THE FRIENDLY FOODIE

Candace Nelson

Director of Marketing and Communications, Capitol Market

SUPERPOWER: Being a West Virginia travel expert

West Virginia native Candace Nelson is a lifelong foodie and a passionate storyteller. And as the director of marketing and communications at Capitol Market, an indoor–outdoor farmers market in Charleston, she’s found a role that seems tailor-made for her. “I feel very fortunate to be able to kind of combine all of my interests and passions into one place,” she says, “and hopefully contribute to something bigger and help make this place even better.”

The journalist-turned-marketer brings a deep knowledge of writing and editing to the role, and a deep love of West Virginia to boot. The market supports local growers and small businesses and provides a space for them to reach a wider pool of customers.

Even aside from her full-time gig, Nelson stays busy. She maintains a personal blog that documents her adventures eating her way around the state, giving her an excuse to seek out corners of the state she wouldn’t ordinarily travel to. “If I have a weekend free, I’m traveling to some tiny little town that has this gem of a restaurant that I can write about and share with people.”

Nelson also dedicates time to helping with Charleston Restaurant Week, the West Virginia Farmers Market Association, Generation West Virginia, and other organizations that are working to make the state a place where people thrive. Nelson even spotlit an iconic West Virginia food—the pepperoni roll—in her 2017 book, The West Virginia Pepperoni Roll, documenting its history and current place in the zeitgeist.

Her love for her home state—and her deep knowledge of its vibrant culture and culinary scene—shines through in everything she does. “I don’t want people to feel like they have to leave to make something of themselves,” she says. “They can find a place here where they can work and live and enjoy their free time.”

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Since 2014 WV Living magazine has been honoring West Virginia Wonder Women, amazing women who are raising the bar in their communities, serving as beacons of light in their industries, and forcing change for the greater good. WV Living is proud to celebrate these Appalachian mothers, millennials, and mavens proving that in a time full of uncertainty, divisiveness, and hate, love for one another is all we really need. No need for bulletproof bracelets or a golden lasso of truth—these women are creating a better West Virginia with their can-do attitudes and Mountain State spirit.