Senator Rand Paul (R), a prominent figure in conservative politics, traveled from his home state of Kentucky to endorse Cameron Hamilton, a Republican, for his party's nomination to replace outgoing Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D).
Hamilton picked up a full-throated endorsement from the Senator who has spent years questioning the motives of retired Dr. Anthony Fauci, who was the center of the government-mandated lockdowns and forced coronavirus vaccinations during the pandemic. Paul, accompanied by his wife, Kelly, drew a fervent crowd of conservatives to Gourmeltz 90s Music Bar and Drafthouse in Spotsylvania County. The atmosphere was enthusiastic, reflecting the unity and excitement among conservative voters.
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Two weeks before the June 18 Primary Election, U.S. Senator Rand Paul will headline a rally supporting Cameron Hamilton’s campaign for Virginia’s 7th Congressional District. The event is set to take place at Gourmeltz restaurant, at 10013 Patriot Highway, on Monday, June 3.
Hamilton is running in a Republican Primary, hoping to become the party nominee to replace incumbent Abigail Spanberger (D), who will not seek reelection. Doors for the event will open at 3 p.m., with the rally scheduled to begin at 4 p.m.
Senator Rand Paul, known for his libertarian-leaning views and advocacy for limited government, individual liberties, and fiscal conservatism, will be the keynote speaker at the rally. Paul’s endorsement is expected to bolster Hamilton’s campaign, drawing attention to his platform and energizing voters in the final stretch before the primary.
Cameron Hamilton, a Navy SEAL, has been campaigning on a platform that includes strengthening the economy, protecting individual freedoms, and enhancing local infrastructure. His campaign has garnered significant attention and support from various community groups and political leaders, including Yesli Vega, the party nominee for the seat in 2022.
The rally will be the latest in a series of high-profile GOP events held at the restaurant. Gourmeltz founder and owner Matt Strickland gained notoriety when he refused to adhere to coronavirus restrictions imposed by former Gov. Ralph Northam.
Northam sued Strickland for his defiance and lost. Strickland went on to run in a 2023 Primary Election for a Virginia State Senate seat now held by Tara Durant (R).
According to a press release, the Virginia ABC and Gourmeltz have agreed to resolve all issues associated with the serving of alcohol products without the requisite license to do so at the restaurant. Effective December 23, 2022, the mixed beverage, wine, and beer licenses of Gourmeltz will be reinstated.
On December 2, 2022, ABC agents came to Gourmeltz on Route 1, seized $10,000 of liquor, and downloaded data from the restaurant’s computers. It was the latest move in a chess game between the state and restaurant owner Matt Strickland, going on since January 2021, when the health department ordered Gourmeltz to close for not adhering to former Gov. Ralph Northam’s executive order requiring restaurants to limit the number of patrons inside their restaurants due to coronavirus fears.
Strickland, now a conservative candidate for state senate, took his case to court in March 2021 and won. Spotsylvania County Circuit Court Judge Richard Rigual denied the Virginia State Board of Health and the State Health Commissioner a temporary injunction that would have required Gourmeltz to close.
Despite the ruling, his liquor license was still suspended in the state’s eyes. So, in August 2021, Strickland stood before the ABC Board of Directors to appeal to restore the permit, but they denied his appeal.
“It is understood and agreed by the Parties that the Consent Agreement and related obligations are neither an admission nor denial of liability or wrongdoing on the part of any of the parties,” a press release states.
Strickland took to Twitter to celebrate the announcement. “WE won! Summary: we’re getting our product and license back, and we aren’t paying a dime. When Patriots stand together & fight, we win. Every time,” he wrote.
Strictland has received national media attention since the raid, which he live-streamed on Facebook as it happened. On Tuesday, December 6, Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) signed an executive order requiring state agencies to stop calling on businesses to collect fines issued during the coronavirus lockdown. He also ordered state officials to formulate a plan to refund businesses that paid coronavirus-related fines.
In addition to mandatory facemasks wearing, the state also limited the number of people who could occupy a restaurant and prohibited people from sitting at bars during the pandemic in 2020 and 2021. Gourmeltz never adhered to the orders signed by then-Gov. Ralph Northam.
