Move over, Masters golf tournament green jacket. There’s a new Southern jacket on the scene and it comes with a whiff of smoke. It’s the Whole Hog Country Jacket at Palmira BBQ, and as owner and pitmaster Hector Garate puts it, “it cannot be purchased—it must be earned.”

So far, five of Palmira’s employees—chef de cuisine Greg De Franco, Kyle Lankford, Nick Vance, Keisler Dorn, and Ryan Vandertulip—have received the recognition, a surprise award given in front of the team for overall excellence and exceptional service to the team and guests. Awardees are encouraged to wear their jackets at festivals and during service as desired, and Garate says that regulars understand the significance and will congratulate them.

It all started with Garate’s Wrangler Cowboy Cut denim jacket, a piece of clothing that’s become a signature fashion item for him. Its defining feature is a custom “Whole Hog Country” patch gifted to Garate by Brady Clark of Brisket Country, a lifestyle brand based in Georgetown, Texas. Guests, employees, and friends asked how they could get a jacket with the patch, and Garate saw an opportunity to create a unique recognition for his team; he’s arranged for exclusive rights to the “Whole Hog Country” design. 

It’s just one of the ways that Garate tries to build community and camaraderie around the Palmira pits. What started in 2021 as a series of pop-ups with a homebuilt smoker has transformed into a West Ashley restaurant that is landing on all kinds of barbecue best-of lists, and a team of close to 30 employees. The meaning of teamwork isn’t lost on Garate, who says nobody has quit since the restaurant opened in 2024.

“We’re always trying to make it bigger than barbecue,” he says. “It’s a culture, and I’m so grateful to be a part of it.”

The Harbinger and Harken Café whip up a cookbook

Owners Greer Gilchrist and Cameron Neal of The Harbinger and Harken Cafe are releasing a cookbook, available now for pre-sale and officially “off the presses” May 8. Photographed by veteran food photographer and Charleston resident Helene Dujardin, with additional photos by Emily Semans, the self-published tome includes more than 40 of the cafes’ beloved recipes. And yes, that includes the Best Friend Cookie, Gilcrest’s local-legend chocolate chip cookie which is consistently on the menu at both locations. 

Priced at $33, the cookbook will be available for purchase in both cafes, via Amazon, and at a few local Charleston stores.

Left: The Best Friend Cookie/ Provided photo by Helene Dujardin

The book is the latest in a long history of Charleston cookbooks derived from the city’s restaurants, including Heritage (2014) by Sean Brock, featuring recipes from Husk and McCrady’s; Charleston Grill at Charleston Place: French Influenced Lowcountry Cuisine (2007) by Bob Waggoner, and Doin’ the Charleston: A Restaurant Guide and Cookbook (1976) by Molly Sillers, cataloging recipes from many bygone restaurants, including crab dip from The Trawler on Shem Creek, another local-legend recipe that’s also available on multiple blogs and at food.com.