It all started with a visit to swanky subscription-based-members-only club, Annabel’s, in London. Then came the Chiltern Firehouse, a five-star hotel known for its celebrity clientele. It is currently closed for renovations, ironically, following a fire.
When inspiration hit Madison Maison owner Madi Kenner, she was with a member of One Direction in the company of Victoria “Posh Spice” Beckham and British Vogue editor Edward Enninful. There among England’s elite in some of the city’s most exclusive bars, Kenner began formulating her next bar concept.
“We went to this cool all-pink bar and that’s when I got a lot of inspiration for my bathroom,” she recalled.
Kenner is no stranger to Charleston’s trendy bar scene. She opened Ritual Rooftop Restaurant & Lounge on Calhoun Street in 2022. She and her husband, Matt Kenner, also own Mofu Shoppe, HIVE Nightclub, Nomad, Social Club and Dogwood Bar & Eatery — all located in North Carolina. They operate hospitality enterprise Kenner Group.
With Madison Maison on Calhoun Street, Kenner hoped to create a cocktail bar for guests to “grab drinks and yap” in a space with elegance and femininity bursting at its textured seams. It would be easy to say that Madison Maison’s atmosphere exemplifies the group’s bold, dignified propriety.
But actually, it runs deeper than that.
“Out of all my concepts, this one is me,” Kenner said in an exclusive interview with the Charleston City Paper. “This is [a] very maximalist vibe, very colorful — There’s nothing minimalist about it at all — different prints, different animal prints, different velvet textures … everything. So it’s basically just the house of myself.”
While in a restroom, don’t be surprised to see a server enter with a bottle of bubbly. It’s all part of the atmosphere and it is intentional.
“This is everything I love — like, the pink granite, the checkered marble floor,” Kenner said. “This has been in my head for the past three years.”
Caviar, foie gras and champagne
The establishment’s menu is small but mighty, packing a punch of foie gras, charcuterie, kaluga and siberian osetra caviar supplied by RG Caviar. RG’s owner, close friend Roberto Gonzalez, has long since been involved with the business of caviar. While Kenner was building the lounge on the corner of Calhoun and King Streets, he was in the process of going out on his own.
Kenner jumped at the opportunity to work with her friend. After all, what goes better with champagne, foie gras and refined cocktails than a taste of caviar?
Madison Maison serves three tiers of its caviar, although the parity is difficult to detect.
Kenner chose kaluga for its similar flavor profile to endangered beluga caviar. Kaluga presents with an earthy shade of olive and is normally found in the Amur River basin running through the easternmost region of Russia and northern China.
Siberian osetra is indigenous to the Caspian Sea denoting a rich brown color and known for a clean, nutty flavor profile.
Given her love for Gonzalez and his dedication to his business, going with RG was a no-brainer for Kenner.
“[Gonzalez] will come to anything that we throw,” she said. “He loves coming around and giving [samples] and talking about the caviar.”
Kenner has ambitions to incorporate the caviar into dirty martinis but is still working on the set up. She said she likes the complimentary flavors between the brininess of the olive juice and creaminess of blue cheese olives mirroring the caviar’s profile.
Opulence tucks its way into the details of Madison Maison. In fact, that is the point.
The goal is simple without dismissing the city’s duality: Conjure the experience of a ritzy New York or London bar in Charleston, enticing locals to return while offering a memorable space for out-of-towners.
“Wouldn’t it be cool if we can provide this feminine, girly bar that everyone would want to come to?” Kenner found herself pondering during its inception. “[Like] Something that’s in New York, something that’s in London, but it’s hidden away in Charleston?”
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