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Nourishing and delighting us, these Virginians welcome us to their communities through food, hospitality and entertainment.
Chris Albrecht
Senior vice president and general manager, Caesars Virginia
Danville
In May, the temporary Caesars Virginia casino opened in Danville, led by General Manager Chris Albrecht. A Florida native, Albrecht has worked for Caesars Entertainment for 18 years and is also overseeing the construction of the $650 million permanent casino resort underway in Danville’s Schoolfield neighborhood, formerly a hub for textile manufacturing. “We’ve had really strong demand” for casino jobs, Albrecht says, adding that when the permanent casino opens in late 2024, “we’ll have three times as many table game dealers” — 400 to 500 employees serving 90 poker tables. Albrecht earned his MBA from UCLA and his bachelor’s degree in finance at MIT, but joining a poker club in business school made him take notice of the gaming industry, he says.
Ann Butler
Owner, 21 Spoons
Chesterfield County
Ann Butler opened her small, local cuisine-focused restaurant in a Midlothian shopping center in early 2021, mainly to fill unused space while the pandemic forced her to put on hold Edible Education, her business offering cooking classes to kids. So, she started 21 Spoons as a pop-up, and then in March, Southern Living magazine named it Virginia’s best locally owned restaurant — a pleasant surprise for Butler. “I’m not a 27-year-old male chef opening a restaurant.” Indeed, she is 61 now, and recommends, “Just really do follow your passion.” Butler, who also sells “Kitchen a la Cart” portable teaching kitchens, has put Edible Education up for sale so she can focus on her 21 Spoons and Kitchen a la Cart businesses.
John Haggai
CEO and president, Burtons Grill & Bar
Richmond
If you’ve eaten at an Outback Steakhouse in Virginia, chances are John Haggai was behind its opening. He started working at the Australian-themed restaurant as a busboy in 1989 while still in high school and worked his way up to management, becoming a partner before he left in 2010. He then co-founded Richmond’s Tazza Kitchen, which now has six locations throughout Virginia and the Carolinas.
Haggai took over as CEO of the growing Boston-based Burtons Grill chain in 2022, setting as a parameter that he would stay in Richmond instead of moving north, and now there’s a Burtons location in the city’s Carytown shopping district. Though it specializes in American fare, Burtons is also committed to allergy-free offerings.
“It’s food people crave and love,” Haggai says, “and it’s warm hospitality. It’s reliable.”
Caitlin Horton
Head winemaker, Horton Vineyards
Gordonsville
At 29, Caitlin Horton is Virginia’s youngest head winemaker and one of a minority of women to hold that title. “Grandma grows the grapes, and my mom is vice president and general manager. I didn’t realize it was special until later in life, to be a female-run winery in an industry that is mainly a boys’ club,” she says. Under Horton’s direction, her 40-year-old Orange County family winery yields 400 tons of grapes annually, including 18 varietals ranging from Virginia classics like viognier to lesser-known grapes like the Portuguese tinta cão. As a third-generation vintner, Horton is influenced by tradition but also driven to innovation, introducing experimental wines such as her steampunk-themed Gears & Lace line.
