Emily Havener

Charleston

Managing Editor at The Local Palate

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Articles

Fancypants - The Local Palate

3 weeks ago | thelocalpalate.com | Emily Havener

Fancypants in East Nashville lives up to its name, equal parts elegant and playful, flirtatiously self-aware and unself-conscious. When co-owner and restaurateur Michael Shemtov was brainstorming names for the concept, his wife, Melody Shemtov, wasn’t impressed with the options. They were too long or pretentious for his “fancypants” restaurant, she said—and the decision was made.
In Season: The Strawberry

1 month ago | thelocalpalate.com | Emily Havener

Birmingham’s Frank Stitt takes inspiration from British and French traditions to make the most of the famous strawberryFrank Stitt has a history with strawberries. “My mother’s family farmed strawberries commercially, and so that was a big part of my childhood,” the chef says. For about five or six weeks during the season, he sources strawberries for his Birmingham restaurants, Chez Fonfon and Bottega, from a farm just a few miles down the road from his grandparents’ old place in Cullman County.
Q&A for The Mango Tree | Listen

1 month ago | thelocalpalate.com | Emily Havener

Annabelle Tometich spent 18 years as the restaurant critic for The News-Press in Fort Myers, Florida, where she grew up. Her memoir, The Mango Tree: A Memoir of Fruit, Florida, and Felony (Little, Brown, April 2024) tells the story of her childhood in Florida as the child of a Filipina mother and a white father, and won the 2025 Southern Book Prize for nonfiction. Members Only Content This page is for Cookbook Club members only. If you are a member, please sign in and try again.
5 Canned Cocktails for a Southern Summer | Listen

1 month ago | thelocalpalate.com | Emily Havener

Drinks By: Emily Havener It’s the summer of Southern spirits, and we’ve got a lineup of recommendations for whatever your mood, low-ABV and nonalcoholic included. Tip Top Proper CocktailsStart off strong with Atlanta-based Tip Top Proper Cocktails, created in collaboration with chef Miles Macquarrie of Kimball House.
Skillets For A Savvy Kitchen Upgrade- The Local Palate

1 month ago | thelocalpalate.com | Emily Havener

Get equipped for everything from oven to open flame with versatile, unique cookware and skillets. Father’s Day is around the corner, and it’s the perfect excuse to give Dad a gift that benefits the whole family. Whatever he likes to cook, these makers of premium cast iron, stainless steel, or carbon steel cookwars have got it covered.
A Kamayan Filipino Feast | Listen

2 months ago | thelocalpalate.com | Emily Havener |Amber Chase |TLP's Partners

In Charleston, Nikko Cagalanan is making kamayan a Filipino tradition worth traveling forNikko Cagalanan grew up in the Philippines, where it’s common to have multiple generations living in one household. Even everyday meals were a big production, serving 10 to 20 people. “Comparing in the US, with me and my wife, it’s just the two of us,” he says; he and restaurateur and business partner Paula Kramer tied the knot last fall.
Alton Brown's Fridge - An Exclusive Look

Mar 25, 2025 | thelocalpalate.com | Emily Havener |TLP's Partners

Take a look at 5 things Alton Brown keeps in his fridge. Alton Brown launches his farewell culinary variety tour, Last Bite, on February 13, in the same month his 10th book, Food for Thought (Gallery Books, 2025), hits stores.
A taste of the American South in European Restaurants

Mar 21, 2025 | thelocalpalate.com | Emily Havener |TLP's Partners

Finding Home Across the Pond Across Europe in the last decade, there’s been a burgeoning trend of Southern-inspired restaurants, food trucks, and diners cropping up from Poland to Portugal. These eateries serve some truly fantastic dishes that represent the cuisines and traditions of the South. You’ll find Louisianan jambalaya, Appalachian chow-chow, and Floridian key lime pie in cafes and restaurants throughout the Old World.
Joy the Baker on Books | Listen

Mar 17, 2025 | thelocalpalate.com | Emily Havener

Talking cookbooks and secret baking projects with Joy WilsonI recently had the pleasure of attending a scone-making class taught by cookbook author, recipe developer, and editor Joy Wilson at the Charleston Wine & Food Festival, where Wilson, better known as Joy the Baker, shared not only her practical and creative baking tips but some of the personal skills she’s developed that make her baking so magical.
Cookbook Review: Cooking for the Culture | Listen

Feb 24, 2025 | thelocalpalate.com | Emily Havener

Cooking for the Culture feels like a mirror of Toya Boudy as she slowly reveals herself to us. It’s filled with stories about her childhood in the kitchen learning techniques from her parents for stretching food, which, she says, “take roux knowledge,” and cooking for pay as a teenager at a corner convenience store.