FIG, Charleston

Mike Lata is Executive Chef and partner of FIG (Food is Good) in downtown Charleston, South Carolina, a neighborhood bistro that since 2003 has become one of the top dining destinations in the Southeast. A James Beard Award winner in 2009 for Best Chef Southeast as well as a category nominee in 2007 and 2008. Chef Lata's active endorsement of local farmers has helped guide the conscience of the Charleston culinary scene toward the appreciation of locally grown, seasonal foods. Lata and his business partner, Adam Nemirow, will open their second restaurant in downtown Charleston this fall called The Ordinary, a classic oyster bar and seafood hall.