Beverage Experts

E.J. Lagasse

E.J. Lagasse fell in love with food at a very young age. As the son of Chef Emeril Lagasse, he spent most of his early years in kitchens and at home where the family table was a central part of daily life. Cooking with his dad at home and exploring new culinary experiences were fundamental to his childhood and instilled an appreciation and respect for seasonality and nature that has led to his dedication to culinary artistry.

At 13, he started working in the kitchen at Meril Restaurant in New Orleans, and throughout high school he continued working for his father at Emeril’s Coastal in Florida. During summer breaks, E.J. had an opportunity to stage at highly acclaimed Café Boulud in New York City where he gained invaluable experience training under Daniel Boulud. He went on to spend nearly two years training at the celebrated Le Bernardin with Eric Ripert. After graduating from culinary school at Johnson & Wales, he spent time refining his skills in some of the world’s most renowned kitchens including Core by Clare Smyth in London and Frantzén in Stockholm.

In 2022, E.J. returned to New Orleans to take the helm as Chef, Co-Owner where he leads the day to-day restaurant operations. Following an extensive renovation in 2023, the flagship reopened with a refined menu that pays homage to the restaurant’s rich culinary heritage while incorporating innovative techniques and modern adaptations of Chef Emeril’s classics. Chef E.J. draws inspiration from the bounty of Louisiana’s produce from the area’s most dedicated farmers, fisherman and producers to craft an evolved menu that tells a story through food and nature.

In 2023, E.J. received the prestigious ‘New Talent of the Year’ award from La Liste, the restaurant guide and ranking that designates the world’s best 1,000 restaurants. ln 2024, Emeril’s received AAA’s esteemed Five Diamond Designation and the restaurant became a member of Relais & Chateaux, joining the list of 80 independent restaurants worldwide. Emeril’s also became a new member of Les Grandes Tables du Monde, joining 195 extraordinary restaurants across 23 countries.

by fwc-marketing

Emeril Lagasse

Emeril Lagasse is the chef/proprietor of 8 restaurants in New Orleans, Las Vegas, Miramar Beach, Florida, as well as three restaurants at sea with Carnival Cruise Lines. His newest venture, 34 Restaurant & Bar, opened in downtown New Orleans in autumn 2024 and is inspired by his Portuguese heritage.

Emeril is also an award-winning national TV personality who is widely regarded as a pioneer in food television in America. Throughout the years he hosted more than 2,000 shows on the Food Network and served as food correspondent for ABC’s Good Morning America. He also hosted Eat the World, an award-winning Amazon original series. Currently he is the host of Emeril Tailgates and Emeril Cooks airing on The Roku Channel.

Throughout the years, Lagasse has received accolades and lifetime awards for his contributions to the American culinary industry including the “Distinguished Service Award” from Wine Spectator, the “Lifetime Achievement Award” from Food Network’s South Beach Wine & Food Festival, and the “Humanitarian of the Year” by the James Beard Foundation for his dedicated efforts to further the culinary arts in America, as well as his philanthropic work. In 2024, he was named Honorary President of Bocuse d’Or Americas for the international competition in New Orleans. 

In 2002, Emeril and his wife Alden established the Emeril Lagasse Foundation to support children's educational programs that inspire and mentor young people through the culinary arts, nutrition and life skills. To date, the Foundation has distributed over $19.3 million in grants benefiting children’s charities.

by fwc-marketing

Hector Garate

Hector Garate, a Pitmaster in the Craft-Barbecue scene, specializes in creating sustainable farm-to-table barbecue using old-school wood fire techniques infused with Puerto Rican influences. Born in Puerto Rico, he gained early exposure to whole animal cookery, which has profoundly influenced his culinary journey. Hector's expertise lies in smoking beef cheeks, whole hog, and crafting house-made sausages. In his quest to produce the finest barbecue, Garate has dedicated his spare time to constructing custom cooking appliances, notably an offset smoker and a whole hog smoker. Partnering with Peculiar Pig Farms and Creekstone Farms, Hector sources the most sustainable farm-to-table smoked meats for Charleston, SC, under his award-winning brand, Palmira Barbecue.

