OMBRA Cucina Italiana is a pioneer of the Italian wine movement

Since opening in 2013, OMBRA Cucina Italia has been recognized as a top restaurant for fine Italian cuisine. Chef Michael Cirafesi and his wife, Lauren, who co-own the restaurant, continue to garner awards, serve their loyal base and attract new customers.

“Ron, our manager, does the front of the house. Lauren runs the business side,” the chef said. “We’ve been extremely busy — summer’s been here since the end of March.”

Seventeen chefs from South Carolina are serving up tasty bites at the ninth annual Atlanta Food & Wine Festival, held May 30-June 2. Attendees will savor their offerings at immersive learning experiences, epic tasting tents, and unique dinners and other events. Two Lowcountry chefs are participating in the event: Nathan Beriau of Montage Palmetto Bluff and Orchid Paulmeier of One Hot Mama's. 

Papa Wheelie’s Smoked Eats and Meats is the newest food trailer on Hilton Head Island. It’s parked at 144 Arrow Road, across from Espy Lumber and is open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday —cash only. Owners Bryan Bobinchuck and Tim Moore named the food trailer Papa Wheelie’s because Moore, an avid bike rider and stuntman, often heard kids shout “Hey! Pop a wheelie!” as he rode by. The food trailer serves barbecue sliders, hot dogs, wraps and nachos. 

Lucky Rooster Market Street in Coligny Plaza will serve a globally influenced menu including Lowcountry rice bowls, catfish Po’ Boy sandwiches, lamb roti rolls and shabazi chicken flatbread. Chef Clayton Rollison, a Hilton Head native and owner of Lucky Rooster Kitchen & Bar, said he wanted to open a second restaurant to offer “elevated food in a quick service setting.” The new restaurant will feature two bars with craft cocktails, beer and frozen drink offerings. A children’s menu will be offered. The new location at 1 North Forest Beach Drive is expected to open in June. 

Chef Mashama Bailey of The Grey in Savannah took home the 'Best Chef: Southeast' award at the prestigious James Beard Foundation Restaurant and Chef Awards in Chicago, which many consider the Oscars of the culinary world. The Grey is located in a restored 1938 art deco Greyhound Bus Terminal in Savannah’s historic district. 

Hilton Head Island is set to welcome a new Italian restaurant in June. Nunzio Patruno, a noted chef from New Jersey, is renovating 18 New Orleans Road, the former site of Reebok Crossfit. Menu items will include fresh seafood and homemade pasta. Patruno has added a roughly 1,3000-square-foot kitchen and several new windows, a large bar area and two outdoor seating areas. Patruno formerly owned Nunzio Ristorante Rustico restaurant in New Jersey.

Hook & Reel is now open in Bluffton. The restaurant, located in the former Brick Chicken space, features seafood cuisine with a Cajun twist. The menu includes items like snow crab legs, shrimp and crawfish, tossed in sauces like original Cajun, garlic butter and Old Bay seasoning. The restaurant is open daily.

Jesse Blanco, host of the popular TV show “Eat It and Like It,” presents the Eat It and Like It Foodie Awards annually for the best food in the South Carolina Lowcountry and Savannah region. A panel of four judges chose the following winners from Hilton Head Island and Bluffton: Dolce Vita Ristorante, Hilton Head Social Bakery, SERG Group, R Bar, Hilton Head Ice Cream, Earle of Sandwich Pub, Lucky Rooster Kitchen + Bar, FARM Bluffton, Taqueria del Sabor, Old Bull Tavern, Pour Richard’s, Local Pie, Corner Perk, Skull Creek Dockside, Skull Creek Boathouse and The Bluffton Room. 

A Hilton Head Island barbecue favorite is opening Bluffton location. One Hot Mama’s is expected to open in June in Berkeley Place, part of Bluffton’s Buckwalter, according to a Southeast Entertainment Restaurant Ground news release. 

The restaurant, known for its slow-cooked barbecue, will occupy a 4,300-square-foot corner space adjacent to the Cinemark Bluffton movie theater.