Posts by Candace Nelson
The Ultimate List of the Best Pepperoni Rolls You HAVE to Try
The pepperoni roll is a beloved snack that originated in West Virginia, capturing the hearts (and taste buds) of locals and visitors alike. Created in the 1920s with influence from Italian immigrants who worked in coal mines, pepperoni rolls were a convenient, shelf-stable meal that could be eaten on the go. Typically, these rolls consist…
Read MoreWhere Southern Charm Meets Southern Comfort:
A Feast for the Eyes and the Palate at The Magnolia House
Read MoreMountain Slices: Pizza in West Virginia
In West Virginia, pizza isn’t just a food—it’s a love letter to the state’s rich Italian heritage, with pizzerias rivaling some of the best in the country. During the early 20th century, Italians immigrated to the Mountain State in search of employment in the coal mines. With them came family recipes and old-world techniques that…
Read MoreSimplicity is key at Coco’s Kitchen + Cafe
Good food doesn’t have to be complicated. It doesn’t require intricate cooking techniques or rare ingredients. It doesn’t need classical training or multiple courses. For one Charleston restaurant, good food just needs fresh, local ingredients, seasonal produce and balanced flavors. That’s according to breakfast and lunch restaurant Coco’s Kitchen + Cafe. “Our goal is simple—Use…
Read MoreThyme well spent: Wheeling restaurant preps seasonal fall menu
What you see is a crisp, white menu embossed with the restaurant’s logo and dozens of dishes listing mouth-watering combinations of ingredients. What you don’t see is the chef’s countless hours of careful curation, meticulous editing of elements and the hundreds of recipes weeded out along the way to get to that point. For the…
Read MoreHart of the Kitchen: Clarksburg Chef Crosses Road with New Restaurant
Which came first: the chicken or the egg? At Hart Kitchen in Clarksburg, it’s the “Deviled Eggs of the Moment” first as an appetizer and then the “Oven Roasted Half Chicken with pan sauce, herbs, roasted vegetables and mashed potatoes” second as an entree. The deviled eggs, which are hard-boiled eggs that often have the…
Read MoreThis Chef is on the Money
Inside a vault, you might find bundles of cash, valuable heirloom jewelry or important legal documents. In Summersville, West Virginia, one particular bank vault contains fries and mussels in a garlic and white wine broth and a bone-in pork chop brined in cider and served with risotto, roasted Brussels sprouts and a smoked apple and…
Read MoreBon App-alachia: French Food and Wine Find Home in WV
White linens drape the tables, and champagne-filled flutes line the bar. Soft classical music plays in the background. The featured menu item of the day is escargot – cocoa and chamomile cure, plum compote, chamomile sauternes jelly and toasted brioche. But this isn’t Paris. Or Marseille. Or Nice. It is The French Goat in Lewisburg,…
Read MoreChristmas Cookies & Pizza: Stepping Stones for One Successful Morgantown Chef
“Some say, I got into cooking before I have any memory of it,” said Nate Meadows, executive chef at Bourbon Prime & Morgantown Event Center in Morgantown. “There is a particular photo of me standing on a stool in my Mother’s kitchen helping her make Christmas cookies. I couldn’t have even been 3 years old,…
Read MoreHot Tamale: Chef Brings Authentic Flavors to the Mountains
Authentic tamales in the capital city of West Virginia might seem like a far-off dream for many, but Amanda Ivy has brought them to reality. Some tamale variations Ivy has offered include: Salvadoran chicken; chicken mole; green chile pork; pork chile verde; ham, greens and black-eyed pea cornmeal; chorizo pastor; traditional pork tinga; chorizo chile;…
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