The Makers

The Local Palate Marketplace is a curated collection of local Southern products, which features handmade goods that are authentic to the region. Meet the talented makers who create, craft, and produce the artisan items you see on our site.

Brad & Alston Knaus of ACE Basin Cocktail Co.

Langdon’s Original Tonic is a small-batch craft tonic syrup made “the old-fashioned way” using all-natural ingredients—adding flavor and character to your favorite cocktails that would make Gatsby swoon. The recipe for Langdon’s Original Tonic was created by co-founder, Mark Langdon, 15 years ago in the family kitchen. It was their family’s answer to one too many mediocre gin and tonics made with mass produced, store-bought tonic waters full of sugar, artificial flavors, and synthetic quinine.

Ames Russell of AR's Hot Southern Honey

AR’s Hot Southern Honey began in Richmond, Virginia in 2015 when founder Ames Russell dreamed up a method for combining two of his favorite flavors—sweet and spicy—into one scintillating Southern honey.

Big Spoon Roasters

Big Spoon Roasters makes handcrafted nut butters and snack bars from scratch with world-class ingredients sourced directly from local and like-minded producers who share our dedication to authentic quality and sustainability. They believe that our food choices matter, and their mission is to build a healthier relationship with our planet through delicious, nutritious foods made without compromise.

Matt Jamie of Bourbon Barrel Foods

Bourbon Barrel Foods produces a collection of all-natural, award-winning gourmet foods that embrace the history and mystique of Kentucky’s Bourbon Country.
All of their items are handcrafted in small batches in Louisville, Kentucky. They use reclaimed barrels straight from Kentucky’s finest bourbon distilleries as both a smoking and aging agent. The process imparts an added dimension of flavor that cannot be replicated using any other method.

Bob Cook & Cris Miller of Burnt and Salty

Burnt & Salty

Forged in the fiery depths of the Lowcountry, Burnt and Salty's condiments combine familiar and novel flavors for you to discover. Each is balanced and versatile with its own unique flavor profile. Bob and Cris have racked up decades in the F&B industry; Cris is a retired Navy Senior Chief. Bob created Burnt and Salty once he recognized a cult-like following for his crafty sauces in Charleston, SC.

Cajun Caviar

Cajun Caviar is owned and operated by the wives of three chefs, with one of the trio being a chef herself. Amy Hollister Wilson, Alison Vega-Knoll, and Alden Lagasse's shared love for fine foods and the South makes Cajun Caviar a natural fit for these three friends.

Carrie Morey of Callie's Hot Little Biscuit

Carrie Morey founded her handmade biscuit business in 2005 as Callie’s Charleston Biscuits. Her goal was to make the tender, buttery, made-by-hand biscuits of her mother accessible across the country. Over 15 years later, Callie’s goes by a new name, Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit, and is widely recognized as an iconic Southern brand with national retail exposure and a cult-like following.

Ryan Eleuteri of Charleston Bloody Mary Mix

In April of 2009, Ryan Eleuteri set out in search of a good mix to make a round of Bloody Marys. Dissatisfied by his options at the local stores, he didn’t find what he was looking for—instead, he found his passion. And so began Ryan’s journey to the perfect Bloody Mary mix. Drawing inspiration from South Carolina’s local products and only using the highest quality ingredients, Ryan created a mix unlike any other. After months of hard work and dedication, he picked up his first order from the bottler, and Charleston Bloody Mary Mix was born.

Mark Connelly of Edisto Gold Honey

At 16 years of age, Mark Connelly was asked by his mother to help take care of the family beehives. She encouraged him to study the behavior of the honeybee and to talk to as many old-timers as possible to keep the family hives alive. It was these early days that forged that passion and love for the honey bee that has guided Mark throughout the rest of his life. After those childhood years, he graduated from The Citadel, and moved on with life and family; however, those beekeeping experiences remained a major part of his life from that point on.

Georgia Grinders

Georgia Grinders strives to create extraordinary nut butters from simple, all-natural ingredients. After all, it is their belief that every culinary experience should be savored and define the taste of health. Sourcing the highest quality natural and non-GMO ingredients, Georgia Grinders Premium Nut Butters are handcrafted in small batches to ensure quality, freshness, and flavor in a facility that they own and operate in Atlanta, Georgia.

