After two years of connecting with local businesses, exploring Arlington’s wide-ranging food scene and satisfying residents’ questions and curiosity, reporter Katie Taranto is leaving ARLnow.
Taranto, who is departing to cover federal climate policy at the trade publication Inside EPA, wrote prolifically about the arrival and departure of countless restaurants and retailers in Arlington, while still finding time to appreciate the quirks and unique character of the county’s diverse communities.
She wrote approximately 1,000 stories across ARLnow and its sister sites, ALXnow and FFXnow.
“Even after I leave local news, I will have learned a lot more about the people around me, and I think that’s really special,” Taranto said.
Taranto joined ARLnow fresh out of the University of Missouri and is probably best known for her restaurant coverage. She kept close watch on the county’s openings and closures, tracking down answers to tipsters’ questions about new signs in storefronts or unexpected vacancies — and learning more about her neighbors and Arlington’s tight-knit business community along the way.
“One thing I’ve noticed in Arlington and Falls Church: I feel like local businesses really want to support each other,” Taranto said. “That’s been pretty admirable, and kind of cool to see, kind of behind the scenes, how that works.”
At times, the beat pushed her to branch out into new foods, like trying yak meat for the first time at the Nepalese restaurant Himalayan Wild Yak in Ballston. Other times, she spotlighted personal stories, like a recent profile on the 40th anniversary of Nam-Viet Restaurant, the last remaining holdout from a cluster of Vietnamese businesses that once thrived in Clarendon.
After writing a feature on Freddie’s Beach Bar owner Freddie Lutz’s plans to wed his longtime partner, Johnny Cervantes, at D.C.’s WorldPride Parade last year, Taranto said she attended to cheer him on.
“I actually went to Pride after previewing his wedding and saw his float in the crowd,” she recalled.
At times, Taranto’s coverage delved into more serious topics, such as a piece on the impact of tariffs on Vietnamese businesses at the Eden Center, or — stepping outside of her normal coverage — a story on an immigration operation at an Ashton Heights apartment building where Taranto was living at the time. Taranto, who has since moved, witnessed the latter firsthand.
“It happened at my apartment, and I was working from home,” she said. “If you notice, the pictures were taken from out my window. That is something I’ll never forget.”
Through it all, Taranto said she is grateful for the opportunities to learn more about her community. Even after 1,000 stories, she said some things — like attending ribbon-cutting ceremonies, a mainstay of Arlington’s business world — never get old.
“Who doesn’t love a ribbon cutting? I can’t tell you the number of giant scissors I’ve seen,” she said. “It’s really nice to see … the entrepreneurs and local business owners that make up our community get to celebrate all their hard work coming to fruition.”
At request, and with the caveat that “taste is very subjective and my favorites mean nothing more than anybody else’s,” Taranto shared a list of some of her favorite eateries in Arlington: Arlington Kabob, Lebanese Taverna, Thai Square and Gwenie’s Pastries.
Taranto said she has a soft spot for the Columbia Pike corridor in particular — and even though she’s leaving the beat, she hopes readers continue exploring Arlington’s diverse local businesses.
“I would really encourage people to get out of their comfort zone and try something new,” she said.
