Charleston Cooks! - eatdrink Magazine
Charleston Cooks! - eatdrink Magazine
Charleston Cooks! - eatdrink Magazine
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32 www.<strong>eatdrink</strong>.ca<br />
TRAVEL<br />
issue no. 20<br />
<strong>Charleston</strong> <strong>Cooks</strong>!<br />
Discovering the Taste of The South<br />
By Jane Antoniak<br />
There’s a world of di�erence<br />
between traveling south and traveling<br />
to �e South: a mouthwatering<br />
di�erence! <strong>Charleston</strong>, South<br />
Carolina, with its unspoiled, historic setting,<br />
warm temperatures and rich, culinary culture,<br />
is certainly worth an extended weekend<br />
escape for those who want more than<br />
sun and sand on a holiday.<br />
I traveled there this fall with �ve members<br />
of my book club from London. While we<br />
went expecting antebellum homes and crab<br />
cakes, instead we discovered an interesting<br />
world of southern hospitality, mixed in<br />
with bourbon, bacon and a cooking school,<br />
which left us satis�ed on a multitude of<br />
levels. It was the perfect escape for a book<br />
club whose members love to cook, travel,<br />
explore and enjoy each other’s company in<br />
a relaxed, yet thoroughly interesting, setting.<br />
<strong>Charleston</strong> does indeed cook!<br />
With direct �ights from London to Detroit<br />
and then direct on a small yet speedy Lear<br />
jet to <strong>Charleston</strong>, we were in the Southern<br />
city by noon �ursday, starting our extended<br />
weekend jaunt on a high note, ready to shop,<br />
eat and visit! With an easy cab connection to<br />
historic <strong>Charleston</strong> from the airport, we settled<br />
in quickly at the uber-convenient, well-<br />
Londoners Paula Smith, Jude Teskey, Kerri Lefebvre and<br />
Susanna Hubbard Krimmer get chopping at <strong>Charleston</strong> <strong>Cooks</strong>!<br />
DECEMBER/JANUARY 2010<br />
Culinary Instructor Emily Kimbrough<br />
equipped Embassy Suites hotel (337 Meeting<br />
Street), which is located in the original Citadel<br />
Military College in <strong>Charleston</strong>. �e hotel<br />
is a grand restoration, and the building is on<br />
the National Register of Historic Buildings.<br />
It has many positive amenities, including an<br />
outdoor swimming pool, �tness room and<br />
the welcome concept of generous two-room<br />
suites with a full hot breakfast every morning,<br />
including made-to-order omelettes and<br />
cooked oatmeal.<br />
Embassy Suites is located at the top end<br />
of the historic quarter, which is perfect for<br />
walking some extra steps needed to burn<br />
o� all those gourmet delights — especially<br />
the pecan praline candies! �e hotel is also<br />
located adjacent to Marion Square, which<br />
on Sundays o�ers an impressive market with<br />
high-end jewelry and a variety of interesting,<br />
locally grown items such as peanuts, decorative<br />
cotton stalks, and crepes.<br />
Many visitors to <strong>Charleston</strong> start out with<br />
a carriage ride. Our group took an hour-long<br />
tour in a large horse-drawn carriage that can<br />
carry about 20 people through the streets of<br />
the historic old city. �is is an easy way to<br />
get your bearings before heading out on foot<br />
for the remainder of the weekend.<br />
Our destination for the weekend was<br />
<strong>Charleston</strong> <strong>Cooks</strong>! — a cooking school and<br />
shop that is part of the impressive Maverick<br />
chain of food and hospitality outlets in<br />
South Carolina. Located in the heart of the<br />
East Bay Street restaurant district, the cooking<br />
school is a draw for passers-by, who gaze<br />
through the large windows of the Maverick<br />
Kitchen Store. Classes are o�ered several<br />
times a day to visitors. We had booked a<br />
private, hands-on group session in low-
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