There are a handful of chocolate-makers in West Virginia - the most recent one I discovered was EH Chocolates. Based in Kirby, the chocolatier uses Swiss chocolate and makes chocolate creations in truffle form. Some of their popular candies include peanut butter buckeyes, chocolate covered strawberries and coconut eggs.
Here's a little bit about Chef Eric Hott: "I was born in Winchester, VA and grew up on a farm in Kirby, West Virginia. My mother is from Hornberg, Germany and my dad is from Kirby, where my family still lives ... My grandmother always had something cooking and she definitely taught me a lot about good home cooking and country style food. That’s where a lot of my creations and dishes started. Mixing together ingredients to inspire new flavors, designs and textures were all things that I noted to make a twist on many foods. ... High School did not provide all the food classes during my attendance, but I made the best of what I could get. Sweets, from pastries, chocolates and desserts became a big passion for me. Just hearing the positive feedback on these creations was a positive boost of self-esteem. After graduating High School in 2003, I moved to Baden-Baden, Germany and started a three year apprenticeship to obtain my Culinary Arts Degree. Working with Swiss Chocolate alongside a French Pastry Chef at the Kurhaus Firm/ Confiserie Rumpelmayer, became the new ground rule. ... Ten years in Europe provided me with so much experience and wisdom. I spent the summer of 2013 creating and designing recipes while enjoying the task of gardening to processing the produce. I call it back to the roots, literally. Nature provides a lot, it is a matter of what is made and done with it. In the meantime, I started a small business called EH Chocolates & More/Farm Food. I have put my chocolate creations into many different taste assortments in truffle form. I enjoy the aspect of allowing locals to experience chocolate at a gourmet level. I use Swiss chocolate exclusively; therefore, it has its own standard for quality. "
I had reached out and set up an appointment to pick up an assortment of chocolates, as well as some chocolate-covered strawberries. There's really something special about a box of assorted chocolates. Each and every one is like a little treasure. It's clear these are made with loving attention. to detail, because the flavors are clear and perfectly combined.
If you haven't had a chance to check them out, add this to your must-try West Virginia list.
Grade: A
There is a bright teal food truck making an appearance in Kanawha City lately. It is dishing out the unlikely duo of coffee and hotdogs, but the name pulls it all together: The Beanie Weenie.
Beanie options include a peanut butter coffee with strawberry drizzle, a mocha coffee with peanut butter drizzle, and the one that caught my eye was The Dudded Milk: caramel coffee with chocolate and caramel syrup. (Side note: Milk duds are one of my favorite candies).
My coffee was quite tasty. Sweet, milky, and no hint of bitterness. Just well-rounded satisfaction.
I ordered the Country Roads hot dog, which is a deep-fried hot dog with chili, slaw, mustard and onions. I don't know that I noticed a big difference with the deep-fried hotdog, and I wish the slaw was a little bit more cohesive and had something to hold it more together. It was a bit piecey, rather than a paste consistency.
Overall, not a bad meal if you are in the mood for brunch: breakfast - coffee and lunch - hotdog.
Grade: B
Let me set a scenario for you: It's a cool late summer/early fall day. You're at the farmers market. There's a donut food truck. Does it get much better? I caught Drifter Doughnuts at tbe Bridgeport Farmers Market recently and had to get my hands on these mini donuts.
They serve a small boatload of mini donuts topped with all sorts of goodies, like fruit, nuts, caramel, and even bacon. I went for cherry crisp, which had cherry pie filling, cream cheese icing and graham cracker crumbles. Sweet, crisp donuts with that fruity, comforting topping - a delish snack on this day.
Grade: A
Taco Tuesday has taken on a new meaning in Charleston with BG'z LA Street Tacos. This pop-up vendor is using the commercial kitchen at 432 Shrewsbury (First Baptist Church) every Tuesday and you do not want to miss out.
They offer 3 chicken or steak tacos along with rice and beans for just $10. I went for one chicken and two steak so I could get a taste of each. Plus, there are a whole variety of salsas to top the tacos with.
YUM. They're like homestyle tacos, but with the benefit of tons of options for sauces. I could pass on the beans next time and double up on the rice - which was moist and flavorful. The tacos had well-seasoned meat, fresh veggies and they were piping hot to order.
Grade: A
You may not think of great food when you think of bowling alleys, but a local one has been rated as one of the best for their hot dogs.
Galaxy Lanes sells hot dogs, as well as wings, tenders, pretzel bites, cheese bites, nachos - the works. I found my hot dog to be average - a steamed bun would have kicked this up a notch for me. But I did love my cheese bites. If there's a hot pepper cheese bite in the nearby vicinity, I will find it.
Grade: B
Wandering Wind Meadery in Charleston is "a small batch artisanal meadery tucked into the mountains in the heart of Appalachia." There are only a handful of meaderies across the state, so it's exciting to see one here in Charleston.
You may be asking: What exactly is mead? At it's core, it's simply honey wine: honey, water, and yeast fermented into an alcoholic beverage. But then that's where creativity is added - through fruits and other flavors.
Here are some of their offerings:
- Irish Sailor's Mead: Everything you hear about in the old Irish sailor shantys when they long for home... It's several flowers from the fields of Ireland, Juniper Berries, and Citrus to fight the scurvy aged over Bourbon Barrel Oak
- Clover Honey Traditional: Citrus and Coriander aged over Toasted French Oak
- Triple Berry Mocha: Berries and Chocolate aged over Toasted French Oak
- Peach Ginger: Peach and Ginger aged over Toasted French Oak
- Mango Jalapeño: Mango and Jalapeño aged over Toasted French Oak
- Cherry Hibiscus: Cherries, Hibiscus and Vanilla aged over Toasted Cognac
- Concord Grape Pyment: Our equivalent to a dry red table wine. Concord Grapes, hints of Vanilla and Lactose to round out the edges aged over Toasted French Oak
I tried the Clover Honey Traditional, which was quite tasty. A touch sweet, but certainly not as sweet as you might imagine "honey wine" would be. And most are on the dry side! They also have specific options available only to members - which is an interesting strategy. I wonder how many members they have now.
Bonus: There were tasty treats from Jovial Confections, which were all delish!
Sassy Pig BBQ is a food truck that I tried out while attending Cryptid Bash at Freefolk Brewery in Hico.
The food truck specializes in pulled pork – platters, sandwiches, nachos, and topped on baked potatoes or macaroni & cheese. Wings, ribs, and hotdogs round out the menu, along with potato salad, baked beans, and coleslaw sides.
I went for their special, which was macaroni and cheese topped with pulled pork, black olives, jalapeños, barbecue sauce, and sour cream. These toppings left a little to be desired. It ate a little on the salty side with the olives. I would have loved some crunch - maybe a slaw - to bring in some creaminess.
Grade: B
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.
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