The Historic Table

12/29/2025

The first of many articles I’m writing for the Post and Courier in celebration of the 250th Anniversary of the Revolution was published today!

Gadsden Flag, with iconic yellow field, coiled rattlesnake and ‘Don't Tread On Me’ inscription, created by Charlestonian in 1775 during Revolutionary War.

12/20/2025

12/19/2025

Segment 2 are a couple of historic Charleston Christmas stories.

Mike Hebb from The Historic Table talks about how Charleston used to celebrate the holidays.

12/19/2025

I appeared on 2 segments on Live5 News’ great show Palmetto Life this morning. Here’s the first one on historic Christmas sweets.

Mike Hebb from The Historic Table shares what festive desserts Charlestonians enjoyed in the 18th and 19th centuries.

12/18/2025

Friends, I’ll be appearing tomorrow, Friday, December 19th, 2025 on Channel 5’s wonderful show Palmetto Life. I’ll appear in two segments, where we’ll discuss holiday sweets, and I’ll tell some Charleston Christmas stories. Tune in at 9:00 am, if you can.

12/11/2025

You may know me only as a Culinary Historian, but like most historians, I have expertise in other areas as well. In celebration of the 250th anniversary, I have been hired by the Post and Courier to write a series of articles, so far 17 of them; highlighting the major impact that South Carolina had on the American Revolutionary War. The first should be published right before Christmas. I’ll post them on Facebook and on my website, thehistorictable.com

12/03/2025

: Oysters are a favorite for winter gatherings in South Carolina, so this recipe for Spiced Oysters fits right in. The instructions for the meal, cooked first and then served cold, comes from a receipt book, dated 1886, of Anna Mason Smith Wells. The recipe is housed in the Anna Wells Rutledge papers in our archives - and appears to be another from “Miss Leslie’s New Cookery Book” which was popular in the mid-19th century.

It’s officially the time of year for some delicious food, and some of the foods we’ll enjoy over the next couple of months have been around for quite some time. Throughout the rest of November and December, we’ll feature recipes housed in our collections – some of which you may recognize. Happy eating, everyone!

12/01/2025

We decided to put up our depiction of what we think an 1850’s Christmas tree in Charleston may have looked like, minus the major fire hazards, and rotting fruit; which is a little bittersweet. I wish everyone could see it and we could all enjoy a Christmas pudding together in 2025. I’m going to do the best I can to secure a great new location, and hopefully be back serving the Historic Christmas Feast again in 2026!

11/23/2025

The last Sunday before the advent is called “Stir Up Sunday.” Sometimes it’s the Sunday before Thanksgiving and sometimes it’s the Sunday after. Traditionally, families would gather on this day to prepare their Christmas pudding for the Holidays. Each family member would take a turn stirring the pudding, which would lead to good tidings throughout the New Year. Now it may seem strange in this “fresher is better” world to make a dessert 32 days before Christmas, but the pudding actually gets better with age. I’ll be appearing on Live 5 News channel’s Palmetto Life on Friday, December 19th showing Christmas pudding and other historic sweets.

09/10/2025

I’m sad to say, that The Historic Table has ceased operations. Charleston is a very historic city, and despite 100% 5 star reviews, in 5 and a half years I’ve never been able to turn combining food and history into a viable business. I thank everyone that came to my dinners and I hope I was able to bring lasting memories. It’s time to move on, although I really don’t know what’s next for me.
Warm regards,
Mike Hebb

08/06/2025

I’m proud to announce that The Historic Table is hitting the road. Your 18th, 19th, and even 20th century feast can come to you! 14 different themes to choose from. Check out my newly adjusted website, and let me bring Charleston’s two biggest passions, food and history, to you! thehistorictable.com

07/29/2025

I have some heartbreaking news to announce. The Historic Table is no longer hosting any historic dinners at the Fireproof Building. All future reservations have been informed by email of this situation. This was my third location in 5 years, so I’m not looking for another location. From now on, the Historic Table is coming to you. I will be doing vintage catering and be a personal chef. Now you can have a historic dinner at your house, hotel, office, Air BNB, Clubhouse, or any event space. Availability is wide open right now, and there are 14 different themes for you to choose from. Check out the updated website and book your historic party soon! thehistorictable.com