Spotlight: The Forum Hotel
Chef Eric Brownlee plants his culinary roots at The Forum Hotel with two different dining concepts
When Eric Brownlee was about 6 or 7 years old, the Pennsylvania native opened his very first “restaurant.” The humble operation was located inside his parent’s house and the menu listed everything from cereal to chicken breasts.
“My father didn’t seem concerned that I was playing around in the kitchen with raw chicken and the stove, but he was adamant that he wasn’t going to pay me to cook food he already bought at the grocery store,” says Brownlee. “At least he didn’t know about the metal mixing bowl in the microwave incident!”
Those early, not always successful experiments in the kitchen as a child eventually blossomed into a culinary career. A tenured industry tastemaker, Brownlee now serves as Executive Chef of Birch and Bloom and The Good Sport, the two dining concepts inside Charlottesville’s newly opened The Forum Hotel. Making its debut at the end of April, the Jeffersonian-style, five-story, on-campus boutique hotel overlooks the entrance to the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia, providing a picturesque backdrop for a night of eating and imbibing.
A Charleston, South Carolina culinary graduate, Brownlee would stay in the charming waterside city for about a decade before moving to North Carolina where he began working for Kimpton Hotels. When the burgeoning company announced they were forging ahead on a new project in Charlottesville, he says he “jumped at the chance.”
“I loved the food scene here and the charm of the city. It felt like a perfect balance of being in the South and the North at the same time and like being in a small town that had big city options,” says Brownlee.
For those seeking a medium-rare steak and an Old-Fashioned, Birch & Bloom, is calling. A modern, sophisticated steakhouse, Brownlee says the restaurant relies on regional influences to make menu items pop, sourcing meats from Maryland’s Roseda Beef. His dish of choice? A prime cut enjoyed alongside a few sides of veggies that showcase the hard work of Virginia’s local farmers.
“Having the freedom to evolve the traditional steakhouse with thoughtful updates while still preserving the most beloved aspects and celebratory vibe could not be more compelling for me as a Chef that began his career in a steakhouse,” says Brownlee. Being able to do all of that in a city that is reminiscent of Charleston’s southern charm, surrounded by chefs and restaurants that rival the country’s best, that Forbes magazine once called the “Locavore Capital of the World” is truly an honor.”
At The Good Sport, the chef takes sports bar energy up a notch, and the sleek elevated neighborhood pub marks the perfect spot to sip on local suds and relax. Can’t miss options include fresh corn ribs, thick slices of summer corn lathered in cilantro cotija dip and topped with Tajin lime, along with the crispy-edged, double-stacked smash burger.
Brownlee says after arriving in Charlottesville, he was on a hunt to find the best places to source local — enter Cavalier Produce.
“While visiting the farms, orchards and produce companies in the area, I was lucky enough to meet Spencer Morris from Cavalier Produce,” says Brownlee. "The relationships they have cultivated with local farms and artisanal producers was quite impressive and encouraging. His knowledge of the area and the bounty that comes from it was above and beyond my expectations. Needless to say, I have been working with Cavalier since day one.”
Brownlee shares that he orders almost all of the fruits and vegetables he needs for both concepts through Cavalier, in addition to loads of dairy, eggs, regional cheeses, local tofu and honey.
“My partnership with Cavalier is so great because I can source all of these local items from them, knowing it’s coming from a clean and controlled state-of-the-art facility,” he says. “With Cavalier I can have a farm-to-fork menu while operating with a smaller carbon footprint. They also help streamline my operation to where it allows me to spend more time creating delicious dishes with these ingredients instead of driving around trying to track down farmers.”
