By: Kathleen Curry

     Would you enjoy more margaritas this Cinco de Mayo if there weren't so many calories per glass? Scott and Stephanie Meadows of Scales, the Skinny Cocktail Company, have just the mix for you. 

     Or should I say mixes? Scales also has a strawberry daiquiri, bloody mary, and sweet n' sour mix. The Meadows’ say just a few years ago, they were entertaining at home with friends. One guest lamented that cocktails would be more enjoyable if they didn’t pack such a sugary, high calorie punch per drink. This spawned an idea for the couple to create a line of lighter drink mixes.  In the process, they concocted something deliciously refreshing, tangy and gluten-free, with not one shot of guilt:

by Kathleen Curry 

     Earth Day was officially last Sunday, but every day offers opportunities to make choices that respect the earth. A lot of companies have made an effort to be environmentally conscious in their practices in recently.  But there is a 33-year old Charleston company whose consumer products division has been made a point to be environmentally- conscious from day one: Charleston Chops on upper Meeting Street.

By:  Margaret Pitts

Growing up in Charleston and now living here as an adult, I have been very fortunate to have spent a lot of time on Wadmalaw Island, playing in the tidal creeks, fishing, learning how to enjoy the marshes, then later as an adult, I commuted and worked for several years on John's Island. These places are so unique in their flavor and so beautiful, that I find myself thrilled when I get the opportunity to spend a weekend there. Wadmalaw is less than fifteen miles from Charleston, yet I feel like I am worlds away.

By Patrick Graham

As all foodies know, a chef’s path on the road to becoming the general of the back of the house takes a little while:  culinary school, externships, staging, making one’s way up the ladder working various stations in the kitchen, to sous chef, and then taking the reins as executive chef.  And that’s the Reader’s Digest version.

My point is that once you get to the top of the mountain, the view can be nice, but it’s not always what is regarded as true happiness.  I met Shay MacDonald when he was his brother’s sous chef at one of Kiawah’s many multi-diamond locations.  The resort is very nice, but very corporate, which is to say that creativity can be limited by product availability, food cost, and, ultimately, the will of the patrons on the property.  

by Kathleen Curry 

      Just in time for a Spring that has felt like summer, Roots Ice Cream is back at the Farmers Market. And how cool is it that, after one year in business, it has been recognized by Southern Living magazine as a "Summer in the South 2012" top pick among southern artisan ice creams?