I can’t believe it’s already been almost a year’s worth of Emma Eats Appalachia. It’s been so wonderful to share the epicurean side of our region’s culture with YNST readers, and I hope I’ve gotten you as excited as I am about Appalachian food. It really is having a moment. In June 2024, Chef Paul Smith of 1010 Bridge in Charleston, WV, became West Virginia’s first James Beard Award winner, and Appalachia has only become more of a presence in the culinary landscape since then.
For those who might be curious about what exactly Appalachian cooking is, I want to point readers to a brand new cookbook: Seasoned in Appalachia: Delicious Recipes from the Mountains and Hollers by Jimmy Proffitt, out October 28 from global publisher The Quarto Group. Jimmy was born and raised in the Shenandoah Valley and is now a historian at the oldest operating gristmill in the country in Pigeon Forge, TN. Jimmy has been cooking and writing since the age of 15, and this cookbook features recipes influenced by his memories, like Country Ham, Grandma’s WV Hot Dog Chili and My Mother-in-Law’s Chili. Jimmy works against stereotypes of Appalachian masculinity as a man married to a man with his free time spent running his own animal rescue in Pigeon Forge. His writing is infused with gentle warmth, guiding readers through what Appalachia’s seasons mean to him: redbuds, persimmons, dogwood flowers and the changes in his herb garden as the leaves turn.
Proffitt writes: “I read once that a life is to be lived in seasons, and that really resonates with me.” He continues: “We also tell the history of our seasoned life through storytelling, poetry and song. These heal us during heartache and hard times, celebrate the blessed moments, enrich our lives as they entertain us, and educate the generations that come after us.” Jimmy’s work celebrates folk traditions, inter-generational knowledge and ultimately how all good cooking is storytelling.
And of course, it wouldn’t be fall without talking about Halloween! Did you know that the “Paris of Appalachia” has had one of America’s few all-year Halloween bars for almost 30 years? It’s called Jekyl & Hyde on Pittsburgh’s South Side. While the aesthetic is spooky, Jekyl & Hyde resonates with Pittsburgh’s misfits for much of the same reason authors like Stephen King and Anne Rice or films like Scream and Midsommar have such cult followings. When your life is scary, horror is a socially acceptable way to experience catharsis about your fears. A campy bar like Jekyl & Hyde creates an environment where people can express their more macabre side in a safe, fun way.
I also live on the South Side, a neighborhood known for both its rowdy party scene and rich history as a home for German and Eastern European immigrants working in the steel industry. Its main drag, East Carson Street, is one of the longest Victorian main streets in the country. If it seems like I’m hemming and hawing a bit, it’s because in Pittsburgh, if you say you’re from the South Side, you often get a look. Denser, more urban neighborhoods in Appalachian cities often have a reputation, and the fact that the South Side is home to so many bars and young people means that news media paints it as “high-crime and unsafe.”
What’s fascinating about Jekyl & Hyde is that though its atmosphere and décor is spooky, many people often feel safer there than at other bars in the area. Women and more outwardly gender-nonconforming LGBTQ+ people feel more comfortable in Jekyl & Hyde, in keeping with the tradition that the macabre resonates with the marginalized.
Owner Mike Alberter didn’t intend to create a Halloween bar, but he wanted to make his business stand out among the rest of the South Side, and the spooky theme came naturally with the name he picked out. The bar’s most popular drink is the Jac-O-Lantern, a mix of vanilla, orange and whipped cream Smirnoff vodka, but other favorites include the “Coffin Club” with Pink Whitney Vodka, Triple Sec and lemonade, and the “Fang” with Bacardi Pineapple Rum, banana liquor and tropical juice blend. With that last one, you get your own set of vampire fangs to keep. It’s campy and over the top, sure, but the result is a drinking environment where everyone feels comfortable earnestly being themselves. Whether you’re going out on the town for drinks this Halloween or staying in for a cozy night cooking biscuits as the temperature drops, we at YNST hope you’re able to draw from our region’s unique culinary history and present to express yourself.
