The Charlottesville 29

200 W. Water Street . Charlottesville, VA . (434) 326-0406
https://www.ummasfood.com/

In 2022, the winners of the two prior years’ best Charlottesville food truck/stand joined forces to open a brick-and-mortar. It was hardly a coincidence. The owner of one, Sussex Farm‘s Jen Naylor, is the mother of co-owner of the other, Basan‘s Kelsey Naylor.

Named in honor of Jen’s mother, Umma’s means “mother’s” in Korean, and the restaurant is as worthy a tribute as any mother could hope for. Born in Korea, Jen is a longtime apostle of her native cuisine and has been spreading the love with ingredients from her farm for more than a decade, originally at farmer’s markets and now at her restaurant. Her daughter Kelsey and Basan co-founder Anna Gardner, meanwhile, have a passion for the food of Japan, where they once moved just to immerse themselves in the country’s cuisine. While Jen veers towards classics like kimchi and banchan, Kelsey and Anna can have a flair for the inventive. The result is the best of both worlds: traditional Korean and Japanese dishes, alongside inspired new creations — a worthy addition to The Charlottesville 29.

What to Order

Feel like something traditional and reliable? Umma’s always delivers, with dishes like ramen, kimchi, bibimbap, and more. Feeling more daring? Kelsey’s and Anna’s latest inspirations offer options for adventurous diners. Below are our picks.

Our Picks

• Kimchi
• Banchan
• Spicy Miso Paitan
• Classic Karaage
• Dolsot Bibimbap
• Big Mac Dolsot Bokkeumbap
• Specials

Some of our favorite food events in recent years were special feasts planned by The Catering Outfit. They go all out. The most extraordinary of these is the Harambee for Makindu, where Chef Walter Slawski pours his heart into preparing a once-in-a-lifetime meal to support a cause dear to him. Makindu Children’s Program provides resources to feed, educate, and care for orphaned and vulnerable children in eastern Kenya.

Potter’s Craft Cider hosts this year’s event, Saturday, April 13, with both a daytime experience and a separate evening feast. Info here.

With no admission fee, the daytime experience begins at noon and includes local artisans and musicians, like Josh Mayo, Tyler Dick, and Musical Suspects. Guests may stroll around the scenic cidery and purchase food like Samosas — vegetarian or stuffed with Retreat Farm lamb, with mango chutney; a Boerie Roll – smoked Southern African farmer’s sausage with grilled onions, tomato and onion chutney, on a MarieBette demi baguette; or a Kuku Sando – smoked local chicken thigh, wood-grilled, with Peri Peri Duke’s, heirloom tomato, dill pickle chop, sweet onion, and shredded lettuce on a butter-toasted MarieBette roll. Desserts include Mandazi – a Cardamom-scented East African “beignet” and a gelato bar with flavors like Argentine Sea Salt Caramel or Sicilian Pistachio.

At 6 pm, a ticketed event begins, where Slawski will really let loose for a Kenyan-inspired feast. When a great chef cooks with his heart, great things can happen. Founder of the much-missed The Shebeen, Slawski once lived in Sub-Saharan Africa, and calls it “a beautiful and magical place that has impacted my life more than any other.” His support of Makindu dates back twenty years, and reached a new level in 2016 when he joined a Proper Walk, walking 120 miles in the Kenyan bush and meeting the children whom Makindu helps. This July, Slawski returns for his fourth Proper Walk. “The Makindu Children’s Program is such a grassroots organization where so much of the funds raised actually does the work the donations were meant to do,” said Slawski.

His feast begins with a cocktail hour with passed hors d’oeuvres like Mombasa Crispies – spicy tempura shrimp with sambal mayo and sweet soy. Next comes a buffet Nyama Choma, a mixed grill to include wood-roasted local lamb, skewered and grilled yardbird, and wild shrimp with Peri Peri sauce. The accompaniments are too many to list, but include dishes like chapati (wood-grilled flatbread), sukuma wiki, katchumbari, pilau, ugali cakes, and more.

Accompanying the feast will be a performance by reggae ambassador Mighty Joshua, whom Slawski met through their shared fundraising efforts for Makindu. There will also be an auction of special experiences and items, including a signed Chris Long jersey. Thanks to the generosity of The Catering Outfit, Potter’s, and donors, all proceeds from the feast and auction go directly to Makindu.

There’s no food experience like this in Charlottesville, and it’s all for a great cause. Info and tickets here. And, if you’d like to learn more about Makindu, including how to support it, visit here.