While staying at Hershey Lodge, I stopped by the Cocoa Beanery.



"Cocoa Beanery is an all-day coffee shop, serving up eats, ice cream, drinks, and treats in the heart of Hershey Lodge®. Stop in for snacks, grab-and-go meals, specialty coffee, espresso, rotating flavors of ice cream, and your favorite Hershey's candy toppings," according to the website.



I went for a cookies and cream, ice cream, topped with marshmallows. It is almost impossible for this to not taste good, right? It is kinda unfair. But, this was sweet and satisfying, and simultaneously familiar, but with a little bit of a unique spin.



Have you been to Hershey Park?



Grade: A

I may be weird, but I get excited when I get to try a new caterer.



Because, you can only check their food out in certain circumstances. You can't just decide to order a meal whatever you want. There has to be an event with food, and you have to hope that it's not just a generic provider.



I got lucky I had a recent Junior League of Charleston event where we celebrated our centennial anniversary. And one of the highlights for me was getting to eat food from Tastefully Dun.



We were able to enjoy crabcakes, antipasto skewers, fig and goat cheese crostini, stuffed meatballs, and, my favorite, a Swiss almond dip that I could have eaten the entire container of.



Plus, there were desserts: Macarons and fruit tartlet bites. I wish I could have dinners like this all the time. Just a bunch of hors d'oeuvres and I'm happy especially when they contain a lot of cheese.



Have you had the opportunity to enjoy any food from Tastefully Dun?



Grade: A

A few months ago, I learned about a bingo hall in Dunbar that raises money for the local schools.



It is apparently a big draw in the area every Saturday evening. And, they are really serious about it. I'm not sure if you've ever been to a bingo hall, but it was my first time. And, I learned that there are many more ways to hit bingo than I realized, and there are many more games than I knew.



For example, there are games within games, you can get bingo by not having boxes in a row, and there's something called tips that I still don't exactly understand. Despite that, my friend Beth and I had a fun time chatting with the other folks, fumbling our way through the game and dodging the indoor smokers.



But, one perk of the outing was a homemade dinner available for purchase. On this day, it was lasagna with salad and garlic bread. It was a little dried out by the time I got my plate, but it was still a decent meal with money that goes to a good cause.

Macarons have hit the Kanawha Valley, and folks can't get enough.



Bake My Day is a home baker who is specializing in French macarons and popping up at events all over.



Sure, there are some other bakeries in the area where you may find a flavor or two of macarons. But Bake My Day is all in on them: vanilla, strawberry, blueberry, tangerine, margarita, mimosa, mint, blue raspberry and more.



Those were just some of the summer flavors, but there are always different, creative ones added.



French macarons are notoriously difficult to make. They are technically challenging, but these are the right combo of soft and crisp. My favorites have been the fruity-boozy flavors.



Grade: A

There's another teal-tinted business that opened up in South Charleston. This one is doling out coffee and breakfast food.



Cocoa Coffee offers the standard coffee and espresso drinks, like lattes, cappuccinos and mochas. They also have a few bubble tea options, which I thought was exciting so I ordered the strawberry one.



Food options include bagels, muffins, and oatmeal. I went with a bagel sandwich with egg and bacon.



The drink was eye-catching and bright, which stood out amongst the neon interior. Lightly sweet with the popping boba makes for a fun experience. The bagel may have been the tiniest I've ever seen, and I could've easily housed three of them. But I do think they've upgraded since my last visit.



Grade: B

Joe's Kansas City Bar-B-Que is one of the most famous BBQ restaurants in the country. Here are just a few reasons why: 



- Celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain listed Joe's original Kansas City location as one of "13 Places You Must Eat Before You Die." [7]
- Joe's was named "Kansas City's Best Barbecue" by Zagat. [9]
- USA Today said the ribs were the “Tastiest Ribs in America [10]
- Food review site Yelp ranked Joe's Kansas City No. 3 in the top 100 places to eat in the U.S
- Thrillist named Joe's among the "33 Best BBQ Joints in America" in 2013 and 2016 [11][12]
- The New York Post named Joe's number one on its list of the 28 best BBQ restaurants in America in July 2017. [16][17]



Located in the Kansas contingent of Kansas City, this bbq joint based in a renovated gas station serves up Kansas City-style barbecue known for its thick, sweet sauce often made of tomatoes, molasses and brown sugar. Burnt ends, the crispy charred edges of slow-smoked beef brisket, are also a hallmark of this type of BBQ. 

