Chefs & Restauranteurs
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
The Peddler Celebrates 10 Years in Downtown Huntington
A Huntington restaurant celebrating a decade in business, The Peddler is all about customer experience down to the very last detail, and it’s evident owner Drew Hetzer enjoys every minute of his job. From brews to burgers or Sunday brunch, you’re guaranteed a delicious time. _______________________ Drew Hetzer’s culinary philosophy…
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
Savoring Success: Chef Christopher Dixon’s Path to Opening Christopher’s Eats
Before opening his own restaurant, Christopher’s Eats, in Barboursville in January 2013, Chef Christopher Dixon spent several years working in all sorts of kitchens throughout Florida and Louisiana. “Between privately/family-owned establishments, corporate restaurants, quick-service, full-service, country clubs, an exclusive, seasonal living community and even a barbecue joint — they’ve all…
Read More
Sergio’s: Blending background experience working in Mexican and Italian restaurants, Sergio Lugo-Mata has created two successful brands
Sergio Lugo-Mata may not have trained professionally as a chef, but growing up in restaurants, he gained all the experience he needed to open three successful culinary businesses of his own. A bit unruly in his school days, whenever he’d get in trouble, Lugo-Mata says his mom would pick him…
Read More
Gustard’s Bistro: A Chef Returns Home to White Sulphur Springs
Nestled in downtown White Sulphur Springs, Gustard’s Bistro stands as a testament to Chef Stephen Gustard’s remarkable culinary odyssey. From his roots in Virginia Beach to his influential roles across West Virginia, Chef Gustard and his partner Delphine Houssin have crafted a bistro that combines their rich culinary experiences with…
Read More
Hart 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…
Read More
This 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…
Read More
Bon 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…
Read More
Christmas 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…
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
The Peddler Celebrates 10 Years in Downtown Huntington
A Huntington restaurant celebrating a decade in business, The Peddler is all about customer experience down to the very last detail, and it’s evident owner Drew Hetzer enjoys every minute of his job. From brews to burgers or Sunday brunch, you’re guaranteed a delicious time. _______________________ Drew Hetzer’s culinary philosophy…
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
Savoring Success: Chef Christopher Dixon’s Path to Opening Christopher’s Eats
Before opening his own restaurant, Christopher’s Eats, in Barboursville in January 2013, Chef Christopher Dixon spent several years working in all sorts of kitchens throughout Florida and Louisiana. “Between privately/family-owned establishments, corporate restaurants, quick-service, full-service, country clubs, an exclusive, seasonal living community and even a barbecue joint — they’ve all…
Read More
Sergio’s: Blending background experience working in Mexican and Italian restaurants, Sergio Lugo-Mata has created two successful brands
Sergio Lugo-Mata may not have trained professionally as a chef, but growing up in restaurants, he gained all the experience he needed to open three successful culinary businesses of his own. A bit unruly in his school days, whenever he’d get in trouble, Lugo-Mata says his mom would pick him…
Read More
Gustard’s Bistro: A Chef Returns Home to White Sulphur Springs
Nestled in downtown White Sulphur Springs, Gustard’s Bistro stands as a testament to Chef Stephen Gustard’s remarkable culinary odyssey. From his roots in Virginia Beach to his influential roles across West Virginia, Chef Gustard and his partner Delphine Houssin have crafted a bistro that combines their rich culinary experiences with…
Read More
Hart 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…
Read More
This 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…
Read More
Bon 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…
Read More
Christmas 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…
Read More
