(Hunter Smith and Craig Hartman share a light moment at Ice House. Photo by Do Me a Flavor and Robinson Imagery.)
By Jennifer Waldera
Over a decade ago Chef Craig Hartman opened the doors to BBQ Exchange in the small town of Gordonsville in Orange County. The rustic quick-counter restaurant that is now known for its specialty sandwiches, house-made southern sides, and piled-high platters of pork belly, brisket, sausages, and pulled pork or chicken has been lauded by numerous online and in-print publications and has drawn the attention of (and accolades from) Food Network and Cooking Channel personalities. Now, Hartman has paired with Champion Brewing’s Hunter Smith to create a new concept just down the road at Champion Ice House with a strong focus on fried chicken and, of course, beer.
Housed in the town’s historical Memorial Hall property, Champion Ice House’s motto is “Cold Beer! Hot Chicken! Good Friends!”. While Smith credits both Hartman’s success with BBQ Exchange, and the fact that Hartman’s “out of this world fried chicken” is a perfect pairing with Champion’s beer, as the inspiration for the collaboration, the town’s roots in fried chicken were a motivation for the concept as well.
“There’s a rich history of vendors selling fried chicken to train passengers stopping in Gordonsville. It’s a dish that appeals to many and Craig wanted a space to showcase the dish on a menu that offers a variety of southern specialties,” says Smith.
While Hartman’s techniques of dry-dredging and lard-frying make for exceptional fried chicken, the restaurant’s menu expands beyond the sandwiches, platters, and family meals that showcase that main attraction. Other proteins including trout and sausage grace the menu along with sides that range from green beans, succotash, and black-eyed peas to southern slaw, fried pickles, and “cheezy” grits. Beer makes its way into the food menu with a cleverly named “Brew Brew Platter,” beer cheese, and a popcorn appetizer generously sprinkled with beer cheese spice. Sauces and dressings are all made in-house and often incorporate beer as well.
“We are proud of our Brewsalmic dressing which is made from a reduction of stout and balsamic vinegar,” Hartman shares.
As for the drinks, in addition to available cans and crowlers (available to go), there are currently four taps featuring Champion beers, one of which is a rotating seasonal. The most popular, however, is the town’s namesake brew.
“Gordonsville Lager, (IBU 30, 3.6% ABV) an American-Style Light Lager, is the signature beer of Champion Ice House. It pairs really well with the fried chicken and many other items on the menu,” Smith says.
For seasonal beers, Smith says visitors can expect to see brews like Fruit Basket (Double IPA), Electric Light (Session Ale), True Love (Mexican Style Lager), and Hazy IPAs (like Hazy Wheeze the Juice). One of the features in the early opening days was Champion’s Blueberry Hard Seltzer.
Hartman says that the two do foresee potentially adding more taps in the future. Additionally, the bar also serves a red, a white, and a rosé wine (from other producers). For now, the restaurant has decided to forego a full bar with an eye toward maintaining the “brewery restaurant feel,” but has not ruled out future additions to bar offerings.
As for that “brewery restaurant feel,” Hartman and Smith worked closely with local architects and designers to preserve the historical building while also updating its interior and creating the ambience they desired.
“We worked with Stoneking von Storch Architects for the design and Alexander Nicholson, a construction firm that specializes in historic renovations, to simultaneously preserve and enhance the space. We have maintained the Memorial Hall look of the exterior while creating an open, welcoming, contemporary interior for our guests,” Smith explains.
Additionally, the indoor space showcases artwork paying homage to both the building and to the region’s roots related to fried chicken.
“Our Ice House photos came from The Library of Congress. Our photos of “The Chicken Ladies of Gordonsville” came from the Town of Gordonsville,” Hartman shares.
The large indoor area, with its contemporary industrial feel, offers plenty of options for gathering at or near the bar, or for dining at the multitude of tables throughout the restaurant. However, the space also sports a comfortable outdoor biergarten, replete with fire pits, bocce ball, cornhole, picnic tables, plenty of standing space, a stage for entertainment, and even a portal to view the kitchen.
In terms of entertainment, Champion Ice House has started with weekend music but is intending to host more musicians.
“We are working on our live music calendar. Right now we have live music Friday and Saturday evenings, but look to expand that schedule,” Hartman says.
For other future plans, Hartman says, “We will open online ordering soon as we purposely decided to slow down our take-out until we really got a handle on all of our processes. We are definitely going to add a few signature sandwiches, like the famous Heaven and Hell that we do at The Barbeque Exchange.”
While Champion Ice House is in a somewhat residential area, Hartman says that the “small, beautiful town” has embraced them as part of what drives tourists to the area and helps to boost the local economy. In the same spirit of embracement of community, it is one of Champion Brewing’s founding philosophies to philanthropically invest in the communities they serve, and they intend to do so here as well.
“We give back to our community in a variety of ways,” Smith explains. “Primarily, we donate a percentage of sales, as in our collaboration with Waterboys and the Chris Long Foundation. Otherwise, we are often hosts for nonprofit and fundraising events and provide donations from sales the day of the event while encouraging our customers to be generous as well.”
Also reflecting on the importance of the community, Hartman acknowledges his intent to utilize the space as a gathering place that has meaning in Gordonsville.
“Champion Ice House is housed in what was Gordonsville’s old Memorial Hall. Countless guests have told us stories about how they had their first dance or watched their first movie or met Santa Claus here. It was the place that the town folks came to socialize. We are so thankful that we can revive that same feel and to also create memories for those to come.”
Champion Ice House, at time of publication, is open Wednesday and Thursday from 11 am – 7 pm and Saturday through Sunday 11 am – 9pm.
