About Us
About Us
The Local Palate is a Southern food culture magazine that tells the stories behind the people, places, and foodways that make up this diverse and dynamic culinary region. Here, food and drink are more than sustenance—they’re a way of life. We invite readers to join us and our team of experts as we explore Southern recipes, traditions, artisanal products, makers, chefs, getaways, and communities, and use food as a lens to better understand this rich, storied region. Through our events and our online shop, the Local Palate Marketplace, we connect our audience to the people and products we cover, giving them the opportunity to experience these stories first-hand.
Our Brand Pillars
- Food & Drink
- Culture & Community
- Travel & Exploration
- Southern Makers & Experts
- Ingredients & Products
- Home & Entertaining
Discover More
Be sure to follow us on social.
Visit the Local Palate Marketplace to shop a curated selection of artisan goods for your table, bar, kitchen, and pantry.
Meet the Team
Joe Spector, Publisher & CEO
Joe Spector is Publisher & CEO of The Local Palate. He founded the magazine in 2011 and over the past eleven years has been the driving force behind it, creating new opportunities and areas for growth, including expanding its distribution nationally. The Local Palate has enjoyed sustained growth across multiple platforms including print, digital, social media, and events. In 2020, localpalatemarketplace.com was launched to showcase and support southern makers and their products and help them reach a national audience. After graduating from Northeastern University in Boston, Spector spearheaded a number of start-up ventures in the consumer products industry, technology sector, and entertainment industry before turning to the publishing industry. He lives on Wadmalaw Island with his wife Jaynie, who owns Dog & Horse Fine Art and their dog Tommy.
Erin Byers Murray, Editor in Chief
Erin Byers Murray joined The Local Palate in 2020 as editor in chief and oversees the editorial content across all platforms, including the magazine, The Local Palate Marketplace, the website, and social media channels. She began working with the magazine as a freelance writer in 2015, and brings with her 20 years of magazine editing and food reporting experience. Murray is an award-winning author and cookbook collaborator, and her work has appeared in publications from the Boston Globe to Food & Wine. Murray’s fascination with recipes and ingredients extends into her home life—the Syracuse University alum loves testing and experimenting with new recipes, or figuring out dishes to try in her outdoor pizza oven. When she’s not cooking, she spends time walking the hills of West Nashville or digging into a good book, and is usually surrounded by her husband Dave, their children Charlie and Maggie.
See here for editorial inquiries, pitches, or feedback.
Amanda FitzGerald, Director of Brand Development
Amanda FitzGerald thrives on wearing multiple hats, which comes with the territory of being Director of Brand Development. After graduating from Clemson University with an International Management degree, Amanda fell into a career in the publishing industry. Her array of experience from American City Business Journals is what led her to pursue The Local Palate when returning home to Charleston, combining her interest and love for food and traveling, and passion for the publishing world. Amanda and her husband James are always seeking their next adventure with their son Fitz and daughter Margot in tow, when they’re not at home with their cat Birdie.
Angelique DeClercq, Art Director
A reformed Northerner (like many of us here at The Local Palate), Angelique DeClercq moved to the Orlando area in the early 2000s after years on staff at Wine Spectator and freelance stints with publications like Saveur and Vogue. In Florida, Angelique began teaching art and design to high school and college students and dove back into the publishing world at Bonnier publications Garden Design and American Photo. Now, she’s relocated once again, this time to Charleston to take up the mantle as The Local Palate’s new art director. “It’s always been a dream of mine to art direct a food publication,” she says.
Amber Chase, Digital Director
Amber Chase thrives balancing big-picture possibilities with small-scale detail. She brings a breadth of food knowledge, a hearty work ethic, and a very high gluten tolerance to her role as Digital Director for The Local Palate. Her years have been shared between Charleston, South Carolina and her hometown of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, thoroughly securing her as a Southern native. In a past life, she co-owned a bakery, starting her mornings at dawn and returning home covered in flour and coffee grounds. Her other full-time gig is parenting her daughter, Nova, who will no doubt grow to be her superior.
Chris Dugas, E-Commerce Director
Chris Dugas has been nurturing a love for Southern culture from his earliest days, especially when it comes to food. The son of a restaurant professional, Chris started cooking at a young age and has always considered food his true passion—but it was his desire to dress well that led him on a path into retail while he was an undergrad at Valdosta State University. From launching a custom suiting program eventually managing the e-commerce department for a shop in Charleston, Chris’ appreciation for fine, Southern brands, coupled with his desire to work with what he’s most passionate about, led him to the role of e-commerce director for The Local Palate Marketplace. When he’s not helping any number of artisanal producers tell their stories, Chris can be found at Charleston haunts like Graft Wine Shop or Little Jack’s Tavern, ordering an old fashioned, or cooking dinner in his Avondale home with his wife, Julie, and pups Harper and Brewer.
Maggie Ward, Creative Director of Video Content
Maggie Ward is a production manager for The Local Palate magazine. Having spent three years in various roles within The Local Palate, Maggie specializes in special projects that bring the stories from our pages to life and creating experiences that allow our readers to engage with the magazine in meaningful ways. She spends her time seeking out the latest underground culinary talents and trends around the South. While based in downtown Charleston, Maggie is an avid adventure traveler, spending part of her years in remote locations discovering the international foodways that continue to influence Southern food culture today.
