Episode 68: Margaret Furniss, Caviar & Bananas (Charleston, SC)

I don’t know about you, but sometimes when a place becomes a lunch go to and feels well, kind of like it’s always been there, it’s easy to overlook how wonderful it actually is. That’s the way it is with Caviar & Bananas, a specialty product store and cafe that began in Charleston, SC and now has three locations in the city (including one in the airport), a location in Greenville, and is opening one soon in Nashville. Between its big city styling -- think clean lines and lots of stainless steel -- and its approach to convenience and inviting guests to “grab and go” we can forget that there are real people behind these shops. Really nice real people, like co-owner Margaret Furniss, who with her husband Kris, are celebrating 10 years in business of the little gourmet shop and cafe that is now kind of taking over the South. I was curious how it got started, what’s up with that name? how they find products, how the behind the scenes feels, so I did what I do, I asked questions. And we get a glimpse into the intersection of food and business and entertaining and hard work, which is exactly where I suspect Margaret likes to live. She’s a boss, a mom, and a great woman to have a glass of wine with, and she’s just figuring it out as she goes along.