July 5, 2006
PRESS RELEASE - West Union, WV
Pepperoni Rolls ~ History and Significance
Those who are coming "home" for the Festival on July 22, will be excited
to hear that among the offerings (on Main Street and Cottage Street)
will be fresh-baked Pepperoni Rolls.
For those who live here, you may not
know the history of the Pepperoni Roll - or that is is rarely available
outside of West Virginia.
The pepperoni roll was first made
in Fairmont, WV by Giuseppe "Joseph" Argiro at the Country Club Bakery
in Fairmont. The earliest date is disputed, but it is certain that
by 1940, it was a well-established lunch-pail item for the coal miners.
In many states pepperoni rolls
aren't legal! The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
wanted to re-classify pepperoni roll bakeries as meat packers in 1987.
The expenses of meeting the new requirements were estimated at over
$100,000. The small family-owned businesses that produce
pepperoni rolls would have been priced out of existence.
Senator Jay Rockefeller to the rescue - as he saved the Pepperoni Roll!!
From his website:
"Pepperoni Rolls are part of our state's heritage, and Rockefeller saved
them - and the jobs of bakers in north-central West Virginia.
Rockefeller fought to eliminate the federal government's unnecessary and
burdensome regulations, thereby preserving the entire industry."
Pepperoni Rolls even have their
own website:
http://www.fscwv.edu/users/rheffner/pepperoniroll/index.htm
For us, in West Union, WV,
fresh-baked Pepperoni Rolls will be available on the day of the West
Union Fest - July 22, 2006.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FOR QUESTIONS, PLEASE CONTACT:
FRANCES STEWART
304 873-3379
info@westunionfest.org
101 MAPLE STREET, WEST UNION, WEST VIRGINIA 26456
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