Jan Alexander
04/01/2004
Driving between their Charlottesville, Va., estate and Washington, D.C., investment banker/vintner/philanthropist Patricia Kluge and her husband, former IBM senior executive William Moses, wished they could stop somewhere along the roadside for a really great cup of espresso or a bit of rabbit terrine or…. Any gourmand who has traversed America’s highways surely relates to the sensory deprivation that comes from knowing the only sustenance within miles is frying in oil behind golden arches.
Kluge thought there must be a way to
build a better oasis, and thus was born Fuel Co., a minicomplex of gourmet
store, cafe and restaurant all attached to a gas station. With their own $2
million investment, she and Moses opened the flagship Fuel Co. in downtown
Charlottesville in October, “and we are about to see a profit already,” she
says. At home on her 1,300-acre estate, Albemarle House, which borders Thomas
Jefferson’s historic home, Monticello, Kluge likes to cook. She is a certified
saucier, and being British, knows a properly prepared cup of tea can cure
anything. These days when she travels, Kluge is likely to be scouting sites that might work as Fuel locations. They will have to be close to urban areas initially. “We think people will view them as a destination, but they will be focused around travel and have to include gas stations,” says Kluge. She also is seeking both active and passive partnerships around the country, “preferably with people who love food and wine.”
Fuel is meant to be something of a
throwback to the early days of America’s love affair with the car, when
hospitable gas station attendants would “fill ’er up,” wash the windows, and
check the tires. But Kluge’s highway havens will cater to more worldly tastes.
Attendants will baby the car, then offer the passengers bottles of mineral water
and take orders for pommes frites with mayonnaise or for passion fruit coconut
blondies to go. The restrooms, notes Kluge, will be pleasant beyond a motorist’s
wildest dreams, with hand lotion and “a place to change babies’ nappies.”
As
for the Fuel eateries, Kluge is planning the only gas station stops likely to be
candidates for star ratings. The menu at the Charlottesville Fuel is prepared
under the direction of executive chef Francis Reynard, who was previously with
Daniel in New York, and well-known pastry chef Serge Torres. At other Fuel
stops, she plans to hire local chefs and serve locally grown produce. “Eating
locally is coming to the fore, for health reasons,” says Kluge. “We will plan
our menu around what is seasonal; we would never, for instance, serve
strawberries in winter.” In keeping with American haute cuisine, the restaurants
will serve a variety of 25 American wines, including the New World red, cru and
méthode Champenoise from the Kluge Estate. Wines will be served by the glass;
after all, many of those imbibing will have a long drive ahead.