This past spring, when curious residents of Charleston, WV, poured into Goldenrod Kitchen on its opening day, they may not have expected to be greeted by its owner, Nola Todd, a 21-year-old entrepreneur and self-proclaimed “Appalachian princess.”
“My favorite things have been people saying stuff like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is just what Charleston needed,’ or ‘I went to somewhere exactly like this in Nashville,’ or just seeing people come in to eat,” Nola said. “It’s just so validating. Every entrepreneur’s biggest fear is that if they open a brick-and-mortar, or whatever they do, nobody’s going to buy it or nobody’s gonna show up.”
Since then, she’s been working around 60 to 70 hours a week, with days in the restaurant lasting around 10 to 12 hours, between prep work, baking and managing her patrons, but she wouldn’t have it any other way. The restaurant isn’t the only thing keeping her busy; she is the one-woman operation behind her lively social media presence. While holding a mini whisk with a tiny microphone attached to it, she shared what the honest opening weekend experience had been like with her followers titled “Post Sunday Service Debrief,” among other posts that showcase her bubbly personality, creatively-curated menu items and time spent bringing the restaurant to life. A cat (inspired by Nola’s own) chewing on a blade of wheatgrass, donning a cowboy hat serves as the logo, which was designed by fellow Charleston-based business Kin Ship Goods.
According to the website, “Every detail behind Goldenrod Kitchen is inspired by what we believe are traditional Appalachian values: hospitality, quality and community. So, come eat with us, because breakfast is better with you.” The restaurant space echoes this sentiment — decorated with furniture finds from the Habitat For Humanity Restore in Charleston, goldenrod yellow umbrellas outside, and “You Belong Here,” written in tile on the floor greets you when you enter.
One of Nola’s fondest memories is cooking pancakes with her father as a child, and she turned that passion for cooking homemade breakfasts into a career. Goldenrod Kitchen specializes in Appalachian-inspired comfort food with a twist. As a lifelong vegetarian, Nola recognized an issue that needed to be fixed: the lack of vegetarian options in her area, especially vegetarian options that were not just simply removing the meat from the menu item and selling it like it’s a whole meal. Not only did the options need expanding, she also wanted to ensure her menu was affordable, with all items being $14 or less.
Her drink menu is pretty standard for a breakfast café, but all their syrups are made in-house, which gives them a leg up for those wanting a sweet treat. The summer seasonal flavors are blueberry lemon, blueberry pie and banana pudding and can be added in any beverage.These flavors rotate seasonally so don’t miss out on trying a new potential favorite.
Her menu, which is adorned in yellow gingham, features a variety of options for both those who eat meat and dairy products and those that don’t. With a variety of signature breakfast burritos, Nola’s specialty cinnamon rolls drizzled with seasonal toppings, pepperoni rolls wrapped up like cinnamon rolls, menu items like homemade cornbread and Cottage Cheese & Fixins, and seasonal bakery specialties, there’s something for everyone.
For example, the Mountain Breakfast Melt is made with a sweet housemade cornbread square, topped with a runny fried egg, vegan or pork sausage, melted white cheddar and drizzled with housemade hot honey. The Goldenrod Kitchen Burrito consists of scrambled eggs, your choice of protein, diced potatoes, onions, green peppers, white cheddar and Goldenrod Kitchen sauce.
They’re also not mistaken about the secret in the sauce. Goldenrod Kitchen serves up a variety of made-from-scratch, plant-based sauces that customers are already asking to purchase by the jar. The Goldenrod Kitchen sauce is sweet and spicy barbecue mayo, but there’s also Chipotle Sauce, Hot Honey and Lemon Mustard Dill.
“I tested a bunch of different recipes and sold them at pop-ups for about eight or nine months. So, I got a lot of feedback on what people liked and I think that our sauces are what kind of bring everything to the next level,” Nola said.
Goldenrod Kitchen’s name came from the yellow perennial seen blooming throughout the region from August through October. Nola’s time spent outdoors afforded her the time and space to dream and strategize. While she trained for a marathon, running for four or five hours at a time along the Rail-Trail in Morgantown, WV, she thought about her future as the yellow flower graced her periphery.
“I had so much time to think on these runs about, like, ‘What am I doing here? What am I doing with my life?’ I wanted to do something in the food industry,” she said.
Nola has meticulously planned and strategically grown every step of the business. While majoring in entrepreneurship at West Virginia University, she started selling vegan and vegetarian baked goods at pop-up stands, eventually adding hot food. She toyed with the idea of opening a food truck or restaurant and took it to WVU’s Morris L. Hayhurst LaunchLab, which helps undergraduate students develop their business innovation ideas. Nola had her first meeting with Carrie White, LaunchLab director, at the time.
“I was like, ‘This is kind of my idea, it’s not fully formed, I need some help,’ and she was like, ‘Okay, here’s what you’re going to do: you’re going to do a customer discovery survey and see what people in your target area are looking for in that space,’” Nola said.
She took the survey results to various pitch competitions, which she found through invaluable resources from the LaunchLab. With their help, she just pitched in IgniteWV, where she took the top prize awarded to anyone in the entire competition.
“I would like to just give a huge thank you to everyone at the LaunchLab,” Nola said. “Alan Beavers, he’s like my therapist. Also, Anne Jones, she is the best.”
Nola said she is thankful to various business owners and other experts around West Virginia and Charleston, her employees and her parents.
She said her parents have supported and pushed her when needed. She recalled a solo-bicycle ride from Marlinton to Caldwell that helped her decide what she would do with her future. The Vandalia Co. café was the former occupant of what is now Goldenrod Kitchen, which Nola said she loved eating at while growing up. When the building became vacant, Nola thought about the space and how great the “bones” were, but wasn’t sure if she could make it work. With the wind in her hair, limited cell service and 55 miles of gravel, Nola thought it through.
“My dad picked me up in Caldwell, we were just talking, and I was telling him, ‘You know, that space is vacant. That would be really cool, but I just don’t think I’m ready for that. I don’t think I can afford that.’ He was like, ‘Girl, why not? Just send an email, see what they can do. You might as well go look at it.’ He’s always been somebody who really believed in me,” Nola said.
Her parents are actually in the process of opening Elk City Popcorn, a popcorn shop and homemade market right next door.
For now, Nola is mastering where she’s at, but has plans to grow and open another breakfast restaurant, possibly with a different name and menu items.
“I want people to realize that we’re not missing anything as a state. We have the potential to be the cool place that people want to come to and stay in,” Nola said.
Goldenrod Kitchen is located at 611 Tennessee Avenue, in Charleston, WV. Their hours are 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, Thursday and Friday, and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. They are closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Come to Nola’s kitchen and see if it stacks up to be as inviting as advertised.
