The International Myrtle Beach Culinary School Opens by Melissa LaScaleia The International Culinary Institute of Myrtle Beach, part of Horry Georgetown Technical College, is opening its state-of-the-art $15 million facility here in the Market Common. The building was designed by Mozingo and Wallace, a local architectural firm. What’s inside the building, including the school’s curriculum, has been designed by Joseph Bonaparte, the executive director of the culinary school, and a revolutionary force in the culinary education world. Joe’s interest in food and cooking began at a young age. “I grew up in a New Jersey Italian family that cooked,” Joe tells me at our meeting at the culinary school. “My mother, grandmother, and dad were all excellent cooks, but we all had to help too. “My father died when I was 7 years old, and I ended up spending a lot of time with my mom and aunts; they were in the kitchen, so I was too. Then we moved to Texas. “My mom, who is very adaptable, began cooking Southwestern and Tex-Mex cuisine and dishes like chicken fried steak. So I gained a wide appreciation for diverse cuisines at a young age.” Joe attended the California Culinary Academy in his youth and since that time, has logged an impressive amount of foreign travel studying world cuisines, as well as earning accolades for his skill in the kitchen. He spent eighteen years with the Art Institute Culinary Schools, working in culinary education as the national culinary director of curriculum and quality assurance for their many locations across the U.S. Joe was instrumental in the school’s growth and branding; when he began, there were four culinary programs under the tutelage of the Art Institute, and by the time he left, there were thirty-eight. In 2013, the board of the Horry Georgetown Technical College sought out Joe for his expertise in the culinary teaching world, as they were in the process of revamping their school and offerings. They told him of their plans to build a culinary school in the Market Common, and Joe offered to help. “I had no interest in coming down here,” he says. “But I wasn’t excited about what I was doing, traveling so much with the Art Institute, and I liked the opportunity to get involved in a community project and be a part of something that was more affordable to students than the average program. This was something really good for the community, and what the community here really needed.” “This sustainable state of the art facility provides a functional and dynamic social environment. This is our third project for HGTC and likely one of the most advanced projects we have done in our firm’s 30 plus year history. We are very proud of it.” – Derrick Mozingo (Photo Meganpixels Parker) The main entrance was designed to look like a wave and harmonize with the school’s ocean backdrop. (Photo Meganpixels Parker) “Even though we have such a high tourist population,” he continues, “Myrtle Beach isn’t a culinary destination. We thought the school would have a really big impact on helping to develop the food and culture in a positive way. “So we looked at Charleston: why is it known for its food? It never used to be a hub, it was a historic town by the water. Then Johnson and Wales arrived. That’s when the dynamics of the food scene began to develop there, and it began attracting and producing chefs. Once you get a trained workforce in the area, it allows for greater execution of that skill set.” Additionally, Joe envisioned how the new culinary program would expand the breadth and depth of community interdependence. “My job,” he says, “is not only to be an educator of culinary students, but people in general. To not only connect students with chefs, but chefs with local producers of raw produce or purveyors of food items that are done healthily and properly, and the consumer. It becomes a cyclical and self-sustaining relationship between all of them. “If the consumer only wants to buy McDonalds, and doesn’t understand the value of spaces for pigs and collards, then we don’t have jobs for our culinary students or our farmers; we have a less healthy community, and a divided one.  “So a long time ago, I decided buying commodities products and many products that are raised, or grown overseas wasn’t the best thing to do for our bodies or our communities. I like that the college understands and supports this. We live in a global world, but it’s important to look around us and to see how the things we do work in the big picture of the world and the planet.” I took a look around the new culinary school facility, set to open this month. “The architecture establishes a marketable identity for HGTC and the advancement of the culinary program,” says Derrick Mozingo, project architect and designer with Mozingo and Wallace. There are four teaching kitchens; a demonstration kitchen; the restaurant production kitchen, with a gorgeous drool-inducing range; outdoor BBQ cooking center, replete with a $10,000 Argentinian grill; indoor and outdoor restaurant seating areas for patrons; marble-topped counters for pastry making; maplewood-topped