Happy Friday morning, Charleston! I wrote in late March that a new “neighborhood work club” named Switchyards was opening downtown on Rutledge near Berkeleys. Consider me one of the lucky ones. On the “drop day” of April 24—when over 4,000 of us who were on the interested list received a live link at 10:00 AM—I was able to grab one of the 250 membership slots. They sold out in 3 minutes and 30 seconds.

I must admit this “future of work” space is pretty cool. And someone should do a case study on their brilliant marketing. DM me if you’d like a tour.

Congrats to Jillian H. of Mount Pleasant, who was the 1st to guess correctly in our “Where Are We” segment last week! We were at Lost Isle on Johns Island. Lost Isle has some stellar reviews on Yelp. A number of reviewers comment not only on how good the food and environment is—evidently dogs are welcomed with open arms.

In today’s newsletter:

• Ramen isn’t just a cold-weather meal. Park Circle has a delicious new option, and we interview the owners.

• We asked last week if we should start publishing 2X per week. You answered and we’ve got the results.

• ICYMI. Top-notch tacos, an out-of-this-world experience, and a new rooftop bar.

Friday 81° / 65° ☁️ 💧24%

Saturday 72° / 63° 🌦️ 💧50%

Sunday 75° / 67° ☔ 💧73%

Friday, May 9

• Pickleball Fest | 12 - 5 PM | LTP Daniel Island, 162 Seven Farms Drive, Daniel Island | Join Landmarks for Families 2025 Pickleball Fest as they rally to raise $50,000 to support the 860+ children and families they serve in the community!

• Community Boat Day at Colonial Lake | 2:30 - 4 PM | Colonial Lake Park, 46-54 Ashley Avenue, Charleston | Lowcountry Maritime School will host their Spring Boat Launch at Colonial Lake on Friday, May 9th! 

• 54th Annual Charleston Greek Festival | 4 - 9 PM | Greek Orthodox Church, 30 Race Street, Charleston | Event Details The Charleston Greek Festival is a celebration of fun and Greek culture! Attendees can enjoy Greek food, wine, live music, and dancing. The festival runs ALL WEEKEND LONG.

Saturday, May 10

• The 22nd Annual Moms’ Run + Family Fun Day | 6:45 - 10:30 AM | Philip Simmons High School, 3080 River Village Drive, Charleston | This event features a 5K run/walk and a 1 mile walk option, ensuring fun and participation for all fitness levels.

• Charleston Farmers Market | 9:00 AM I Marion Square | Dedicated to supporting Lowcountry farmers and growers, the CFM provides a diverse array of local produce, plants, herbs, fresh-cut flowers, eggs, milk, meats, cheeses, bread, etc.

• Free Yoga In Waterfront Park | 9:30 - 10:15 AM | Daniel Island Waterfront Park, 32 River Landing Drive | Join Bella for a Free, All-Levels Slow Flow Yoga Session at Waterfront Park!

• Sunset Moonrise Beach Walk | 5:30 - 7 PM | Folly Beach County Park | Join a naturalist for a leisurely walk on the beach to admire the southwest end of Folly Island during the twilight hours. We will watch the sunset, and the full moon rise while we look for animals that call the edge of America home this time of year.

Sunday, May 11

• Mom's Golf for Free | 8 AM - 4:30 PM | Patriots Point, 85 Patriots Point Rd, Mount Pleasant | All moms golf for free with the purchase of a regularly priced tee time!

• 2nd Sunday on King Street | 12 - 5 PM I King Street, Charleston | Every month King Street is shut down from Queen to Calhoun, roughly 1/2 mile, to through traffic and without parked cars, for 5 blissful hours. That gives us the whole street for people to walk around with a big smile, greet friends and neighbors, and enjoy Charleston as it would be on any old day without the traffic.

• MOTHER'S DAY Ceramic Hanging Planters Workshop @ Palmetto Brewing I 1 PM | 289 Huger Street, Bldg. B, Charleston | Join for a hands-on experience in crafting your own unique CERAMIC HANGING PLANTERS. Using Amaco No. 46 Buff Stoneware Clay, you'll learn the art of hand-building as you transform your clay into unique one of a kind planters.

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

RESTAURANTS

Ramen & Twice-Fried Chicken Is One Great Combo

OK, maybe you don’t try ramen and chicken in the same meal. Or maybe you do. At least you know you have options at the fabulous recently-opened Katsubō Chicken & Ramen.

Housed in the spot formerly occupied by Jackrabbit Filly, which expanded to a larger space on East Montague Street, this new entrant to the Park Circle dining scene is already getting a ton of buzz.

I connected with the owners to learn more.

Who are the partners of Katsubō Chicken & Ramen?

Joe Nierstedt & Abby Leibowitz.

What was your connection to ramen? What was it about this food style that drew you in and made you want to create your own version?

Katsubō’s creation story is actually rooted in wanting a way to keep our team working and growing during a slow season. We were all working near Kiawah and decided to pop up downtown on slow days. In selecting the cuisine, I wanted to give the team a new experience—learning different techniques, flavors, and service styles. Ramen was a great fit for that: it’s technical, layered, and takes real attention to detail.

