Food for the Soul:
Charleston a Culinary Destination Like No Other
By Holly Fisher
It wouldn't be hard to eat your way through Charleston. Downtown is crammed with award-winning restaurants and chefs, top-notch Lowcountry cuisine and imaginative cocktails. If you're visiting Charleston, buy stretchy pants.
In the last few years, the Holy City's secret has gotten out: Charleston is a foodie town. The city is home to three James Beard award-winning chefs and just this year Husk was named the best new restaurant in the country by Bon Appétit. The Charleston Wine + Food Festival grows each year, attracting food and wine lovers, media attention and an opportunity for attendees to sample world-class cuisine.
“Charleston is considered outstanding. It's mentioned in the same sentence as San Francisco and New York,” said Holly Herrick, a Charleston food writer and author.
Charleston is riding a wave of Southern cooking and heirloom food with the likes of Chef Mike Lata (FIG), Chef Sean Brock (McCrady’s and Husk) and Chef Craig Deihl (Cypress). They are combining old world and new world traditions and it's so exciting, Herrick said.
The Charleston Wine + Food Festival, going into its seventh year this March, has contributed to putting Charleston on the food map. Last year the festival attracted 19,000 people - about 40 percent of those from out of town.
The festival is all about showcasing Charleston - not just the food but the city and all its attributes. “The number of food festivals continues to grow across the country. There are new ones every year. We've tried to find a niche for ourselves,” said Ashley Zink, director of communications. “Our biggest asset in bringing people to our festival is Charleston - you can't find that at any other festival.”
The 2012 festival is putting the spotlight on even more of Charleston’s attractions and culture. While a majority of festival events have been at Marion Square - a large park in the heart of downtown - this year's festival is expanding to other sites, such as Fort Sumter National Monument, the South Carolina Aquarium, Lowndes Grove Plantation, several restaurants and art galleries.
“It's a great way for people to experience some of the incredible historic sites they might not otherwise see,” Zink said.
Beyond the festival, visitors are coming year-round to Charleston for its cuisine and to try as many different restaurants as they can.
About four years ago, Bulldog Tours owner John LaVerne expanded his history and ghost tours to add culinary tours: Savor the Flavors of Charleston Tour that focuses on Lowcountry cuisine history and how local food has evolved over the years and a Charleston Chef's Kitchen Tour with a behind-the-scenes look into some of Charleston’s best restaurants.
“When we first started the culinary tours four years ago, Charleston regionally was popular with foodies,” LaVerne said. “In the last couple of years, it has become a culinary destination for people all over the country.”
People are coming to Charleston just because of the food, he said.
“Even people who grew up in the South and in Charleston are fascinated to hear what makes our cuisine so unique,” LaVerne said.
Much of the focus these days is on local food and the farm-to-table concept.
Chefs are putting their own spin and interpretation on using local foods, said Marion Sullivan, food writer and culinary program specialist at the Culinary Institute of Charleston.
She also points to a new focus on craft beers and local breweries as well as spots like The Gin Joint, Social Restaurant + Wine Bar and Belmount Lounge mixing up unique selections of cocktails and wine.
A great time to sample as many restaurants as possible - without maxing out the credit card - is during the annual Charleston Restaurant Week. Dozens of restaurants offer three-course prix fixe meals for $40, $30 and $20, depending on the caliber of the establishment. This year's Restaurant Week is Jan. 11-22, 2012.
By the Numbers: Charleston Wine + Food Festival
· Top non-local states for visitation: South Carolina, North Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Washington, D.C., Virginia, Pennsylvania and New York.
· As a nonprofit organization, the festival raised $250,000 in its first six year for area charities and scholarships.
· Total economic impact of the 2011 festival: $7.29 million ($2 million more than 2010).
· In 2011, the festival recycled 5,600 pounds of cardboard, 16,000 pounds of glass, 80 pounds of cork and 380 pounds of paper. The festival is diverted 11 tons of trash from the landfill - making it Charleston’s leader in event recycling efforts.