counters for bread making; various offices with adjacent lounge spaces for the students; a sunny, glass-walled conference area in the shape of a chef’s hat; and a greenhouse for growing their own food. The amount of refrigerators, freezers, and meat-curing chambers we passed seemed never-ending. And there are kitchens pretty much everywhere— even adjoining the conference room by the teachers’ offices. The restaurant demonstration kitchen where second year student chefs wow patrons with their culinary skills. (Photo Meganpixels Parker) There’s a climate-controlled area for chocolate making, and a designated retail section where they will sell pastries, cakes, and chocolate confections. Joe is excited about this section. “We have Geo Blount, who is a world certified master pastry chef and master chocolatier,” he says. “I secured him to come and build the best baking and pastry program … Read more

Where Shopping is Pure Epicurean Pleasure by Melissa LaScaleia Right in the heart of the Soho district of the Market Common is a lovely store featuring epicurean delights from the Mediterranean and beyond— The Olive Shoppe… Tasters Welcome. Darya Suddreth, who grew up in Surfside Beach, began the business with her husband, John, five years ago. “When my daughter was two,” she tells me, “she was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes. In order to get her to eat healthier, we started using a lot of olive oil and balsamic vinegar on her foods. And it was amazing the types of foods she began to eat.” It sparked a love and fascination with olive oil and balsamic vinegar for the Suddreth family, which gradually evolved into a total life makeover. “My husband and I wanted to be entrepreneurs— we were looking for opportunities,” says Darya. “He wanted to leave Charlotte, where we were living at the time, and move back to the beach. This is where we met; he wanted to raise our children here. “John had been to an olive oil shop in California and thought it was a great thing to do in Myrtle Beach. When the opportunity arose for us to move back, we did. And it’s probably the best move we ever made.” The pair opened their first store at Barefoot Landing, July 1, 2011. They opened a second location at the Cotton Exchange in Wilmington, N.C. in 2012. And in May 2015, they opened their location in the Market Common. The bar at The Olive Shoppe may be the healthiest one you’ll ever visit. (Photo Meganpixels Parker) Lucky for us who visit or live here. Stepping into The Olive Shoppe, I’m transported to a different place, where olive oils and balsamic vinegars from around the world sit side by side, emanating their unique multicultural self-expression in the form of heavenly taste. The shop sells traditional extra virgin olive oils from Argentina, Chile, Greece, Italy, Spain, Tunisia, and Turkey. Darya and John are currently looking into adding oils from Jordan and Mexico. They also carry hand-stuffed olives, olive spreads, and olives and brine to make special martinis. “At The Olive Shoppe, we want our customers to have a tasting experience that will wow the senses,” Darya says.  I try the jalapeño infused olive oil which she pairs with peach white balsamic vinegar, and assure her she’s on track with her mission. “We have a full service tasting bar, where our customers have the opportunity to sit down, and we are like bartenders with olive oil and balsamic vinegars,” she says. “I always say,” she adds with a laugh, ‘It’s the healthiest bar you’ll ever belly up to!’” Before the two began their venture, they researched a lot of olive oil growers and companies— something they continue to do to this day. “We are constantly looking for new growers and suppliers, and we hand pick every one we work with, not just for their taste, but also for their company principles and growing practices,” Darya says. “Every one that we select is very high quality.” For their flavor-infused olive oils, they selected oils exclusively from Spain, with strongly infused flavors— Darya’s preference. Olive oils and balsamic vinegars from around the world line the walls at The Olive Shoppe. (Photo Meganpixels Parker) “I found that the majority of flavored olive oils I tried were not very prominent with that flavor, or hard to discern from the strong flavor of the oil,” Darya explains. “I like that Spanish olive oil is lighter in taste, and therefore the flavors don’t compete with one another.” All of their balsamic vinegars are imported from Modena, Italy. They are rich and thick, like a glaze, the way Italians have been making them for centuries. The flavors of these balsamics can’t begin to compare to what you can find in the grocery store. As I bite into a garlic and herb cheese-stuffed olive (pure heaven) handmade by a small California farmer, Darya continues to tell me about the many uses of flavored olive oils and balsamics beyond salad dressing. Put strawberry balsamic over vanilla ice cream; cracked black pepper olive oil to marinate and tenderize meat; Meyer lemon olive oil can be added to brownie mixes; the pineapple white balsamic also goes divinely with the jalapeño oil over fish. The options and potential seem endless, and with approximately 50-60 varieties of flavored oils and balsamics, and a little creative genius thrown in the mix, they just might be. Dawn Yarborough, a longtime friend and customer who now works at the shop says, “Once you start cooking with olive oils and balsamics, you have no idea how creative you are. You just amaze yourself. You lose all fear in the kitchen. And,” she adds with a sly smile, “your friends think you’re a chef. So come on in and taste with us!” The Olive Shoppe Open M-Sa 10am-6pm  Envelope Phone Internet-explorer

