Michael Rednak, formerly the executive sous chef at Husk Barbeque, has opened a new pop-up restaurant in Greenville.
Rednak doesn’t like to give cuisine constricting labels, but if we had to assign a few, Lucy Anne’s would be Southern-influenced ingenuity, as well as rustic, homemade pastas with an Italian flair.
“Who doesn’t like pasta? Who doesn’t like fried chicken? So why not just put them together on the inside of a pasta,” Rednak said.
Rednak is from upstate New York and cut his teeth working at Albany’s 677 Prime steakhouse while attending the University at Albany State University of New York. At the time, he was studying to be an attorney. As the price of tuition went up, so did his passion for cooking. Eventually, he chose to pursue the latter, and his chef’s training ensued in a maverick fashion. The chefs he worked for at the steakhouse were instructors at a nearby culinary school. While he never attended a formal class, he received an education.
Lucy Anne’s will have upstate New York in its bones.
During his time at Husk, which closed in 2021, Rednak worked under Jon Buck, who recently held a lunch at Soby’s New South Cuisine where he is now executive chef. The lunch shined a light on farm-to-plate ties in cuisine. Rednak cited Buck as a source of culinary inspiration, which is clear when checking out his menus. During the lunch, Buck brought in several farmers, one of which was Glenn Roberts of Anson Mills.
On a recent Sunday Supper menu, Rednak prepared Hoppin John arancini with Sea Island red peas and Anson Mill’s Carolina gold rice — marrying regional cuisines together and taking advantage of the South’s temperate climate. Rednak said the experience is family-style meals indicative of upstate New York’s culture but with the Upstate South Carolina in its makeup.
The arancini. Photo provided by Michael Rednak“The whole concept behind Lucy Anne’s is taking everything from upstate New York,” Rednak said. “(The South’s farmers) just has a lot more cool ingredients and a lot longer of a growing season. So it’s pretty cool to take those two things and put them together.”
Lucy Anne’s recently popped up at Augusta Street Market Oct. 12 and at The Whale Oct. 15. The next stop will be at the Wine House Oct. 22, followed by Bond Street Wines in Spartanburg Nov. 11.
***
Downtown bodega The Pantry by Emily’s Table opened Oct. 10, bringing with it a variety of allergy-mindful bites and accommodations.
To call it a bodega is an understatement. The shop at 241 N. Main St. is more of an epicurean eatery with a grab-and-go component and refined gifts. Guests of the store will find lunch options such as a roasted Brussels sprouts bowl and soft serve ice cream with flavors of the day, as well as gold-plated Italian brass earrings and Olaplex hair treatments.
The Pantry is part of two food-related concepts by owner Emily Fournier. The Pantry’s sister business and partial namesake, Emily’s Table, is located farther south on Main Street. Emily’s Table will be a dedicated restaurant concept.
The Pantry was first announced in May 2024. At the time, The Pantry by Emily’s Table was going to be a standalone concept functioning exactly as it is: a grab-and-go business with counter service. Although she had ambitions for a rooftop terrace and operating the restaurant at that location, Emily’s Table will instead be located at 110 N. Main St.
Emily’s Table is not yet open, with Fournier stating in June that she was shooting for a spring 2026 opening for the restaurant. The restaurant was initially a catering business Fournier founded in 2019.
The Pantry is open Tuesday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
