Yesterday we participated in a Fashion Week Luncheon to benefit the MUSC Children's Hospital. Chef Lata, along with Chefs Sean Brock and Michelle Weaver, prepared a three course meal for the 250 attendees. Chef Brock started the meal with a Warm Aspragus Soup with Grilled Ramps, Celeste's Buttermilk and Crispy Country Ham. Chef Lata prepared the entree; a Spring Vegetable and Farro Salad with White Shrimp, Blue Crab, and a Green Garlic Vinaigrette. The meal was finished off by Chef Weaver with Ambrose Farms Fresh Strawberries and Vanilla Bean and Chantilly Cream.
Many thanks to Terri Henning for hosting such a wonderful event. See more photos on our Facebook page.
GQ featured Chef Jeremiah Bacon's Guide to Charleston this week and named our Coddled Sea Island Farm Egg his "favorite dish in Charleston." Find the article here to learn about the rest of Chef Bacon's local favorites.
In a recent piece for AFAR Magazine, John Currence highlights FIG along with Two Boroughs Larder, Butcher and Bee, and Husk in regards to the culinary movement in Charleston.
Currence writes “What is happening in Charleston at this very moment is profound and important. There is a literal army of young, engaged, and extremely creative minds steering an expanding sea of beautiful little spaces and kitchens and they are watched over by an older generation of guys like chefs Mike Lata and Sean Brock who could not be better examples of what excellence should be."
Eloquently put and wildly flattering. Read the article in it's entirety here.
Photos by Paul Costello
Chef Lata was recently featured on the Charleston Visitor Bureau Blog series, My Charlestonly 10. Chef talks about his drink of choice (Negroni), his loyalty to lowcountry seafood, and where you'll find him on his day off. The series featured various other local chefs such as Jeremiah Bacon, Sean Brock, Michelle Weaver, Frank McMahon, Marc Collins, and Craig Deihl. View the entire series here.
We're absolutely thrilled to be voted Charleston's Best Restaurant and Best Downtown Restaurant for the third year in a row. Thanks to the City Paper for also naming us Best Cheese (for our ricotta) and Best Upper King Street Plans. Congratulations to our many talented fellow winners!
Read the full issue online here.
Last Friday, FIG held its annual Perfectly Paired Dinner for the Charleston Wine and Food Festival (formerly called Dine Arounds). We were honored to have Chefs Bryan Caswell, Michael Laiskonis, and John Besh cooking in the kitchen with us.
Chefs Besh, Caswell, and Lata each prepared an appetizer (Lemonfish Crudo, Longfin Yellowtail, and Capers Inlet Oysters on the Halfshell) and then went on to prepare a full course. From Chef Lata's Clam and Spring Vegetable Minestrina to Chef Besh's Ricotta and Crawfish Cavatelli Pasta to Chef Caswell's Whole Roasted Fish, the entire meal was phenomenal. Chef Laiskonis finished off the meal perfectly with his crunchy choux and stunning petit fours. The night was such a success and we feel eternally grateful to these wonderful chefs for being a part of it.
Photos by Ben Williams
In this month's issue of Esquire Magazine, Chef Lata shares one of his favorite retro recipes with a slight update; breakfast casserole. The secret ingredient? Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup.
Chef Lata says, "Today, as traceability and sourcing of ingredients becomes more and more important to me, Campbell's has status as a revered relic in my home kitchen. When I use it, I do so for fun and because it reminds me of another time. In its own weird way, it will always taste satisfyingly familiar, and that's what makes it good."
Find the recipe here.
Esquire Magazine recently named FIG one of their favorite 27 Restaurants Where Men Eat, "because dude [Chef Lata] can knock you out with vegetables." We do love our veggies.
See the full list of Restaurants Where Men Eat here.
Aside from a stellar write-up on FIG and a captivating story about our soft shell crab speed dial, this year's Dish Dining Guide features an article written by our own Chef Lata. Chef writes on the importance of being an ingrdient-driven chef and his firm belief that Fish is Good. Pick up a copy or read Dish online here.
