A Gullah chef achieves major James Beard recognition and more coastal food news
Lester’s, a French-influenced restaurant and oyster bar, opened in June in Savannah; Southern Cross Hospitality is expanding again with the upcoming opening of the Italian restaurant La Vetta on Savannah’s Broughton Street; and Gullah chef and cookbook author Sallie Ann Robinson joins the James Beard Foundation’s Book Awards Hall of Fame.
Gullah chef and author at James Beard Media Awards
At the James Beard Media Awards ceremony on June 13 at the Art Institute of Chicago, Sallie Ann Robinson, a sixth-generation Daufuskie Island native, was honored with the Book Awards Hall of Fame, the foundation’s highest honor for a cookbook author.
The 67-year-old Robinson is the author of “Gullah Home Cooking the Daufuskie Way: Smokin’ Joe Butter Beans, Ol’ ’Fuskie Fried Crab Rice, Sticky-Bush Blackberry Dumpling, and Other Sea Island Favorites” and “Cooking the Gullah Way, Morning, Noon, and Night.” She remains active on Daufuskie Island, which sits just off the South Carolina coast about 10 miles northeast of Savannah.
Robinson said she received an email about the James Beard honor just two weeks before the ceremony. At first, she thought that it was “some AI thing.”
“I went to the moon,” Robinson said of the moment she confirmed that the award was real.
In her remarks from the stage in Chicago and in a subsequent interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Robinson emphasized the importance of her upbringing and family, including her grandmother who taught her that hard work will eventually pay off.
“I always believed if you keep your eyes on the prize, good things can happen,” Robinson said.
Robinson said that the recognition is “a big plus” for Gullah Geechee culture and culinary traditions.
“I didn’t grow up going to the grocery store,” Robinson said. “It was going to the garden to get the ground ready for the seeds.”
“Organic for me was free,” she added with a laugh.
Robinson heads the nonprofit Daufuskie Island Gullah Heritage Society, which operates Gullah Tours. A portion of the proceeds goes to the organization’s mission to help restore old Gullah homes and look after Gullah cemeteries on Daufuskie.
Robinson will soon make an appearance at the cookbook shop Coastal Table and Tales in Savannah, but a date has not yet been finalized.
Robinson said that she is writing a memoir that will be published in 2028.
Gullah Tours, Daufuskie Island, South Carolina. 912-604-8210, gullahtours.org
Obstinate Hospitality Group opens Lester’s in downtown Savannah
Lester’s, a French-leaning raw bar and restaurant, opened in late June adjacent to the boutique hotel The Douglas in the heart of downtown Savannah.
Lester’s and The Douglas are the latest ventures from Obstinate Hospitality Group, the team behind Wild Olive on Johns Island, South Carolina, and The Obstinate Daughter on Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina, near Charleston.
Lester’s, Wild Olive and The Obstinate Daughter are led by Chef Jacques Larson, a semifinalist for the James Beard Foundation’s Best Chefs in America Southeast award in 2019 and Best Chef Southeast award in 2024.
The French-influenced menu at Lester’s is built around fresh regional seafood, tinned seafood, caviar service and a variety of plates, including a beet salad, country pate, lamb brochette and charbroiled oysters with pimento cheese and pickled green tomatoes.
“I’m a longtime fan of Savannah, and we are thrilled to become a part of the local restaurant scene,” Larson said. “The history of the building, and the city, for that matter, really informed the way we designed the space and the menu. We’ve already felt very welcomed by the local chef and farmer community and look forward to welcoming everyone into our new hospitality concept.”
Lester’s has 42 seats in the dining room, 55 seats on the patio and an eight-seat oyster bar. The interior has low wood ceilings, antique terracotta flooring imported from France and leather banquettes.
The Douglas, which has 16 rooms, opened in July 2025 in a historic structure formerly occupied by The Ballastone Inn. Lester’s dining room is in the building next door to the hotel. Six suites are planned for the floors above the restaurant.
Larson also oversees the a la carte breakfast program at The Douglas.
Lester’s, which is open seven days a week from 5-10 p.m., operates on a walk-in basis and does not take reservations. Lunch service is slated to begin in the fall.
Lester’s, 18 East Oglethorpe Ave., Savannah. 912-415-9006, lesterssavannah.com
La Vetta brings Michelin-starred Italian chef to Savannah
The new Italian restaurant La Vetta is set to open in late July on Broughton Street in Savannah.
La Vetta, which translates to “the summit,” is the eighth restaurant from Southern Cross Hospitality, the Savannah-based group behind The Collins Quarter, The Collins Quarter at Forsyth, The Deck on Tybee, The Fitzroy, Ukiyo, Doki Doki Ice Creamery and Fishbar, which opened in late 2025.
Michele Minchillo, who was born and raised in Puglia, Italy, will serve as La Vetta’s executive chef. Minchillo’s restaurant Vitium in Cremona, Italy, received a Michelin star, and he has worked in other kitchens in Italy, New York and Abu Dhabi.
La Vetta’s menu will rely on seasonal and sustainable ingredients from Georgia farms and coastal fishermen. Dishes will include Merluzzo alla Mediterranea, a roasted cod fillet with an umami-rich Mediterranean dashi and artichokes, and Cacio e Pepe with fresh pasta, red prawns and lime.
“I believed in the team’s vision from day one,” Minchillo said. “Savannah is a city where the culinary scene is booming while staying deeply rooted in culinary tradition. The area has a strong identity, rich flavors and a genuine appreciation for hospitality, making it the ideal home for me.”
The newly renovated building will also feature the underground cocktail lounge and event space V.
Southern Cross Hospitality owner Anthony Debreceny said the project started in a roundabout way. The group originally planned to open a tapas restaurant in 2021 next door to Collins Quarter on Bull Street, but those plans fell through because of alcohol licensing problems related to proximity to a church.
That Bull Street building is now home to the group’s Doki Doki Ice Creamery. Debreceny then found a two-unit space on Broughton that could accommodate much of the equipment that had already been purchased.
“The original idea was to split the space between the tapas restaurant and another concept, but as the buildout progressed, the two spaces became one,” Debreceny said. “That gave our team the opportunity to rethink the project, and we ultimately landed on an Italian concept that filled a gap we saw in Savannah’s dining scene at the time. After four years of navigating a complete renovation of a mixed-use historic building, we’re excited to present V and La Vetta to Savannah.”
La Vetta, 15 West Broughton St., Savannah. 912-712-4989, southerncrosshospitalitysav.com/lavetta