Two businesses focusing on gourmet food are on their way to downtown Fredericksburg. See Friday’s FLS Business section for all the details, but here is a preview:

1. Beth Black and Joy Crump are opening an eatery and market at 1006 C&D Caroline St. called FOODĒ. They’re going into the upstairs and downstairs spaces in the courtyard between PA Dutch Food & Candy Co. and Tim’s Mart. The retail spaces were formerly occupied by Everything Gardening and The Write Touch. FOODĒ will focus on locally grown and produced foods. It will have a market where people can buy to-go prepared foods and fresh grocery items such as eggs, cheese and milk. It will also serve lunch and dinner Tuesday through Saturday and brunch on Sundays (they’ll have a beer and wine license also). The kitchen will be upstairs. Crump will be the chef while Black helps manage the business. The pair are moving to the area tomorrow from Atlanta, where Crump worked as a chef for the past four years at the renowned Woodfire Grill before deciding to go out on her own with Black (whose parents live in Stafford, which is the local connection). Fans of Bravo’s “Top Chef” will recognize the Woodfire Grill as the restaurant where Kevin Gillespie, runner-up on last season’s show, is now executive chef and part-owner. Crump worked under Gillespie for two years. FOODĒ is expected to open in about two weeks. Click here to see a blog Crump and Black are keeping about the launching of the new business. Click here for biographical information on the pair.

2. Visitors to Culpeper may have been to The Frenchman’s Corner, which is perhaps best known for its wide selection of Belgian Neuhaus chocolates. Owners Marc and Meg Ast plan to open their second Frenchman’s Corner store in the 1,100-square-foot retail space inside the Courtyard by Marriott hotel right at the corner of Charlotte and Caroline streets (local artist Brandon Newton, who had been in that space, is moving to a new studio). The Fredericksburg space is only about a third the size of the Culpeper store, so the selection will be a little different. But Marc Ast said the focus will remain on gourmet chocolates as well as coffee, tea and baking accessories. The store plans to open Oct. 2.

We’ll have a few more details and other downtown updates in Friday’s article, but thought this would whet your appetite in the meantime (cue laugh track).