You can find me on Instagram: @palmirabbq

by fwc-marketing

Mike Lata

Mike Lata is Chef/Co-Owner of FIG and The Ordinary in Charleston, SC. He took home the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef: Southeast in 2009 and was a semifinalist for Outstanding Chef in 2017 and 2018. The restaurants have also received their own accolades: FIG won JBF’s Outstanding Wine Program Awards in 2018 and was nominated for the foundation’s Outstanding Restaurant Award in 2019 and 2020. The Ordinary was a JBF finalist for Best New Restaurant in 2013. Additionally, GQ and Esquire named The Ordinary one of the top new restaurants of 2013.

A native of Western Massachusetts, Mike started his culinary career at an early age, working in kitchens in Boston, Martha’s Vineyard, New Orleans, Atlanta, and France before landing in Charleston in 1998. He is a hands-on, self-taught chef who is relentless in his pursuit of the freshest products, which constantly inspire and define his work. Mike’s mission is to create bright, satisfying food that is both uncomplicated and elegant, all the while paying respect to the efforts and traditions of his family of purveyors and the Lowcountry. His longstanding and outspoken commitment to support local farmers and fishermen has cemented his position as a champion of Charleston’s flourishing culinary renaissance.

Mike’s food, philosophy, and contributions to the Charleston community have earned him recognition on a national platform, including coverage in The Wall Street Journal, Food & Wine, Bon Appétit, Esquire, Garden & Gun, Southern Living, Travel + Leisure, USA Today, The New York Times and many more. He has been featured in several television appearances, including Food Network’s “Iron Chef America,” Bravo’s Top Chef, PBS’s Moveable Feast with Fine Cooking, The Today Show, and ABC’s “Nightline Platelist,” which described his food as “so good it will buckle your knees.”

by fwc-marketing

James London

James London, a Charleston native, came up cooking in barbecue and Southern restaurants in South Carolina. Upon enrolling at the College of Charleston Chef James decided to pursue his passion in food and began to work full time in fine dining restaurants while pursuing a double major at the College. Once he graduated he made the leap to New York City where he enrolled at The French Culinary Institute. After graduation James went on to work with Chef Josh Dechellis before becoming the Executive Chef at Niko, a fine dining Japanese Restaurant in Soho. 

After his time in New York, James ventured West to San Francisco where he led the kitchen at The Elite Café, a Creole restaurant in Pacific Heights. James eventually made it back to Charleston where he opened Chubby Fish, a dock to table seafood concept that has taken the city by storm. Chubby Fish has garnered a Best New Restaurant nod from Bon Apetit, was ranked #7 Restaurant in the US from Food and Wine Magazine, and James was a Finalist for Best Chef Southeast by the James Beard Awards in 2024.

by fwc-marketing

Rodney Scott

Pitmaster Rodney Scott has been cooking whole-hog barbecue over wood coals since he was 11 years old. For the next 25 years he worked with his family in their barbecue stop in Hemingway, SC until 2017 when he opened Rodney Scott’s BBQ in the North Central neighborhood of Charleston, SC.  In the same year the restaurant was named one the 50 Best New Restaurants by Bon Appetit Magazine and in 2018, Scott was awarded the James Beard Foundation’s award for Outstanding Chef: Southeast. In 2019 Rodney Scott’s BBQ opened a second location in the Avondale neighborhood of Birmingham, AL and in the summer of 2021, a third location in Atlanta, GA bringing whole-hog, South Carolina-style barbecue, along with his famous “Rodney’s Sauce” to another part of the South. In 2024, another location opened on the fourth floor of Chief’s on Broadway, bringing whole-hog barbecue to Nashville in collaboration with Eric Church. 

Rodney has been the subject of a full episode of the award-winning Netflix series, Chef’s Table and worked as a judge on Food Network’s BBQ Brawl for two seasons. His cookbook, Rodney Scott’s World of BBQ, published by Clarkson Potter was released in the spring of 2021 to great fanfare. His hard work, friendly manner and respect from his peers has offered Rodney many opportunities to travel around the world and cook alongside chefs and pitmasters in New York City, Belize, Uruguay and Australia. 

by fwc-marketing