This is summer and a sense of place in a bowl.
A great way to get to know a place better is through its food, as inevitably, the regional and seasonal ingredients have played a big role in building the character and personality of a place. So whether it’s strolling through a farmers market or a grocery store or sampling the local specialties at a bakery or restaurant, you’ll likely learn a lot about the geographical, cultural, and historical roots of the area. Call it terroir, call it merroir, or just call it a delicious understanding.
Case in point would be how an oyster and okra gumbo tells you a lot about Charleston and the South Carolina Lowcountry. Chef and restaurateur Mike Lata — of FIG and The Ordinary in Charleston — spoke about the topic in depth at the Food & Wine Classic in Charleston .
Calling oysters and mariculture one of “the best stories in the food chain,” Lata believes that the farm raising of oysters is not only a “net positive for the environment” but that they’re also delicious and “best represent a sense of place, which is what we strive to do in our restaurants.”