Strickland, who is seeking the Republican nomination in District 27 in Fredericksburg, Stafford, and Spotsylvania counties, was critical of fell Republicans Youngkin and Attorney General Jason Miyares, saying the executive order didn’t go far enough and provided little assurances that businesses that were negatively affected by the state’s overreach would be made whole.
Virginia ABC said about $4,000 of the alcohol it seized wouldn’t be returned because it’s “unsaleable” and unsafe for consumption. Strickland told PLN he wouldn’t be reimbursed for the loss.
“It is understood and agreed by the Parties that the Consent Agreement and related obligations are neither an admission nor denial of liability or wrongdoing on the part of any of the parties,” states ABC in a press release.
Gourmeltz, which specializes in grilled cheese sandwiches, may begin selling liquor again on December 23, 2022, at 8 a.m.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) signed an executive order today that halts state agencies from collecting fines imposed onto businesses that violated guidelines laid out by his predecessor, Ralph Northam (D) during the pandemic shutdown.
Youngkin directed enforcement agencies, boards, and commissions to report all fines, fees, suspensions related to the shutdown violations. He also directed agencies to halt further collection and enforcement action in his upcoming budget to be delivered on December 15. The budget will also direct the state government to develop a reimbursement process for individuals and businesses who paid "unjust" COVID-19 fines and fees.
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By Tyler Arnold
(The Center Square) – The Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority raided a Fredericksburg restaurant in relation to COVID-19 rule violations, but the owner who is running for a state Senate office is using the raid as a fundraising opportunity.
“I’ve seen first-hand what it means to lay it all on the line – first in the United States Army and now as a small business owner fighting off self-serving bureaucrats who love strangling small businesses and punishing entrepreneurs,” read a fundraising email sent out by Gourmeltz owner and 27th Senate District candidate Matt Strickland.
“Please join my campaign by making your immediate and generous contribution…,” the email read. “I’m giving my all in the fight to save our Commonwealth, and I hope you’ll join me.”
On Nov. 15, ABC served Gourmeltz an order that suspended the restaurant’s beer and wine license and mixed beverage license for 90 days. The revocation came after a lengthy court battle in relation to the restaurant openly defying several COVID-19 rules imposed by former Gov. Ralph Northam in 2020 and 2021. The Circuit Court of Spotsylvania County ruled in favor of ABC and against Gourmeltz in all respects.
After being served the suspension, ABC alleges Gourmeltz continued to serve alcoholic beverages. On Friday, ABC raided the restaurant to execute a search warrant for records and information related to the possession and sale of alcoholic beverages without a license.
“Despite administrative proceedings and the final order of the Circuit Court of Spotsylvania County affirming Virginia ABC’s decision to suspend Gourmeltz’s wine/beer on and off premises and mixed beverage licenses, the establishment failed to comply with ABC’s Board Order and continued to serve beer, wine and mixed beverages to customers,” a news release from ABC stated.
A video posted by Strickland’s campaign appears to show Virginia State Police removing alcohol from the premises. In the video, Strickland confronted the officers and questioned their actions. When the officers said they were doing their job, the candidate said they were part of the problem.
In defiance of the 2021 COVID-19 regulations, Gourmeltz allowed patrons to sit at the bar, he did not require employees or customers to wear face coverings and he refused to enforce social distancing regulations, which all violated Northam’s orders at the time. Strickland claimed the rules were unconstitutional and ineffective.
The Center Square reached out to Strickland for comment, but did not receive a response.
Strickland is facing Del. Tara Durant, R-Fredericksburg, in the primary to represent the Republican Party in the Senate election. The 27th Senate District is a Republican-leaning district, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.
The Virginia ABC Authority, backed by Virginia State Police troopers, raided a Spotsylvania County restaurant that defied orders to close in the face of government-ordered coronavirus restrictions in 2021.
