Fife Street Brewing building a second brewery and taproom in Putnam County
- Steven Keith
- 8 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Plus, Mexican restaurants close, All Fired Up winners, more antipasto
I knew this was in the works for some time, but it’s finally official that downtown Charleston’s Fife Street Brewing has begun construction on a large new brewery, taproom and distribution facility expected to open in the Teays Valley area this fall.
Two of Fife’s four owners, Lisa Godwin and Josh Dodd, confirmed the news for me over the weekend, saying they’re very excited to bring Fife’s local craft beers to Putnam County.
Even better, the new 20-barrel brewhouse will be approximately triple the size of the company’s Charleston brewing room at 180 Summers St., significantly increasing its beer production and distribution beyond the Charleston-Huntington corridor into other parts of the state.
During a West Virginia Beer Roads podcast last week, part-owners Derek and Lisa Godwin said the new facility will be at 3546 Teays Valley Rd. in Hurricane, across the road from Hurricane City Park and behind Whiskey Taco.
That new location will focus on distribution, canning and brewing Fife’s flagship beers, including Charleston Beer, Charley West Coast IPA, P-51 Porter, Straight Kölsch Homie and Summer Street Wheat. That will then free up space to produce more lagers and experimental brews at the Charleston spot.
Stay tuned to The Food Guy for more details, including an official opening date.
Los Agaves in Dunbar closed after fire
The popular Los Agaves Mexican Restaurant at 1003 Dunbar Ave. in Dunbar is currently closed after a fire damaged the building on July 4. News reports say an air-conditioning unit caught fire, sending flames and large clouds of black smoke through the roof around 1:50 pm Saturday afternoon.
Fire trucks from Charleston, South Charleston and Dunbar responded quickly, reportedly containing the blaze within 15 minutes. No injuries were reported and details about the extent of the damage or a possible reopening date are not yet available.
Guadalajara Modern Mexican closes in Quincy
Meanwhile, the Guadalajara Modern Mexican restaurant at 2700 E. Dupont Ave. in Quincy posted a sign on its building over the weekend that its last day open would be this past Sunday, July 5, after only seven months in business.
That Guadalajara location had taken over the Las Cazuelas (also known as Los Habaneros) restaurant that operated there before.
Olive Tree Cafe antipasto board on the menu
After writing about the large antipasto board I ordered from Olive Tree Cafe to help feed a large group of party-goers at our house last week, I failed to mention that it’s also something individual guests can order while dining in the restaurant at 333 2nd Ave. in South Charleston.
I was reminded of that when reader Bob Corey reached out to tell me that’s exactly what he did after reading about the platter we enjoyed.
“I saw your column on the antipasto today and was motivated to check it out,” Corey told me, adding that he told Olive Tree chef-owner Michael Jarrouj it was “the best I ever had – delicious, well-balanced and an artful work of art with exceptional variety, freshness and taste!”
The antipasto board served in the restaurant includes a generous selection of fresh prosciutto, capicola, Genoa salami, select cheeses, mixed olives and fresh veggies for a mere $21.
Junior chefs impress at All Fired Up
The junior chefs from this past Saturday’s All Fired Up kids' grilling competition at Capitol Market really brought the heat this year, but I’m not talking about spicy food.
The creativity and talent these young folks brought to the judging table were especially impressive given their ages.
Using fresh market ingredients and a grill to create their own backyard BBQ feast, these kids served multi-course meals (apps, salads, entrees, desserts, even drinks) that included dishes like grilled filet mignon, breaded catfish, peppers stuffed with whipped goat cheese, grilled peaches with hot honey and more.
And the winners were …
Best Overall: Robert Schmid, for his fantastic fried green tomato stack, bacon jam-topped pork medallions and a fresh market salad.
Best Use of Local Ingredients: Jaxen Daniel, for his phenomenal beef and sausage burger served with fresh market corn and watermelon drizzled with balsamic and JQ Dickinson salt.
Most Creative: Lillianna Robinson, for her New Orleans-inspired gumbo served with delicious crawfish bread.
People’s Choice: Also to Robert Schmid, for raising the most money among all six competitors.
An official event of the Charleston Sternwheel Regatta, the cookoff helps support Capitol Market’s youth-focused culinary education efforts.
Steven Keith is a food writer and restaurant critic known as “The Food Guy” who writes a weekly column for the Charleston Gazette-Mail and has appeared in several state, regional and national publications. Follow him online at www.wvfoodguy.com or on Facebook, X, Instagram and Pinterest as “WV Food Guy.” He can be reached at wvfoodguy@aol.com.