Pastry chef Josh Short has said goodbye to the Red Sage and Zola restaurants in DC and is going out on his own. In September he'll open From Scratch Baking Company, a bakery, gourmet takeout, and catering service in Charlottesville. He's teaming up with Erica Hall, an area native who has worked at Daniel in New York and Everest in Chicago.
They'll focus on the fresh and local. "We were going to use Illy coffee, but it wasn't from here," Short says. "So we found a guy who roasts his own beans." A deli case will hold Smithfield ham, Virginia goat cheese, and a gouda made by Trappistine nuns in Crozet. Vegetables, nuts, and honey will come from the area. Takeout fare will include sandwiches and house-made pastas.
Short, known for his inventive takes on old standards like red velvet cake and butterscotch pudding at Zola, turns his attention to sweets for the home. He plans to pot jams in flavors like Old Bachelor's (a recipe passed from Hall's grandmother that's a mix of cherries, blueberries, and raspberries) and pineapple vanilla. Party trays will feature fudgy raspberry brownies, pecan bars, and pretty glazed sugar cookies. He'll do a line of cakes in grown-up flavors like chocolate Chambord and gianduja crunch and a line for kids with cakes in the shape of racecars and fairy-tale castles.
From Scratch: 1770 Timberwood Blvd., Charlottesville; 434-970-2253.
Open Monday through Saturday from 9 AM to 7 PM.
Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.
