Have you seen High Country Creamery at the Morgantown Farmers Market?

If not, for one, go see them - they have delicious cheese. But, also, you can check out their brick-and-mortar location in Grantsville.

In 1958 a young 16-year-old voiced the desire to provide an opportunity for jobs that would allow individuals, like his uncles, who were ordinary hard working farmers, to have a retirement and live well.  He has done this successfully as an entrepreneur of another business and now in his retirement, plans to do it again.  Only this time it's cheese. (At 16 years old he also voiced his belief that cheese should be made locally using milk from nearby farms and that he would like to have a cheese plant someday) 

Now he has the added incentive to be able to do it with family, who have the same vision, and a longtime friend who is also retired from his own business.  It's a way of giving back to the community where his dream originated. 

Simply put: to give the common men and women a worthwhile job opportunity where they can excel.  We believe it is more important to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish, so that knowing how to fish he will always have food."

The creamery is amazing - you walk into a shop with tons of local goodies, you can watch them make cheese, and there is a small cafe: Farmers Table Eatery. Here, I got a delicious ice cream cone sourced with local milk.

The butter pecan ice cream was just super smooth, creamy and delicious.

Let's also talk about their cheese for a second. Because I get this stuff ALL the time.

They have a cheesehouse spread, which comes in plain, dill, pepperjack and chive.

They have fresh mozzarella, aged cheddar, feta, "The Rev" - a coffee cheddar, and cheese curds in plain, crabby, dill and pepper jack.

Who doesn't love a good cheese curds? It's the perfect snacking cheese.

You can get most of this at the Morgantown market, but if you want a little day trip, it's fun to go visit the shop.


There is shopping, you can get a bite to eat, and you can see how it gets made. The space is really beautiful, and it's supporting the local folks.


So, go on. Try 'em out. Their new location is awesome.



Grade: A

Each year when the Morgantown Farmers Market starts back up, I try to let folks know of new vendors that are participating.


Now, I am fortunate to actually occupy a position on their board and I work with their marketing. (So, if you don't already follow the Morgantown Farmers Market on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, doooo it.) And, I'm more familiar than ever with the vendors.

Patty's Pastries has been at the market for a couple years now, but I hadn't made a dedicated blog post to her yet.

Because of my sweet tooth, Patty's is always a must-stop for me. Whether that's a glazed donut to go with my morning coffee, a packet of peanut butter fudge or these incredible pepperoni pizza rolls. If you love pepperoni rolls, try this one with ground pepperoni, mozzarella cheese and sauce. SO GOOD.

Patty's has a ton of delicious items to go along with all the fresh produce you get at the market, so be sure to pay her a visit.

It's rare that I make the trek to Maryland for a meal - despite it being pretty close. But, I was meeting with friends nearby, so they suggested The Cornucopia Cafe.

This sweet restaurant has a barn-chic vibe. Lovely wooden floors, giant wooden beans, a stone fireplace, yet delicate white lights and a corrugated steel bar. It's a really lovely space.

The Cornucopia Café serves a fresh menu centered around local food, featuring breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. We’ve gathered our favorite recipes into a scrumptious selection of quiche, panini, fresh pasta, soup, salad and stir-fry, and included a bar with beer, wine and homemade sodas. Visit the to-go counter for specialty coffee and food to take along on your morning commute, or for a satisfying mid-day pick-me-up.
 
Our outdoor seating will provide ample space for your next book club gathering, getting together with friends for a glass of wine or a lunch meeting with colleagues.

The menu has a nice mix of sandwiches, salads, and big plates. There was something called a "Pimento Cheese Wickey," which of course immediately caught my attention. It's a thick spread of their original house specialty pimento cheese between two slices of toasted white bread. I also got a side of the broccoli salad. The sandwich was really tasty! It was SO cheesy and a hint of spicy, but absolutely delish. I love the broccoli salad for some texture, a bit of sweetness and a bit of acidity. Seriously, one good lunch.

Grade: A

So, I know it's a little ridiculous to write about Whole Foods, but hear me out.

1) We have none in West Virginia.

2) It's the flagship store for the company.

Whole Foods Market has proudly served its hometown community in Austin, Texas since 1980! Our Flagship store is located in Downtown Austin at the corner of 6th Street and North Lamar Blvd. Like all Whole Foods Market stores, we are committed to selling the highest quality and largest selection of organic products available on the planet. Our passion for quality doesn't stop with the products we sell. Only the best for our guests! Thank you for choosing to shop with us at Whole Foods Market!

While I'm a big fan of my personal Kroger - and even more so of local groceries - it is interesting to see what folks like Whole Foods are doing.

They had so many bars - there was a mochi bar, there's a huge dessert case including macarons, there were candy bars where you could fill up a bag full of whatever chocolates you wanted, and so much more prepared foods.

Depending on the size and location of the store, our Prepared Foods departments can include a deli, an ethnic restaurant, burger joint, neighborhood diner, Parisian café, pizza joint, BBQ shack, sushi or seafood bar, raw foods bar, taco bar, salad bar, sandwich bar, olive bar and wine bar.

I'm pretty into grab & go options. I'm constantly on the go so making big meals is not feasible for me. So, I love the idea of these bars where you can get a salad or a mediterranean meal or freshly roasted coffee beans.

It definitely all comes at a price, though.



Either way, cool to see the Whole Foods of all Whole Foods.



Where's your favorite place to shop?

Logan has a pretty cool little arts/food scene between Hot Cup Coffee and this bakery - Nu Era Bakery.

Nu Era Bakery is known for their pepperoni rolls, but sadly there weren't available when I went. Instead, I stuffed myself with delicious pastries.



This shop is long and narrow, with a wrap-around case that has all kinds of tasty items - donuts, cookies, cheesecake, pastries and so much more.

Quite a few tables fill the inside of the space, and there's an giant, antique mixer near the front of the store as well as photos and small decor.

Located in Logan, West Virginia, Nu-Era Bakery was established in 1940.  Currently owned and operated by Logan natives Libby and Larry Albright, the bakery still uses the original recipes brought over from Italy in 1920 by the Comoretto family.  Our items are prepared from scratch daily and made to order (ABOUT). 

After taking a look around, I got a jelly-filled donut, potato candy, their specialty pastry which has chocolate icing and white cream "Bismarck", a little mini pecan pie, and a red velvet whoopie pie. I had to hit a certain minimum to use my card, so more pastries for me!

And, of course, they were all delish! My favorites were the jelly-filled donut (because mmmm), and the potato candy. The lady behind the counter thought I was insane when I asked what potato candy was, but the peanut buttery treat was phenomenal.

Have you been? What's your favorite?




Grade:A