News & Reviews
NEWS MEDIA REVIEWS:
CBS 19 News
The News & Advance
July, 2018
At Lynchburg-area farmstays, peace and quiet top the list of attractions
When North Carolina resident Shelley Milburn went to look for a vegan bed-and-breakfast, she found a spot in Nelson County through Google.
Click here to read the article.
Photo by: Taylor Irby/The News & Advance
CBS 19 News
Feb, 2012
Stephanie’s Heros: Pot-bellied Pig Sanctuary
From New York City’s fashion industry to Albemarle County’s countryside, this week’s hero changed her life to care for abused and neglected animals, namely pot-bellied pigs. In this week’s Stephanie’s Heros, we visit Dina Brigish on her farm in Schuyler.
Click here to watch the video.
Vegetarian Times Magazine
May/June, 2010
Vegetarian Times:
B is for Breakfast
No need to specially request a veg meal at any of these four picturesquely situated bed-and-breakfasts—their menus are completely meat-free. And even if you’re planning a summer staycation, you can still re-create the breakfast part at home, courtesy of the recipe we serve up from each veg haven.
Click here to read the article. (5.1MB PDF)
Photo by: Lisa Romerein (Vegetarian Times)
WVTF Public Radio
September, 2009
WVTF News:
The White Pig
Charlottesville hosts its annual Vegetarian Festival at Lee Park Saturday and the city is expecting about 6,000 people to take part. Some will bunk at local hotels, but a few will be spending their weekend in the company of pigs. WVTF’s Sandy Hausman reports on a unique bed and breakfast south of Charlottesville.
Click here to hear the story.
Photo by: WVTF Public Radio
The-Burg.com
August, 2009
BLOG-IT: Sanctuary
SCHUYLER – It all began with a white pig named Norman, a gift to Dina Brigish from her mother.
“He sort of changed my life,” says Brigish, who owns the White Pig Bed and Breakfast, an entirely vegan inn located in Schuyler…
Click here to read the article.
Photo by: Chet White
The Burg / The News & Advance
USUS.org January, 2008
HUMANE VACATIONS: High on the Hog
Like many bed and breakfasts, The White Pig pampers visitors with comfy rooms and abundant good food. But how many can boast of completely vegetarian cuisine and a happy white pig on-site as a bonus?
Click here to read the article.
Excerpt From United Airlines: Hemispheres Magazine
August 2006 by Alicia Mil
Vegetarians (and their friends and associates) can finally relax on vacation.
As a vegetarian and enthusiastic traveler for more than a decade, I’ve realized that it’s not always easy to pursue those two interests concurrently. Unfamiliar surroundings, cuisines, restaurants, and languages mean that on some trips I’ve spent more time trying to spot something to eat than sightseeing, not a popular choice with non-veg travel companions. But these days, travelers who don’t eat meat (in addition to non-vegetarians who just want to eat healthy when they travel) have a full plate of helpful resources available on the Web. Restaurant guides such as vegdining.com can steer you toward friendly food in destinations worldwide. Or you can avoid the pressure of having to search out veggie cuisine first thing in the morning by staying at a vegetarian or veg-friendly B&B. You’ll find global B&B listings (plus restaurant and market guides and other travel info) at sites such as vrg.org, vegetarianusa.com, and happycow.net. The White Pig Bed & Breakfast (thewhitepig.com), for example, in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, is a great base camp for a visit to Monticello, about 20 minutes away. Winner of a PETA Proggy Award and a VegNews Veggie Award, The White Pig serves delicious vegetarian breakfasts and doubles as a sanctuary for personable miniature potbellied pigs, so it’s doubtful any meat-eating fellow travelers will be pining for bacon. If you’d rather let someone else do the research to set up a hassle-free vegetarian trip, visit Green Earth Travel at vegtravel.com (Tel: 301-229-5666 or 888-246-8343). Owner Donna Zeigfinger founded the company in 1991 with full travel-agency offerings for vegetarian voyages that include walking, kayaking, sailing, and cycling trips. If you’ve ever wasted part of your vacation searching for a salad, now the world is your avocado.
—Alicia Mil
Illustration / John Hersey
PETA January 4, 2005
Schuyler Retreat Wins Award for Catering to Animal-Friendly Guests
Click here to read the article.
Vegan Action News June, 2005
An Interview with The White Pig Bed and Breakfast Innkeeper and Vegan Chef, Dina Brigish
Click here to read the article.
PETA’s Animal Times Spring 2004, Page 11-12. Reprinted with permission.
Creature Comforts abound at The White Pig
Article with Cut-Out-and-Keep Recipes.
Click here to view. (you need Adobe Acrobat to view)
Excerpt From The Richmond Times Dispatch August 11, 2002 Catherine Kalos. Reprinted with permission.
