The Charlottesville 29

The number of dishes in the world is uncountable. Some estimate millions.

For most of human history, people knew little about these dishes. Unable to travel farther than they could walk, humans lacked much awareness beyond their immediate surroundings. Modern technologies in transportation, communications, and cooking give us knowledge of foods that our ancestors never imagined.

And yet, even with these advances, the world remains too vast for any one of us to know much of it. The most voracious eater will try less than 1% of the world’s dishes in their lifetime.

That makes each one a gift. Sometimes a gift we seek out. Sometimes one that comes to us.

Kottu Rhythm 

In Sri Lanka, the island nation off the southern tip of India, there is a dish so popular that it is recognizable by sound. It’s the rhythmic clanging of two steel blades on a griddle as street vendors chop together roti, meat, and eggs to make one of the country’s most beloved dishes: kottu roti. In some Sri Lankan cities, they say you can hear it before you can see it.

In Charlottesville, Virginia, most people have never heard of kottu roti. Thanks to Fathima Jawfer, that is changing. In July, she and her husband Minhaj Akthar opened Mint Kitchen, serving her cooking to-go from the leasable kitchen space at Beacon Kitchen.

Fathima grew up at her father’s Indian restaurant in Sri Lanka, and her initial offerings at Mint Kitchen were ones he served: dosa, idli, and medu vada. Soon, she added dishes from her native Sri Lanka, beginning with her husband’s favorite, kottu roti.

As on the streets of Sri Lanka, the dish comes together quickly. With mise en place, she starts by scrambling eggs in a large wok.

Then she adds aromatics — onions, garlic, and lots of curry leaves — followed by spices and vegetables like cabbage, carrots, leeks, and tomatoes.

Next comes the roti, a thin flatbread she makes and shreds in advance. She also adds pieces of cooked chicken, scallions, and her own chicken gravy.

Now it’s time for the kottu rhythm.

Topped with still more curry leaves, it’s ready to serve.

Known as a drinking food, kottu roti achieves a rare duo: comforting and exciting to eat. Rigorous chopping and stirring coax starch from the roti, giving the dish a slick noodle-like texture. The blend of spices and aromatics, meanwhile, retains interest bite after carb-laden bite.

2025 Dish of the Year

In elementary school, I wrote a report about my father’s native Sri Lanka, called The Pearl That Dropped. With a population of just 1.5% of India’s, Sri Lankan cuisine is less known than its neighbor to the north, and my report included just a cursory description, gleaned from an encyclopedia.

My unfamiliarity with Sri Lankan food changed this year when Fathima, a full-time medical assistant at UVa who has long enjoyed cooking for family and friends, began offering her food to the public. Had she not come to Charlottesville from Sri Lanka, and had she not opened Mint Kitchen with her husband,  I might never have tried her country’s most beloved dish.

What a gift.

The 2025 Dish of the Year is kottu roti from Mint Kitchen.

There’s a straight line between the resilience of this soldier and the Filipino food that blesses Charlottesville.

In 1942, 23-year-old Mauro Biazon of the Philippines fought with the United States Armed Forces against Japan in the Battle of Bataan, a province of the Philippines. After the U.S. surrender, the Japanese marched Biazon and thousands of other prisoners fifty miles through sweltering tropical heat from the battlefield to POW camps. In what became known as the Bataan Death March, POWs suffered starvation, dehydration, exhaustion, and abuse, as Japanese soldiers made a sport of shooting, beating, and bayoneting POWs.

Many died. Biazon nearly did. A Japanese soldier stabbed him with a bayonet and left him for dead. But Biazon was not dead. He just lay still to make his captors believe he was. After they marched on, he crawled miles to safety.

For his service, Biazon received United States citizenship, despite never having been to the U.S. He also received a benefit covering five years of college expenses, which he used for the eldest of his ten children, Ellie. She dreamed of becoming an ophthalmologist, but the benefit wasn’t enough for a medical degree. So, Biazon urged her to study nursing instead, and use the money she made as a nurse to help pay for her siblings’ educations.

Ellie did as her father asked. “I loved my daddy so much,” Ellie said. “I knew how much he sacrificed for us.” So, she did the same.

After nursing school, Ellie moved to the U.S. in 1969 and worked at a Philadelphia hospital, and the next year, moved to Charlottesville for a job at UVa. From her paycheck, Ellie would keep enough for her food and survival, and send the rest to her family in the Philippines, for her siblings’ education. One went to education school. Another, architecture. One, aeronautical engineering. And another, nursing school.