Agents came to Gourmeltz on Route 1, seized $10,000 of liquor, and downloaded data from the restaurant's computers. It was the latest move in a chess game between the state and restaurant owner Matt Strickland, going on since January 2021, when the health department ordered Gourmeltz to close for not adhering to former Gov. Ralph Northam's executive order requiring restaurants to limit the number of patrons inside their restaurants due to coronavirus fears.
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Matt Strickland, the famed owner of Gourmeltz restaurant in Spotsylvania County who pushed back against former Gov. Ralph Northam’s coronavirus restrictions, is running for state senate.
Strickland will run as a Republican in the new 27th District that encompasses parts of Stafford and Spotsylvania counties and Fredericksburg. Strickland announced his campaign 21 months ahead of the General Election on November 7, 2023, when all 40 Virginia State Senators will be up for re-election.
Strickland received regional media attention when he bucked former Gov. Ralph Northam’s Executive Order that required restaurants to the number of customers allowed in his restaurant and prevented anyone from sitting at a bar.
Strickland fought the Governor after the state sued Gourmeltz for non-compliance with the Governor’s orders. Strickland deemed the order detrimental to his business and unconstitutional.
The health department ordered Gourmeltz to close for violating the governor’s orders, but Strickland kept his doors open. He eventually faced off with the state in a Spotsylvania courtroom last year, and won his case.
Strickland says that his experience and the encouragement of residents and conservative organizations helped in his decision to run for office.
“My fight against the government over the past couple of years has shown me just how corrupt our representatives are. And we have these corrupt politicians on both sides of the aisle,” says Strickland. “I have come to the conclusion that the best way to stop the destruction of our Commonwealth and country is to fill one of these seats myself and fight hard for our children’s future.”
Strickland will run on a platform that will include implementing voter ID, healthcare reform, banning of Critical Race Theory in schools, support for Second Amendment rights, limiting the Governor’s powers of emergency executive orders, and eliminating personal property taxes. Strickland is also pro-life.
Strickland also plans to introduce term limits for legislators. Strickland himself only intends to serve two four-year terms if elected.
Strickland is a native of Virginia whose family has been in the state for five generations. He is also an Army Veteran who enlisted in 2001 and served overseas in both Afghanistan and Iraq.
Strickland opened Gourmeltz in 2016 as a food truck with his wife, Maria. The business grew to three trucks over a year.
In February 2018, Strickland sold the trucks and reopened Gourmeltz as a brick-and-mortar restaurant in Fredericksburg.
“I will bring the ambition and work ethic of an entrepreneur that has built a successful small business from nothing. Above all, I will be in Richmond not to make friends but to fiercely represent the people that elected me,” says Strickland.
The state dropped its case against a Fredericksburg-area restaurateur that defied orders to comply with Gov. Ralph Northam's coronavirus pandemic protocols.
The move comes after Spotsylvania County Circuit Court Judge Richard Rigual in March ruled in favor of the restaurant after the stated tried to shut it down for defying Northam's Executive order which, among other things, ordered restaurants to operate at 50% capacity, prevent anyone from bellying up to the bar, and to require customers and employees wear masks.
Gourmeltz, the diner known for its oversized grilled cheese sandwiches, defied the governor during the duration of the pandemic. Northam lifted the mask mandate for unvaccinated people on May 15 and all remaining coronavirus restrictions on May 28.
At a press conference held at the Gourmeltz restaurant today, owner Matt Strickland, his wife Maria, and their attorney former U.S. Rep. Bob Barr, of Georgia, now the head of Liberty Guard, said the restaurant's health department license would soon be restored.
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Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam today eased some of his coronavirus restrictions that have limited the number of customers allowed at area businesses over the past year.
Northam will allow event venues to have up to 500 people, or a total of 30% capacity of the forum, up from 250 poeple. If you're having a party, the governor will allow you to welcome a total of 100 of your friends if your event is held outdoors. That's up from the limit of 10 people indoors and 25 people out.
The governor is easing restrictions on sporting events, allowing the total number of spectators to increase from 25 to 100 people per field, or 30 percent capacity, whichever is less for indoor settings, and from 250 to 500 people per field or 30 percent capacity, whichever is less for outdoor.
