The Art of the Plate: October 2016

Monday, October 17, 2016

Zagat Names Three CIC Alum in Its "30 Under 30: Charleston. Rock Stars Redefining the Industry"

Photo credit: Stacy Howell

Congrats to Amanda Black, sous chef at Zero Restaurant + Bar; Chelsey Conrad, executive chef at Butcher & Bee; and Braydon Sutherland, sous chef at FIG. "And over the last five years or so, the city has attracted a bevy of national accolades as well as droves of young culinary talent flocking to the Holy City to be a part of its big moment. Accordingly, it’s high time we honored some of the young folks making the food scene in Charleston so exciting," wrote Zagat. Read more about each of these rock stars.

What We're Reading

“Eating from the Ground Up”

Out just in time for the vegetables appearing at our farmers markets, Alana Chernila’s cookbook focuses on creatively using every root and leaf. While some of the recipes may be familiar concepts – think stuffed tomatoes – hers are packed with millet, basil, and parsley. Fried rice stars salmon, fennel, and Swiss chard stems. Roasted asparagus are sauced with a combo of butter, garlic, nutritional yeast, and tamari. Stone fruit, raw corn kernels, scallions, basil, and jalapeño make a cool salad for hot weather. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of Penguin Random House, LLC.

"Soul: A Chef's Culinary Evolution in 150 Recipes"

“This book is my homage to the cuisine of my family,” Chef Todd Richards writes in his autobiographical collection of essays and recipes. “These are the ingredients of my people. This is my sermon about my Soul food.”

Bringing accolades for his stints at Atlanta’s Ritz Carlton and Four Seasons, James Beard nominations, and, of course, his prowess at Southern cooking, Richards seasons the pot with a powerful bouquet of flavors as he pays his heritage forward. Collards cooked with ham hocks are accented with piquant pickled collard stems. Blueberries are found in fried pies; strawberries are plated with champagne aspic, whipped cream, and honey. Grilled peaches pair with radishes on toast spread with pimiento cheese. Sweet potatoes are layered with cauliflower and crab in a lush gratin.

"Soul food," Richards tells us, "is the original cuisine of the South, born from an involuntary collision of cultures."
Published by Southern Living. $35.