Pizza Party

After more than two decades in marketing, Home Team Public Relations owner Angel Postell understands that a fun event is the key to drawing a happy crowd. During her eight years as director of Charleston Wine + Food, she helped turn a string of tasting tents and dining parties into a multimillion-dollar culinary smorgasbord. And starting on August 21, Postell helms the second round of BevCon Charleston, the small-batch libation festival bringing together wine buyers and sommeliers, craft distillers, and brewers.

Her knack for encouraging fresh ideas has proven useful at home, too, when cooking with sons Riley, age 10, and Chase, eight. Getting two boys enthused about a healthy dinner of vegetables and whole wheat might seem like a daunting task, but Angel knows it’s all about how you spin it. For quick and easy school-night meals, she leans on kiddie favorites—pizza and pasta—but sneaks plenty of greens into the dishes. The carbohydrate-heavy meal is just what her boys need to boost their bodies and brains, Postell notes, adding, “Kids are so active, and they need food that gives them lots of energy, especially when they go back to school.” Still, Mom makes sure to harness that youthful energy. “I try to involve the boys in cooking, so that they’ll be able to do it for themselves later on,” explains Postell, who grew up with a single father “on a lot of fast food.” She equips the kids with oiled sheet pans and rolling pins, then enlists them in rolling out whole wheat dough from local purveyor Rio Bertolini, letting them form any shape they’d like. “I don’t believe in perfect food,” laughs Mom, noting that the crusts she tosses on the grill are often abstract in form.

What Postell does believe in is giving Riley and Chase ownership of their budding palates. The family makes weekly grocery trips to the Veggie Bin, where locally grown offerings rotate daily. “I’ll have the kids pick out something new, and then we’ll play around with seasonings and condiments until we find a way they enjoy the ingredient,” she explains. At the store, Postell makes sure to point out where the items came from, adding, “I want them to learn how to make good food while supporting area farmers.”

As a result, the boys have developed a taste for sautéed mushrooms, Brussels sprouts, Kalamata olives, peppery cheese, and spicy salami atop their pie slices and pasta salad. The addition of local broccoli microgreens adds freshness to both pizza and warm Cavatelli salad, which is dressed in a zippy vinaigrette made with lemon juice, shallots, and fresh basil.

While her kids end the evening with traditional Nilla Wafer-studded banana pudding, Postell mixes her favorite cocktail, using a recipe from bartender Jayce McConnell of Edmund’s Oast. It’s a refreshing combination of sparkling rosé wine, strawberry-lemon shrub, and botanical gin, and it feels at home on a simple summer night.

In the Kitchen with Angel Postell

Lives: In West Ashley with her sons, Riley (10) and Chase (eight)
Works: As the owner of Home Team Public Relations and the creator of BevCon Charleston
Local Passion: “Our farmers and fishermen work grueling jobs for little money, and they are so passionate about it. I want to support the people who work hard to make our city what it is,” she says. “Plus, fresh always tastes better.”