June 2025

Which cocktail pairs with pimento cheese?

Here’s my (try as hard as I can) monthly round-up for those of you who want to learn about or keep up a little more with me and the work that I do. Hope you enjoy.

Summer = pimento cheese season

May went by in a blur, I intended to write. Actually, though, it didn’t. There were long stretches of working days, quiet and still with my hands on the keyboard and audio books in my earbuds during walking breaks, punctuated by bursts of travel and restaurants and meetings, then of course, the holiday. So I missed emailing you.

But here we are, with school out for lots of people and summer bearing down on us, at least in much of the South. I feel like I wait for this moment each year — catching the first view of the summer stretched out like a hammock between trees — and then it’s already June, the first peaches in my fridge just today and the asparagus of April but a memory.

If you’re headed out on the boat, to the playground, or just want a cool snack from the fridge on a hot day, my pimento cheese recipe on Simply Recipes will do you right (that is, if you’re not a vegan ;) ). One reviewer called it “just like grandma’s” — which thrilled my soul — but you can also customize it too in order to make it your signature recipe of the summer.

As for all those projects I’ve been working on? More to come very soon — stay tuned right here!

Simply Recipes / Lori Rice

Article Updates

Per usual, I always have Charleston on the editorial brain, so when Conde Nast Traveler reached out for a new best bars list, I jumped at the chance. I haven’t covered bars in the city since 2020, so this year’s list feels really fresh.

From the intro: “In a world of sameness where many new spots feel like Anywhere USA, these bars are anything but. Instead they're specific, standout places you remember long after the hangover has subsided.”

Other published media I like right now: For a lot of us, it’s backyard entertaining season, so you could be looking for a summer cocktail recipe at home (versus a bar) to share with friends. If so, check out this new book, Spirited Women, which has 45 cocktail recipes from women in the spirits industry, along with their stories, which makes for good reading beyond just the sips.

On my mind: always a million things, especially at 3 a.m. … this month — native plants. There are so many benefits to growing them (including my favorite: they LIKE to grow in your area, so it’s easier to get them to thrive). But how do you know what works in your backyard? Just put in your zip code in this Audubon website, and get a customized list with photos and specifics.

Cooking soundtrack album: Heavy Love, Buddy Guy

Best thing I cooked this month: Braised leeks with chickpeas, inspired by an Alice Waters recipe in The Art of Simple Food II, a cookbook I often turn to in order to learn a new (to me) way to cook a specific vegetable. This came together in less than 30 minutes, using canned chickpeas and chicken stock, and tasted like it had been cooking for much longer than that.

Until next time,

Steph

April 2025

Mini creative contemplation with a dose of Charlotte activities

Here’s my (try as hard as I can) monthly round-up for those of you who want to learn about or keep up a little more with me and the work that I do. Hope you enjoy.

Spring cleaning the mindset

What I do is a constant reinvention of work flow. In many ways, this is what I love about it, that there is always another project ahead, a surprise assignment or pitch acceptance on its way to my inbox, or another story to find out on the road or at my local coffee shop.

Nets on the Folly River / Stephanie Burt

But in order for all that new to come in, things are always flowing out too. At least 50% of the publications I’ve written for throughout the years are no longer publishing or not publishing the sections I wrote for, and if you count the ones that have been gutted of their former glory by venture capitalists, then that number is even higher. It’s one of the favorite subjects of my fellow media folks and me, and we bemoan over beers or bourbon at the bar, or sigh longingly about some past life that few people I knew lived, where we could throw Holly Go Lightly parties before jetting off on assignment on some magazine’s dime.

I left the teaching profession more than 20 years ago, and was freelancing before that, but the bulk of my career has seen editors laid off, my publications cease, my payments delayed (or worse). And I’ve spent years working and writing while always mourning all that we are losing. But here’s the thing I’ve realized:

I’m your gal in the breach. :)

I’ve published more than 500 pieces of edit since 2015, and released 372 podcast episodes, and I share this not to brag (though it is fun to see those numbers listed here), but because I’ve come to something lately.

