Ghost Work. With Unparalleled Hospitality. Welcome to a conversation a long time in the making. http://edacious.co/091 I've wanted Chef Angelo Vangelopoulos of the Ivy Inn as a podcast guest since the inception of Edacious! Why? Because the Ivy Inn is a Charlottesville institution and one of my favorite places to eat. Chef Angelo? One of my favorite people inside or out of the food scene both for his humor, kindness, generosity, and his great positive energy. Spend 10 minutes with this guy and you'll discover his enthusiasm for food and life, in general, is contagious.
This conversation was no exception. We talk about his journey in food and the importance of family and community to the restaurant's mission. We even discuss the little-known fact the Ivy Inn is HAUNTED! Love a good ghost story? Angelo has quite a few, including one that raised the hairs on the back of my neck. The Ivy Inn is located in a historic building from 1815. No surprise there.
And what about that unparalleled hospitality? It begins the minute you step through the door. This is a family-owned business and Chef Angelo along with his wife Farrell treat each customer as a valuable guest. It's one of the few places where I trust the chef implicitly. When we walk in I don't even look at a menu. I just say, "Feed us!" The Ivy Inn is well-known as a place to celebrate life's milestones: weddings, anniversaries, birthdays. I still recall one 10-course feast a few years back. Which I still haven't quite recovered from. Angelo is classically trained and the food he serves reflects that. French and Greek influences, American flavors, but all of it cooked simply and well. His version of the gyro should be Charlottesville's signature dish. Just saying.
Why does Greek food not translate so well to restaurants? How important is local sourcing? What's it like to be the steward of a landmark like the Ivy Inn? Why are traditions like Family Meal and End of Shift Cocktail going by the wayside? How important are community events like Taste This! to the restaurant's mission? Is he a social entrepreneur? Are awards and recognition important? How is cooking like being a rock star? It's not what you think.
Such a candid interview. Angelo gets vulnerable when talking about his father's hopes for him and his own hopes for his son. How challenging it can be to run a beloved institution while balancing the demands of having a family life outside the restaurant. I'm getting ready to pick my Top 5 for the 3rd Anniversary Special and something tells me this conversation might be a part of it. Cheers!
