If you live in Richmond and you’ve got a taste for oysters, you probably know that Virginia’s native Crassostrea virginica is among the best. You may have even tried the oysters grown by Rappahannock River Oysters, one of the region’s largest suppliers.

RRO, a family-owned business that has been harvesting since 1899, has been shipping oysters across the country (and to restaurants in Richmond), but this spring the company will open a shop at Locklies Marina in the Middlesex County community of Topping, where owners (and cousins) Ryan and Travis Croxton hope to bring attention to their products.

“We’ve been looking for a place to develop commercially,” Ryan Croxton says. “Somewhere we can invite chefs and customers, and teach people about aquaculture. We’re branding [the oysters] the way people talk about wine … trying to make the region a Napa of oyster making, and Locklies can become a hub.” Read full story

The first time I ever made bread, I got up from the living-room couch, opened a book by Julia Child and followed the directions. In the end, I had two lovely baguettes, and although my friends complimented my work, I found out later that they thought I’d been doing this for a long time, so they were only moderately impressed. They should have been astounded.

I’ve never made bread like that again. I’ve come close. I’ve Read full story