How I Go Columbia: Terra’s Mike Davis
In 2006, Mike Davis opened the doors of Terra restaurant at 100 State St. in West Columbia. There, he has made a name for himself across the state – and the nation – as a creative chef dedicated to using seasonal, sustainable, local ingredients in his nightly changing menu.
A native of Dothan, Ala., Davis graduated from the University of Alabama and Johnson & Wales in Charleston, where he worked at Magnolias restaurant under chefs Donald Barickman and Don Drake. Davis then moved to New Orleans, where he worked under James Beard Award-winning chef Susan Spicer at Bayona and then as a sous chef at Cobalt. He then returned to Alabama as sous chef at Birmingham’s Chez Fon Fon under Chef Frank Stitt, another James Beard Award winner.
In 2010, Terra earned its first recognition from The Distinguished Restaurants of North America. The DiRoNA distinction requires meeting extensive criteria and an inspection process that evaluates all aspects of the dining experience and is seen as one of the most respected awards in the dining and hospitality communities.
Earlier this year, Davis was named the South Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association’s Restaurateur of the Year.
Right now at Terra, Davis is using early fall vegetables like butternut squash to pair with gag grouper. Kale and root vegetables also are back on the menu as are one of Davis' favorite fruits – apples from North Carolina that he plans to use in his dessert menu this month.
EAT: I am off Sunday and Monday nights, and I generally cook at home one of those nights, so on the other, we generally go to ethnic restaurants. Real Mexico is a favorite, Inakaya for sushi. If I take a rare night off during the week, I will take my wife to Baan Sawan (Thai Bistro). Unfortunately, all the local independents have the same days off as Terra. I have been wanting to go try Wes’s (executive chef Wesley Fulmer’s) food at Motor (Supply Co.) for a bit. Of course for breakfast, I go to Beltline Lizard’s Thicket.
DRINK: Running a restaurant every night and having young children, I don’t get out and about as much as I used to. I generally will go to the Whig for a few beers, or to the bar at Bourbon for whiskey. Most nights, I will end up at the house for a beer or glass of wine with my dinner. All the wine in my basement is a great perk of being in the restaurant biz.
PLAY: My girls and I love (Riverbanks) Zoo – we have been members since we moved here – and I love to get them outside, even for just an hour or so. I like to take them to Soda City (Market) on Saturday mornings for treats and to see what surprises the market has. I love to fish and have just begun exploring the Saluda this past year. When it’s baseball season, I like to go to Carolina Stadium on Sundays for a day game. The Congaree National Park is another place I like to go to get away and clear my mind.
LISTEN: I love that the Music Farm is in town now and have been to multiple shows up there. This town needed a venue of that size to grab some bands that were skipping our city. The Township is also a favorite. I have been going to shows there for years, and it is the perfect size for a show to feel big and intimate at the same time.
SEE: On nights out of the kitchen at Terra, I love to go to the Nick (Nickelodeon Theatre) and see whatever they’re playing there. I love to have a beer, and their popcorn is the best in town. And we also love to check out exhibits at the Columbia Museum of Art from time to time. We’re fortunate to have such a great museum in Columbia.