The Cheese Melt is a grilled cheese restaurant that focuses on elevated sandwiches in the Ohio Valley.



they went from mobile food truck to brick and mortar location now in Warwood. the interior is fairly basic, but I do enjoy their main logo that looks like the cheese is melting.

I ordered the Beale Street, which had gorgonzola, hot pepper cheese, kale, apples and bacon. I love the sweet and salty combo. My main suggestion would be to add a sauce of some sort because it ate a little dry.



Grade: B

Glade Creek Coffee Roasters is a small family-owned and operated coffee roasting business located in Southern West Virginia. They also own and operate White Oak Bee Company, which sells honeybee products.

They offer:

Coal Miner Blend (dark roast) - bold / nut & chocolate notes

Guatemalan (medium-dark) - apple / grape / brown sugar & chocolate notes

Ethiopian (medium-light) - sweet / fruity / blueberry notes

Appalachian Honey Bean (medium) - honey roasted / subtly sweet / chocolate notes

Brazil (medium) - Chocolate / brown sugar / granola

Decaf Mexico Veracruz MWP (medium) - Sweet, nougat, milk chocolate, well balanced

Columbia 12 oz

Costa Rica 12 oz

Hope Blend 12 oz

Oddball Coffee Roasters is a small-batch coffee roaster located in Morgantown, WV. Specializing in, well, odd flavors, reads their website.

Their beans come from Guatemala, Ethiopa, Tanzania and other blends. Have you tried this local roaster?

Cassandra's Cookies was established in 2020 and is a home bakery with a penchant for sugar cookies. The self-taught baker churns out tons of tasty treats.



The Morgantown home business makes delicious cookies in a variety of flavors: Strawberry Lemonade, Pumpkin Spice, Apple Butter, Chocolate, Chocolate Chip, Churro, Original Sugar Cookie. I got my hands on a few around the holidays and enjoyed them greatly.

Have you tried them yet?

Here's my latest column:

Bologna played a starring role in my youth.

Paired with the co-stars of white bread, Kraft American singles and Miracle Whip, bologna sandwiches kept my belly full for many of my grade school years.

And it kept my studies strong: I have the Oscar Meyer lunch meat to thank for learning how to spell b-o-l-o-g-n-a. (“Baloney,” on the other hand, is actually a slang term for nonsense.)

The deli meat is inexpensive, which is often its primary selling point, and is traditionally made with odds and ends of chicken, turkey, beef or pork. It is similar to the Italian mortadella, which originated in the Italian city of Bologna - hence the name.

While cost is often a factor in foods’ popularity throughout Appalachia, historically, preservation has also been key to ensure food is available year-round during harsh winters or difficult crop seasons.

Enter: Pickled Bologna.

Pickled bologna is that same fine processed mix of poultry and beef innards and trimmings but formed into a rope and submerged in vinegar to create a tangy, salty delicacy. Best served with saltines.

Giant jars filled with coiled bologna ropes can sometimes be found on countertops of small corner stores or gas stations. Though the practice is less common today, rural stores would sell individual hunks of the bologna from the jar and place it onto wax or butcher paper for customers to enjoy as a treat.

For many, pickled bologna is a staple at ballpark games or family reunions. It can serve as a zesty meat as part of a charcuterie board and pairs perfectly with pumpernickel bread and grainy mustard.

While many people today would eschew the idea of bologna - let alone pickled bologna - the notion behind the foodstuff helps provide a window into Appalachian cuisine. Appalachians have always been innovative and steadfast; and it often leads to some of the tastiest creations.