Food With a Mission: Cafe Appalachia Charleston, WV

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Cafe Appalachia
206 D Street
South Charleston, WV 25303
https://cafeappalachia.org/

Farm –to-Table | $

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Cafe Appalachia has two locations in Charleston, WV. We visited the south location near our hotel. The two nonprofit cafes are part of a broader organization called Pollen8,  which is dedicated to helping women break the cycle of addiction. Their mission statement is to “inspire West Virginians to change the narrative around Substance Use Disorder. Our goal is the reintegration of women in recovery back into society. We do so through economic development, education, employment training, and teaching basic life skills.”

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It’s located in an old church, with a funky vibe throughout the place.

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My first cup of coffee for the day was wonderful.

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I chose the biscuits and sausage gravy. The gravy had a great consistency and light spice to it that blended well with the sausage’s sweetness.

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My wife had what she described as the best breakfast quiche she has had.

RemasterDirector_1a5c03258They have a large garden next to the restaurant that was mostly bedded down for the winter. The menu is seasonal with much of their ingredients coming from the garden.

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During winter months, some growing takes place in the cafe. Here, they are starting greens for salads.

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They have a small greenhouse for herbs, microgreens, and some flowers.

Each cafe location is open from 7:30 am to 2 pm, Monday through Saturday. The staff at the Southern Charleston location was wonderful. They were kind and open to telling us all about the cafe and their mission. We got a tour of the greenhouse where the young lady opened the door and said “Good morning, I love you” to the plants. If you’re lucky, you will go about your day, and every once in a while, you’ll meet someone who doesn’t have a job; they have a calling.

The food is fantastic and ridiculously cheap. If you live in or are passing through the Charleston, WV area make a point to stop for lunch or breakfast. You’ll be treating yourself to great food and supporting a worthy cause while getting to meet some great people.