Goats and HoneyExploring and celebrating the place we all love to call home.
VOL. 296 / Goats and Honey
Meet this week’s guest editor, Kristi Orcutt. Kristi is the founder and owner of RVA Goats and Honey, a Chesterfield-based farm that blends environmental stewardship with hands-on vegetation management. A longtime Chesterfield resident and Virginia Commonwealth University graduate, Kristi brings more than 20 years of experience in environmental education across Richmond-area parks and gardens to her work. She previously served in roles with Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, Chesterfield County Parks & Recreation, and the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, helping connect communities with conservation, native landscapes, and sustainable land use.
At RVA Goats and Honey, Kristi leads a herd of more than 100 goats and sheep used for invasive plant removal and eco-friendly landscape management and restoration, offering an alternative to heavy machinery and chemical treatments. She also brings her passion for education beyond the farm, giving talks and presentations on beekeeping, sustainable land care, and pollinator protection to schools, clubs, and community groups throughout Central Virginia.
This week, Kristi takes the reins as our guest editor, offering her guide to a few local gems that make Richmond so special.
Joseph Bryan Park
Joseph Bryan Park is one of my go-to parks in Richmond — it’s also one of the very first parks where I brought our goats to clear brush, weeds, and invasive plants, leaving behind the park’s famous azaleas. Located in Richmond’s Northside, this 262-acre park dates to the late 1700s and was once part of a much larger rural farm. In 1910, then-landowner Belle Stewart Bryan, widow of Joseph Bryan (and founder of the Richmond Times-Dispatch), donated a portion to the City of Richmond. Today, the park offers ponds, long, winding walking trails, sports fields, natural gardens, and wide-open green spaces that make it ideal for both relaxation and recreation. Make sure you visit between April 1 and May 15 to see the azaleas in peak bloom!
Vitals:
Catch the RVA Big Market at Bryan Park seasonally / Winter season: November-April (Saturdays 9am-12pm); summer season: May-October (Saturdays 8am-12pm) / Support Friends of Bryan Park / 4308 Hermitage Road
Perly's Delicatessen
Perly’s in downtown Richmond is one of my favorite restaurants because it reminds me of my father, who loved this kind of comforting, soulful cuisine. It’s a modern Jewish restaurant and delicatessen serving traditional Jewish food with an innovative twist. I honestly love just sitting there and reading the menu — every dish sounds like a little story you want to taste. The vibe is warm, retro, and full of personality — it’s a total Richmond classic that brings back lots of great family memories, and we are so lucky to have it in our city.
The Richmond Home + Garden Show is March 6–8 at the Richmond Raceway Complex — and RVA Goats and Honey will be there! With more than 250 local home and garden experts all in one place, this event is one of the best ways to kick off spring in RVA. This year’s show includes HGTV and Magnolia Network stars Chris Lambton and Tamara Day, who will be sharing tips on everything from outdoor living to laid-back luxe interiors. I love that the event puts just as much focus on gardens and outdoor spaces as it does on kitchens, baths, and renovations. RVA Goats and Honey is excited to be there as an exhibitor with our herd, giving attendees an up-close look at how goats can be used for eco-friendly landscaping and invasive plant control.
RVA Goats and Honey is a locally owned, farm-based business near Pocahontas State Park, bringing a sustainable solution to landscape management across the Richmond region. Kristi and her farm family — made up of goats, sheep, and other farm animals — use natural grazing to clear brush, weeds, and invasive plants without chemicals, heavy equipment, or environmental harm. Their goats and sheep have helped restore green spaces everywhere from Richmond City parks and the University of Richmond to Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, Stone Brewing, Evergreen Cemetery, and dozens of residential yards across RVA.
Piñata PartyExploring and celebrating the place we all love to call home.
VOL. 295 / PIÑATA PARTY
This week brings a reopened public perch at City Hall, a new way to shop from a longtime favorite, and a piñata party. These three tips offer just a handful of ways to shift perspective as you explore and celebrate this place we all love to call home.
Piñata Party
1708 Gallery, a nonprofit contemporary art space downtown, is hosting a piñata party tied to its program ALL WEYS ARE CREATED EQUAL tonight from 7–10 p.m. The free, public event will feature music, snacks, and of course piñatas. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own bags and their “best swinging arm” for collecting treats. The gathering also offers a chance to meet the current artists-in-residence, Bryan Ortiz and Luis Vasquez La Roche.
Vitals:
1708 Gallery / January 8, 7–10 p.m. / 319 W Broad St.
The People's House
Yesterday, Mayor Danny Avula announced that the City Hall Observation Deck has reopened to the general public. Located on the 18th floor, the overlook has been closed since 2020, when it shut down during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“For decades, the City Hall Observation Deck has been one of Richmond’s gems,” says Mayor Avula. “It’s a place where you can step back, see our city from a new perspective, and appreciate how all our neighborhoods connect in ways that aren’t always visible from the ground.”
Reopening the Observation Deck has been a major goal during Mayor Avula’s first year in office. Updates to security measures, elevator logistics, and visitor flow made the reopening possible. Swing by, say hello at the new concierge on the first floor, take the dedicated elevator, and enjoy your city from a different perspective.
Vitals:
Open to the public from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday / Visit City Hall / 900 E Broad St.
