Lewisburg is just one of my favorite small towns.

Not only is there so much to do, but there are a ton of great locally owned restaurants.

One new one that I visited recently was Blackwell's Catering.

This sweet shop features pizzas, as well as sandwiches and desserts.

We started with some garlic knots for the table. Mmm.

And they had a pepperoni roll, so I had to check that out.

For my entree, I went with a sandwich: Drunken Grilled Cheese with smoked gouda, cheddar and prosciutto melted on sauteed mushrooms, onions and stout beer.

And, it came with a side of pasta salad!



What's your favorite thing here?

A new donut shop opened in the Lewisburg area with a fun theme: Retro.

Retro Donuts has bright pink and teal colors, and the interior has old-school decorations.

The menu features all sorts of glazed and gourmet donuts, as well as sandwiches, bowls, salads and more.

I went for a pumpkin cheesecake donut!

Which one would you choose?

Do you remember the P'zone? It disappeared from most Pizza Hut menus a few years back. But. It's back.

The local Pizza Hut has three options: pepperoni, meaty and supremo. I tried a pepperoni. And they're a hefty size, with a side of marinara, and just as tasty as I remember.

Will you be trying one?

Kobe Asian Fusion is a new restaurant that opened in the former Su-Tei location in Kanawha City.

It's kinda like fast food sushi, with a pretty basic menu and low prices.

I ordered a "Yum Yum" roll, which has crab, avocado, cucumber, cream cheese, with spicy crab and crunchy deep-fried bits. Essentially, it has all my favorite components in a sushi roll.


And, there were cream cheese wontons - another of my favorites!

What have you had here?

Beans and cornbread. Buckwheat cakes. Black coffee.

There are so many foods that are our favorites because of nostalgia — maybe more so than flavor. Sure, these foods taste good. But what really makes them special is that they remind you of your grandmother, or your first date with your spouse, or childhood lunches.

Take, for me, Exhibit A: The Peanut Butter Crisscross Cookie.

What is this you may ask? Well, it’s a simple peanut butter cookie made with just a handful of ingredients and topped with a fun crisscross pattern made with a fork.

Simple. Easy. And definitive of my childhood years.

I’ve never been talented in the kitchen. I’m a great eater, not so much a cook. But this simple recipe was something even I could follow as a child — and continue to make well into my adult years.

I would grab a chair from the dining room and prop it next to our refrigerator. In the cabinets above the refrigerator was a treasure trove of recipe books, cards and magazine clippings. I would thumb through them until I found the recipe card for my beloved peanut butter crisscross cookie.

I would gather the handful of ingredients we would always have on hand: peanut butter, eggs, sugar, baking soda. Mix them up. And then my favorite part: I would take a fork, dunk it in the flour container and squash the cookies with the back of my utensil — longways, then sideways. And, finally, I’d wait the excruciating 8 to 10 minutes until they were baked golden-brown.

This treat was so special for a few reasons: I could actually make it all on my own and I was able to make it with the ingredients we had available. That concept, even at a young age, was so fun to me.

One of the things I most value about Appalachian food culture is the inventiveness and ingenuity of people who worked within the means of what they had available to create rich, delicious meals that were rooted in their culture.

Peanut butter cookies, of course, are not that. But what they have demonstrated to me, in a small way, is that quality of resourcefulness. And, I gather that many of the dishes we hold near and dear to our hearts were built upon the same concept.

Many of those nostalgic favorites were likely based on foods that could withstand harsh seasons and mountain conditions. They were foods that were plentiful in our region, and thus became meals we associate with our childhoods or special occasions.

Eating a fresh-baked peanut butter cookie that I lovingly and painstakingly created all on my own is one of those foods for me. Dipped in a glass of ice-cold milk, that cookie is more than just a cookie: It’s a look inside my childhood and my values.


Candace Nelson is a marketing professional living in Charleston, W.Va. She is the author of the book “The West Virginia Pepperoni Roll” from WVU Press. In her free time, Nelson blogs about Appalachian food culture at CandaceLately.com. Find her on Twitter at @Candace07 or email CandaceRNelson@gmail.com.

There's nothing quite as comforting as a big, hot slice of pizza oozing with cheese.

Graziano's is one of my favorite pizza shops locally, so I made a trip to Dunbar to try the last of their locations (first in downtown Charleston, then one in South Charleston).

I called in an order for a cheese pizza with mushrooms and a Sicilian salad.

Yum! The Sicilian salad had green beans, onions, potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers & kalamata olives marinated in olive oil and wine vinegar.

And it came with this tasty little roll. What's your favorite pizza place in town?

Have you tried this new pizza yet?

The seasonal Street Corn Pie is ,ade with corn, tajin and fresh jalapeños, finished with parmesan, lime, cilantro, scallions and chipotle crema. It's now available at all Pies & Pints locations!

Gotta try it!

Rock City is a super creative bakery in Charleston that recently moved locations further down on Capitol Street.

I thought that warranted another visit.

This location is HUGE, with various levels, making it perfect for performances and events.

And the cooler is stocked with all kinds of amazing sweets.

I am continually amazed at the variety every day.

And they're items you won't be able to find anywhere else. 

From unique flavored cupcakes and cake pops to chocolate-covered fruit and strawberry shortcake bars.

I got a little bit of everything - including a fruity pebbles rice krispy treat, cake balls and more!


What's your favorite thing to get?

You've probably heard of Emeril Lagasse. The over-the-top chef and TV personality cooked in New Orleans and opened a handful of restaurants here.

I went to Emeril's New Orleans to get my BAM on.

I was seated at the bar area, which overlooks the kitchen. It's actually pretty cool. So cool, in fact, that the guy sitting next to me looked over at me and said "how amazing is this?" and I was like, "yeah, this is pretty amazing."

Watching the chefs churn out dishes is like an elaborate dance - each choreographed to the station he is manning.

Emeril’s Restaurant is chef/restaurateur Emeril Lagasse’s famed flagship restaurant housed in a renovated pharmacy warehouse in New Orleans’ Warehouse District. Since opening in 1990, Emeril’s has been a definitive force in contemporary New Orleans cuisine and has earned rave reviews and accolades for nearly 25 years, including Esquire magazine’s “Restaurant of the Year” and Wine Spectator’s “Grand Award” for 14 consecutive years. At the helm is chef de cuisine Douglas Braselman, who works closely with Chef Emeril to push culinary boundaries and deliver bold and diverse flavors for a one-of-a-kind dining experience with unparalleled service and a festive unpretentious setting.

First, of course, bread! So much good bread - focaccia, cornbread, mmm.

After looking over the menu,  I went with the appetizer: "Smoked Exotic Mushrooms" with
housemade Tasso Ham, Angel Hair Pasta, and Pecorino."

It was small, but packed a ton of flavor.

And, I did dessert: Emeril's Banana Cream Pie - Graham Cracker Crust, Caramel Sauce, Chocolate Shavings. Just wow. So good.

Have you been to a celebrity chef restaurant?