Business Briefs: July 2022

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Jack Camblos is the fourth generation of teenagers to work at the family business, B & B Cleaners. Submitted photo.

Enterprising Young Teens find Summer Work

They’re too young to vote, to have a credit card or even to drive, but several young Crozet-area students have found summer jobs that allow them to save for the future.

Some are entrepreneurs who saw a community need and designed a business to fill it. At 14, Bodhi Rose already has several years of entrepreneurial experience under his belt. He’s the dude behind “Dudes of Hazard,” an enterprise that collects hazardous waste from Crozet households and transports the hard-to-recycle materials to their proper destination. Like many current good ideas, he picked up the initial inspiration for his second business from TicTok, then consulted with others in the know. True to his ethical beliefs, it’s also a green enterprise. Bodhi’s the owner and sole employee of Crozet Power Washing.

Bodhi Rose created a pressure-washing business in Old Trail. Submitted photo.

Bodhi will power wash the parts of your exterior landscape that have become dingy from time, discoloration or heavy use. The “green part” is that he’s chosen an electric power washer, a device that is quieter as well as being lighter and kinder to the environment. He’ll give you a free estimate, depending on the job, if you text him at (434) 459-1523. You can also reach him through his website at www.crozetpowerwashing.Wordpress.com.

Quinn Eliason also wanted his business to be respectful of the environment. He operates a lawn care service using devices that are fueled by electricity rather than fossil fuel. There are other advantages to using an electric rather than a gas-powered mower, he notes: it’s less costly, quieter and more efficient. He started lawn care when he was in the 6th grade, with the name “Triple G,” (Genuine Green Gardeners) but he acknowledges that he’s mostly known in his Western Ridge neighborhood as “that guy who mows.”

Quinn Eliason mows for neighbors in his Western Ridge Neighborhood using an energy-efficient electric motor. Submitted photo.

Quinn is a dog lover and donates 10 percent of his profits to Augusta Dog Adoptions, where his family has rescued two of their three dogs. His careful work, plus the “green” nature of his business, has helped his business be successful. It has become so popular that he presently can’t take any additional clients. 

Jack Camblos works at the family business, B&B Cleaners. Camblos is the grandson of Becky Kennedy and great-grandson of Betty Rauch, who owns the business. His mother, Amy Camblos, also worked there as a teenager. Camblos does odd jobs every morning from 8:30 to 11 or so: making hangers, writing tickets, bagging clothes. It gets pretty hot in the back, he said, but he’s glad to be the fourth generation of teenagers helping out at the Crozet landmark.

When he’s not climbing on top of hay bales, Grey Clifford helps out at Chile’s Peach Orchard on week days. submitted. Submitted photo.

At Chiles Family Peach Orchard, Grey Clifford works wherever they need him, in the ice cream shop, in the market, checking out the pickers, or distributing baskets. He also cleans bathrooms when it’s his turn, he said. “We all move around according to where we’re needed,” he said. “Everyone learns to do more than one job.” Clifford said he likes working with people and is grateful for a job that’s a little different each day. One downside, he said: “When I work in the ice cream shop, I kind of lose my taste for ice cream.”

New Waynesboro Restaurant Serves Bayou Favorites

Michelle Busby understands the reasons behind Cajun cooking as few people do. “It’s a cuisine based on being poor,” she said. “You use what’s available, but cook it in such a way that it tastes wonderful.” Busby opened The Gumbo Hut in June, serving not only gumbo, but creole dishes, jambalaya, po’boys, seafood and more. For now, she’s strictly carry-out because of the space restrictions in her tiny storefront on Waynesboro’s Main Street. “We’ve already outgrown it,” she said; and her landlord is looking for ways for her to expand.

The Gumbo Hut in Waynesboro offers New Orleans inspired take out dishes. Submitted photo.

To Busby, the vegetable and spice-infused roux; the careful use of the “Holy Trinity” (onions, pepper, and celery) and the bright flavors of vegetables in season are as familiar as bread and butter. “I grew up with this food,” she said. “It’s what my mother cooked every day.” Busby was raised in Detroit, the daughter of a transplanted New Orleans native, dreaming of someday owning her own place. When she found the Waynesboro location formerly used as a catering kitchen for Blue Oregano, she knew she could make it work.

