Since her days in her mother's kitchen on the family farm near Lexington, VA, Becky has been a serious "foodie". In 2003, with the support and encouragement of her friends Bob and Mary Anna Wilcox, she realized her longtime dream of opening her own restaurant. Becky's Tea Cafe at the Virginia Pantry has quickly become a gathering place for the community. Becky's is know throughout the region for fresh delicious lunches which may include her signature crab cakes or million dollar sandwich, beautiful high teas, and guest chef dinners. Becky herself is known for her support of small, local purveyors and for promoting other area chefs, and of course, for her extensive collection of tea cups and fun hats.

Bill Foster began his cooking career in 1997. After graduating from CIA, Foster went to work with legendary Southern chef and restaurateur Jimmy Snead at The Frog & The Red Neck, named one of the country's best restaurants by ESQUIRE magazine. After leaving The Frog, he joined Dale Reitzer, named one of the "Best New Chefs of America" at Acacia as Chef de Cuisine. Working with Dale put the finishing touches on his education. From 2005-2007 Foster worked as Event and Prep Chef for A Sharper Palate and did a brief stint as the Governor's chef. In August 2007, Foster joined Zed as Executive Chef. He is excited to bring his Southern roots, as well as his love for fresh, clean cuisine to Zed. Bill is participating in the upcoming Virginia Wine Expo and Zest Fest, a benefit for Meals on Wheels.

Christine is the owner/instructor of Mise En Place Cooking School. She graduated from the Institute of Culinary Education (formerly Peter Kump's NY Cooking School) in New York City and has worked in such restaurants as Chanterelle and Eleven Madison Park. Before opening Mise En Place, Christine worked as a catering chef for A Sharper Palate Catering Company, here in Richmond.

Todd is the chef and, with his wife Tina, owner of Pescados in Midlothian. His cooking is inspired by the exciting flavors of Latin America and the Caribbean, and is known for using the freshest local ingredients available. He says that "everything good comes from Powhatan!" Todd's Voodoo Shrimp & Cocoloco Shrimp won the People's Choice Award at the Richmond March of Dimes Chefs' Auction for the past two consecutive years, Amarillo Shrimp won Degusters best Taste, and Style Magazine named Pescados one of the top twelve restaurants of 2006 and top 50 in 2007. The Richmond Times Dispatch named Pescados as one of Richmond's top 12 restaurants. At Pescados, it's not fine dining, its fun dining!

Luis was Todd's Spanish professor at VCU and was the primary inspiration for him to fall in love with Caribbean and Spanish food, fostering a friendship and life long learning.

Luis Díaz2 was born in Puerto Rico and spent the first 27 years of his life there. His country has a rich culinary culture and he learned to prepare many dishes as a young adult. He made a point of teaching himself new and varied repertories from different cuisines. One that he especially dedicated time and effort to was Paella. He received his first paella as one of the wedding presents given to him and his wife in 1980. This hardy dish is still one of his favorite tools. Through the years he has had many a success and many funny disasters in the kitchen. Like the time he put five one pound packets of spaghettis into a pot of boiling water and left the house to pick up his new bride from work and treat her to a special Italian dinner... after 27 years of marriage this is as fresh as yesterday in his wife's list of things remembered.

Luis was in Valencia Spain, in the summer of 1998 to further his studies in Spanish Culture and Language, when he was introduced to the "right and correct" method of preparing Paella. Valencianos and Valencianas are passionate about their cuisine and none more so than this emblematic dish. Sorry, every cook claims that he or she has the correct and exact method! The truth is that it is never more delicious than in the Autonomous Community of Valencia. You can find Paella in many countries and all over Spain, yet it is said that without the water from the Albufera lagoon or rice planted in the region, "no es paella".

He has been involved cooking paella for over 20 years and he has made it one of his two life's passions. If he could balance riding motorcycles and making paella at the same time, he would have found the road to Heaven.

Born and raised in the Richmond area Dwayne Sanders began his formal training at the Exclusive Four Diamond Hound Ears Club in Blowing Rock, North Carolina. Rather than pursue a Master's Degree at Appalachian State, Dwayne chose to further his education at Johnson and Wales University in Charleston, SC where he graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in Culinary Arts. After an Internship at The Hyatt Regency in Hilton Head, SC he spent a year at the Five Diamond Ford's Colony Country Club in Williamsburg, VA. Dwayne then returned to Richmond with an Executive Sous Chef position at The Dominion Club in Glen Allen. In 1996 he took the position of Executive Chef at The Place at Innsbrook, a newly opened banquet and catering facility also in Glen Allen where he stayed until 2005. Here he earned the certification of "Chef De Cuisine" from the respected American Culinary Federation. After a hiatus from the kitchen in food sales, Dwayne has returned as the co-owner of The Village Garden Cafe & Catering at Powhatan Courthouse.

