Perfect Pairing
“I rate restaurants not only for their food, but also their ease-of-access.”
Charlottesville's list of restaurants is quite impressive for such a small city. From an iconic bagel shop in the heart of UVA’s Corner to fine dining overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountains, there is a wide variety of choices for culinary enthusiasts.
Restaurant critic and MSA senior, Casey Sanders, set off on an odyssey this summer to explore the area’s restaurants to provide a unique review of some of Charlottesville’s most popular eateries.
His restaurant blog, Nom-cology, has quickly garnered significant attention for the quality of its reviews as well as its unique rating system for accessibility. Casey rates restaurants in traditional measures--quality of food, atmosphere, and service--as well as the restaurant’s accessibility.
“C’ville has some great restaurants, great atmosphere, and great people. However, not all restaurants provide the same level of access for individuals with physical challenges. At the moment, the right side of my body is mostly paralyzed, and this makes some of the area’s restaurants difficult to access. This means I rate restaurants not only for their food, but also their ease-of-access,” Casey stated.
“I rate restaurants not only for their food, but also their ease-of-access.”
In addition to providing a great service to his readers, Casey is also using his restaurant odyssey as an opportunity to eat his way back to health as a cancer survivor.
“I started this blog because as a brain cancer survivor, I have become quite thin. So, with that in mind, my family and I are enjoying C’ville’s restaurants for me to gain some weight,” commented Casey.
Casey’s reviews spark all kinds of questions from readers: Will you review all of Charlottesville’s restaurants? What is the best restaurant for food and ease-of-access? What is really the best place to get a slice of pizza? However, the most common question he gets is about the name of his blog: Nom-cology.
"Nom-cology is a combination of 'Om-Nom' (Internet slang for 'eating') with 'Oncology' (the science of cancer)" explained Casey.
Like the title of his blog, Casey has discovered a perfect pairing in his food blog--it is helping him to eat his way back to health, while providing a valuable service to the C’ville community.