Bio
Joy Crump, a culinary graduate of the Art Institute of Atlanta, honed her skills alongside Atlanta-based farm-to-table chefs Michael Tuohy and Chef Kevin Gillepsie. In 2011, Crump opened FOODE in Historic Downtown Fredericksburg, Virginia with business partner Beth Black. In 2014, they opened their second restaurant, the breakfast-centric Mercantile, also in Fredericksburg.
Crump appeared on Season 12 of the Emmy Award-winning competition series, Top Chef. Crump has had the honor of cooking as a featured chef at the James Beard House in both 2016 and 2017, and is actively involved in the James Beard Foundation’s Impact Programs for Food Policy, Chef Advocacy and Change. In September of 2018, Crump appeared in the James Beard Foundation’s Cookbook, “Waste Not: How to Get the Most From Your Food.” The goal of the cookbook is to shine a light on the collective efforts of the food community to tackle the food waste epidemic.
In 2020, Beth and Joy merged FOODE and Mercantile into a single location. The newly co-branded FOODE + Mercantile now serves breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days each week in a 100-seat, historically renovated building in the center of downtown Fredericksburg. FOODE + Mercantile has been named one of Northern Virginia Magazine’s Top 50 Restaurants several times.
In 2021, Joy and Beth purchased 718 Venue, a special events and lodging facility, also in Fredericksburg. In 2023, Crump was named a James Beard Foundation Semi-Finalist, Best Chef Mid-Atlantic region.