The Capitol Market is a cornerstone of the Charleston community. And what many people don't realize is that it's a nonprofit.

It's a nonprofit in which I proudly serve on the board. So when I was informed of the upcoming signature fundraiser of the year, I was happy to purchase a ticket, seek sponsors and bug all my friends to come, too.

The Market Mixer is an amazing event that showcases all the vendors, has lots of free goodies and unlimited food and drink. What more could you ask for?!

Try to imagine Charleston without Capitol Market. No locally grown flowers in the spring, produce in the summer, pumpkins in the fall, or fresh cut pine trees in the winter. No bustling year-round social hub offering many unique dining options for lunch, hand crafted chocolates, fresh cut meat and seafood, an Italian restaurant and many other items made right here in West Virginia. 

The reason Capitol Market is here today is because of people like you. Your patronage and generosity over the last 20 years has made us a place everyone in the Kanawha Valley is proud of. But what most people don’t realize is as a non-profit , the Market also relies on donations from the community to thrive we are also working on being able to trade tax free. Instead of asking year-round, we cover most of our needs through one annual event: the Capitol Market Mixer.

First, I checked in and received my amazing new Capitol Market cooler bag that I already can't wait to take shopping.

From there, I made my way through the center of the market outside to take in all kinds of delicious samples from Chef Paul and students from the Carver Career and Technical Center.

Chef Paul was dishing out mini pepperoni rolls, spinach phyllo pastries, ham sandwiches, sausage crostinis and mini chicken & waffle cones.

And there were probably a dozen or so students outside each with their own creation.

Some of my favorites included a white bean soup, salmon cheesecake (above) and a beet cake.

Seriously, I liked the beet cake more than chocolate cake.

Also, there were these little phyllo cups of goodness.

And a berry creme brulee.

And a pear cracker creation.

And an autumn-themed cupcake. And folks, that's just what was outside.

So, I made my way inside the building to stop at all the vendors. The Purple Onion had some crackers out to sample.

Sushi Garden had a bunch of different kinds of sushi rolls - I tried one with mango!

At the wine shop, you had a choice of prosecco or rose. I ended up going with rose because look how cute that bottle is!

The Fresh Seafood Co. had a couple seafood dips to try! And Holl's had these tasty s'more kits. How incredible cute.

Mea Cuppa was serving up tasty pumpkin coffee treats. Perfect for an October day. The Charleston CVB had homemade pepepperoni rolls.

And just outside of Johnnie's Meat Market, Angelo's was serving up tastings of their sausage.

Johnnie's had a few fun things going on: pens, calendars, pulled pork sliders, and homemade no-bake cookies.

Plus, a fun "Name that Meat" contest.

It was an evening to remember. Did you make it this year?

Let's add one more DiCarlo's location to the list.

For those who know me, you know I love DiCarlo's.

This Ohio Valley pizza shop franchise has my favorite type of pizza - square with fresh cheese lightly melted overtop - and each location has a slightly different variation.

And now that I've tried all the West Virginia locations, I've started visiting the Ohio locations.

Belmont, Ohio, has a large DiCarlo's space with a few tables in their dining space.

I ordered two pieces with mushrooms.

The first thing I noticed is that they use the shredded mozzarella cheese - which is good, but not my favorite version.

Have you tried this one?

Alfredo's has a few locations in West Virginia: Summersville, Lewisburg and Buckhannon. The latter is the first one I've tried.

While in Buckhannon meeting a friend, I decided to get a quick snack to fill my belly. The restaurant serves Italian and Greek food, so I was hoping to get my hands on a pepperoni roll.

I was seated, looked over the menu and saw a pepperoni roll under the "calzones & strombolis" heading.

It may have been quite a bit more than a snack - but it was tasty! Filled with layers of pepperoni and ooey mozzrella cheese - plus some marinara on the side. Tasty - and filling.

Lately, I've been on a kick to try all the scenic train rides in West Virginia.

For one, they're fun.

And two, you get to see parts of the state you wouldn't ordinarily see.

But recently, Sara and I took an extra special train ride.


This one involved a murder mystery wine evening.

Through the Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad, we booked the train that took us to the High Falls of Cheat and treated us to snacks and wine along the way.

When we were first seated, we were treated to crackers, cheese and grapes.

Then, the wine made its way around. We tried all of them and were treated to one full glass.

During this time, we read over a letter that gave us some insight as to who the murderer for the evening may have been.

The scene played out over the course of the train ride.

And, we were able to get up to the snack train and get some food to eat.

That included spinach artichoke dip, caprese skewers, hummus and other canapes.

Now, just to try the rest of the train rides!