Mike Lata’s passion for food started a thousand miles north from his current home in Charleston, SC. As a western Massachusetts native Mike developed a strong sense of the seasons by helping his grandparents with their garden. His first food memories are of picking green beans and hoeing potatoes then watching his grandmother transform them with seemingly no effort into perfect food.

After a brief stint at Northeastern University, Lata decided to make a career as a chef. He stayed in Boston working in various restaurants before being lured to Martha’s Vineyard and eventually the famed Black Dog Tavern. Lata found himself at the heart of New England regional cookery and developed a real passion for seafood. He later went on to work in New Orleans for the Brennan Family and eventually landed in Atlanta at Ciboulette Restaurant founded by renowned chef Jean Banchet and his protegé Tom Coohill. Months after his arrival in 1994 Lata became the chef de cuisine and held the position until late 1997, where he maintained the Zagat rating of 27 for three and a half years. In early 1998 he was recruited to be the executive chef at established restaurant, Anson in Charleston, SC. Soon after, Anson was granted a five star (of possible five) review and Lata hosted the first out-of-house James Beard event in South Carolina. While at Anson, Lata met Celeste Albers a local grower with an unparalleled passion for perfection. With the help of Albers, Lata became recognized as a “champion of local produce” and helped move Charleston conscience toward the appreciation of locally grown vegetables and respect for the seasons. Lata’s tenure ended in 2001 when he resigned to fulfill a life long dream to cook in France. Lata spent time in Nice and Dijon working in Michelin star restaurants. Upon his return he teamed up with former Anson manager Adam Nemirow to create a concept that fit both their passions and the competitive Charleston dining market.

FIG (Food is Good) was launched in the spring of 2001 under the guise of a neighborhood bistro. In a city with a wide array of high-end restaurants FIG wanted to be more approachable than its competition. Nemirow and Lata wanted to deliver delicious food and pleasant service in a convivial environment. It worked. In the first year of opening, FIG received many accolades including “best new restaurant” by the Charleston City Paper and attention from the New York Post, National Geographic Traveler and soon after, “Where to eat right now in America” 2004, by Gourmet Magazine. Lata is also a founding member of Slow Food Charleston.