This Local Coffee-Roaster Family is Having a Blast by Melissa LaScaleia Several years ago, Mike Weeden received a care package of roasted coffee beans in the mail from Vermont. His daughter had sent him something new to try. He enjoyed the resulting coffee so much that he felt inspired to roast beans at home. He and his wife, TJ, quickly fell in love with the taste of fresh roasted coffee; so much so, that they wanted people in Myrtle Beach to experience it as well. And the only way to do that, they reasoned, was to open a café. They found the ideal spot for their new venture in the Market Common. And in March 2014, they became The Roasted Bean. The husband and wife duo have been having a blast with their family-owned operation ever since, which employs many of their eight children. “It was a joint effort to start the café,” TJ says. “My husband was really good at roasting, and I was the wind under his wings. As soon as he knew that we were on the same page, he knew that we had to do this. It happened very quickly, and with great success.” So what goes into making a cup of their beloved brew? The fun, hip and homey interior of The Roasted Bean. (Photo Meganpixels Parker) “All beans begin green, raw, and hard,” TJ says. “Then you roast it to your preference— either medium or a dark roast. “Our coffee is very pure; we source high-quality beans from many different countries, so you’re not going to get withdrawal symptoms and headaches that you can from a lesser-quality bean. When you have a good cup, it can change the way you look at coffee.” Because they love what they do, the two have evolved into self-taught coffee connoisseurs. “We are constantly learning and growing,” says TJ. “My husband does a lot of research. We ask a lot of questions. We’re in touch with a lot of roasters across the United States. It really is an art and a science. He does the science and we do the art. You have to have the right temperature of milk, and the right espresso shot to get the best taste. Coffee is like wine; there are different kinds and different colors. Some coffee is better with dessert, others with sandwiches, and some on its own. But the best kind of coffee is the kind you roast fresh on your own. And that’s what we do.” Soon word got out on Google and Yelp that there were coffee roasters in the Market Common. And throngs of tourists in addition to locals poured into their café en masse. The Roasted Bean sources high-quality beans from around the world from which they concoct their coffee drinks. The result? Exceptional coffee every time. (Photo Meganpixels Parker) “We get people from all over discovering the Market Common because of us,” TJ says. “They come into our café and share that they’ve never been here before, and begin asking questions about the shops and what’s in the area.” Originally, the pair were planning to sell coffee exclusively, but they soon began to receive requests from hungry patrons for options to accompany their cuppa. They added breakfast and lunch sandwiches to their menu, and in the last couple of years, expanded it further to include green smoothies and a variety of other drinks. “We’re very personal here,” TJ adds. “It’s important to me that I know everybody’s name when they walk in the door. We care about the people who come in, and I’ve made some really great lifelong friends as a result. We’re serving great products, we have great music playing— it’s just a really happy place to be. Envelope Facebook Phone At Internet-explorer

A Veteran Brings the Joys of Pedego Electric Bikes to the Community by Melissa LaScaleia One Saturday morning, I arrive on DeVille Street and am greeted by Aaron Maynard, owner of Pedego Electric Bikes. A small group of people are milling about the storefront, trying out vibrantly-colored bikes before a tour. Electric bikes aren’t hard to ride. I initially thought there might be many buttons, but there’s not. Just like a speed bike, they have handle brakes and a gear shifter. The only difference is that the right handgrip turns, giving the bike a lot or a little power from its lithium-ion battery, depending on how fast you’d like to go. I’ve signed up to join a group electric bike tour. Before we set off, Aaron walks us through the slight nuances of an electric bike, ensuring those of our group who haven’t ridden a bicycle in some time feel comfortable and confident. Aaron is a retired colonel in the Air Force, a career which no doubt helps