Georgetown County will have its own version of a restaurant week this February, something meant to support restaurants and deliver tasty dishes to customers at an affordable price point.

Georgetown Foodland's Jamie Sanderson says "Restaurant Showcase Week" is a way to give locals their chance to experience the flavors in our eateries and feel special while doing so.

"This is a simplistic event. Restaurants were asked to create a three-course menu at $35. There's been lots of feedback since announcing this. Lots people are very interested. There have been a few restaurants whom have submitted menus. We have one sweet-treat focus, too. The foundation will be built the first week of February 2021 so we may have the opportunity to make this annual." 

An event page has been created, where menus will be posted for all restaurants participating. 

Sanderson goes on to say this is just the start.

"The culinary industry in Georgetown has seen an uptick in customers in the past few years. The pandemic has taken a toll on restaurants. We've lost some to it. But, the future is innovative concepts and menu pivots. Take-out alone will not support our restaurants. We have to have dine-in, inside and out. We have to have special events. We have to focus on both locals and tourists, not one or the other. Down the road, bigger events are being thought of and planned. If we are safe, we can pull these off to help all our culinary families and friends stay afloat, and build a great local foodie base."

This week-long event is the first of its kind and will evolve over time. It's meant to help get locals out and enjoy our restaurants and be part of something unique. The week begins Monday, February 1, and ends end of day Sunday, February 7. 

Plus, it's the lead-up to one of the biggest eat-out days of the year, Valentine's Day.

​For more information, click the button below for the event page. 

Have you ever been wanting to cook that perfect snapper for dinner? Wanted to try your hand at triggerfish? How about preparing mussels?

Well, with Wicked Inlet Seafood, you can do just that, using their fresh catches to create awesome dishes with some great instructors.

They recently held a sushi-making class, which you'll see in a video below. 

These cooking classes began in 2020 and there's a few classes lined up for February and March of this year. 

Take a look at the photos and videos. This is the link to sign up/reserve spots for classes: ​​wickedinletseafood.com/product-category/cooking-classes/

It's that time of year where Brookgreen Gardens in Murrells Inlet is lit up with thousands of candles and lights. That's right, folks, it's Christmas time. That means Night of a Thousand Candles is in full-shine mode!

Locals who have been attending for years already know the go-to spots to eat before the event, including dining options inside the venue. Let's take a look at those, starting with what's offered on site.

Due to COVID this year they will have a number of smaller options for dining:

• Inlet Affairs - will be serving their signature favorites in the Leonard Pavilion.
• Let's Ride BBQ and Austin's Garden Galley will be on the lawn next to the restaurant.
• Harvest Restaurant will be open with a limited menu - indoor and terrace seating by reservation only. 
• The Old Kitchen, in the heart of the sculpture garden, will be serving small bites, soup, and beverages.
• Brookgreen Beverage Stations will provide beverages, beer, wine, and their homemade hot cocoa. 

For the folks who want a grab-and-go option or want to enjoy eating outside at a local restaurant before the 4 p.m. start, here are a few places we suggest.

Jimmyz Hibachi of Pawleys Island is a great stop on the way to NOTC. Not only can you dine inside, but there is a patio outside you can sit and eat at. If you want to eat in the car on the way to the event, they have a drive-thru. The hibachi is super good and they have poke' bowls. 

The are located at 10378 Ocean Highway in Pawleys Island and their phone number is 843-314-3682.

A quick "pit stop" for grab-and-go food is Chester's Pit Stop in Pawleys Island. Located at 12161 Ocean Highway, Chester's is an award-winning hot dog server. The small brick-and-mortar eatery is easy to miss, but you can always look for the big "Hot Dogs" sign close to the roadway on the left heading to Brookgreen Gardens. 

If you want more than a hot dog, Chester's has you covered. Fried Shrimp, Fried Flounder can be enjoyed by itself or in sandwich form, and you can add fries. 

Order from the window, then take with you to your car or truck, or sit at one of the picnic tables and enjoy. 

​You can call ahead at 843-630-2041, too.

Another grab-and-go stop is Beach Burgers and BBQ. They are located at 13088 Ocean Highway and can be reached at 843-979-3333. They also have dine-in and outside dining options. 

If you're in the mood for a burger, fries and milkshake served fast, fresh and with flavor, this is the spot to hit. They even do salads. The chicken sandwich and chicken salad is sure to be light on the stomach while walking through Brookgreen Garden.

