Cooperative Living May 2019 - 33

given Saturday, there is a steady stream of
visitors and locals through the shop for
their now world-famous pies, cakes and
other goodies.
The Whole Ox, owned by husband-andwife
team Derek and Amanda Wyne
Luhowiak, bounced around the area before
settling in Marshall. They started a food
truck, then opened a meat counter in
Marshall's old IGA before moving to The
Plains' railroad depot, and finally landed
back in Marshall.
Amanda's family has been in Fauquier
County since 1796. She remembers going
to the Old Salem Restaurant with her
grandfather and sitting at the counter.
" My goal for The Whole Ox is to be a
long-term fixture in the community, a
gathering place, " Amanda says.
As its name implies, The Whole Ox offers
a full range of meats and meat products that
utilize the whole animal. In addition to
steaks, chops and roasts, they offer housemade
sausages, bacon and charcuterie.
Working with 65 to 70 sustainable and
humane farmers, their meat is locally
sourced from the Mid-Atlantic region.
" You're not just buying a steak for dinner, "
Amanda notes. " You're supporting your
neighbors, too. I am super proud to own a
business in my hometown. "
The store boasts a small dining area with
a seasonal menu and a carefully curated
selection of cheeses, wines, coffee, breads
and other grocery items. The freezer case
is stocked with house-made soups and
prepared meals (the cottage pie is highly
recommended). Amanda and Derek also
collaborate with the other businesses in
Marshall. The Whole Ox's sausage is
featured in Red Truck Bakery's sausage
scones and farmhouse muffins.
Before Red Truck and The Whole Ox
opened, another culinary business was
already in the planning stages. In 2014, Neal
and Star Wavra purchased a former tavern
built in 1830 and spent more than a year
converting it back into a restaurant. Since
opening in September 2016, Field & Main
has garnered glowing reviews in The
Washington Post and Washingtonian magazine.
As a result, the restaurant's clientele comes
from a much-larger area than the 45minute
drive that Neal first envisioned.
" We've had overseas visitors who were
staying with friends in the area who brought
them here, " Neal says. A farm-to-table
restaurant, Field & Main stays as local as
possible with its food, purchasing directly
from the producers.
" The flavor of the meat changes with the
seasons, depending on what the animals eat, "
Neal explains. " Most of our suppliers are
small producers, so we have to be flexible
with our menu, depending on what and how
much they have available. I want Field &
Main to be a place where my suppliers are
also my customers, a place that farmers
come to eat. "
When asked why they chose Marshall,
Neal responds that he and Star live in
Warrenton and were working at The Ashby
Inn in Paris, so they drove through Marshall
frequently. The town's easy access to
Washington, D.C., was a key factor. Two
exits off Interstate 66 lead to Marshall.
" Marshall seemed ripe for opportunity, "
Neal says. " I think Marshall will continue
to grow, and I hope we grow with
the community. "
Rounding out Marshall's burgeoning
culinary scene is Gentle Harvest, which
opened in the former Marshall National Bank
building in October 2016. Part of Sandy
Lerner's food business empire grounded in
sustainable, organic and humane practices,
Gentle Harvest is primarily a grocery
store. It features certified humane meat
and poultry from Lerner's Ayrshire Farm
and other partner farms, along with a full
range of organic grocery items, including
wine and beer.
Farm-to-table restaurant Field & Main is located
in a former tavern. Owner Neal Wavra believes the
oldest section of the building dates from 1790.
Neal Wavra designed the open kitchen at Field &
Main to include bar seating for diners.
Bill Tyson " blanches " green beans over coals in
the Field & Main kitchen.
Amanda Wyne Luhowiak, owner of The Whole
Ox, holding bone-in ribeye from Buffalo Creek
Beef in Lexington, Virginia.
co-opliving.com
In addition, to locally sourced meats, The
Whole Ox also offers a variety of specialty
foods and prepared meals.
Organic grocery Gentle Harvest is located in the
former Marshall National Bank building.
May 2019 | Cooperative Living | 31
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Cooperative Living May 2019

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