Gillespie's Peanuts

In 1970, Gill Rogers started farming the land of his grandfather, RP Gillespie, a man of innovation in agriculture. After over 40 years of determination, diligence, and hard work, Gill and his sons now operate one of the largest modern crop farms in South Carolina, Rogers Brothers Farm (RBF). After a decade of growing peanuts, RBF recognized that the South Carolina climate and soil are ideal for growing the highest quality and best tasting peanuts in the name of Gillespie's Peanuts. Their farming experience has given them the insight to select peanut varieties for superior flavor and quality. The greatest care is taken in choosing varieties, processing, cooking, packaging, and handling to ensure that their customers will have the opportunity to enjoy fresh tasting peanuts.

Mike Colón of Goo Goo Cluster

Mike Colón is the Culinary Director for the Goo Goo Shop & Dessert Bar, home of America’s First Combination Candy Bar. Born and raised in South Florida, Mike always had a passion for food that was fueled by his Latin upbringing and time spent with family in the kitchen and around a table. Mike made his culinary debut in New Orleans where he spent a decade honing his skills while working for critically acclaimed restaurants such as Commander’s Palace, Willa Jean, and Restaurant August. It was at the latter that his focus in the industry took a deep dive into the sweet world of handcrafted chocolate. Shortly after moving to Nashville, Mike found himself joining the Goo Goo family where his dream of working with chocolate daily was made a reality.

Max Blackman & Kyle Payne of Holy Smoke Smoked Olive Oil

Kyle Payne and Max Blackman started making Holy Smoke Smoked Olive Oil in 2012 with a simple mission to create unique, delicious, and healthful smoked foods that everyone can enjoy. They met while working together at a restaurant on Folly Beach when they came up with their first product and started selling at the Charleston Farmers Market. Holy Smoke caught on and is now making its way to pantries and kitchens around the country!

Chris Harrison, Robert Higginbotham, and Adam Higginbotham of Liber & Co.

Before Chris Harrison and Robert and Adam Higginbotham started Liber & Co., they were on wildly different career tracks. Back then, Robert was quickly growing cynical working on Capitol Hill in D.C. Adam was on his second or third victory lap while finishing his degrees at the University of Texas in Austin, and Chris was behind a bench doing molecular genetics at the University of Kansas. Something about fruit flies.

Today, they're all in Austin, Texas, busy growing Liber & Co. into the leading supplier of premium cocktail syrups. Of course, they still find time to enjoy a fine cocktail.

Hubs Peanuts

As proud founders of the specialty peanut industry, the Hubbard family has been sourcing and cooking the top one percent of Virginia-type peanuts since 1954. Dot Hubbard, a female entrepreneur, is credited with creating the "blister fried" cooking technique that has become synonymous with high quality Virginia peanuts.

Lewis Payne & Nancy Bruns of J.Q. Dickinson Salt-Works

Siblings Nancy Bruns and Lewis Payne are seventh generation salt makers. They revived their family business on the same land their ancestors made salt on 150 years ago. The solar-evaporated, mineral-rich salt is delicious on any dish. Their line of caramel sauces is based on a Dickinson Family recipe, perfected by Nancy and Lewis's father, John Payne.

Jocelyn Gragg of JARDÍ Chocolates

Jocelyn Gragg is the chef and owner of JARDÍ. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America, she spent the beginning of her professional career in some of the best fine dining restaurants in the South such as The Ocean Room at Kiawah Island, The Georgian Room at Sea Island, and Restaurant Eugene in Atlanta, Georgia. While there, she created desserts using fresh, local ingredients in unique flavor combinations that would wow her guests. After leaving Restaurant Eugene in 2015, she decided, with her husband Jacob Gragg, to open a chocolate shop in Atlanta, Georgia. JARDÍ brings the same dedication and wow-factor to the world of chocolate confections, using local ingredients whenever possible, and never any preservatives, additives, or food dyes. Jocelyn has appeared on NPR, Atlanta Eats, and Beat Bobby Flay, and JARDÍ has been featured in The Local Palate, Clever Root, The AJC, Forbes Magazine, and was named "Best New Chocolate Company" by Atlanta Magazine in 2016.

