Where food and history meet
As previously published by Charleston City Paper, 8/28/2019: Undiscovered Charleston's Santa Elena Gazpacho 1566 The secret history of gazpacho and its ties to the Lowcountry A Palmetto Duende By Forrest Parker Gazpacho comes from South Carolina. You heard me right. At least, that's what I've been thinking this might point toward. In 2015, my pitch …
This Summer, I find myself returning to Italy, to the hidden gem called Le Marche. Situated between the Apennines and the Adriatic, this often overlooked state is a gastronomic utopia. The merroir of the sparkling azure Adriatic to the East is tasted in the local mantis shrimp and a profusion of crustaceans. The rolling plains …
Many visitors (and more than a few residents "from off") are no doubt wondering this week what EXACTLY are those orange bobbles festooning nearly every other tree in the Lowcountry right now. They're loquats of course, or Japanese plums. In the Lowcountry they're synonymous with the beginning of Spring proper. Though not native to the …
As originally appeared in the Charleston Post & Courier, 7/22/16. (Editor’s note: South Carolina Chef Ambassador Forrest Parker, most recently of Old Village Post House, sent this report from Iowa.) by Forrest Parker It’s a testament to seed savers’ enthusiasm that when David Shields posted on Facebook a speech he planned to deliver at …
Continue reading "Forrest Parker’s Dispatch From Seed Saver’s Conference"
Today marks the 240th anniversary of the Battle of Fort Moultrie. In the American Revolution, this pivotal moment became embedded in the DNA of our Palmetto State. Though I have written about this previously Here and Here, there's still something that resonates within myself, within so many of us that call South Carolina home. Recounting the battle …
There's a great read in this week's New York Times Food Section about small, local dairy farms. Of course here in the Palmetto State, we've been doing it since before it was cool. A few dairies stand out in my mind: Happy Cow Creamery in Pelzer, SC. "Happy Cow Creamery is a unique on-the-farm milk …
I was in Atlanta last week on a media mission for  the State of South Carolina. While it was fantastic hanging with Brandon Velie of Ridge Spring, SC's Juniper and Orchid Paulmeier of Hilton Head's One Hot Mama's, I didn't have a lot of spare time. But if you're familiar with Atlanta and are an …
Continue reading "A Visit to Atlanta’s Buford Highway Farmer’s Market"
"The subject of food is a serious one the length and breadth of this state. Our barbeque sauce is mustard-based and our peanuts are boiled and served in wet paper bags. An oyster roast in sight of a lowcountry river is an act of priest-like enjoyment and cause for a pagan-like joy." Pat Conroy …
Continue reading "During the Festival, Pat Conroy Crossed Over"
Allright people. It's almost time for us to be 10-8. Negativland, A Big 10-8 Place It's Charleston Wine and Food Festival Week. Unless you live under a rock or are from off, you already know this. It's always a hectic week, an energetic whirwind of culinary excitement. Old friends, new friends, chef crushes, burning the …
Continue reading "The Charleston Wine and Food Festival Short List"
In my New York Times feed this morning was the link to the headlines from February 15, 1898. Chief among them was the following: The Maine Blown Up Terrible Explosion on Board the United States Battleship in Havana Harbor MANY PERSONS KILLED AND WOUNDED All the Boats of the Spanish Cruiser Alfonso XII, Assisting in …
Continue reading "Where in the World is the Capstan of the U.S.S. Maine?"