I am, in fact, at the right place and the right time. I’m glad you’re here too, preheating the oven sometime to make my mom’s chicken casserole, learning about independent cheese producers in the South, or getting to know a barbecue pitmaster. We need all kinds of stories, including ones that make us hungry. Thanks for sticking around — there’s always more to come.

Article Updates

• To that end, however, my tenure with Hanna Raskin’s The Food Section has ended, but I appreciate all of you who read along for Charleston restaurant news! It was an experiment, so we are on to new horizons.

• I went home to visit family and do some research for The 15 Best Things to Do in Charlotte for Conde Nast Traveler. It’s been a few years since I covered the city, and each time I’m struck by how big it feels and how varied life is in this city that I grew up in. And yes, I did change a tire at a fake pitstop at the NASCAR museum and thus available for pit crew freelance work as well.

Other published media I like right now: “Conch: Queen of the Florida Keys” was a well-reported and interesting podcast produced by Adwoa Gyimah-Brempong for Gravy. And in the completely opposite direction, I just finished Hello, Beautiful and loved its multifaceted storytelling that created so many rich, fully nuanced characters.

On my mind: always a million things, especially at 3 a.m. … this month — the power of technology. We hear a lot about its negativity, to be sure, but as the proud owner of a new laptop, I am enjoying the “new car feel” and how it is already helping me do my job more effectively. And what a battery life!

Cooking soundtrack album: fingerlings4, Andrew Bird

Best thing I cooked this month: Chestnut mushrooms. Although you should never say yes to allowing me to lead a mushroom foraging hike, I have nevertheless expanded my knowledge beyond the basic button and portabella, thanks to farmers markets and my Community Supported weekly groceries. My favorite way to cook them is the “steakhouse” way my mom taught me: in a medium pan with salted butter and a good shake of garlic powder. Great with eggs, rice bowls, and atop salads, the three ways I most often incorporate them.

southernfork

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Until next time,

Steph

March 2025

Spring, Sailing with Bachelorettes, and Seed Pod Headdresses

Here’s my (try as hard as I can) monthly round-up for those of you who want to learn about or keep up a little more with me and the work that I do. Hope you enjoy.

Keep a firm grip on that kite string, Steph

Spring is technicolor in Charleston. Right now, the hot pink azaleas in my neighborhood have blossoms the size of hibiscus, the trees are leafing out in chartreuse green, the wisteria unfolding into grape cluster pantomime on trees and fences. We’re having a real season too (cool nights, warmer days), not like some years when the switch flips from cold to beach weather in a week.

Bees on yellow jessamine next to a busy street. Video: Stephanie Burt

Now that the book has gone to the editor and I’m in planning and process, proposal and negotiation for new, upcoming projects, my creativity feels like it’s warming up too, able to stretch and unfold and not have to be so contained. It’s a great feeling, a clear-blue-sky feeling, and I’ll admit I like to fly at 20,000 feet, living for the brainstorm and the idea.

However, last night I was reminded that it’s not just the idea but the execution that makes a thing when I visited The Gibbes Museum for the upcoming Art Charleston preview. While there, I had the opportunity to see the new exhibit Statement Pieces, and it was truly excellent, juxtaposing the works in the Gibbes collection with some of designer Alexander McQueen’s couture pieces. This was the second time I’d come inches away from McQueen’s work — there was an excellent traveling show at the Columbia Art Museum last year — and I was freshly struck by yes, the imaginative output of one of the most creative minds in my lifetime, but most certainly by the execution.

His work isn’t just fantastical and fanciful; it’s exquisitely constructed, feathers overlapping each other in symmetry, tailoring that tucks a sleeve just so or bones a corset in delicate strength, with the color and texture creating some kind of its own harmony.

A quick snapshot of one of the exhibits in The Gibbes Museum “Statement Pieces.”

True too, the curating of artwork beside fashion is its own genius execution. I was reminded that good work isn’t just about wild ideas or imagination on the end of a kite string caught by the wind; it’s about tiny stitches, keeping scissors sharp and brushes clean, and keeping at the thing when it looks like a pile of fabric on the floor.

