Watch KJ Kearney in his new online PBS series. The first episode of Citizen Better dives into how food fuels political movements “Food has always been political.” That’s how Charleston community organizer KJ Kearney begins the first episode of his PBS series Citizen Better. He goes on to explain activism through food, especially in Black communities, citing the lunch counter sit-ins and bake sale fundraisers during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s and the call to support Black-owned businesses (including restaurants) after the 2020 deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. Kearney conti ..read more

The Columbia Food & Wine Festival starts this week. | Forrest Clonts The festivities begin this week in Columbia, South Carolina This year’s Columbia Food & Wine Festival will showcase the culinary talents of the capital city of South Carolina, including several James Beard Award finalists and semifinalists. The festival kicks off on Wednesday, April 24, with the Iconic Dishes of Columbia: Main Street Edition event and concludes on Sunday, April 28, with the Grand Tasting event. Wine bar Lula Drake (1635 Main Street) is up for a James Beard Award for Outstanding Wine and Other Beverage ..read more

Cheeni Indian Food Emporium is now closed. | Stacey Sprenz Photography The Cheeni Durham location will remain open Restaurateur Preeti Waas took to Instagram Reels yesterday to announce that Cheeni Indian Food Emporium in Raleigh (1141 Falls River Avenue) would close permanently on Monday, April 22. In the video, Waas says she “will not go into details” and “will not make excuses.” She also says, “We did more than we ever thought we could.” Cheeni opened in Raleigh in 2022 with a mission to help customers seek “independence from blandness.” The kitchen offered dishes like keema pav, oven-cooke ..read more

A meatball sub from Mama Ricotta’s. | Remy Thurston From red-sauce Italian to soul food, here are the oldest restaurants worth visiting in the Queen City What defines a classic restaurant? For today, let’s say it’s a restaurant that’s been around for 25 years or more. While 25 years may feel baby for some cities, for Charlotte, that’s vintage vintage. The Queen City has gotten really comfortable replacing older, divier institutions with swanky new spots, but these 11 restaurants are the lucky ones, still standing, proving it’s possible to age with grace. Despite the odds, they’ve stood the tes ..read more

A vigil was held in Washington, D.C., for aid workers killed in Gaza. | Photo by Julia Nikhinson/Getty Images $1 from every designated beverage sale will go to the nonprofit Following an Israel Defense Forces attack in Gaza that killed seven World Central Kitchen (WCK) aid workers, restaurants across the United States are stepping up to raise money for the humanitarian organization — including several in North and South Carolina. Benevolent Spirits, a hospitality fundraising group out of Asheville, is coordinating efforts to raise money for WCK. They have asked participating bars and restauran ..read more

Customers can mix up cuisines all in one meal at Coterie. | Jonathan Cooper Chef Damian Sandoval pulls from his varied culinary background to build a new and exciting menu for Coterie Downtown Charleston restaurant Coterie (17 Warren Street) opened in 2021 with an Indian menu mixed with Lowcountry produce — dishes included masala quail and Bombay shrimp and grits. Now, a few years in, the restaurant has changed direction with new chef Damian Sandoval. He comes to Coterie via Asian spot Xiao Bao Biscuit and Italian restaurant the Obstinate Daughter. Before that, he worked at several highly accl ..read more

Chris Coleman, AJ Klenk, and Bob Peters will bring Folia to life this summer. | Built on Hospitality Folia will offer fruity cocktails in a lush tropical garden space Folia, a tropical garden-themed cocktail bar with veteran mixologist Bob Peters at the helm, will open in South End in early summer, becoming the 5th member on Built on Hospitality’s restaurant and bar roster. Built on Hospitality, led by chef Chris Coleman and partners Sean Potter and AJ Klenk, is a Charlotte-based hospitality group that has garnered acclaim for the Goodyear House and Haymaker. Folia, in a former salon space, wi ..read more

Crab rangoon hush puppies and a pork sandwich at King BBQ. | Mike Ledford Find some favorite Chinese-meets-Carolinas dishes on Spruill Avenue Restaurateurs Corrie and Shuai Wang and chef Brandon Olson thought they were down with the pop-up life, but a fire at King BBQ (2029 Carver Avenue, North Charleston) required them to shut down the restaurant on March 30. To make up for the delay in reopening, the King BBQ crew will pop up at sister restaurant Jackrabbit Filly (4628 Spruill Avenue) for lunch, from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., starting on Wednesday, April 10, and running through Saturday, April 1 ..read more

Olvera in the kitchen at MAS. | Rico Marcelo Photography Chef Jonathan Olvera brings flavors of his childhood to the kitchen at MAS At Maíz Agua Sal (MAS) in West Charlotte, corn, water, and salt are having a moment. MAS is Queen City’s latest tortilleria and agave bar, opening April 11 at 1018 Jay Street. But the food isn’t Tex-Mex. Instead, chef Jonathan Olvera — a first-generation Mexican American from Salisbury, North Carolina — relies on family recipes and food memories from childhood trips to the Michoacán region of Mexico, where his family is originally from, to create food that embrace ..read more

Joelle serves pastas, pizzas, and seasonal small plates. | Jason B James Take a look around the Bluffton newcomer before the opening this Wednesday As the quaint coastal village between Savannah and Hilton Head Island continues to grow into a hotspot, so does the choice of where to dine. Joelle (132 Bluffton Road, Bluffton) is the most recent addition to the bustling neighborhood. Robert and Breana DeLeo, a husband-and-wife team, dreamed of opening their own modern Italian restaurant since meeting and working together at the Restoration Hotel in Charleston, South Carolina. Joelle is the fruiti ..read more