We had the good fortune of connecting with Juan Cassalett and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Juan, what habits do you feel helped you succeed?
I have always tried to be a humble and hard worker. Since I was young cook, learning from different chefs. It was important for me to show that maybe I might not be the fastest or have the best knife skills but I was always going to be one of the hardest working people.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am most proud of our restaurant Malagon. I have been incredibly fortunate to have an amazing team that has given the restaurant the opportunity to be successful. I was able to get to where I am professionally with the support of many mentors an friends. Of course it has not been easy. I have been able to overcome the challenges by listening and working with incredibly helpful mentors. One of the best lessons I have learned along the way is to be a good listener.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My favorite places to eat in the City are Chez nous for a long lunch or a romantic dinner. Bin 152 for some amazing wine, cheese and charcuterie. I also really love Vern’s. Daniel and Bethany Heinze run one of Charleston’s most thoughtful and amazingly delicious restaurant.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would have to shoutout my business partners. I have been incredibly lucky to have four amazing people make my dream come true. Jill Mathias, my wife is and will always be a mentor for me in kitchen. Fanny and Patrick Panella have given me the opportunity to run my own restaurant while showing me so much about running a business. Chris Kellogg has made all of our restaurants beautiful and eclectically designed.

Website: https://malagonchs.com

Instagram: @malagonchs

Image Credits
Molly Rose

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutSouthCarolina is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.