New owner honors Food and Friends’ legacy while looking to the future

By Jenny Harnish, RealWV

LEWISBURG, W.Va. — Kelly Crawford’s first job was working for her grandfather at the legendary Spuds and Bones at the fairgrounds. Her parents loved to host family gatherings, and when she came of age, she took over the hosting.

A teacher by trade, she worked in education policy for 20 years and traveled a lot for work.

“I wanted something that was more a part of the community because I hadn’t had that in 20 years, because I was always on an airplane,” Crawford said.

Now, as the new owner of Food and Friends, Crawford aims to preserve the restaurant’s 33-year legacy while guiding it into the future.

“The gravity does not escape me — people love this place. It’s something that’s on my mind 24/7 — to make sure we’re doing the right thing for the business,” she said.

Although she doesn’t have a background in restaurant management, Crawford says she is taking over an already well-oiled machine.

“So it wasn’t that I was trying to start a brand-new restaurant on my own, but I really saw that this place just needed a little energy, an injection of resources, and some updates,” Crawford said.

Chef Kris Nash, whose parents started the restaurant, stayed to help with the transition, and 19 staff members chose to work with her, including five who have worked there for more than 30 years.

Aside from a few tweaks, Crawford is keeping the menu the same.

“This is a from-scratch menu — everything is made in-house — the rolls, the dressings. Grandma’s frozen fruit salad is a recipe from the ‘40s,” she said. “People love it, and it’s because of what Page and Bob built. And the fact that they’ve stayed true to a lot of the recipes.”

The building was a car dealership for 50 years before becoming a restaurant, and Crawford hopes to decorate the space with photos from the past and people’s memories of time spent there. She also put on a fresh coat of paint, added some new lighting, and added a temporary bar and new cocktails.

“We opened the windows back up, took out wallpaper and table linens. We’ve updated the bathrooms a little,” Crawford said.

Crawford said she has had a lot of support from other restaurant owners and from the city. She hopes to be able to tie into the local culinary program or host special events to educate the community on food and nutrition.

“If you had told me a year ago that this is what I’m doing, I wouldn’t have believed it — I just feel incredibly blessed and honored to have the opportunity to do it, and I’m loving it so far,” she said.