Kellen Leef and Mike Sheridan stand as pillars of dedication and service within their community. In the heart of Greenbrier County, these two individuals have consistently demonstrated not just their commitment to the people around them, but also their passion for creating a better, more cohesive community. Their efforts, ranging from grassroots initiatives to broader community projects, have made them household names, celebrated for their indelible impact on the lives of many. Kellen and Mike are this week’s WV Daily News Greenbrier County Heroes.
Kellen Leef was a homemaker and focused on raising her twin children for many years. Over time, she developed an interest in aquatics and swimming. She taught many Greenbrier County children and adults to swim. She also taught lifeguarding, CPR, and First Aid. She started the first swim team in Greenbrier County in 1993, with over 75 children participating, and is currently involved with the new swim team here. In 2003 she and Mike became life partners. In 2006, they opened their first mobile food service, When Pigs Fly Barbeque. Around that same time, Kellen decided to go to college, graduating from Concord University with a degree in art in 2009. Starting in 2012, Kellen and Mike operated a restaurant in Fairlea, returning to their roots in mobile food in 2017.
Mike Sheridan attended WVU and worked for nearly 40 years as a licensed psychologist. He emphasized working with children and families for most of that time, turning to forensic psychology later in his career. He retired in 2022. When his kids were little, he participated in Scouting, serving as Cubmaster and Program Director for the Greenbrier County Scout Day Camp. He later assisted with Troop 70, at one point having the honor of helping to chaperone a Scout trip to England. Thereafter, he mostly focused on is career. He partnered with Kellen in 2003. Shortly afterward, reeling from a business failure, he decided to remake himself as a barbeque vendor, a role that has expanded to other foods but has never strayed far from his barbeque roots. Mike is a licensed commercial pilot and flew his own airplane for many years. Now, Mike is mostly retired, but still follows Kellen around and carries heavy stuff.
Kellen has been a lifelong 4-Her, and Mike joined her in 2003. They participate in county activities and volunteer as counselors at Alpha I State 4-H Camp every year. Both have been honored as 4-H All-Stars.
[WVDN] Why did you both choose to make Greenbrier County your home?
Kellen was born in Summers County, but she is part of the Ronceverte Morgans, and she lived in Asbury from the age of eleven. She graduated from Greenbrier East in 1984, and her twins graduated from West in 2002. So, Greenbrier County is her home.
Mike was born and raised in Kanawha County, attended WVU, and settled in Greenbrier County in 1979. His father was from Pocahontas County, but his maternal grandparents were natives of Rainelle. Visiting as a child, he always knew he wanted to end up in Greenbrier County. After college, he made a few brief landings in other parts of the state before settling for good in Greenbrier County. His two sons are Greenbrier East Graduates. Greenbrier County is his home.
[WVDN] Why did you all decide to choose your career in the food industry, and how and when did you come up with When Pigs Fly BBQ and Piggyback Donuts? What’s the connection between BBQ and donuts?
Looking for a career change, Mike and Kellen visited the Outer Banks to look at a B&B for possible purchase. When that didn’t work out, they went to the beach and were drawn in by the aroma of a little barbeque stand. After a barbeque picnic on the beach, they looked at each other and said “We can do this,” so they did.
That winter, they bought a little smoker and started experimenting with cooking meats, while Kellen developed and tested recipes, and Mike built out their first barbeque stand on a flatbed farm trailer. Searching for a name, Mike’s brother-in-law said, “You’re a pilot. Draw a picture of your airplane, put a pig in it, and call it “When Pigs Fly.” We loved it, so we did.
We have always sold a variety of foods, particularly when catering. We were looking for a dessert option and started experimenting with making donuts. Eventually, we decided to offer donuts as a free-standing item. We recently started doing “Friday Night Fish Fries,” and are currently working on other food items to augment our menu.
[WVDN] You all provide Thanksgiving dinners at the Fair Grounds every year, now in its ninth year, free of charge for anyone who needs a meal. What made you create and run this noble cause?
We never let anybody leave hungry because they couldn’t afford a meal. We reached a point where our families were scattered, and we were worried that Kellen’s parents would be alone during the holiday, we started thinking about others in similar situations. We looked for a way to help the situation, and one day decided to just open our restaurant and feed as many as we could on Thanksgiving. We were surprised and gratified when people started showing up to donate food and volunteer to help. We were also surprised at the number of people who lined up outside the doors just before noon. We served around 200 people that first year.
We continued this for two years in the restaurant. After we closed, we approached the State Fair and they enthusiastically agreed to provide us with space for the meal.
The event has grown dramatically, in every way, since that Thanksgiving Day. The outpouring of community support has amazed us, and the dinner has truly evolved into a community event. In 2022, 125 volunteers prepped and served 583 meals, with all the trimmings, on Thanksgiving Day. Although we encourage people to join us in fellowship for the Meal, we also deliver to those unable to get out.
Mike and Kellen are just regular people, and we couldn’t possibly do this on our own. We are incredibly grateful for all of the donors and volunteers who helped make it happen. This has become our Thanksgiving tradition.
[WVDN] Can you share a particularly memorable person or situation that happened during one Thanksgiving dinner and how it impacted you? How did it restore your faith in community and service?
There are too many to count. We see Veterans come in as a group and share dinner together. We see individuals come in and sit at the same table, year after year, enjoying a conversation with one of our young volunteers. We see young children come and help serve and say “This is the most fun I’ve ever had.”
Our faith in community service has also been restored by the outpouring of support from individuals and businesses. Greenbrier Automotive Group buys between 40 and 50 turkeys every year. The State Fair provides the facility free of charge. Swift Level Fine Meats serves as our primary collection point for donations. Blue Moon Bagels bakes 600 fresh rolls. Greenbrier Florist provides beautiful flowers. And the list goes on and on.
[WVDN] If each of you could go back in time and spend an hour with any West Virginian from history, who would it be and what burning question would you ask them?
Mother Jones, who was actually an Irish immigrant, walked from coal camp to coal camp, inciting miners to risk their lives by forming a union. “Pray for the dead,” she said, “but fight like Hell for the living.”
We would ask her where she found the courage to step out of her role and do something profound to change the lives of so many people.
About The Greenbrier County Hero
Greenbrier County Hero is a weekly column highlighting interesting people living in Greenbrier County. The column was originally named “Meet a Greenbrier Countian” which ran in The West Virginia Daily News for multiple decades. If you know of a person or organization that embodies the spirit of humanitarian service, volunteerism and/or has exceptional talent, please, let us know! Send your nominations to hero@wvdn.com.
