Cooking Up New Ideas
David Hausmann moved to Coastal Virginia with his family when he was 8 years old. He went on to graduate from James Madison University with a degree in Cell Biology and was considering going for his doctorate but wanted to investigate his options more closely before committing seven years of his life to that pursuit. [...]
The Laws of Adoption
For couples or individuals considering adoption, the goal is simple: welcome a child into their loving home. However, the paperwork and red tape that stretch between adoptive parents-to-be and the day they bring home a new family member can seem overwhelming and discouraging. With a little preparation and lots of patience, though, couples can take [...]
Buying The Farm
John Wilson, aka Farmer John, has been the owner of New Earth Farm since 1995 and a self-proclaimed “soil farmer and bacteria herder.” This Doyenne of Dirt possesses the passion of a missionary and the knowledge of a scholar when it comes to sustainable farming. But he can sum it up in two words: soil [...]
Long Live Leesburg
Every time I traverse a new locale in Virginia, I’m in awe at the natural beauty, history and, frankly, good eats that our commonwealth has to offer. Welcomed by a winding road with weeping willows, this is the scene for true retreat. Leesburg’s Lansdowne Resort was renovated in early 2016 in honor of their 25th [...]
Urban Theory Studios
A little bit of West Coast cool is infusing East Coast tradition in the form of Urban Theory Studios. There since 2015, artist-owner Kelly Seeber, a transplant from the San Francisco Bay Area, creates energetic paintings with an urban edge in one of the most Colonial cities in the country. Known for large, non-objective pieces [...]
Beer My Valentine
Everyone knows that chocolate and wine is a match made in perfect palate heaven. However, with all the breweries popping up in Coastal Virginia, we’re feeling a little hoppy this Valentine’s Day and decided to go a deliciously different route. Here are three local brews that go great with three decadent desserts to enjoy with [...]
A Growing Group
You don’t have to live in the country to live off the land. From gardening to canning to soap making, the Virginia Urban Homesteaders League offers a range of workshops for Coastal Virginians who are eager to roll up their sleeves and learn more about sustainable and self-sufficient living. Founded in the spring of 2011, [...]
A Fit Foodie
As a teenager in Los Angeles with a penchant for high-calorie ethnic foods, Jalil Lindsey-Lowe nearly lost an opportunity to serve in the United States Navy at 18. She just barely got her weight down to meet the military’s requirement, and off she went for the next eight years. While serving, she maintained a healthy [...]
Coastal Virginia Magazine Winefest 2017
Celebrating good times with Virginia wines, the Coastal Virginia Magazine 2017 Winefest was held Saturday and Sunday, January 28–29 at the Virginia Beach Convention Center. Vendors included more than 20 Virginia wineries and cideries, specialty foods and arts and crafts. The festival also included a craft beer garden with breweries from around Virginia, a grape stomp competition, live [...]
Going Locavore
Sydney Meers Photos by Jim Pile and Beth Hester “Food cultures concentrate a population’s collective wisdom about the plants and animals that grow in a place and the complex ways of rendering them tasty. These are the mores of survival, good health, and control of excess. Living without such a culture would seem dangerous.” —Barbara [...]
2017 Dish Of Coastal Virginia
Serving local, sustainable cuisine isn’t just something a restaurateur chooses to do from time to time; it’s one of many commitments that come with owning a restaurant. Others include dedicating much time and money to the business, working late hours and, perhaps, closing your restaurant for an entire evening and volunteering yourself and your staff [...]
Left Side: A House Divided
In the weeks following the election of Donald Trump, a question echoed throughout the land: How could this have happened? To understand the answer, we have to go back about a year to a campaign speech Trump gave in Iowa. “I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody,” he said, “and [...]
Right Side: A House Divided
It was the battle of the tallest dwarves, or, if you like, a race between the Titanic and the Lusitania. Maybe there is a presidential contest somewhere in American history that was more repellant than that of 2016, but I would accuse the historian of being drunk. From the opening days of the primary season [...]
