Suzanne Pollak, born in Beirut, Lebanon, spent her childhood living in Africa and the Middle East while her father was working for the CIA. By the time she was in twelfth grade, she’d attended a dozen schools—even one held in a camel barn.
Through these early experiences, Pollak came to understand the value of community and the power of home entertaining to bring people together, no matter their background. She went on to use this knowledge of hearth and hospitality as the foundation for her career as an entertaining expert, social strategist, teacher/lecturer, and fundraiser.
A former home goods spokesperson for Federated Department Stores, she led seminars in 77 stores in 10 states, and her advice columns—“Suzanne Suggests,” “Ask Suzanne,” and “Home Ingredients”—built customer loyalty, playing a vital role in brand development in the company’s major markets. She also developed and hosted the Federated video series, “At Home,” which played in the home departments of the company’s stores.
As co-author of Entertaining for Dummies (IDG, 1997), Pollak helped demystify the art of hosting parties at a time when formal entertaining was giving way to a more modern, informal model. She also worked alongside noted author Pat Conroy on The Pat Conroy Cookbook (Doubleday, 2009), supplying recipes which animated the stories of his life, from Conroy’s travels through Europe to the iconic dishes of the Deep South that they both knew so well. Pollak’s latest book with Bernard Cornwell, Uhtred’s Feast (Harper Collins, 2023), brings to life Cornwell’s epic Last Kingdom series with recipes.
In 2012, Pollak cofounded the Charleston Academy of Domestic Pursuits, a class and lecture platform aimed at designing your home life to reflect your own style. Over the years, she has hosted events and taught cooking classes for every occasion from bachelorette parties to corporate retreats, ultimately publishing The Charleston Academy of Domestic Pursuits: A Handbook of Etiquette with Recipes (Abrams, 2014). During Covid, Pollak migrated her IRL classes to Zoom, including her weekly “Sip with Suzanne”, a cocktail instruction discussion, joined by Wycliffe Gordon, the world-renowned trombonist and composer.
Suzanne’s homes and gardens have been featured in the Wall Street Journal and Town & Country magazine. She has restored a 1780 Georgian tabby mansion and garden in Beaufort, South Carolina, using period masonry techniques, lighting and landscaping, and a 1780 Rainbow Row townhouse in Charleston, South Carolina.
In her current role as Director of Development for Charleston Literary Festival, Pollak is the fundraiser for this annual ten-day celebration featuring unscripted conversations with today's leading writers, including Pulitzer, Booker, and Nobel prize-winners. She also serves as the festival’s event planner, coordinating sensational parties to add joy and raise audience awareness for the festival.
Suzanne splits her time between Charleston, South Carolina and Richmond, Virginia, with her husband, Don King, a retired attorney. Their 14 shared grandchildren and many friends keep them on the go. Look for her at the monthly pop-up dinners she helps host and organize, held all over the city of Charleston.
