Charleston Shop Curator : The Tastemakers at Charleston Wine + Food

In just a few days is The Charleston Wine and Food Fest, a celebration of the culinary scene here and beyond.  With cooking demos to extravagant soirees all over town, this is a foodie paradise.

My fellow blogger Venita Aspen and I decided to highlight some of the participants who work tirelessly in their field to give us the best dining and drinking experience that Charleston is known for.  These people are usually seen and photographed in their apron, chef jacket, crocs, and the women with their hair pulled back.  We wanted to work with these participants and enhance their already great style.  Cannon Green graciously let us shoot in their beautiful restaurant and we ended up having a fun day of fashion and made some new friends.

Carrie Morey of Callie’s Biscuits is pretty much a household name in Charleston.  Her buttery biscuits are sold nationwide in most major grocery stores and even in the Caribbean.  With the best media coverage you could ask for – NBC Today Show, The Martha Stewart Show, Saveur, Food & Wine, Southern Living, The New York Times, The Food Network, and even Oprah has been loving on her southern staple.  If you want a piece of Callie’s to go with toppings that change daily, then Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit on Upper King is biscuit heaven.

Vinson Petrillo who is the head chef at Zero George Cafe + Bar begun his culinary training at Johnson and Wales in Charleston and continued his career at some of the top restaurants in New York.  No stranger with brushes of fame, he has appeared on Chopped, Top Chef Masters, and recently cooked up a meal so good for Bill Murray that he sat on Vinson’s lap and snuggled with the chef post meal.  Specializing in fine dining, Vinson always keeps local and seasonal ingredients in mind when he’s cooking up one of his works of art.

Vonda Freeman, the beverage director of Indigo Road Group is one busy woman.  The sommelier juggles her schedule between their six restaurants/bars – Oak Steakhouse, O-Ku, The Macintosh,  The Cocktail Club,Indaco, and Bar Mash.  Vonda will be sharing her vast knowledge of wine pairings at Wine + Food this year.  She’ll be demonstrating the art of wine and food pairings at Wine + Food alongside Jessica Little, Co-Owner of Sweet Grass Dairy for a WINE + CHEESE + CHARCUTERIE seminar.

Chef BJ Dennis brings the flavors of his roots to every tasty dish he prepares.  Scroll through his Instagram and you’ll start salivating over all of the Gullah Geechee fare he’s cooking up.   He’s worked at some of  Charleston’s award winning restaurants including Carolinas, Anson’s, Oak Steakhouse, Hank’s Seafood, and 82 Queen, and is now focusing on his catering and personal chef services.

Amalia Scatena is the executive chef at Cannon Green and loves cooking up her local fare dishes with a Mediterranean twist.  She started her impressive journey graduating with Head Chef honors from the Culinary Institute in Florence, Italy.   Her training and commitment has given her award winning status, cooking at some of the top fine dining restaurants in the U.S.  The rustic and romantic Cannon Green is the perfect setting for her to present her farm to table cuisine.

Dantera Richards of Swank Desserts can satisfy the most insatiable sweet tooth.  Her background started at Magnolia’s then moving on to the Ocean Course Clubhouse at the Kiawah Island Golf Resort.  Finding her passion in sweets more than savory, the chef started Swank Desserts in 2012.  Her delectable desserts include brownies with nutella, & salty caramel fudge, Lucky Charms Cookie Sandwiches with whisky marshmallow fluff, and out of this world flavors for her macarons and cupcakes.

Photography by Libby Williams, Hair & Makeup by  Kalena Doo at Stella Nova Charleston // Production, Styling by Andrea Serrano assisted by Venita Aspen // On location at Cannon Green