Restaurant Weeks To Relish
It’s that time of year when folks spend unmentionable amounts of time hungrily browsing the menus of restaurants they so adore and eateries they’ve been wanting to try. They narrow down their top choices, based on which deal sounds the best, which menu listing makes their mouths water the most, which place has the best [...]
10 Tips For Downsizing
When you choose to downsize your home's belongings, whatever the reasons, here are a few tips to keep in mind: 1. Start culling right away, several months before you move. 2. Declutter in stages. What you thought you couldn't part with last month may seem less precious with the passage of time. 3. Donate, recycle, [...]
The Upside To Downsizing
“When you retire, you are forced into a different lifestyle,” reflects Joe Cosimano, a retired high school foreign language teacher in Virginia Beach. Recently, Joe and his wife Claudia, also a retired high school foreign language teacher and department chair, left their Kempsville home of 25 years where they raised two now grown and married [...]
Top Lawyers Reception 2016-2017
On Nov. 30, Coastal Virginia Magazine held a reception at the Virginia Arts Festival building in Norfolk to recognize the Top Lawyers of 2016-2017. Sweetwater Cuisine provided a delightful assortment of savory and sweet bites for guests to enjoy, and Premier Events set up a photo area for Top Lawyers and their guests to have [...]
10 To Taste: New Restaurants In Coastal Virginia
It seems that Coastal Virginia has boomed with new business this year, and, luckily for us lovers of good food, much of that business has been in the form of restaurants. We’ve also noticed a wonderful trend in the types of dining spots popping up lately. They’re not so much the run-of-the-mill, “something for everyone” [...]
Meals To Remember
When you think of senior living dining facilities, does the first image that pops into your head look like a cafeteria buffet line? Well, think again. According to Robbie B. Smith, chief operating officer at Harbor’s Edge Retirement Community in Norfolk, long gone are the days of cafeteria trays and blue plate specials. “Our residents have [...]
Get Pumped: Keeping Yourself Heart Healthy
February is American Heart Month, which is a great time to commit to a healthier lifestyle and make small changes that can make have a big effect on your heart’s health. According to Dr. Deepak Talreja of Bayview Cardiovascular Associates Ltd. in Chesapeake, many of the changes you can make are very simple. “We have [...]
Top Lawyer of Adoption, Marital and Family Law
Cheshire l’Anson Eveleigh started her academic career thinking that she wanted to be a nurse. Partway through her undergraduate studies at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, she decided, “this science stuff is not for me,” and switched her major to history. After graduating, she took a few years off to work in retail, thinking she [...]
2017 CoVa Idea House: Bright and Beautiful Ideas
On a bright, beautiful and freezing cold day in December, I was treated to a private “sneak preview” tour of “The Gloucester,” Coastal Virginia Magazine’s 2017 Idea House. It was similarly bright and beautiful. The second such partnership between Coastal Virginia Magazine and Stephen Alexander Homes, “The Gloucester” promises to offer the same high quality [...]
All Juiced Up: Local Options for Liquid Sustenance
With the new year often comes a determination to eat and feel better. Juicing has been touted for its health benefits and can be a refreshing way to restart eating or drinking habits that may have fallen a little off course during the holidays. Whether you’re feeling sluggish and want to recharge your diet, under [...]
Chef Ian’s Twist On Classic Oysters Rockefeller
Recipe is for 6 oysters Ingredients 6 Virginia oysters 6 strips of bacon (Chef Ian used pork bacon made from Berkshire pigs at Autumn Olive Farms in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley) 1 tbsp butter 1 tsp minced shallot 1 tsp minced garlic 3/4 cup chopped arugula 3/4 oz Absinthe of Pernod 1/3 cup Grayson cheese from Meadow Creek [...]
The Real Oysters Rockefeller
As a society that cares about where our food comes from, we, as consumers, passionately demand that our local restaurants’ offerings be locally sourced, organically grown, ethically treated and beautifully plated with fancy garnishes while, of course, dazzling our palates to the fullest. Here’s the truth: running a farm-to-table restaurant is hard work. Coordinating with [...]
