Given its residential location downtown, this is truly a ‘place for locals to come and feel comfortable. The price points are focused on repeat customers.’
Maria Whiteway
I’m a vibrant Italian-American with a zest for life and a glutton for all things food. By day, I’m a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, working with children and adults who have autism. By night, I am a food writer, creator, stylist and photographer for my personal blog. Although my strong work ethic has lead me to a fulfilling profession, my forever passion has always been and will always be FOOD. I am on a persistent trek to gratify my taste buds.
So, here’s a little bit about me. I was born and raised in Syracuse, New York by my mom and large supportive Italian family. My story and love for food dates back to the 1940s, when my brave Grandma, Theresa, rode a boat from Sicily, Italy to Ellis Island, New York. With her she brought her rich Italian heritage and adoration for food. After moving the whole family to Syracuse, my parents, aunts, uncles, siblings, cousins and I grew up sharing meals around Grandma’s dinner table. Every Sunday, Grandma served homemade pasta and meatballs with fresh marinara sauce and torn basil from her garden. She may have spoken broken English with a thick Italian accent, but her food spoke loud declarations of love and appreciation for her family. It was years of imitating Grandma’s kitchen prowess and pure love for her family that instilled a passion for cooking and eating deep into my being.
My attorney husband and I moved to Savannah one year ago, seeking to escape the winters of the North. With us, we brought our obsession for cooking and indulging in delectable eats. Restaurants of all ethnic backgrounds, cuisines, dollar signs and dimensions preoccupy our nights out. Over the years, I have photographed and gloated about the fantastic fare I have eaten. My blog and Connect Savannah serve as my grandstand to feature and reveal what I have encountered with friends and family.
Please join me on my journey in my kitchen and to diverse restaurants, as I eat and cook my way through flavory fare. To be honest, I am just an ordinary girl with extraordinary taste, which is why I am a Common Connoisseur.
Posted inFood & Drink
Little Duck Diner: Retro-chic Asian cuisine
Little Duck Diner is unlike anything that this restaurant collection has produced before; in fact, its approach is distinct in the Savannah food scene
Posted inFood & Drink
Prohibition Savannah is here!
When Walsh conceived the concept of Prohibition in Charleston, he could not imagine a better team than his Irish buddies
Posted inFood & Drink
Hunt + Gather = Feast
Big Bon Pizza partnered with Atlantic for their first Hunt Gather Feast where local food, in its truest and simplest form, was celebrated and shared among community members
Posted inFood & Drink
Watch the magic happen at the 1540 Room
After making his name with heavyweight The Florence, Chef Jacovino is returning to his Italian roots and adding some Latin flair with a southern twist
Posted inFood & Drink
Bull Street Taco gives ‘em something to taco about
Bull Street Taco is rapidly becoming a community hub where locals line up for the meat-filled or meatless tacos with housemade corn tortillas or the A-Squad Goat Milk Churros that sell out just about every day.
Posted inFood & Drink
Ogeechee Meat Market: Old-school butchers bring new-breed operation to Savannah
People have become so desensitized to discounted meats that they forgot what it was supposed to taste like.
Posted inFood & Drink
Keeping it Current on the islands
The Ele and the Chef restaurant collection have been disseminating Asian fusion across Savannah for about ten years
Posted inFood & Drink
Edgar’s Proof & Provision: Proof of The DeSoto’s Vision
Th ambition is to provide true Southern hospitality with modernized sophistication
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Kitchen 320 helps transform Savannah into a culinary destination
It may be downtown, but its off-the-beaten-path location brands Kitchen 320 as a best-kept secret among locals
Posted inFood & Drink
Rise Biscuits Donuts: Award-winning made-from-scratch biscuit sandwiches and house-made donuts are their specialties
ON July 1, Savannah became Georgia’s first location for the Rise Biscuits Donuts franchise. Rise Biscuits Donuts has been sweeping the Southeast since the opening of its first store in […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Auspicious Baking Company: Baked goods handcrafted from scratch
IT’S SUNDAY at 8 a.m. Most people are preparing for church or in bed, hung over. Me? I was racing to Skidaway Road. “Catch us at the bake house early […]