AROUND THE TABLE:
A SPIRITUALITY OF COOKING, EATING, HOSPITALITY, AND HANGING OUT
Wednesdays in March | Speaker at 12:00 PM | Lunch from 12:30 to 1:30 PM
The centerpiece of most holy places is a table; the same can be said for most homes. Similarly, a common mandate in most holy documents is hospitality . . . welcoming others and giving them food and drink. For centuries, food, wine, and hospitality have been central to the formation of cultures, societies, and religions. What happens when we cook together, offer a toast, and gather around the table to eat? We believe that there’s something holy about the experience.
The 2023 Lenten Series will bring together creative people in the RVA food/beverage/hospitality industry, several of whom have been featured in local publications and on the Food Network. These visionaries and creatives will share their stories, explain their passion for food and hospitality, and take us into the spirituality that calls them, and calls us all, around the table.
LUNCHES & TAKEOUT
St. Paul’s is excited to offer another year of the Lenten Lunch program, a 100-year-old Richmond favorite! Lunch will be available for dine-in following the Lenten Speaker, and will be available for takeout in the Parish Hall from 12:30 – 1:30. Lunches are $10 and must be preordered one week in advance. Details coming soon.
OUR SPEAKERS
March 1 – Keya Wingfield
FOOD NETWORK BAKING CHAMPION, CHEF, ENTREPRENEUR
Equal parts chef, entrepreneur, instructor, and mother, Keya Wingfield is as dynamic as the food she creates. While her formal culinary education took place in Richmond, her love and passion for food began in her hometown of Bombay, India. The reigning champion of Food Network’s “Spring Baking Championship”, Keya not only enjoys baking, but is also involved in other ventures. Owning her own business for almost fifteen years has given Keya a unique perspective on how food can bring people, and cultures, together.
Equal parts chef, entrepreneur, instructor, and mother, Keya Wingfield is as dynamic as the food she creates. While her formal culinary education took place in Richmond, Virginia, her love and passion for food began in her hometown of Bombay, India. The reigning champion of Food Network’s “Spring Baking Championship”, Keya not only enjoys baking (her first love), but is also involved in other ventures, such as recipe development, as well as her own brand of potato chips, aptly named “Bombay Chips”. She has collaborated with recognizable brands, including McDonald’s and Duke’s Mayonnaise. Her work has also been featured on “Real Houswives of the Potomac”, and in magazines all over the country.
Owning her own business for almost fifteen years has given Keya a unique perspective on how food can bring people, and cultures, together. She has participated in a number of charitable efforts, including a bake sale to benefit COVID relief for India. A common thread throughout everything she does is adapting the roots of her rich heritage to the world at large. While thousands have enjoyed Keya’s food, her biggest challenge to date is getting her three-year old to eat something other than Mac and Cheese.
March 8 – Kristen Gardner Beale & Lance Lemon
CO-FOUNDERS OF RICHWINE RVA AND PENNY’S WINE SHOP
Virginia natives and UVA graduates, Lance and Kristen created RichWine RVA in 2019. This year they plan to open Penny’s Wine Shop in Jackson Ward; a brick-and-mortar concept that focuses on tapas and wine from around the world. Lance found his way into the wine world, as an aspiring actor and bartender in NYC, eventually becoming a wine rep and wine shop manager in Brooklyn. Kristen previously worked for the Dept. of State in Peru and later in finance. She works hard and travels harder, attributing world exploration as the foundation of her love for food, culture, gatherings and wine
March 15 – Michael Lindsey
CHEF/OWNER/FOUNDER OF LINDSEY FOOD GROUP
With a passion for cooking with fresh ingredients and making each dish shine with unique flavor, Executive Chef Mike Lindsey has enjoyed great success in the restaurant industry.
Executive Chef Mike Lindsey was raised in Eastern North Carolina. Spending time with his Gullah Geechie grandparents, mother and father, Mike learned to cook everything, from southern classics to pit-smoking whole hog barbeque. Mike grew up in a true farm-to-table environment with his family. This upbringing gave Mike a true passion for cooking with fresh ingredients. Mike is now the Chef/Owner/Founder of Lindsey Food Group with restaurants Lillie Pearl, Buttermilk and Honey, Jubilee, Bully and ML Steak Modern Chophouse.
