The Appalachian Food Summit is a really amazing event that brought together chefs, writers, and other folks in the food industry.



This is the first time it's been held in West Virginia, so I was excited to check it out.



The summit consisted of incredible speakers, performances, and, of course, food.



I was so excited to see folks like Ronni Lundy, Crystal Good, Kristian Thacker, Mike Costello, Courtney Balestier, Nancy Bruns, Emily Hilliard & more.

I had the pleasure of hanging with Ashton Marra, Katie Schell & her husband, Marion Ohlinger & his wife, and Matt Welsh.

Coffee was served by Firsthand Coffee throughout the summit.



And, we heard from so many great, inspiring folks.

I may have geeked out when I met Ronni Lundy!


Lunch for the event consisted of pepperoni rolls & a tomato sandwich bar.



There were four different bakeries represented: Home Industry, Abruzzino's, D'Annunzio's, and Tomaro's - all from Harrison County.

I had to try one of each, plus they had sweet peppers and hot peppers, too.



The tomato sandwich bar was so impressive!

There was salt-rising bread, Buxton bacon sourdough, and Tomaro's bread.

Tomatoes were Mortgage Lifer Tomatoes, Hillbilly Yellow Tomatoes, and Cherokee Purple Tomatoes. Mayos were Duke's, herby mayo, and hot fat mayo. Plus JQ Dickinson salt, smoked salt and kosher salt.


I tried an open-faced with the salt-rising and Duke's, then the Buxton and hog fat.

And there was fritti for dessert, which is like an Italian donut. There were a ton of different sauces. I tried both the sorghum and caramel. That caramel was soo good.

And there were also roasted veggies to go along with everything.

Including Baba O'Riley Ganoush and fermented watermelon.

After a few more sessions, it was time for pickles & zines happy hour.

And, I ate all the pickles and bought all of the zines.

It was really cool that chefs from all over contributed all sorts of pickled goodies - loved the beets and sour corn!

Travelin' Appalachians Revue had some readings, and Keegan Lester is my all-time favorite now!




At this happy hour, they also had flatbreads from Mia Margherita.

So many pickles!

So many zines!



And now moving onto dinner, we talked a lot about corn and its importance.


Just look at this amazing menu!



Chef Amy Dawson - Lost Creek Farm
Salt-rising bread panzanella salad with fall squash, cucumber, baby greens & pickled onion with sourghum vinaigrette.

Buckwheat buttermilk black walnut sheet cake with pan-fried apples & whipped cream.

Chef AuCo Lai - The LEE Initiative in Corbin, Ky
Charred miso eggplant & sushi rice, lotus root kimchi, sweet pickled mustard green

Chef Kristin M Smith - The Wrigley Taproom & Eatery in Corbin, Ky
Pottliker greens & beans (Old Homestead Farm)


Pork rinds & pimento cheese (Faulkner Bent Farm)

Chef Pamela DeLaude - Bridgeport Conference Center in Bridgeport
Catfish empanada with yellow pepper sauce

Skewered beef hearts with chimichurri sauce and corn relish

Chef Ashley Capps - Buxton Hall Barbecue in Asheville
Brunswick Stew made with smoked pulled pork, smoked chicken, South Carolina hash & homegrown vegetables

Homemade peanut butter crunch

Did you go? What was your favorite part?

I continue to be amazed with all that's happening in Wheeling.



There are so many restaurants I'm making my way to trying, the most recent of which was Metropolitan Citi Grill.



The lunch menu has burgers, wraps and salads. But the one that stood out to me was the "Italian Risotto."



It featured scallops, risotto and salad.



How cute is this hot sauce!



Some lobster bisque to get started.



And this beautiful plate for lunch.

Have you been?

Maria's Garden & Inn is an Italian restaurant in Berkeley Springs.



They are an inn, as well as a restaurant, that has a lot of religious memorabilia.



The menu features some basic Italian dishes you'd find at most restaurants locally: spaghetti, lasagna, chicken parmesan, etc.



There are even some more standard comfort food dishes and kids portions, too.



First, I had a salad with their house dressing.



A little garlic bread.



And the stuffed shells! Have you been?

I'm slowly making my way through the Eastern Panhandle, and there are so many great towns and shops to explore.

Recently, I tried a restaurant in Berkeley Springs that's a little off the beaten path. 


Angus & Ale features burgers and beer.




And one of the most impressive sounding burgers was the "BACON BBQ BLUES BURGER," which is "one of our fresh burgers topped with Angus fried bacon, honey bourbon BBQ and smoked bleu cheese."


And by fried bacon, they literally mean deep-fried! And, I got a side of fried mushrooms. So there was lots of fried happening here.

Have you been?

I've been lucky to see lots of state parks lately, and some of them have delicious restaurants attached to them.

Cacapon Resort State Park has a sweet waterfall near the entrance.

And even a little beach.

But to start my day, I was ready for some grub. And I knew I wasn't far from a tasty breakfast.






The menu features standard items, and I got the Hearty Breakfast Croissant with sausage.




And a side of fruit, which came in this cup!





Have you been?