PB Cooks

Thanks again to of for this timely piece on how the pandemic has influenced the way we consume wine. Since we started, has been providing restaurant quality wine pairings for our custom event menus. It’s just one more way you can have a restaurant experience without ever having to leave home.

Thanks to at for all of the expert pairing recommendations. And shoutout to of for making the two of us look so damn good.

I don’t source products simply because they’re local. They have to be 1. delicious on their own and also 2. elevate the dish they’re added to. Here are two of my favorites that check off all the boxes:

za’atar is so versatile. Here it finishes the whipped sheep’s milk ricotta with focaccia. I love it on hummus, roast chicken, grilled fish and those big summer tomato salads.

hot honey is just a really balanced product. It’s a sneaky way to get some sweet heat into a dish without going full honey or chili oil. Put it on baked fruit desserts, grilled fish collars or over a tangy cheese like feta.

Snapshots from a private dinner party in Charleston back in August. The client requested a menu inspired by the simple yet delicious flavors of Italy using the perfect late summer produce we have in the Lowcountry. Getting things started with an always impressive cheese board from and an appetizer of local canary melon and cantaloupe with prosciutto, mint and ricotta salata. Then a salad of local peaches and heirloom tomatoes with mozzarella, basil, Tuscan olio nuovo and rosé vinegar. The entreé was a simple pasta with homemade heirloom tomato sauce, zucchini, herby breadcrumbs and the best local shrimp from . Dessert was a stunner: chocolate hazelnut mousse cake with cherry compote and pistachio gelato. Molto bene indeed. @ Charleston, South Carolina

Everything farms brings to the farmers market is special. Including these chive blossoms. Toss the flowers in your dips for crudites, garnish salads and egg dishes, you can even pickle them to preserve that delicate, light onion flavor. And when someone asks where you found them just say you "went foraging."

For home cooks, learning to make fresh pasta can be hard. Fortunately sourcing fresh pasta locally is easy thanks to . Find them at the Marion Square Farmers Market on Saturdays or at a handful of excellent retail locations like on Sullivan's (shout out to Lesley and ).