21 Spoons is a restaurant aimed at bringing back the appeal of intimate (亲密的) dining. "This restaurant kind of fell into my lap," says chef and owner Ann Butler, "I own the cooking school next door to it, and this space was empty for quite some time, and it seemed to be saying, ‘Do you want me?'"
After working in Fairfax and Chesterfield public schools, Butler started her cooking school, Edible Education, 12 years ago, hoping to change the dietary habits of kids.
The occurrence of the pandemic halted Butler's cooking classes, as students were unable to attend in person. "We didn't have any kids taking classes," she says. "I didn't know how long it'd be before we saw students again, so I thought, we got to do something." So, Butler opened 21 Spoons in March of 2021, focused on small plates and shared bites from ratatouille flatbread to deep-fried deviled eggs.
"I took it over at a time when everyone was closing their restaurants in Richmond," Butler says. This allowed her to start her new business in a way that made people feel more at ease during such a stressful time. Butler says the service and size of the restaurant-24 seats are what make people feel more comfortable and what allow them to open during the pandemic. "We opened during a time when everyone was scared, so we wanted to build a space where you could come and rest, back to old-school, old-fashioned service."
Butler says the architectural plat (建筑区) for the space was unit 20. "I saw somewhere that a chef has 39 spoons," she says, "and it was unit 20, so I thought, ‘How about 21Spoons?' since we opened in 2021."
While Butler says there'll be no 22 Spoons, she describes 21 Spoons as a "creative gift", allowing her to combine passions and build something beautiful for the community.