Today is a big day for Unpretentious Palate. We’ve officially been in publication for one year! It’s gone by so quickly, and we’re so grateful to all of the subscribers who have joined us on this journey.

When we set out to launch UP, we didn’t know how you would respond to a website that required a subscription. Sept. 5, 2018 was a nerve-wracking day, but you have all been so supportive. Good journalism takes time and money, and when that money is coming from advertisers expecting page views, that journalism becomes outdone by clickbait. We didn’t want that. So we asked our readers to support our mission to become the city’s most reliable food publication, and you delivered. Your subscriptions show that context, nuance, and expertise are valuable to you. Thank you for that.

To celebrate our one-year anniversary, we’re giving everyone a look at what Unpretentious Palate offers. We’ve lifted our paywall for the weekend, and we know you’ll find our restaurant reviews, restaurant finder, stories, and calendar helpful for planning your weekend. We’d love it if you celebrated our birthday by sharing some of your favorite stories on social media to introduce more people to what we’re doing!

Since we’re open for reading, we wanted to revisit some of our best work and favorite moments from our first year. Check those out below. We’re so proud of what we’ve done this year, and are thankful that you’re on this journey with us. If you haven’t become a paying subscriber yet, I hope seeing what we’re all about will convince you that our content is worth subscribing for — all available to you for the cost of a latte. You can subscribe here.

Why this good economy can be bad for restaurants
Diners may feel good about spending money right now, but restaurants are still struggling to keep a solid profit margin. Why? Operating costs, from food to rent, are increasing. The biggest hit, though, is coming from the competition for kitchen staff. Read more.

We’re not eating sustainably
There’s much more to a cow than the prime cuts we prefer to eat — and there are lots of other meats out there. Here’s why the way we eat right now isn’t good for the environment, and how we can change the way we eat meat to do so more sustainably. Read more.

Reviews
Want to explore our restaurant reviews? Some of our favorite critical looks at restaurants include our reviews of SouthPark standout Peppervine, popular South End arrival Hawkers, and steak-and-fries spot The Dunavant.

Where chefs eat
Want to eat like the professionals? We’re asking chefs around town where they go when they’re not cooking. Get recommendations from Bonterra’s Blake Hartwick, Yafo Kitchen’s Shai Fargian, and Heirloom’s Clark Barlowe, among many more.

Exclusive events
We love writing, but we also think storytelling can be told directly from the source to you, our readers. Our events put diners in front of restaurant owners, chefs, and mixologists so you can hear their stories and ask them questions face-to-face. We kicked off our Unpretentious Preview events, which give subscribers a first look at a restaurant, with Sweet Lew’s. Our Meat & Potatoes dinner at Stoke was an innovative, mouth-watering meal that also poked fun at Charlotte’s culinary reputation. And our Meet the Chef series, where executive chefs share their life stories through a coursed meal, launched at Dot Dot Dot with chef Daniel Wheeler. —Kristen Wile

Our Editor’s Dish stories are taken from our newsletters each week. Want to get thoughtful content like this delivered directly to your inbox? Sign up here.