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CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA: A CULINARY TOUR
This year's SATW chapter
meeting had us heading back to one of our favorite US cities. The Holy City
that is Charleston, South Carolina.
And we couldn’t have been more thrilled. As part of the conference,
we got to choose various tours that are offered throughout the city. So we
decided to be thematic and select all tours that had some kind of culinary
focus (surprise!).
Our first adventure was called Charleston Entertains. After a brief walk through the historic district, stopping briefly to tell us about various historical buildings or trivia, we ended up at the Heyward-Washington House a classic example of Charleston architecture with insight into how Charleston entertained in the late 1700s and early 1800s. With magnificent examples of Charleston-made furniture, formal gardens, a carriage shed, and kitchen out-building, it truly gave us an insight into the Charlestonian lifestyle.
From there, we joined up with Mitchell Crosby, owner of JMC Charleston a local event planning company that encompasses exquisite events in amazing locations. Seated in the library of a private mansion feasting on local benne wafers and pecan pralines, Mitchell regaled us with stories of legendary Charleston parties and soirees.
The next day featured
two different tours by
Culinary Tours of
Charleston. The first was a 2.5 hour Chef’s Kitchen Tour with a
behind the scenes view of several of Charleston’s best chefs and their
restaurants. The second was a 2.5 hour tour in the history and culture of
the Lowcountry. Learning how the unique cuisine has evolved over the past
300 years as well as sampling grits and sweet tea at Dixie Café and
Supply, BBQ and collard greens at Jim
& Nick's Bar-B-Q, southern pralines at
Market Street Sweets, benne
wafers at
Charleston
Cooks! and Lowcountry spice blends at
Spice & Tea Exchange, the tour
was truly a walk through culinary history.
Our last tour had us heading to Mt. Pleasant to experience the Lowcountry shrimping trade. After a visit to a local shrimper, we headed to Old Village Post House, the fabulous inn and restaurant of Maverick Southern Kitchens, where we had the opportunity to sample shrimp that had been caught hours earlier and cooked up in a traditional shrimp and grits recipe.
And to enhance our culinary tour of Charleston, dinner at FIG Restaurant and a resplendent reception and buffet at Middleton Plantation were the icing on the cake. So were the wonderful accommodations, service, food, and ambiance of our host, The Mills House Hotel. With a perfect Meeting Street location, the hotel is a perfect blend of luxury, modern amenities, and Charleston charm.
And to top everything off, Lynn was bestowed the Golden Pineapple award by the Charleston Convention & Visitors Bureau for his years of promoting Charleston tourism through his editorial coverage. Now that really is the icing on the cake.