A native of Richmond, Fred and his wife Carolyn moved to Powhatan 15 years ago when they purchased historic French's Tavern in the western end of the county. Fred served in the Marine Corps and is a graduate of RPI, now VCU School of Mass Communications. Retired from the paper industry, Fred has been involved with a number of organizations. He is a master gardener (he and Carolyn have over 100 roses), he serves on the Community Board of St. Francis Hospital, he is a graduate of the Powhatan Leadership Institute, and he served over 18 years as a scoutmaster where he really learned to cook in the great outdoors. In addition to cooking Fred also enjoys a number of different hobbies such as building 18th Century reproduction furniture and carving duck decoys.

Jannequin Bennett recently became the Executive Chef of Ellwood's Kitchens. Ellwood Thompson's Local Market features prepared foods for healthful eating including vegan, vegetarian, raw and gluten-free dishes. We strive to use local, organic ingredients of the season.

Previously Chef Bennett was Executive Chef and General Manager at TJ's Restaurant in the Jefferson Hotel for nine years.

Before coming to Richmond, Chef Bennett honed her culinary skills in New York, working in restaurants from SoHo to the Upper East Side. She also worked at some of the best restaurants in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Her book, Very Vegetarian, was published in November 2001. Very Vegetarian is presented by Carl Lewis, the nine-time Olympic Gold Medalist and endorsed by the Physicians' Committee for Responsible Medicine. It features basic nutrition information and over 300 vegan recipes. A second edition with updated nutritional information, titled The Complete Vegan Kitchen, was published in July 2007.

Chef Bennett was featured in the December 2002 issue of Vegetarian Times, and the December 2003 issue of Vegetarian Voice. Her recipes are included in the 17th Street Farmer's Market Tomato Cookbook, Best of the World II from the Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine, Restaurant Favorites at Home published by Cook's Magazine, Masterpieces: A Celebration of Food and Art in Virginia published by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

Chef Bennett is the 2003 Stars of the Industry Award from the Virginia Hospitality and Travel Association of Virginia and the 2001 recipient of the Restaurant Manager of the Year Award from the Governor's Conference on Travel and Tourism. She participates in a wide variety of charity events including National Ovarian Cancer Alliance Turn Up the Heat, Eyes on Richmond, the SPCA Fur Ball, the March of Dimes Signature Chef's Auction and the MDA Lock-up. She serves on the Executive Board of the Positive Vibe Cafe in addition to teaching in the Basic Food Service Skills program.

Recently Chef Bennett was featured in Style Weekly's "Purveyors of Taste: The people who shaped 25 years of Richmond dining." She is also featured in the January 2008 Richmond Magazine's "Recipes for Success: Local women Chefs share their heart-healthy tips." In January 2007, Chef Bennett was featured in V Magazine and the Flair section of the Richmond-Times Dispatch. Her Peanut Blossom recipe was featured in the last issue of Richmond Magazine Home.

Janie Dean needs no introduction in Powhatan County. As the proprietor of The County Seat Restaurant, her hospitality and community spirit are legendary. In business since 1993, The County Seat's dishes carry forward the Powhatan tradition of good honest farm fresh comfort foods that so many of us grew up on. It's no wonder many of us time our trips to the courthouse area with breakfast, lunch, or supper at the County Seat, and organizations countywide have found they get the best attendance at meetings if they are held in Janie's back room close to mealtime! Owner Janie Dean and Manager Tracy Cifers are pleased to announce the addition of Chef Joe Downes to their staff.

Chef Downes comes to Powhatan after 8 years as owner/operator of Chesapeake Bay Cafe on Virginia's eastern Shore. With 24 years in the business, Downes credits a stint with acclaimed Chef Jimmy Sneed (at Windows on Urbanna Creek) as the foundation for his cooking. "There is no substitute for fresh, quality product... whether you're cooking country or French, frying or grilling, it all starts with the product".

Since coming to The County Seat, Chef Downes has been working to incorporate his style of cooking and strong seafood background with the restaurant's home-style flair that has been their trademark for the past 15 years.

"Coming from a small town, I am well aware of the importance of community and customer loyalty, so the transition to Powhatan and The County Seat hasn't been that much of a stretch. Still, it is a bit of a learning process... what might be a home run in Cape Charles, VA might not even make it to the plate in Powhatan. When creating dinner specials, I try to take ingredients that everyone is familiar with and present them in a new and imaginative way that the customer may not have thought of before".

