A Slice Above the Rest

By Liz Tenney Jarvis

One may ask if Purcellville has reached its limit as yet another pizza offering sets itself to open in mid-July.  However, Knead Wine is not like any pizza anyone has enjoyed unless they have visited the original location in Middleburg. And now the beloved specialties of Knead Wine will fill the space previously occupied by Vocelli restaurant in The Shoppes at Main and Maple complex.

Knead Wine, Middleburg opened August 1 of 2020, tapping into the need for take-away food options during the pandemic. Owner Jarad Slipp had intended to open a steakhouse but at the eleventh hour, he decided that opening a sit-down restaurant at that time would have not made much sense. 

Knead Wine enabled Slipp to utilize his expertise in wines as well as his knowledge of finer ingredients. It was a smashing success and in the spring of 2022, he opened Tremolo Bar just down the street. All the while Slipp maintained his relationship with Delaplane’s RdV Vineyards as their Estate Director.

It has been quite the journey for Slipp to end up opening a location in Purcellville. From his teen years, he realized that the culinary arts were for him – he headed out to learn and train at The Culinary Institute of America and ICIF in Italy. 

So driven was Slipp that he toughed it out in some of the top gastronomic arenas. Gordon Ramsey in London for example, where he spent an impressive year cutting his teeth with the chef whose infamous, ill-tempered reputation would terrify most into oblivion. 

Slipp also worked in the prestigious Casa Vissani in Italy, Fiamma in New York City, and CityZen in Washington DC. At these various locations, he gained valuable experience running everything from front of the house to what goes out-the-back-door. From DC’s CityZen restaurant, it was not long before his position with RdV (plus aspirations for his own endeavors) had him end the commute and move to the more appealing western end of Northern Virginia.

Slipp knows how it’s done and how it’s done properly. Through years of training and tests, he has moved through the four levels to become one of the few hundred Master Sommeliers in the world. 

Becoming a Sommelier takes years of education and experience; it means one must know all aspects of wine, how to serve it, its production and history, and how wine is to accompany certain foods (though that is becoming more of a personal preference than a set-in-stone mandate). Point being, those in Purcellville will soon enjoy his unpretentious approach to great wines.

At Knead Wine, one can then choose from Slipp’s walls of his handpicked choices of $20 and $45 wines. Any bottle from one side or another is all one price. There are also higher priced wines for those looking to enjoy something special. The curated list of wines will be available to order with meals in-house for a flat corkage fee (no matter the price of the bottle).

Slipp observes that Neapolitan style pizza is so floppy that it is traditionally cut with scissors. While his pizzas are similar at first glance, a sturdier dough is needed for takeout so he utilizes flour made in America. Gluten-free is offered but in limited quantities plus at an extra charge due to the dough making process required. 

The toppings at Knead Wine range from the familiar like pepperoni (but this is not your bulk over-processed kind), the freshest mozzarella or basil to the combinations that have made it a location that many will trek miles to reach. 

One example is the “Page” – pizzas are mostly named after musicians – topped with Tomato Sauce, Mozzarella and Provolone, Calabrese Soppressata, and Chile-Spiked Honey. Or the Harrison which features Crispy Speck, Mozzarella, Bosc Pear, Gorgonzola Dolce, and Fried Rosemary. One can Build-Your-Own as well. These are individual sized pizzas so one’s choices are entirely their own.  However, Slipp wryly states that, “you will never, ever find pineapple on a pizza here … or green peppers.”

In keeping with the primarily Italian influence, the value is placed on quality, ingredients that are in season and even a speciality of a certain region. Slipp therefore sources the best which may come from an area known particularly for that one item. One topping may come from a small purveyor in Canada while another might be locally sourced.

Slipp indicates that as far as the Purcellville location, they are ready to hit the ground running. “The nice thing is that we’ve opened before – the difference is that in addition to take-away, this (Knead Wine) will have seated dining and there will be some additions to the menu,” he says.  

Looking around the permit-pending stylish location in Purcellville, one can see that with soon to be hung, large framed maps of the various global wine regions, Knead Wine will be a totally different dining experience. With Jarad Slipp’s history and background, the Town is about to be immersed in the best that the world has to offer.