A Tasteful Story | A Sweet Holiday Treat from Our S’moreologist

What It’s Like …On The Road Singin’ For Her Supper: Solo Singer/Songwriter Josephine Johnson

As the live music landscape continues to shift, it’s nice to know these places in Aiken are doing great things to keep music alive and keep patrons safely entertained. Solo Singer/Songwriter Josephine Johnson Did you always know what you wanted to be when you grew up? I did. As a toddler I sang Jackie Wilson songs into my mom’s wooden mixing spoons. A couple years later I sang along with Whitney Houston’s “Greatest Love of All” until the cassette tape snapped. In high school I did musicals and played guitar. My whole life I’ve always known I am a musician. I didn’t know, however, the twists and turns it would

Beer, Bella: The Adventure Begins

Nostalgia is a powerful thing. Sights and smells and tastes can literally snap you back to a point in time — memory instant replay, no matter how much you might have suppressed it or thought it had faded away. Sometimes it is faint, like the aroma of peaches as you walk through a peach orchard that remind you of the smell of peach cobbler coming from your grandmother’s oven. Or the flavor of strawberry in a clear beverage unexpectedly reminding you of how delightful strawberry jello was in your childhood. One of the most classic examples, and a perfect visual to the experience, is in the Disney movie Ratatouille, when

NOLA Cocktails | Lux Libations

It’s difficult to think about the month of February without summoning romantic memories or without perhaps considering the awkwardly introspective question, “Are we serious enough to go out on a date for Valentine’s Day?” Thankfully, I’ve been happily paired up for over a decade and am past the over-the-top Valentine’s Days and early relationship oddities. Not that we aren’t romantic — we just choose to wait until Valentine’s to show it. Or at least that is what we tell ourselves. Regardless, the holiday I tend to think of when February rolls around is Mardi Gras! Yes, I know sometimes it arrives in March, but not this year. This year it

Jalapeño and Ham Grits

From the Kitchen of… Fuse Aiken: Jalapeño and Ham Grits An Interview and recipe with Chris Najmola Ingredients 1 cup stone-ground yellow grits, Anson Mills preferred 1 cup heavy whipping cream 3 cups water (pro move: use chicken stock instead) 1 jalapeño 3 oz Benton’s Country Ham, sliced thin 1 tbsp salt black pepper to taste Tools: 2 gallon stock pot wooden spoon whisk tasting spoons Gather all your ingredients and tools before you begin. Hold the jalapeño at the stem. Cut the bottom half of the jalapeño off for mild flavor. Cut higher up and closer to the stem for increasing heat. Slice the desired area of jalapeño as