"Although pork is commonly associated with Kansas City-style barbecue, there is also a strong tradition of barbecuing other meats, including beef; no doubt the result of Kansas City’s important role as a meat-packing center. The thick, tomatoey style of Kansas City barbecue sauce has become the prototype for commercial sauces sold nationwide," according to the Culinary Institute of America. 



"This is the story of Jeff and Joy Stehney and their company, Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que. In 1990, Jeff and Joy attended a barbecue contest for the first time, at the invitation of a friend. The Stehneys soon bought a competition-style smoker and, together with a few friends, formed a barbecue team. They called it Slaughterhouse Five. It wasn’t long before Slaughterhouse Five began winning contests. As their reputation for championship barbecue began to spread, folks began to ask Jeff and Joy if they would cater special events, wedding receptions, retirement parties, and such. Out on the competition circuit, Jeff and Joy had become friends with Joe Don Davidson, founder and owner of the Oklahoma Joe's Smoker Company. Under the heady influence of barbecue smoke, Jeff and Joe decided to go into the restaurant business together. Oklahoma Joe's Barbecue and Catering was created in mid-1995, and the first Oklahoma Joe’s restaurant opened in January 1996 in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Later that year, experience and commitment intersected with opportunity and serendipity at the corner of 47th Avenue and Mission Road in Kansas City, Kansas, where the owner of a little neighborhood gas station and convenience store, not far from the Stehneys' house, closed the little fried chicken counter he had been operating inside the store. "We put together a proposal, made an offer, and all of a sudden we were not only in the barbecue business, but also in the gas station business.” Then, in 1997, Joe Davidson sold his smoker company and moved to Texas. With no one to oversee the Oklahoma restaurant, it was closed and Jeff and Joy bought Joe's share of the Kansas City restaurant. The Stehneys have been the sole owners of Joe's Kansas City Bar-B-Que restaurants from that time forward."



I ordered the Z-Man, which has slow-smoked beef brisket, smoked provolone cheese, topped with two crispy onion rings, on a toasted Kaiser roll - and it has a bit of a history itself:

In 1997, not long after Jeff and Joy opened their barbecue joint at the corner of 47th & Mission Road in Kansas City, Kansas, they were approached by a fellow by the name of Mike Zarrick who had an idea to pitch. “I recognized the guy,” recalls Jeff. “He was a regular customer. He told me how much he liked our restaurant, and said that he was about to launch his own sports talk radio program on a new station in town; 1510 AM. It was just a little start-up station, and the jocks actually had to buy their own time on the air and sell their own advertising. So, I decided to take a chance on the guy. What sold me was his absolute passion for our barbecue. I’d rather partner up with someone with passion and enthusiasm at a little station, than with some big conglomerate with all the Arbitron numbers and no passion.” About six months later Jeff had an idea. “I had created this new sandwich which featured sliced smoked brisket, smoked provolone cheese, a couple of onion rings, a bit of barbecue sauce, all on top of a Kaiser roll. So, I went to Zarrick and asked him to talk about the sandwich on the air, and to invite his listeners to try the sandwich in the restaurant and to submit names to the sandwich. It would be a contest, and the winner would get a prize and we’d use that name on the menu. “Well, Zarrick was getting pretty popular and he had begun calling himself ‘Z-Man’ on the air. So when people came in to try the sandwich as part of the contest, they would ask for ‘that Z-Man’ sandwich. Eventually, a winning name was chosen, but it never stuck. By the time the contest ended, everybody was calling the sandwich the Z-Man! We’ve been calling it that ever since.”



