12/08/2025
Hello, Fickle friends! I wanted to reach out with a personal message with some important information for December and the coming months.
As some of you know that although we have recently extended our operating hours, we aren’t open as much as other establishments in the area. Originally, when the Fickle Palate was created, we were only open Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. The origin story of the Fickle palate started back in June of 2022 when I rented the kitchen area from the former tenant, Electric City Brewing Co. At first, I used the kitchen as a prep area to do private in-home wine dinners for clients as well as small to-go desserts. As I was there with no staff, I decided to try a small tasting kitchen from Thursday-Saturday with a limited offering menu to see how the community would respond and be able to get back into regular cooking, which has been my ultimate life passion. My long-time friend and colleague, Chef Chad, joined me and we were able to produce the limited menu together. As you may have noticed outside the restaurant, there are two steel signs I had made that say “The Fickle Palate, a Root & Vine kitchen, @ Electric City Brewing Co.” This was to announce a tasting kitchen inside the former brewery. As we officially opened on August 25, 2022, and to my delight, we were well received and appreciated which gave me hope and a drive to pursue more.
My tasting kitchen was short lived as the former tenant decided to vacate the premises. I then had to make a decision to continue on or let it go. A team was formed and we signed the lease and obtained possession of the space on October 14, 2022. Immediately, we started the process of applying for our on-site beverage licenses, which takes up to 60 days. While we did do some private events in December of 2022, we didn’t officially open until January 4, 2023. From then on, we were humbled and happy about the warm reception we received from our community!
Since then, we have strived to stay fresh and new with our cuisine and libation offerings, changing up the rotation 2-3 times per year as well as having a daily menu offering limited specials. My goal as a chef has been to try and offer not only unique and creative dishes, but also source what I can as locally as possible. Also, and more importantly, my goal has been to offer organic foods, as one of my strongest convictions is to eat organically. I believe this because we are what we eat. Unfortunately, to offer a menu completely calibrated around that standard would be almost impossible. The static menu may have to change daily due to sustainability/availability and the cost being much higher. So, you do the best you can and acquire as much as you can. I look at local as somewhere within the tri-state area. We have been sourcing ingredients from great farms such as Growing Green Farms, Joyce family farms, Carolina Bison Farms, Hickory Nut Gap, and many others as availability has allowed. We also have offered most of our produce organically, while not necessarily local.
Although we have had changes in staffing since our inception, we have been committed to this philosophy. With that being said, this past year and a half has definitely been the hardest of my career. Last August we welcomed our little girl to this world and it has been the most joyful thing to have children and watch them grow. As a working chef, you know you will miss most of anything going on with friends or family. Usually, we are working all the major holidays and definitely weekends. It just comes with the service profession. I have been in this industry for nearly 29 years as of this month and it has been a wonderful journey and I’m incredibly grateful for all of those experiences and the people I have been able to meet and work alongside. Not only have I had the pleasure to teach, but also able to learn along the way. Through all of it as you get older, your priorities change and I have been contemplating what is necessary to enjoy the things that are most important. When you work 60–70-hour weeks, you quickly start to realize that you can’t buy back any second that you miss with family and especially being able to see your children grow up. I have, with much prayer and petitioning the Lord of what is right, have decided that it is time to discontinue the daily grind of restaurant operations at The Fickle Palate. It’s a truly bittersweet decision, but to gain the ability to raise my children is one I would make every time. I truly mean it when I say that we have the most incredible group of people on our staff, past and present. I’m saddened to know that I don’t have the pleasure to work alongside these exemplary people. Being able to work with people that are great at their job as well as enjoyable to spend many hours together each week is truly a blessing in itself. I am completely satisfied and proud of what we have been able to accomplish as a local eatery here in Anderson. We have accomplished everything we set out to do, which simply was offer exciting cuisine with great service in an unpretentious/casual environment. I feel we have accomplished that 10-fold and could not be prouder of our team for all of their efforts to achieve this.
Our last days of normal restaurant operations will be this coming weekend. We will be open Friday (12/12) and Saturday (12/13) evening to finish our run. We do have some private events lined up in the coming weeks as well as the beginning of the new year that will take place. I am planning one last wine dinner to round out this year and as a final dinner pairing on New Year’s Eve. We also will host some special events in the new year, such as wine or libation pairings in the early part of 2026. We would certainly love for all who are fond of the pairing to join us for these events. Spots will be limited and reservations will be required. The amazing Darlene Mann-Clarke will be our sommelier and presenter on New Years Eve with some great selections from around the world. Please look forward for our menu on Facebook & Instagram in the coming days.
Thank you all who have come out and supported us over these last 3 years. It truly has been an amazing experience and I am completely grateful for all of your patronage! As we are all enjoying this holiday season, let’s not forget the true meaning of it. Be kind to one another, forgive one another, love one another. May God bless you all.
Chef Josh
