Pam Weekes and Connie McDonald created Levain Bakery in 1995. One day, they created an ultimate chocolate chip walnut cookie to give them energy while exercising. They sold a batch in their bakery, and they flew off the shelves - creating an iconic cookie. An icon was born.

"We take our name from the French word for the natural leavening agent made of flour, water and wild yeasts: Levain. In the United States, a levain is more commonly known as a sourdough starter. While Levain Bakery is now best known for the six-ounce cookies, Pam and Connie started their business making artisanal breads for restaurants around New York City. We love that our name continues to honor those roots."



Chocolate Chip Walnut - The cookie that started it all; the signature Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookie is crispy on the outside with a satisfyingly thick and gooey center. Every bite is packed with semi-sweet chocolate chips and chunks of walnuts.

I had to try this one because it is a New York staple. But, I do not love semi sweet chocolate chips because they read very bitter to me so, take those out, and I would love this cookie.



Grade: B

The Charleston Sternwheel Regatta is a five-day long festival along the Kanawha Boulevard. I went to check out some new-to-me spots. But first, the full list of food options:

Bandit BBQ, Baskin Robbins, Bayou Classics, Big Marvs, C&L Concessions, CnC Concession, Carols Soul to Soul, CPAA, Dem 2 Brothers, Diehl's Pig Shack, Family Affair, Fusion Tea, Green Infusion, Hillbilly Mountain Ears, Holy O's, Hot Diggity Dog, JoJo's Tacos, Just Drinks, Kabob Lab, Karubees, Kona Ice, Lobster Trappin, Maw's Country Fixin's, Montanaro, Mr Poppins, Mohawk Cheesecake, Nellitas Cocina, Phatt Daddy's, Rockin Rolls Cinnamon Rolls, Shape Shop, Sherry's Concessions, Sunnyside, Sweet as Hale, The Bean Pot, and Zul's.


Charleston City Police Academy Alumni Association They had hotdogs, pork BBQ, tater tots, fried bologna and tea. I was pretty impressed with this hotdog, which was nicely grilled so there was a good snap on the outside, plus tons of toppings.


Maw's Country Fixins This place features skillet potatoes, steak hoagies, sauerkraut & kielbasa and sausage. I ordered skillet potatoes because I don't know if if I've ever actually seen that on a food truck menu. I mistakenly thought that these would be crispy, but they were very soft and had some peppers and cheese sauce. That cheese sauce seeped out of the container, making this meal a bit messy.


Hillbilly Mountain Ears Roasted corn, funnel cake and lemonade are the specialties here. I ordered a buttered corn on the cob. Sprinkled with garlic-parm, it was super tasty.


Kabab Lab I stopped by here a few times, but they weren't quite ready to serve kababs yet. So, I went with hummus, pita and baklava. Not bad; hopefully I can try the other options in the future.


The Bean Pot Beans, fried potatoes and kraut are the main stars here. But they did have additional items, including fried bologna. This was probably my favorite item from this visit. Brown mustard was a nice touch. Broccoli salad was nice for the hot day.


Sunnyside I had not heard of this food truck before, so I was most excited to try it out. I think I was a bit late for the breakfast options, so I went with the lunch option of a croissant with turkey, bacon and cheese. It would be perfect with a jam or sauce of some sort.


Sweet as Hale Feeze-dried candy - this time including taffy. Can't wait to see how the texture difference can change the flavor.

Gray's Papaya is one of - if not the - most famous hot dog shop in New York City. It was founded in 1973 by Nicholas Gray.



The "papaya" part of the name refers to the papaya fruit drink they sell. They also sell orange, grape, piña colada, coconut champagne and banana daiquiri fruit drinks, all non-alcoholic.



The storefront became famous for its low prices, according to Eater. "From the time of opening until 1999, the restaurant sold hot dogs for 50 cents each. In 1982, the restaurant launched its famed Recession Special — two hot dogs and a papaya juice for $1.95. It’s still offered today, though it now costs $6.45."



The hole-in-the-wall is open 24 hours a day and serves 100% all beef franks.



I ordered the recession special at the counter and quickly moved to grab my order and head out.



It comes with two hot dogs and a tropical drink. Ketchup and ketchup with onions. Warm bun. Thin weenie. Solid lunch.



The drink was right up my alley. Fruity, sweet and just a bit different. I'd like to try the whole lineup.



Grade: A

"Ess-a-Bagel was established in 1976 by Florence and Gene Wilpon and Florence's brother Aaron Wenzelberg. Coming from an Austrian baking family, the art of baking or crafting the perfect bagel came naturally to them. Within two years of opening, Ess-a-Bagel was voted #1 in the Tri-State area, and had attracted a loyal following," reads the website.



The restaurant offers fresh hand-rolled bagels, coffee, pastries, and more. The bagels are the star, though. They are baked fresh daily with no artificial flavors or preservatives.



Big options include plain, poppy, garlic, multigrain, everything, pumpernickel, onion, sesame, salt, cinnamon raisin, whole wheat and whole wheat everything.



Flavored cream cheeses include: Scallion, Vegetable, Herb, Everything Herb, Jalapeno, Olive, Sun Dried Tomato, Avocado Garlic, Raisin Walnut, Banana Nut, Apple Cinnamon, Blueberry, Strawberry, Peach, Chocolate Chip, Red Velvet, Oreo, Rainbow Cookie and Lox Cream Cheese.



There are a number of specialty sandwiches available, and you can choose your bagel. Everything from a lox bagel to a Reuben to chicken parmesan.



I kept it fresh with a BLTA - or bacon, lettuce, tomato and avocado. I had scallion cream cheese on an onion bagel.



This was like the fresh familiarity of a BLT, but with some added flavor punch of the onion, garlic and cream cheese. I could've done with less lettuce because it waters things down a bit for me. But very tasty overall.



Grade: A

"Milk Bar is a sweet (and occasionally savory) shop that’s been turning familiar treats upside down and on their heads, shaking up the dessert scene since 2008. Bon Appetit magazine called us 'one of the most exciting bakeries in the country.'"



Founded by James Beard award-winning pastry chef Christina Tosi, Milk Bar first opened its doors in NYC’s East Village, and soon developed a loyal fanbase, according to its website.



Tosi was profiled on Netflix’s docu-series Chef’s Table, and I really admired the way that she unapologetically shared her love for sweets. A lot of times, chefs tend to look down on sweets or claim they don't enjoy them. But Tosi has a whimsical viewpoint of sweets, which carries over to her restaurant and products.



Popular menu items include the Compost Cookie®, layer cakes with unfrosted sides, Cereal Milk™ Soft Serve, Milk Bar Pie and more.



The Compost Cookie is their original sweet and salty kitchen sink cookie, with chocolate chips in a deep vanilla base, plus Milk Bar’s five recommended food groups: pretzels, potato chips, graham crackers, coffee, oats, and butterscotch.



Thr corn cookie is lacked with salted butter and a sprinkle of sugar. This corn-y cookie is a love letter to Tosi’s family farm, to her grandma’s famous cornbake, to Sunday morning cereal, and, of course, to the wonder of cornbread. Pro tip: use two as the ‘bread’ of a grilled cheese. Yes, really.



Finally - the blueberry & cream - A muffin top disguised as a cookie: mini white chocolate chips and bright, chewy dried blueberry bits suspended in a luscious sugar cookie base. Ideal for breakfast consumption… or any-time-of-day consumption.

These were all so delicious and so fun. I took them back to the hotel I was staying at in the city and savored each bite.



Grade: A