On top of that, I also missed this kind of food in Charleston. After working in ramen shops in New York, I missed the depth, flavor and comfort of a good bowl. It wasn’t something I was seeing much of here, and I felt like there was space for it.

Why Park Circle? Was it simply a great space in the old Jackrabbit Filly, or did the neighborhood feel right, too?

Park Circle is a great neighborhood full of people who care about food and care about each other. There’s a strong restaurant culture here without the busyness of downtown. It’s accessible, it’s supportive, and it has real energy. We respect what Jackrabbit Filly built in that space—and we hope to grow into it and also grow out of it in our own way, with the same kind of momentum.

How do you hope to stand out in a really competitive CHS food scene? What’s your “hook,” your edge?

We’re keeping things familiar and high quality. The goal is accessible food that’s craveable, affordable, and still interesting. That means being disciplined with our recipes, consistent with our execution, and creative within the guardrails. With ramen, we stay rooted in tradition but give ourselves room to adapt. With chicken, we put the focus on bold flavor and clean technique. The combination works—comfort with a little edge.

Any “must-tries” on the menu at Katsubō Chicken & Ramen?

Start with the Okonomiyaki—it’s rich, crispy, and packed with flavor. Add toppings! The Tokyo Shoyu Ramen is a standout if you want something classic and clean.

The Tantanmen is the one our staff eats the most—it’s spicy, bold, and satisfying every time.

And the fried chicken speaks for itself. Double-fried, perfectly crispy, with rotating sauces that keep it interesting. It was created (and continues to evolve) to reflect chicken flavor and technique that’s popular in NYC, but not widely accessible here yet.

Short-term goals for Katsubō Chicken & Ramen? Anything you’d like to add?

Short term, it’s about consistency and community. Build a team that sticks, serve food we’re proud of, and Be a Great Neighbor (our #1 Core Value). That’s our focus—take care of people, stay present, and contribute to the fabric of Park Circle. We want to create a space where people feel comfortable and excited. 

Long term goals are in the works, but for now, we’re focused on execution—one shift, one guest, one bowl at a time.

SHOULD WE GO TO TWICE A WEEK?

I asked and y’all answered. Twice a week it is. By all measures, you are an engaged bunch. And I appreciate it.

Give me a few weeks to refine my approach. I envision this coming out Tuesday mornings. And it won’t be a carbon copy of Friday’s issue.

Possibly more events-heavy. With a separate live music section.

Feel free to weigh in! Visit this link to provide comments or suggestions. I’ll listen. 😉 

Interested in being a sponsor?

CHS Happenings has a fast-growing and super-engaged subscriber base. We’re going to start offering local Charleston businesses the opportunity to reach this audience soon.

If you’re interested, click below and we’ll reach out in the next 30 days.

WHERE ARE WE?

Each week, watch this space for a random snap from somewhere in Charleston. Where are we? Only true locals will know. DM your guess on Instagram, or email me here. The first person to guess correctly will get a shout-out at the top of our issue next week!

SPONSORED BY THE FARRELL GROUP

Real Estate Done Different

Any business can say they’re different, but what if they could prove it? And why it matters to you?

At The Farrell Group, we do things different(ly).

We’re 35 years into the business of representing property owners and homebuyers. When the average Realtor has 10.

We’ve seen it all: the headaches that can derail a home sale you’re counting on, what’s really important to look for in an inspection report, how to negotiate a great deal where price is important but not the only thing.

We’re obsessed with client responsiveness, too. Some probably think they hear from us too much. We’d like to err on the side of over-reporting when it comes to your biggest investment.

And we’re all about systems, not fly-by-the-seat-of-one’s-pants. Nothing falls through the cracks with us.

So if you’re looking for the kind of experience that’ll make your home sale super-smooth, the regular updates that leave you feeling like you just left an hourlong meditation session, and a systems-driven approach that will get you to closing day feeling fine, why not schedule a discovery call?

We’d love to call you a happy client.

3 MOST-CLICKED FROM LAST WEEK

• Our events calendar. Keep checking it out, it’s nice and easy to filter, sort, slice-and-dice.

• The Charleston Dragon Boat Festival. Who sailed last week?

• Charleston’s 11 Best Brunch Spots. Y’all researching spots for Mother’s Day?

ICYMI

🛋️ Navy Yard Charleston continues to reinvent itself. Here’s the lineup for the new Design District, debuting this fall.

🍸 Long-closed King Street furniture store soon to open as The Nickel hotel. And it’ll have a new rooftop bar and lounge.

🍴 Restaurant, walk-up bar, and outdoor lawn with live music stage. Frank & Jack’s will open late summer in Mount Pleasant.

🌮 Want to know where to find the best tacos in town? This list has some tasty options.

🔭 An out-of-this-world experience debuts in West Ashley. The Charleston Planetarium opens May 3 at Citadel Mall.

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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). 👇