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

My favorite week of the whole year is practically here: Charleston Restaurant Week.

It’s the one week of the year where you can enjoy specialty menus, eat a three-course meal and try a local restaurant outside your normal rotation, all for one price.

Except, this year, as you may already know, it’s two prices: $25 and $35.

That’s in an effort to allow some more flexibility for diners, as well as include some new restaurants that align better with a lower price point. That means more restaurants, more meals and much more fun.

Hosted by Buzz Food Service, the sixth-annual event all happens next week: Jan. 28 through Feb. 2. If you haven’t already carefully planned where you’re eating each night of the week, a) you have far more restraint than I do, and b) you can do so at cwvrestaurantweek.com.

This one week in January is an exciting opportunity for folks in Charleston to support local restaurants during a time of year when business tends to be slow. After a busy holiday season, it’s often tough to find the extra money in the budget to accommodate dining out. But armed with options of delicious specials at a reasonable price point, you have the ability to support your fellow community members — all while eating delicious food.

According to Buzz Food Service, restaurants throughout the years have reported serving more than 10,000 meals during the course of the six-day event. The total economic impact, which includes revenue from meals, bar sales, gratuity, taxes and incidentals, is estimated to exceed $500,000 each year.

There are a number of participating restaurants: ones that are reserved for special occasions and ones that are perfect for Saturday evening drinks. Ones that will satisfy your sweet tooth craving and ones that are perfect for the whole family. Ones that will serve old favorites and ones that will deliver you dishes crafted with ingredients you’ve never seen before.

Maybe you can switch up your typical order of spaghetti for a rich, indulgent dish of rigatoni, sausage and peas in a Parmesan cream sauce. Instead of your standard salmon, try a jerk mahi mahi special. Skip the typical burger and opt for crispy pork belly topped with a sweet-and-spicy glaze. Or, try them all. I’m not here to judge.

Is your mouth watering yet? I know mine is.

I’ll never pass up the opportunity to try something new, and I’m looking forward to seeing some new faces and new dishes this year. So, check out the website, make your reservations and join me for one of this year’s best local events.

Don’t forget to tag your photos with #cwvrestweek and share that food porn with the rest of us. It’s time to eat!

In full disclosure, I volunteer for the committee that organizes this event. I’ve loved this event ever since it started six years ago, and I am honored to help promote it with my fellow food-loving friends.

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

What’s the one food that conjures up fond memories for you?

It could be the cookie recipe passed down to you from your grandma. Maybe a coveted casserole your aunt brought to your family reunions. Or the beans and cornbread you made on chilly fall nights.

For me, it’s the French toast my dad made every Sunday morning after my childhood birthday party sleepovers.

As a January baby, birthday parties can be complicated. Not only are purse strings tight because it’s right after the holidays, but the weather is also unpredictable. During my childhood, that led to Candace’s Annual Birthday Slumber Party.

These nights were usually filled with movies, snacks, lots of giggling and seeing how late we could stay up. And, the next morning was our favorite part: Frank’s Famous French Toast.

Standing in front of the hot stove, my dad would dredge a piece of white bread through an egg mixture with the perfect amount of spices. He would flip slice after slice after slice of French toast to golden brown perfection. Then, he’d announce when another piece was almost ready, and a girl would run up to claim it.

By the end of breakfast, everyone was staring at a half-eaten stack of French toast, bellies full, stuffed to the gills, as my dad asked if we were “already” full. Then, he would finish up what we couldn’t.

We still joke about one of my best friends, Kelly, who had eyes bigger than her stomach and would claim all of the sausage links but could only finish about half of them.

Now, I know we were using the 99-cent loaf of white bread then, and milk and eggs because they were affordable kitchen staples. But as I become more in touch with my roots, I’ve been thinking of ways to make one of my favorite meals incorporate more Appalachian flavor.

The bread could be homemade — or try using salt rising bread, which is a traditional Appalachian bread created by settlers. Rising Creek Bakery, in Mount Morris, Pennsylvania, makes a delicious version.

Source your eggs locally at your local farmers market. Farm-fresh eggs tend to be healthier and have a longer shelf-life than ones you may get in the grocery store. And, if you’re like me and only want a couple, your local farmer may be happy to sell you just three at a time.

Local maple syrup is one of the best ways to upgrade your French toast. Head to a local farm, like Family Roots Farm, to pick up a bottle of fresh syrup right from the land. This farm even sells their award-winning “Maple Sugar,” and “Maple Cream,” which can take your French toast to the next level.

However you decide to construct your breakfast, this dish is ripe for personalization and fine-tuning for your preferences. It can be simple and cost-effective for large groups or incorporate artisanal products sourced locally. But, I hope, in whatever form it takes, that it helps create memories for you and yours.

