Having made my feelings for the Food Film Festival
and Everyone associated with it quite clear, I believe, it was with great excitement
that I set out for Charleston, South Carolina!
It has definitely been on my bucket list for quite awhile. Being one of the most popular cities in the
country, it thus comes with a moderate price tag to visit. Thankfully, I can still fly on JetBlue; found
a reliable cheap car through Hotwire; and a cousin helped my find a “reasonable
corporate rate” at the Holiday Inn in Mount Pleasant (just across the bridge
form downtown Charleston). Oh, what a wonderful
week I had in the Lowcountry! |
| Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge |
Traveling very early Easter Sunday, it was a quick
two hour flight from JFK. Picking up my
tiny little Hyundai, the hotel was quite easy to find, and ended up being in the
perfect location for all my needs while in Charleston! It was clean and all the People I came in
contact with were extremely friendly and accommodating. It couldn’t have been better. (I came to love crossing the The Arthur Ravenel
Jr. Bridge, also known as the New Cooper River Bridge,)
After settling in and taking a lovely nap, I
ventured out for a Sunday drive. Being close
I decided to explore Sullivan’s Island, as it seemed appropriate (that being my
first last name and all..). It was a cool
grey day and the natives I came across complained about the bout of lousy cold
weather they had been experiencing. Only
needing a sweater, I was very happy. Sullvan’s
Island is a lovely beachside community, and with the Festival House being
there, I happily spent much time driving back and forth across the low country
bridge to get there. It was beautiful,
as was the festival house, a big beautifully designed and decorated beach
house. Besides being the volunteer
coordinator, I became one of the “festival chauffeurs,” as we had so few cars
at our disposal. That’s a job I have
much experience with, and since giving up my car to move to NYC, it’s kind of
treat to get behind a wheel, and simply drive, especially with traffic being easy.
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| Fish House from the USS Yorktown |
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| USS Yorktown (from the restaurant) |
After enjoying my first foray/drive around Sullivan’s
Island, I moseyed around Patriot’s Point which was to be the site of the first
event of the Charleston FFF at the USS
Yorktown. I followed the signs for Charleston Harbor Fish House,
a restaurant on the water. I delightfully
enjoyed my first she-crab soup, as well as shrimp and grits. Knowing that Charleston was a foodie mecca, I
was very excited to continue my explorations, as my first tastes were amazing!
Monday I woke to bright sunshine, and warmth! Oh, after the winter we had, it felt
wonderful. I ventured out to my first
southern plantation, stopping at a lovely little place for lunch on the way, in
a strip mall, of all places! At Pawley’s Front Porch,
I thoroughly enjoyed my mahi mahi tacos, before venturing to Boone Hall.
Boone Hall was
beautiful, educational, and extremely moving.
The hours I spent at Boone Hall filled me with serenity (the home, gardens,
and grounds are breathtaking); wonder and awe (watching the live presentation
of the evolution of the Gullah
Culture in the Lowcountry), and finally dismay and pain along with respect
and admiration (exploring the “Black History in America” tour along Slave
Street, which consisted of nine slaves cabins). 
I picked up a
very special souvenir in one of the Slave homes made by Mary, the Lady creating
as I visited, a Sweetgrass basket. From The Gullah Gourmet
website: The coiled sweetgrass basket is a
historically significant example of African cultural heritage that was
transported across the Atlantic by the people of West Africa. The first known
baskets in the lowcountry of South Carolina appeared during the late 17th
century and were fanner baskets used for winnowing rice. The agricultural
baskets were made of bulrush, sweetgrass, and split oak. By the 1890s,
sweetgrass baskets began to evolve from agricultural use to household items.
Sweetgrass basket sewing is viewed as a gift from God. The craft is usually
learned from childhood, as it requires a great deal of patience and creativity.
Each artist develops their own style, and each basket is unique. Baskets are
still made by hand today as they were generations ago and have become a much
sought after art form in the lowcountry.
From that special experience, I took a ride to
another beach community, Isle of Palms.
