Virginia Tech graduate Tahjere Lewis has been successful in turning his family recipe into a commercially available product called Aunt Carol’s Sauce. Food Lion, the largest retailer to agree to carry the item so far, will start selling the sauce in Hampton Roads stores next month. Lewis is only 24 years old and lives in the region.
Meanwhile, area wineries are reopening their tasting rooms for the season. AmRhein’s Wine Cellars in Bent Mountain will open its tasting room on April 6, while Villa Appalaccia Winery just off the Blue Ridge Parkway in Patrick County surpassed expectations at its opening on March 15, co-owner Julie Block said. “People are just itching to get back out,” she added.
Unfortunately, Stanburn Winery in Stuart has announced that it will close after this upcoming season.