Chefs Sarah Simmons and Aaron Hoskins Launch All-Day Cafe in Columbia, South Carolina | Eater Carolinas

"I visited Small Sugar, which opened last week in Columbia, SC; it's a produce-centered cafe and bakery and a departure for Chef Sarah Simmons and her husband Aaron Hoskins, serving only breakfast and lunch. Driven by a love of seasonal vegetables — the restaurant’s name is a heirloom pumpkin varietal — the menu is built around tartines, bowls and sandwiches with produce from two small farms in nearby Sumter that Hoskins drives to weekly, and nearly every item can be ordered gluten-free, dairy-free, or vegan by design. They hired personality over experience and are working toward offering a living wage, with Hoskins noting that while just over $11/hr can be a living wage in Columbia, closer to $15.50 is what a single parent needs. Standouts I noticed include a squarely flaky buttered brie danish and ingredient-driven tartines (including a soft-scrambled-egg version atop dressed greens); coffee is barista-certified Counter Culture and there are matcha lattes, golden milk and multiple dairy-free offerings. Bread by the loaf is beginning in earnest, private dining downstairs could allow pop-up dinners, the crowd ebbs and flows, and fans of Simmons as well as those starved for cafe dining in the Vista seem content to wait." - Stephanie Burnette