RICHMOND, Va. — Imagine if you couldn’t decide on dinner and instead of heading to Yelp or your local paper, you could just ring up a local chef and ask them where you should go.
Now you can.
CurEat invites you to “Cut through the clutter and find independently owned restaurants in your destination.”
The app which launched in January 2017 curates (get it?) 90+ chefs, makers, farmers, photographers and authors together and allows them to “suggest” where they would eat in their home city and other cities.
“CurEat is often referred to as the Spotify of restaurants,” founder Steve Mangano said. “I launched CurEat for a few reasons. I, like many others, didn’t feel I could quickly and easily tap into a trusted resource for finding a great meal when I traveled. And even in my own backyard, I realized that my best restaurant discoveries happened when I asked friends in the food and beverage industry where to eat.”
How are “CurEaters” chosen?
Mangano said he looked for leaders in each food scene who are notable or distinguished through their work, their reputation, awards and recognition they’ve received, and those who show a strong commitment to their community.
Locally David Shannon, the owner/chef of L’Opposum and semi-finalist for a James Beard has a profile along with Brittanny Anderson, owner of Metzger, Brenner Pass and Chairlift, also a Beard semi-finalist. Shannon said he was enthusiastic about CurEat. He said that he enjoyed getting recommendations from not just the restaurant community when traveling, but other makers as well, referencing a denim-maker in North Carolina.
He said he planned to be vigilant and expected the community will as well, suggesting restaurants he has personally visited and enjoyed.
Other locals include:
Jason Alley, Comfort, Pasture, Flora
Sunny Baweja, Lehja
Jay Bayer, Saison
Evrim Dogu, SubRosa
Alex Graf, ZZQ
Patrick Phelan, Longoven
Courtney Mailey, Blue Bee Cider
You can meet Magano and Richmond’s (and surrounding area) CurEaters on April 22 at Brenner Pass where they will partner with No Kid Hungry through the CurEat cycling team riding in Chefs Cycle in Charlottesville this September.
Dishes will be offered from many Richmond and Virginia CurEaters, including lamb from CurEater Craig Rogers’ Border Springs Farm, and wines from Williamsburg Winery. Tickets are available here.
No Kid Hungry is a national campaign run by Share Our Strength, a nonprofit working to solve problems of hunger and poverty in the United States and around the world.
