Meet the Maker: Chef Joy - Nest Realty Blog

In our “Meet the Maker” series, we’ll introduce you to local personalities from each of the towns where Nest offices are located. These makers enrich our communities and color the landscape of our towns. For this installment, we travel to Fredericksburg, Virginia to meet Chef Joy, a restauranteur.

Steps away from the morning hustle on Caroline Street in downtown Fredericksburg, Virginia, sits the lovely brick corridor that serves as the outdoor eating space of Foodé. It’s here that we meet Chef Joy. There’s an ease about her—she’s effortlessly cool, yet openly warm and inviting. She’s humble and engaging, and speaks with confidence. She’s balancing her hectic schedule with such grace, that you’d never guess she’s running the crew and kitchens of two thriving restaurants.

Growing up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as one of six children, on holidays and birthdays, there were no gifts—instead, food was the gift. Cooking together as a family, the food was served as an expression of love. They made what she likes to call, “naughty Southern food.”

“Fried chicken was like breathing. So simple, like air,” recounts Joy. Her face lights up when she speaks of her mother, who she gives credit for teaching her everything. “She taught me how to hold myself, how to make decisions,” she said. And luckily for us, how to cook. The family shopped at farmer’s markets out of necessity, well before it became the movement that it is today. Joy reflects, “Access to fresh, seasonal food made economic sense. You bought what was fresh, plentiful, and cheap. You cooked what was in season.”

After dabbling in the food world in Los Angeles, California, she attended culinary school at the Art Institute of Atlanta. Joy worked under a string of celebrated chefs before launching her own home-based catering business. Her mix of Southern roots and classical training resulted in a refined yet approachable style that she’s dubbed, “Gourmet food for the rest of us.” This now serves as the philosophy at her first brick-and- mortar restaurant, Foodé. Along with business partner Beth Black, the restaurant is now in its fifth year. Joy jokes that when they were searching for a location, they, “met Fredericksburg, then got married to it, then fell in love.” And Fredericksburg has loved them right back. The restaurant’s commitment to sourcing fresh, seasonal ingredients has been hailed by locals and visitors alike. The atmosphere is relaxed and inviting. The kitchen is comprised of trained chefs, though her signature dish remains one that her mother taught her: fried chicken and buttermilk waffles, made from scratch. The same emphasis on seasonal ingredients can be found at the duo’s second Fredericksburg restaurant—the recently opened Mercantile.

Joy’s eyes sparkle with excitement. Her passion is palpable. She’s delivering more than food on a plate, but delivering an expression of love—just like her mother taught her.