Looking to see local art while enjoying a latte and delicious food? Then look no further, the Starving Artist Cafe is 20 minutes away from the Wesleyan campus.
Kim Keene, a VWU Class of ‘93 alumna, is the owner and head chef of Starving Artist Cafe. Keene wanted to prove that she can use her art degree, and she takes it to the next level. She combined her passion for art by opening a cafe to offer meals and feature artworks created by local artists. The Starving Artist Cafe creates a space to savor their food and crave creativity.
Keene shared how the Starving Artist Cafe was envisioned and came to fruition. “It was a gallery, and [I] offered art classes for about a year and a half. Everybody who came to the gallery wanted food and drinks, so I decided to put a whole restaurant inside. I continued to do painting classes, and then I became interested in creating on a plate,” said Keene.
Starving Artist Cafe provides a variety of options for customers to order from their menu. Vegans can enjoy the vegan sausage hash for $9 served with vegan sausage, arugula, tomatoes, spinach and sweet potatoes in it. Soup and salad lovers will look forward to their every day fresh homemade soup between $6 – $13. Their popular salad dressing that people love is their lemon lavender with poppyseeds in it.
Sweet tooths are recommended to order the French toast for $6.50 that is made on a big Texas toast. Egg dish fans should try their womlette for $12. “We take three eggs, and we put them inside a waffle iron, so they come out looking like a waffle, but it’s all eggs. That’s why we call it the womlette. We sauté whatever they want inside and fold it into this egg mixture. It’s beautiful,” said Keene.
Starving Artist Cafe’s most popular menu item is the French scramble for $11, served with roasted red peppers, spinach, goat cheese and avocado on top. It’s a colorful dish, but created on a plate instead of a canvas.
Keene added, “I offer art because that is my number one passion. I really push for local artists to showcase their work here. I offer showcasing the art along with the food. We do get a lot of local musicians. We have an acoustic brunch on some Saturdays, so I like [promoting] the music side as well. I really want this to be a place that supports the arts.”
The gallery walls feature art created by local artists that customers can admire while enjoying their meal or purchase to support Hampton Road artisans. Customers visit to listen to local musician performances ranging from jazz, classical and more at music events hosted by the cafe.
The open hours of Starving Artist Cafe is 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. everyday. Marlins can visit Starving Artist Cafe at 4408 Colley Ave Norfolk, VA 23508 to show Keene support as a member of the Wesleyan community.
Follow @starvingartistcafe on Facebook and Instagram for updates on art gallery exhibitions, local music events and menu specials.
Misty Reign Bath Co., a home and body care business in Virginia Beach, provides homemade scented candles and melts as well as natural skincare products. Erica Hardy, the owner of Misty Reign, had a passion for creating eco-friendly, natural candles and body care products.
The price range of Misty Reign Bath Co.’s soaps, body butters, wax melts and other handmade products are between $4 – $42.
Hardy shared about the care put into her products. “The sense of knowing that it was created with love, no machine. [It’s] what was put inside of it from a caring individual, so it’s handmade. A lot of times handmade holds more value just because a person individually made it,” Hardy said.
The storefront hours of Misty Reign Bath Co. are 12:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, 10:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. on Monday through Friday and 11:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Start a soothing skincare routine by shopping at their storefront on 2104 Pleasure House Road Suite C in Virginia Beach or online at www.mistyreignbathco.com. Follow them @mistyreignbathco on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.
By Tiffany Warren
tawarren@vwu.edu
