Welcome to our food column, Corner Booth, where each month Layla Khoury-Hanold will guide us through what’s happening in Roanoke’s food scene. We’ll feature restaurant openings and closings, changes in cuisine concepts or locations, a first-impression review of a new eatery, and our Ask Layla section, where Rambler members can get their burning questions answered on the best places to eat or drink for any occasion. Simply leave a comment with your question or email us at editor@roanokerambler.com. Enjoy! 😋

Hot Stuff Brings Sought-After Locally Made Products to West End 

Just in time for holiday gift giving, there’s a new Roanoke shop slinging small batch hot sauce and locally made snacks, home goods and more. Hot Stuff, which is located at 214 5th St. SW (formerly occupied by Machine Creek Studios), held its soft opening Nov. 21-23. Hot Stuff is owned by Lisa Archer, a food industry veteran, and Jesse Feldberg, founder of Fermented Fire Hot Sauce Co., which makes small batch hot sauces ($10 or $12 each), kimchi ($10) and sauerkraut ($10) crafted with produce from the likes of SunRay Farms, Glade Road Growing and Riverstone Organic Farm. 

While popular Fermented Fire bottles like the salsa verde-esque Green Man and garlic-forward Riveracha line the shop’s first floor’s shelves, you’ll also find Roanoke brands like Spice Titan and Mountain Thyme Honey, plus Virginia-made snacks ($2 to $6) from Route 11 Potato Chips and Hub’s Peanuts (ideal for noshing on with a pint at Golden Cactus Brewing next door or nearby Blindhouse Beer). Upstairs, there’s an assortment of home goods ($5 to $24) from Roanoke makers like La Lunatiques’ candles, Sun and Spruce's soaps and Drifting Farms’ loofahs, plus art, merchandise and plants, such as succulents from Riverside Nursery (which is owned by Feldberg’s dad). 

“We’re just really fortunate where we have such a good community and we have a relationship with all of the small businesses whose products we carry, which is really nice,” Archer says. “So, anyone who comes in the shop I can talk about Matt at Spice Titan and what I know about his story or Sarah who owns Mountain Thyme Honey; and Sun and Spruce, Krissy and Wes, have given us advice on opening a brick and mortar.” 

Archer drew on her experience as a specialty food shop buyer to curate products from outside the region, too, including Olli Salumeria’s charcuterie, Fine & Raw’s chocolate bars and Fish Wife’s tinned fish. Archer and Feldberg also sell their own line of hand-crafted snack mixes, including a seasonal blend of pecans, pepitas, sunflower seeds, rosemary, orange zest and honey tossed with Spice Titan’s Malabar spice blend. 

Vinton Café Kitchen & Bakery Takes Over Our Daily Bread Vinton Space 

After Our Daily Bread in Vinton abruptly closed in late September, locals mourned the loss of a community staple — former general manager Keriann Campbell among them (Campbell said she learned of the closure 24 hours before it happened and did not want to speculate on the reasoning). So, it’s something of a homecoming that she now owns and operates Vinton Café Kitchen & Bakery (126 E. Lee Ave.), which opened on Nov. 5 (an official ribbon cutting ceremony took place on Dec. 2).

“I was given this amazing opportunity to open this restaurant inside a store that I had been managing for years and I loved,” Campbell says. “We are not Our Daily Bread. Our Daily Bread was a French bistro; we are Southern American comfort food — good food for good people, the kind of food that you would make at home or the kind of food you just love.” That said, Our Daily Bread in Blacksburg (which is under different ownership from the Roanoke Our Daily Bread on Brambleton Avenue), supplies the bread (and gluten-free bread), bagels and croissants for the menu as well as the loaves for sale in the cafe’s retail section ($4 to $7 per loaf; a rotating selection is available but pre-orders for specific requests can be called in two to three days in advance).  

Chefs Shamille Ruiz and Ignacio “Nacho” Garcia-Salinas oversaw the menu overhaul and helm the kitchen, where they turn out from-scratch, early fan-favorite dishes like biscuits and gravy ($5.50 to start), tiramisu French toast ($15.99) and avocado toasts ($8.95). Omelets ($11.99 to $15.99), eggs benedict, crepes ($9.99 to $14.99) and pancakes round out the breakfast offerings, while soups ($7 to $8.50), salads ($4.95 to $16.95), savory toasts and hot and cold sandwiches ($8.25 to $12.95) anchor the lunch menu. Both the breakfast and lunch menus are available all day (the restaurant is currently open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.). There’s also a grab-and-go cold case up front where you’ll find yogurt parfaits ($8.99), salad shakers ($9.99) and deli sides like macaroni, potato and chicken salads (starting at $4.50). 

Global Blend Café Serves Coffee with a Mission

Global Blend Café, located in The GO Center, the hub for 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization Global Partners in Peace and Development (4535 Bonsack Road NE), opened its doors in late October with a robust coffee and cafe menu in an inviting and family-friendly space. The GO Center’s main goal, as director Charlene Smith explains, is to show and share God’s love here and around the world. One hundred percent of cafe proceeds benefit local initiatives like prayer walks, Sunday bible classes and Global Adventure, a three-floor interactive experience for kids, and international ministry partnerships that aid with projects like building water wells in India and Uganda.

