Critic Hanna Raskin to Leave Charleston’s Post and Courier for New Opportunity

Post and Courier reporter and James Beard Award-winning writer Hanna Raskin will exit the Charleston newspaper on July 2 to start a subscription newsletter with Substack. She is one of twelve writers that have joined Substack’s newest initiative Substack Local which supports writers to build their own publications through grants. With her new outlet, Raskin will continue to report on the food and beverage industry in the American South, including reviews.

Raskin says she will cover stories in the South but will leave out D.C. and Texas, because of the prevalence of journalists in those areas. She says her biggest goal is to give a platform to unheard voices, the disenfranchised, and those not in power or without big PR teams. She wants to tell the stories that perhaps other outlets have overlooked. Raskin often wrote these types of stories while with the Post and Courier, resulting in a Local Impact Journalism award from the James Beard Foundation in 2017.

Raskin became a bit of a divisive figure in Charleston because of her sharp reviews of local restaurants. For her first review in Charleston, Raskin revealed to the world that Southern institution Jestine’s wasn’t all that great, and thus divided readers into a love or hate category with her writing and opinions.

Raskin stopped writing restaurant reviews when the pandemic hit and establishment had to pivot to takeout. With her new Substack newsletter, Raskin will once again pick up reviews as many restaurants have gone back to indoor dining. Her reach will go beyond Charleston now but will still include restaurants in the Lowcountry.

• Substack [Official]
• The Food Section [Official]
• Post and Courier Food Editor, Critic Hanna Raskin Receives Award from James Beard Foundation [P&C]
• Find Some Forgettable Home Cooking at Jestine’s [P&C]