Kanawha Valley
The Olive Tree Cafe and Catering Strives to be All Things for All People
The Olive Tree Cafe and Catering owner Michael Jarrouj draws on his upbringing for the restaurant’s eclectic and Mediterranean inspired menu. Growing up in a Syrian and Carribean family, he credits his grandparents, who owned a restaurant and loved to cook, with sparking his own culinary flame. “My grandmother was…
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Simplicity 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 +…
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Hot 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;…
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Spill the Tea: Appalachian Tea Is One of West Virginia’s Only Tea Rooms
When you think of a tea room, you might think of well-to-do women in pearls and large floppy hats sipping from antique china. But, there is much more to them than that. Tea rooms became popular in the 1900s when middle class women opened up a room in their home…
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Nancy Bruns : Salt of the Earth
For Nancy Bruns, salt is life. It’s in her veins. It’s in her history. It’s in her land. The J.Q. Dickinson Salt-Works co-founder has made it her livelihood — and her legacy. Located in Malden, West Virginia, J.Q. Dickinson Salt-Works harvests all-natural salt by hand from a 400-million-year-old ancient ocean…
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Aaron and Marie Clark : Timing
Most things in life – the truly special things, anyway – depend on timing, and there probably isn’t anyone who understands this better than Aaron and Marie Clark. From their first meeting at Bennigan’s in the early 1990s to years spent working together and separately at iconic Charleston restaurants like…
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Belief : The Story of Anthony Wilkins and Gourmet Fast
The extra six hundred dollars of unemployment benefits that arrived during the early weeks of the pandemic helped – a lot – especially since he had only been receiving about sixty dollars a week since the world came to a halt and restaurants were forced to close. It wasn’t enough,…
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Of Coffee and Community : The Story of Coal River Coffee
Driving west along the banks of the Kanawha River, you can’t help but admire the scenery. No, this wasn’t your plan for the day…getting rerouted off the interstate on your trip west to an afternoon meeting in Kentucky…but the blue skies and shimmering green waters of the river make it…
Read More
The Olive Tree Cafe and Catering Strives to be All Things for All People
The Olive Tree Cafe and Catering owner Michael Jarrouj draws on his upbringing for the restaurant’s eclectic and Mediterranean inspired menu. Growing up in a Syrian and Carribean family, he credits his grandparents, who owned a restaurant and loved to cook, with sparking his own culinary flame. “My grandmother was…
Read More
Simplicity 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 +…
Read More
Hot 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;…
Read More
Spill the Tea: Appalachian Tea Is One of West Virginia’s Only Tea Rooms
When you think of a tea room, you might think of well-to-do women in pearls and large floppy hats sipping from antique china. But, there is much more to them than that. Tea rooms became popular in the 1900s when middle class women opened up a room in their home…
Read More
Nancy Bruns : Salt of the Earth
For Nancy Bruns, salt is life. It’s in her veins. It’s in her history. It’s in her land. The J.Q. Dickinson Salt-Works co-founder has made it her livelihood — and her legacy. Located in Malden, West Virginia, J.Q. Dickinson Salt-Works harvests all-natural salt by hand from a 400-million-year-old ancient ocean…
Read More
Aaron and Marie Clark : Timing
Most things in life – the truly special things, anyway – depend on timing, and there probably isn’t anyone who understands this better than Aaron and Marie Clark. From their first meeting at Bennigan’s in the early 1990s to years spent working together and separately at iconic Charleston restaurants like…
Read More
Belief : The Story of Anthony Wilkins and Gourmet Fast
The extra six hundred dollars of unemployment benefits that arrived during the early weeks of the pandemic helped – a lot – especially since he had only been receiving about sixty dollars a week since the world came to a halt and restaurants were forced to close. It wasn’t enough,…
Read More
Of Coffee and Community : The Story of Coal River Coffee
Driving west along the banks of the Kanawha River, you can’t help but admire the scenery. No, this wasn’t your plan for the day…getting rerouted off the interstate on your trip west to an afternoon meeting in Kentucky…but the blue skies and shimmering green waters of the river make it…
Read More
