The Ronald McDonald House Charities is a non-profit corporation that aims to improve the health of children. Portions of the operating costs are funded by McDonald's. The remainder of their operating incomes comes from donations.

Their most recent charity event is the "2012 Ronald McDonald House Chef's Challenge." Based on the reality TV show, Iron Chef, this competition will have two Morgantown chefs squaring off for 60 minutes to create a specialty dish. The dishes are judged by a group of celebrity panelists, and the winner will received a Ronald McDonald House Charities Chef Jacket.

Celebrity panelists? You're looking at one of them.

Yeah, I was surprised too when I got the email. Blogging about tons of restaurants will get you somewhere, though.

The two chefs in this competition are Chef Brian Bruner, executive chef at the Waterfront Place Hotel, and Chef Chris McDonald, executive chef at Stefano's Restaurant.

They had an initial date for the competition, but it had some conflicts, so the exact date isn't set in stone, but I'll be sure to post more information as it comes available. However, for now, you can donate to the RMHC for the chef you think will win. And if you'd like to check out the competition, tickets are only $15 per person and $25. So grab a ticket and see me act like I know what I'm talking about.

Morgantown is probably one of the most diverse cities in West Virginia. With students all over the world coming to West Virginia University to study, they bring a portion of their culture with them. Though only around 1 percent of the student body is Asian-American, it's important to maintain their culture while they're in Morgantown. This has led to some pretty cool additions to the town and some insight into cultures that we may have never seen otherwise.

A core part of any culture is food. Morgantown has a few markets to help sell those products from different areas in the world that aren't necessarily available in typical grocery stores, like Kroger or Giant Eagle.

Tucked beneath a laundromat and some other stores off of Beechurst lies the Vonson Asian Market. This market is to go-to for Asian-specific grocery items. I checked it out the other day and couldn't believe this wealth of goodness that had been hiding from me. Need some noodles? What about some snacks? Fortified Duck Egg, anyone?

One half of this store is devoted to packaged goods, like cookies, teas, etc. The other half has an entire area for meats, like flamingo! And a whole back area of the store is devoted to a gift shop for tons of Asian trinkets, housewares and decorative works. Watch what time you go, though, as the giftshop is only open during certain hours. The market is usually open until 7:30 p.m., so there's no excuse to not check it out after work or class.

There were so many options, I didn't know where to start! Has anyone checked out the Vonson Market? Any recommendations on what to get here?

Check out some of these great blogs that I'm now featuring on my blogroll! Most are West Virginia- and food-related, so if you're already here, they might be interesting to you!

• All Things Wings - These guys love wings and they judge every restaurant's version around the Ohio Valley. Their idea of specialization is fantastic.
• Cat Hair In My Coffee - Bailee posts about her healthy lifestyle, much of which involves healthy food. While my focus is slightly different, her take on it speaks to large health trends overall.
• Communication Breakdown - Chris is a blogging guru. With thousands of hits per month and tackling interesting talking points in West Virginia, his focus on his audience is key.
• Fork You - This group of bloggers have eaten their way to the #1 blog on Charleston's Urbanspoon. Their widespread list of restaurants is impressive, and their experience blogging is something to which I aspire.
• Gee I'm Hungry - This is Morgantown cook Eri's blog about her adventures in her kitchen. She cooks, bakes and is an all-around foodie extraordinaire. Her ability to cook gives her that extra edge on what flavors are what.
• Kitchen Geeking - This blogger has her finger on the pulse of popular food trends and the know-how to make delicious dishes, all of which are essential for a great food blogger.
• Mountain People's Coop - The epitome of local and organic foods, the Mountain People's Co-op offers some recipes, as well as ideas for popular and creative dishes to replicate. What's interesting is they also offer variations for those with special diets.
• The West Virginia Hot Dog Blog - Similar to All Things Wings, The West Virginia Hot Dog Blog focuses on hot dogs all around the state. They have certain criteria that they judge on, as well as what makes the "perfect" WV hot dog. Their ability to critique and analyze various flavors is impressive.
• Wild and Wanderlust in West Virginia - Shannon loves Appalachian culture, and she posts the occasional review. Any information related to West Virginia, as well as the food culture, can be found here.
• WV Food - The food blog of WV Living Magazine is chock-full of recipes, ideas, festivals and basic essentials for the foodie in West Virginia. A fabulous, easy-to-read blog gives some quick tips and ideas for West Virginians.

I've always wanted to go to Working Women's Wednesday since I moved to Morgantown. Working Women's Wednesday is a special hosted by WVAQ at the Vintage Room, the only high-end bar in Morgantown, which features $5 pies and drink specials.

So, a few fellow grad students and I headed to Chesnut Street to cash in on the deal. The Vintage Room is located right by Bent Willey's, its sister bar. It's surprising that a nice, classy place would be neighboring Bent, but it's true. Unfortunately, some of the riff-raff spills over from Bent, or acts as a pregame area . But the bar itself is very impressive.

Stocked to the max with wines, beers, martinis and liquors, the Vintage Room has many delicious drinks. Their special this night was the "cougar-tini," so I ordered it. I'm probably far too young to be a cougar, but for  less than $5, it's a bargain at this place.

We looked over the menu, specifically the wood-fired oven pizzas, while we waited. The menu has a huge selection, and tons of things that looked delicious: crab fondue, scallops, seared duck and tuna, but pizza was our goal.

For only $5, we had a difficult time choosing which ones looked most delicious - a vodka sauce, a white pizza, a chicken parmesan, or a philly cheesesteak. Ultimately, we decided to order a Mediterranean, which has marinated artichoke hearts, garlic, red onions, tomatoes, feta cheese and kalamata olives. We also ordered their signature Margarita pizza - fresh tomatoes, garlic, mozzarella and basil.

My drink came out soon after. The Cougar-tini had a cotton candy vodka, grenadine and something else. But it tasted like a mellow cotton candy - delicious. So, of course I ordered a second one. And by the time I walked out, I was feeling a little warm. I'd say that's a good deal.

Our pizzas were also fantastic. The margarita had a rich tomato base, with creamy mozzarella and just a perfect balance of spices and herbs to bring out all the flavor. The simple pizza was tasty. The mediterranean pizza had a lovely blend of hearty base with the salty artichoke hearts and an added kick with the feta cheese and kalamata olives. These flavors were more vibrant, but just as tasty.

I was pleasantly surprised by this bar/restaurant. Their menus are extensive, and the specials were great. When it's warmer, I'd like to sit outside on the patio. But the weather is too chilly. I'll definitely be visiting again once it gets warmer. I spent under $12 - split six ways.

Grade: A