Sovereign Remedies is a restaurant that focuses on mixed craft drinks and organic food.




The term Sovereign Remedies was discovered while reading about the great history of the Appalachian Mountains. As the area did not allow for easy access many families found and created their own medicine; this proprietary knowledge was know as each family’s Sovereign Remedy. This concept fuses perfectly with our ethos in that the cherished bottles those early settlers filled with local medicinal herbs to care for themselves and their families reflects the way we bring together the local bounty of the Appalachian region to care for our guests and visitors, our own Sovereign Remedy.

 

I went for brunch to get a quick bite.


Carnitas Fries caught my eye - slow-roasted pork shoulder, avocado, cilantro, creme fraiche, cojita cheese and a sunnyside up egg.


It's not something I'd typically go for, but it was great to pick at for brunch and get some smokey flavors.

My latest column in the Charleston Gazette-Mail:

What do pepperoni rolls, Big Macs and Primanti Brothers sandwiches have in common?

It’s not that they’re all tasty. Try again.

The common thread among these three foods is that they are all inspired by workers in Appalachian industries — whether that’s coal miners or steel workers.

In these tough working environments, lunch options can be limited. Maybe that means people can’t leave for a meal, or maybe that means they have only a short period to eat.

These foods are products of their environment. They’ve been inspired by needs and appetites of Appalachian workers. And the result is, indeed, quite tasty.


Pepperoni rolls

Many people emigrated from Calabria, Italy, to north-central West Virginia to work in the coal mines in the late 1800s and early 1900s. And they brought along food from home: cured meats, fresh bread, etc.

So, oftentimes, a lunch in West Virginia coal mines consisted of those same foods. Sometime between 1927 and 1938, Giuseppe Argiro — who once worked in the coal mines — commercialized a new concept of combining those two ingredients.

And the pepperoni roll was born. It became a portable, shelf-stable meal that could be eaten with just one hand and would last all day long in a lunch pail in the coal mines.

The pepperoni roll has since taken on a life of its own and is enjoyed by all. New takes on the pepperoni roll include adding cheese, peppers, sauce and more. But many of those reasons that allowed for its rise in popularity continue to propel it forward: It’s perfect for road trips, tailgating and lunchtime snacks, making it West Virginia’s unofficial food.

Big Macs

Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles and onions on a sesame seed bun. That iconic McDonald’s sandwich was created right here in Appalachia.

The Big Mac debuted in 1967 in the Great Pittsburgh area. Jim Delligatti, who operated several McDonald’s restaurants in the area, invented the sandwich in the kitchen of his Ross Township location and debuted it at his Uniontown restaurant. By 1968, the sandwich went nationwide, according to Reader’s Digest.

The inspiration for the sandwich came from none other than the local industry: steel. During the 1960s, legend says many of Delligatti’s customers were steel workers who had just spent a long day laboring at the steel mills. A simple cheeseburger wasn’t enough to satisfy their appetites, so he began experimenting with two patties — and eventually leading to the sauce, lettuce, pickles and onion.

And, that wasn’t Appalachia’s only contribution to the fast-food giant. Delligatti also helped develop the restaurant’s breakfast menu, according to Business Insider. He fed steel workers who had just finished overnight shifts hotcakes and sausage meals.


Pittsburgh sandwiches

The giant sandwiches that are topped with meat, provolone cheese, thick-cut French fries and vinegar-based coleslaw all stacked between two slices of Italian bread are a Pittsburgh specialty.

Most notably served at Primanti Brothers, these sandwiches are rumored to have been made for steel workers in the 1930s so busy steel workers could quickly have an entire meal, all in one sandwich, quickly and easily. Others claim it was created for truck drivers — but, either way, the sentiment remains the same.

Food is such an integral part of our culture that it’s influenced by our daily life and industry. These foods have been created around our work lives, and their very existence is rooted in our place and our labor.

G.D. Ritzy's is a fast-food chain that has mostly gone to the wayside, with the exception of a location in Huntington.



G.D. Ritzy's specializes in their burgers, shoestring fries and ice cream.


And I decided to run through their drive thru.


The menu had some nice options, and I went with a strawberry milkshake.



Plus a small order of shoestring fries.


And a cheeseburger that had pickles, lettuce and was overall tasty.

I told you doughnut culture is a ~ thing ~.


So much so that Dawn and I had to try another doughnut shop: Vortex Doughnuts.


This shop has a ton of different flavors, including Cream Cheese Raspberry, Espresso and the Vortex, with cinnamon, sugar and chocolate.


But the one that was calling my name was "salted caramel."


It's crazy how different donuts can taste.


This one was also good - but so much more different. It's much more uniform in shape, and the flavor was good. And sticky.

Sam's Hot Dog Stand is a local hot dog shop that has locations all through the Metro Valley and beyond.


These hot dogs are well-known in the area - especially if they're West Virginia style: chili, slaw, mustard and onions.


And while driving through Huntington, I saw a Sam's location with a drive thru! So I whipped around and stopped at the window.




One hot dog with everything was just what I needed!