Features

If you drive across Louisiana, you’ll find boudin at most of your stops. Boudin is a sausage made by encasing most commonly pork, liver, rice, seasonings, and spices, then cooked by steam or smoking. It’s a dish that has no barriers; it can be made into an upscale dish or humbly eaten with bread as a sandwich. One thing is certain, boudin has a unique history with its creators who are Acadians or “Cajuns” and Louisiana Creoles—and has even found fervent followers of the rice sausage across the Lowcountry of South Carolina

When Good Boy Vodka founder Alex Pratt decided he wanted a product recognized not only for quality and drinkability but for an admirable mission, the brainstorming process didn’t take long. Supporting animals was already a given—he’d owned a German shepherd himself for years—and aligning the brand with U.S. Veterans also made sense.

Close your eyes, and think back to the South Carolina coast in the 1940s. It was during this period that Sarah May Chaplin Barber Bowen made a choice which would affect generations of her family to come.

In the realm of culinary excellence, pastry chefs stand as true artisans, wielding their creativity and skill to craft mesmerizing sweet creations that tantalize both the taste buds and the eyes. These masters of confections transform simple pantry ingredients, like egg, flour, and sugar, into edible wonders.

For those of us who reside in the Lowcountry, smaller coastal towns such as McClellanville or Bluffton are already well-traveled and loved for their off-the-beaten-path charm and quirky businesses. But what about the towns and communities of South Carolina’s upcountry?

Barbecue, an American culinary tradition, has a rich and diverse history, with various regions across the country claiming their own unique styles. In the heart of South Carolina, Melvin’s BBQ stands out as a legendary establishment known for its distinctive mustard-based barbecue sauce and a legacy that dates back to the late 1930s.

Fresh from the farm, fruit and vegetables are available year-round in South Carolina, and the state’s Department of Agriculture and its public and private partners have put together a long-running program that makes it as easy as possible for consumers to identify, find, and purchase home-grown and locally-produced products. 

Watch out, now—there’s a woman in the kitchen. And behind the bar; and in the farm; and brewing beer; and positioned behind a laptop madly typing up the latest recipe to grace her kitchen.

Many types of businesses have come and gone since the seed of what today is the United States of America was planted in the New World. You don’t see apothecaries around these days, though you could make a solid case that they were the forerunners of today’s pharmacists.

The smell of cinnamon in the air; the taste of nutmeg, peppermint, and more dancing on your tongue—the holidays are the perfect time to sip on something a little more creamy and indulgent or test the boundaries of all things sugar and spice.

Larry White has served in the military, worked as a chef at several fine dining establishments and owned a restaurant and a food truck, and the story of his life even includes a chapter when he was heavily into fitness and weightlifting.

What can I say about the remarkably versatile hamburger that hasn’t already been said? What additional praise can I heap upon an American icon that for generations has captured our attention, invigorated our sense of smell and tantalized our taste buds?

In the 1940s, Frank Marlow opened a small grocery store and gas station in the seaside resort of Pawleys Island. Marlow’s Supermarket sold the usual assortment of items typical for a grocery store, as well as freshly butchered cuts of meat. Frank’s mother lived in the little house at the back of the store — a hallmark of a family business in those days —

It started out as just a small cafe tucked beside a health food store in Pawleys Island, South Carolina. Yet, soon enough, patrons from all over the Hammock Coast and beyond began talking about and visiting The Chive Blossom Cafe for its fresh, tasty menu and “exceptional wine list,” according to co-founder and chef Paul Kelly, better known as P.K.

There’s evidence that peanuts were first cultivated in Brazil or Peru 4,700 years ago, spread to Spain and Africa by traders and explorers and eventually to the United States along with the slave trade.

Smoke, fire, history and tradition intermingle to make South Carolina barbecue special. Whether you’re driving the Lowcountry streets of Charleston or cruising the upstate near Spartanburg, a barbecue restaurant is never far away on a road trip.