Sweater Weather. Crafting a great cocktail is truly an artform. I personally have been a fan of all things hops for a while, but have quickly grown to love and appreciate visiting a cocktail bar and meeting the people behind the bar talk passionately about the cocktails they create. I recently spent a weekend in Charlotte, North Carolina (a city that I spent a lot of time in during college) to experience some of the new spots i’ve heard about in this quickly growing city. Dot Dot Dot was a suggestion from the folks behind one of my favorites in Charleston, The Gin Joint, and is worth a visit ..read more

This morning was one of the most memorable experiences I’ve had at Charleston Wine & Food so far. Truffle Shuffle was an excursion showcasing Urbani Truffles in dishes from Babas on Cannon, The Darling Oyster Bar and Edmunds Oast. Paired with wines from Italy’s Piedmont region, this tuber was used in everything from an incredible Chocolate Cake with truffle ice cream (topped with shaved truffle) to a Crab and Asparagus Risotto where we were taught proper techniques to shaving truffles ..read more

I Just Got Back from... San Antonio, Texas. The home of the Alamo is also the seventh-most populous city in the United States. I’ve heard so much about San Antonio after one of my best friends moved there a few years ago, so I decided to make a surprise trip recently to visit him and see this part of the Lone Star State. If you’re planning to visit, be sure to: Explore Pearl: The original Pearl Brewery had a long history in Texas, dating to 1883, and at one time was the largest brewery in the state. Years after the brewery closed, its twenty-three acres became a bustling district of restaura ..read more

Recently collaborated with Redfin diving into the Hidden Gems in Charleston. For me, any visitor should make the short drive off the Peninsula to go to Park Circle. Jackrabbit Filly is always a must- but see the full blog by Refin to hear what me and other locals have to say. Read more: https://www.redfin.com/blog/hidden-gems-in-charleston ..read more

I had the absolute pleasure and honor of being a guest emcee at The Southeastern Wildlife Exposition with Matt and Ted Lee (also known as The Lee Brothers). I met Ted and Lee finally a year prior at Charleston Wine and Food after being a fan of their cookbooks for some time now, and jumped at the opportunity to join them on the Fresh On The Menu Kitchen Stage at Marion Square during SEWE. For my time on stage, I was joined by a chef and farmer for the cooking demo: Chef Brandon Velie of Juniper Restaurant, in Ridge Spring, SC and quail farmer Brittney Miller from Manchester Quail. On the Menu ..read more

I had the opportunity to talk with bladesmith Quentin Middleton of Middleton Made Knives for the June/July issue ofGarnd & Gun. This knife began as special commission for a friend that also represented Middleton’s ancestral history. The knife (now available as a limited edition) is crafted from live oak from a centuries old uprooted tree at Middleton Place that stood at the same time Middleton’s ancestors were enslaved on the plantation, and blade of Damascus steel highlighting the light and dark parts of history. Thanks again to Quentin and Garden & Gun for the opportunity. Read the f ..read more

Over the past few weeks I’ve learned so much about Miss Emily Meggett- the matriarch of Edisto Island and one of the most important people in Gullah Geechee food. After heading out to Edisto to celebrate the book release a few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to interview Miss Emily for Garden & Gun Magazine about her new cookbook. It’s been such an honor for me to be able to help tell these stories and to meet so many incredible people throughout this journey. Read the full feature here at gardenandgun.com ..read more

This week for #BlackFoodFridays I traveled out to Ravenel (about 20 minutes outside of Charleston) to Visit Ravenel Fresh Seafood. This family-owned and operated Seafood Market & Restaurant started over 20 years ago by Mr. Julius Brown, and has grown to become a must-stop for seafood in the Lowcountry. Mr. Brown, raised on Sol Legare Island right near James Island, would go fishing whenever he could, and was always surrounded by seafood, which inspired him to open Ravenel Fresh Seafood.  His daughter, Lakenya Brown joined the family business years  later, and travels with her fa ..read more

“People make it fun”. You can truly feel that Maurice Ray loves what he does and his positive demeanor makes you smile the moment you walk in the door. Maurice started Park Circle Creamery in 2016 with his brother on East Montague Ave- right down the road from the North Park Village area of North Charleston he grew up in. Staying involved in his community is still important to Maurice and Park Circle Creamery, most notably with the “Art on Ice” area at the front of the shop that allows local artists of all mediums to showcase their work to the public. Park Circle Creamery began ..read more

I’m excited to announce a new partnership with Red Clay in support of #blackfoodfridays. Black Food Fridays is an initiative started by KJ Kearney earlier this year in an effort to spotlight Black-owned restaurants and encourage people to support a restaurant or business in their area every Friday. Red Clay is also contributing 15% of sales over the next month towards funding Black Food Fridays. I sat down with the Red Clay team earlier this month for a Q and A to kick it all off. Click here to read the entire feature on the Red Clay Journal, and stay tuned for the first feature next week! Le ..read more