🌴 Michelin Royalty Is Coming to Charleston

Welcome to CHS Happenings, the weekly newsletter that keeps you in the know about Charleston events, restaurants & retail.

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Happy Friday morning, Charleston! On this day in 1779, Major General Benjamin Lincoln took command of Charleston’s defenses as British forces, having taken Savannah, Georgia, were expected to try to capture Charleston next. The Patriots’ hunch proved correct, as British forces commenced an assault in early April,1780.

The 1780 Siege of Charleston marked a critical British victory in the American Revolution, giving them control of a major southern port and thousands of American soldiers. British forces led by Sir Henry Clinton besieged the city, overcoming defenses after a prolonged campaign. The fall of Charleston was a major setback for the Continental Army, fueling further British advances in the South and shifting the momentum of the war.

The British victory shifted the Revolutionary War’s momentum by eliminating a major American army, giving the British control over the South's largest city and port, and severely weakening Patriot presence in the region. This opened most of South Carolina to British control and fueled further British advances, but the harsh defeat also galvanized local resistance, leading to a prolonged period of guerrilla warfare and, ultimately, British overreach and defeat at Yorktown.

Congrats to Connor M. of Hampton Park Terrace, who was the 1st to guess correctly in our “Where Are We” segment last week! Our photo was the Charleston Library Society building on lower King Street. We went from really hard the previous week—no correct guesses!—to evidently pretty easy last week. Our photo this week does double-duty. 👇🏼👇🏼

WEEKEND WEATHER

Friday 88° / 71° ☀️ 💧8%

Saturday 88° / 72° ⛅ 💧16%

Sunday 88° / 69° ⛈️ 💧35%

CURATED HAPPENINGS

Friday, September 5

Harbour Club at WestEdge Opens Doors for Annual Business Expo | 12 - 5 PM | Harbour Club at WestEdge | The Harbour Club showcases some of the Lowcountry’s top businesses at its bi-annual Business Expo. More than 30 companies will be on display, offering attendees a chance to discover local talent.

James Island Town Market | 6 - 9 PM | Town Hall Parking Lot | The Town Market will have live music, crafts, lawn games, food trucks and fresh produce vendors.

Poker Night at The Ansonborough Hotel I 7 PM | The Ansonborough Hotel | Go all in on weekend plans at The Ansonborough Hotel’s hidden Poker Room! For a limited time, this exclusive space is open to the public to sip craft cocktails from the Scarborough & Squirrel Bar and try their luck over a few rounds of poker.

Saturday, September 6

Free Lacrosse Clinic | 9 - 10:30 AM | Gahagan Park | Learn the basic fundamentals of lacrosse through drills, games, and a whole lot of fun! Open to children 5 - 13 years of age. All skill levels welcome! Participants must preregister! Aspiring lacrosse players should bring water, wear comfortable athletic clothing, and wear athletic shoes they're capable of running in.

Thrifters & Drifters Market | 11 AM - 5 PM | The Royal American | A market of artisans, collectors and crafters, bringing you a beautiful collection of vintage and locally curated art, jewelry, vintage clothing, crafts and more!! 11am - 4pm | FREE ✯ Thrifters & Drifters

THE SOUND OF MUSIC | 7:30 - 9:30 PM | Dock Street Theatre | Step into Austria in the late 30’s to follow the von Trapps, seven motherless children and their stoic father Georg as they welcome former nun and free-spirit Maria Rainer into their home as a governess.

Sunday, September 7

Pickers Hullabaloo Flea Market | 10 AM - 4 PM I Firefly Distillery | Join us for a day of treasure hunting, good food, libations, and live music. Shop from 100 + leading vintage dealers and artisans boasting an eclectic array of furniture, housewares, nostalgic collectibles, rugs, art, jewelry, vintage clothing and more!

Intro to Sport Lead Climbing | 1 - 4 PM | James Island County Park | Ready to take your climbing to the next level? This class covers the basics of lead climbing in the gym. How to clip safely, manage rope drag, belay a lead climber, and fall safely with confidence.

Dog Day Afternoon | 1 - 3 PM I Whirlin' Waters Adventure Waterpark | Celebrate the dog days of summer with man's best friend at the waterparks and pool after they have closed for the season. $15 per dog in advance; $20 per dog at the gate. Check availability before you go! Early session sold out.

For a COMPLETE list of events in the Charleston area, bookmark the site below!

