Mount Pleasant Magazine Fall 2011

In 2010 , a bIllboard on HIgHway 17

South in Charleston featured Bobby Flay, the Food Network’s

grill king. A year later, another celebrity chef, Sara Moulton,

was spotted walking down East Bay Street after a celebratory

brunch at High Cotton. And

longtime Mayor Joe Riley

took a stab at culinary immortality at the 2011 Charleston

Wine + Food Festival, donning a chef’s jacket and competing

alongside Bryan Voltaggio of Bravo’s “Top Chef ” against local

chefs such as Marc Collins of Circa 1886.

Charleston has become a restaurant destination.

A sign of the importance of Charleston in the world of

fine dining is that in 2010,

Forbes

called the festival one of

the top five of its kind in the nation. The following year,

attendance was up at nearly every event, from the restaurant

dine-arounds to the gospel brunch to the main attraction, the

Culinary Village. The festival has made remarkable progress,

according to Rick Widman, who serves as its chair.

“The exposure it brings to our city is a major factor in

Charleston’s enviable reputation as a gastronomic destina-

tion,” said Widman, who also is president of Charming Inns,

owner of the Wentworth Mansion and co-owner of the adja-

cent restaurant, Circa 1886. “The event is about showcasing

our chefs and learning from the influx of celebrity chefs and

chefs from top restaurants in major cities.”

“Another factor that has led to our high-profile position is

By EilEEn RoBinson smith

Photo provided by the BB&t Charleston Wine + Food Festival, courtesy of Andrew stephen Cebulka.

C H A R L E S T O N , S O U T H C A R O L I N A

Culinary

Destination

Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr.,

(right), cooked with Top Chef

contestant and fan favorite

Bryan Voltaggio, during a

cook-off at the 2011 official

opening ceremonies of the

BB&T Charleston Wine + Food

Festival in Marion Square.