Episode #8
James Ford: Just Something I Ate, Wing Wars & RVA Food
We came hungry this week. We’re hanging out with Richmond foodie, designer, and community advocate James Ford , the creative force behind @Just_Something_I_Ate and one of the people behind RVA Wing Wars . James takes us all the way back to learning how to cook with his grandmother, Sunday dinners that brought the whole family together, and how food became one of his favorite ways to show love. We get into his background in architecture, how studying and traveling through France, Spain, Mozambique and beyond shaped the way he sees food and design, and how @Just_Something_I_Ate grew out of a desire to support Richmond restaurants during COVID. Then, obviously, we talk WINGS. James gives us the story behind RVA Wing Wars, what actually makes a great wing, what attendees can expect this year, and his Richmond picks for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We also talk about his work with Ronald McDonald House Charities, M4K and other local organizations — and why giving back is such an important part of what he does. And because this is O Lala, things eventually go completely off the rails. Big Daddy drops us into the increasingly weird world of AI : utopia, job loss, cyber warfare, super-intelligence, Neuralink and the minor question of whether humanity should be getting on a plane with a 20% chance of crashing. PLUS: Octoberween , VMFA’s Art of Wine, RVA Wing Wars, Antonelli’s Deli , the return of Bottoms Up Pizza , Richmond food recommendations, the “Dirty Daddy Wing,” and enough food talk to guarantee you’ll be starving by the end. Come hungry. Stay weird. And maybe be nice to the robots.
