12/03/2018
To those of who saw and many who commented on the CBS Sunday Morning Show a couple weeks ago, I would like to add a few words. First, I had always wanted to introduce Pepperoni Rolls to the DC market, so I did last winter. I have a double connection - in that I was born and raised in Fairmont WV. Plus my grandparents were from Calabria - specifically the same little town San Giovanni in Fiore where the creator of the Roll was born. Immigrant baker Signor Argiro was the original owner of Country Club bakery featured on CBS. At Pepperoni Chic we made our own dough for the rolls, my grandma’s recipe. Also we served them restaurant-style -similar to Colassessano’s, another historic still-existing bar business that became famous serving Pepperoni Rolls for I guess 70 plus years in Fairmont. Yes, it is authentic to serve rolls with sauces, cheeses, etc. The “peppers in sauce” recipe is also my Nonna’s. Most Calabrian immigrants canned them every August when they pulled the end of season peppers from their gardens. Oliverio’s of Clarksburg now has a factory and ships them all over. At Pepperoni Chic, we did offer non-traditional toppings - thus the name “Chic”. However, most of those were Calabrese style, using classic sauces like eggplant with black olives and capers or wild mushrooms.
Back to the CBS show, it was impossible to fully cover the broad and historic subject in just those few moments (as many of you may know Candace Nelson wrote a pretty comprehensive book); but he could have mentioned the variations in other WV counties and states. Still, Fairmont rightly claims the original - with “stick” pepperoni BTW. I believe Pepperoni Chic was true to my Calabrian heritage and my WV upbringing and I hope to bring the tastes back to DC with a permanent location in the future. Buon Appetito!! CBS News CBS Sunday Morning
Conor Knighton explains the pepperoni pride the state has for its delicious, utilitarian snack, devised for coal miners and enjoyed by everyone
