After years of travel, Good Roads Bakehouse owner Daniel Cannon embraces the slow life in Frankford.
THERE’S SOMETHING TO BE SAID ABOUT SIMPLICITY, which is exactly what you’ll find on the menu at Good Roads Bakehouse in Frankford, a small town about 10 miles north of Lewisburg. Scratchmade pepperoni rolls. Fresh quiche. Soft pretzels. Cookies and brownies. Seasonal specials like chili and cornbread or biscuits and gravy.
“We use locally produced honey, farm-fresh eggs and meat,” explains chef and owner Daniel Cannon. “And when it’s blueberry season and the big berries are bountiful, there’s nothing better than our blueberry cornmeal scones.”
If those offerings sound traditional, well, that’s intentional. “We like the classics around here,” he says. He and his wife like enjoying life at a leisurely pace, too. One of the restaurant’s slogans, in fact, is “Try Slow”—a reminder to be patient and present.
“Life doesn’t need to be shoved to move forward,” Cannon believes. “Good Roads Bakehouse wasn’t much more than a hopeful dream at first—just me, a self-taught baker, and my wife, Karri Roberts, whose unmatched creativity as an artist, farmer, and sign-painter made it all come to life. In a town where you’ll miss everything if you don’t slow down for the elementary school and where cows outnumber people, we’ve built something that keeps people coming back.”
That folksy charm greets guests right outside the bakery in the form of a 65-year-old coinoperated horse named Jazz. Past his prime, sure, but still trotting along to bring a smile to children’s faces.
“We’re deeply rooted in the slow movement. We’re here because craft still matters. Because people want something real. Because small, purpose-driven businesses can still thrive, even in the middle of West Virginia farm country.”
This whole idea of embracing a simpler life came after Cannon spent years experiencing anything but. Born and raised in Pittsburgh as the youngest of five boys, he later graduated college and packed his car to head west for one adventure after the next: Harvesting grapes in Oregon wine country. Working in a wood shop in San Francisco. Landing a job at a bagel shop in Colorado. Spending winters on the slopes and summers working a golf course. Then he landed an unexpected job leading folks on road trips around the country.
“For the next five years, there weren’t many times where I wasn’t falling asleep 300 miles from where I started the day,” he recalls. “It was a nomadic lifestyle, for sure.” It wasn’t until he moved back to Pittsburgh and met his wife that he no longer craved an always-on-the-go lifestyle.
“I had never slowed down long enough to have a kitchen of my own, so I found myself intrigued by the idea of baking. It quickly became an obsession, where each night I’d get home from work and teach myself how to bake.” He was just hitting his stride when the pandemic hit, prompting Roberts to return to her family farm in Nicholas County. Cannon followed a few months later.
“I knew at some point I would get off the road, and I always hoped to land in a small town where we’d be able to contribute to the local community,” he says. Drawn by its agricultural roots, the town they chose was tiny Frankford in Greenbrier County, where they opened Good Roads Bakehouse in the summer of 2021. Five years later, the place is nourishing not only the community, but his own soul as well.
“I started baking in a tiny kitchen in Pittsburgh with zero counter space. I now work on a large 8 foot-by-3 foot reclaimed wood bench that once spent 50 years in a school cafeteria in Pennsylvania. I’m proud to continue its tradition of feeding people.” 131 Lewis Lane, Frankford, @goodroadsbakehouse on FB
READ MORE ARTICLES FROM WV LIVING’S SPRING 2026 ISSUE
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