Some time ago, during a routine conversation for another story with Chef Brandon Carter, he let on that the family would be expanding in the future. He wasn’t prepared to talk about it at length, but I’d had enough chats with Brandon over the years to know he was excited about this.

If you don’t know, Chef Brandon is the creative tip of the spear for the FARM family of restaurants. What started out as a smallish eatery in Old Town Bluffton had expanded to four restaurants at the time. He made it clear they weren’t done, which got my attention. Beyond that, all he offered was their desire for a bakery. Fair enough. From my seat, the more great bakeries we have around town, the better for everyone.

I didn’t give it a whole lot of thought. Truth be told, if I had been forced to guess what the next move was, I would have thought it would have been a warehouse somewhere off of the beaten path that would crank out baked goods for those 4 restaurants and maybe do some wholesale around the area. It wasn’t long after that conversation that I got wind of what was in the works.

The FARM group was moving into the Starland neighborhood’s iconic space previously occupied by Back in the Day Bakery.

“Boom.” I thought. “There’s the bakery. Undoubtedly there will be retail as well.”

I was excited for a number of reasons. I knew the food would be great. I mean, really. What this group has done with not only Common Thread but Strangebird and Wildflower Cafe here in Savannah is to be applauded. They are among the best eats in town. Consistently.

Now comes this Bakery and Supper Club, Flora and Fauna, which I am here to say could wind up being the most popular of them all. By a long shot.

For starters, there’s the community space. The Starland neighborhood has needed a ‘third space’ for a few years now. You know, the kind of place people gather that isn’t home or work? For a decade plus, Back in the Day Bakery filled that need in the neighborhood, but that dynamic changed post-2020. Starland was growing quickly and the need for a gathering place was increasingly necessary. I had no doubt a new bakery on the corner of Bull and 42nd would check that box.

Flora and Fauna opened a few weeks ago and has been an instant success. I was away from Savannah the day they opened, but you’d better believe on my first Saturday back in town, I popped in to grab a few sweet treats. What I witnessed was unexpected even if it wasn’t surprising.

It was after 1:00pm on a Saturday. The house was nearly full. The bakery case looked good enough to take one of everything home. The freshly baked breads against the back wall were enough to make me smile ear to ear. I stood there thrilled as I could possibly be at the scene. This ‘third space’ was in full effect and I knew on the spot it is going to be for a long time.

Just then, a lunch plate flew by and got my attention. I reached for a menu and saw the selection of sandwiches. Ah, that was the chicken sandwich flying through the room. It very simply looked amazing. I’m sure it was. I’m looking forward to circling back to that one.

Back at home with my boxes of goodies there wasn’t anything I tried from their case that wasn’t under consideration for ‘among the best I’ve ever had.’ I could rattle off the selection of sweets, but I will highlight just one. The Morning Glory Bundt Cake is their spin on a carrot cake flavor profile. It was so incredibly moist that I wondered if I squeezed it enough would it drip on the floor. That’s a star in my book, as was everything else I sampled that day. And no, we weren’t done.

The Supper Club side of the equation is now underway. I had dinner there this week for ‘opening night’ and can confidently say this could be a game changer in this town. The full house on Wednesday night were invited guests, I know, but it isn’t going to take very long until the room is full of locals and visitors to our city. How can I be so sure?

At the top: there’s the quality of food. The Supper Club menu we saw was 3 courses, each with 2 or 3 selections to choose from. There was a flounder crudo (delicious) and a ‘cheeseburger tartare’. Entrees included a hanger steak and/or a wonderful red snapper dish. The snapper served with Sapelo clams, shrimp and a crab emulsion. Dessert punctuated a wonderful meal. The kicker? Those three courses will only set you back $55. A price so low for what we were given that I had to wonder if that price point was introductory. “Nope. Three courses, $55 every night except Tuesdays when the bakery is closed as well.” Is what I was told.

Drinks are extra, of course, but you can count on a perfect wine pairing or a delicious cocktail. I had both. Savannah will soon as well.

I’ve not talked to anyone about what their plans are for the menu here at Flora and Fauna, but my guess is it will change fairly frequently but remain simple. A $55 price point gets you simple these days, the difference is how it is executed. This was very well done. Besides, if you want the envelope pushed you can always go back to Common Thread.

Ultimately, it’s that simplicity that I think is going to be the big draw here. We know these guys and gals have chops, they can cook. They’ve proven that across multiple platforms now. Flora and Fauna is going to be that gathering spot by day and a place for a great and very approachable casual meal by night. They may not be fond of the comparison, but as it applies to your dining dollar, it’s going to be like Restaurant Week every night in here. And that’s not such a bad thing. I think it’s only a matter of time before national media rolls in with a big ol’ spotlight on Flora and Fauna and getting a table at rush hour on a busy weekend could be a tall order.

Much like a record executive who knows a hit when he hears one, if you eat enough meals, you come to feel the hits and the misses. A lot of times the misses can be built into hits, but its always a happy day when you know you’ve got a hit on day one.

Savannah’s Flora and Fauna is going to be a hit. You heard it here first.

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