While planning this year’s Eat & Drink issue, I found myself reflecting on Charleston’s dining scene over the quarter-century-plus I’ve called this city home—and what a ride it’s been. Remember the wonderfully sleepy days of the early aughts, when parking downtown was easy and you could slip into just about any restaurant, even FIG, without a second thought? Granted, far fewer people lived in or visited Charleston then, and the city’s culinary palette was comparatively limited. Today, by contrast, keeping up with the steady churn of new openings of all manner of cuisines—on the peninsula and well beyond—has become something of a competitive sport and a regular topic of conversation.

Nowhere is that momentum more evident than in the growth of Indigo Road Hospitality Group, which, in the span of 16 years, has grown from one Oak Steakhouse on Broad Street to 40 restaurants in seven states. In the feature “What Makes Steve Palmer Run?” (page 76), Robert Moss captures the trajectory of the Indigo Road founder and his company’s rapid, far-reaching expansion. I’ve known Steve for 25 years and can attest that his is a remarkable story, from those early days when he succumbed to his drug and alcohol addiction (be sure to read his powerful February 2018 essay, “Sober in a Party City” at charlestonmag.com) to his clear-headed position of leadership and service in both his industry and our community today. 

And while the dining opportunities happily continue to expand, traditional Lowcountry foodways will always be the backbone. In “Eat Like a Local” (page 86), you’ll find a roundup of classic Charleston dishes and their recipes to enhance your connection to this place.

Enjoy!

Darcy Shankland
dshankland@charlestonmag.com