by Antonia M. Krenza and Laney Roberts
Charleston is blessed with an abundance of tastes cultivated from both land and sea. As they have found their way to our plates over the centuries, the uniqueness and variety of these tastes have given the Lowcountry its own distinct flavor. This very flavor alone beckons food lovers from around the world to Charleston and lures talented and aspiring chefs to our restaurants. It is sobering to learn that, in the midst of our culinary plentitude, one out of four children here in the Lowcountry go to bed hungry each night.
On Sunday, February 26th, the staff of EAT THIS! had the great pleasure of attending the 13th Annual Chefs’ Feast. The event is a collaboration among the Lowcountry Food Bank and 32 distinguished chefs, providing 32 delectable bites, both savory and sweet, for attendees to enjoy.
Just when you thought things were going to simmer down, Eat This! is cranking up the heat and bringing you the Ultimate Food Fight. Ten local chefs will be randomly paired. Tune into Lowcountry Live March 5th at 10 a.m. where the teams will draw knives each representing five cuisines (Lowcountry, Pan-Asian, Southwestern, Mediterranean and French). The teams will then each prepare two small bites (a.k.a.: amusebouches) for your enjoyment and critical palate. Visit eatthischarleston. com to weigh in on which chefs would make for the most interesting paired fares to sink your fork into. Join us at the Eat This! Kickoff Party where you will decide which dynamic culinary duo are the Ultimate Food Fight Champions. 
If you ask Race Director Julian E. Smith III what makes the Cooper River Bridge Run special, he certainly would mention that the event is now 35 years in the running. Pardon the pun. He might also mention that the Cooper River Bridge Run, with its estimated 43,000 participants, is the 3rd largest 10K in the United States, 6th in the world. He might also speak of the fact that in the last five years the run has also become a philanthropic endeavor, helping to raise $350,000 for various causes such as The Susan G. Komen for the Cure — Lowcountry, MUSC Children's Hospital, The American Diabetes Association, Semper Fi Fund and The Lowcountry Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse. But there is an added twinkle in his eye when he talks of the race's uniquely staggered start, which releases wave upon wave of runners — 3000 to 5000 at a time — upon the streets of Mt. Pleasant.
The greater Charleston area plays home to four craft breweries. That's fully half of the breweries in the state (not counting brewpubs). It's no secret that we drink a hell of a lot in these parts, but that's a dense concentration in a relatively small space. And they aren't just surviving; they are thriving by all accounts, even with limited distribution outside of the Lowcountry.