Richmond Loves Brunch

During the 8+ years I lived in Raleigh, I don’t think I said or ever heard someone ask, “where should we go for brunch?” As a group of vegans, there were little to no options for us other than heading to Whole Foods for some dry scrambled tofu and salty potatoes… Not exactly a reason to get up early on the weekend.

Brunch when I was growing up involved my family and I driving to my grandmother’s house to have lox, bagels and this stuff called kugel every now and then. It wasn’t until later when I started cooking professionally that I discovered people’s obsession with brunch.  As busy as Friday and Saturday nights could be, they were nothing compared to the frantic pace of eggs and home-fries. Every Saturday and Sunday morning there I was- cracking eggs, folding omelets, dicing potatoes and mixing pancake batter ……….man, fuck brunch!

Not until I moved to Richmond did I realize how great it is to have someone cook breakfast for you!  There are actually restaurants in this town that accommodate many diets.  Some of my favorites, when I get that lucky Sunday morning off, are 821, Lamplighter and Cafe Gutenburg.   I still cook brunch these days at Ipanema (you should all come and try it if you haven’t by the way), and I still have to deal with the frenzied pace that comes with it, but I love that we contribute to the movement of offering brunch that goes beyond the mundane.

I’m in the process of changing the brunch menu for spring, what are some of your favorite brunch dishes you’d like to see?

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