Kardea Brown’s Southern Kitchen Wins Prestigious FAB Award for Best Sense of Place in North America
Charleston, SC – July 10, 2026 – Silhouette Design Architecture is thrilled to congratulate Kardea Brown and Charleston International Airport as Kardea Brown’s Southern Kitchen has been named Airport Food & Beverage Offer Best Representing Sense of Place – North America at the 2026 FAB + Hospitality Awards.
The FAB + Hospitality Awards recognize excellence in airport food, beverage, and hospitality around the world, celebrating concepts that elevate the traveler experience through exceptional dining, innovation, service, and a meaningful connection to their communities.
For Kardea Brown’s Southern Kitchen, that connection to place is at the heart of the concept.
The first restaurant from Food Network star, James Beard Award–winning author, and Charleston native Kardea Brown, the restaurant celebrates Brown’s Gullah Geechee heritage, contemporary Southern cooking, and deep connection to the Lowcountry. Located in Charleston International Airport’s Central Marketplace, the concept gives travelers an authentic taste of Charleston through both its menu and environment.
A design rooted in the Lowcountry
Silhouette Design Architecture designed and branded Kardea Brown’s Southern Kitchen, providing interior architecture, brand development, environmental graphics, and design support to bring Brown’s distinctive culinary personality and cultural story to life.
Warm woods, layered textures, vibrant color, curated lighting, and bold visual storytelling come together in a space inspired by the character, hospitality, and traditions of the Lowcountry. Throughout the restaurant, details drawn from Brown’s Gullah Geechee roots create an experience that feels personal, welcoming, and unmistakably Charleston.
“When we began designing Kardea Brown’s Southern Kitchen, our goal was to create a space that felt genuinely connected to Kardea, her family traditions, and the place that shaped her cooking,” said Tara Carmichael, Design Principal and Co-Founder of Silhouette Design Architecture. “To have the restaurant recognized specifically for its sense of place is incredibly meaningful. It reinforces what we hoped to accomplish from the beginning: giving travelers an experience that could only exist in Charleston.”
The award comes just over a year after Kardea Brown’s Southern Kitchen opened at CHS and continues a growing list of industry recognition for hospitality environments designed by Silhouette Design Architecture.
Silhouette congratulates Kardea Brown, Charleston International Airport, and all of the partners who helped bring this uniquely Charleston experience to travelers from around the world.
Photo by CHS Airport