Celebration of the Cowpea
The Celebration of the Cowpea was an event that celebrated “cowpeas” or “field peas” in a very creative and innovative way. The event took place took place at the Gatewood House, which is the house where Nat Fuller, the famous African American and restautanteur learned to cook in the 19th century. The pea which came from West Africa in the 16th century, has had a profound infulence on southern cuisine and chefs Benjamin Dennis and Kevin Mitchell cooked over 30 types of field peas for everyone to sample. The beans ranged from creamy, to rice peas and there were different types of rice to pair with them. Chef April McGreger made cornbread from several heirloom corn strands and the cornbread was the perfect southern touch to this amazing meal. The favorite pea of the evening was the Pink Eyes Purple Hawk pea grown by our favorite organic farmer Joseph Fields. The event was amazing, we even had the opportunity to meet Food and Bev legend, Natalie Dupree!! It was an awesome and educational event and we hope to attend next year!
A Day with Matt Lee and Truveè Wines
Drinking wine with Matt Lee was an absolute treat! For those that don’t know who he is, Matt Lee is one half of the Lee Brothers. The Lee Bros are two brothers from Charleston, who are very involved with spreading awareness of delicious southern cuisine around the U.S. They have a mail order catalog for southern pantry staples called The Lee Bros. Boiled Peanuts catalog and people can order signature southern things like boiled peanuts. The great guys are also authors of cook books like Southern Cookbook, and Charleston Kitchen, have won several James Beard awards, and Finally, they invited us to Atlanta Food and Wine festival to be talent for their workshop! (It was soooo fun!)
Now that I’ve introduced you all to Matt Lee, let’s get to this awesome wine that he decided to share with an awesome story to match!
Truvee Wines has a powerful story and an amazing taste. It was created from the McBride sisters, who are two beautiful African American sisters who were separated when they were extremely young but interesting enough, BOTH grew up on Vinyards thousands of miles apart. They found each other later in life and decided to create their own delicious wine called Truveè – which is from the French word “to find.”
We tried the chardonnay first, it was light and delicious with notes of pear, citrus, and apples. It was a very crisp and has a clean finish. There was no harsh after taste. After, we tried the Red Blend. It was full of body and had notes of berries and caramel and has a robust finish. Both brands were a perfect blend of New World and Old World practices which can be tasted in the wine.
The McBride Sisters are the FIRST African American sisters to found a wine company and to launch in a digital platform. We are thankful to Matt Lee for exposing us to women who are doing amazing things for the wine world.
To learn more about Matt Lee and the Lee Bros, visit www.mattleeandtedlee.com.
To learn more about Truveè Wines and the McBride Sisters, visit www.truveewines.com
Coffee Cocktails
Life is too short crappy coffee cocktails! And with yummy cocktail creations for Brooks Reitz of Leon’s Oyster Shop there’s never a need too! Brooks brought along his signature Jack Rudy Tonic to blend the Cherry Bourbon syrup cocktail and a few ounces of Revelator El Carmen – cold brew. With literally a cherry on top, this cocktail is refreshing at any time of the day.
Remember, it’s never too late for coffee or too early for a cocktail. But if you’re looking for a happy medium, combine Bourbon infused with Revelator’s Shakiso coffee, coffee syrup and a few dashes of bitters for a Coffee Old Fashioned that takes the classic cocktail to the barista level!
Get as creative as possible when adding coffee to your cocktail. Try chocolate rum or vanilla flavored vodka to your usual morning cup of joe to add spice to your afternoon. If you’re in need of a bit of variety in your coffee collection, grab a ticket to the Charleston Coffee Cup on November 8th at the newly open Cigar Factory from 10am until 3pm.
