I was writing an article on My Kitchen Cooking Classes for Savor! WV Magazine, but due to its untimely demise, I will opt for a blog about this cool experience.

Looking for something different to do? Maybe a fun date? My Kitchen Cooking Classes, located on Grafton Road, allows you to have a a class with a trained chef - Chef Chris Hall. He has a formal education and has worked in every type of restaurant you can imagine, in addition to teaching culinary education.

He hosts themed classes most days of the week, from Indian Cuisine to Kitchen Essentials to WV Comfort Foods to Busy Mom Dishes. In addition, you can book private classes to learn anything you want or just have a fun friends' night. Typical classes are four to six people. Private classes can go up to 10. Most classes are about $55/person

His classes can range from beginner to experienced chef, and they're all very hands-on. Chef Hall provides a recipe for students to follow and all the products they need. If they need extra help, he'll demo. But mostly, he's there to help guide and give little tidbits of knowledge here and there - like how to separate an egg easily (with a water bottle) or how to cut an onion without making your eyes water.

His favorite? Southern Italian because he grew up eating that kind of food - spicy, lots of sauces and pasta. His least favorite? Sauces - because it's tedious and fundamental.

Chef Hall is extremely passionate and funny - it's definitely entertaining take a class. He continues to do it as a retirement hobby for the past 2.5 years (and more than 2,000 students!).

One of his favorite, simple recipes?


Scalloped Tomatoes with Croutons
EVOO (3T)
Multi-Grain Bread (2C) in half-inch cubes
Tomatoes (2.5LB) in half-inch dice
Garlic (1T) minced
Sugar (2T)
Salt (2t)
Pepper (1t)
Basil (1/2C) slivered
Parmesan Cheese (1/2-3/4C) grated
Fresh Mozzarella (1/2C) sliced thin

1. Preheat oven to 350 F
2. Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high. Stir in bread cubes to coat and then brown in pan.
3. Combine tomatoes, garlic, basil, sugar, slt and pper in a large bowl.
4. Add mix to browned cubes in pan and book about 5 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and stir in basil.
6. Pour into a shallow (6 to 8 cup) baking dish and top with Parmesan and Mozzarella cheese. Bake 35 to 40 minutes until the top is browned and the tomatoes are bubbly.

Serve with a nice salad.

More Info
Email: mykitchenwv@aol.com.
Location: 3391 Grafton Rd. It's only 6.2 miles south of Walmart Super Center off I-68, heading toward Grafton.
Phone: (304) 241-4901

A friend took me to Kawayan (which is a Filipino term for Bamboo), a nice Asian-American bar/restaurant that seems to be somewhat of a hidden gem. When we first walked in, my friend noticed a friend of hers working and asked if we could be sat in her section. The manager seemed put-off, but she obliged.

The restaurant was pretty empty, save for another couple or two. They have a sushi bar, which is pretty cool. The decor was nice - romantic, dim, lightly decorated. Our waitress was amazing - entirely accommodating, friendly and knowledgeable. They serve Filipino, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Taiwanese and American food.

I tried their lumpias, which are veggie spring rolls filled with mixed vegetables and tofu. Served with a sweet chili sauce. It's like a lighter version of an eggroll, and it was pretty tasty. I stuck with a California crunch maki roll, which consisted of crab, avocado and crunchies. It was basic, but it was tasty. Just what I was in the mood for.

For dessert, I had a taste of bread pudd- ing, which was simply divine. In my top three favorite bread puddings ever. It was so warm, with a light caramel drizzle and whipped cream. It was just so homey, so comforting and so delicious.

The food here was really good, and the service was great. The management, though, kind of turned me off. From the way they treat the servers to how they accommodate guests, they just definitely give off the best impression.  

Grade: B

For a quick lunch, we popped over to the mall in Charleston for some Japanese food. At Sakkio Japan, they really only offer teriyaki dishes, and it's reminiscent of the Soup Nazi line.

What do you want? Chicken Teriyaki
With vegetable? Yes
Double-meat? No
Drink? Yes
Squirt of sauce? Yes


They do cook it to order on a huge grill right in front of you, so it took a little time while I just stood there waiting for it to be done. They plop a generous portion in a styrofoam box, and you grab it up and dig in.

I gotta say, I wasn't super impressed. Yes, it's mall food, but the teriyaki seemed so mediocre. So bland. So generic. Nothing special here. It almost had a charred taste, so I had a few bites, but didn't even finish it. I think I'd check out the other options if they're available next time.

Grade: C

I noticed a new small restaurant in Mercer Mall recently, and the first thing that struck me is that this area LOVES naming their restaurants after the sun (Cafe Soleil, Sunny Days and now Cafe de Sunny). The interior actually looks nicer than many of the other restaurants at the mall, and this one actually has a dine-in area.

It was staffed by some young high school girls, who quite frankly weren't well-versed in customer service. I walked up to the front, waited for a minute or so before anybody even acknowledged me. Then, as though I had just beaten her puppy, a girl asked what I wanted. They claim to have homemade chili, so I ordered two West Virginia hotdogs - chili, slaw, mustard and onions.

I noticed the girl put ONE glove on, the one which she scooped the condiments with, and she held my two hotdogs with her bare hand. Uh, think you have that backwards sweetheart. The real kicker was that she had a Band-aid on her finger, and it was slightly touching my hotdog. That was enough to turn my stomach. Why not put the glove on the hand that's actually TOUCHING the hotdog? Not the one that has a condiment utensil between it? Anyway.

I also got a bag of Fritos. I looked over their ice cream bar, but decided against it due to sanitary reasons. I reluctantly ate some of the hotdog, but couldn't get the thought of her touching it out of my head, so I threw most of it away. What I did taste was good, though. The chili actually tasted pretty good. Not good enough for me to continue, though.

Grade: D

Cafe Mojo has taken the place of so.zo at the top of High Street. It's a local coffee shop with some comfy chairs and a laidback atmosphere. It's dimly lit and has a counter at the front for people-watchers as well as a room full of leather armchairs and local art. A chalkboard showcases their featured javas. They also have a case full of pastries - some of which were from a bakery in Uniontown.

I saw a cookies & cream smoothie, which sounded interesting. I handed over a couple bucks in exchange for this icey beverage. We took our drinks back to the room and chatted for a while. A few other folks were working on their laptops and making small chat.

It was an odd combination - usually cookies & cream is, well, creamy and decadent. This was icey. It was unique, but it was good. Unfortunately, we got kicked out a little early because they had to do some touch-up painting. Otherwise, I could see myself hanging out here during breaks in the day.

Grade: B