite provides ghost kitchens for both new restaurateurs and seasoned chefs, allowing them to open or expand their restaurant business at a fraction of the cost of a traditional brick-and-mortar restaurant.
“ChefSuite’s mission is to provide a seamless experience for restaurateurs to focus on their dream,” Kadish said in a news release. “ChefSuite features a fool-proof system that supports our chef tenants with every opportunity to succeed.”
The new facility consists of 16 kitchen suites, each operating unique dining concepts. For the initial launch, ChefSuite has announced three restaurant concepts available for pick-up or delivery through their website, order.chefsuite.com, or through DoorDash, UberEats, GrubHub, and other delivery apps.
Restaurants at launch include On A Roll Italian Subs; Latin Quarter Kitchen, specializing in smashed plantain sandwiches; and A Pinch of Sugar, offering comfort food. Additional restaurant concepts will be added to ChefSuite’s offerings in the coming months, owners say.
For chef tenants, each suite is equipped with a CaptiveAire exhaust hood, commercial use sinks, gas/fire safety systems, grease traps, hot/cold water lines, industrial water heater, shelving, tablet, and order printer. ChefSuite also provides cold storage, a cooking oil removal system, third party app onboarding, consulting services, financial reporting, and substantial vendor discounts. ChefSuite offers tenants flexible lease terms with options to include cooking equipment.
Arts & Entertainment
Husband-and-wife duo bringing new restaurant concept to former Mill on MacArthur space
The deal closed Monday for an undisclosed amount. Sperity Real Estate Ventures’ Nathan Hughes worked the deal.
From Richmond BizSense:
Barely a month after its closure, The Mill on MacArthur restaurant space in the Bellevue neighborhood is set to be reborn.
Husband-and-wife duo Rawleigh and Jaya Easley purchased The Mill’s lease at 4023 MacArthur Ave. and its equipment and are planning to open a new restaurant in its place called Neighbor.
The deal closed Monday for an undisclosed amount. Sperity Real Estate Ventures’ Nathan Hughes worked the deal.
Food & Drink
Blue Cow Ice Cream Co. to open Short Pump location March 24th with free scoop event
With stores in Roanoke, Virginia Beach, and Fredericksburg, Richmond will become the first and only market to have two Blue Cow scoop shops.
On Friday, March 24, Roanoke-based Blue Cow Ice Cream Co. is opening its second Richmond location at Greengate Shopping Center in Short Pump, marking its fifth location in the state. With stores in Roanoke, Virginia Beach, and Fredericksburg, Richmond will become the first and only market to have two Blue Cow scoop shops.
Blue Cow offers a fresh take on familiar classics and a creative approach inspired by the craft food scene. All flavors are made by hand using simple, quality ingredients.
“When my wife and I started the business in 2017, we saw an opportunity to elevate the classic ice cream shop with local, fresh ingredients,” said Jason Kiser, co-owner and founder of Blue Cow Ice Cream Co. “With each new opening, we’re making a commitment to serve up unique flavor combinations in a fun, community-oriented shop.”
Just in time for spring, the Greengate grand opening is set for March 24. To celebrate, Blue Cow will offer a free single scoop and unlimited flavor samples to everyone from 6 p.m. until close at 10 p.m. The first 50 people in the door will get an ice cream pint koozie.
The first Richmond location opened in the Village Shopping Center in August 2022.
“The reception in Richmond so far has been a warm welcome, and we’re excited to expand our footprint in the area to continue providing quality ice cream that everyone can feel good about,” Kiser added.
Popular menu items include classics like Birthday Cake and Cookies & Cream to chocolate favorites Blue Cow Patty and Chocolate Brownie. Goat Cheese with Blueberry Swirl and Sea Salt Brickle are other original menu items with a cult-like following. Partnering with local coffee roasters in each market, Blue Cow also offers Ironclad Coffee with Bittersweet Chocolate Chips in each Richmond store. In addition to classic flavors, dozens of seasonally available flavors rotate on the menu. Non-dairy and gluten-free scoops are available daily.
The new space at 12171-C West Broad Street is just over 1400 square feet, next to The Cocky Rooster and Mellow Mushroom. Blue Cow locations are open daily, with scoop shops open from 12-9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 12-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, hours are extended to 11 a.m.-10 p.m. daily.
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Husband-and-wife duo bringing new restaurant concept to former Mill on MacArthur space
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New full-service commercial kitchen, fast casual food hall opens Wednesday
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