Covenant House's Chef's Challenge featured a gourmet, sit-down, multi-course meal prepared by local celebrity chefs. Each dish uses food typically found in the food pantry—that’s the challenge! It was a wonderful evening for an even better cause. Here are some of thosw tasty bites: HORS D'OEUVRES

Bulgogi Blini with Pickled Cabbage Slaw (Korean)

Spicy Tuna Bites (Japanese-American)

White Bean and Sausage Soup with Kale Chips (Italian)

Creamy Collard Green Dip Crostini (Southern-American)

Chef Mandy Gum & Students, Carver Career Center Roasted Vegetable Display

Chef Betty Reed, Embassy Suites SOUP

Butternut Squash Bisque

Chef Dennis Harris, Sleepy Hollow Golf Club SALAD

Fried Green Tomato Salad

Chef Keith Jackson, Black Sheep Burrito and Brews VEGETARIAN ENTRÉE

Wild Mushroom Lasagna

Chef Evan Wilson, Fazio's MEAT ENTREE

Roasted Stuffed Chicken with Wild Rice and Almonds Glazed with a Moonshine Plum Sauce on a bed of Collard Greens

Chef Todd Jones and Chef Dan Smith, Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center DESSERT

Antipasto - Caprese Salad

Primo - Spaghetti & Meatballs

Dolce - Tiramisu Reimagined

Chef Morgan Morrison, Rock City Cake Company Bruleed Pumpkin Upside Down Mini Cakes Chef

Teri Blevins, Lil' Bit of Heaven Cupcakes

The first-ever Pickle Palooza took over Charleston’s Slack Plaza on Saturday, Sept. 20, filling the afternoon with free samples, music, games, and plenty of pickle-themed fun. The event celebrated the growing popularity of pickled and fermented foods, a trend that has inspired festivals in cities across the country. Pittsburgh’s Picklesburgh, which recently marked its 10th year and earned national recognition as a top specialty food event, was one example that helped set the stage for Charleston’s version. Attendees sampled offerings from local businesses: Fernbank Public House & 1010 Bridge Capitol Market - Garlic dill pickle chips made with local pickling cucumbers. Fresh dill, dill seed, elephant garlic, JQ Dickinson salt, peppercorn, sugar, white vinegar and water. Chef Evan - Pickled cauliflower & dilly beans Coco’s - Spicy bread & butter pickles with Gritt's Farm pickling cucumbers, Patriot Guarden's spicy pepper blend, star anise and ginger.

Dem 2 Brothers - Smoky apple butter pickle Fife Street Brewing - Regular or spicy pickles Gritt’s Farm - local cucumbers The Laport Café T&M Meats/WV Brickoven Bistro - pickle pizza Ellen’s even served pickle ice cream. Fife served pickle lemonade. Guests voted for their favorite in the People’s Choice category, while Mayor’s Choice and Judges’ Choice winners were also selected.

🏆 Mayor’s Choice – Coco's Kitchen & Cafe
🏆 Judge’s Choice – 1010 Bridge Restaurant & Catering
🏆 People’s Choice – T & M Meats

There were pickle games, music by The Chucktown Allstars and The Charleston Rogues, and pickle art. The festival was organized by Arts Amplified, the group behind City Center Live at Slack Plaza. The celebration was free and open to the public.

Carver Culinary Arts hosted an alumni dinner at Capitol Market this evening. The event featured more than a dozen alumni from Carver Career and Technical Center’s Culinary Arts Program, who now cook at some of the region’s top restaurants. Those include 1010 Bridge, Ristorante Abruzzi, The Pitch, Ellen’s Homemade Ice Cream, Dancing Dog Ice Cream Café and Sleepy Hollow Golf Club. AMUSE

Savory Chicken Mousse, Leek Pavé, Lemon-Apple Gel, Crispy Herb Cracker

Justin Rieve & Quentin Bartlett • Sleepy Hollow Golf Club STARTER

Chicken Galantine with Figs, Country Ham & Chestnuts, Sweet Potato Pommes Anna, Mache, Mulberry Gastrique

Buck Samples, Nick Morris, Beck Huffman • 1010 Bridge • Paulie's SALAD

Arugula & Spinach Salad with Butternut Squash, Radish, Cucumber, Bacon-Maple Vinaigrette, Garlic-Herb Croutons

Michael Masterson • 1010 Bridge FISH

Monkfish, Creamy Tomato Sauce, Leek Confit, Capers Tapenade, Fried Anchovy

Ligia Rizzo & Hollind Zamora • Ristorante Abruzzi MAIN

Soy-Braised Short Rib, Coconut Arancini, Carrot-Ginger Purée, Pickled Ramp Medley

