THOM 5 | Fall / Winter 2015

Chris remembers those carefree days, “My job on
those trips was to serve as creek boy for the family.”
He’d cast a net for shrimp and flounder and bring
them back to the house along with crabs, clams,
and oysters. His mother would gather fresh corn,
tomatoes, and other vegetables to create a hearty
succotash to serve alongside his catch. “I’ll never
forget learning how to shuck crabs,” Chris says of his
time on Pawleys Island. “That will definitely be my
death-bed meal.”
Diners at The Hot and Hot Fish Club also have that
succotash to thank for the most-requested item on
the menu, the Tomato Salad. It’s the one dish that
Chris makes that hasn’t changed over the years.
The lure of the Low Country runs deeper for Chris
than the colorful dishes he prepares. The area
also inspired The Hot and Hot Fish Club name.
An ancestor on his mother’s side of the family,
Benjamin Hugh Fraser, moved his family from
Scotland to Pawleys Island around the late 1700s
and early 1800s to become a rice planter. In those
days men would join clubs around the island that
matched their interests, such as rifling or fishing.
Fraser belonged to a group who was into eating and
loved great seafood. They named themselves The
Hot and Hot Fish Club and were known for making
epic meals that they would then write about in their
diaries.
“They’d retreat to their clubhouse and close the
door behind them,” explains Chris. “It served as an
escape from the complications of the day.” Idie and
Chris have recreated that feeling at their Hot and
Hot Fish Club. When you step across the threshold
of the restaurant, you can either dine at the chef’s
counter with a front-row view of the kitchen or sit
around one of the many tables. Either way, the everchanging
menu that blends French, Southern, and
California cuisine invites you to enjoy a great meal
with friends and leave your worries on the other side
of the door.
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