She’s made some adjustments, some of them to help educate patrons unfamiliar with Cajun cooking. “At home, we’d dump whatever meat and vegetables we had in the pot and it would all be good,” she said. “Now I make the dishes with turkey or chicken sausage and people can pick out what additional meats they want to add.” She’ll make a pot of beans and rice or collard greens without meat for those with dietary restrictions. She’s applied for an ABC license so her guests can order the traditional hurricane and other drinks associated with the Big Easy. She said she’s run out of gumbo a couple of times, but that’s given diners a chance to try other New Orleans specialties like étouffée, jambalaya, po’ boys and the creole dishes. 

Busby is trained as a professional finance coach and credit specialist, and when she’s not in the kitchen she helps people restore bad credit or formulate a realistic budget. For now, The Gumbo Hut is open Thursday through Saturday, 4:30 to 8:30; and 3:30 to 6:30 on Sundays. Find the complete menu on The Gumbo Hut Facebook Page or thegoodgumbo.com.

Photo-based Art at Crozet Artisan Depot

Crozet Artisan Depot presents Alison Thomas of Serenity Scenes Photography as the guest artist for July. 

The show “Serenity in the Trees” will be at the historic Crozet train depot, 5791 Three Notch’d Road, with a meet-the-artist event Saturday, July 9, from 1 to 3 p.m.

Thomas, a Louisa-based artist, bases her work on photographs, digitally manipulated using a combination of various filters, both purchased and self-created. The artist adds individual elements in order to convey the essence of a scene rather than an exact recording.

In “Color Reflection,” the artist begins with a photo and modifies it to present its essence rather than merely its image. Submitted photo.

Has a neighbor ever remarked upon your garden’s beauty and your response was, “It needs to be weeded,” or  “I should have chosen different flowers for that spot?” Do you have a tendency to look upon a beautiful scene and only see the flaws?” Thomas asks. “My work stimulates the viewer to explore more deeply the way beauty is seen and experienced by removing much of the detail and leaving only the essence. In doing so I not only show you a scene, but I also draw your eye to the larger facets that can get lost in an ordinary photograph. I encourage you to look upon the graceful arch of a tree, the shape of a barely discernible farm building in the fog, the stained-glass look of a sunrise through fog. I invite you to look at the world differently.” 

The artist’s work will be featured through July.

Duner’s Restaurant Changes Ownership, Hours

Long-time owner Bob Caldwell has sold Duner’s to well-known Charlottesville restauranteur Will Ritchey and Jonathan Corey, Ritchey’s business partner in this venture. In addition to Duner’s, Ritchey owns a string of Charlottesville restaurants, including Revolutionary Soup, Alley Light, The Whiskey Jar, Bebedero and the Pie Chest. Last month, Duner’s announced it was opening an additional evening each week. The new hours are Tuesday to Sunday, 5 to 9 p.m. 

Caldwell owned Duner’s for 39 years. For 17 of those years, Chef Laura Fonner was in the kitchen and at one time had hoped to buy the popular Ivy landmark. The pandemic changed her plans and she now owns Siren in Charlottesville. When Duner’s reopened, Hayden Berry, who’d preceded Fonner at Duner’s and is well-known locally because of his 11 years as chef at Crozet’s Three Notch’d Grill, took over temporarily. 

Biz Bits

True to their promise to promote local creative people, downtown Crozet newcomer Bluebird & Co. has planned a slate of July events with writers, artists, bakers, and flower growers. Popular artist and teacher Rose Guterbock offers children’s art classes July 7 and 14; Emily Thiede joins author Elle Cosimano in a conversation about Thiede’s new book, This Vicious Grace, at its launch party July 9; and local, small-batch makers of bagels, cookies, ice cream, and tiaras make joyful appearances throughout the month. See the schedule and times: bluebirdcrozet.com; drop by during business hours at 5792 Three Notch’d Road; or visit the FaceBook page.

Crozet Artisan Depot is celebrating its seventh year of being part of the Crozet community. To celebrate, the Depot is awarding a scholarship to Crozet Arts. 

 

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