Thanksgiving this year will be — unusual. I don’t have to tell you that after the exhausting election, the deep divide in our citizenry is palpable and disheartening. Coupled with the doom, gloom, […]

This year has turned us all upside down for myriad reasons. As winter approaches, restaurants are yet again negotiating the daunting task of changing service models to stay open for business with the […]

If you have spent any amount of time with us, or if you have been kind enough to read Stomping Ground articles here in Alexandria Stylebook, you know that we have been trying […]

Before I moved to Alexandria, I worked for the NPR affiliate in Atlanta in arts and fundraising. I enjoyed my job, but I didn’t have a passion for it. My thirtieth birthday was […]

For the past two weeks, I have been listening to my friends, family, and guests cry, lament, and worry about their kids and the start of our strange school year. I have been […]

Three weeks ago I went with Andy and his family on their annual beach vacation. The change in the current climate meant no restaurants or activities beyond hanging on the beach and dining at […]

What salt should I buy? I use Diamond Krystal Kosher Salt in all of my cooking. Some people use gray salt, pink salt, etc. When cooking, what is of greater importance is that […]

A few weeks ago I attended my very first socially distanced gathering of more than two people. Ten women together, outside, at a distance in celebration of a friend’s birthday. I realized just […]

During lockdown my boyfriend and I decided we would cohabitate and support one another after a paltry year dating. We negotiated who would manage dishes and laundry, how we would spend time together […]

I know, I know, I know. You think you don’t like chicken thighs; there are bones to contend with, and different cooking times, and concerns over getting the skin to be crispy rather […]

This week has been a bit crazy (which seems to be the new normal) so I’m making this one short and sweet. Thank you to everyone – staff, customers, farmers, friends, and family […]

Restaurant work is uniquely demanding. When you work in restaurants your personal relationships always suffer. You are late to or cannot make weddings, birthdays, brunches, or any other occasion important to you or the […]

I am grateful. So incredibly grateful. In the midst of a crisis, the powers that be decided that restaurants are essential to help feed communities during lockdown. Being essential means that I have […]

I could write an article, and I probably will, about what the last ten days has looked like for Stomping Ground, Bagel Uprising, the staff that work there and me. Unfortunately, I simply […]

Classic, long-lasting, versatile, affordable, accessible, inheritable. Every woman has or should have one. A little black dress? Nope. I’m talking about a cast iron skillet. A great fitting little black dress can be dressed […]