As David Lynch says, “You have to find a way to get the thing done.” All I can say is “noted.”

Article Updates

• Sure, the latest "How to Throw a Perfect Bachelorette Party in Charleston” article for Conde Nast Traveler keeps the soon-to-be married female in mind, but this article is chocked full of great recommendations, from boutique hotels and funky Folly Beach retreats to coffee shops and cocktail bars. I’ve stayed in the hotels, sipped the cocktails, and even taken a sail on the boats in question, so these are real up-to-date recs no matter your marital status. :)

• Nightcap weekly newsletters covering Charleston restaurant news

Other published media I like right now: Kara Newman’s work in Wine Enthusiast is always a treat; when I see her byline, I read it because it is informative and engaging. She recently reviewed Tip Top Cocktails (remember that podcast episode?), which makes me like her work even more.

On my mind: always a million things, especially at 3 a.m. … this month — juggling it all. The life of a entrepreneur/contractor/freelancer is not for the weak, especially during tax season when one has to find time to organize the QuickBooks we too often ignore. But we soldier on, scribbles on sticky notes meaning something only to us, and sometimes not even then.

Cooking soundtrack album: is, My Morning Jacket

Best thing I cooked this month: Lightly Pickled Cabbage salad from BUDMO! by Anna Volosyna. I interviewed Anna a couple of years ago on an author panel and have had her cookbook on my shelf since. I grew up with “refrigerator slaw” and this is a variation on the theme — it’s been great all month when I needed some good food packed with prebiotics (around all that eating out and festival-ing!).

Until next time,

Steph

Feburary 2025

Let's get this party started, why don't we

Note: In my haste, the original e-mailed post misidentified Shane Mitchell’s book title as CROP CYCLES instead of THE CROP CYCLE. I promise I can (in fact) read, and I did (in fact) take the photo of the book cover and still mistyped. Please forgive me, Shane!

Here’s my (try as hard as I can) monthly round-up for those of you who want to learn about or keep up a little more with me and the work that I do. Hope you enjoy.

Festival season is upon us

When I first moved to Charleston in 2005, there was a “social season” that began each year with the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition (SEWE). But these days, in a city that has 7 million visitors a year, that cycle is definitely obscured if not downright discarded.

Still, however you slice up the calendar, my spring festival season is here. A couple of weeks ago, I was thrilled to once again participate on the Fresh on the Menu stage in the Certified SC tent at SEWE, hosted by The Lee Brothers. Jason Stanhope (Lowland) and Rutter’s Ranch were my stage partners, and the result was a creamy risotto studded with SC guanciale.

This Wednesday, Charleston Wine + Food kicks off. I’m starting the event in style, hosting an author chat with Shane Mitchell at the Charleston Library Society, in partnership with The Bitter Southerner and Buxton Books. A multi-James Beard award-winning author, Shane’s newest book is The Crop Cycle, and we’ll delve into some stories and details that go beyond the page. You don’t want to miss the rare opportunity to hear her speak about her work, so if you’re in town, we’d love to have you join us. Click here for tickets!

Article Updates

• Weekly “Nightcap” newsletters for The Food Section — from Edmund’s Oast to Mexican bread, and everywhere in between this month.

• I have a lot of things in process but not much additionally to show you at the moment. More to come soon!

Other published media I like right now: Do you need some positive news? Read The Wonder of Wetlands by Stephanie Hunt, chronicling five Southerners from different walks of life who are working to protect these landscapes Hunt calls “superheroes of ecology”. This project falls under a top category in my world: I wish I’d written it. :)

On my mind: always a million things, especially at 3 a.m. … this month — power company tree cutting. The trees in our neighborhoods are our everyday connection to the natural world, and they improve health and communities, so why the hacking by hordes of crews nationwide? There has to be a better way to live with electricity and trees, even when the lines aren’t buried (a budget line item that is often an incentive/discount for new developers and rarely used in established ‘hoods). If you know of a community doing it right, please send me the info!

