Lewisburg’s unique culture and creative spirit continues to support and inspire new businesses. According to a report by CNBC, “women are becoming an economic force to reckon with.” And “in recent years, the rate of women entrepreneurs has been growing at a percentage at least double that of their male counterparts.” Keveney Bair, with Redwing Farm Soup, and Erica Bell, with Erica’s Kitchen, both have two unique food businesses that operate at a grassroots level. They share a common need of an inspected kitchen with flexible availability, cold storage, and room for storage of supplies and other ingredients. When the opportunity arose to share a full-time kitchen to rent behind the old “Tavern 1785/Stella’s” restaurant, beside Del Sol Cantina, on 126 Burdette St in downtown Lewisburg, they went for it.

Using as many local ingredients as possible, they each provide freshly made, high quality, nutritious meals to area customers. The difference between their individual, distinct style of food and specific services only compliments the other. This month, Erica and Keveney are giving away their special foods! Enter to WIN a 1-MONTH SUBSCRIPTION from Redwing Farm Soup and 2 dinners from Erica’s Kitchen, valued at $150!!! Your challenge is to find the Goblin King, ruler of the Goblins “aka David Bowie” from the Labyrinth hidden inside the Febuary 2018 issue. Hint: He is holding your bae’s valentine card. Deadline to enter is Sunday, February 25. We will draw the winner on Monday, Feb 26.

Keveney delivers fresh, homemade soups and breads to Greenbrier Valley residents each Wednesday. Her subscriptions run 4 weeks at a time and offers two quarts of chilled soup, one omnivore with local meats and one vegetarian. Homemade breads are also offered to accompany. Keveney tells us, “Soup is one of my favorite foods. For me, it was the perfect vehicle to incorporate local foods into a winter meal that supports healthy eating as well as local farmers. Greenbrier Valley grows such a large variety of produce and meats throughout the year. We personally put up extra vegetables at the peak of their season and freeze herbs in the summer to use in the winter. This translates well to soup. The variety and the nourishing quality of soup, along with the convenience of delivery and heating up meals at the customer’s convenience has been well received.”

In the summer months, diverse salads are added as a substitution to the subscription plan. The soups and salads are all packaged in mason jars that are returned on the next delivery. Keveney is also a farmer and she values supporting her fellow producers while providing customers with an opportunity to the same through her subscription. Some of her customer’s favorite soups are Gumbo, Italian Wedding, Roasted Garlic Potato and Butternut Squash.”

Upcoming Redwing Soup Menu:

Wednesday, Feb 7: Rosemary Lemon Chicken // Butternut Squash

Wednesday Feb 14: Spanish Style Potato, Chorizo and Collard Greens // Vegetable Barley

Wednesday, Feb 21: Gumbo with Chicken and Sausage // Black Bean and Sweet Potato

Wednesday, Feb 28: Beef Stew // Corn Chowder

Wednesday, March 7: No Delivery

Wednesday, March 14: Italian Meatball Soup // Hungarian Potato

Wednesday, March 21: Chicken, Lime and Spinach Soup // Moroccan Lentil, Chick Pea and Lemon

Erica’s kitchen is well known for her international menu and in-home cooking services. She is a certified Holistic Health Coach and has devoted herself to health and nutrition as a lifestyle. She offers ready-to-eat, nutritious meals every Tuesday and Thursday. These meals are picked up at the kitchen (126 Burdette St in Lewisburg) between 5p and 6p. Her menu ranges from Asian Bowls, Nourish Bowls and Power Bowls to a taste of Lebanon, India or Spain. She describes her meals as simple, seasonal and healthy and embraces nutrient-dense, vibrant ingredients.

Sharing with us how she launched Erica’s Kitchen, she says she started receiving too many comments on her social media food posts. “People wanted to taste the food and I wanted to share the goodness. I did a series of tastings in the beginning of 2017 and the response was unbelievable. Dinners were sold out in January for February and March dates. I couldn’t continue doing that but I knew I needed to find a way to keep offering my food to Erica’s Kitchen fans. The kitchen transformation into a takeout is a different concept and people are starting to see the value in picking up delicious ready-to-eat meals. Once they try one meal they taste the difference. They can taste real food, quality ingredients and unique dishes created to energize your body with clean fuel.”

Erica’s Kitchen upcoming menu:

Tuesday, Feb. 6: Happy Gut Bowl. Broccoli, purple cabbage, quinoa, Korean-style barbecue chicken/tempeh, green onions and kimchi with ssamjang sauce.

Thursday, Feb. 8: International meal, which is Indonesian. Smokey Indonesian chicken wings or black beans on a bed of purple cabbage, Brussels sprouts and leeks.

Focusing on seasonal, local produce as staple ingredients and an inspiration for their menus, Keveney and Erica both thrive on a strong relationship with customers and local farmers. Having that base, they are both excited to get more creative in the kitchen in the coming months. To find out more and see what’s on the horizon for their kitchen visit Keveney’s facebook page @redwingsoup or call  304-647-8017; Erica’s website is ericabell.com/kitchen or call 304-646-5969 

– HashtagWV #98. February 2018.