Click their name above (as with all the restaurants I have mentioned) and it will take you to their menus.

​Call ahead is also available. 

There are other great restaurants to enjoy on the way to Night of a Thousand Candles, like Rustic Table, Bistro 217, Local Eat Drink Celebrate and Yagi Sushi & Hibachi, but plan ahead and call ahead, depending whether you want to dine in, eat outside or grab a to-go order. 

A year in the making, the first in a series "Mystery Chef Dinner" will actually happen.

Live. In a restaurant. 

Given the current pandemic and social guidelines, precautions are being taken for the first event, taking place at Root in the City of Georgetown. The restaurant is located at 919 Front Street.

"It's a simple concept, but exciting," event organizer Jamie Sanderson said. "It's taking a team of like-minded individuals to come together and plan this. We've been at it for a few months now with origination and process flow. I think we have the potential to establish a great first impression."

The concept has two chefs entering a restaurant or eatery in Georgetown County. These two chefs are unknown to the guests and the chefs have no clue on who they are serving. There will be limitations with seating and amount of guests during the pandemic. 

The chefs will prepare a three-course meal each that includes an appetizer, entrée and dessert. This means a guest will get two three-course meals to enjoy. While the guests wait in between servings, Sanderson will be providing interactive commentary and dialogue both in person and live streaming on social media.

"It's going to have an entertainment value. I'll be jazzing it up, hyping the chefs to the attendees, talking about dishes, and asking folks who they think is back in that kitchen. I might even try and get a peek back there. They might stop me, but I'll try," Sanderson said.

The guests will be provided a menu as they are seated. It will be in a Chef A / Chef B format. The guests will not know ahead what they are being served and the chefs will not know each other's menu until the event starts.   

Former Frank's and Frank's Outback chef Danny Smith has secured a spot in the 2020 World Food Championships with his first-place Taste of America Challenge win for South Carolina.

The World Food Championships (WFC) will hold its 9th annual Tournament of Champions from November 6-10, 2020 at one of Dallas, Texas' most iconic venues, Fair Park.

This will be Smith's second time competing in the tournament. Last year, he competed with chef and friend Charles Bardo of R'Way Pizza and Family Tavern.

Smith currently works at Fire and Smoke Gastropub in Myrtle Beach. 

We wish chef Danny all the best as he prepares for his second trip to Dallas, Texas. 

A picture-perfect day welcomed hundreds of people to Island Bar & Grill in Pawleys Island for the 8th Annual Chili Cookoff, presented by Midway Professional Firefighters Association, IAFF Local 3617. 

The event raises money to benefit a local child through Make-A-Wish South Carolina. 

Judge's Choice Winner was Coastal Staffing Services, represented as "JiJi's Chili" at the event. 
An emotional, happy Jina Irene Skiles walked from the patio area to the parking lot with the prestigious pot trophy. 

People's Choice winner was Rustic Table. Chef Adam Kirby literally worked from the ground up as he waited on tables to set up his area. He was telling attendees it was his "20-minute chili" and people were loving it. 

Here's the complete list of winners:

Judges Choice:
1st: Coastal Staffing Services LLC (JiJi's Chili)
2nd: Weichert Realtors Southern-Coast
3rd: Axemen

People’s Choice:
1st: Rustic Table
2nd: PoBoys Discount
3rd: Hanser House Restaurant

Public Safety Division:
1st Place: Axemen
(Winner Takes All)

Thanks to all who participated and to the people who came out to this epic event. 

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – The Myrtle Beach Area Hospitality Association will host its 14th Annual Trio Dinner presented by Inland Seafood at 6:30 p.m. Monday, April 6, 2020 at the Sheraton Myrtle Beach Convention Center Hotel.

The Trio Dinner is the culmination of a culinary arts mentorship program that pairs a professional chef with two students, one in high school and one in college. Each trio will showcase its unique cuisine at the Trio Dinner. Along with excellent fare, the event includes hors d’oeuvres by Grand Strand Provisions, a cocktail bar, live entertainment and a silent auction benefiting hospitality educational programming.

High school students participating in the mentorship program are from the Academy for Technology and Academics. This magnet school receives students from throughout Horry County, who have an opportunity to sample hospitality courses including culinary arts in the middle and early high school years. The college students completing the trio are from the International Culinary Institute of Myrtle Beach at Horry-Georgetown Technical College.

