August 2021
Jelly. Doughnuts. But not jelly doughnuts.
Hi all —
Here’s my (try as hard as I can) monthly round-up for those of you who want to learn / keep up a little more with me and the work that I do. Hope you enjoy.
On the Treat Beat
I’m just going to get this out of the way right now. The latest from this desk is a lot of cocktail content, some ice cream coverage, and a doughnut deep dive. Why yes, thanks for asking, I am still exercising daily. ;)
Saveur might have morphed a good bit since I began writing during its in-print days, but there is still a stellar team behind the scenes for collaboration and editorial crafting, so it remains one of my favorite bylines. I covered both the lovely field of bourbon and bitters for them this month, and as part of the process, got to deep dive via phone with Episode 132’s Bill Thomas of Jack Rose Dining Saloon. All three links will provide you leads on setting up your home bar in style.
Jumping “behind the line” for Resy meant chatting with Cynthia Wong about her ice cream expansion. She’s one of the best pastry chefs in America, and she has begun forging her own way, out of restaurant kitchens and into a food truck, and now her own ice cream factory. It’s a sweet story that’s only getting sweeter.
And finally, if your sweet tooth wasn’t satisfied enough, I tried to document the doughnuts of the Charleston metro area and I gave up at 14! Still, there were some standouts, which I documented for The Post and Courier
Episode Updates
A few months ago, I made an impromptu visit to Common Thread to check out Brandon Carter’s new Savannah digs, and I was so impressed, I planned a return dinner a few weeks later. Here’s the result, a chat with co-chefs Carter and Benhase. So many courses, so much delicious, and an interesting take on collaboration.
While in the city, I also ventured over to Shabazz Seafood for one seriously good fried whiting sandwich. Kalifa Shabazz and I broke down how that’s made (and much more) in Episode 239.
KJ Kearney is the one who made sure Shabazz was on my radar before my Savannah trip, and putting black food on the radar is exactly what he does with his work on Black Food Fridays, which we talked about in a recent episode. You’ll get hungry enough following him to eat out on more than just Fridays!
We went into the woods on the edge of the greenway or beyond the backyard on the hunt for pawpaws with Sara Bir, chef and author. I love her lens for viewing life and cooking, and I think you will too, even if you don’t have any desire to forage.
And back home, really home in my own neighborhood, I checked in with Shuai and Corrie Wang of Jackrabbit Filly, one of my regular spots. I interviewed them years ago when they were running the Short Grain Food Truck, and we talked about the journey and the shift to restaurateurs.
Other podcast episodes I like right now: The NYT Daily had an insightful episode that really explains why a labor shortage is hitting hospitality so hard. Hint: it’s been a brutal industry, and things need to change. And Episode 184’s Shorlette Ammons was featured on a recent episode of Living Downstream which focused on Eastern North Carolina chicken farming.
On my mind: always a million things, especially at 3 a.m. But something that has really given me comfort this month (and great images to meditate on while trying to calm my mind) has been Fantastic Fungi. Streaming right now on Netflix, this 2019 documentary film is beautifully shot and includes a couple clips of Episode 56’s Tradd Cotter, who is making great strides in the fight against termites and fire ants — using mushroom compounds. Beyond that, however, if you like time lapse and nature imagery, this film is for you!
Cooking soundtrack album: The Best of Nina Simone, Nina Simone
Best thing I cooked this month: Plum Jelly
Until next time,
Steph