Recovery Roasters is based in Huntington and uses single origin coffee to support addiction recovery.

Here's a bit more about them via the Marshall student newspaper:

Michaela Marshall, a junior double-majoring in nursing and psychology has been roasting coffee since January, and began her small business, Recovery Roasters, in June.

“I wanted to allow other people [to] love my coffee as much as I do,” Marshall said. “I named [the business] Recovery Roasters to allude that our profit goes towards helping those struggling with addiction who don’t have insurance or what they need.”

Recovery Roasters is a nonprofit, and Marshall says that all proceeds are divided between obtaining what she needs to maintain her business and going towards the betterment of the local recovery community.

“The rest goes into a scholarship fund that adults can apply for if they walk into the clinics we are partnered with,” Marshall said. “Whatever funds are in the account at the time go towards their treatment cost or getting what they need such as toiletries or diapers for their kids.”

Marshall said she is passionate about sharing her love for roasting coffee, and the process of doing so.

“I order the unroasted coffee beans from a third party who gets them directly from the farmers in Mexico and Ethiopia,” Marshall said. “They ship them to me in a burlap sack where I measure out portions of the beans, and put them in the roaster where they are heated and rotated until the desired color and strength.”

Marshall said after she roasts the beans, she cools them immediately by placing them in a sifter to preserve the quality.

She said the beans are then kept for 24 hours and packaged for orders.

“Orders can be a light, medium, or dark roast and either ground or whole bean,” Marshall said. “Our most popular coffee is the Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, and my personal favorite is the Mexico La Laja.”

Marshall said the Ethiopian Yirgacheffe is a smooth roast with a note of lemon and hint of dried blueberries, and the Mexico La Laja is sweet with mild orange acidity and hint of chocolate.

“Right now, Recovery Roasters is just online through our website and social media,” Marshall said. “I would love to keep growing and expanding in the places where the coffee is sold.”

Sometimes it's not a restaurant that is the gathering place of a community - but a convenience shop.



That idea is what drew me to Olin's Day and Night Market. They are kind of a one-stop-shop that has a little bit of everything from packaged food and coolers to beer and produce.



They did have a few packaged sandwiches, which I grabbed for lunch. A ham and American cheese sandwich would have been better if there was cheddar - but for a quick sandwich, it's not bad at all. There were some communal condiments at the bottom, which I declined but did add some packets of mayo, which gave it a bit more moisture and flavor. 



Grade: B

In my never-ending quest to try a new restaurant every time I dine out, I come across lots of little-known spots like bars & grills.



That's the case with Billy Sunday's in Hurricane. There are lots of great dining options in Hurricane, but been there, done that. So, when I learned of Billy Sunday's, I wanted to check it out. 



It is a bar & grill, so lots of TVs, some neon lighting and domestic specials. 



I went with two apps: cheese cubes and pepperoni rolls. Pepper jack cheese balls are one of my weaknesses. Why is a fried little bit of spicy cheese SO GOOD. It just is. So much better than mozzarella sticks or any other fried cheese. These particular ones were a little over done, so the cheese wasn't nice and melty - it kinda shrunk a bit into a hard casing. Still better that cheese sticks. 



The pepperoni rolls were a nice rendition. I liked that they had ample parmesan on top and had a side of marinara. I only would've stuffed a bit more cheese inside those swirls of pepperoni. I guess I was really on a cheese kick on this particular day. Still delicious; more cheese would take it to the next level.



Grade: B

There's a cute little building in Point Pleasant on 1st & Main that I've always wanted to see something cool open up in - and recently 1st & Main Burgers & Fries did just that.  



The burger (and fries) joint has a walk-up window for you to place your order and park benches outside to enjoy your meal.



The menu  features smashburgers with a variety of toppings. The weirdest one to me - which of course is the one I ordered - was "The All 4-1 Burger" which included a burger, hot dog, hot dog sauce, onion an American cheese.



The hot dog was split open, which made sense for the burger. I was wondering how it was all going to come together. So instead of fighting as the main protein, the hot dog just seemed more like a topping - like bacon. The burger was a little extra crispy, but I liked it overall. 



My friend went with The Main Classic, which was standard with lettuce, tomato, mayo, ketchup, pepperjack cheese and fried onions. I snuck a bite and enjoyed this one one, too. Both pretty straight-forward, decent homecooked burgers. 

Grade: B

My latest column for the Charleston Gazette-Mail:

Spicebush begins to flower in late winter or early spring. The leaves sprout in mid-spring. Green fruit begins growing by late spring.

And right now, the oblong fruit starts ripening - turning bright, shiny red and continuing throughout late summer.

Spicebush, also known as “Lindera benzoin,” is a shrub common throughout Appalachia that has edible twigs, buds, flowers, leaves, and unripe and ripe fruit.

The most concentrated flavor, though, is in those red berries that are ripening as we speak. Or read.

It is an intensely aromatic berry that is sweet and reminiscent of allspice. In fact, spicebush is often called “poor man’s allspice.” Think of cinnamon, nutmeg, pepper and clove notes.

For those reasons, spicebush - which can be used fresh or dried - goes well with fruits and baked goods: peach cobbler, apple pie, etc.

Native Americans used the twigs, shoots and bark to make tea, as well as to season and flavor their food. It has also long been used as a folk remedy for blood problems, sweating, colds, fevers, rheumatism and anemia.

European settlers incorporated the spice into their kitchens, and during the American Revolution, it was used as a substitute for allspice.

During the Civil War, soldiers drank spicebush tea as a substitute for coffee when rations were low, which gave off the flavor of a spicy, aromatic black tea.

While spicebush has played an important role in the country’s past, many people nowadays have never heard of it, despite its prevalence of growing wild throughout Appalachia.

Spicebush is not a commonly found spice in grocery stores or even specialty food stores, but it is coveted in farmers markets and the foraging community.

Occasionally, it can be found on the menu of a farm-to-table restaurant with a creative chef. Take, for example, Elwood Restaurant just outside of Philadelphia that serves their “Elwood Blend” tea: spicebush, goldenrod, bee balm, and stinging nettle.

In Franklin, Tennessee, restaurant Chrysalis Modern Italian serves a “Spicebush Manhattan,” which incorporates cardamom and cherry bitters into the classic drink.

If you are a keen observer, you may be able to score yourself some spicebush while out and about in nature. Or, you can go the easier route (ahem, like this writer) and find some dried berries online to purchase.

It may quickly become one of your favorite spices on the shelf due to its versatility - for meat and poultry, pastry and baked goods, fruits and even drinks. And, while using it, you will be carrying on a forgotten Appalachian food tradition.

Passing on these spices and foods to future generations is important to help tell the story of West Virginia’s food culture. Without that shared knowledge, traditions such as these can be lost to time and fade into history.

Try out this new spice to experience a unique flavor and keep the legacy of this historic spice alive for years to come. You may even end up replacing allspice altogether in your spice cabinet.