One of the challenges ahead for Chef Downes and The County Seat is creating a dinner menu for the future. In the restaurant's 15-year history, there has never been a true "dinner" menu. Pulling together all the customers' favorite dining experiences into a comprehensive menu has been an ongoing battle. Which entree makes the cut, which gets eliminated? "Being relatively new to the fold does have its advantages. I don't have the sentimentality towards a certain dish that Janie or my coworkers might have. I tell them, if it doesn't sell, get rid of it. Don't keep it on the menu just because Mr. Soandso orders it every time he comes in for dinner. Of course, that's not the way things are done here, and that's part of what makes it a special place".

Richmond native J. Frank began his professional career in his hometown at the prestigious Commonwealth Club in the late 70s. From there he gained international experience at the Hilton International in Munich, the Brauerei Gastof in Aying, Germany and at Hintlesham Hall in Hintlesham, England. He returned to the states in the late 80s to work at the Indian Creek Country Club in Miami and from there to The Inn at Little Washington and the Urbana Inn in his home state of Virginia. He came back to Richmond in 1991 where he gained widespread recognition for his culinary achievements at The Berkeley Hotel. Since 1995, J. has been the chef for the Lewis Family in Richmond.

Joe has been in the food business for over 28 years, first in North Carolina, then Virginia Beach, and now Powhatan. True to Joe's Carolina roots, Turner's Barbecue and catering specializes in authentic North Carolina-style barbecue, ribs, beef brisket and down home cooking.

Lisa Benusa is married to Tim Benusa and they have 5 children. Lisa started a catering and floral design business 11 years ago. She opened The Mill at Fine Creek in July of 2004. Her next significant challenge will be to open her new project, Malvern On The James, by the fall of 2009. She views herself as "just an average homemaker who had a dream and was lucky enough, with the support of the community, to realize that dream".

After earning a degree in Culinary Arts from the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City, and completing internships at db Bistro Moderne and Le Bernadin, Sally returned to her home in Powhatan to launch her specialty foods business, Sallyfood, selling breads, desserts and sandwiches to resellers. Additionally, Sally works as a private chef, specializing in small dinner and/or culinary instruction parties. Whenever possible, Sally uses organic and Powhatan-grown produce from her own garden and from Manakintowne Specialty Growers, as well as organic, local meats in her seasonal menus. In addition to running her business, Sally helps out at Positive Vibe Cafe as a cook and volunteer trainer.
You can find Sally's artisanal breads, cookies and sandwiches at Gather, 920 Mt. Hermon Rd, Midlothian.

Cooking, for me, has always been fun and therapeutic. In 2005, at the urging of many friends who believed in my abilities as a chef, I decided to become a culinary professional. I launched The Green Kitchen Personal Chef Services and began my work on a culinary arts degree at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College. After graduation, I plan to open The Green Kitchen, a cooking school which will focus on the value of gardening, composting, recycling, and eating seasonally and locally. Currently, I am also teaching cooking classes at Sur La Table.

A "cut" above the ordinary...Belmont Butchery is an artisan butcher shop that combines the passion of an age-old craft and quality of product with a desire to share both with the community. The concept of the traditional neighborhood butcher shop has been revived, but from a seasoned chef's creative perspective, which translates into high-quality, cut-to-order meats, and special ingredients based on one-on-one discussions with customers about recipes, appetites, and cooking skills. Since 2006, Belmont Butchery has been growing as a culinary forum for exchange between customer and vendor and a source for meats ranging from local farm-raised beef, pork, and chicken, prime-grade conventional beef, all natural veal, pork, and poultry. In addition, the butchery's European charcuterie includes all natural sausages, bacon, lomo, tasso, pates, and confits - all made by the Belmont staff.

After his studies at Johnson & Wales University in Charleston, S.C., William began his cooking career in 1994 at The Butler's Pantry, in Richmond. Since then, he has done stints at Magnolia's and Blossom's Cafe in Charleston, and at Bistro R, here in Richmond. He currently works at The Commonwealth Club, and also has his own catering company called, Creative Cuisine by William. He is a great supporter of small farms and local producers, and served on the steering committee of the Goochland Rural Market.

Manakintowne Specialty Growers grows and supplies salad greens, micro greens, fresh cut herbs, edible flowers and specialty vegetables for the best chefs and farmers' markets in Central Virginia. With the help of extended family, friends, interested gardeners, cooks, and local young people, the Pendergraph family has been growing specialty produce in Powhatan County since 1985. We grow seasonally on our small farm and in our two greenhouses and cold frames year-round. We always have something interesting growing for the adventurous cook. Our most popular year-round selections are fresh cut herbs, baby salad greens, micro greens, and edible flowers. Seasonally, we grow everything from African Blue basil to zucchini blossoms. Our aim is to be good stewards of the land and to provide people with delicious, healthy and beautiful food, as well as a connection to the land and community. Healthy soil~happy plants~delicious food ~ Enjoy