Smelling a pot of pinto beans slowly simmering on a stove while impatiently waiting for a pan of cornbread to come out of the oven steaming hot, evokes memories of family history. It’s called comfort food for good reasons. Every old-fashioned homemade recipe is seasoned with love. Whether it’s love for a family member who’s recipe is passed down to generations, love for the process of preparing something special from scratch, or sharing a traditional home cooked meal with loved ones after church, however you serve it–food is love!  

My crew and I love meeting people as we travel throughout West Virginia and all across the country. We spend a lot of time on the road together. Each town has something special for us to enjoy and remember. Not the least of which is the variety of homemade recipes people have prepared for us.  As we gather to break bread with our new family of friends, a sense of familiarity runs through us. The distance diminishes and we begin to feel more at home on the road. That’s the kind of real comfort food provides for us.

Food also brings us together. Knowing that we matter to you means a lot to us. When a secret family recipe is shared, it connects us to what’s important to you. It makes perfect sense that the kitchen is considered the heart of every home because that’s where the food is. Here’s some food for thought. In this hurry up and get ‘er done world, when someone shares a recipe with you, take time to thank them for sharing it sincerely. Or share the love and write the recipe on a recipe card. Good food is definitely worth sharing and THANK YOU for sharing it with us.  

Work Hard. Be Kind. Take Pride.

— Mark Bowe