MOVERS & SHAKERS Michelle Rotellini
By Josephine E . Moore
Beckley has always been home for Beckley-Raleigh County Chamber of Commerce CEO and President Michelle Rotellini .
Growing up on South Kanawha Street , Rotellini attended Stratton Junior High and Woodrow Wilson High School .
She now runs two successful restaurants in Raleigh County alongside her aunts and daughter , who have partnered with her in the endeavor .
Like many who were raised in West Virginia , Rotellini initially pursued an education and a career out of state , but also , like many West Virginians , she eventually found her way back to the mountain state where she has since grown roots .
Rotellini said her time learning and working in Charleston , South Carolina , influenced the food she enjoys and cooks and was part of the reason she was inspired to open a restaurant in Raleigh County .
Rotellini opened The Dish Café in Daniels in 2013 and recently opened Uptown Dish on Main Street in Beckley .
Both restaurants focus on offering quality , homemade food that ’ s made with fresh and healthy ingredients .
Rotellini also owns Homecare West Virginia , which she started in 2008 and provides in-home care , elder care and senior home care services .
“ Small businesses are really what make communities unique because they ’ re not duplicated ,”
Rotellini said . “ You ’ re not going to go to another town and find another Dish Café or another favorite boutique , and so those are really what the community becomes known for .”
As a business owner as well as the CEO and president of the local chamber of commerce , Rotellini said small businesses are the backbone of small communities because they are tailor-made to fit the community ’ s needs .
“ Every community is unique in what services they need , and in small towns , there are a lot of missing services ,” Rotellini said . “. . . So the small businesses really have to step up and fill those needs . It ’ s very important because without small businesses , people in rural communities would have to spend a lot of time on the road getting what they need .”
Rotellini took over at the Beckley-Raleigh County Chamber of Commerce in 2016 and she enjoys being able to promote and aid small businesses . “ People have an assumption that everybody opens a business because they have deep pockets and they can afford to open a business ,” she said . “ But people open businesses because they have great ideas and they want to share them , and it ’ s hard . There ’ s sweat equity , there ’ s late at night and early mornings , and a lot of times they ’ re putting in their personal money to make their payrolls . . . so through the chamber of commerce , we ’ re really able to help promote our businesses .”
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What is one of the most important things you ’ ve learned as CEO and president of the chamber ?
Collaboration is important . Everything that happens takes partnerships .
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What is your favorite dish from your restaurants ?
Anything with our shrimp . We cook our shrimp to perfection . A lot of people are hesitant to order seafood in a landlocked state , but once they ’ ve tasted it , they ’ re like me , it ’ s perfect .
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Do you have a favorite baked good from your restaurant ?
My favorite is our gluten-free butterscotch blondie . To me , when you get it with a scoop of ice cream , it tastes like a bowl of Honey Bunches of Oats .
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What ’ s your favorite meal to cook at home ?
I have a couple of specialties that my family always craves , just from my time in Charleston , South Carolina . They love when I make low-country cheese grits . When my kids were little , I used to make quiche a lot because it was just something that was easy to heat up for them in the mornings and it was nutritious .
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PHOTO BY JENNY HARNISH
28 � SOUTH � WINTER ’ 25