What’s your personal take on French toast?

My latest column for the Charleston Gazette-Mail:

You may see them lining softball fields or growing along the highway — small, yellowish-orange fruits dotting the leaves.

The persimmon, a native American tree in the southeastern United States, is finally ready.

It’s during the fall that the small fruit ripens and produces sweet, pulpy nectar. But it’s not until after the first frost that you can dig in. Once they receive that chilly kiss, the persimmons trade their harsh bite in favor of a sweetness that everyone — raccoons, foxes, opossums and squirrels included — savors.

You know the persimmons are ripe once they have fallen to the ground, or do so with a little shake of the tree. And once you have gathered a basketful of fruit, you have many options: baked goods like pudding, cookies and more.

Persimmons can be used in most recipes that call for mashed pumpkin, applesauce or plums. Or they can even be used as a topping on ice cream!

Even persimmon seeds are useful in the transition of seasons. According to folklore, the shape, once split in two, can predict the winter weather. The seed takes the form of one of three different shapes:

A knife:

• This is the most severe symbol, indicating there will be a cold, icy winter where the wind will cut through you like a blade.

A fork:

• This symbol indicates a mild winter with light, powdery snow.

A spoon:

• This symbol represents a shovel, which will be needed to dig out of all the snow.

This small, yet mighty, fruit is a unique component of Appalachian cooking that can prove difficult to find — but it’s so worth the search.

And with its versatility and tasty flavor, it’s a gem in our cuisine. Try it with your morning breakfast or part of your dessert. Just make sure you scoop some up before it’s too chilly — or before someone else does.

Plum Bread Pudding with Maple Butter Sauce and Spiced Whipped Cream

The persimmons just received their first touch of frost, so here’s a recipe that could use those coveted persimmons or a substitute: plums. West Virginia chef Brittany Furbee, who won Food Network’s "Cooks vs. Cons" show, whipped up a perfect fall-inspired dish that puts those gems to use. Try it with a cup of coffee for maximum “mmm.” Brittany Furbee is an award-winning competitive home chef from Morgantown. Learn more by visiting Brittany Furbee’s Culinary Adventures on Facebook at facebook.com/BrittanyFurbeesCulinaryAdventures.

6 cups stale bread, cubed

3 eggs

½ cups half-and-half

1 cups whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 persimmons, chopped (plums can be substituted for persimmons)

¼ cup dark brown sugar

¼ cup maple syrup

¼ teaspoon cloves

⅛ teaspoon cinnamon

⅛ teaspoon nutmeg

⅛ teaspoon ginger

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ cup golden raisins

¼ cup chopped pecans

For the spiced whipped cream:

2 cup heavy whipping cream

3 tablespoon maple syrup

1 teaspoon cloves

¼ teaspoon salt

For the sauce:

½ cup maple syrup

½ cup butter

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13x9x2-inch pan.

Mix together eggs, half-and-half, milk and vanilla in a bowl. Pour over cubed bread and let sit for 5 minutes. If many of the cubes are still dry, add additional milk until coated.

In another bowl mix together chopped plums, dark brown sugar, maple syrup, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, salt, golden raisins and pecans. Combine with bread mixture.

Pour bread mixture into prepared pan and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until set. Remove from oven.

For the spiced whipped cream: In a large bowl combine heavy whipping cream, maple syrup, cloves and salt. Beat with an electric mixer until soft peaks form, approximately 3-4 minutes. (Whipped cream can be prepared in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two days.)

For the sauce: Combine additional maple syrup, butter, cinnamon and salt in a sauce pan. Warm over low heat and stir often until combined. Pour over bread pudding. Top with spiced whipped cream and serve warm.

Here's my latest column in the Charleston Gazette-Mail:

I was sitting in an elegant French restaurant in the heart of New York City a few years ago on my first trip to the Big Apple, bright-eyed and enamored with the culinary magic of the place.

A roving bread cart was making its way around the dining room. It was filled with loaves of bread with roasted garlic, bread speckled with ginger and pear, small rolls perfect with a pat of butter, and more.

The man behind the cart made his way to my table. He rattled off a list of bread options that could turn the most devout carb-haters into carb-lovers. He took a look at me and my friend, Kaitlynn, a West Virginia native who now lives in Boston, and said, “Actually, I think I have something new the two of you might like. It’s a buckwheat bread.”

Buckwheat? We know buckwheat!

We excitedly regaled him with stories about stacks of buckwheat cakes at the Buckwheat Festival in Preston County. We recounted our favorite sides: bacon or sausage. Above all, we were delighted to find this little connection to West Virginia all the way in the City of Dreams.

