This story is part of a package celebrating the food and culture of Appalachia. We asked each contributor to build a road trip itinerary sharing the best ways to get to know Appalachian food, culture, and history as they see it today. Crystal Good is the publisher of Black by God, a storytelling organization which centers Black stories and experiences in West Virginia. Here, she shares her itinerary for a dream road trip through the Mountain State.
As a sixth-generation West Virginian, home to me is in the landscape, among the trees and 200-million-year-old rocks. There’s plenty to see and even more to taste, and this scenic route will take you north to south.
Start with Lost Creek Farm (104 Sunrise Rd) for the Farm and Forage Supper Club. Every dish and detail Mike Costello and Amy Dawson put together at this pop-up dinner series tells a story about the region’s heritage, from Amy’s handmade linen napkins to the Fat Horse heirloom beans or sweet vinegar pie. Seeing Appalachian food valued and respected like that makes me proud. Also, when the weather is mild, you get to dine outside hearing cows moo; all the quiet sounds of country life provide a different experience than the clutter of a restaurant.
The view looking out from Lost Creek Farm.Photograph by Caroline Tompkins
Longaniza-and-kale hand pies with white-bean cream, for the Farm and Forage Supper Club. Photograph by Caroline Tompkins
Chef Amy Dawson.Photograph by Caroline Tompkins
A pepper plant at Lost Creek Farm.Photograph by Caroline Tompkins
The next day, head to the capital city, Charleston, for lunch at Phat Daddy’s on Da Tracks (480 Railroad Ave). Cameron Cordon opened this take-out spot during the pandemic; it’s also a cooperative, which is pretty progressive—especially in an area where few Black businesses have had the chance to succeed. The fried whiting is my absolute favorite. I like ’em on white bread with hot sauce. Wrap it up in aluminum so the bread gets a little sticky in there, hand it over, and I’m happy. Afterward, for your health, walk the Sunrise Carriage Trail (46 Myrtle Rd). The panoramic view at the top will give you a true snapshot of urban Appalachia.
Phat Daddy’s on the Tracks.Photograph by Caroline Tompkins
Sunrise Carriage Trail.Photograph by Caroline Tompkins
The foodies are gonna get mad at me for suggesting a chain, but before you leave town, stop by Tudor’s Biscuit World (multiple locations). I mean, it’s a biscuit world. The menu is funny: the Dottie, the Tootie, the Rocket; the Politician is a bologna sandwich. Everyone here grows up on Tudor’s. If you see the sign (and you will—it’s quintessential West Virginia), go through the drive-through and get you a biscuit.
Fifteen minutes west, you’ll find Rice Bowl (121 Goff Mountain Rd, Cross Lanes), an American Chinese restaurant and local institution. It’s one of those places where you go with the whole family for any occasion: birthdays, graduations; we even went there after my grandmother’s funeral. It’s modest and understated on the inside and the outside, and the food is good, hot, and consistent. Surprisingly, alongside the American Chinese classics, they serve a very regional dish too: cabbage soup with hush puppies. It’s spicy, so it’ll clear you. This used to be a staple at two bygone steakhouses in St. Albans—my hometown. No one knows how Rice Bowl got the recipe. We like that mystery.
Next is the longest leg of this trip—but it’s worth it. Make your way about three and a half hours south and go for a hike at Dolly Sods Wilderness in Monongahela National Forest. Sphagnum bogs, rocky plateaus, and huckleberry plains give way to some 47 miles of trails. You’ll feel like you’re on a different planet there. Refuel with the fried shrimp and dirty rice at Southern Kitchen WV (2285 Beverly Pike Suite 3), a Black-women-owned soul food restaurant adored in nearby Elkins.
