Named for South Carolina statesman Joel Poinsett, The Poinsett Hotel bears testament to bygone days. The Beaux-Arts-style beauty, built in 1925—and restored and reopened as The Westin Poinsett in 2000—reigns as the oldest hotel in Greenville.
The Poinsett quickly became known as “Carolina’s Finest,” its high standard of service attracting a constellation of stars, including Amelia Earhardt, John Barrymore, Cornelius Vanderbilt, and Bobby Kennedy.
In the restaurant, which was originally located upstairs in the Poinsett Ballroom, the menu offered a continental feast that included chicken giblet pot pie, blanquette of veal, and grilled lamb chops. In the 1950s, the restaurant’s famous spoon bread—from which the hotel’s present-day restaurant takes its name—was served to guests at breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Below is the Poinsett’s original recipe for spoon bread.
Spoon Bread Recipe
Recipe from The Ford Treasure of Favorite Recipes from Famous Eating Places, compiled by Nancy Kennedy; copyright 1950 by Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, Michigan; Simon & Schuster, New York
Ingredients
- ½ cup corn meal
- ½ cup water
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 5 eggs
- Salt, to taste
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Boil corn meal, water, salt and butter together.
- Cool, then add eggs, one by one. Mix and pour in baking dish.
- Bake at 350°F for 35 to 45 minutes. Served hot, this is delicious with butter and syrup or honey.
