An exciting event that we are looking forward to this month is the inaugural “Nail City Chefs: Battle of the Blades” competition and fundraiser! This action-packed live event will feature two popular local chefs, Chef Rocco Basil of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston and Chef Adam Luiso of Chef-N-Company, as they battle for the title of Best Chef in the Valley! The competition will feature three rounds, during which dishes will be created using mystery ingredients and judged by a panel of celebrity judges. While the competition is happening onstage, guests will enjoy a pre-prepared dinner and a silent auction.
The fundraiser, which is being hosted by The Highlands Event Center and the Ohio County Commission, will raise funds to benefit the Wheeling Health Right and the Soup Kitchen of Greater Wheeling with the goal of “providing quality healthcare, medication and food security to those in need in our community.”
The Wheeling Health Right, a primary care clinic under the umbrella of United Way, has a mission of providing “access to free comprehensive medical care, preventive care and pharmaceuticals to the under-served.” Today, it is well-known as one of the best free health clinics in the United States. The organization was founded in the mid-1980s by a group of representatives from Northern Panhandle Behavioral Health Center, West Liberty State College, Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department, Wheeling Hospital and Ohio Valley Medical Center, who worked together to establish agreements with local medical providers for free inpatient, outpatient, and laboratory services.1
The Soup Kitchen of Greater Wheeling strives to provide “warm meals and companionship as a non-profit, inter-faith ministry” with a clear and simple goal of feeding the hungry in the Greater Wheeling area. The soup kitchen has been open since 1982 and is located in the former central station of the Wheeling Fire Department on Eoff Street, a historic building that has been renovated and maintained in order to retain as much of the original architecture and details as possible.2 The soup kitchen provides over 100,000 meals to local residents each year and is 100% community-funded and volunteer-driven!
The Nail City Chefs event will be on November 19, 2022 at 5:30 PM at The Highlands Event Center with free parking available and handicap accessibility. Tickets are being sold for $100 apiece and are on sale now at whr.home.qtego.net/ or by calling 304-233-1135.
• Ellery McGregor is a Wheeling transplant from Los Angeles, California. She works remotely for a marketing team in LA and now moonlights as an author for Weelunk. She earned her undergraduate degree in English from California State University Long Beach in Long Beach, California. Since moving to Wheeling over a year ago, she has spent her time helping her family restore an Italianate Victorian row house in Centre Market, picnicking at Heritage Port, and marveling over having actual seasons.