FoodE

FOODE is, at its core, a place for people to come together. A simple concept guided us from the beginning of our journey in 2011: find the best ingredients that the region has to offer, hire the most talented team that our budget would allow, cook the kinds of foods that weave the threads of our best memories, and most importantly, do it with love—daily and over and over again. From there, the citizens of Fredericksburg took over: they told us what they wanted, and we did our best to accommodate their wishes. FOODE has grown in size over the years. There's a hip little sister called Mercantile, and it has a permanent home in the Historic National Bank Building. Our community has grown to include more than just the people who live in downtown Fred; it also includes the growing number of food lovers who work for us, the farmers who supply our ingredients, and the visitors who come in as strangers and leave as friends. Although times have changed, our foundation remains based on the same principles that guided us from the beginning: do it with love, and everything else will fall into place. Crump, a culinary graduate of the Art Institute of Atlanta, started her home-based business, FOODE, in 2009. She now employs three people. By 2011, Crump had formed a partnership with Beth Black and moved FOODE to a physical location in Fredericksburg's Historic Downtown. It was in Fredericksburg that the duo opened their second restaurant, Mercantile, which opened in 2014. In May of 2017, they expanded their restaurant group by acquiring the microbrewery 6 Bears & A Goat. Crump is an executive chef, restaurateur, and property owner with more than 15 years of experience in the Culinary Industry, including training, management, and ownership of properties. The James Beard Foundation's Impact Programs for Food Policy, Chef Advocacy, and Change have given Crump the opportunity to appear as a chef-testant on the Emmy Award-winning "Top Chef." Crump has also had the honor of cooking at the James Beard House in both 2016 and 2017. Crump is also actively involved in the James Beard Foundation's Impact Programs for Chef Advocacy and Change. Aside from a brief stint in Atlanta as an award-winning Producer of Television Network News, Black has lived in Virginia since 1984, with the exception of a brief stint in Atlanta as a producer of television network news. Thus, she is well-versed in both her home state's culture as well as the trends, socio-economic, and political structures that exist throughout the mid-Atlantic region. A seasoned professional with more than 20 years of combined experience in journalism and the food industry, Black brings to the table a successful track record in the areas of research, management, operations, and marketing. She owns a number of properties and has owned and operated three restaurants, which have provided employment for nearly 70 Virginians. She is a member of the Fredericksburg Economic Development Authority, where she currently serves.