Mama J's Market
Mama J’s, a beloved Richmond restaurant in the heart of Jackson Ward, has opened the doors to Mama J’s Market. The new community-focused retail space features grab-and-go items from the restaurant’s kitchen, pantry staples, snacks, and a growing selection of prepared foods and grocery items.
Velma and Lester Johnson, the mother-son duo who own and operate Mama J’s, are currently welcoming Richmonders inside as part of a soft opening and inviting feedback as they dial in the space. Mama J’s is also sharing first-time visitor reactions on its Instagram page. The momentum is building toward a grand opening on February 1 — but why wait? Go now.
Vitals:
Mama J's / Soft opening phase, daily from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. / Grand Opening, 2 p.m. on February 1 / 101 E. Clay St.
Together at the Valentine.
As the Valentine team and the Richmond community continue to mourn the loss of Bill Martin, January will be a quieter month for public programming, with one important exception. The Life, Liberty & Happiness lecture will take place as planned on Religious Freedom Day, January 16, at the Library of Virginia. This lecture series was a particular favorite of Bill’s, and the Valentine hopes the community will join them in continuing that tradition. There will also be an open house at the Valentine in Bill’s honor on Saturday, February 7. The gathering is intended as an opportunity for the community to come together, share memories, and reflect on Bill’s life and work. For those wishing to honor Bill in another way, memorial gifts may be made to the Valentine in support of the redesign of the Valentine Garden, a project that deeply mattered to him.
A Good BeginningExploring and celebrating the place we all love to call home.
VOL. 294 / A GOOD BEGINNING
As we step into 2026, there is plenty of reason to feel hopeful about the year ahead. Not because everything feels easy or resolved, but because of the way people in this city continue to show up for one another. Across neighborhoods, sidewalks, kitchens, and creative spaces, Richmonders are quietly building connection where it is needed most. They invite others outside, share food, make room for art, and remind us that community is something we create together.
The three stories below offer just a small reflection of that larger spirit. As the new year begins, these are the kinds of actions that make us optimistic about what comes next, and why Richmond continues to be a place we love to call home.
Disco Bunny
Aaryanna Nijjar-Simmonds, better known as Disco Bunny, believes community can grow when we stop resisting what makes us different and start building with it. During a recent TEDxRVA talk, Disco Bunny posed a simple but radical question: What if, instead of fighting our weirdness, we collaborated with it? That curiosity sparked an idea that challenged how art is usually shared and who gets access to it.
Within months, that idea became the Art Vending Machine, Richmond’s first. The flagship machine began at SCRAP RVA and now a second machine also lives at Gold Lion Community Cafe, bringing accessible local art to multiple corners of the city. Together, the vending machines have featured more than 60 local artists, offering a low-barrier, accessible way for creatives to share their work.
Stocked with zines, prints, stickers, and handmade oddities, the Art Vending Machine uses a screened lottery system to keep participation fair and open. Look closely and you will notice house numbers, a doormat, and a light left on. This is not just a machine. It is a home for Richmond’s creative community.
Alex Na understands that sometimes the best way to create community is through food. New to Richmond in 2025, with a TikTok account, a tasty tiramisu recipe, and a genuine desire to give back, Alex casually offered leftover tiramisu from a birthday celebration last year. What began as a simple gesture quickly sparked something bigger, earning the affectionate nickname the Free Tiramisu Guy. That generosity has grown into a growing network of free tiramisu drops, community potlucks, and gatherings that bring people together while supporting local businesses and causes. Rallying around Alex, Richmond businesses have chipped in to help cover ingredient costs, and a meaningful partnership formed with RVA Community Fridges, with a portion of donations benefiting another local organization doing important work. Most recently, Alex joined forces with RVA Baddies Walk Club for a joyful RVA Baddie-Misu Day, proving once again that community can grow from something as simple as sharing dessert.
It all began with a call for community. After the COVID-19 pandemic, Richmond resident Molly Bish, like many of us, found it hard to reconnect, dust off social skills, and return to meaningful, in-person connection. So Molly did something simple and brave. A public call to action invited Richmond “baddies” to come together, get outside, and walk.
What started as a casual idea quickly grew into something much bigger. From that invitation emerged a steady series of organized walking meetups, now known as RVA Baddies Walk Club. Through these walks, Molly didn't just find community personally. Community was created for others, too.
In 2026, we hope you will step outside and give RVA Baddies Walk Club a try. It is a chance to get fresh air, meet new people, and connect with fellow baddies around Richmond. Whether you are a seasoned walker or simply showing up for the vibes, this is a place to laugh, chat, and belong. Expect an energetic walk, easy conversation, and plenty of moments to meet your future Richmond crew.
A group of Buddhist monks on a months-long Walk for Peace from Texas to Washington, D.C. is expected to pass through the Richmond area in the new year, with many reports suggesting an early February timeframe. Now more than two months into their journey, the monks describe the walk not as a protest, but as a shared practice. They walk to awaken peace within themselves first, allowing it to ripple outward to the families, communities, and people they meet along the way. Through cold weather and hundreds of miles, the monks have been welcomed with meals, quiet gestures, and moments of connection. Walking alongside them is Aloka, a rescue dog who once followed monks as a stray in India and went on to walk more than 100 days by their side. Today, he continues the journey across the U.S., recognized by the heart-shaped marking on his forehead. As the monks continue toward Washington, we will be watching and sharing updates as their journey moves through Virginia in 2026. May the year ahead be met with peace and awareness.
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