Travis Oliver, Adrean Oliver, Cordell Gilliam • 1010 Bridge AMUSE

Mini Blood Orange Tart, Lemon Mascarpone Mousse, Raspberry Coulis

Cydny Latta • Dancing Dog Ice Cream Cafe Hillary Haslebacher • Ellen's Homemade Ice Cream DESSERT

Coffee Cake, Poached Pear, Vanilla Pastry Cream, Salted Caramel Mousse, Nut Crumble, Pear Fluid Gel, Tuile

Presley Cunningham, Krystal Stowers, Sam Reid • Ristorante Abruzzi

My latest column in the Charleston Gazette-Mail:

Tucked along the Allegheny River in western Pennsylvania, Natrona Bottling Company has been quietly preserving a fizzy slice of history for nearly 120 years.

Founded in 1904 in the mill town of Natrona, the company is one of the last surviving independent bottlers in the country still making soda the old-fashioned way.

For generations, its iconic Red Ribbon line of sodas and specialty flavors have carried forward a distinctly Appalachian story — one of resilience, craftsmanship and community.

Natrona Bottling began at a time when Appalachia’s industrial towns were booming with steel mills, coal operations and glass factories. Soda was both a luxury and a symbol of modern convenience, and local bottlers popped up to meet demand.

Unlike the sweeping national brands that would later dominate the market, Natrona’s early success came from its devotion to local tastes and its ties to the working-class communities in Pennsylvania’s Appalachian foothills. Their product wasn’t mass-produced; it was handcrafted, carbonated with genuine dry ice, and bottled in glass that could be reused again and again.

One of Natrona’s most enduring contributions has been its devotion to tradition. While Coca-Cola and Pepsi embraced high-fructose corn syrup and automated bottling decades ago, Natrona held fast to pure cane sugar and the hands-on methods that set it apart.

That commitment to craft resonates deeply in Appalachia, a region where hand-made, small-batch and family-driven enterprises have long defined the cultural landscape.

Just as Appalachian quiltmakers or fiddlers preserve traditions through practice rather than mass production, Natrona Bottling treats each batch of soda like an heirloom passed down through generations. The company’s longevity is a testament to the Appalachian ethic of doing more with less, surviving downturns and valuing authenticity over scale.

Natrona’s flagship line, Red Ribbon, is a love letter to regional taste buds. Classics like cherry, root beer, and ginger ale evoke the soda fountains and corner stores that dotted Appalachian towns throughout the 20th century.

More adventurous offerings, like their Jamaica’s Finest Ginger Beer, cater to those who crave bold spice and a nostalgic burn. Red Ribbon Cherry Supreme is another popular choice.

Natrona’s sodas made their way through coal towns, steel mill camps and general stores across the upper Appalachian region, traveling along rail lines and winding roads.

Like much of Appalachia, Natrona’s surrounding community suffered from deindustrialization as steel mills closed and jobs disappeared. Many local businesses shuttered, unable to compete with corporate giants.

But Natrona doubled down on its heritage. They leaned into their identity as one of the few authentic bottlers left, catering not just to nostalgic locals but also to a growing national audience of craft soda enthusiasts. In doing so, they mirrored the Appalachian narrative of resilience — finding ways to endure in a changing economy by leaning on authenticity and tradition.

Natrona Bottling remains as a symbol. It represents the endurance of small family businesses in a region often defined by economic struggle. It embodies the Appalachian value of holding tight to heritage while still adapting to new audiences.

More than just a soda, Natrona is a story—one that bubbles up from Appalachia’s industrial past and carries its flavors forward into the present. It’s proof that tradition, when cared for and celebrated, can be as refreshing and enduring as the first sip from a glass bottle on a hot day.

A Moose Lodge is a local chapter of the Loyal Order of Moose, a fraternal and service organization that was founded in the late 1800s. The lodges function a bit like community centers, combining social, charitable, and recreational activities. Members pay dues to join and, in return, gain access to lodge facilities, events, and a network of fellow Moose members. The St. Albans location recently hosted a karaoke contest that my friend Erin competed in, and I joined her to support. Bonus: the Moose Lodge also serves food. They have a set menu of chicken tenders, corn dogs, hot dogs, hot wings, fries, pizza, burgers, jalapeño, poppers, fried bologna, pulled pork and mozzarella sticks. On this particular night, they had a dinner special, which consisted of a salad, lasagna and garlic bread. I learned to place an order - cash only - at the side of the bar. Then, they bring it out. The homemade lasagna came out hearty and satisfying, with plenty of layers of noodles, sauce, and cheese. The side salad was simple and crisp, offering a light balance to the richness of the pasta, and the garlic bread was nicely toasted with a buttery finish. It made for a good, filling meal. Grade: B