Since March of 2020, little has been as important as community on both global and local levels. Even before this, however, Brambleton has held it as one of its highest values. The neighborhood believes strongly in providing residents many opportunities to come together to both celebrate achievements and lean on each other in tough times, and it seems that the last 16 months have shown a great deal of both. Many Brambletonians have made a point of doing what they can to contribute to the area as a whole in whatever way they are able. One such resident is Melanie Elliott.

Community, after all, is one of the reasons that she, along with her daughter, Mia, and their dog, Daphne, decided to move to Brambleton in 2018. The trio live together in a townhome with a gorgeous view of Legacy Park which they lovingly refer to as “mini Central Park.” This also puts them within easy walking distance of the Town Center, featuring their favorite Sunday spot, the Farmers’ Market. Once they turn their market finds into delicious meals, Melanie and Mia can be found enjoying their food on their patio with Daphne close behind, ready for any scraps.

Cooking has become a major source of community for the Elliotts in itself though. While Melanie primarily works as a VP of Analytics, her weekend activities revolve around food and wine – Melanie is a WSET Level 2 Wine Educator on the weekends and loves showing people how to pair their favorite food with the perfect wine. When the pandemic began, Melanie decided to turn activities with her daughter into ones that could help her connect with the Brambleton community from which they were now in many ways disconnected. “I was teaching Mia how to cook (she loves to cook & plate food) and we decided it would be fun to share the experience with families in our community, especially during COVID as a means to connect.

Melanie’s neighbors were the ones that she used to have over to share those meals with on the patio, the ones that she and her daughter would spend time with, and she knew that community was more important than ever to hold onto when everyone was physically separated. “I have the absolute best neighbors. They are so kind and caring. It is so wonderful to know that you are surrounded by good people who are now friends/extended family.” Those friends and family are so important to the Elliott family, as they are to all of us, perhaps now more than ever.

Luckily, now that we are able to connect a little more with the world around us in the physical sense, Melanie, Mia and Daphne are able to return to some of the activities they have always enjoyed. Brambleton’s beautiful miles of trails are still a favorite feature of theirs for walks, although they are happy to enjoy all of the nature surrounding them in just about any capacity. Legacy Park is a great place for Mia and Daphne to safely play, and of course they are now able to do this a little more with those around them, too.

You can become involved with Melanie’s next cooking class by following B_Informed@Brambleton, a place to post information and questions pertaining to the Brambleton neighborhood and a great place for friendly conversation with your neighbors. Melanie always shares her news & what’s next on this community page.

Or, learn more about her wine education series at http://www.wine-educator-nova.com.