February 2026
The cocktail book is here! I went to Mexico and wrote about it! And who doesn't love cake?!
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.
The book is here, and I want to sign it for you
If you live in South Carolina, have visited, or are just enamored by mixology at your own home bar, do I have a book for you. :)
South Carolina Cocktails: An Elegant Collection of Over 100 Recipes Inspired by the Palmetto State is now available for sale, and you can get your signed and personalized copy direct from ME at this link.
Published by Cider Mill Press, an imprint from HarperCollins, this is 254 full-color pages of 100 recipes, profiles, bar behind-the-scenes, and cocktail inspiration. And while I also took a lot of photos for it, this was by no means a solo effort.
Many talented photographers kindly donated images too, plenty of people pointed the way to a favorite cocktail or bar they loved, and of course, 100 different bartenders shared a recipe. This is my love letter to the social culture and sensory chemistry of my adoptive home state, and my favorite part of all was documenting so many people who make South Carolina just a little better with one sip.
I hope you’ll want a copy to add to your bar or bookshelf. I can’t wait to sign one for you.
AND … If you’re in Charleston this weekend for SEWE, I’ll be signing books at Doar Bros. tomorrow from 4-6 p.m., where they will be featuring their cocktail from the book. Hope to see you there!
Updates
Podcasts
Note: All links below are for Apple Podcasts, but you can find The Southern Fork on almost any platform that streams audio, from YouTube to Spotify and many places in between.
Thanks to the Food & Wine Classic Charleston, I got the opportunity to interview Andrew Zimmern about a shared love we have of sustainable seafood. Yes, he is as nice as he seems on television. Yes, he is even more intelligent in person! And no, he didn’t bring any “bizarre foods” for me to try.
Olivia Myers isn’t one of those people you’ll see blowing up on social media. Instead, she is literally a boots-on-the-ground changemaker through her Lowcountry Grocery RX program. She combines a love of good food and community with her background as a nutritionist, and what results is truly changing lives for the better.
Articles
“Mar to Mesa” for Auberge Journal invited me to dive deep into the sustainable seafood world of Mexico’s Baja Peninsula through the eyes of two masterful chefs at two of the most beautiful resorts I have ever visited. There is a lot happening beyond infinity pools and cool drinks at resorts with world class culinary programs, and these chefs are leading others to think differently about luxury.
One of my favorite Charleston chefs, Kevin Johnson, is behind the new Ladder 13 in Columbia, SC, which I previewed in a “now open” article for the Post & Courier’s Free Times edition. Sign me up for ANY pizza that is topped with preserved lemon, ok?
This chicken and rice recipe was the most popular Simply Recipes recipe of 2025, so that news arrived. :)
And below, “the best thing I cooked this month” provides one more recipe bonus.
Other published media I like right now: If you’ve followed my cooking and eating journey for a while, then you know how important Carolina Gold rice is to it, and recently, its seed availability was in question. “Saving Carolina Gold” by Parker Milner of the Post & Courier provides an inside look at the kinds of conversations behind the recipe posts, the restaurant dishes, and gets to the heart of why talking about food begins by talking to farmers.
On my mind: always a million things, especially at 3 a.m. … this month — beginning before I am ready. News alert: I never feel quite ready! I love, like love, research and preparation, but life most often asks me at some point to say “enough” and begin, learning through the process (like I did for this book.) That isn’t pretty, but messy and sometimes monotonous; however, gifts abound.
Cooking soundtrack album: Revelator, Tedeschi Trucks Band
Best thing I cooked this month: I make cakes frequently, but I’ve never had my friends react to being “taste testers” like they did with this one. Upon request, I tested over the holidays, and it’s already published! Meet the Kentucky Butter Cake, my latest byline from Simply Recipes. Fire up the oven and let me know if your friends want additional slices too.
Until next time,
Steph