Nicole Lang is quick to point out that she’s not a gourmand, a foodie, or a chowhound. Instead, she’s simply stoked on food. Enthusiastic and unapologetic in the kitchen, Lang enjoys making food, sharing it with friends, creating movies about it, and blogging about it. She’s a food punk. Grid asked Lang to describe her perfect day in RVA.
7:45 AM: I usually wake up to the sound of my husband Marty grinding our morning coffee, but stay in bed as long as I can. By the time the brew (from RVA’s own Lamplighter Roasting Company) hits the cup, I’m finally vertical. It’s the weekend, which is usually the busiest part of the week for me. I work full time at Secco Wine Bar, but I have 2 to 3 projects outside of work at any given time. Right now I’m guest blogging for The Southern Foodways Alliance about Richmond women who work in food and making a short film about Sally Bell’s kitchen. I’m also turning a part of my backyard into an experiential learning facility for wood smoked pit barbecue.
10:00 AM: We head down to Sub Rosa and Marty scores a croissant that looks like it could be a mystical sea creature, it’s delicious and softens my dismay at there not being any quiche. Sub Rosa quiche is a holy grail if ever there was one.
10:45 AM: I drop off Marty at his record shop Steady Sounds and hit the Main Branch of the Richmond Public Library. I cannot live without a library and I am there once a week at least. You should be on a first name basis with your librarian. Lynn at the circulation desk is my special library godmother. I leave with 3 books on cocktails, a few on plants, a music biography and The Virginia Housewife by Mary Randolph. I take my haul back to the car and my timing is excellent as Party of One, one of my favorite WRIR radio shows is starting. I am a huge WRIR fan. That we have this caliber of a radio station in Richmond is a testament to our vibrant community.
12:00 PM: It’s about this time that I start getting hungry, right next door to Steady Sounds back on Broad St. is Nick’s International Foods and Produce. Tony is behind the deli and he will make whatever sandwich your belly yearns for or you can select one from their menu of classics. Nick’s is great for Greek staples, herbs, cheeses and other Mediterranean specialties. I order a mortadella and salami with cheese and devour it while sitting in the car.
1:00 PM: Next is a trip over the Nickel Bridge to an editing session with Christophile Konstas my partner at Pared Pictures. Our film Boxed Lunch on the Greater Richmond institution that is Sally Bell’s Kitchen will debut in RVA this Fall. I leave the session inspired by the hard work of generations of Richmond women and enamored with the fact that the place still exists. They are open Monday through Friday and I recommend the chicken salad on a roll- all 100 percent homemade, down to the mayonnaise, which is made by an employee whose mom and grandmother both once worked there.
5:45 PM: It’s getting close to 6 pm, which is quitting time at the record shop, so I head over to Pasture to wait for Marty. I indulge in a beverage and some of our city’s finest pimento cheese. Pasture is an archetype for what is happening all over Greater Richmond, people investing in and revitalizing neighborhoods, using their talents to bring communities together and strengthen our economy. On the way home we make a quick stop at Heritage on Main (if you haven’t been – run, don’t walk) for expertly executed hospitality, charcuterie, and cocktails. Heritage is raising the standard of dining in RVA.
10:00 PM: Back at home it’s TV time, until I get into bed with one of my library books and promptly pass out.
I’m incredibly proud to call Richmond home. This city grows more every day, I can feel it’s pulse and it is only quickening, the best is yet to come.