It has been one month since Southern Chili Lab announced its temporary closure. The update fans have been hoping for is here.

In September 2022, Gulf Coast Media introduced you to Southern Chili Lab's fermented hot sauce, chili crisp and partners Jonathan Kastner and Tyler Braun.

The SCL's line of products grew, and a fan base developed thanks to Kastner and Braun's marketing early on. The chefs knew the best way to get people to buy their product was to get them to taste it, so they hosted pop-ups.

In April, Kastner, who has taught culinary classes locally and formerly of Anchor Bar, told GCM the business was moving to a new location at The Wharf in Orange Beach and adding cooking classes and chef's table dinners, his excitement for the new venture palpable. The community's response was a resounding, "Finally!" As part of the culinary teaching team for the Orange Beach Expect Excellence Program, Kastner has been asked for years when adult classes would be available.

The seasoned chefs knew there would be hiccups, but no one expected four months of waiting for permitting and issues to be worked out. During the downtime, SCL couldn't ferment hot sauce, chili crips or black garlic sambal. Kastner continued teaching in Orange Beach and Gulf Shores High School while Braun worked in restaurant consulting.

In August, SCL posted a statement on its Facebook page announcing the temporary closure. People didn't know that behind the scenes, Kastner had spent four months working through the process of getting the space permitted, including hiring an engineer to draw plans of all the existing equipment and systems. Unfortunately, the space shared a bathroom with a neighboring office. The result is the space did not pass inspection leaving the plan dead in the water.

"We moved into the space fairly quickly because we needed to and under the assumption that it would be fairly easy for us to get permitted," Kastner said. "The space has been here forever. It was an event space. I've cooked here before when I had Anchor and did catering for 300. I was just under the assumption that it would be fairly easy to get permitted, and so it turns out I was wrong."

Kastner opted to sell off extra, unneeded equipment he had accumulated as he planned to move everything into storage while he regrouped.

Just after Labor Day, Kastner texted GCM to say he had secured a new location for SCL, still in The Wharf on Canal Drive. It is large enough to expand into chef's table dinners and culinary classes but currently isn't set up for that aspect of the business. There are no confirmed details yet of a projected opening, but Kastner can now restart their most important, foundational process. Fermenting.

If you noticed the mentions of Braun trail off, there is a good reason. Braun's consulting turned into an opportunity he couldn't pass up in Atlanta, so SCL is now solely Kastner's venture.

Kastner said he misses Braun, but he beamed like a proud big brother in speaking about his new path.

"It's just one of those life-changing type offers that he just couldn't turn down," Kastner said. "We talked about it for months before he made the decision to go. I encouraged it, too."