The “sandwich” is a fresh spring roll stuffed with braised oxtail, curried rice noodles, cucumber, cilantro, scallion, peanuts, pickled carrot, and a “special sauce” of Duke’s mayo, fish sauce, mirin, rice vinegar, and sriracha. In typical Keevil & Keevil fashion, most of the ingredients come from just steps from the shop. The oxtail from JM Stock Provisions is braised in ginger from Planet Earth Diversified. The spices for the curried noodles are from The Spice Diva. The herbs and vegetables are from City Market. And, the peanuts are from Hubbs.
“Ian and I make wraps like these all the time for dinner,” says Redshaw. “It’s a great way to lighten up a heavier protein like oxtail in the summer months.”
Agreed. Delicious. I had one for breakfast this morning.
If you want to understand Charlottesville’s food community, you need to know its heart. In all of my years writing about our food community, no virtue stands out more. Yes, it is a talented bunch. Passionate, too. But, above all, when one has a need, others rush to fill it.
While I have seen thishappentimeandagain, there may be no better example than the food community’s response to chef Allie Redshaw’s recent accident. The former sous chef of Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards and head chef of Timbercreek Market is one of Charlottesville’s brightest young stars. She is the devoted wife of chef Ian Redshaw and smitten mother of a beautiful baby girl, Sawyer. Early morning March 1, while working at Lampo, her life changed in an instant when her hand became stuck in a meat grinder. Her hand could not be saved.
Immediately, the food community leaped to her aid. A Go Fund Me Page, started the very next day, has raised nearly $150,000; a list of volunteers to make daily meal deliveries to the Redshaws filled as soon as it was announced; and, one after another members of the community asked what they could to do help. While no set of words or images can capture the compassion the food community has shown, the recent Rally for Allie did offer a glimpse.
It all started with host Pippin Hill, and owners Lynn Easton Andrews and Dean Andrews. Not only did the Andrews donate their facility, but they and their staff planned it all, too. Sure, it doesn’t hurt that Pippin Hill is so experienced and skilled in special events, being one of the nation’s best wedding venues. But, events like this take a lot of work. And, for the past several weeks, on top of all of their regular responsibilities, Pippin Hill staff organized and executed a massive event, all to benefit Allie and her family.
With Allie as their inspiration, every chef knocked it out of the park. Every one. Hartman is an example. “I wanted to do a dish that has the word angels in it, because I felt that it would be appropriate for the Redshaws,” Hartman said. “That made me think of the dish Angels on Horseback.” Hartman’s riff included a fried oyster atop a cube of pork belly, all bathing in a pool of Outer Banks style striped bass chowder.
Next were the many donors of auction items for the event. To recruit donors for charitable auctions can often require active solicitations. Not this one. We simply posted a link to a donation form, and watched the donations flood in. Despite doing almost no solicitation, we received more than sixty donations of special experiences, services, and other items from generous donors.
Also not to be overlooked are the guests – 200 in all — who gladly paid $50 per ticket to join the food community in supporting Allie. Long after tickets sold out, I received repeated inquiries from people asking if there were any way to attend the sold-out event. When I told them unfortunately no, invariably they’d respond: “That’s okay, I’ll donate anyway,”
Finally, there are the Redshaws themselves. Not everyone has the character to accept help with grace. For people to whom generosity feels foreign, receiving it can leave them uncomfortable in their own skin. But, Allie and Ian are two of the kindest souls you could ever meet. Generous in their own spirit, accepting the help of others with dignity and gratitude has come naturally.
In the end, the event raised $35K for Allie’s recovery fund, to help with expenses of treatment, rehabilitation, and a prosthetic. Thank you to everyone involved for making the Rally for Allie such a wonderful celebration of the compassion of the Charlottesville food community. If you would like to donate or help the Redshaws, you may email charlottesville29@gmail. com
Below are images of the evening, courtesy of Tom McGovern.
Gerry Newman, Albemarle Baking Company
Team C&O
Caleb Warr, Tavola
Lee Hendrickson, Red Pump Kitchen
Bill Scatena, Pippin Hill Amalia Scatena, Cannon Green
Gail Hobbs-Page, Caromont Farm, w/ Daniel Page
Anita Gupta, Maliha Creations
Craig Hartman, The BBQ Exchange
Cured beef top round w/ compresses pear and parmesan – Caleb Warr
Crudo of Yellowfin Tuna and Hamachi, with jalapeno-ginger relish and aioli – Dean Maupin
Smoked Rag Mountain Trout with horseradish creme fraiche, apple, and potato gaufrette – Dean Maupin
Thanks to the extraordinary generosity of Pippin Hill and the participants, every penny of ticket sales and auction proceeds will go directly to Allie’s Recovery Fund, helping Allie, Ian, and their 16-month-old daughter as they face the daunting expenses of medical care, rehabilitation, and a prosthetic, among others. To join the food community on this special night, get your tickets here. Details:
What: Rally for Allie – A Food & Wine Benefit for Allie Redshaw