Buckwheat is a West Virginia delicacy that can be found in the form of buckwheat cakes on diner menus across the state. Buckwheat — which is a fruit seed and related to rhubarb and sorrel, rather than a grain — makes for a hearty, filling Mountaineer breakfast.

The story of the state’s love affair with buckwheat predates West Virginia itself. It was June 5, 1859, when an unseasonable cold snap killed off many wheat crops and fruit trees in the mountains. That led farmers to plant heartier crops, like potatoes — and buckwheat.

It’s fitting to think these mountains produced resilient crops, just the same way they produced strong, resilient people. Buckwheat speaks to one of the core values of West Virginians and represents a deeper meaning rather than simply culinary.

Buckwheat cakes, though, are delicious. And sausage is the better side.

But it’s important to think about sense of place and how it relates to the food we consume. The often unforgiving growing conditions shaped our foods, and therefore, a large part of our culture. That resiliency was born in us from the very beginning and reinforced through tradition — like the Buckwheat Festival.

That’s why when a piece of Appalachia makes its way to New York — or anywhere for that matter — I get excited to extol the creativity and steadfastness of West Virginia. Foods that are unique to big cities may already be a hallmark of Appalachian cuisine.

One thing is always for sure, though: It’s that time of year for buckwheat cakes, no matter if you’re in New York or West Virginia. No matter if you prefer bacon or sausage on the side.

My latest column for the Charleston Gazette-Mail:

My latest column for the Charleston Gazette-Mail: 

One of my most recent columns for the Charleston Gazette-Mail was about deviled eggs:

It’s not a celebration in my house without the tangy, sweet addition of deviled eggs to the dinner table.

Deviled eggs — the tastier version of hard-boiled eggs that involves scooping out the yolk and mixing it with mayonnaise and mustard — serve as appetizers for every holiday meal, family event and significant milestone in the Nelson household. And, it appears I’m not alone.

In Mark Sohn’s book “Appalachian Home Cooking: History, Culture, and Recipes,” he noted a list of the most common Appalachian foods: soup beans, apple stack cake, biscuits and gravy, and other iconic staples.

A little further down the list: deviled eggs.

“No mountain dinner is complete without deviled eggs. At dinner on the grounds, they may be plucked away before the blessing is given, and at Thanksgiving dinners, even small families often serve two platters. Local markets sell deviled egg trays, and unlike yeast dinner rolls, which few cooks prepare at home, many cooks make deviled eggs,” he wrote.

These little bites, dressed in bright yellow and bold red, awaken the taste buds: salty, a little sweet, but mostly tangy, and certainly satisfying. That’s in part how they got their name.

As a culinary term, “devil” is most often used to describe dishes with spicy, tangy, hot or fried foods, first appearing in Great Britain in 1786, according to A&E’s History Channel. By 1800, “deviling” became a common verb that was used describe making food spicy or hot.

But the concept of boiling eggs, topping them with spicy sauces and serving them while entertaining goes back even further — to ancient Rome. They were seasoned with oil, wine, honey, vinegar or broth. In the 13th century, stuffing the eggs with cilantro, onion and coriander became popular in what is now Spain. By the 15th century, stuffed eggs had taken over Europe, where they were filled with raisins, cheese and herbs.

Our beloved “deviled egg” — sometimes called a “dressed egg,” made with mayonnaise (or in my household, Miracle Whip), mustard and paprika — became popular in Appalachia in the 1940s. Back then, measuring spoons weren’t big in my family — or many others in West Virginia — so our recipe for deviled eggs calls for a “smidgen” of this and a “bit” of that.

That leads to the following exercise: Mom boils the eggs and makes a yolk mixture and hands spoons to my father and me to try it.

“Too sweet,” he says. “Yeah, add more vinegar!” I say. We repeat this process approximately four or five times. It might be because we like eating the yolk mixture, or maybe it’s because we like tangier foods as we get older, but we never grant approval after just one round. And I have a sneaking suspicion this is intentional on my mother’s part, because she enjoys the tradition, too.

This simple amuse-bouche has been a staple at every major meal, even when the main course changes. Turkey for Thanksgiving? Still snacking on deviled eggs for lunch. Ham at Easter? Only if we have deviled eggs for breakfast. Potluck for family reunions? If there aren’t deviled eggs, the reunion is canceled.

And deviled eggs aren’t unique to my household or Appalachia — you can find them at high-end restaurants in big cities topped with unique ingredients — but they sure do play a role in our food culture. While other places may include them as an option, here, they’re a requirement.

So, tell me, how do you make your deviled eggs? My recipe is simple but tasty. What makes yours unique?