Each December, we celebrate the Charlottesville food year by asking chefs and others in the industry: What was the best thing you ate all year? Below are this year’s picks in our food community’s annual tribute to Charlottesville’s bounty. (Picks from prior years are here: 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, and 2015.)
Jason Becton (MarieBette, Petit MarieBette, Sbrocco’s)
Fried Chicken from Underachiever Food. “Our friend Elliot Portera, who is married to our business partner at Sbrocco’s, Melissa, does pop-ups under his company Underachiever Food. We are lucky to be his friend and for him to be involved in our donut business. Everything he makes is amazing, but he had a pop-up this year that had both his incredible fried chicken and a melt-in-your-mouth pork belly, and it was the best thing I ate all year.”
Amanda Beckwith (Virginia Distillery Co.)…