Mike Lata, what are your favorite summer ingredients?
by JBF Editors
2009 JBF Award winner Mike Lata is the chef of the celebrated FIG (Food Is Good) restaurant in Charleston, South Carolina. We recently asked him about his favorite summertime foods.
South Carolina wild roe shrimp “The local shrimp season usually kicks off around Memorial Day, and the first shrimp of the year are plump, fatty, and-oh-so tender white shrimp laden with sweet roe.”
Heirloom tomatoes “We don’t use tomatoes out of season, so when the first tomatoes arrive, we can’t help but flood the menu with them.”
Succotash—in every incarnation “It’s tough to narrow the list of summer ingredients down, but I get to cover a few bases with succotash: butter beans, corn, sweet and hot peppers.”
Boiled green (fresh-dug) peanuts “Being a damn Yankee, I was probably 25 years old before I had a boiled peanut, but the first time I had a fresh-dug, boiled green peanut, I decided there was no better way to 
eat peanuts.”
Peaches “I’m sure I’m in good company regarding these luscious, fleshy jewels of the South.”
On Sunday, August 8, Chef Lata is joining 26 other top chefs from the Southeast for the 2nd Annual "Attack of the Killer Tomato Festival" at JCT. Kitchen in Atlanta, which is a benefit for Georgia Organics. Mike will be partnered with a local Georgia farmer to prepare a summer tomato dish, which will be judged by a panel that includes Kate Krader (Food & Wine) and Andrew Knowlton (Bon Appetit). The winner will be crowned "Tomato King or Queen" and will have bragging rights until next year's event.
If you've tasted the tomato tart-tatin on FIG's menu right now, you will agree that he has a good shot at the competition. And if you haven't tasted it yet, get yourself to FIG as soon as possible, while the Johns Island tomatoes are fire-engine red and bursting with flavor--you don't want to miss this dish!
The event takes place from 1 to 5 p.m. and ticketsare $45 for GO members and $50 for the public. To buy tickets or for more info, visit www.georgiaorganics.com.
Earlier this year, we partnered with the very talented ladies of Stitch Design, located here in Charleston, on a branding project for FIG. Stitch helped us reimagine new menus, business cards, stationery, drink stirrers, butter overlays and gift cards. They did an incredible job of keeping our current vibe while incorporating new design elements that really stand out and make an impression.
In their "Summer Escapes" feature, Vogue comes to Charleston to explore the best food, shopping and exploring, stopping by FIG for the roasted suckling pig, which is on the menu now served with beets, rapini and whole grain mustard.
This spring, we spent a day shooting a segment for the Food Network's show, "The Best Thing I Ever Ate." Our friend Alex Guarnaschelli ("Alex's Day Off," Exec. Chef of Butter Restaurant in NYC) gave kudos to FIG for having her favorite steak dish, our Painted Hills Hanger Steak with Hen-of-the-Woods Mushrooms, Salade Verte and Sauce Agrodulce. We spent the day preparing the dish, being interviewed and eating for the camera and we had a blast. A huge thanks to Alex for the shout out! Stay tuned for info on when the show will air on the Food Network. In the meantime, we still have a killer steak entree so come taste for yourself!
We are so excited about a recent project we collaborated on with Southern Foodways Alliance, Hirsch Vineyards, and Whole Foods. This past winter, we visited Hirsch out in Sonoma and working together with John David Harmon of Whole Foods, we custom-blended our very own Pinot Noir wine. The wine, called Southbound Cuvee, is now on sale in all Whole Foods throughout the Southeast, and for every bottle sold, Whole Foods will donate $2 to the SFA, an organization we at FIG are extremely passionate about supporting.
Our local Whole Foods in Mt. Pleasant is stocking Southbound on the shelves now, so join us in support of SFA and have a glass!
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