Over decades, Ellie’s siblings gradually moved to the U.S. and joined her in Charlottesville, in pursuit of a better life. They all settled on Azalea Street, near the house that Ellie bought as a young nurse in 1974. In all, more than sixty family members have lived on Azalea Street, and every one of them is now an American citizen, thanks to Biazon’s military service. As years passed, the siblings built not just lives in Charlottesville, but a community. In 2002, they persuaded the City of Charlottesville to change Azalea Street’s name to avoid confusion with nearby Azalea Drive. The new name? Manila Street, after the Philippine capital.

Today, nearly a century after Biazon’s escape and 55 years after his daughter came to Charlottesville, the family shares with their community the food that binds them. In The Daily Progress (12/13/25), read how their Filipino heritage—sustained through sacrifice—nourishes Charlottesville at their restaurant Little Manila.

Each December, we celebrate the Charlottesville food year by asking chefs and others in the industry: What was the best thing you ate all year? Below are this year’s picks in our food community’s annual tribute to Charlottesville’s bounty. (Picks from prior years are here: 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, and 2015.) And, see the 2025 Charlottesville Dish of the Year here.

Jason Becton (MarieBette, Petit MarieBette, Sbrocco’s)

Fried Chicken from Underachiever Food. “Our friend Elliot Portera, who is married to our business partner at Sbrocco’s, Melissa, does pop-ups under his company Underachiever Food. We are lucky to be his friend and for him to be involved in our donut business. Everything he makes is amazing, but he had a pop-up this year that had both his incredible fried chicken and a melt-in-your-mouth pork belly, and it was the best thing I ate all year.”

Amanda Beckwith (Virginia Distillery Co.)

Perfect Pairings at Public Fish & Oyster. “For me, every meal at Public must begin with at least a dozen oysters on the half shell, but my favorite pairing with them was this fall, when I ordered the smoked trout dip and roasted squash to accompany them. The chèvre aioli and pickled onions were so harmonious, bringing everything together. It was the perfect start to a lovely meal, and one I plan to repeat soon.”

Mitchell Beerens (Lampo)

PEI Mussels with Frites at Petit Pois. “The best thing I ate in 2025 was the mussels with a side of frites at Petit Pois. To say that I am an adventurous eater is an understatement. I have historically sought out what some may think of as fringe food and wine offerings. I am naturally drawn to novel cuts of meat, the stankest of cheeses, and pét-nats so wild and challenging that sometimes I feel like I’m earning merit badges toward admission into a Cool Kids Wine Club. Strangely, in the last couple of years, I’ve experienced a shift. I find myself drawn more to the familiar and the comfortable. I don’t know if it’s my age or just a post-pandemic pull toward nostalgia. Either way, I now seem to gravitate toward dishes that have been constant companions over the years.

The mussels at Petit Pois never miss. They arrive in a broth that tastes like an even split between stock and butter. The dish is simple and honest. It seems to reflect the chefs’ confidence in their cuisine and its history. Then there are the frites. French-fried potatoes are my favorite food, so it is no surprise that my favorite part of this specific meal involves them. I like to soak my frites in the broth that remains after I’ve eaten the mussels. It reminds me of being a child and letting my cereal sit in the milk until it reached that perfect balance of soaked-through yet still a bit crunchy. I check on the frites every minute or two until they’re perfectly marinated, then I devour them with swiftness.”

Elizabeth Broyles (Birdhouse)

Midland 2019 Brut “Zero”, Sparkling Blanc de Blancs, Mount Airy, Shenandoah Valley, Virginia. “This delicious wine produced by Ben, Gray, and Tim Jordan really knocked my socks off. Almost six years of aging makes for a unique flavor that hints at champagne but is it’s own thing. No dosage keeps the wine bright and complex, with a smooth, subtle, powdery texture and tiny bubbles. It’s exciting to taste a wine that has been made with so much care and intention.”

Orhun Dikmen (Smyrna)

Fish & Chips at Oakhart Social. “I’m normally not a big fan of fish & chips, but when I saw that Instagram post I knew this had Todd’s special touch. The fish was perfectly battered, insanely juicy, and that kimchi tartar sauce was a total game-changer. They were giving him British citizenship on Instagram for this dish, but I’m adding a Schengen visa for that sauce, because it brought together Mediterranean and Asian flavors in the best way possible.”

Jose de Brito (Fleurie)

Goat Biryani at Lazeez. “The pick for best dish I ate this year would be the goat biryani at the fairly new Indian restaurant on the downtown mall, Lazeez. This rice layered with tender goat is everything I love about Indian cuisine: a balanced spice mix, depth of flavor and tanginess that goes perfectly with a few of their delicious Laccha Paratha flatbread.”

