Frances Ford Coppola has announced the opening of a new Geyserville restaurant at the Virginia Dare Winery. Just don’t try to pronounce it.
Christened Werowocomoco (pronounced: Wero-wo-como-ko), the restaurant pays tribute to the first capital of Virginia and home to Powhatan, chief of regional native tribes when English colonists arrived in 1607.
The food will follow suit, with a focus on American native dishes including bison ribs with berry barbecue sauce, river-harvested wild rice with cranberries, and fry bread tacos. The restaurant will have 66 interior seats and extended al fresco patio dining.
“Virginia Dare Winery highlights the genesis of American winemaking, so it makes sense that our new restaurant would celebrate our country’s indigenous foods,” said Coppola in a prepared statement. “With Werowocomoco, my goal is to present a menu inspired by the culinary traditions of the earliest inhabitants of North America.”
Coppola hinted at the restaurant’s opening last month, though BiteClubbers quickly solved the mystery of the location at the Virginia Dare Winery, which Coppola opened in 2015. Dare was the first child born to English settlers in Roanoake, Virginia territory in 1587. The entire settlement vanished without a trace, and mystery and myth have surrounded the story of Dare and the encampment ever since.
The Pamunkey Indian Tribe, which continues to have a presence in the historic Richmond, Virginia region gave Coppola it’s blessing to borrow the name and honor the heritage of their history.
This is Coppola’s fourth restaurant, following Rustic and the Pool Cafe at his Geyserville namesake winery and Cafe Zoetrope in San Francisco.
The restaurant is slated to open to the public in mid-November after a private opening for the residents of Geyserville on Nov. 4.