A while back, I stumbled upon a Huffington Post article about the greatest cake in the country. Because most things food intrigue me, I clicked the link to discover this wonderful cake is made right in my backyard: Pittsburgh.

Let me start by saying I don't go to Pittsburgh nearly as often as I should. Yes, it has this booming culinary scene with some of the greatest food in the area. Yes, it's fairly close. And yes, there is so much to do. But, I have this need to show off my home state and tell the stories here that aren't being told, so I tend to travel three hours south to find a little hole in the wall in West Virginia, rather than head just a bit north to Pittsburgh to get some of the tastiest food I've ever had. And, I stick by that decision. For the most part.

BUT, I do have quite the Pittsburgh-to-try list building up. Lots of friends go to these incredible places and say "oh gosh, you have to try ____!" So I have this list of places I've been wanting to go, but I hadn't made it a priority. Until recently. My friend Heather and I took the day off from work (much deserved, btw) and headed up to the Steel City for a culinary crawl.

Our first stop of the day was at Prantl's Bakery to get our mitts on the best cake in America: Burnt Almond Torte. Cake for breakfast. We went to the downtown location, as it was near our other stops for today. After finally finding parking (ooooof), we headed inside to gaze at the goodies hidden behind glass cases.

The burnt almond torte was available in mini cupcake size or longer loaf sizes. I opted for the larger option (duh), which was just a few bucks. I grabbed a fork and began to dig in.

Our “Burnt Almond Torte”, which was conceived by Henry Prantl after a trip to California. There was an almond glut the year he went and the Almond Board was trying to get bakers to use almonds in new and inspiring ways. Henry picked up a few ideas and brought them back to Pittsburgh where he refined them into our current recipe for “Burnt Almond Torte”, a unique and addictive dessert. If you’ve never had one, you really do have to try one. If you have had one, you know what we’re talking about!

It's a very light cake frosted in buttercream with thin slivers of sugared almonds. It's pretty simple, conceptually. But the execution is flawless. So light, so sweet, but also a nice crunch and slight saltiness. It's the stuff dreams are made of.

The only thing that could make this better is a cup of coffee underneath the sunshine. Stay tuned for the next blog post.

Grade: A

Does anyone else remember the Wonderbread stores growing up? I remember going to the one in Wellsburg to get small snack cakes for my dad's lunches and other cheap packaged bakery goods for home.

A Schwebel's Bakery Outlet opened at 800 Business Park Drive - off Point Marion Road - in Morgantown recently. I learned that there's only one other one in West Virginia (in Ona), and the only other places they are found are Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and Indiana. So, I went to check it out.

Lots of bread, snacks and other junk food that I shouldn't be buying. They had Junior Caramels (I've heard of Junior Mints -- but caramels?! I also picked up some of those small fruit pie snacks - but with cream, as well!

Just reminds me of growing up with all these snacks that now make me nostalgic. If you go:
800 Business Park Dr. 26508
(304) 212-4438

MON, TUES, THUR, FRI: 9:30-5:00
SATURDAY: 9:30-5:00
SUNDAY: CLOSED

The most beloved pizza joint in town has opened a new location at the University Town Centre. Pizza Al's Granville, located near the new Sleep Number store, began welcoming customers a few weeks ago.

The new space has loads of seating and the typical tower of Pizza Al's pizza boxes at the counter just awaiting fresh, piping hot pies. Typical chairs and tables with the same types of offerings - all just in a new location.

So, I called in an order for a small mushroom pizza. It's a bit more expensive at this location. In 20 minutes, my pizza was done and ready to go.

First bite: The crust is a bit softer (maybe that oven needs more time to warm up), but the signature slightly sweet sauce and tons of melty cheese are still there. If you're craving a taste of classic Pizza Al's on this side of town, this location won't disappoint. And if you've never have Pizza Al's, you definitely need to try the original to get the full experience.

Grade: A

There are some vendors at the Morgantown Farmers Market that I'm just now getting around to trying! Richardson's Farm is one of them. My good friend Lisa, who used to be the market manager, gave me some insight to this vendor.

Richardson's Farm is run by Sudawan “Sue” Richardson in Fairmont, WV. This 5-acre plot is covered in a large variety of produce from a few fruit trees, a berry patch, herb garden, rows upon rows of tomatoes and peppers, and a large variety of other veggies that can be found at her market table. 

Sue is originally from Thailand, where she was a school teacher, but she came to America as a mail-order bride. She married her husband Curtis, who recently passed away (May 2016) after a long illness and years of being bed-ridden. Sue’s story is excellent and I could do no justice in telling the whole thing, but it is rather fantastic and involves rejecting a Canadian millionaire because she didn’t know what that meant in English. 

She is not a USDA Certified Organic grower, but does her best to not use any chemicals on the farm. Speaking from experience, the amount of spiders and weeds is a testament to those practices. Sue happily invites people to visit the farm for events, tours, or if you have a desire to pick produce. You can find her produce at a few area farmers markets and at the independent “All Things Herbal Local Market” in Fairmont.

I got some delicious strawberries here! What's your fav item from Richardson's Farm?

If you didn't go to last year's Taste of Morgantown, you once again missed out.

But you have another chance. The seventh annual Taste of Morgantown is scheduled for June 8 at the Erickson Alumni Center. The fundraiser, which benefits the American Red Cross, showcases Morgantown restaurants through delicious, innovative dishes. More than 25 restaurants and vendors will be in attendance.

The event takes place on June 8th at the Erickson Alumni Center at WVU from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Tickets for the event cost $40 per person or $75 for couples. Tickets can be purchased at the American Red Cross office in Morgantown, online at www.RedCross.org/TasteOfMorgantown or at the door the evening of the event.

At the end of the evening an esteemed panel of judges (including yours truly) will present awards for the best dishes in several categories. Among this year’s participants are Sargasso, Iron Horse Tavern, Table 9, Wine Bar at Vintner Valley, Morgantown Brewing Company, Tin 202, Tutto Gelato Café, Mountain State Brewing Company, and Tailpipes.

Morgantown’s Northeast WV Chapter of The American Red Cross has aided local residents who were severely impacted by extreme weather, house fires, and other disasters in the past year. By attending Taste of Morgantown you will be contributing to the American Red Cross and supporting their invaluable emergency assistance and disaster relief efforts.

Doors open at 5 p.m., and the food tasting begins at 5:30 p.m. For more information, contact The Red Cross at 304-598-9500 or visit the event website at www.RedCross.org/TasteOfMorgantown.