Patrick Evans (MarieBette, Petite Mariebette, Sbrocco’s)

Omakase at Omakase Obscura. “I was most excited about Omakase Obscura, the sushi bar that opened within Vitae Spirits on the Downtown mall. Chef Yoshihiro Tauchi and his wife Yukiko put such great care and intention in everything they do. From the freshest and most interesting fish imported from around the world, to the lovely presentation. Order the Omakase menu – Japanese for “I will leave it up to you” – and make sure you add on the fresh wasabi. On our first visit, Yukiko even gave us a beautifully crafted origami business card to share the news about the restaurant with our friends. Charlottesville is lucky to have such a fine artist making us sushi.”

Laura Fonner (Zynodoa)

Jalapeño and Cheddar Sausage at Vision BBQ. “Pilot Paul’s jalapeño and cheddar sausage was spicy on a level that didn’t overwhelm my palate, and the fat ratio was amazing. I’m a sucker for people who perfect a sausage recipe. Pilot Paul is the staff member who messed up the sausage into perfection.”

Emily Harpster (SugarBear)

Artichoke Gratin at The Alley Light. “Something about the artichoke gratin at Alley Light has just been calling to me. I know it’s been on the menu for a while, and there’s good reason for it. It’s the perfect combination of decadent, light, comforting, shareable, and pairable. The artichokes are baked to just the right texture, and it’s got that light, velvety sauce with just the right amount of crust. Simple, classic, balanced, and so well done, and very craveable in this cold weather. Chris and Robin do such an amazing job.”

Craig Hartman (The BBQ Exchange, Exchange Cafe)

Rioja Braised Lamb Shoulder at Bar Tomas. “I think that the way he has branded Bar Tomas is perfect. The food is coming from his heart and soul. No ego, no trying to be trendy or artistic, but food that comes from a place of love and contentment. I find it to be peaceful and warm. The Rioja Braised Lamb Shoulder is perfect.”

Harrison Keevil (Multiverse Kitchens and Hook Foods)

Cheese Twists and Cinnamon Twists at Cou Cou Rachou. “Simple and delicious, and paired with a quad shot of espresso, they are the perfect mid-morning pick-me-up that I need after a 2 am wake-up to start cooking for the football team.”

Christian Kelly (Duner’s)

Tasting Menu at Fleurie. “Our 25th wedding anniversary dinner in May at Fleurie was spectacular. The tasting menu was not only a bargain, but Brian and Jose are a dynamic duo. Careful attention and care given to each dish was obvious. It was a true gift.”

Dean Maupin (C&O)

Basler Leckerli and Stollen from Albemarle Baking Company. “What comes to mind for me is Gerry Newman’s Basler Leckerli and Stollen. Out of moments of pause come glorious things, and each and every year for over 30 years I find a special comfort when he makes these. I’ve even been known to down a half loaf in one sitting. The tradition, the craftsmanship, it’s all quite special.”

Loren Mendosa (Lampo)

Vegan Crabcakes by Botanical Fare. “This is going to sound like a cop-out but, honestly, the most memorable meal I had all year was the amazing spread put out at our wedding. Botanical Fare and Plenty teamed up to create an incredible vegan and vegetarian spread for us. Elvia and Ubaldo Chavez made incredible hand-pressed tortillas, and both caterers had so many incredible toppings to go with, it was absolutely perfect for our celebration. The most memorable bite was probably the vegan crab cakes, though. Just perfect.”

Sober Pierre (Pearl Island Cafe)

Tres Leches Cake from bakernobakery. “I love tres leches cake. The tres leches cake from Chris at bakernobakery is delicious. It was one of her many beautiful selections of sweets and it definitely made a lasting impression on my taste buds.”

PK Ross (Splendora’s Gelato)

Snacks at The Little Market at Lampo. “So this year I made the mistake of forgetting to eat in the run-up to The Little Market at Lampo. Pretty regularly, I’d post up at 3 pm and realize I was loopy as hell because I hadn’t had more than coffee. You’ll have to take with a grain of salt that the best things I ate all year were snacks thieved from vendors. Chomps gnashed down an entire September Sun sashimi cucumber in one hand, and a bite stack of sliced asian pear, Caromont Porter’s aged goat cheese, and Little Gold honey on top in the other.”

Maria Salazar-Gil and Fernando Salazar (Arepas Steakhouse)

Anjeer Ananas Lamb at Kanak Indian Kitchen.”I’m not usually a fan of spicy food, but this Indian dish is a revelation. The flavors are expertly balanced, with just enough heat to notice, tender lamb, and a sweet and creamy sauce thanks to the coconut milk, figs, and pineapple.”

Angelo Vangelopoulos (The Ivy Inn)

Apple Fritter at Sbrocco’s. “As big as my head but much more tender. I can’t get enough of this amazing fried dough and chunks of tasty apples. Cutting through grounds on my way to the restaurant in the morning, it’s such a worthy stop.”