Source: Charleston Wine + Food Festival | Study by the College of Charleston’s Office of Tourism Analysis
It wouldn't be hard to eat your way through Charleston. Downtown is crammed with award-winning restaurants and chefs, top-notch Lowcountry cuisine and imaginative cocktails. If you're visiting Charleston, buy stretchy pants.
In the last few years, the Holy City's secret has gotten out: Charleston is a foodie town. The city is home to three James Beard award-winning chefs and just this year Husk was named the best new restaurant in the country by Bon Appétit. The Charleston Wine + Food Festival grows each year, attracting food and wine lovers, media attention and an opportunity for attendees to sample world-class cuisine.
“Charleston is considered outstanding. It's mentioned in the same sentence as San Francisco and New York,” said Holly Herrick, a Charleston food writer and author.
Charleston is riding a wave of Southern cooking and heirloom food with the likes of Chef Mike Lata (FIG), Chef Sean Brock (McCrady’s and Husk) and Chef Craig Deihl (Cypress). They are combining old world and new world traditions and it's so exciting, Herrick said.
The Charleston Wine + Food Festival, going into its seventh year this March, has contributed to putting Charleston on the food map. Last year the festival attracted 19,000 people - about 40 percent of those from out of town.
The festival is all about showcasing Charleston - not just the food but the city and all its attributes. “The number of food festivals continues to grow across the country. There are new ones every year. We've tried to find a niche for ourselves,” said Ashley Zink, director of communications. “Our biggest asset in bringing people to our festival is Charleston - you can't find that at any other festival.”
The 2012 festival is putting the spotlight on even more of Charleston’s attractions and culture. While a majority of festival events have been at Marion Square - a large park in the heart of downtown - this year's festival is expanding to other sites, such as Fort Sumter National Monument, the South Carolina Aquarium, Lowndes Grove Plantation, several restaurants and art galleries.
“It's a great way for people to experience some of the incredible historic sites they might not otherwise see,” Zink said.
Beyond the festival, visitors are coming year-round to Charleston for its cuisine and to try as many different restaurants as they can.
About four years ago, Bulldog Tours owner John LaVerne expanded his history and ghost tours to add culinary tours: Savor the Flavors of Charleston Tour that focuses on Lowcountry cuisine history and how local food has evolved over the years and a Charleston Chef's Kitchen Tour with a behind-the-scenes look into some of Charleston’s best restaurants.
“When we first started the culinary tours four years ago, Charleston regionally was popular with foodies,” LaVerne said. “In the last couple of years, it has become a culinary destination for people all over the country.”
People are coming to Charleston just because of the food, he said.
“Even people who grew up in the South and in Charleston are fascinated to hear what makes our cuisine so unique,” LaVerne said.
Much of the focus these days is on local food and the farm-to-table concept.
Chefs are putting their own spin and interpretation on using local foods, said Marion Sullivan, food writer and culinary program specialist at the Culinary Institute of Charleston.
She also points to a new focus on craft beers and local breweries as well as spots like The Gin Joint, Social Restaurant + Wine Bar and Belmount Lounge mixing up unique selections of cocktails and wine.
A great time to sample as many restaurants as possible - without maxing out the credit card - is during the annual Charleston Restaurant Week. Dozens of restaurants offer three-course prix fixe meals for $40, $30 and $20, depending on the caliber of the establishment. This year's Restaurant Week is Jan. 11-22, 2012.
By the Numbers: Charleston Wine + Food Festival
· Top non-local states for visitation: South Carolina, North Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Washington, D.C., Virginia, Pennsylvania and New York.
· As a nonprofit organization, the festival raised $250,000 in its first six year for area charities and scholarships.
· Total economic impact of the 2011 festival: $7.29 million ($2 million more than 2010).
· In 2011, the festival recycled 5,600 pounds of cardboard, 16,000 pounds of glass, 80 pounds of cork and 380 pounds of paper. The festival is diverted 11 tons of trash from the landfill - making it Charleston’s leader in event recycling efforts.
Source: Charleston Wine + Food Festival | Study by the College of Charleston’s Office of Tourism Analysis
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