There's an adorable little coffee truck in Charleston callee Luna Coffee that is setting up downtown and at events.



She has a littke seating area where you can enjoy one of the signature drinks. I ordered "Into The Wooda," which had mocha, toasted marshmallow and brown sugar cold foam. It may be my new favorite drink in recent memory. Absolutely divine. Just the right amount of sweetness and all of the cozy.



Grade: A

Nellie's Cookie Jar is a female-owned small business cookie shop in Charleston, West Virginia. "Made from scratch and baked to perfection, these 3-inch cookies are too good not to share," according to the website. I recently heard about this home business, so I placed an order online to check out all the cookies:

Nellie: The cookie that started it all! Bursting with semi-sweet chocolate chips, our take on this classic cookie will become a staple in your house too.

Vandalia: A dense and gooey chocolate cookie filled with peanut butter chips in every bite. Okie A rich and buttery cookie featuring oats, coconut, and chocolate chips.

Okie: A rich and buttery cookie featuring oats, coconut and chocolate chips.

Avonlea: Sugar cookie topped with a lovely buttercream, this cookie is light and sweet with a hint of almond.

Ninth East: A chocolate lover's dream of a chocolate cookie packed with semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Seasonal: Spring Fling A light, chewy cookie bursting with fresh orange zest and white chocolate chips.
These are some really tasty cookies! You all know I'm not even a chocolate chip fan, but I could appreciate these. The seasonal one especially had me thinking summer. AND, while the actual cookies are absolutely delicious, I cannot understate how accommodating and kind the owner was during the ordering process. I had paid and picked a date to pick up my cookies, but my plans were thrown out the window when I hurt myself and was hospitalized. The owner was so patient with me and even hand-delivered them to my house after all the hubbub. That's just one of many reasons I love local businesses.

Grade: A

There is an ice cream truck in Reedsville that looks like it could belong at a carnival, but it stays stationary in wooded space. Think city meets country.



Udders Creamery sells soft serve ice cream, sundaes, specialty desserts and more. Plus a few snacks if you opt for something savory.



I went for a specialty sundae with vanilla soft serve, caramel and pretzel pieces. I love the salty sweet combo. And, there was a ton of caramel! Maybe, actually, too much, though. Because the outside was a sticky mess.



While the ice cream was delicious, of course, the experience left a little to be desired only because of the service, the messiness, and that put a little raincloud on my experience.



But I'll be back. I love ice cream, and I love it in all of its forms. Plus, having chickens roam around while eating ice cream is a perk.



Grade: B

If you are a chocolate fan, there is no greater place in the world than Hershey Park.



Think of an amusement park - add chocolate and unique experiences - and you'll have Hershey Park, Pennsylvania.



I traveled here for a conference and enjoyed all of the lodging, history, and local sites.



They also have a museum and amusement park rides. But, I want to share about the chocolate world experience.



The space has a few different pieces: a store, a history ride, and some custom chocolate opportunities.



For example, one of the first stations I visited was a mega Reese cup that you could customize.



You start with a large, ridged chocolate cup. Then, you have a peanut butter face that can have all sorts of mix-ins.



I added M&Ms, pretzels, and marshmallows. This was all packaged up into the biggest Reese cup I've ever seen and, it was fun to know that I kind of had a hand in creating it.



Moving onto the next station: Custom chocolate bar.



You get to choose the filling, topping, and even the package design.



I added butterscotch chips to my chocolate bar and added sprinkles to the top.



And for the packaging, I was sure to add my name, because it's rare that I get to find it out in the wild.



There are some fun skits, like one where you learn how to taste the differences in chocolate.



I also really enjoyed the little ride through the building for you learned about the history of Hershey.



And, of course, there is shopping. A lot of shopping.



There is everything from specialty limited edition sweets to wearable merch.



I picked up some Hershey Kisses that were influenced by global flavors.



I also made my own custom mix of M&Ms.



They had these giant canisters with every single flavor you can think of.



If chocolate, isn't your thing, Hershey does also own Twizzlers & Jolly Ranchers.



This was a really fun experience.



I think they have some thing for everyone.



Have you ever been?

Westerville, Ohio, is a suburb of Columbus, Ohio, and the newest location of a DiCarlo's Pizza.



I've written many times over the years how much I enjoy this unique pizza. It's a crunchy crusy with provolone cheese added at the end so it lightly melts overtop the pie.



"Michael and Caroline DiCarlo didn’t originally set out to helm a pizzeria that would thrive through the decades. In fact, pizza wasn’t even on their radar. The DiCarlo family had emigrated from Sora, Italy, in the late 19th century, eventually settling in a small steel town known as Steubenville, OH. The DiCarlo family bakery was a popular spot in the community. They handcrafted everything from Italian bread to cakes to cookies and donuts. when their son, Primo, returned home from serving in WWII, he raved to his family about the popular food he’d spotted everywhere in Italian cafes: pizza," according to their website.



"Primo saw pizza as a way to stay connected to the family tradition and pursue a business unlike anything else in the valley at the time. His brother Galdo followed him in this venture. The recipe was perfected on borrowed BAKING TRAYS from the bakery. The BAKING TRAYS are critical to the story. Those trays are responsible for both the CRISPY CRUST we enjoy and THE pizza with FRESH cheese and pepperoni TOPPED ON AFTER BAKING!"



"Primo launched the Steubenville location in 1945. At the time he applied for a license with the Ohio Department of Health, they wanted to classify his establishment as a bakery. The pizza was coined “poor mans cheesecake” as it was considered great value for the quality of the product. A few years later, Galdo grew the brand further and conquered “The Panhandle,” operating stores in PITTSBURGH, CLEVELAND, WEIRTON, Wellsburg, Wheeling, Glen Dale and Elm Grove AS WELL AS OPERATE A DICARLO'S WHOLESALE FACILITY IN DOWNTOWN STEUBENVILLE!"



I will say that the folks behind the scenes seem to have some work to do with their community relations. I've been a longtime supporter but have not always felt the reciprocal love. Moving on.



The pizza crust is crunchy. The sauce is bright and vibrant. And, the provolone melts gently on at the end so you can get a cheese-pull like no other. It's the perfect pizza bite, including at this location that is a hike away from the homeland.



Order a tray, play the arcade machine, and enjoy the tastiest pizza this side of Appalachia.



Grade: A