Charleston magazine Society blog

The splendid historic Edmondston-Alston House was this year’s backdrop to the kickoff party for the Charleston Garden Festival’s “A Night of a Thousand Butterflies.” If you wanted to pull out that summer dress one last time, this was surely the night to do so. The weather was warm, and patrons came to party. The entire courtyard was illuminated with torches, candles, and strands of lights covering bushes and life-size animal topiaries. Lanterns hung from the trees and a large whimsical butterfly chandelier dangled from the largest oak tree in the center of the courtyard. Mimi van Wyck Morrison—who, I am told, has designed events for P. Diddy, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush, to name a few—was responsible for the night’s amazing decor. Carolina Catering provided delicious fare that included grouper ceviche with orange segments, jumbo lump crab cakes, and seared yellowfin tuna.

Tours of the Edmondston-Alston House were given throughout the night while guests also enjoyed the Garage Cuban Band who played traditional Cuban folk music which added some spice and zest to the evening.  I had never seen the inside of the house, but was given my own private tour by assistant museum director Marguerite Getz, who highly recommends taking their Candlelight Tour during the holiday season. The house will then be dressed for the holidays, and guests get to enjoy the sights, sounds, and scents of the season as costumed interpreters tell the story of Christmas 1860.

Towards the end of the night, guests were given a sneak peek of nine premier exhibit gardens on a large screen monitor that were featured during the festival weekend at Middleton Place. Each of the gardeners reflected the festival theme “Metamorphosis.”  Serenity Koi Pond owner Robert Lewis was the overall winner, who created his design around the entire 65 acres of landscaped terraces, shadowy allees, ornamental ponds and garden rooms of Middle Place —something that has never been done before.

Bookmark to:

Not even a unexpected rainstorm could keep cowboys and cowgirls from showing up to support the Hemangioma Treatment Foundation’s “Cowboy Couture Gala.” The event was held at Patriots Point Links and upon arrival, guests were greeted by the “Cowboy Couture” mascot Titleist. By the way, Titleist is a bull. Yes, a bull. My curiosity got the best of me so I had to take a closer look. Of course, having a bull at any event would draw a crowd, and guests were so surprised at how calm and gentle this animal appeared to be. PDA project manager, Todd St Onge, was one of the spectators, and I convinced him to take a picture with Titleist. He was a little reluctant at first but ended up being a good sport about the whole thing. Thanks Todd.  

Before the three-course dinner was served, guests were treated to cocktails and music by fiddlers David Sheppard and Ivy Lindley and American country music group Jypsi in the saloon. The signature drink of the night, the Huckleberry martini, was served up through an ice sculpture shaped like a pistol. Talk about taking a shot!

As the mingling continued, I ran into City Paper columnist Stella Minx, who had been working with Lisa Thomas from Ooh Events on the décor setup. Stella told me that she had blisters on her hands from all of the mesh chargers she had to cut out and handmade napkin rings she had to put together. And from the looks of the magnificent room, those blisters were well worth it. The space had such a natural feel with hanging floral chandeliers, candlelit branch candelabras, and variety of birds nests that were filled with chocolate egg treats.As the cocktail hour ended, guests took their seats and enjoyed a creative “home on the range” dinner by J.B.C. Catering with paired wines by Francis Ford Coppola. The three courses consisted of camp-fired skillet salmon over chopped salad, Beef Wellington with famer’s cheese and vegetable corn medley, and a roundup of wild berries crisp topped with an individual S’more.

As everyone was finishing up dinner, Hemangioma Treatment Foundation executive director Jane Milner thanked guests and sponsors and asked everyone to stick around and kick up their heels for dancing in the saloon. The crowd went hog wild.

All proceeds will go directly to The Hemangioma Treatment Foundation to help children who are in need of surgeries for vascular deformities.

Bookmark to:

The 28th annual Taste of Charleston was held at historic Boone Hall Plantation on Sunday—rain or shine. And yes, we got rain.  But before the torrential downpour, attendees did get a chance to enjoy this year’s festivities.
 

More than 40 local restaurants offered guests a sample of their favorite dishes. My strategy wasn’t to hit every single booth, but to seek out those with the longest lines, after all people will normally queue up for great food. Social Restaurant + Wine Bar was one such hotspot offering their signature sliders with coconut onion rings, fried quail eggs, and Tillamook cheddar. Giuseppi’s Pizza and Pasta had what I thought was the best bang for your buck, offering cheese and pepperoni slices for only 1 ticket ($1 per ticket) versus other restaurants that were asking three tickets or more per sampling.
 

This year, organizers added cooking demonstrations, offering festival-goers more culinary education, and kept the ever-popular Waiter’s Wine Race. The cooking demonstrations were a homerun because every seat was filled during every session.The Waiter’s Wine Race drew a huge crowd with three-time race winner Mark Drabik of Oak Steakhouse taking first place.

Although food was the main attraction, the main stage came alive with the East Coast Party Band, who played favorites from the ‘70s and ‘80s. One little girl positioned herself right in front of the stage and twirled her little heart out.
 

As the clouds rolled in, everyone was hopeful that the rain would just blow over. As soon as that thought came and went, the rain took over the entire festival. The crew from Social was kind enough to allow my husband and me a safe haven until the rain was over or at least lightened up. Alas, it did not and we just made a dash for the car. Needless to say, I was covered in mud and totally drenched. Still all in all, a good time.
 

Money raised will go the Ronald McDonald House, Hollings Cancer Center, and local educators.

Bookmark to: