CIC Grad Ellis Grossman's Black Bean Restaurant Gets Great Review

Black Bean Co. Injects Fresh Energy into the Food Scene

Charleston City Paper by Brys Stephens

"A handful of tables dot the inside and outdoor patio of Black Bean Co.'s tiny Spring Street location, but the bulk of their business is takeout, delivery, and catering. Local art adorns the walls, and proprietor Ellis Grossman keeps the operation green, with energy-efficient lights and biodegradable utensils and vessels. The restaurant's website is cleanly designed and has a streamlined, user-friendly online ordering system. It lets you customize your order with optional additions, subtractions, and sides. It may take a few times to get a feel for the current online menu, but the food is original and appealing.

"Black Bean Co. calls itself Charleston's "premium organic, all natural, speedy service restaurant," specializing in "carry-out, delivery, catering and online ordering of energy food, which can be made vegan friendly upon request." It's been open since September 2010, and Charleston native and Culinary Institute of Charleston graduate Grossman already has additional locations on deck, with one set to open on James Island in early March. Ambitious and enthusiastic at age 25, Grossman personifies the restaurant's frenetic sense of purpose. "Sometimes when people think health food they think expensive, and I want to show them that it can taste great and be moderately priced. It's all about flavor.'"

For the rest of the review, see http://www.charlestoncitypaper.com/charleston/black-bean-co-injects-fresh-energy-into-the-food-scene/Content?oid=3089721&utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Weekly

CIC Will Host A BB&T Charleston Wine + Food Festival Guest Chef Dine Around

"One of the most coveted events on the Festival schedule is the Restaurant Dine-Arounds. This year nineteen of Charleston's renowned chefs, three of them James Beard Best Chef Southeast Award winners, will open the doors of their acclaimed restaurants to a nationally celebrated guest chef to craft a 5-course tasting menu that blends together the culinary styles of each chef and creates a one-of-a-kind menu and dining experience. A winemaker will join each restaurant to pair every dish with the perfect varietal."
Host CIC Chef: Kevin Mitchell
Guest Chef: Duane Nutter of One Flew South and H. Harper Station, Atlanta, GA
Guest Winemaker: Bob Davis, Jordan Winery, Alexander Valley, CA.
Guest Master Sommelier: Andrea Robinson, Napa Valley, CA

The CIC's proceeds from the evening benefit the CIC chapter of the BCA.