Charleston Wine + Food 2024
Since 2005, hundreds of foodies have made their way to our city each March for Charleston Wine and Food: a five day festival celebrating and showcasing the local culinary industry. Over the years we’ve been proud to participate in a variety of exciting Wine + Food events – meeting so many new friends and sharing our team’s culinary talents along the way. Though it had its weather challenges, the 2024 festival was no exception – keep reading for a recap of our experience!
Catch of the Day at Bowen’s Island
On Thursday, March 7th we headed over to nearby Bowen’s Island – a rustic Lowcounty setting on the banks of the Folly River – for “Catch of the Day”, an event centered around celebrating “all the ways the waters have long fed our souls, imaginations, and bodies”. Chef Jake and the team truly outdid themselves with their “Wood-Fire Grilled Clams Casino”, a creative take on local grilled clams topped with pork belly and finished off with an exciting new “foie flambadou” technique. All afternoon, crowds were drawn to our table to watch as Chef expertly wielded the flambadou – a steel cone designed to heat until red-hot – to drizzle Foie gras over the completed dish. We loved incorporating this new technique into our cooking and look forward to developing + incorporating even more experiential dishes into future events!
VIP Service at Riverfront Park
This year’s Culinary Village featured a new and improved VIP area for guests seeking an elevated experience (and private restrooms!). We were proud to be a featured vendor in this area on the first (and what would turn out to be the only) day of the Culinary Village in Riverfront Park. Our team was ready for service and delighted guests with our small plates offering: Cheerwine Braised Pork Belly Slider with House-made Pickles and Potato Chips. We loved seeing the participants happy faces and got so many nice compliments on our dish. The Culinary Village is the heart beat of the festival and we hope to make another appearance in 2025!
Shucked at Brittlebank Park
Friday’s overcast skies and brisk winds couldn’t stop the party down at Shucked, a “waterside celebration highlighting one of Charleston’s most beloved delicacies”! For our third and final event, Chef Jake and team went outside of the box to create a “Wood-Fire Grilled Seafood Sausage Dog” topped with mustard green slaw and smoked trout roe served on a house-made split brioche roll. In an event overflowing with oysters of all varieties, attendees – including adopted Charlestonian Danny McBride! – enjoyed this creative twist on seafood and kept coming back for more all afternoon.
Though many of the weekend’s events were unfortunately affected by the tumultuous weather, the Wine + Food team did an excellent job (as always!) at providing both participants and attendees with a wonderful festival full of connection, celebration, and – most of all – delicious culinary experiences. We’re grateful to have participated and look forward to joining them back in Charleston next spring for their 20th year!