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James Beard Award Semi-Finalist and Executive Chef at The Hackney, Jamie Davis, and his team participated in this year’s Charleston Food and Wine Festival from Mar. 8-10. The three-day event draws more than 20,000 people to Charleston, South Carolina to promote a blend of cuisines found in the American South and Caribbean. It is as much an educational experience for chefs as they learn new techniques and recipes from one another as it is a delectable encounter participants have with a variety of foods. 

At the festival, Davis served an oyster stew, black sea bass (with tomato caper relish, shrimp broth, shallots and herb oil) and Flounder Crudo (with chilled melon, pickled shallots and parsley). One of the most memorable moments from the weekend was meeting Mariya Russell, the first Black woman awarded a Michelin Star. 

The primary lesson Davis hopes his teammates – Amber Harding and Donquelle White -learned over weekend was to not doubt their capabilities and to be proud of what they have accomplished. “I hope they learned to not doubt themselves. To really believe and buy into yourself.”