Global Blend Café’s menu, overseen by manager Kenzie Morisette, spans coffee (sourced from Rosetta, a roaster in Lynchburg), specialty lattes ($5.75 to $6.25), smoothies ($8.50), breakfast sandwiches ($5 to $7), lunch sandwiches ($7 to $8.50) and Homestead Creamery ice cream, which includes scoops, sundaes and globally inspired shakes ($7.99 and up) like the Taj, which features vanilla ice cream blended with chai and crowned with whipped cream, cinnamon and an animal cracker. Early specialty latte favorites include the Blackberry Pie Latte, which Smith describes as “dessert in a cup,” and the Samoa, inspired by the Girl Scout cookie’s chocolate, caramel and coconut flavor combination.  

“Opening the Global Blend Café allows us to have more intentional conversations so that people realize that ‘Hey, this is something bigger than ourselves,’” Smith says. “We all have a part in doing something, whether it be doing something here in the community or around the world. It’s to ignite a spark to realize that we can all have an impact.”

First Impressions: Mama Jean’s Barbecue

The plumes of smoke billowing above the building at 3404 Brandon Ave. SW will signal your arrival at Mama Jean’s Barbecue before your GPS announces it. For the last several months, co-owners Madison and Kelli Ruckel and their team have continued slinging top-notch ‘cue from their airstream trailer to legions of devoted local fans who have been eagerly anticipating the opening of Mama Jean’s brick-and-mortar. On Sunday, Nov. 23, during the unofficial soft opening, lunchtime regulars were instructed to line up along the building before the doors opened at 11 a.m. If you’ve ever waited in line for Mama Jean’s in peak summer or winter, the covered waiting area that runs along the building — outfitted with seats, heat lamps and a sound system — is a welcome upgrade. 

Once inside, staff take your order at the counter; the wall-mounted menu behind them includes Madison’s signature smoked meats like pulled pork ($9.50 per half-pound), brisket ($16 per half-pound), and pork ribs ($11.50 per half-pound); soulful sides (don’t miss the fried Brussels sprouts, smoked potato salad, creamy mac ‘n’ cheese and coleslaw; $4 to $5); and desserts (like banana pudding, $4). Plus, favorite specials now get more frequent menu real estate, like the smash burger ($13), coal-smoked half chicken ($15) and Kielbasa sausage links ($6 each). Your order is then brought to your table on a tray, with the barbecue nestled among housemade pickles and sides. The pulled pork is so flavorful it doesn’t need sauce, but if you wish to zhuzh up your bites, there is a self-serve sauce bar situated next to a station with napkins, plastic utensils and water. 

In addition to indoor seating for about 50 to 60, Mama Jean’s has a small quartzite-topped bar where you can perch on a stool to nosh and sip cocktails like a Bloody Mary ($10) or frozen slushie cocktails ($12 for 10-ounce, $14 for 12-ounce) like frosé or painkillers or choose from a robust selection of bourbons. If you’re waiting for a to-go order, there’s a bench inside the entryway below an assortment of family photos and eclectic mix of artwork. And if the weather’s nice or inside seating is at capacity, pull up a seat at a picnic table under canopy string lights at one of the two outdoor patios. 

All in all, Mama Jean’s Barbecue’s brick-and-mortar is a welcome addition to the Roanoke dining scene, offering more opportunities to gather with friends and family over their justly famous ‘cue. Mama Jean’s Barbecue will be open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., with extended evening hours to follow in the future.

Ask Layla: Where to Eat

“I like to get to-go salads for dinner — where is a good place to pick up a fresh salad?” – Becky E., Roanoke

For a grab-and-go salad option, I’d recommend stopping by the LEAP Community Store in Roanoke’s West End (1027 Patterson Ave. SW).  Local Environmental Agriculture Project (LEAP) is a local non-profit with a mission to support local farmers, food systems and access to fresh, local food for all. The Community Store works with LEAP’s processing kitchen to offer a rotating roster of seasonal salads crafted with greens and vegetables that they have on hand from local farms, such as Riverstone Organic, Crooked Porch, 4 Oaks, Thornfield and Patchwork Farms, as well as housemade dressings. Recent offerings included a Southwest salad with tomatoes, pepper jack cheese, cowboy caviar and a southwest-inspired dressing, and an autumn-ready number with honeynut squash, pear, goat cheese, candied peanuts and tomato vinaigrette ($9 for full-size salads). Salads are available Wednesday to Friday from 12 to 7 p.m. at the LEAP Community Store.

I also enjoy the poke and salad bowls (or a 50-50 mix with rice) at RainBowl in The Forum Shopping Center (4710 A Starkey Road, Roanoke). Choose from set menu options like the fan-favorite Vegan Bowl ($11.95) which comes with sesame tofu and a vibrant medley of red cabbage, avocado, sweet potatoes and bell peppers (you could swap the brown rice for all romaine or a mix of greens), or the Kale Sesame ($11.95), featuring marinated kale with blackened chicken, mango and sesame seeds. Or you can compose your own salad bowl with your preferred combination of greens, protein, veggies, toppings and dressings (prices start at $8.95).  

If you have time to order ahead, I love the Greekish salad ($12; $18 with chicken) at Bobby’s Hot & Cheesy in the Towers Shopping Center (2071 Colonial Ave. SW, Roanoke). A bed of fresh greens is topped with tomatoes, roasted red peppers, kalamata olives, feta cheese crumbles and an ample scattering of pickled red onions (a plus in my book) and served with balsamic vinaigrette.