A Perfect Pairing: Charleston Chef Touts Loyalty, Values

The best produce, technical excellence and inventive flavor pairings are what keep diners coming back to Charleston, South Carolina’s FIG (Food Is Good) and The Ordinary night after night. Shared values and loyalty are what keep award-winning chef Mike Lata coming back to SouthState year after year.

A longtime client of SouthState, Lata recently reminisced about his journey creating two sought-after restaurants in the Holy City and how his bankers guided him along the way.

“Trusting SouthState means trusting the people. We have great relationships at the Bank and have over the years,” Lata says. “Every interaction, I leave feeling like I have a partner.”

Quality from the Start

Lata grew up picking and cooking with produce from the family garden, which led to a fascination with quality. Hearing famed Chef Julia Child speak at college set him on a path to an award-winning culinary career of his own.

Working his way up through various kitchens, Lata saw how being willing to do the tedious prep jobs earned him the opportunity to learn from the best. Senior chefs were inclined to teach once they saw him chopping their parsley all morning.

Ensuring the highest quality ingredients in his food and putting in the hard work required of a top chef paid off, with Lata winning the prestigious James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southeast in 2009 for his work at FIG. Since that time, he’s been named a semi-finalist for outstanding chef by the James Beard Foundation in 2017 and 2018.

Lata’s humble, service-first mindset is evident in his restaurants. Charleston-area electricians and architects helped Lata launch the FIG with lower overhead costs. In the years following, Lata has paid it forward by donating food for countless charity auctions.

Lata co-founded “Slow Food Charleston,” a movement that is the antithesis of fast food, promoting local, seasonal and sustainable food with the mission of making sure food is good, clean and fair for all.

Watching SouthState serve the community in similar ways, through sponsorships and team member volunteerism, as well as a focus on corporate stewardship and environmental practices, has confirmed for Lata that he chose the right bank for his restaurants.

“Watching members of the management team supporting the community and showing up when they need to show up, helps us feel like we’re with the right company,” he says.

Cooking Up a Plan for the Future

Guests at FIG and The Ordinary enjoy the best of the Lowcountry’s oysters, grits, local produce and more. And it’s not just tonight’s guests SouthState is making sure Lata can feed well.

Lata and his bankers have frequent conversations about cash flow, refinancing options and more, to help ensure the longevity of the businesses.

“Every time I’ve gone to SouthState, I feel like I’ve been put to ease and given the facts about what’s available to us,” he says. “We’re going to experts to solve our problems. The genuine care for our business has been more than evident.”

SouthState supports the restaurants’ operations, servicing their operating accounts and providing working capital for upfits and other needs. The bank also supports FIG and The Ordinary with a line of credit, real estate loans and treasury management services for daily operations.

Unlike a secret recipe that isn’t meant to be shared, Lata has recommended his bank to other restaurant owners in his circle.

“SouthState was responsible for helping our company grow the way we needed it to and when we wanted it to,” Lata recalls.
 
Whether they’re just opening their doors or looking to expand, SouthState can provide solutions to those in the hospitality industry.  Find more information on our website.