Mike’s professional path began with a line cook job at a scratch Italian Restaurant in 1995. In a year, he was moved up to Head Chef. After 4 years, Mike moved on to be a Chef at a scratch-upscale casual restaurant where he honed his skills in meat and fish butchering. He has worked at several upscale and fine dining restaurants including Ruth’s Chris and Capital Grille. Mike was the Executive Chef /Culinary Director for Eat Restaurant Partners in Richmond, Va where he created menus, and opened and supervised Red Salt Chophouse & Sushi, Pizza and Beer of Richmond, Hot Chick, Fatty Smokes and Wong’s Tacos to great success. Mike is now the Chef/Owner/Founder of Lindsey Food Group with restaurants Lillie Pearl in downtown Richmond, Va where he pays homage to his grandmother Lillie Pearl and his family from North and South Carolina, Buttermilk and Honey a fried chicken sandwich concept, Jubilee with a seasonal menu and craft cocktails and Bully Burger a craft burger concept and ML Steak Modern Chophouse.
March 22 – Hamidullah Noori
OWNER OF THE MANTU IN CARYTOWN AND FOOD NETWORK CONTESTANT
Chef Hamidullah Noori began his career at age 18 in Kabul, Afghanistan, eventually becoming Executive Chef at Kabul Serena Hotel, in 2004. He served as Executive Chef at USAID before relocating to Richmond. In 2019, he opened The Mantu in the Carytown neighborhood, where he serves the authentic cuisine of Afghanistan in a modern style. Chef Noori has appeared on the Food Network and was recently profiled in The New York Times story, “They Fled Afghanistan for America. Now They Feed the Newest Arrivals.”
Chef Hamidullah Noori began his chef career at age 18. In 2003, he joined the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul, Afghanistan, and in 2004, he joined the five-star Kabul Serena Hotel as Commis Chef, where he was quickly promoted to Chef de Partie.
After his training, he returned to Kabul Serena Hotel as the Executive Chef where he oversaw the cuisine of several restaurants in the hotel. He was featured in several cooking show episodes on TOLO TV in Afghanistan and was later given the Executive Chef position at USAID. Since his arrival in Richmond, Va., Chef Noori has showcased his talent at the Capital Farmers Market, the Hi Hostels Culture Kitchen, and other venues where he has continued to refine his art in international cuisine.
In 2019, he opened The Mantu in the Carytown neighborhood of Richmond, Va., where he serves the authentic cuisine of Afghanistan in a modern style. In May 2021, Chef Noori made his first appearance on the Food Network as a featured contestant on the culinary competition show, “Beat Bobby Flay.” In April 2022, he was profiled along with other top DMV-area chefs in The New York Times story, “They Fled Afghanistan for America. Now They Feed the Newest Arrivals.”
In addition to The New York Times, he has been featured on WNYC’s “The Takeaway,” Voice of America, Eater DC, VPM Public Media, WRIR 97.3 FM, the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Style Weekly, Richmond Bizsense, Richmond Magazine, Well + Good, The Progress-Index, and many other media outlets.
March 29 – Evin Dogu
CO-OWNER OF SUB ROSA BAKERY IN CHURCHHILL
Evin Dogu moved to Richmond in 2011 to open Sub Rosa Bakery with her brother Evrim. She learned to bake by staging at several bakeries on the east coast and practicing the craft whenever she could. This was a very dramatic shift after her career as a teacher for six years in New York City and Istanbul, but not surprising given her exposure to the food industry at an early age through her father’s restaurants.
The daughter of Turkish immigrants and a Louisiana native, Evin was instilled with a love of diverse food from an early age. Although Evin had never aspired to become a baker, she always had a sweet tooth and a penchant for baked goods. This, and an interest in different cultures and languages led her to live and travel to places like Italy and Turkey, where she frequented many bakeries and subconsciously paved the way for her future.
When Evin isn’t at the bakery, she is most likely rock climbing at the New River Gorge in West Virginia or different cliffs around the country.