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ORAL HISTORY

William Barnhardt

Willaby's

William Barnhardt was born in Richmond, in 1964. When he was a child, his parents moved to rural Urbanna, Virginia, to run a duck farm. At its height, the farm processed seven thousand ducks per day for northeastern markets. As a student at Lynchburg College, he cooked duck from his family’s farm for friends and organized local food festivals. He opened his restaurant, Willaby’s, in 1992. He maintains close relationships with local suppliers of eggs, meats, and seafood. Barnhardt moved his restaurant to the Rappahannock riverfront in 2010. Willaby’s expanded to include dinner, live music, and a brewery. Barnhardt is especially proud of his crabcakes and oyster soup, adapted from Tangier Island recipes, and his mother’s chili.