Out to Lunch with Payton: The Caboose Market and Café

Welcome back, foodies!

In my last column, I was treated to the historic comfort and charm of the Henry Clay Inn, in Ashland, Va. This week, we’re taking a walk right down the block to another local staple, The Caboose Market and Café.

A brief history The Caboose originally began as a local wine, craft beer and cheese market in 1997. It quickly became a staple for the town, providing locally sourced and made products to happy hour and charcuterie lovers in the Center of the Universe.

The market’s free wine tastings and education every Friday from 5-7:30pm, as well as beer tastings every first Friday of the month have definitely put the spot on the map and has drawn lots of interest from the community.

In 2015, the original owner, Ian Kirkland, decided to expand this fresh and local market vision and started a seasonal, farm-to-table café that to source from local family farms as often as they can.

“The core of our business is farm-to-table, with a lot of focus on the quality of those ingredients that are being brought in and those do a lot of the work themselves,” said Nick Gay, the Caboose’s new owner.

Gay took over in 2024 after working as a long-standing employee, after working with Kirkland for four years.

My experienceIt is evident that Gay shares the same passion and care for the establishment and its mission as he’s taken on this new role the past year.

I got the chance to have an interview with Nick for the Local when he had first taken over the business. One of his main missions when the torch was passed to him was to continue to uphold the legacy of the Caboose Café and Market that the town had come to know and love.

“The community is very close, given that it is a small town, so our focus is always the comfort of those coming in,” said Gay. “We always want new customers, we always want new people to come in and take joy in this community, but our core of our focus is the people of Ashland.”

Gay emphasized a lot about the importance that the community held in the café and their vital role that they play in the business themselves. Once I was settled at my table, after passing through their wine and cheese market, people continuously flowed in and out of the quaint café space.

The energy was very lively for midafternoon and people greeted each other kindly, both staff and customers alike. Gay discussed with me about the importance of local sourcing for their business and how working with other businesses has become the backbone of their café.

“A lot of it is collaboration with the community,” said Gay. “We have access to all these farmers in the area that care about their products and care about their craft, and [that access] fit the mold of what the business had been for a long time already.”

Farm-to-table has become a more well-known restaurant concept in recent years as people are becoming more aware of food sourcing and its positive and negative practices, as well as increased awareness of sustainability.

Local businesses supporting local farmers, bakers, etc. (and vice versa) and investing in this kind of community collaboration seems to continue to prove as a successful option for many establishments.

During my experience at the café, I was able to see how the community has grown to love this space. This connection found in food has brought together local business owners, farmers and community members to invest time and resources to not only benefit their own business but also benefit their neighbors.

Having this wide access to fresh ingredients also allows for a wealth of creative opportunities.

“I love to eat different types of food, I like to cook different types of food, and I like being able to [explore] here and introduce people to new things,” said Head Chef, Jeremy Moore.

Moore grew up and studied in central Virginia and has been cooking for 15 years. Moore has been with Caboose for three years, before recently getting promoted to Head Chef.

He is well versed with the local agriculture and has been working to create unique cuisine highlighting those ingredients.

The review

The Pimento Cheese dip was a cheese lover’s dream. The dip was their house pimento, which had a bold and sharp, yet creamy flavor. The crostini bread was perfectly toasted and house made, serving as a good crunchy balance.

The Smoked Salmon Dip is a hot smoked salmon dip made by Bombolini in Richmond, served with chips made by Capital Chips in Richmond. The smoked salmon was not too fishy but had a rich smoldering flavor. The chips were also light and well made. However, as someone who does like chips a bit on the salty side, I think adding a little extra would make it perfect.

The Grilled Cornbread was for sure the star of the small plates for me. It is made with Deep Roots Milling cornmeal and is topped with AR’s Hot Southern Mild Honey and cherry pepper butter. The cornbread was perfectly grilled adding a light smoky flavor, contrasting the bread’s sweetness. The light char added a subtle crunch but left the center soft, and the honey and butter brought a perfect spicy and sweet balance.

The Caboose Burger is made with Charity Hill Farms ground beef, smoked gouda, Dukes Mayo, pickles, greens and on a La Bella Vita brioche bun. On the side, I got the pesto pasta salad. The burger was insanely fresh, well-seasoned and nicely balanced with the toppings. The pasta was also super fresh and flavorful, and the tomatoes on the pasta were ripe. Next time, I would ask for a tomato to be added to the burger to add another layer of fresh produce to balance the richness of the mayo and sharpness of the pickles.

Overall, I had a great experience hanging out and grabbing lunch at the Caboose Market and Café. Their promise of fresh food is truly evident in the flavor and its lively, welcoming energy makes the space welcome to all in the Center of the Universe.

Tips encouraged.

As you should do at the end of any lunch, I want to leave my readers with a “tip”. However, these will be for cooking rather than monetary, from the local chefs in their own community.

Tip from Jeremy Moore, The Caboose Café and Market Head Chef: Don’t be afraid to experiment!

“A lot of people think cooking is a lot harder than it is,” said Moore. “People often think you have to follow an exact recipe or go to culinary school, but for me, cooking is taking a recipe, trying it, and if it doesn’t work, don’t be afraid of going out of the box to tweak it and making it your own.”

I’m excited to continue this journey of connecting more with The Local readers’ community during my lunch hour. Eat well, tip well.