The sandwich was great and had a little bit of everything - the sweet sauce, crunch from onion ring, smoke from the BBQ. Straightforward and satisfying. I also couldn't leave without some mac & cheese because arguably the sides are the best part of BBQ. And it did not disappoint - creamy, cheesy and the perfect side for the rich sandwich.



Grade: A

Here’s my latest column for the Charleston Gazette-Mail:

What do biscuits, toast and peanut butter all have in common? They’re better with jam. Or jelly. Or preserves. Or fruit butter.

In Appalachia, fruit (or veggie) spreads are just one of many preservation methods used to capture the flavors of produce during the peak of freshness to then be enjoyed all year long.

Each spread is just a little different in terms of ingredients and texture:

Jam: Jam is made by crushing or chopping fruit and cooking it with sugar. It contains fruit chunks, making it thicker and chunkier than jelly. Examples:

Blackberry Jam
Strawberry Jam
Elderberry Jam

Jelly: Jelly is made from cooking fruit (or vegetable) juice and sugar that is then strained to remove solids. It is clear and smooth because it lacks fruit pulp. Jelly is also typically firmer than jam. Examples:

Grape Jelly
Raspberry Jelly
Hot Pepper Jelly

Preserves: Preserves are similar to jam but contain larger fruit pieces or whole fruits suspended in a clear, thick syrup. They have a chunkier texture compared to jam. Examples:

Fig Preserves
Apricot Preserves

Marmalade: Marmalade is a type of fruit preserve made from citrus fruits (usually oranges or lemons). It includes both the fruit juice and peel or zest, giving it a bittersweet flavor and distinctive texture with bits of citrus peel suspended in the spread. Examples:

Orange Marmalade

Fruit Butter: Fruit butter is made by slowly cooking fruit puree with sugar and spices until it thickens and develops a smooth, spreadable consistency. It doesn't necessarily contain butter; the term "butter" refers to its smooth, butter-like texture. Examples:

Apple Butter
Pear Butter
Peach Butter

Each of these fruit spreads has a distinct taste and texture, making them suitable for various culinary uses. Not only are these condiments tasty evidence of resourcefulness, they are also a testament to the creativity of Appalachian cooks.

Beyond the common fruit spreads, there are a number of unique ones from local artisans. Smoke Camp Crafts, based in Weston, creates “unusual jams and jellies, unique herbal tea blends, hemp products and plants and seeds grown in West Virginia.”

Here are a few of my favorites:

Road Kill Jam - “Road Kill Jam contains raspberries, apples, and black walnuts - all those things one might find along the side of the road. The walnut bits and raspberry seeds eerily resemble bits of flesh and bone, adding to this jam’s witty namesake. Dot's famous Road Kill Jam is lovingly made in small batches in the heart of West Virginia, where we only honk if absolutely necessary, we stop to help if someone's broken down along the road, and we're not shy about putting "Road Kill" on the menu.”

Ramp Jam - “A ramp is an ephemeral woodland vegetable that has been a staple of Appalachian spring time cuisine for centuries. Wild populations of ramps are being threatened by overharvesting. Dot’s ramp jam contains ramps harvested from cultivated forest lands and are never “wildcrafted.” Ramps are pungent and spicy and add unforgettable flavor to any meal. Mix this jam with sour cream for a scrumptious sauce or combine with olive oil and vinegar for a tangy salad dressing.”

Other interesting flavors include: Dandelion Blossom Jelly, Green Pepper Jam and Rose Petal Jelly.

In A Jam, based in Parkersburg, creates small-batch jams and jellies using locally grown and harvested fruits. Here are some of their unique offerings:

Salted Watermelon Jelly - Pair this with aged Gouda, cheddar or Parmesan for the perfect mix of flavors and textures.

Wild Ramp Jelly - Mix with cream cheese for a sweet and savory dip or add to a charcuterie board.

