The Almost Heaven BBQ Bash cekebrates its 10th anniversary this weekend in Buckhannon. And I was lucky enough to judge. Judging is pretty secret - but I can tell you I had 5 tasty pieces of chicken, ribs, pork, brisket and the ancillary veal category. There were more than 30 competitors from the region. I don't know whose food was whose because it's a blind judging. But I feel pretty confident in saying they were all impressive:

3 Eyz Pigs
Almost Heaven Smokehouse
Beer Time BBQ
Big Dog BBQ
BigFoot Mountain BBQ
Buckeye Flavor
Chucky's Barbecue
Chunky BBQ
Circle L Barbeque
Convicted Pigs BBQ
Dog Bite Barbecue
Dogpatch Que
Elite BBQ Smokers
Fred Vegas Smokers
Gold-N-Blue Barbecue
Hold Your Horses BBQ
Holt Brothers BBQ
Hoos Smokin
House of Que
Meat Monarchy
Menke Boys BBQ
Philly Blind Pig
Pinky Out BBQ
Poor Boys BBQ
Professor Smoke
Sailor Nick's BBQ
Shiggin Ain't Easy
Susquehana Smokers
Uncle Pig's BBQ Pit
Wild & Wonderful BBQ
Wolf's Revenge BBQ
So, most of the competitive teams do it as a hobby and do not sell to the public. They're interested in making the most delicious food possible and winning awards from the certified judges. But then, there are BBQ vendors who run a business to sell to the public. So while the public doesn't see the competitive side, they can still get their BBQ fix. Those commercial BBQ vendors include:

Almost Heaven Smokehouse (Marlinton, WV)
Big Girls BBQ (Elmire, PA)
Jaws BBQ (Buckhannon, WV)
Off the Bone BBQ (Columbus, OH)
South Texas Barbecue Company (Weston, WV)
Personally, I didn't need anymore BBQ but I did scope out some of the other vendors. Gibson's Goodies I got some Dubai chocolate pistachio fudge I can't wait to try. Samples Pantry I snagged the strawberries with chocolate. Mountain State Sweets I love this nostalgic strawberry shortcake ice cream bar. Traveling Dawgz I ordered a hot dog with chili, slaw, mustard & onions. It was compact and pretty good.

Grade: A

Chef Paul Smith, West Virginia's first James Beard Award winner, has opened his newest restaurant in Charleston: Paulie's Fine Italian. Located just across from his restaurant 1010 Bridge, Paulie's Fine Italian focuses on authentic Italian cusine with an Appalachian flare. Smith draws inspiration from his childhood memories spent in the kitchen with his grandfather, and the dishes at Paulie's each tell a story. I was super fortunate to check out the soft opening of the restaurant; I expected a few kinks considering it's brand new. But, I was blown away and want to share some of the incredibly tasty dishes we were able to try. I went with friends Evan & Heather Osborn, Erin & Eric Conner, and Jamie Ferrell. With such a big party, we were able to order a little bit of everything and share. Even doing that, we only ended up sampling a portion of the menu - but everything was amazing. First up was a round of oyster shooters. This was the first time I've ever had an oyster shooter. My question was: do you chew? I think the answer is no. But, I kinda wanted to savor the flavor of it? I chewed it a bit, enjoying the slimy, briny oyster with a touch of sweet acid from the limoncello mignonette. Next up was the appetizer I ordered: artichoke & potato with rosemary, garlic aioli. We received some complimentary bread and oil with parmesan. Brussels sprouts with guanciale, hot honey and farmhouse cheese. Fried Oysters with fire-roasted Calabrian chili. Fried mozzarella cheese curds wit hfire-roasted tomato sauce and parm snow. PARM SNOW. Fried anchoby stuffed olives, marcona almonds and lemon zest. Folks at the table seemed to love this one the most. Lobsters & Bowties - poached lobster, langoustine cream, and tarragon breadcrumbs. Just from this description alone, you know it's good. I had a hard time deciding because I also still really want to try the Sunday Ribbons, the Sausage and Pea, the Rigatoni alla Vodka, the Carbonara --- literally, everything. I want to try everything. But, wait, there's more. DESSERT. And, I know you're surprised, but I loved every single dessert. The cannoli chip & dip featured sweet ricotta and housemade pizzelles. Tiramisu cheesecake had espresso, mascarpone and a lady finger. The panna cotta had lemon and mascerated berries. The budino was like a chocolate pudding with salted caramel. Finally, the last one of the evening was bread pudding with panettone and rum anglaise. And, this may have been my most favorite of all. Grade: A

In Welch, one local ice cream shop combines frozen treats with coal mining history. Coal Town Creamery is a small shop housed in a historic former 76 gas station. "The service station was run by World War 2 veteran and two-time purple heart recipient, Ed Shepard. Shepard’s legacy has been memorialized with the entry room of the shop, letting future generations learn more about this local hero," according to WVVA. I was excited to visit on their first day of reopening for the season. I'm sure they were still working out some of the kinks and dealing with the recent flood, but you wouldn't know that from the ice cream. I enjoyed butter pecan and cashew, as well as chocolate peanut butter. They were certainly a bit difficult for the workers to scoop, but softened my the time they hit my palate. I believe they use Velvet brand ice cream, which is a little unique. But just as good. Grade: A

Page's Sourdough is a home bakery based in Sumerco. I recently placed an order with her to try it out. I ordered a sourdough flight, which contained four mini loaves of different flavored sourdough: original, asiago, Italian herb & cheese, and cinnamon & brown sugar. All that plus a sourdough pizza pinwheel. I dipped this one in marinara! Have you tried any of these baked goods? Grade: A

Located in the Historic Somerwell House (circa 1700), Little York Confectionery is Mobjack Coffee Roasters' commitment to enhancing Main Street in Yorktown. Their charming candy shop features ice cream, house-made chocolates, candies, and treats.



This brick and mortar shop is also home to Yorktown & Co., featuring a full-replica Stanley Steamer Wagon. It's fitting for the Colonial National Historical Park Battlefields.



The shop has a variety of chocolates, but the Yorktown onion bonbon caught my eye. It's chocolate with raspberry.



The name references the Yorktown onion flower, a local plant that blossoms in late spring and early summer across the area—most commonly seen in historic Yorktown landscape.



I also had a berry sorbet, which was so nice on a hot day. Plus, there was a cookie that added a little bit of crunch.



A nice little shop in a historic area with plenty to explore.



Grade: A