Have You Tried Our Newest Lineup?

Lifestyle
Written By Nicole Jones

In a stroke of very good luck, Mae's has been lucky enough to have the talented Tallulah Norton join the team this month (and not a minute too soon as I'm 30 seconds away from having this baby). If I've learned anything in my very short time with a business in Old Town, it's that y'all don't cook. This is not judgment; most of you are still reeling from trying to get your kids back in school after 18 months of virtual learning. So many of you expressed a real sincere desire to swing by, grab dinner for you and your family, stock up on a few necessities, and go home. I wanted to provide you with Prepared Foods dinners your family would enjoy multiple times a week and something we could really be proud of.

Tallulah came aboard as our Prepared Foods Chef, and after two very short weeks, she has created a menu of incredibly tasty options, fulfilling my wish and more. As a soon-to-be mom, I personally have been eating from her dishes all week and will be relying on them heavily in the sleepless, crazy weeks to come. She's started with grab-and-go salad (I like the fall salad with Kale & Delicata Squash), pasta salads (go for the BLT), charcuterie boards (pre-cut and perfect for two), soups, and dinners. Every dish comes in an oven-able container with reheating instructions. She's been utilizing products directly from our grocery, including meats we sell sourced directly from D'Artagnan (hormone-free, antibiotic-free, and woman-owned!). In short, I couldn't be more pleased and hope that you all will swing by, say hello to Tallulah, and check out our newest and most exciting department at Mae's Market. She's literally taken all of the hard work out of dinner. 

Also, as soon as ABC can get it together and issue our license, we will have wine and beer and cocktails to go - cause, duh. 

Finally, if you haven't pre-ordered Thanksgiving Turkeys or Sides & Pies with us, please do. They are going fast!

Nicole Jones

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Head Janitor, Chef, and Proprietor | Modest Bread

Nicole’s cooking style is rooted in, but not limited to, her love of southern biscuits and her diverse culinary upbringing. A military brat, she spent her childhood in the Chicago suburbs enjoying her great-grandmother Mae’s Lithuanian cooking. As a tween, she moved to Paulding County, Ga. where she begrudgingly fell in love with the charmingly perplex small towns of the Deep South. She fondly remembers grubbing on Martin’s biscuits, late-night Waffle House debauchery and cooking with her family. 

After graduating from the University of Georgia, Nicole started a marketing career at an art nonprofit in Atlanta. At 25 years old, she became the youngest executive at the local Atlanta NPR affiliate. Chasing her dreams, she moved to Alexandria, VA where she took a short post in the Whole Foods marketing department. Realizing that cooking had been her true love all along, she began night courses at L’Academie de Cuisine. She completed her apprenticeship at Blue Duck Tavern where she was promoted to a line cook after graduation. From there, Nicole worked as a private chef for busy Washington D.C. executives and their families.

As grown-ups tend to do, Nicole realized something about her childhood -- the best parts were enjoying small town communities, cooking with her great-grandmother and sharing meals with family and friends. She opened Stomping Ground (now Rubia’s) to build a safe and welcoming community around yummy, handmade food from local sources. As her first foray running her own kitchen, she has shamelessly hired better, smarter cooks to fill her kitchen and your bellies. 

Modest Bread is a collection of idiosyncratic neighborhood restaurants devoted to hospitality in Northern Virginia and includes Rubia’s, Bagel Uprising, Mae’s Market & Cafe, and Virginia’s Darling.

www.modestbread.com

2309 Mt Vernon Avenue

Alexandria, VA 22301

703.664.0445

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