Heirloom Tomato Jam - A blend of sweet and savory, this jam can elevate a grilled cheese sandwich or top a tasty meatloaf.

Paw Paw Butter - The flavors of mango and banana combine for a subtly sweet spread that goes perfectly on toast.

Jams and jellies hold a special place in Appalachian food, reflecting the region's traditions and ingenuity. These fruit spreads are often made from locally grown fruits like berries, apples, and peaches, which root the foods in place. They are part of meals where memories are formed and relationships are solidified. These homemade preserves not only serve as delicious toppings for bread and biscuits, but they also have cultural significance within the Appalachian culinary landscape.

Black Draft Farm & Distillery is a lovely agritourism destination that I've seen grow over the years. My first visit was to their home property with a barn in the back.



Now, they have a full-on event venue in Martinsburg that plays host to music, food trucks and more every weekend.



Not only that, but they also began serving their own food - hot dogs. So, I had to check that out. First - a little about their booze.



"Founded in 2014, we joined the growing number of artisans seeking to blend our techniques with the West Virginia traditions of times past. We chose to first produce our First Harvest Moonshine because it reflected our commitment to following generations of folks producing fine corn whiskey right here in West Virginia. Over time, the high quality and explosive popularity of our First Harvest Moonshine inspired us to dream bigger and expand into Bourbon. Water in our area comes from the same type of limestone aquifers that western Kentucky distilling legends use. Naturally, we saw the mineral laden waters Berkeley Springs water as a perfect foundation for producing a great tasting bourbon. The overwhelming demand to our first Straight Bourbon batches proved we had another outstanding product to share with our friends and locals. Over the next 3 years, we added 3 more terrific flavors: Rise & Shine Coffee, White Julep Moonshine, and Black Draft Vodka. Each is perfect for mixing or sipping straight over ice."



And then the hot dogs - pretty simple, to be honest. I think it's more so to just have some in-house snacks. I had mine with ketchup, and there's the option to add chips and a drink.



There was also a food truck set up - Rumsey Food Truck - where I got some additional bites: a pepperoni roll, some eggrolls, and a riblet sandwich using a BBQ sauce made with Black Draft Distillery booze. Love that! 
 

Good food, good drinks, what more could you ask for?



What other food trucks do I need to try next?



Grade: A

"Amani means love and the most beautiful girl and is the middle name of our daughter, Paris. The flower is Chrissy's birth month flower and the colors we use are those present in the sunrises and sunsets here at the brewery," according to Amani Brewing's website.



"At Amani Brewing we value craft products, community-driven activities and our environment. We believe that life is a journey, not a destination. Loving what you do and doing what is right are part of our core principles and we are always striving to do better. We value our customers and employees and consider all of you family. Everything we do is focused on an exceptional product and experience."



Here are some of the brews they currently have on tap at their Martinsburg location:

- Namaste Seltzer - 5% - cherry/limeaide, watermelon
- Trailhead Pale Ale - 5.3% - it's just beautiful
- Hazy Day Maker NEIPA - 6.8% - grapefruit, mango, orange
- The Mountaineer Pilsner - 5.3% - light, clean, malty background
- Embracing Risk: Dragon Fruit/ Mango Fruited Sour - 5.5% - dragonfruit, mango *contains lactose
- Between Here and There NEIPA - 7% - strawberry, tropical lime
- Ridgeline Kolsch - 5% - made for the river
- Pacific Sunset IPA - 7% - easy drinking
- West The Road Goes Ever On English Mild- 4.2% - toffee, caramel, cinnamon 
-"Are We There Yet?" A Kid's IPA - 0.0% - fruit punch, gummy worms, whip



They actually don't do growler fills here; they do have cans, though. So I couldn't add a new growler to my collection. But, I did taste the Citra/Lemondrop, which just slightly reflected those flavors in a pretty straightforward pale ale.



I really loved that they seem like a real community gathering space. There were a ton of folks outside, enjoying their drinks, playing yard games, listening to music. 



Love seeing these local spaces grow and thrive with the community.



Grade: A