Three Stars, One City: Charleston Just Got Its Michelin Moment

Charleston, buckle your napkins and uncork the celebratory bubbly: Chef Daniel Humm of New York City’s Eleven Madison Park — yes, that Eleven Madison Park, the three Michelin-starred temple of culinary perfection — is headed to The Charleston Place for a one-year residency.

Let’s not bury the lede here. This isn’t some celebrity-chef pop-up or flash-in-the-pan collab. This is the chef behind what’s widely regarded as one of the best restaurants in the world, dropping anchor in our fair city for a full year. And it’s happening before Charleston’s ever had a Michelin star to its name.

Until now.

See, Michelin just added South Carolina to its coveted guide for 2025 — and Charleston is finally on the map. Official stars (or heartbreaks) will be handed out November 3 at a ceremony in Greenville, but let’s be honest: this residency is the culinary equivalent of rolling up to the Oscars already wearing the tuxedo and pocketing the statue.

Here’s the scoop: Humm and his team will take over The Charleston Grill inside The Charleston Place, thanks to the savvy folks at Beemok Hospitality. It’s part of their ongoing effort to elevate the landmark hotel into a world-class destination — and let’s just say, mission accomplished.

But it’s not just about glitz and foie gras.

This partnership also includes a culinary apprenticeship exchange, sending local Charleston chefs up to train at Eleven Madison Park and welcoming EMP talent to learn the Lowcountry ropes. Imagine the cross-pollination: shrimp and grits meets truffle foam, Wadmalaw tomatoes plated like Rothko paintings. We’re talking Charleston cuisine with a Swiss watchmaker’s precision.

And let’s not gloss over the prestige here. Only 16 restaurants in the entire United States currently hold three Michelin stars. Worldwide? Just 157. That’s fewer than the number of billionaires in Manhattan — and now, one of those chefs will be serving food within spitting distance of King Street.

Charleston’s always punched above its weight in the food world, but this? This is heavyweight. This is Mayweather with a mandoline. For a city that’s long been a darling of Southern Living but always just outside the Michelin frame, this is validation, escalation, and revelation all rolled into one.

Charleston, your seat at the global fine dining table has officially been confirmed.

IN THE COMMUNITY

• Charleston is in the Top 5 US cities for job growth. Tell your friends and family so they’re even more confident when they decide to relocate here.

• Outfielders at The Joe need to be on alert for a bad hop. ‘Cause the RiverDogs’ field is continually sinking, but will soon get a refresh.

• Imagine an abandoned 30-foot sailboat appears on Kiawah’s beach. It happened, and all kinds of interesting stuff like it show up on Charleston’s beaches.

• An invasive crab species has found its way to SC. The “fiddler crab on steroids” is edible so maybe it shows up soon in Charleston restaurants.

• Alerting you early to YALLFest! The 15th edition of this huge literary festival is back on November 14-15.

3 MOST-CLICKED FROM LAST WEEK

• Our events calendar. Planning your own event? Add it to our calendar with this super-easy form.

• SC breweries have closed this year in big numbers. Edmunds Oast continues to hum.

• You already knew we’ve gotten a ton of rain in the past month. That article confirmed it was close to 2 feet in some places around town.

WHERE ARE WE?

Each week, watch this space for a random snap from somewhere in Charleston. Where are we? Just hit reply to this email, or if you’re reading on our website, email me here. The first person to guess correctly will get a shout-out at the top of our issue next week!

I’m excited about this week’s photo because it not only is a stumper (I think), but it promotes the newest location for Park Circle’s terrific Odd Duck Market. Get the outstanding breakfast sandwich.

Click the button below if you’d like to submit your own photo! Landscape (horizontal) orientation works best.

LIVE MUSIC LOCALLY

Biggies in town this weekend include 80s-era singer Howard Jones and the hard-rocking George Thorogood. Check it ALL out below.

ICYMI

Tanger Outlets is undergoing a major renovation. And recently announced SC’s first Shake Shack.

Italian restaurants have proliferated in Charleston recently. One of our best may be located in Hanahan.

Does Charleston’s culinary rep hold up to the Big Apple’s? It not only holds up, it ranks higher.

Charleston got some love recently from the bluest of blue-bloods, Forbes. Several acclaimed restaurants and a new hotel were profiled.

Attention, ladies: a pajamas and loungewear store is opening soon downtown. Elby announced their new location on Instagram.

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FEEDBACK

Got 15 seconds? Let us know what you thought about today’s newsletter by voting in the poll below (you’ll be done MUCH faster than cars on Johnnie Dodds at 4:00 PM on a Friday). 👇