South Ridge Church held its inaugural Biscuit and Gravy bowl at Capitol Market today. It served as a fundraiser, as well as a fun community gathering to celebrate one of Appalachia's most beloved dishes. There were 10 competitors total, with most making biscuits and gravy, but others made other breakfast staples. TICKERS & TIMBERS BOARDHOUSE CHARCUTERIE
This brunch board was beautiful. The little pancake platter was adorable, and they did have a small sample of the biscuits and gravy. ROMEO'S GRAVYYY
This chipped beef gravy was a family recipe and favorite amongst the crowd. RAISED IN ROANE
These FBLA students made a tomato gravy, which is creative and a nice counterbalance to all of the others. COG TATERS
These cheesy potatoes, I learned, are found at many church events. And, I can see why. They are delicious! Buttery, cheesy, potato. Yes. SAM'S UPTOWN CAFE
The smoked paprika flavor gave this gravy a yellow-orange hue. It had some heat, and I think it ended up being the crowd favorite of the day. BAR 101 | ICHIBAN
A wonderful mix between traditional and creative. There was a biscuit and hash crumble with a green chili and Angelo's sausage gravy. Wow. BOGEY'S AT CAPITOL MARKET
maybe the most traditional of the bunch, with a light pepper heat. A nice homemade biscuit. ISLAND FOOD SHOP
A sweet Jamaican porridge with a jerk sausage biscuit made for a new spin on the classic that was super tasty. THE ZWICK GROUP
chocolate gravy! What a neat and different addition to the competition. DAD BOD BISCUITS
A more traditional biscuits and gravy with a very thick gravy.


Judge's Winners:
1. Sam's Uptown Cafe
2. Romeo's Gravyyy

People’s Choice:
1. Sam’s Uptown Cafe
2. Romeo's Gravyyy
3. Island Food Shop

Kids' Choice:
1.Island Food Shop
2. Bogeys at Capitol Market
3. TIE: Ichiban | Bar 101 and Tickers & Timbers

"At Healthberry Farm, we believe in the importance of working with nature to produce the finest products possible. Our varietal honey offerings are raw and come to you straight from the hive, without pasteurization or processing. Honey River meads are aged for two years so they can be bottled without sulfites. Our salves and candles are made with simple ingredients that are good for your body and the air you breathe. We do not add any chemicals, preservatives, colors or additives to any of our products," read the website. They offer tours by appointment, and are only one of a couple meaderies in the state. I visited with my friend Beth to learn a little bit more about the practice and sample some of their offerings. Mead is an ancient wine that predates written language. It is a drink made of honey and water.

Melomel is a mead plus fruit.

Honey River Meads and Melomels are small-batch varietal farmhouse wines, produced in the mountains of West Virginia at Healthberry Farm. As beekeepers, we are generous with our honey, creating a deliciously sweet wine without any refined sugars. We age our wines for two or more years and bottle without added sulfites or chemicals, creating a living wine that has many health benefits. Many of our melomels are collaborations with regional farmers, vineyards and orchards, according to the website.

The following are the wines they offer; availability fluctuates based on the honeys and fruits that have been successful on the years they make the wine, which, like all farming, depends heavily on the weather and the harvest. Most varieties are around 14% alcohol – enjoy in moderation, on a full stomach, and chilled!

Mead

Meads are light-colored “white” wine, excellent chilled or served on ice. While the recipe is the same, the flavor profile will vary depending on which variety of honey is used. Many of our meads are naturally effervescent. Varieties typically available: Basswood, Black Locust, Goldenrod, Tulip Poplar (regular and bourbon barrel-aged, a collaboration with Still Hollow Distillery in Job, WV).

Melomel

Acerglyn (Maple Mead)
Wildflower honey with maple water from Canaan Valley Maple in Davis, WV.

Blueberry Melomel
Tangy Basswood honey with organic blueberries from Blueberry Ridge near Fairmont, WV. A rose-colored wine that presents the spicy basswood flavor in a subtle fruity profile.

Cyser (apple cider) (also available as bourbon barrel-aged Cyser)
Dark, rich wildflower honey with cider pressed from estate-grown apples.

Elderberry Melomel
Dark and complex Tulip Poplar honey with wild harvested elderberries.

Peach Melomel
Tangy Goldenrod honey and estate-grown peaches. A golden wine with a pronounced peach kiss and unique floral zest from the Goldenrod honey.

Perry (pear melomel) (also available as bourbon barrel-aged Perry)
Light spring wildflower honey and a blend of estate-grown pears. We sometimes have the bourbon-barrel aged Perry, a collaboration with Still Hollow Distillery in Job, WV.

Pyment (grape melomel)
Tulip Poplar honey and Chambourcin grapes from Shapar Pond Vineyard, in Ellicott City, MD. Pyment is a sweet, rich, dark red-colored wine most similar to a port, and pairs perfectly with an equally fine meal. Produced in honor of Ben’s mentor, the late Frank Androzci of Little Hungary Farm Winery in Buckhannon, WV. While some of the meads are sweet, as one might suspect, others, such as the peach, are actually quite dry. The elderberry is one that is only offered on site, so I had to grab a bottle of it. I also thought the barrel aged meads were unique, so I took one of those home as well. Have you been?

China Star is a buffet & takeout restaurant in Beaver that offers standard Chinese-American fare. I found myself in the area after hunting for one of the newest Almost Heaven swings that was installed at Glade Springs. I ordered a honey chicken with white rice and a roast pork eggroll. The chicken was the same white meat type you'd find in a chicken & broccoli dish. It's like flatter, moist and tender. The sauce was very sweet; no heat. But no real texture to speak of, either. The eggroll was basic; I miss great eggrolls (like Chin's in Charleston). Crab cheese rangoons = average. Grade: B

After my yearlong adventure through West Virginia to try all the Tudor's Biscuit World locations, I had my fill for quite some time. But, when I found myself in Williamson in need of breakfast, I discovered a Tudor's just down the road - even though it's technically in another state. I ordered a blueberry muffin, which I'm not sure whether they make in-house or not. But it was good. The top was a bit hard, but overall moist and sweet. Grade: B

There are so many food crazes out there that it's hard to keep track! One I stumbled upon on Instagram is "tanghulu," which is a Chinese candied fruit.

At the recent Filipino festival in town, I learned about Candy Fruit Queen here locally who is making candied fruit, and I knew I needed to try it.

I messaged her and ordered the Queenie Duo, which comes with two pineapple rings and grapes. You can get one of a variety of flavors: peaches & cream, blue lagoon, caramel apple, galaxy blue raspberry and more. I went with the last one.

These are frozen fruits with a thick candy coating. They are unique and oddly refreshing and super duper sweet. Fun to try!