Chocolate-maker Joseph Vernon is a refreshingly honest interviewee. For one thing, he’s completely up front about his business strategy.

“Right now I’m just trying to get as many people hooked as possible,” he says.
He’s also honest about his product: he thinks he’s making better chocolates now than when he started his business six months ago.
“It’s like any other art form: It kind of has a life of its own,” he says.

Vernon’s business, It’s the Chocolate Shop, started off small. For the first several months he focused on special orders and events; for a while, he also sold some chocolate through the Devine Street shop Simply Savory.

The newest phase? Vernon has opened a kiosk — a kiosk! — to sell truffles this holiday season.

Placement is key: The kiosk is in the parking lot of the FedEx Kinko’s on Greene Street near Assembly — a site that should be getting plenty of holiday package traffic these days.

Each day, the kiosk offers five to seven varieties of truffles. At press time, Vernon was planning to make raspberry cream, peanut butter, mint, espresso, caramel, white chocolate, vanilla, almond caramel cream, lemon, sea salt, pecan and walnut truffles in the coming week.

Truffles are $1 apiece.

Chocolate kiosk hours are from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Saturday from now until Christmas Eve. The kiosk is located at 1111 Greene Street in downtown Columbia.
Vernon can also take larger volume orders and make special gift boxes; call 210-5387.


Chef Mike Davis on Your Radio

Local chef Mike Davis recently made an appearance on public radio station WHYY’s program A Chef’s Table.

Davis owns and cooks at Terra, a West Columbia restaurant focused on local, seasonal food. In the brief interview, he talks with host Jim Coleman about cooking seasonally in Columbia, traditional Thanksgiving food in southern Alabama and green bean casserole.

SC ETV Radio doesn’t broadcast A Chef’s Table, so you’ll have to get your Davis fix online at whyy.org. Just click on the archives and find the Thanksgiving program; Davis is right at the beginning of the show.


Race Car Driver Spittle in Your CSA Box

Over the last few weeks, Charleston’s local food community has been wrapped up in the story of retired NASCAR driver Ernie Irvan suing his neighbor, a small family farm on Wadmalaw Island.

Irvan and his wife Katie, who moved to the island when they retired, complained about traffic to and from the 35-year-old Ambrose Family Farm, particularly during the spring months, when the farm operates a U-Pick berry operation. They complained about customers hanging around the farm to pick up their community-supported agriculture boxes. The Irvans claimed these were commercial activities that violated the bylaws of their property association.

On Thursday, the Irvans dropped the lawsuit.

That was after more than 3,000 people joined the Save Ambrose Farm! Facebook group. Farm fans posted the email address and phone number of Irvan’s public relations agency, urging people to complain. They posted messages on Irvan’s Facebook fan page. They planned to show up at the courthouse en masse to support the Ambroses.

The Irvans told the Charleston Post and Courier they’re not ready to talk about why they dropped the lawsuit, but the rush of bad publicity certainly can’t have been welcome.

So, what do you think: Heartwarming tale of the little farmer triumphing over the evil rich carpetbagger? Or unsettling tale of a mob of Charleston food snobs attacking a newcomer in their panic over the potential loss of organic zucchini? Could it happen here, dear readers? 


Let us know what you think: Email food@free-times.com.