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Civic Season

Feast of Reason: Charlottesville Restaurant Day

  • Off-Site Event

Join us for a first of its kind, city-wide dinner event.

At various participating restaurants

A person holding an array of feast of reason cards.

Event Highlights

Feast of Reason: Charlottesville Restaurant Day will take place at multiple food and wine venues in Charlottesville and Albemarle County and is hosted in collaboration with the Charlottesville Albemarle Convention & Visitors Bureau; Monticello Wine Trail’s annual Monticello Wine Week; and The Center for Community Partnerships at UVA. 

About Feast of Reason

Gathering around the table to share food and ideas has long been a powerful tool for strengthening community. Monticello’s Feast of Reason uses specially designed conversation cards to invite people to eat together and discuss questions that shape our civic life.

The dinners Thomas Jefferson hosted were known for remarkable food and conversation. Inspired by this timeless tradition and the extraordinary legacy of enslaved chefs such as Edith Hern Fossett and James and Peter Hemings, Feast of Reason creates space for curiosity, listening, and meaningful connection.

Local food and beverage partners:

  • Eastwood Farm & Winery’s Virginia Wine Collective
  • Maya Restaurant
  • Order Up! Mobile Food & Catering
  • Royalty Eats

Ways to Attend (Reservations Required)

  • Option 1: Use our online form to make a reservation to join us at our partner restaurants (restaurant descriptions below)
  • Option 2: Purchase a ticket to the Virginia Wine Collective’s Monticello Wine Week Feast of Reason event featuring Emmy-winning food historian Deb Freeman and 2026 James Beard Award semifinalist and guest chef Leah Branch.

Make Reservations

About the Restaurants

  • Located in Midtown Charlottesville on West Main, close to the historic Downtown Mall and the University of Virginia, Maya offers a fresh look at elevated Southern comfort food and seasonal ingredients in a comfortable, intimate atmosphere. Their ever-changing menu is prepared in the spirit of the old southern kitchens. 

    421 Monticello Rd, Charlottesville, VA 22902 | West Main Area
    More info/menu: maya-restaurant.com

  • Hailing from the hometown of “Grande Dame of Southern Cooking” Edna Lewis, the family-owned Order Up! Mobile Food & Catering is proud to welcome guests to their new brick & mortar, indoor-outdoor location in Charlottesville’s historic, former Freedmen’s Bureau-founded school, the Jefferson School City Center. Their soul food inspired menu includes popular grilled selections like their famous “Cville Dog”, as well as Southern classics such as mac-n-cheese, down-home collards, fried fish and wings, mashed potatoes and gravy, and their signature sweet tea. Order Up! is where “food touches your soul.” 

    233 4th Street, Charlottesville, VA | Starr Hill Neighborhood 
    More info and menu: instagram.com/orderupmobilefoodcart 

  • Royalty Eats was born out of a love of cooking, baking, and community. Owner Nakesha White wanted to serve Soul Food with a dynamic twist. Her goal was to be in, of and for the community that she lived in. White began catering when she moved to Georgia to take care of her mother. When word spread that she was cooking, the orders rolled in. 

    820 Cherry Ave, Charlottesville, VA 22903 | Fifeville Neighborhood
    More info and menu: royaltyeatsllc.com 

  • This Feast of Reason is co-hosted with the Monticello Wine Trail as a headliner event for the annual Monticello Wine Week and includes remarks from Emmy-winning food historian Deb Freeman and a family style dinner featuring four dishes and four wine pairings prepared by guest chef and 2026 James Beard Award semifinalist Leah Branch. 

    The Virginia Wine Collective is a new wine production facility and tasting room in Southern Albemarle County. Founded by Eastwood Farm and Winery, the space supports innovation and talent in the Monticello AVA with nine winemaker suites for independent winemakers. 

    Ticket Price: $89 (excluding tax and fees)
    1585 Avon Street Ext, Charlottesville, VA | Avon Extension/Southern Albemarle County
    More information: www.eastwoodfarmandwinery.com/virginia-wine-collective

Monticello gratefully acknowledges the partnership of More Perfect in our 250th anniversary initiatives.

Civic Season

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