him lead and direct efficiently. His last assignment on active duty was as the Chief of the Office of Defense Cooperation at the U.S. Embassy in London. “When I moved to London,” he tells me on a previous visit to his shop, “I had to find a way to get to work sans automobile. So I Googled “city commuter bikes” and discovered Pedego Electric Bikes. After a bit of research, I took a leap of faith, ordered one, and was immediately blown away by the experience. “Riding this bike became the highlight of my day. I could smell the perfume in front of Harrods, the scent of curries wafting from restaurants I passed. I was completely connected to the life and the vibrancy of London. It was exhilarating. By the time I got to work, I was ready to go. And on the way home, it was the perfect way to decompress. “On the weekends, I found myself exploring parts of the city I never would have seen otherwise. I bought my wife one for our 25th wedding anniversary, and we started doing things together that we hadn’t done since we were newlyweds.” A Saturday morning Pedego bike tour pauses the fun for a group photo. (Photo by Meganpixels Parker) Aaron’s life was so enriched by biking, that when he retired from the military in 2014, he contacted the CEO of Pedego and talked about opening up a store. “I wasn’t a cyclist, I wasn’t into bikes,” he says. “And it was this that made me think, if my wife and I could be so taken with them, perhaps others would be too. We decided to come to Myrtle Beach, because that’s where people come to have fun. And that’s part of our motto: fun. It’s turned out to be a fantastic location.” I’m excited to try out anything described as fun. So I hop aboard the hot pink cruiser I’ve selected and our small group heads out. I zip along, sometimes peddling, sometimes relying on the electric motor, sometimes both. Aaron leads us through quiet neighborhoods and onto a pretty bike path into Myrtle Beach State Park. We disembark for a visit to the beach and to enjoy the waves. At the end of the ride, I feel lighter, elated, and very alive. It’s a satisfying and truly great experience, and one that stays with me long after the ride is over. It’s hard to pinpoint what it is about the Pedego bike riding experience that sets it apart and several notches above other bike riding excursions. I too feel connected to my surroundings in a way that I previously haven’t. Aaron really is a fun guide— perhaps his joy is infectious. But perhaps it’s that Pedego bikes… really are magic. Pedego Electric Bikes Group electric bike rides Wed & Sat at 10am; Pub Rides on Sun at 6pm Rent on your own single or tandem electric bike $20 per hour; $50 for a half day; and $75 for a full day. Envelope Facebook Phone At Internet-explorer

Spotlight On…   by Melissa LaScaleia This month, we bring you the Inside scoop on two vendors from the DeVille Street farmers market who touched our hearts as well as our taste buds. Millgrove Farms— Stewards of the Land   Who: Ben and Carol Williams, married thirty-five years. The what: A-50 acre sustainable farm— a trailblazer in change and sustainability— in Georgetown County on the Black River. Growing specialty and heirloom varietals. Providing clean, affordable, and healthy food for Georgetown County. Why do you farm sustainability? My husband has an amazing passion for the land and the animals. The entire farm is a living, breathing organism right down to the dirt. He wants to protect what God has given us and maintain it as a sanctuary for wildlife— to live in peace and balance with the land. What does it mean to be sustainable? We don’t spray or alter anything. We allow the land to produce at its own pace where it works symbiotically and everything takes care of itself.  What is farmer Ben’s background? Ben has been a Southern farmer his whole life. It extends generations, beginning with his grandfather in the old days of tobacco. What is your vision? For everyone to eat sustainably and learn how to grow their own food, so as not to be so dependent on grocery stores. Sweet Cheeks Baked Goods – Get Your Hands Full of Sweet Buns   Who: Owner Cathy Kelley How did you get started baking? I’ve been baking since I was 12 years old. It was probably my mom’s way of keeping my sisters and I out of trouble in winter, since we lived in the mountains of Virginia where there was a lot of snow. And the name? My son and daughter-in-law came up with it— they felt it really fit me. Where do you get your recipes from? They are my mother’s; and also I may see a recipe I really like, write it down, and put it away to try later. I recently found my mothers cookbook from 1940, and I’m trying some things from that now. What’s for sale at your stall? Everything I do is made from scratch. Cinnamon buns are my specialty; and my newest offering is lemon biscotti. What’s one thing you love about what you do? It makes me happy to think people are getting something they normally would not get. I want people to enjoy their food. Click here for more info on the Market Common farmers market, Visit www.waccamawmarkets.org to learn more.

