Gail was recently intereviewed by Martha Woodroof of VFH Radio, and the interview aired on September 28. Read Martha's introduction below, then click here (MP3 format, 3.5 minutes) to hear Gail, in her own voice, speak of how Caromont Farm came to be.
Introduction to VFH Feature story, by Martha Woodroof: "Decisions. We make them everyday, from picking a breakfast cereal, to the choice of a career. VFH Radio at the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities presents a feature series on the decisions Virginians make, and how they come to make them. Today we'll hear from Gail Hobbs-Page. For years, she worked as a chef in some of Virginia's finest restaurants. Now, you'll find Gail and husband Daniel raising 100 goats on a 23-acre farm in southern Albemarle County. On a recent afternoon, Gail Hobbs-Page sat next to a goat pen and talked about her decision to trade in her sauté pans for milk pails."

Gail was the feature Chef of Episode 106: "Virginia", on Public Television's THE ENDLESS FEAST. Her five-course meal of locally raised rabbit, chicken and pork, hand-crafted goat cheese and fresh-picked produce and raw honey took place in a lush vineyard in Virginia's Hickory Creek Valley.The Endless Feast brings together local farmers and food artisans, food lovers and star chefs to explore the connection between the land and the food on our tables. In each episode, a rotating group of chefs celebrate the bounty of a particular region by creating tantalizing menus with local specialties. The dinners are staged in beautiful outdoor locations, from farm fields to vineyards to urban community gardens, celebrating food at its source. During the feast, guests hear about the origins of each dish, including how it is grown, raised, caught or prepared.

We've acquired a new La Mancha buck, Zubris, who is the cutest thing you've ever seen. He comes to us from Gail's sister in North Carolina and we're very excited about adding his unique bloodlines to the breeding program at Caromont.

Gail and Tara recently travelled to Moneta to pick up a new Great Pyrenees puppy. We're hopeful that in the near future we can use her to begin a breeding program for these totally amazing animals, without whom we couldn't protect our herd. If you're interested in more information about Great Pyrenees, you can check out the club website at: http://clubs.akc.org/gpca/gpcabreed.html

For those of you familiar with the Nellysford area, you may have seen our goats. Peter Agelasto with the Rockfish Valley Foundation graciously offered us pasture space there and you can see our boys on any sunny afternoon, grazing peacefully in the pasture across Rt 151 from the Camille Memorial Trailhead. The Rockfish Valley Foundation's mission is "to preserve the natural, historical, ecological and agricultural resources of the Rockfish Valley....enriching the lives of our community by supporting the Rockfish Valley Loop Trail system, Spruce Creek Park and the lands associated with them. The mission further supports conservation, recreation, preservation and environmental education and promotes a rural tourism experience in the Rockfish Valley of Nelson County, Virginia." You can find more information at their website: http://rockfishvalley.org We would like to express our deepest appreciation to them for providing us with this wonderful resource and allowing us to be a part of all that they're trying to accomplish. Thanks to Peter, Betsy, Raphael, Jenny, and Teddy for all of the hard work they've invested in helping us care for the goats this summer. We can't thank you enough.

We appreciate those of you who've been actively supporting us at the Nellysford Farmer's Market, but wanted to let you know the area retailers who are carrying our cheese, in case you need a "cheese fix" during the week. Feast, Foods of All Nations, Rebecca's, the downtown Market St. Wine Shop, Greenwood Market, and Basic Necessities are all great supporters of Caromont Farm and we thank them for their enthusiasm toward local producers. These retailers are all listed here on our website. Feast is also serving Caromont Farmstead Chevre in their cafe, and Executive Chef Melissa Close of Palladio Restaurant at Barboursville Vineyard is using our Farmstead Chevre in some interesting creations for their menu. You can check out their menu at: http://barboursvillewine.net/b/content/view/57/109/. It's beautiful up there this time of year.

We now have links to our customers here on our website. We hope you'll support them with your business, they're all local food enthusiasts and have been so supportive of us. Many of you may be familiar with the "Buy Fresh, Buy Local" campaign, which has been initiated by the Piedmont Environmental Council. This is a national movement, which we're pleased has finally come to the Charlottesville area. You can get more information about buying local from their website: http://www.buylocalcville.org/ or try www.localharvest.org. The American Farmland Trust is a great resource for information about the importance of supporting local farmers, as well as other farming and food related issues. Their website is: www.farmland.org.

We're so thankful to all of you for your support and we'll be in touch about upcoming events. Hopefully we'll see you at the market soon!

Warmly,
The Caromont Crew