Picklepalooza returns to Slack on Saturday
The Tipsy Pickle pop-up bar coming, Deli Fresh plans a comeback
It’s kind of a big dill. And it’s back!
Charleston’s second-annual Picklepalooza festival returns to City Center Live from 1-5 p.m. this Saturday with plenty of pickles to sample, plus live music, a kids water zone, games, arts and crafts, merch and more taking over Slack Plaza.
Based on the success of last year’s inaugural event, which drew hundreds of attendees downtown for a sunny day of mouth-puckering fun, event organizer Arts Amplified hopes guests will relish the 2026 iteration even more.
Saturday’s event will feature local restaurants, food trucks and amateur chefs serving up a variety of sweet, tart, flavored and/or spicy pickles in a competition to see who can spear the day’s top prizes.
There is no admission fee and pickle samples are free, too!
Local bands Peddlers Glory and Sasha Colette & The Magnolias will be performing on the City Center Live stage throughout the day.
For those who missed last year’s event, the pickles from 1010 Bridge Restaurant in Charleston won the Judges’ Choice Award, Coco’s Kitchen + Cafe in Charleston won the Mayor’s Choice and T & M Meats in Cross Lanes won People’s Choice.
For more information, check out the event’s Facebook page.
The Tipsy Pickle pop-up bar coming
In celebration of this weekend’s Picklepalooza, The Hideway pop-up bar just down the street will open this weekend as The Tipsy Pickle, a themed bar offering pickle-infused cocktails and mocktails, pickle appetizers, fun photo-ops and more.
First introduced as a holiday-themed bar that opened during the Christmas season last winter, the space that was Dem 2 Brothers & A Grill at 189 Summers St. is currently being transformed floor to ceiling into a gloriously green pickle-themed oasis.
The Hideaway is the brainchild of Rock City Cake Company owner Morgan Morrison, whose new business MMDI (Morgan’s Million Dollar Ideas) hosts mega-successful pop-up events around the Kanawha Valley, including last month’s Y2K at Water Ways party at that waterpark in Julian.
The Tipsy Pickle will be open for drinks and apps from noon to 8 p.m. this Saturday, and for brunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. this Sunday.
For more information, check out The Hideaway on Facebook.
Flooded Deli Fresh will rise again
The third time may not have been a charm, but it also apparently wasn’t the end for Charleston’s beloved Deli Fresh, which experienced significant damage when 5 feet of floodwaters rushed through the restaurant during last month’s heavy rains.
“For the third time our deli, our livelihood, was yet again destroyed by flood,” the restaurant posted on Facebook, along with heart-wrenching photos showing the damage to their roadside restaurant at 1405 Greenbrier St. “When we walked in and saw the damage, we truly didn’t know if we had it in us to do this again. The thought of starting over – again – felt overwhelming.”
A family-run business for more than 35 years, Deli Fresh is widely known for its stacked and stuffed sandwiches, subs and burgers, plus a variety of salads, sweets and more.
“We’ve been in semi-retirement for over six years, so believe us when we say it was tempting to look at all the damage and simply say: Maybe this is our sign. Maybe it’s time to call it quits,” the post continued.
“But then we thought about you. We thought about the familiar faces who walk through our doors. The conversations. The laughter. The friendships that have grown over the years. And the thought of closing those doors for good and never seeing some of you again was just too heartbreaking.”
Since their business has been so focused on building relationships through the years, they said it felt right to jump in and rebuild it once again.
“We’ve been knocked down before, and somehow – with faith, determination and the support of this incredible community – we’ve always gotten back up. This isn’t the end of our story. It’s the beginning of our comeback.”
Does that not make you want to buy all the sandwiches once they reopen, or what? And to help keep the business afloat in the meantime, Deli Fresh is currently offering assorted pies for pickup or delivery on its Facebook page.
In addition to seeking volunteers for cleanup efforts, a GoFundMe campaign has been established to help collect financial support.
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.
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