I managed to get back from a conference in Florida on Sunday, Sept. 27 just in time to get some Taco Boy tacos and cowboy beans and check out the Green Fair that took place last weekend at Marion Square in Charleston, SC. The Green Fair is an annual green affair, well attended by locals, that it supposed to showcase local green (in some cases unfortunately green-washed) businesses and to create excitement for green products and technologies. The fair also features local food, sustainable seafood cooking contest, musicians, presentations, arts and crafts. It also strives to encourage locals to buy local and recycle. I am always fascinated by the latest advances in solar energy technologies and green building materials. I was happy to see the Lowcountry Local First getting a lot of attention from attendees as they support and promote local businesses and economy.
The Zonta Club of Charleston, celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, will host its popular social and networking event, the Zonta Wine Social, on Wednesday, September 30, 2009, at the Lowcountry Artists Gallery located at 148 East Bay Street in downtown Charleston. The fundraising event starts at 6pm and attendees will enjoy light refreshments and white wine surrounded by works of art by local artists.
Zonta Wine Socials are dynamic networking events that raise money for local educational programs and workshops, and international programs created to advance the status of women worldwide. The fundraiser ends at 8pm. The club will accept a donation of $20 at the door. Please RSVP at info@zontaofcharleston.com. To purchase tickets in advance call 843-345-3275.
South Carolina is number three in the nation for reported incidents of domestic violence. The local club aims to contribute to preventing domestic violence by creating educational programs as well as bringing programs to our city that proved to work in other parts of the state or the country. The club is also compiling the most comprehensive database of existing community resources that will be posted in August 2009 at www.zontaofcharleston.com.
Zonta’s mission is to stop violence, and to improve lives of women through a variety of international service projects. In 2008-2010, Zonta International will fund service programs in Rwanda (Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV), in Guatemala and El Salvador (Safe Cities for Women), in Liberia (Reduction of Obstetric Fistula).
The CFADA’s 2009 Palette and Palate Stroll was once again SOLD OUT. The event, created, organized and promoted by Stylee PR and Marketing, received much publicity in the traditional media as well as in online publications and broadcast media. 700 people (our max capacity) attended the event and ate their way through Charleston’s most prestigious galleries, all members of CFADA. Tastings included Sean Brock’s stone crab with creamed corn and Wadmalaw tomatoes; Chef Collins’mouthwatering yet simple tomato and truffle gazpacho. Carolina’s Chef Jeremiah Bacon prepared some incredible shrimp bites, and once again, Chef Kelly Wilson of Cypress wowed us with her sweet creations. This fun event would definitely not be possible without our amazing chefs and their culinary creations. The event offers a great opportunity to experience Charleston’s fine art galleries in a very comfortable way; attendees get to see a variety of fine art and meet local artists. And despite the heat and humidity everyone seemed to enjoy the fabulous summer evening. Over 250 attendees traveled to Charleston from Georgia, Upstate South Carolina, North Carolina, but also from NY and Florida. Proceeds from the event benefit local art organizations that use the money to fund their student art programs. Ayoka Lucas created a short vlog for her Charleston Magazine Style Blog.
Charleston Grill and Robert Lange Studios invite you to a fabulous evening of art and food benefiting the East Cooper Habitat for Humanity on June 11, 2009, from 6:30-8:30pm at the Tides (Unit 388) in Mt. Pleasant. Tickets are $50, to purchase tickets call 843-881-2600 ext. 201.
Robert Lange Studios will be showing works from following artists: JB Boyd, Robert Lange, Joshua Flint, Nathan Durfee, Amy Lind, Kerry Brooks and John Duckworth. 20% of sales will be donated to East Cooper Habitat for Humanity.
Executive Chef Michelle Weaver of Charleston Grill will be providing light summery treats such as a yellow tomato gazpacho and pickled shrimp with tabouli. Emily Cookson, Charleton Grill’s pastry chef, will be doing deserts.
The much awaited re-opening of the Mount Pleasant Farmers Market on the grounds of Moultrie Middle School located on Coleman Blvd. kicks off May 12! At the heart of the market will be two new pavilions housing farmers and food vendors, an open-air plaza, plenty of green space, and seating areas. Old favorites, the magnificent live oak trees adorning the market, will still provide shade and respite for residents and visitors. A wide array of farmer and food vendors will kick-off the new market season. The market will be open every Tuesday until October 20 from 3 p.m. until dusk.
The Mount Pleasant Farmers Market is the perfect place to buy fresh, locally grown produce. This family-friendly event has become a gathering place for locals and inspired the market’s catchy logo “Get Fresh with the Locals!” The market supports the SC Department of Agriculture Certified SC Grown Program. Also available for your assistance are the Clemson Extension Master Gardeners. You’ll also find community information from the Town of Mount Pleasant and various other non-profit organizations.
