Off the southbound lane of Highway 17 on the edge of Awendaw sits an old rustic building that was constructed as a general store in 1929. Local Mary Rancourt purchased the business in 1960, and around 1995, she converted it into the Seewee Restaurant. Over the decades, the establishment has become a local treasure because of the beloved family who runs it, the food and the people who make and serve it, their contribution to the community and the history of the space itself.
Although Rancourt isn’t as involved in the day-to-day operations as she used to be, she often makes the rounds to visit with the regulars. Rancourt’s son, Tim Penninger, who manages the business now, said he came on board with the restaurant about five years ago when his mother started thinking of retiring. Before that, he worked as a heavy civil marine contractor with Cape Romain Contractors. As senior inspector building the Ravenel Bridge, he was in charge of constructing the towers.
“I climbed 568 feet to the top to take a look at the engineering,” Penninger recounted. “While I was up there, I noticed how amazing it is to see so far with the naked eye. The Seewee Restaurant is 20-ish miles from Mount Pleasant. I couldn’t see the restaurant, but I could see the marsh right before you get to it.”
Penninger remarked of Sewee, “We stake our fortune on fresh veggies and shrimp, which we get from Carolina Seafood in McClellanville.” Crowd pleasers include the fried shrimp and she-crab soup, made from his great-grandmother’s recipe. “The portions are absurd,” he said. “If you leave here hungry, it’s your fault.”
Some of Seewee’s waitresses have worked there for over 20 years, Penninger said. “We also employ high school and college students to work the floor and cash registers.”
The most rewarding part of the family business, Penninger said, is being able to give back to the community. “Sometimes people come in hungry but they don’t have any money. But nobody’s going to come here and be turned away.”
Like an antique, the building itself has weathered with time. Penninger said, “The old counter and shelves are still there. They were part of the general store, just like the flooring, ceiling and doors, which are all original. The threshold is run down and the finish on the brick steps has worn off. These are more than just the bones of a nearly 100-year-old building, though. No one could ever replicate this; it’s evolved on its own over time.”
Two giant frying pans adorning one wall whisper stories of the Lowcountry’s soulful past. “The pans are a little under 200 years old,” Penninger explained. “They’re between 25 to 30 inches in circumference and have long handles for cooking over a fire. They were definitely handmade, probably on the nearby Fairlawn Plantation. My grandfather was friends with the builder of the general store, who lived at Fairlawn, and he gave these pans to him as a gift.”
To learn more about experiencing their iconic Southern fare, visit seeweerestaurantinc.com.
By Sarah Rose
Leave a Reply