Emily Havener, Managing Editor
Emily Havener likes contradictions—she was born in the South but moved to the North at the age of 12 and attended the University of Pittsburgh for a BA in English writing before returning to the Charleston area. She is an avid reader and writer and started her editing career by cofounding a boutique editing firm in 2005 while bartending on the side. Charleston’s creative food scene turned her into a foodie who dabbled in restaurant reviews and food blogging. In 2009 she graduated from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition’s health coach certification program and developed recipes for a meal planning service. She loves to eat, especially tacos, seafood of all kinds, charcuterie, and pickled everything. As long as she has some kind of cheese on hand, she can make a meal. She has found the perfect combination of her love of food, writing, and organization at The Local Palate. Emily lives in Summerville, South Carolina, with her family.
Tate Jacaruso, Associate Editor
Tate Jacaruso is a food and travel lover from Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. After graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, she went on to work in media covering news and lifestyle across the South. When she isn’t working on an article, she’s reading fiction, trying a new recipe, or traveling. Tate is based in downtown Charleston and is making her way through every bowl of pasta and oyster on the half shell in town. She enjoys celebrating Southern food and culture with The Local Palate team.
Kara Amoruso, Graphic Designer
Kara Amoruso is an out-of-box thinker, who’s always looking for the solution to any problem. Since graduating from Savannah College of Art Design with a major in graphic design, she has been working freelance building brand identity’s & logos for others. Now joining the team at The Local Palate as their Graphic Designer to help assist with the design and layout of the magazine or wherever help is needed. When the creative thinking cap is off, Kara can be found going to the gym, horse back riding, or having cooking competitions with her family.
Emilee Calametti, Assistant Digital Editor
Emilee Calametti is a sucker for a good story and reads many as Assistant Digital Editor of The Local Palate. As a Southern native who calls Baton Rouge, Louisiana, home, she values both good food and good people. She holds a B.A. in English from Louisiana State University, an M.A. in English from Georgia State University, and an M.A. in Journalism from New York University. Her work has appeared in EntertainmentNOW, inRegister, Houstonia Magazine, The Center Square, Yahoo! News, AOL, MSN, The Shreveport Times, Bookstr, Planetly Travel, and other publications. Outside of The Local Palate, you can find her teaching a barre class, baking bread, or spending time outdoors with her husband and their three dogs.
Erin Oliver, Newsletter Content Manager
Erin Oliver’s journey with The Local Palate started as a digital editorial intern after graduating from The University of Kentucky. After gaining marketing and hospitality experience in Hilton Head Island, she returned to central Kentucky to work and write for a local marketing publication. Now, she’s thrilled to be back in an industry that revolves around what she loves the most: food. From watching her eastern Kentucky grandparents grow their own food to enjoying the freshest caught seafood during countless trips to South Carolina, Erin has learned the incredible value of local farmers and traditional foods of the south. In her spare time, Erin is hovering her phone over a plate to document her latest meal for social media, making a mess in the kitchen, or continuing her quest to discover the best margarita.
Mimi Zug, Advertising Sales Executive
Mimi Zug has spent the majority of her life in the South and entirety of her career in sales. Having lived in Houston, Charleston, and Austin, she has a deep appreciation for Southern cuisine and lifestyle. Mimi has sold across multiple media platforms including print, radio, and TV and had a brief sojourn as a liquor rep. She is bringing these moves across the country and experiences together to further The Local Palate‘s presence and partners. Mimi currently lives in Columbia, Missouri with her husband, Charles and their chocolate lab, George – where they love to cook and bake together and host themed parties.
Brian LePorte, Advertising Sales Executive
Brian LePorte is all about chasing down business and most important, the relationship building of sales. After graduating from Clemson University with a business management degree, Brian started his a career in sales. His experiences range from selling water filtration systems, to corporate season tickets with the Charleston Battery, to now selling ad space for The Local Palate. When Brian is not in the office you will find him hanging out with friends, on the beach, golfing, crabbing, or enjoying some good food and drink.
Molly McWhorter, Advertising Sales Executive
Molly McWhorter’s Southern identity was shaped by the historic charm of Alexandria, Virginia where she was raised, and the small-town spirit of Jackson, Mississippi where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in English at Millsaps College, before she was drawn to the vibrant culture of New Orleans, Louisiana. She began her career at a New Orleans advertising agency pre-Hurricane Katrina, later founding a marketing firm in Baton Rouge, where she raised her daughters, Jolie and Avery. After more than a decade of visiting family on Isle of Palms, South Carolina, Molly fell in love with Charleston and made it her home, perfectly situated between her daughters in New Orleans and loved ones in Virginia. At The Local Palate, she serves as Advertising Sales Executive, partnering with food, beverage, travel, and hospitality brands to tell thoughtful, place-driven stories. Enthusiastic about the intersection of food, wine, and gardening, she earned her WSET Level 2 certification in 2025 and can often be found at her favorite neighborhood spot, Avondale Wine & Cheese, for their weekly wine tastings.
Jasmine Michel, Social Content Manager
Jasmine Michel is a Haitian and Guyanese chef, land steward, writer, and researcher whose work is grounded in cultural storytelling and food sovereignty. A graduate of the French Culinary Institute, she refined her craft in professional kitchens across New York City and throughout New England, where seasonality and narrative converged to shape her distinct culinary philosophy. Her evolution into a farm-to-table chef marked a pivotal shift in both practice and purpose. Time spent living and cooking on Maui deepened her commitment to land stewardship and firmly rooted her work within a framework of cultural sovereignty. There, she came to understand food not only as a craft but also as an inheritance. A living archive of migration, resilience, and belonging. Across kitchens, research, and the written word, Michel explores the intimacy of food as medicine and memory. Her practice is informed by a reverence for film, nostalgia, and the intimacy offered by food and gathering. Through an editorial lens, she examines how diasporic identity lives on the plate , where technique, land, and lineage converge to sustain culture. Disciplined in execution yet romantic in spirit and always laughing, Jasmine Michel approaches food as both scholarship and a love letter.
