Copyright Charleston Post and Courier
CHARLESTON — Lowocuntry restaurateur and Food Network star Kardea Brown can now add Daytime Emmy Award winner to her resume after getting not one but two nods for her “Delicious Miss Brown” television show. The 52nd annual awards held Oct. 17 honored personalities from shows such as "General Hospital," "Entertainment Tonight," "The Drew Barrymore Show" and more. Brown won in two categories — “Outstanding Culinary Host” and “Outstanding Instructional Culinary Series.” The local chef said the win felt surreal. “To be in the room with so many people that I look up to was a blessing in itself, but to walk away with two Emmys … and to even touch that trophy was just a feeling that's indescribable,” Brown told The Post and Courier on Oct. 20. “I’m just extremely happy that I can represent the beautiful city of Charleston, … my home. To bring home two Emmys for the for the city, that means a lot to me.” Brown posted to Facebook after the wins, saying how grateful she was to those, including her cousins and the Food Network, who believed in her and her recipes at a time when others said she had a slim chance for success. “A Black woman from Charleston, South Carolina, with no formal culinary training, no TV background, standing here today with two Emmys for a show that some thought I would never get,” Brown wrote. “We didn’t try to fit the mold. We honored the stories of my people, the richness of my traditions and the power of breaking bread with love and intention.” Her show, which first aired in 2019, is now on its 10th season. The awards extend an eventful, busy year for Brown, which included the release of a new cookbook, “Make do with What You Have,” getting married and opening a restaurant — her first — inside Charleston International Airport in April. She said it’s “been a very beautiful year, and it feels like everything that I've worked for has all led up to this.” Kardea Brown's Southern Kitchen is now the largest food and beverage operator at CHS. When she opened it, Brown said she knew her meals could be an introduction to Charleston's rich food scene or Gullah Geechee cuisine. The Lowcountry-inspired menu includes recipes that have been hits from throughout her career on the Food Network. She said the restaurant continues to be a hit and a “blessing," often with lines forming out the door. The airport shared support for Brown on social media, saying, “Kardea Brown’s Southern Kitchen at CHS has been open less than a year, and the buzz hasn’t stopped since day one. Travelers can now officially say they’ve dined with an Emmy Award-winning chef — right here in Charleston!”
