The Hanahan eatery will specialize in handmade pastas and wood-fired plates made with local ingredients
CM: What was it like growing up here?
MB: I was born in Charleston and lived parts of my childhood in Mount Pleasant, on Isle of Palms, and ran around Mike Calder’s Pub, my uncle’s restaurant on King Street. I caught flounder from the family dock, kept the tradition of shrimp baiting alive in Copahee Sound with my grandpa and uncles, and have always felt a major connection to the marshlands.
CM: You have a great culinary resume. Hit the highlights.
MB: Working for Jay Alfes at Jonathan’s Landing in Jupiter, Florida, as a high schooler was paramount in getting me to make the jump to New York and attend the Culinary Institute of America. That move garnered me my first trip to Italy and a job with chef Giovanni Scappin, who introduced me to a different way of thinking in the kitchen. When I returned to Charleston, I worked nights with The Indigo Road and mornings with Kevin Johnson at The Grocery. I rounded out my time with four years in fine dining at Peninsula Grill, and then my return to Indigo Road, where I oversaw eight restaurants.
CM: Why did you choose to open a restaurant in Hanahan?
MB: Last year, my wife, Ariana, and I bought a house in Hanahan and have fallen in love with the area and all of the promise that is yet to come. We’re very excited to anchor that location [in Yeaman Hall Plaza] and be a cornerstone, hopefully, for Hanahan to continue to build upon.
CM: Where does the name come from?
MB: It’s Italian for “mad dog.” My mom’s dad, Vince Hoover, was a hardtack US Marine who served in the infantry in Vietnam. He called me Mad Dog because my initials were MD, and I think it was a premonition that I would one day join the Corps as well. It seemed only fitting to pay homage to him as I start a business in Hanahan, where he coincidentally operated a business for decades.
CM: You describe Cane Pazzo as a “neighborhood osteria.” What does that mean for the restaurant?
MB: I’ve been to many establishments in Italy and have always thought the rest of the world gets some of these classifications mixed up. Too often “osteria,” “trattoria,” and even “enoteca” are thrown in just for the Italian sound, with no thought toward how it reflects the restaurant’s design and style. Cane Pazzo will be a comfortable neighborhood restaurant, reflecting the tradition of an osteria, with a focus on simple and delicious food. Our approach to service will be comfortable, with house wines served by the glass or by the quartino in classic bistro glasses, reminiscent of the best old-school Italian style.
CM: Tell us about the menu and what ingredients you plan to incorporate.
MB: We will feature handmade pastas as the main focus, with some wood-fired small plates and shareable dishes that I have created or enjoyed over the years. There will be strong notes of Lowcountry influence throughout as well. You’ll see meats and poultry from Storey Farms and Keegan-Filion Farm, vegetables through GrowFood Carolina, mushrooms from my friend Nate Hood at Raven Farms in Mount Pleasant, herbs and greens from The Urb Farm, and local grains incorporated into our doughs.
