A Tastebud Vacation - Richmond Magazine

May 2008 - Richmond Magazine

A Tastebud Vaction

Paul Spicer first became aware of the renewed focus on local food and local farmers while living in Charlottesville and Richmond, both areas with a strong affinity for eating local, but it really hit home while he was traveling in the British Virgin Islands in 2001. When the islanders’ to dining recommendation was an Italian restaurant, Spicer realized they had gotten away from their traditional foods in favor of pleasing tourists. So, after much research and many interviews with people who live on the British Virgin Islands, Spicer, a Richmond based freelance writer (and occasional contributor to this magazine), has created a travel guide/cookbook – The British Virgin Islands: The Hometown Lowdown Guide to Travel and Taste – that takes readers to attractions and eateries that are anything but tourist traps.

You’ll find everything from islander recipes that feature chutney alongside a list of restaurants with the best chutney to a guide to the islands’ best fish frys, roadside joints with good eats. “My goal in this is to support and promote local merchants, to get tourists to see that there’s a lot more than canned happiness, canned tourism,” Spicer says.

The British Virgin Islands was printed through Barnes and Noble’s self-publishing arm, iUniverse, but since it was given the Publisher’s Choice Award distinction, you’ll find the book at select Barnes and Noble locations later this spring. (The book will also be available at barnesandnoble.com, amazon.com and iuiverse.com.) Spicer is using a portion of the book’s proceeds to help a budding British Virgin Islands chef with an interest in local ingredients attend culinary classes. Look for similar volumes on Bermuda and the Bahamas in the future. – Sarah McDonald