The Charlottesville 29

Where to eat in Charlottesville

Tag: Watermark Design

Five Finds on Friday: Darcey Lacy

Today’s Five Finds on Friday come from Darcey Lacy of Watermark Design. A fixture of the Charlottesville community, Lacy has done work for clients like Hark Vineyards, Ankida Ridge, King Family Vineyards, Thistlerock Mead, and Jake Busching. A generous supporter of Charlottesville, she has also donated her services to projects like The Charlottesville 29 Restaurant Auctions, Five Pillars Ale, and Living the Dream, and even created the logo for The Charlottesville 29 of Sandwiches. As much as she loves local beverages, she said she couldn’t pick just one. “I would be remiss not to mention Virginia wine, mead, and spirits, but since I cannot pick, I would just say support our local, nationally recognized industry with a beautiful bottle of deliciousness.” Follow her work here. Lacy’s picks:

1) Popover with Honey Butter at Cake Bloom. “Growing up in the Northeast, I was raised on popovers, so when I found out that Cake Bloom has the largest popovers ever — seriously huge and so hard to do —  I was over the moon. And not just regular butter to melt inside, but honey butter, so it adds just a touch of sweetness. And if you want a bit more sustenance, they have sandwiches on popovers as well. Pair with the Lavender lemonade.”

2) Tuna Carpaccio at The Alley Light. “The Alley Light is a place I love to experiment with food and cocktails, as you can not go wrong. But, before experimentation must come the tuna carpaccio. I don’t know if it’s the shallots or the sheep’s milk cheese, but it has a slight tartness that just melts in your mouth when layered on the crostini.”

3) The Roma at Foods of All Nations or The Giaconda at Mona Lisa Pasta. “The Market once had a shirt that said ‘life is a good sandwich.’ I regret not having bought it, as I believe this to be true. The Montpelier at the Market is the co-winner here, but I love a ball of fresh mozzarella, and at Foods or Mona Lisa, you can get a huge amount of mozz, fresh tomato, fresh basil, and some olive oil on ciabatta or focaccia. I prefer it not grilled so you can enjoy the mozzarella cold and fresh.”

4) Joel’s Choice at Speakeasy + Whiskey Bar. “The cocktail that kickstarted my Mezcal obsession. Joel created a masterpiece with this one: Mezcal, green Chartreuse, Campari and egg whites.”

5) Crab Potstickers at Bang!.  “A long favorite place from when I first moved to Charlottesville over twenty years ago. I love to sit outside with friends, a crisp glass of sauvignon blanc and cover your table with little plates of yum. The crab potstickers are a go-to but there is a long list of faves at Bang.”

 

 

Thank You, Watermark Design

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Among the many heartwarming aspects of The 2019 Charlottesville 29 Restaurant Auctions is how the extraordinary generosity of restaurants inspires the generosity of so many others. Vineyards, breweries, and other vendors around town see the benevolence of restaurants in donating amazing experiences for the benefit of our area’s hungry, and follow their example. Take T&N Printing. Without hesitation, T&N printed all of the posters for the auctions that are displayed at participating restaurants and other locations, just as they did for the prior auctions in 2016. (Want to display one at your business? Just ask!) Likewise, Monticello Media is running a free radio advertisement throughout the auctions, to help spread the word.

And then there is Watermark Design, the award-winning design studio founded by Darcey Lacy. With expertise in branding, logos, and package design, Watermark boasts such clients as Champion Brewing Company, The Clifton, and Castle Hill Cider, among many more. The company has become so popular that the demands of its paying clientele are more than enough to fill each work week. And yet, Lacy and her team still made time to do all of the design work for The 2019 Charlottesville 29 Restaurants Auctions, just as they did for the prior auctions. They designed the posters, coasters, and  logo for the auctions, all for no charge. As if those in-kind donations were not enough, Watermark Design went even further. For the coasters, they identified the best vendor to produce them, ordered the coasters, and paid the vendor for production — an expense of many hundreds of dollars, all in support of the auctions.

Thank you, Watermark Design. And thank you to all of the other vendors who have helped our area’s hungry by contributing to The 2019 Charlottesville 29 Restaurant Auctions. Those donations will help to create untold numbers of meals for our area’s hungry.

To help their cause, bid here.

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Thank you, Watermark Design

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It’s time to start recognizing some of the local vendors helping The Charlottesville 29 Restaurant Auctions to benefit The Blue Ridge Area Food Bank. Among the most generous of all has been the local branding and graphic design firm, Watermark Design.  Although I had no prior connection with the company, I contacted them because I had been so impressed with their work for clients like Veritas, Rosemont, and Champion Brewing Company. In response to my email sent out of the blue (today’s equivalent of a cold call), founder Darcey Ohlin Lacy not only enthusiastically agreed to design posters free of charge, but did much, much more. First, she suggested that Watermark also design a web logo and coasters, free of charge as well. Next, she helped find another local vendor to print the posters pro bono. And, if that was not enough, when we were unable to find a pro bono vendor to print the striking coasters that Watermark designed, the company offered to chip in money to help pay for those as well.

Thank you, Watermark Design, for your generosity, enthusiasm, and excellent work in support of the auctions. Please consider them for your own design and branding needs. Below are images of the coasters and posters you may see around town, which help bring attention to the spectacular showing of generosity by the Charlottesville restaurant community.

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