Illustration courtesy city of Salem.

The cooks from Thelma’s Chicken and Waffles in downtown Roanoke were scheduled to appear at the Chef’s Circle at the Salem Farmers Market this weekend, but I received word that they backed out this week.

According to city of Salem spokesman Mike Stevens, “The folks at Thelma’s were originally scheduled for this week way back in the spring, but on Monday they decided to cancel their appearance in order to put all of their focus on the day-to-day operations of the restaurant.”

Thelma’s was in the news recently when it closed without explanation for about a week, then reopened.

But have no fear — the Chef’s Circle will go on! The ever-accommodating and friendly “Chef Jeff” Bland from US Foods has agreed to fill in, and he will be assisted by WDBJ 7 meteorologist Jay Webb. If you recall, Bland is the one who made a hamburger with bacon marmalade and served it between two Amish maple donuts last year. It’s always fun to watch him cook.

“We can’t thank Jeff and Jay enough for stepping up at the last minute to man the kitchen this Saturday,” Stevens said. “They have been great supporters of the Chef’s Circle.”

The event starts at 9:30 a.m. Click here to see more details about the Chef’s Circle.