I parked along the street and took my first very long walk along the
beach for the year. It reminded me of
Green Harbor at home, years gone by, always one of my favorite beaches on the
planet. (Alas, man and Mother Nature
have worked against each other in recent years, and Green Harbor has changed
dramatically.) What is it about a walk
on the beach that can truly heal the soul?! |
| My Surryano ham |
Many People recommended the restaurant Husk, so with my parking gene working
even in the South, I ventured there on Monday evening. I have gotten used to going to restaurants
alone, and even enjoy it. But, I always
sit at the bar. Going into a really nice
restaurant and sitting alone at a table, I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready for
that. The bar at Husk is in a lovely
tiny building next door. It has a very
limited menu, so I didn’t truly get to experience Husk's food, but I had a
wonderful time, and loved what I did have.
And, as always, chatted with very nice people, most of us Northerners
who were thrilled to be experiencing warmth and sunshine!
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| Allie & Wyatt |
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| Home & garden in Charleston |
Tuesday I played Trudy Tourist and went for an
experience that everyone I talked to said was a must, a carriage ride. (I will say that I recommended the Duck Tours
in Boston to Everyone I came in contact with.
They are a great, fun way to experience Boston and learn some history.) So, I decided to do a similar thing in
Charleston and had a lovely few hours with Palmetto Carriage Works. Allie and Wyatt were the kind gentle mules
who guided us along the genteel streets of Charleston. What I found interesting and endearing, thus
relieving me of some guilt, is that it was explained in detail how these
animals are treated. (Especially interesting
and appreciated in light of the fact the Major de Blasio is wanting to abolish
the horse and buggy carriages in NYC.) In
Charleston, they are protected and treated well. On the recommendation of a Lady at Palmetto,
I had a great lunch of stuffed (lobster and shrimp) Hush Puppies at Fleet Landing.
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| The Ordinary |
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| From Xiao Boa Biscuit's website |
Thus began Kath’s Cab’s! I went
out to the airport to pick up two of my favs of the FFF and we then came right
back into the city to meet other for drinks and oysters at The Ordinary, a beautifully restored bank. I relished my glass of sparkling
chardonnay. For as a driver for the
week, my drinks would be limited. (That
was a very good thing. The days were too long and hard to be fuzzy in the mornings!) From there we went to Xiao Bao Biscuit for dinner. Many hours and courses later, after enjoying
a multitude of tastes, we rolled out. It
was especially fun as many in George Motz’ family joined us! (Here’s a NY Times
review! http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/06/travel/restaurant-report-xiao-bao-biscuit-in-charleston-sc.html?_r=0).
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| Fletcher @ Sticky Fingers |
Wednesday was spent as chauffeur, and it was great,
because just as when my Ladies were growing up, getting to know people in the intimacy
of a car is sometimes the best and only place you spend time alone. That evening a sponsor of Charleston’s Food
Film Festival, Sticky Fingers , treated
us to a wonderful Barbecue at their restaurant right by my hotel.
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| On the USS Yorktown |
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| Butcher & Bee |
Words can’t describe the work, the fun, the emotions
that went into working on an actual aircraft carrier, the USS Yorktown. I know for many, it was the highlight of the weekend. Friday and Saturday nights had us at another
very cool space, High Wire Distilling Company. In the
same parking lot we would feed our hungry bodies at the awesome Butcher & Bee.
From George Motz, Festival Co-founder and Director, in
the program: “Welcome to the Second
Annual Charleston Food Film Festival!
After a very successful first year in Charleston we
are back for more! This year adds
another event, more films, and more tastes.
This is also the first year the Festival is competitive-the filmmakers
will compete awards in 5 categories for the coveted Film Fest Slotted Spoon Award.
The Food Film Festival is about getting a taste of
what you see on the screen. As you watch
films expect to the food you see on the screen to be served to you, in most
cases right in your seat. It is a multi-sensory
experience like no other.
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| Sunset on The USS Yorktown?.Thanks Fletcher! |
The super-fun Food
Porn Party on Friday features short films containing some of the sexiest
shots of food you’ll find anywhere, as well as tastes to satisfy the cravings
you will undoubtedly experience. Get
ready for fish tacos, fondue, Turtle Burgers, doughnuts, all paired with their
respective films. And at Edible Adventures #010 on Saturday
night reconnect with ramen freak Keizo Shimamoto as her brings his Ramen Burger
to Charleston for the first tie! Also
experience foods like takoyaki, the Compost cookies from NYC’s Momofuku Milk
Bar, and much more.
Pace yourself..it’s going to be an action-packed
three days that you won’t soon forget.!”
It was, and I won’t.
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