Come travel back in time with me as I take you behind the scenes of the Stacey Van Berkel Photography and Wall Street Journal shoot of Woodruff’s Cafe and Pie Shop.
For this “sweet” shoot, Stacey and I drove to a quaint corner of Monroe, Virginia where we arrived at Woodruff’s pleasant cottage-like cafe and pie shop. It was my first day as Stacey’s intern and I had the joy of time-traveling with her to such a warm and welcoming world filled with the wafting smell of tasty pies.
“It reminds me of days gone by when people talked and took time to sit down together,” Stacey said.
Woodruff’s originally opened as a grocery store sixty years ago, but was later reopened as a cafe and pie shop by the Woodruff’s youngest daughter, Angela, in 1998. It’s a family effort as Angela, her older twin sisters, Darnelle and Darnette and their mother, Mama Woodruff, all work together. The trio have some lovely pie recipes to share.
“These ladies are the sweetest in the whole world,” Stacey said.
There was no denying that the Woodruff family is as sweet as all the pies they bake. Their warm hospitality and laughter create a homey environment for their loyal customers, who enjoy returning time after time.
“Going to Woodruff’s is like visiting your aunties and grandmother - it really is - they make you feel like family,” Stacey said.
Toward the end of the day, Stacey brought the women outside to shoot their portrait. As the four lined up to pose, one of the twins took Mama Woodruff’s 102-year-old hands into her own.
“Your hands are full of memories,” Stacey said as she focused in to photograph the two women’s hands.
Mama Woodruff let out a burst of laughter that prompted Stacey to capture the joy with rapid clicks coming from her camera. This moment was the perfect cherry on top to end a memorable first day as a SVB intern.
Before you travel back in time, indulge yourself in the Wall Street Journal’s article of Woodruff’s Cafe and Pie Shop. Then let us know in the comments what you think of their scrumptious pies!
Taryn Azimov
SVB Intern 2019
