CHARLOTTESVILLE AREA BUSINESSES RECOGNIZED FOR THEIR EXCELLENCE
Local restaurants honored with James Beard Award nomination and
area vineyards acknowledged in prestigious Governors Cup competition
The Charlottesville Albemarle Convention and Visitors Bureau (CACVB) congratulates local restaurants for their nominations as James Beard award semi-finalists and local vineyards who are acknowledged by the Virginia Winery Associations (VWA) Governors Cup.
The prestigious James Beard Awards are recognizing The Ivy Inn’s Chef Angelo Vangelopoulos, who is nominated as semi-finalist for Best Chef: Mid Atlantic. In addition, The Alley Light restaurant is one of 25 nominations throughout the country for semi-finalist as Best New Restaurant. This is the first year a Charlottesville area restaurant has ever been considered for the coveted award. The James Beard Awards are presented annually by the James Beard Foundation, which is at the forefront of America’s culinary community and strives to mentor and encourage generations of Chefs. The Complete list of James Beard Semi-finalists can be found here.
Local wineries are also earning prestigious recognitions, as they have been selected for the Governor’s Cup Case: Jefferson Vineyards - 2010 Meritage, King Family Vineyards - 2012 Meritage, Michael Shaps - 2012 Tannat, and Michael Shaps - 2012 Raisin d'Etre White. These wines are among the 2015 Governor's Cup Case and comprise the top 12 highest scoring wines chosen from almost 400 entries of both red and white wines, from 94 different Virginia wineries. Many other wines hailing from Central Virginia received medals at this years’ event. The full list of 2015 winners can be found here.
The CACVB’s Executive Director, Kurt Burkhart, expressed his excitement; “I could not be more thrilled to hear that The Alley Light and Chef Angelo are being considered for a James Beard Award! There is no question both nominees deserve a spot on that list, not only for the high level of hospitality they provide, but for the amazing food they serve. I am also elated to learn of our area vineyards being selected for the Governor’s Cup Case, these vineyards take great pride in the wine they produce and it definitely shows,” said Burkhart.
It is worth noting that Chef Angelo Vangelopoulos received the 2013 Best Chef Award, presented by the CACVB at its annual Tourism Awards event.
Charlottesville and Albemarle County, as a destination, have racked-up numerous accolades that continue to motivate travelers to visit, what is commonly referred to as, Jefferson’s County. Livability named the destination one of 10 Best College Towns, while Good Housekeeping magazine proclaimed Charlottesville to be the Happiest City in America. Forbes Magazine named our area the Locavore capital of the world; Go Green Go Travel chose Charlottesville as their #1 destination for agritourism; and Wine Enthusiast Magazine proclaimed Charlottesville as one of America’s 5 New Foodie Cities and Virginia as one of the top 10 wine destinations in the world. With its burgeoning arts and entertainment scene, Charlottesville remains a draw for visitors who attend our array of festivals and events that celebrate music, theater and innovation, not to mention food & wine. A complete list of accolades can be found here: http://www.visitcharlottesville.org/media/accolades/
Brigitte Bélanger-Warner
Director of Sales & Marketing
Charlottesville Albemarle Convention & Visitors Bureau
434.970.3632 – warnerb@charlottesville.org
About the Charlottesville Albemarle Convention & Visitors Bureau (CACVB)
In addition to serving as the global resource for marketing the tourism assets of Charlottesville and Albemarle County, Virginia, through www.visitcharlottesville.org, the CACVB assists tour operators, meeting planners, reunions and other groups in planning visits to the destination. CACVB’s mission is “to enhance the economic prosperity of City and County by promoting, selling and marketing the City of Charlottesville and County of Albemarle, as a destination, in pursuit of the meetings and tourism markets.” CACVB operates the Downtown Visitor Center (610 E Main St) which is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and a satellite Visitor Center in the Albemarle County Office Building (401 McIntire Rd) which is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., as well as a touch-screen kiosk at Monticello’s Thomas Jefferson Visitor Center.
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