And, I mean everyone: students, staff, faculty, custodial staff. Everyone.
Students slipped out of a class a few minutes early to get in the lunch line, and teachers left their lunchboxes at home in favor of this homecooked meal from the high school kitchen.
If you’re from Brooke County, you’re nodding in agreement. If you’re not, you’re wondering what the heck creamed turkey is.
Well, dear reader, allow me to enlighten you: This dish comprises a fluffy, flaky biscuit split open, topped with scoops of creamy mashed potatoes and covered in a turkey gravy with chunks of turkey. Mmmm.
And people loved it. Football players would get double servings. Some vegetarians would have a cheat day. And I would eschew my “too cool for school lunch” attitude and hand over a buck and some change for a lunch ticket.
To illustrate: Brooke High School had two cafeterias, which served a few options for lunch daily. But, on creamed turkey day, every line served creamed turkey.
It was a piece of culinary gold churned out from the hands of high school cooks. It was never high-end, fine dining, topped with microgreens or tweezered to perfection. Instead, it was straightforward, filling and comforting cafeteria food.
This dish is something that I recall fondly — and not just because it was delicious, but because it also created this sort of community among a bunch of teenagers that is difficult to find in high school.
We all bonded over this high school dish that was created from leftovers and topped on a starchy base to create a meal that would stick to your ribs. The dish was born out of frugality — using up the last bits from a turkey — and creativity.
My parents, who also reminisce about creamed turkey day when they were in school, recreate this dish each Thanksgiving to stretch that bird a little further. This dish, while not unique to just my neck of the woods, speaks to a larger quality of Appalachian cuisine: resourcefulness.
Appalachians work with what they have available and are able to create incredible meals — whether that’s in a high school cafeteria or a home kitchen. These dishes with underpinnings of history, heritage and culture are the ones that help craft the narrative of this place that we call home.
Whenever we make this dish at home, we recall those lunch days in high school and share our memories through generations. And, those stories are priceless — about the same as a high school lunch ticket on creamed turkey day.
The Hinton area is a culinary goldmine. Seriously. There are a ton of cute little shops in the Hinton-Pipestem area, and this restaurant was no exception.
Chessie's on the Square is open on limited days for limited hours so I was excited to catch them. They boast "Appalachian inspired fare ... sophisticated energy of the big city, right here in the heart of Almost Heaven."
I ordered shrimp and grits, which was a unique take on the dish. It was BBQ shrimp and sausage with peppers and onions with grits. Tangy, tasty.
What's your favorite dish here?
Golden Horseshoe - The Musical held its 4th Annual Great Pepperoni Roll Cookoff this past weekend where 11 competitors brought their best pepperoni rolls to compete. I was fortunate to judge alongside Sher Yip and Brittany Furbee. Here's what we had! All photos by Sher Yip.
Sweet Fern's Bakery - Sweet Fern’s Bakery belongs to a mother-daughter duo using an old family recipe for a sweet dough that was handed down by Miss Ada Fern, the late mother and granny to the duo. This bread recipe has been have been voted best by loyal customers in the Kanawha Valley for 50+ years. This pepperoni roll had sweet bread and enveloped perfectly folded in pepperoni. Delish!
Almost Heaven Rolls are bringing pepperoni rolls to Ohio. And, man these were one of my favorites! Slightly sweet, good ratio of ingredients, delicious!
Atria's had two different pepperoni rolls: a three-cheese and a bacon/caramelized onion one! SO good.
Tygart Valley Bulk Foods has a traditional roll.
Busy Beaver Farm & Greenhouse/Laura Thomas - these little bite-sized pepperoni rolls had some cheese melted on the outside!
Fran's Quacky Duck hails from Reedsville, and she brought out these Sicilian style pepperoni rolls.
Coop's Bunns was last year's people's choice and traditional winner.
Emi's Edibles - spicy Italian pepperoni roll with ham and a more traditional one.
Rising Creek Bakery is known for its salt-rising bread, but they combined their breadmaking skill with pepperoni to make a tasty roll.
Bobbie Tuggle's pepperoni roll journey began 18 years ago, with her first bread maker and an awesome pizza dough recipe. School and church functions, reunions, and sports teams led to events and auctions. Now she is known throughout the Peterstown community for her delicious rolls!
Mid-Atlantic Market had three different types of pepperoni rolls: provolone, pepper jack and mozzarella. They were the best overall winner in 2016 and 2017!
BEST OVERALL
1. Sweet Fern's
2. Mid-Atlantic Market
3. Almost Heaven
MOST TRADITIONAL
1. Coop's Bunns
2. Tygart Valley Bulk Foods
3. Almost Heaven
MOST ORIGINAL
1. Atria's Restaurant Morgantown
2. Fran's Quacky Duck
3. Emi's Edibles
PEOPLE'S CHOICE
1. Coop's Bunns
2. Mid-Atlantic Market
3. Fran's Quacky Duck
The Oak Supper Club is fine dining in Pipestem, overlooking a sweet horse farm.
When I parked, I was greeted by this beauty so I had to include her!
The tables overlook rolling hills, and if you're lucky, a few cute horses. This is "rustic farmhouse dining" in a beautiful way.
The menu seems to change seasonally, but always some creative, inventive dishes!
Small basket of bread.
The menu features unique items - like escargot - that you might not find elsewhere locally.
Zucchini and squash pasta
And, the dessert menu sounded too good to pass up!
Strawberry rhubarb pie a la mode.
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