How do you feed the munchies?

Chef Andrew Manning

Who he is: A native of Richmond, Virginia, Manning, 44, spent a decade cooking at a villa in the Abruzzo region of Italy before returning to his hometown to run Longoven, a “new American” pop-up that Bon Appetit named among its “Best New Restaurants of the Year” in 2016, even though it didn’t have a fixed address. In 2018, it opened as a brick-and-mortar location in Richmond’s burgeoning Scott’s Addition neighborhood.

What he’d cook for someone who is high: Pork rinds with kimchi butter sauce: “They’re delicious, spicy, crunchy, salty and funky,” he says.

For himself: Popcorn with togarashi (a spicy Japanese seasoning mix). “It’s salty, umami, spicy—everything great about those flavors. And I like to eat it with a nice glass of Champagne, maybe a Larmandier-Bernier Rose.”

What he’d serve to newbies: Cookies or brownies. “They’re still the best introduction to weed and food.”

What he does on his day off: “I don’t have any days off. But with any free time I try and hang with my kids and get on a boat, go fishing or hit museums.”

Where he likes to eat when he’s high: At home, alone, with a “super funky” Pinot from Oregon. “It’s high-acid, nice fruit and elegance, which all work well with nice, herbaceous-citrusy buds.”

His soundtrack: “Rain Dogs” by Tom Waits. His voice is insane and his lyrics put me in a spot of creative thinking, which I direct toward my food. It’s my go-to solo time music.”

By Jeff Ruby

Photography by Eva Kolenko