About

‘chester is an online magazine that celebrates the people, places, and spirit of Winchester, Virginia and the surrounding area. We’ll explore local food, wine, people, places, culture, theater, art, music, style, and events. We seek to bring a fresh perspective to our historic city. We hope you’ll like it.

Publisher | Jenny Brockwell is Winchester’s self-proclaimed biggest fan. Hence, this website. When she’s not basking in her love of all things Winchester, she’s touring wineries, rocking out to 80s music, and enjoying happy hour with good friends – most likely on the Old Town Mall.

Publisher & Ad Manager | Mark Baker is a Virginia native with family ties to Frederick County. It is rumored that his great-grandfather was one of the first electricians in Winchester. While Mark lives and works in the DC area during the week, he looks forward to relaxing, traffic-free weekends in Winchester. Mark enjoys golf, being out on the water, and the Outer Banks.

Copy Editor | Brandi Ferrebee has been a proud citizen of Frederick County since before she was born. She just moved back to the area after a four-year sojourn in Ohio (where she insisted on retaining her Virginia license plates and local voter’s registration, thank you very much.) In her free time, Brandi swing dances an unreasonable amount, enjoys drinking tea while reading Faulkner novels, and fantasizes about correcting grammar and punctuation on businesses’ signs.

Music Editor | Doug Stanford was a transplant to Winchester back in 2006 and has been a small part the Winchester music scene since his arrival. A JMU graduate who works as a video producer for DIGICO shoot | post | design [http://godigico.com/] and produces an online music show, Aux Send [http://auxsend.tv/], Doug hopes to help cultivate a more active and diverse music culture in our city. His other interests include David Lynch, sandwiches, and cats.

Virginia Uncorked Editors | Brad and Katie Jordan are Virginia natives who have a penchant for good food, good wine, and good people. They are in constant pursuit of new adventures and life experiences. They love to travel, cook gourmet meals, dance in grocery store aisles, go on Virginia wine tours, and play with their two miniature dachshunds, Fred and Betsy. Together, Brad and Katie own a photography company.

Food Editor | Joanne Gaudet was born in Los Angeles and raised in the Washington, D.C. area. After a number of Sunday drives to the country, she fell in love with Winchester and finally settled in Frederick County over 20 years ago. Joanne has a love for great foods, traveling and the Old Town Mall. In her downtime, you can find her curled up in a corner somewhere sipping a glass of wine and reading a good book.

Contributor | Sarah Daywalt is a Winchesterian for nearly 20 years, and enjoys travel, books, movies, and a good pair of jeans. Sarah will be contributing occasionally about culture and happenings in the area.

Contributor | Kate Shull Craig moved from Pennsylvania to Winchester 5 years ago and fell in love with downtown. She loves literature, writing, music, crossword puzzles and a good beer. One the weekends you are likely to see her  exploring the downtown mall with family and friends.

Contributor | AnneHunter Hurt  is a lifelong local with a passion for fashion. She is the local Girl About Town, with a taste for style and all things fun. Embracing her love for jewelry and fashion, she is a Stella & Dot independent rep and can’t wait to share her style secrets with ‘chester magazine.

Relationship Columnist | Winnie is a local single 30-something who has “been there, done that” enough to know what she’s talking about. She’s a fan of pizza for breakfast, lunch, or dinner and really does love long walks on the beach. Need some advice? Email her at askwinnie.chester@gmail.com

Home & Style Contributer | Libby Hoffmann resides with her husband in Martinsburg, but is proud to be working for the interior design company of Winchester, Classic Touch Interiors.  She brings with her over five years of design expertise, including specialized work in kitchen & bath design and “green” materials.  She is a Mountaineer, a former beauty queen, and believes design is a scientific art. Libby will be working to uncover some of the hidden property gems of the area, sharing her knowledge of home styling, materials, and decorating along the way.

Contributor | Lydia Roberts is a Carolina Tarheel who fell in love with Winchester when she moved with her husband 12 years ago.  She loves everything from backyard barbecues to black ties, dinner along the walking mall with family, or cocktails with friends, browsing into shops and art galleries. Her travels and art studies have brought her from Cairo to Prague to shopping in Beverly Hills; but she always enjoys coming back to Winchester.

Contributor | Sarah Eaton is a second generation Winchester native–born and raised! For her day-job, she works at Lord Fairfax Community College in student recruitment and community outreach. In addition to her love of writing, she enjoys spending her time reading, dancing, and teaching both ballet and Zumba Fitness

 Film Critic | Andy Gyurisin Since 1987 film has been as important to me as oxygen.  Not just watching  films, but experiencing the culture they surround.  I support video  stores (and opened one) and never feel old dusting off my VHS or  Laserdisc player.  I collect film guides annually constantly searching  for those obscure titles to surprise friends and family.  I show no  bias, giving every film the opportunity to breathe.  I am passionate  about the Criterion Collection and their dedication to restoring  classic, contemporary cinema.  I am pro-physical media, and  anti-streaming.  I am analog.  I love cinema.