The Trio Dinner’s purpose is to support and promote the hospitality industry’s culinary arts profession and to give each student real-world experience in creating an original dish with the guidance of an executive chef. This event is very important to the Grand Strand culinary arts programs. A portion of the proceeds of the event go to MBAHA scholarship funds directed to Hospitality and Culinary education.

Committed Chefs at this time include: Geoffrey Blount, International Culinary Institute of Myrtle Beach; Jamie Daskalis, Johnny D’s Waffles & Benedicts; Danny Smith, Fire & Smoke Gastropub; Charif Arabe, Ailsa Pub at Legends Resort; Matt Montandon, Crown Reef Resort; William Twaler, International Culinary Institute of Myrtle Beach; Byron Bondoc, Waterscapes at Marina Inn at Grande Dunes; and Chen Sridet, Black Thai.

In addition to creating wonderful dishes and working with students, chefs will have the opportunity to enter one dish to be judged for the “Best Dish” and “People’s Choice” awards. Knowing chefs are as competitive as they are creative, this allows participating chefs to show off their skills and be recognized for it. We will have a combination of celebrity judges and local American Culinary Federation judges for the event.

For more information, call (843) 626-9668.

Amazing. Perfect. Superb. Fabulous. Just wow.

Those were just a few compliments uttered dish after dish at the Celebrity Chef Dinner featuring Top Chef alumna Tiffany Derry at the International Culinary Institute in Myrtle Beach.

A full house was treated to extravagant tastings with students and chef instructors as part chef Derry's brigade.  

And one of her dishes impressed the chef instructors so much they told her they'd be using it. 

And, as always, the pastry students simply wowed the crowd with their plating of the Grilled Pound Cake dessert.

Make sure you like and follow the ICI's Facebook page to stay tuned for more Celebrity Chef Dinners. You can also visit the website to make reservations for dinner at the student-run Fowler Dining Room, too. 

To learn more about chef Tiffany Derry, visit the link here. 

The second annual Shrimp & Grits Cookoff is part of the Georgetown County Chamber of Commerce's 2020 Business & Community Expo.

Come out for some great offerings from about seven teams at this point. I will be a judge again this year and expect the same culinary stewardship and quality that wowed the other judges and I last year.

​We'll see you there. Remember, #EatItUpGeorgetown!

The 8th Annual Island Bar & Grill/IAFF Local 3617 Chili Cook-Off will take place March 8, 2020, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

And I'll be a judge.

Here's the 2020 Make-A-Wish Chili Team List 

Join us Sunday at Island Bar and Grill in Pawleys Island

$10.00 for Adults
$5.00 for Children
Benefits Make-A-Wish Foundation of South Carolina!

It was a beautiful Sunday to enjoy some she-crab soup while supporting a great cause.

February 23 was the Second Annual She-Crab Soup CookOFF at Quigley's Next Door in Litchfield, South Carolina. The event benefits Saint Francis Animal Center. 

Hundreds of people attended, with many lining up at the tables before the event officially started. It was also made more accessible by having the teams outside under a tent in the parking lot.

Many people had their favorites, from Harrelson's Seafood to Natural Born Grillers. Quite a few people talked about how good Buzzs Roost was. 

However, it was J&J Butcher Shop taking the Judge's Choice trophy and Hanser House winning People's Choice. 

Thanks to all the restaurants that participated. 

Talk about the culinary adventure of Georgetown, South Carolina, and you would mention our great restaurants. You'd mention the tasty dishes on their menus. The super chefs and staff.

With Cooking with Friends, you get a personal yet relaxed seating with a renown chef in Georgetown County, benefiting Friendship Place, Inc.

The first event of 2020 has set the bar. It was a food explosion detonated by Southern Comforts, Southern Dining & Seafood Shack's chef Greg Metcalfe and sous chef Chelsea Cribb.

About 35 people attended the event, enjoying a three-course meal with an amuse bushe to invite them in.

Take a look below at the photos of the Cooking with Friends kickoff. Plan ahead for the next event. 

They sell out each time and the series gets even more popular as the years go by. 

​Get ready. Shrimp & Grits will be cooking again at this year's Business & Community Expo held by the Georgetown County Chamber of Commerce.