Taste the Lowcountry

ANNUAL WINE & FOOD FESTIVAL KICKS OFF WEEK OF EVENTS

More than 4,000 people are expected to flock to the Lowcountry for the Hilton Head Island Wine & Food Festival, to be held March 11-17. The annual event offers a week of wine education classes, celebrity chef dinners, wine dinners and large-scale wine tastings, as well as the Sip and Stroll on March 14 and the Grand and Public Tastings on March 15-16, where more than 25 wine tents will feature more than 250 wines, cooking demonstrations, a silent auction, delicious food and live music.

Chef Brandon Carter and the team from FARM will host an afternoon of food, drinks, music and fundraising on March 3. To raise money for the Southern Food Alliance, an organization that documents, studies and explores the diverse food cultures of the changing American South. Guests will enjoy oysters from Bluffton Oyster Company, as well as a variety of original dishes by chef Carter and other local and regional chefs. The oyster roast will take place from 4-7 p.m and tickets are $100 per person plus tax. The event will be held at a private home on the May River. For more information and tickets: Farmbluffton.com.

The Juice Hive won first place at the Good Food Awards for its Magic Memory Ball. Each year, the national Good Food Awards honors those throughout the country who make food that is delicious, respectful of the environment and connected to communities and cultural traditions. Juice Hive’s owner and chef, Leslie Rohland, describes the Memory Ball as a snack that is both tasty and that may enhance mental function and improve memory. It’s made with organic fruits and nuts, as well as a variety of herbal infusions.

MidiCi’s Italian Kitchen has opened on Hilton Head Island. The new restaurant is located in the former Hilton Head Brewing Company location at Reilley’s Plaza. MidiCi’s features specialty non-GMO pizzas. The menu also includes calzones, salads, cheese boards and pasta. There are multiple MidiCi Italian Kitchens throughout the country.

A new restaurant called Hook & Reel will open at the site of The Brick Chicken in Bluffton. A seafood restaurant with a Cajun twist, Hook & Reel will open in the shopping center near the intersection of S.C. 46 and U.S. 278 that also houses Best Buy and Five Guys. The franchised restaurant also has locations in New York, Massachusetts and Maryland, according to its website. Highlights from the restaurant include snow crab legs, shrimp, clams, mussels, lobster and crawfish tossed in sauces such as original Cajun, garlic butter, Old Bay seasoning, and lemon pepper.

Planning is underway for the seventh annual Taste of Bluffton, a festival celebrating the sights and flavors of the Lowcountry. This year’s event, to be held April 13, will include a cooking contest for people who aren’t professional chefs, a waiter’s race and a battle of the bands. It’s a day of fun for the whole family in Bluffton Village, sponsored by the Greater Bluffton Chamber of Commerce. For more information, call 843-757-1010 or go to blufftonchamberofcommerce.org.

Starbucks plans to open doors to their new storefront in Shelter Cove in March. The coffeeshop will be located near the Kroger Fuel Center. The new Starbucks will feature a 2,500 square-foot storefront and include a drive-thru.

LOCAL COFFEE ROASTERS

There’s a new trend brewing in the Lowcountry: A rise in local coffee roasters is creating a new wave of coffee connoisseurs. From Corner Perk and The Grind in Bluffton to School Grounds Coffee on Daufuskie Island, micro-roasters are filling Lowcountry cups and fueling a new appreciation for a good cup of joe.

“Fresh, fabulous and fantastic!” “Seek and you shall find!” So wrote online reviewers – the ultimate compliments for a restaurant, especially a new one on the hot Lowcountry culinary scene. Husband-and-wife team Munjid and Tammy Yousif opened Olive & Fig Mediterranean Kitchen in June and have quickly built up a loyal following with locals and visitors alike.