Weekly Food News: Wooden Spoon opens, Aloi nears completion, Chez Foushee’s expansion, Papa John’s local fallout, and more

Editor’s Note: We included a few features from past weeks while we were on hiatus–it’s good to be back!

All the news that’s fit to eat

The Wooden Spoon Café now open on Patterson Avenue – A professionally trained chef that once served as a personal cook for a shopping mall magnate and later sold delicious soups using the Nextdoor app has finally gotten a place of her own. The Wooden Spoon, a new restaurant from Yvette Daniel, opened yesterday at 5714 Patterson Avenue in the Near West End. Having grown up in Barcelona and later spending a decade in Venezuela, the menu is peppered with soups, sandwiches, and more that are elevated with a Spanish flair, including a caprese salad, patatas bravas, and bocata iberico. The Wooden Spoon also serves breakfast and has a full espresso bar. Daniel’s past, while somewhat rocky, clearly shaped her into the strong person she is today as she fulfills a lifelong dream with her new café. Read on here.

Chez Foushee expands with Little Chez Deli & Café – Chez Foushee has opened an extension of its downtown restaurant with the opening of Little Chez Deli & Café at 203 N. Foushee Street. The offshoot is open for breakfast and lunch and serves up sandwiches, wraps, quiches, soups, and more in a casual setting. Karri Peifer with the RTD has a look inside the concept, and why the deli portion is really a return to the restaurant’s roots in the 1980s. More here.

Ironclad Coffee Roasters now open in Shockoe Bottom – Ironclad Coffee Roasters, roasting coffee in Scott’s Addition since 2016, finally has a café to call its own. Located in a historic former firehouse at 1805 E. Grace Street, the spot has a cozy and rustic feel with exposed brick, sofas, and an upstairs loft. Besides their (phenomenal) coffees, you’ll find locally-made bakery treats and other goodies inside. Owner Ryan O’Rourke held a grand opening celebration back on July 13th. Style Weekly’s Laura Ingles has a look inside.

Aloi set to open in Scott’s Addition – The co-owner of Sabai and nearby Temple has branched out into Scott’s Addition with a new solo project. Aloi, set to open at the end of July, is the latest concept from Brandon Pearson. Headed up by Chef Ben Watters, the restaurant will focus on seasonal local veggies, creatively prepared and artfully plated–if some of the forthcoming restaurant’s sample dishes are any indication. Aloi’s space, formerly Pearson’s woodshop, has been creatively repurposed and is a product of his craftsmanship, from the tables to the bar and beyond. Pearson sees the restaurant as a look towards what he wants the next chapter of Richmond’s dining scene to look like. Check out the beautiful dishes here.

Folk Feast tickets sell out in record time – The sixth annual Richmond Folk Feast, an annual culinary event benefitting the Richmond Folk Festival, always brings together some of Richmond’s best chefs and restaurants for a fun and delicious evening at Historic Tredegar, and this year is no exception. Twenty of them–and counting–will take part in this year’s event on October 9th, and tickets sold out in less than 24 hours. If you were lucky enough to snag a ticket, here’s what you can expect at the 2018 iteration of the benefit.

Local Papa John’s franchises feel the heat of founder’s racially-insensitive comments – The trouble continues for pizza chain Papa John’s, even in Richmond, after Papa John’s founder John Schnatter admitted to using the N-word on a recent conference call. It’s the latest incident in a series of comments that began last year when Schnatter said NFL players should stand for the National Anthem. That incident led to him stepping down as CEO. The latest remarks ended with Schnatter stepping down from the board. The RTD has some insight on how the company’s turmoil is affecting local franchisees in the Richmond area.

Recent restaurant reviews

• The Broken Tulip (Richmond Times-Dispatch
• Fighting Fish (Style Weekly)
• Tazza Kitchen (Richmond Magazine)