Lindera Farms

Lindera Farms takes local and sustainably sourced ingredients of pristine quality and uses a combination of traditional French wine-making practices and modern culinary techniques to ferment them into wines. The wines are aged into vinegar. This makes for a robust, versatile vinegar with chefs, bartenders, home cooks, and health conscious individuals in mind.

Andrew Trumbull and Clayton Wynne of Lowcountry Kettle Chips

Partner and chip chef Andrew grew up in West Virginia, where his passion for food developed as a young boy cooking at home with his dad. He got his first taste of life as a chef at 18 in the Australian outback, where he worked in a tiny kitchen in the remote mining town of Mt. Isa. He went on to graduate from the Culinary Institute of America and eventually settled in Charleston, South Carolina. Clayton grew up in the Washington D.C. area, and for years his family would vacation in South Carolina which instilled an early attraction to the Lowcountry. He attended Coastal Carolina University's business school and moved to Charleston upon graduation. Clayton has always had an entrepreneurial spirit.

Matt & Brittney Miller of Manchester Farms

Manchester Farms is the oldest family owned quail farm in the country. Founded almost 50 years ago in Sumter, South Carolina, by the hands of Bill and Janet Odom, who grew the business into a nationally known brand especially among top chefs and food enthusiasts. Manchester Farms is now run by their daughter, Brittney Miller and her husband, Matt.

Quintin Middleton of Middleton Made Knives

Since 2003, Quintin Middleton has created custom-made knives from high-carbon steel. Quintin puts great care into each piece, and he stands by the simple philosophy that every great chef needs a great knife, at a great price.

Ogre Sauce

Mike “Ogre” Weeks found his grandmother’s recipe, made it his own, and before long was selling it in five gallon buckets out of the trunk of his car.

Charlie Stephenson & Jim Lawlor of Pickled Pink

Using 110+ year old family recipes from Northern Alabama, Charlie Stephenson and Jim Lawlor created Pickled Pink Foods bringing all natural, southern based pickled products to the market. They are also "Pickled for a Purpose" with a portion of the profits going to help support huntershotline.org.

Radio Roasters Coffee

Based in Decatur, Georgia, since 2014, Radio Roasters has been pursuing the art of great coffee. Radio Roasters seeks to elevate their customers’ coffee experience by sourcing quality, specialty coffee beans and roasting them to their fullest potential. Their philosophy—"Broadcasting Good"– is simple: Source great coffee direct from farmers, roast it with care, and share it with coffee enthusiasts who share their passion for great coffee, and collectively advance quality coffee.

RIGWA LIFE

Jericha and Zac Jordan live in Charleston, South Carolina, with their five young children and launched RIGWA LIFE in November 2019. They created RIGWA LIFE after a search for quality products that would keep food fresher longer turned up empty. So, they decided to go for it and design the most versatile bowl on the market! Hot or cold, at home or on-the-go, solo meal or sharing, RIGWA will keep life fresh!

Luke Garner of Royal Fuzz Bee Co.

Royal Fuzz Bee Co. is an exploration into suburban beekeeping and micro-farming. Katie and Luke Garner take pride in raising healthy bee colonies and producing the best honey and bee products. Nestled in the hills just outside of Birmingham, Alabama, they're bringing a fresh look to the beekeeping community and showing what it means to reimagine the family backyard.

SAW's BBQ

For Mike Wilson a.k.a SAW, growing up in North Carolina meant a whole lot of good times BS’ing and backyard barbecuing with friends. In high school, he earned himself the nickname "Sorry Ass Wilson" for assorted reasons that shan’t be revealed here.

Margaret & Neal Amos of Southern Straws Cheese Straws

Southern Straws Cheese Straws

Mother-and-son team, Margaret and Neal Amos, use an old family recipe to produce hand-made cheese straws reminiscent of days gone by. Delicious cheddar cheese, real butter, White Lily flour, and spices create the perfect cheese straw—a flat, crispy wafer with a nice kick of spice at the end! Perfect for gift-giving, your next event, or simply to enjoy as a snack.

Spiritless, Inc.

Lauren Chitwood, Abbey Ferguson, and Lexie Larsena are seasoned entrepreneurs in the hospitality and event space who have been watching consumption habits evolve over the past decade.

SRSLY Chocolate

Celebrating the foodways of the South through the medium of fine chocolate, Stone Ground Bean to Bar chocolate is made in Austin, Texas.