The Covenant House, which was founded in in 1981 to help people with the fewest resources meet their basic needs: food, clothing and shelter, is hosting a fundraising event to benefit people in the community.

The 9th Annual Chef's Challenge is a tapas-style dine around prepared by 16 local chefs who will prepare dishes made with food typically found in the Covenant House's food pantry. Vegetarian items will be available.

The following chefs will be participating:


The event will be held Tuesday, March 26 from 5:30-8 p.m. at the Clay Center. The event is open seating with a limited number 10-tops available by or request. Contact Angie Douglas at 304-344-8053 x 22 for more. Tickets are $125 for one or $225 for two. Raffle tickets for a Mark Blumenstein Sculpture are available for $10.

So, I'm excited to attend this event to sample delicious food from talented chefs, all while helping eradicate hunger, homelessness and create well-being in the Charleston and greater Kanawha Valley with Covenant House.

Buckle up, because I have a story for you.

A Sazerac is a strong drink with sugar, rye whiskey, herbsaint, bitters and lemon. It's a signature of New Orleans, and most people say you must try it at The Sazerac Bar in the Roosevelt Hotel.

So, we took an Uber to the corner where it was located, saw the sign that said "Roosevelt" and strolled in.

We strolled into the Roosevelt Hotel Bar, NOT The Sazerac Bar in the Roosevelt Hotel. The former is a bit more rough-around-the-edges dive bar while the latte is the classy place known for the drink. We didn't realize this until we were half a Sazerac deep and a local was describing the area to us.

I proceeded to finish my (very strong) drink so I could have another at the bar next door.

Cochon was one of my splurges while in New Orleans. It's a bit pricy, but it's totally worth it. The restaurant focuses on southern cajun cooking, and it was one of the first reservations I made.

Say hi to Kaitlynn!

AT COCHON, CHEF LINK HAS RECONNECTED WITH HIS CULINARY ROOTS, SERVING THE TRADITIONAL CAJUN SOUTHERN DISHES HE GREW UP WITH. CHEF LINK AND CHEF/CO-OWNER STEPHEN STRYJEWSKI ARE WORKING WITH LOCALLY SOURCED PORK, FRESH PRODUCE AND SEAFOOD, FOCUSING ON TRADITIONAL METHODS, CREATING AUTHENTIC FLAVORS OF CAJUN COUNTRY.

First, we started with these fresh, hot rolls that were unreal. I even convinced Kaitlynn (anti-carb) to eat one!

Then, it was fried alligator with chili garlic mayonnaise. If I didn't think about it, this tasted good. It was similar to chicken, but maybe a bit more firm.

Then, I had to try fried boudin. It's loose mix of ground pork (which includes liver, heart, kidney, blood), rice, onions, and seasonings molded into a ball, breaded and deep-fried. It is in line with "whole hog butchery" so none of the scraps go to waste.

And, it was really tasty! The texture threw me off for a second because it's similar to raw beef, but the flavor was delicious.

Finally, I tried the chicken and andouille gumbo. You can't go to New Orleans and not try gumbo. It has a very deep, rich flavor.


And this was Kaitlynn's, which I believe is fried livers.

Overall, a really fun dinner experimenting with new dishes and trying new things. Every single thing was new to me - and that's exactly how I like it!

Mother's Restaurant is an old-school spot in New Orleans that claims "World's Best Baked Ham."

There was a bit of a line outside, which stretched down the walkway. And, once you got inside, it wrapped around the dining room until finally getting to the counter where you can order.

Once we were inside, I looked over the menu and wanted to try a little bit of everything.

I thought I could get a sampling of that in their "Famous Ferdi Special" po'boy, which has ham, roast beef, the original debris with au jus gravy. I also got a side of "Jerry's Jambalaya."

Once we took our seats, we waited for the food to arrive.





The sandwich is pretty big - even the small. The meats are roasted fresh in restaurant ovens and carved on site. served on New Orleans french bread. But mustard was good to add a little zing.

The jambalaya had a bit of a kick, and it was so, so good! Definitely add this as a side if you're here.

What's your favorite dish here?

There is just something so special and sweet about little coffee shops and bakeries. I just can't resist when I pass by one. That was the case with Envie.

I went for a frappe cafe au lait, which was just SO good.

And, I was able to (barely) resist all these goodies!