A Gathering Place at The Market Common to Celebrate Summer by Melissa LaScaleia Hot days, long summer nights, lush greenery, endless hours outdoors— as the calendar rolls into July, there’s a profusion of growth and natural abundance that surrounds us. Everything is ripe and overflowing. Summer has arrived; and with it, the farmers market. On Saturday mornings, artisans and vendors gather on DeVille Street to celebrate this aliveness. Reminiscent of the activity of a bee hive, people come, swarming and humming around the stalls. Some stroll, some shop, some are simply here to gather. As I meander my way slowly down the street, I’m enjoying a visual feast: handmade candles and soap; greens of many varieties unselfconsciously bursting over the boundaries of their assigned space on the tables; dressed nuts; pirogies; local honey; granola; homemade baked goods; plums so rich they look like velvet; coffee; ice cream; jewelry. It’s a bevy of handmade and earth-made beauty all rolled into one. I’m nourished from the action of strolling along— imbibing with my senses the multitude of expressions of love that come from the earth as well as those that come from artisans. I’m convinced that it’s impossible to shop at the farmers market and not smile. Mary Zlotnick, owner of Authentic Life Pawleys showcases her own line of organic skin products. (Photo by Meganpixels Parker) There’s something about seeing a person put their own unique stamp on something, be it a piece of jewelry or a candle, and then offering it for sale that fills me with joy and reminds me of how vital simple pleasures are to happiness. Being here heightens my consciousness of where my food comes from, and fills me with a childlike wonder over the miracle of its existence as well as a reverence for the balance we maintain on our planet. I can’t help but feel that if I were in charge of growing crops to feed myself, I’d be in a lot of trouble. When I leave the market, my arms full of fresh, fuzzy peaches, delicate blueberries, and sturdy leafy greens, I feel humbled but even more so delighted at my good fortune in knowing at least five who can. I always look at farmers with a kind of awe, wondering how exactly they do it. So I call one of the proprietors of Home Sweet Farm, to ask. “I’ve been farming since I was a boy,” Jimmy Rabon, a fourth generation farmer, and one of the two responsible for the beautiful displays at Home Sweet Farm, says. Jimmy and his fiancé, Miracle Lewis, farm and manage the 80-acre property that belongs to Miracle’s grandparents. It’s hard for me to comprehend that the plenty and variety I see on their table only needs 80 acres to flourish and grow. “We grow on plastic culture,” he explains. “We lay down a black plastic weed cloth, and plant through it. When you plant on dirt, you can get about 250 bushels of crop per acre, but when you plant on plastic, it’s really unlimited— it could be 500-600 bushels of climbing vines, like cucumbers and watermelons. It produces a much earlier yield, and it keeps disease down. When you plant on dirt, every time it rains, it splashes up— that causes disease.” “But what about hungry insects?” I ask— always my greatest nemesis when attempting any type of garden. Hope, from Home Sweet Farm, transfers fresh plums from a basket. (Photo by Meganpixels Parker) According to Jimmy, there are types of beneficial insects. If there are a lot of them, most of the time, they can keep the bad bugs at bay. So how do you attract beneficial insects? “The best way is to not spray with pesticides,” he says. “We don’t spray more than we have to. But the plants themselves will attract beneficial as well as non-beneficials.” “Just hope,” he adds with a chuckle, “you have enough of the benefits to offset the non-benefits.” I appreciate this approach of cultivating crops more in harmony with nature and less with chemicals, and enjoying what blossoms naturally from the land. Joan Smith, a Market Common resident, agrees. “I’m from NJ,” she says. “And there’s nothing better than NJ produce. I like to see what people have locally because food from farm-to-table is very important to me. I’m used to organic food.” Joan likes to take her golf cart to the market and catch up with her neighbors there. “It’s a very friendly atmosphere,” she says. “I get to see food vendors, but also vendors who have other interesting things they’re selling, like soap or jewelry.” One such vendor who fits in that category is Authentic Life Pawleys, where owner Mary Zlotnick makes her own line of body sprays, insect repellent, and body butters, some of which look good enough to eat. Mary has created recipes over the years, often based on her friends’ and clients’ requests for her to make them something. “Most of my products are made from certified organic ingredients,” she says. “That’s important to me. If I’m going to tell you to use something, I want it to be non-toxic— safe for you and your pets.” Miguel Martinez of Miguel Farms passes his homegrown produce to an appreciative customer. (Photo by Meganpixels Parker) The love and passion she puts into her products is palpable, and what began as a hobby now keeps her busy full time. “I keep up on the research to get the best combinations and outcomes,” she says. “I take my time. I want it to be authentic— good for body and soul.” When I ask her about her experience at the farmers market, she says: “I like how we’ve become a family and look out for each other. We’re all in it together, to help educate people. People are coming, and we share about where we’re getting our products from and why.” Joan sums it up like this: “I like that the market is growing every year. This … Read more