Creature Comforts abound at new vegan inn
Deprived? I don’t think so. Not with a four course dinner featuring a salad of greens, oranges and caramelized almond; a creamy soup of summer squash; sautéed “scallops,” rice jambalaya and zucchini; and chocolate pie with vanilla “ice cream.”
Not with a breakfast of fruit, bagels with soy cheese, and a vegetable frittata.
Not with a night in a restored farmhouse where pigs lend a whimsical touch as friends, not food.
If vegan living has always seemed like a recitation of what’s not allowed – no meat, dairy, or animal products – then maybe it’s time for a trip to The White Pig. The new bed and breakfast south of Charlottesville makes life as a vegan seem as painless for people as for animals.
Excerpt from Spirit Magazine (Southwest Airline’s Magazine) written by Jordan Rane published December 2002
New Year’s Eve
It doesn’t have to be the same old anticlimax with friends, loved ones, Dick Clark, and a champagne-drenched rug…..every B&B’s New Year’s package includes complimentary champagne, chocolates, and an “award winning breakfast”. Only one that we know of features gourmet vegan dining and unlimited access to 13 on-site potbellied pigs in an idyllic setting that was once the inspiration for The Waltons.
Excerpt from Lynchburg News & Advance article written by Amy Courtee and published January 5, 2003
Filling a niche
…It is a joy to not have to go somewhere and worry about what I’m ordering says McStay of the Vegetarian Resource Group, a Maryland based nonprofit organization that teaches people about vegetarianism…..Those details do matter, agrees Dina Brigish, a vegan chef who provides vegan meals for guests at The White Pig Bed and Breakfast in Schuyler.
“The food is healthy,” says Brigish, who was vegetarian as a child and switched to veganism several years ago with her husband Hal. Going to a vegan bed and breakfast she says is really for someone who’s looking for a unique experience.
Although there are almost 600 bed and breakfasts in the state of Virginia, Brigish’s Albemarle County establishment is one of only three all vegan bed and breakfasts on the East Coast….Brigish says that guests who are not vegetarian say they enjoy her meals-items such as waffles, chocolate chip pancakes and fritatas — and don’t seem to miss the meat.
Excerpt from Susan Grodsky’s article Wallowing in Vegan Luxury printed in The Vegetarian Society of DC’s July/August Newsletter.
Wallowing in Vegan Luxury
Dina, founder, owner, hostess, desk clerk, cook, dishwasher and principal visionary of The White Pig farm greeted me inside. “You have the Norman room,” she said….Norman, I later learned, was the inspiration for the White Pig Farm….If the inn is a tribute to her beloved Norman, the living room demonstartes Dina’s commitment to acquiring pig images: there were pigs on trays, pig paintings, pig picture books, needlepoint pig pillows and a china cabinet stuffed with pig figurines, both realistic and cartoonish. You could have a nice evening at White Pig just counting pigs….
Vegan without question is the joy of White Pig Farm. Relax and eat everything you see, it’s all legal and all delicious.
Excerpt from an article in Cooperative Living Magazine written by Audrey Hingley. (In this article we where picked with only four other upscale inns as Virginia’s most romantic.)
Where Is the Love? A Look at Virginia’s Most Romantic Getaways
A different kind of getaway 23 miles from Charlottesville can be found at The White Pig, one of only three all-vegan (no meat, dairy, or animal products) establishment on the East Coast. New York transplants Dina and Hal Brigish opened The White Pig in November 2001 in a 1908 renovated farmhouse on 171 acres.
I think it (a vegan bed and breakfast) is a niche market that’s heavily ignored.” explains Dina Brigish. “I wanted to be pampered (when I traveled) but as a vegan, I was treated like a second class (citizens). I never had any doubt this would work, because it’s an underserved market. A lot of people are health-conscious and looking for healthy alternatives, but they don’t want to feel deprived.”
It’s unlikely guests-even non-vegans-will feel derived at The White Pig.
Excerpt from VegNews’ article Veg-file: Travel Agent Donna Zeigfinger
Veg-file: Travel Agent Donna Zeigfinger
VN: What is your favorite place to stay?
DZ: I have to say that my favorite place is The White Pig Bed & Breakfast. It is on over 180 acres in the middle of nowhere and Dina (the owner) makes the best vegan chocolate mousse cake.
A FEW COMMENTS FROM SOME OF OUR GUESTS …
I didn’t know there was such a place in the world where guests can luxuriate in beauty & simplicity of nature, enjoy gourmet food in impeccable surroundings with no sacrifice of pleasure or damage to the environment.
The harmony between humans & animals, land & sustenance, allowed for a fleeting moment of peace. I return to my world with something of a new perspective. Thank you for that.
You truly live up to the billing of a vegan oasis.
Your hospitality is equal to your dedication to the animals.
Our first introduction to pot-bellied pigs & vegan dining. We enjoyed both, and walking on the beautiful trail. We’ve stayed at many B&B’s, and for a country experience, this is one of the best!