Dozens of vendors lined Charleston's Kanawha Boulevard on Tuesday, offering up signature West Virginia cuisine - pepperoni rolls and craft beer - on the Mountain State's 154th birthday.
Rolls on the River, an event celebrating an Appalachian culinary tradition, took place at Haddad Riverfront Park. Vendors from throughout the state traveled to Charleston to compete for the title of best pepperoni roll.
The event was a fundraiser for Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Central West Virginia.
Hundreds of tickets to the sold-out event were purchased from the nonprofit, which encourages mentoring children statewide.
Sara McDowell, executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters, said she was excited by the large turnout. She said the agency plans to hold the event again next year.
While the recipes were different - some restaurants prefer sticks over slices, some have spicy sauce and some don't include cheese - multiple vendors said they appreciated the large turnout for the event.
Sarah Gordon, owner of A Step in Time bake shop in Harpers Ferry, drove 5½ hours to work the event. She grew up in Charleston and moved to the Eastern Panhandle in 2000. She said it was great to be back home and to see people she grew up with.
"We're definitely getting a welcome reaction from all the locals here," Gordon said.
For Gordon, pepperoni rolls are more than just the best-selling item in her family's bakery. They're family tradition.
Her mother, Terri Wilson, grew up the daughter of a coal miner in Southern West Virginia. Wilson's mother was a baker. The family would pass along the recipe from mother to daughter.
"We took my grandma's bread recipe and formulated it into a pepperoni roll," Gordon said. "It really hits home with coal mining in my family."
For Steven Niedbalski, the co-owner of Mountain Pie Company, which has locations in Hurricane and St. Albans, it was an easy choice to participate in the event.
"We're huge supporters of West Virginia," Niedbalski said. "We thought, why not come on down and check it out. It's a beautiful summer day, and we can get everybody interested in our food."
He said he was happy to see people excited to try out his restaurant's recipe.
"People come down to Mountain Pie and have got to have the pepperoni rolls," Niedbalski said. "It's tradition."
Attendees also were able to visit vendors selling desserts and listen to live music.
There also was a station for people to learn more about Big Brothers Big Sisters and to apply as volunteers with the organization as mentors.
Reach Ali Schmitz at ali.schmitz@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-4843 or follow @SchmitzMedia on Twitter.