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.
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.
Until next time,
Steph