Our Story

Since 2011, from King Street to your table.

The Beginning

Ember & Salt opened on a quiet Tuesday in September 2011. Marcus Cole had just returned from six years in Lyon, France, where he had staged at three Michelin-starred restaurants. He was 32 years old and convinced that Charleston was ready for a different kind of steakhouse.

The building at 14 King Street had been a hardware store, then a printing press. The original tin ceiling, installed in 1922, is still there tonight. Cole kept the raw brick walls, sourced antique light fixtures from an estate sale in McClellanville, and opened with a menu of 18 items. Everything on that first menu was sourced within 150 miles.

Fifteen years later, that rule has never been broken.

Our Philosophy

We believe that great food begins before the kitchen. That means choosing farmers, fishermen, and ranchers who care about their land the way we care about our guests. Every protein on the menu comes from a partner we can call by name. Our produce team visits the farms on Wednesday mornings. The dry-aging program, which began in 2013, now runs 12 primals at any given time.

The wine program is built on the same principle. Sommelier Diane Fitch joined us in 2014 after six years in New York. Her list prizes small producers over famous labels. You will find a remarkable bottle of Burgundy from a 6-hectare domaine you have never heard of at a price that surprises you.

Marcus Cole

Executive Chef

The Kitchen

Rooted in the South.
Trained in France.

"Every plate I send out has to tell the guest where it came from."

Marcus Cole grew up in McClellanville, SC, shucking oysters before he could read a menu. He trained under three Michelin-starred chefs in Lyon before returning to the Lowcountry to open Ember & Salt in 2011.

His menus change with the tides and the seasons. In winter, you will find dry-aged beef and braised game. In summer, the kitchen tilts toward the coast: raw bar towers, chilled crab bisque, fire-roasted whole fish. Nothing arrives on the plate that did not arrive at the back door that morning.

A James Beard Award nominee in 2023, Cole has been recognized by Food & Wine as one of the South's most important culinary voices. He is a founding member of the Charleston Farm-to-Table Coalition and sources exclusively from partner farms within 150 miles of King Street.

Recognition

Awards & Accolades

James Beard Award Nominee

2023

Best Chef: Southeast — recognition for Executive Chef Marcus Cole's commitment to Lowcountry cuisine.

AAA Four Diamond

2019 – Present

Sustained Four Diamond status for five consecutive years, recognizing exceptional dining experience.

Wine Spectator Award of Excellence

2021 – Present

Three consecutive years of recognition for our 400-label wine program curated by Sommelier Diane Fitch.

The Cellar

A Wine Program Built Over Decades

Our 400-label list spans Burgundy to Barossa, with deep verticals in California Cabernet and Champagne. Sommelier Diane Fitch joined Ember & Salt in 2014 after six years at a three-Michelin-star restaurant in New York. She has received Wine Spectator's Award of Excellence three years running.

Cabernet Sauvignon

Insignia

Joseph Phelps Vineyards

2019 · Napa Valley

$380 / bottle

Burgundy — Pinot Noir

Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru

Domaine Rossignol-Trapet

2021 · Bourgogne, France

$210 / bottle

Chardonnay

Montrachet Grand Cru

Domaine des Comtes Lafon

2020 · Bourgogne, France

$480 / bottle

Our Sourcing Partners

Every item on the menu begins with a handshake agreement. Our current partners include:

Wadmalaw Island Farms
Charleston Aquaculture
Seabrook Island Organics
Lowcountry Pasture Co.

We rotate partners seasonally and visit every farm at least twice per year. If you would like to become a supplier, please reach out to our procurement team at sourcing@embersalt.com.

The People