At Mère Bulles we strive to recreate the atmosphere of the Charleston plantation home that French-born Civil War widow, Michele Rutledge, lived in after the Civil War.

The War left the Rutledge family land rich and cash poor. Ever the survivor, Michele opened a small restaurant in 1866 on Charleston’s fashionable King Street in a building left to her by her husband. The family was scandalized because no Rutledge woman they had ever known had run her own business. The restaurant was an immediate success and wound up being one of the more popular in the city. She ran the front of the house as Charleston’s favorite hostess, but she also had complete control over the kitchen, which served dishes either created by or approved by her. After a few years, any negative feelings the family had toward Michele’s decision turned to admiration, and in later years she became its matriarch.

One thing Michele loved throughout her life was champagne. She was known to have as many
as a dozen toasts during an evening at her restaurant, and the bubbly was never far from her stove
when she was cooking. Her love of champagne earned her the nickname Mother Bubbles,
which in French is translated as Mère Bulles. Learn More