Participating farmers will include: Boone Hall Farms (Mount Pleasant), Dorchester Farms (Dorchester), Freeman Farms (Johns Island), Grace Farms (McClellanville), J. Mac Farms II (Manning), Joseph Fields Farm (Johns Island), Kennerty Farms (Wadmalaw Island), Magwood Seafood (Mount Pleasant), Maple Ridge Farm (Walterboro), Owl’s Nest Plantation (Cross), River Run Farms (Vance), Shuler Peach Co. (Holly Hill), Simmons Farm (Johns Island), Thackeray Farms (Wadmalaw Island), Tiverton Farms (Moncks Corner), Fields Farm (Johns Island).
The following food vendors will participate in the market this year: Charleston Bay Gourmet (Mount Pleasant), Charleston Candy Company (Mount Pleasant), Charleston Crepe Company ( Charleston), Charleston Festival Foods (Mount Pleasant), Charleston Spice Company (Charleston), Christophe Artisan Chocolatier & Patisserie (Charleston), Coco’s Café (Mount Pleasant), Fresh Pickle Works (North Charleston), Great Foods Co-op (Lobeco), GNS Sub & Middle Eastern Deli (Charleston), Johnny’s Hotdogs (Mount Pleasant), Lucky Mac’s (Mount Pleasant), Mike’s Hot Boiled Peanuts (Summerville), Mount Pleasant Seafood (Mount Pleasant), Nicole’s Nutty Goodness (Charleston), Pulp Pops (Charleston), Rina’s Kitchen (Summerville), Rio Bertolini’s Fresh Pasta (Charleston), Rococo Bakery (Charleston), Southern Sisters (Summerville), Southern Comfort BBQ Sauce (North Charleston), Square Onion (Mount Pleasant), T&T’s Original Kettle Korn (Charleston), Tasty Cakes (Mount Pleasant), Tazza Beverages (Charleston), The Good Dog Bakery (Charleston), The Sprout (Mount Pleasant), Yemmassee Belle Farms (Charleston). For more information on the Mount Pleasant Farmers Market, visit them online at www.townofmountpleasant.com.
Oprah announced yesterday that she partnered with Kentucky Fried Chicken to make a coupon for their new product, Kentucky Grilled Chicken. Click here to download the coupon (there is some really heavy traffic on the website, so you may need to check back few times) and you will get two free pieces of the new brand of chicken, as well as two individual sides and a biscuit. Although Kentucky Fried Chicken is not the most extravagant give-away that we have seen from Oprah, this one can feed many hungry or curious people. It can be redeemed by May 19, 2009 (not on Mother’s Day though). I wonder what your mother would think if you took her to Kentucky Fried Chicken for some free Kentucky Grilled Chicken…desperate times call for creative measures.
The Zonta Club of Charlestonwill host its popular social and networking event, the Zonta Wine Social, on Wednesday, May 13, 2009, at the Lowcountry Artists Gallery located at 148 East Bay Street in downtown Charleston. The fundraising event starts at 6pm and will feature refreshments by local catering companies including A Taste of the Bayou, Catering by Dennis Hyatt and Life a la Carte as well as white wine, local art, live jazz music by Christopher Cisneros and door prizes. The door prizes will include such items as an original painting donated by Pamela Cisneros. The fundraiser will raise money for Zonta’s educational programs and workshops, and will end at 8pm. The club will accept a donation of $20 at the door. Please RSVP to Vladia Jurcova Spencer of Stylee PR & Marketing at vladia@styleepr.com.
The third annual Palette and Palate Stroll was a super fun night filled with fantastic food, fine art and lots of wine! We started off in a great downpour, but even that didn’t discourage local food and art enthusiasts as they poured into CFADA member galleries to enjoy some delicious cuisine from Charleston’s finest chefs and new works by local and national artists. There was tons of mingling, meeting with friends, chefs and artists, everyone was greatly enjoying the evening and strolling through the city (we even got to see the sun towards to end of the event).
The event was created to raise money to support local art programs for young talented artists, but also in hopes that it will encourage more local residents to frequent Charleston galleries and restaurants in summer months. It gives many a great reason to dress up and come downtown, it was so great to see so many people walking arond the historic district with CFADA stickers. I also have to mention some food finds of the night that really sticked out: Kelly Wilson’s chocolate lolliepop with bacon was increadible (Cypress), also Charleston Grill’s goatcheese cake with mint was to die for. I also loved the smooth and delicious soups prepared by FIG and McCrady’s, both chefs opted for fresh local vegetables in season to make their soups and they wowed us all!
This event requires tons of work, but brings the “Best of Charleston” together in one night and it is so worth!
The Zonta Club of Charleston
