Georgia Trend Magazine. January 2022 print edition. Located in one of Savannah’s oldest buildings that dates back to the 1890s, St. Neo’s Brasserie is not your typical hotel restaurant. For starters, the interior is a dream come true for decorators and makeover enthusiasts. What was an eyesore of an abandoned building that once housed American […]

Zagat. December 2021. Zagat Stories presents Restaurants 21/22, a collection of interviews with leading voices in dining, hospitality, food, tech, politics and more. Each story takes the turning of the calendar as an inflection point to consider what happened in 2021, or what’s likely to happen in 2022, in the world of restaurants and food. See all […]

Georgia Trend. November 2021. Pecans, peanuts, pistachios, walnuts, macadamia – oh my! Georgia produces a wide variety of nuts. In fact, Georgia leads the way as the nation’s top pecan producer, growing 142 million pounds last year. Nuts are a good source of protein, omega-3 fatty acids, have very low sodium (if unsalted) and are […]

Fifth Season. November 2021. When I entered my suburban apartment kitchen, the once bare white walls were covered with stringy orange slime. It looked like a chaotic scene from Ghostbusters. But these were pumpkin fibers, not viscous green psycho-reactive slime. And there were no ghosts. Just my own mom and grandma attempting to make pumpkin […]

Georgia Trend Magazine. November 2021. Overlooking the colorful downtown, swaying in my rocking chair, sipping a blueberry sour cocktail, I feel I could be in any Southern small town. But this is no ordinary place, building or porch. It is the same spot where global heads of state and accomplished billionaires have wined and dined. […]

Georgia Trend. October 2021. Tis’ the season! With pumpkins, turkeys and candy on our minds, the last quarter of the year is all about celebrations over food. Restaurants and bars across the state are getting creative with food and drink items to get customers into the celebratory spirit. Whether you’re tickled by edible ghost candies, […]

Cuisine Noir. September 2021. Many African American decedents of enslaved people lived along the barrier islands and along the coast of Georgia, Florida and both Carolinas. “Instead of dying after their landowners abandoned their cotton, indigo and rice plantation, the Geechee thrived in collectives that shared their bountiful resources as well as their own language, […]

Cuisine Noir. September 2021. Charlise Johnson is the chef and owner of In My Fillings cupcake shop in Suwanee, Georgia. Her unique business model offers customers an opportunity to make their own cupcakes by combining different base cakes, icings and toppings. She opened her first, what she calls the “Chipotle for cupcakes,” style location during the pandemic […]

HuffPost. September 2021. Veronica Wandui is the executive banquet chef at The St. Regis Atlanta, where she orchestrates weddings and conferences for up to 600 guests at a time. After graduating from culinary school in Nairobi, Wandui was demotivated, harassed and told to stay “in her place.” She migrated to the United States and restarted her […]

Oxygen. July 2021. You’re eating right, taking all the right supplements and exercising regularly, but you’re not seeing the results you want. Maybe you’ve nailed down exactly what you have to eat to live your healthiest lifestyle, but have you thought about the combinations of foods you eat? How about the ingredients you’re combining, beyond your basic […]

AAA The Extra Mile. July 2021. As you embark on a road trip across the U.S., your choices to eat are no longer limited to fast food and gas station snacks. With the rise of South Asian truck drivers on American roadways, a demand for Indian cuisine has also surmounted. As a result, Indian fast-food restaurants have […]

Greatist. June 2021. The Juneteenth season is about remembrance and celebration. We remember the day Union troops arrived in Texas, announcing that the Civil War had ended and enslaved people were free. And we celebrate the cultures that have been preserved and reborn out of that time.  One such culture is that of the Gullah Geechee people, one […]

Georgia Trend. June 2021. Juneteenth, celebrated June 19, is the oldest national celebration of the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States. It is not only a day of reflection, but also a day to celebrate African-American cuisine and culture. This week, cities around the state are hosting parades and festivals. Some businesses are […]

Georgia Trend. May 2021. More than a year into the pandemic, we have somewhat gotten accustomed to working and socializing virtually. While nothing can replace the warmth of a face-to-face interaction, many people are still getting comfortable meeting in a group setting. During this transition period, it is important to stay emotionally connected with your […]

The Infatuation. May 2021. Upscale Indian restaurants are moving past white tablecloths and spinning their own version of Indian food as a sincere, personal experience. For more than a century, the traditional American understanding of “fine dining” meant white tablecloths and French (or at least European) cuisine and modes of service. Fine dining might have […]

Georgia Trend. May 1, 2021. Holiday parties, office luncheons and company-wide events – these staples of business life all but disappeared in the past year. Some of us are still not comfortable dining out in a group setting and continue to eat lunch at our home offices. Others elect to meet at spacious restaurants or […]

Georgia Trend. April 2021. On these warm sunny days, some of us are inspired to venture out into the backyard more often. Perhaps you are dusting off the lawn chairs, planting a vegetable garden or firing up the grill. It is a promising time to reap seasonal produce and refresh weeknight menus with lighter recipes […]

Lifehacker. April 2021. Cultural diversity is an important concept that shapes us as individuals and as a society. Grasping its importance at an early age means understanding and appreciating that people are different, and that’s what makes the world more interesting. In particular, teaching kids early on about different foods, eating habits, and mealtime traditions can […]

HuffPost. April 2021. At just 21 years old, Maryland-based Jeremiah Josey is a baker, model and inspirational speaker on the topic of autism. He has walked the New York Fashion Week runway, appeared on Steve Harvey’s talk show three times, been named a 2020 Doug Flutie Fellow and was included in The Mighty list of the top 14 autism influencers. Josey […]

Georgia Trend. March 2021. This Women’s History Month, meet four Georgia women in the battered restaurant and culinary sector who are helping their colleagues weather the pandemic and all its effects. From growing, cooking and serving food, to paving a path for emerging culinary entrepreneurs, these women have led during truly difficult times. Though they […]

Cuisine Noir Magazine. March 2021. Retired Super Bowl champion Justin Watson wants people to drink coffee with a cause. He recently launched B L Q K Coffee, an artisanal coffee company that invests in providing educational tools to young people. Watson was born in New York and grew up in a Jamaican household in Pasadena, California. As […]

Georgia Trend Magazine. February 2021. Lunch hour is no longer a brief escape from the office that we once looked forward to. Instead of catching up with colleagues at a delectable restaurant, now we juggle between video calls, checking in on the kids, taking the dog out and grabbing a quick nibble. But a power […]

Zagat. February 2021. Zagat Stories makes coverage of Black subjects a priority year round, along with people and subjects underrepresented in media generally. In recognition of Black History Month 2021, all Zagat Stories in February will focus exclusively on interviews with Black chefs, restaurateurs, bartenders, brewers, bakers, and others in and around hospitality. Kiki Cyrus worked at […]

HuffPost. January 2021. When it comes to health goals, the new year marks a reset point for many of us. After months of stress eating, pandemic cooking and staying indoors, many of us have ignored our bodies. Though we can’t control much external stress, we can strengthen our immune systems and minds to better face the challenges that […]