Cooking soundtrack album: The Very Best of Chicago: Only the Beginning, Chicago

Best thing I cooked this month: It was all about the easy stuff this month, but I still started with fresh ingredients most nights. This quick-sauteed Rooting Down Farms turnip greens “nest” with good eggs and chili crisp was a highlight.

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Until next time,

Steph

January 2025

Yes, I'm writing a cocktail book, but this isn't that kind of Nightcap

Here’s my (try as hard as I can) monthly round-up for those of you who want to learn about or keep up a little more with me and the work that I do. Hope you enjoy.

New gig, same beat (and yes, there will be oysters)

I’ve been burning up the road since Thanksgiving, but only a couple of hours at a time for a couple of days at a time. After crisscrossing South Carolina researching its craft cocktail culture, I always come home to Charleston.

This year marks 20 years here—give or take a couple of years moving away before moving back— and from the first day I became a resident, I have written about this city (I started here as a staff writer in Special Sections for The Post and Courier). Charleston’s culture, history, people, and environment have been my beat ever since, from my time as online editor for The Local Palate or covering a perfect day eating here for CNN’s Parts Unknown to the recent work you often see cataloged in this newsletter.

For me, the key to learning about this place has always been through the plate, so I’ve eaten my way through those assignments too, watching culinary careers blossom from the kitchen side door and the barstool, visited farms and docks in rubber boots, and taken a turn or two around prep kitchens and home kitchens myself.

I’m not tired yet. There’s always something happening in the restaurant scene here, some new delicious bite to try, and someone new to meet who I just sense is an emerging talent; so when Hanna Raskin invited me to join The Food Section team as Nightcap Editor, it was an easy yes.

“Ok, cool!” you say. “But what is Nightcap?”

“Unlike other TFS newsletters, which are typically devoted to a single narrative, it features a collection of short items about the Lowcountry’s food-and-beverage scene. It’s lively, buzzy, and very much of the moment: Nightcap aims to be your go-to source for what’s really going on when restaurants close, partnerships dissolve, and fancy events go awry. Nightcap is where readers will find out first which food truck is upgrading to a permanent location, and what an acclaimed out-of-town chef has in mind for her new Charleston bistro.” — The Food Section

Want to subscribe? Click this link for a promo code of $5 off The Food Section subscription, and you’ll not only get a weekly newsletter from me, but all the great food coverage the publication has to offer. Or just skip the link and enter “BURT” at checkout. The next newsletter drops Monday night — can’t wait for you to read it.

Burger night at Maison on King Street. Photo: Stephanie Burt

Article Updates

• One bite of charcuterie last year in Florida was enough to get me beyond the plate and out on the Florida farm trail, tracking a story about wild boar charcuterie, now ready for you to read in the current issue of The Local Palate. Wild boar is in an invasive species issue in many states, so my hope is that this is a farm and chef partnership trend that catches on.

• We’re experiencing a colder than normal winter here in the South, and that always means I’m craving a pot of my mom’s chicken and rice, a pantry recipe you can make too, thanks to my newest byline on Simply Recipes. It’s feed-a-whole family comfort for the dark days of winter.

Other published media I like right now: Wildsam’s “How a Texas Mill Turns Propane Tanks Into Famed BBQ Pits” may be an archived story, but I’m always catching up on my reading. This piece dives deep into the process of creative reuse, which I always find inspiring, but especially when it results in delicious barbecue. It reminds me of The Southern Fork podcast conversation with Hector Garate of Palmira BBQ, who also crafted his own smoker.

On my mind: always a million things, especially at 3 a.m. … this month — the same as last month: cocktail recipes! My book deadline is imminent.

Cooking soundtrack album: Dance, No One’s Watching, Ezra Collective

Best thing I cooked this month: Actually, forget month. These Mr. Charlie’s Yeast Rolls from Anne Byrn’s Baking in the American South are one of the best things I’ve ever made. They were pillowy perfection for Christmas day.

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Until next time,

Steph