🌴 Top Chef? Nah—Charleston’s Got a Top Legend

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! There are more design tweaks this week, leading up to my final messing-around next week. What’s prompting this?

My 1st issue was almost exactly a year ago, on June 14. I’ve learned a ton in that time. How to write. What to include and where. How to use this sophisticated platform. And most importantly, how to keep y’all the super-engaged bunch you are.

In the process, we’ve grown by 1,111%. I just had to calculate how big that number was. 😀

So, it was time to tweak things. Especially since so many read this by mobile, I’ve experimented with fonts, font size, header or body…I know I’m boring you.

But the other reason I’m changing things up is to streamline things so we can go to twice per week. And that will happen on…

Monday, July 7. As part of the redesign, you’ll see more events. A separate section for live music. And a Monday/Friday publishing cadence works well, I think. All your weekend events (and news and scoop of course) on Friday morning, and weekday events published on Monday.

So thank you. For helping me grow CHS Happenings like crazy. And keep up those emails and DMs!

Congrats to David D. of Mount Pleasant, who was the 1st to guess correctly in our “Where Are We” segment last week! We were on Sullivans Island looking over at Pitt Street Bridge, from the Benke-Lowe Private Boat Landing.

WEEKEND WEATHER

Friday 88° / 76° ⛅ 💧15%

Saturday 87° / 76° ⛅ 💧41%

Sunday 88° / 76° ☀️ 💧24%

HAPPENINGS

Friday, June 20

Homeschool in the Parks: Hasty Hummingbirds | 10 - 11:30 AM | Caw Caw Interpretive Center, 5200 Savannah Highway, Ravenel | Hummingbirds have captured our hearts with their tiny size, brilliant colors and their swift acrobatics. Join us as we learn all about hummingbirds and their lives in the fast lane.

Fridays After Five | 5 - 8 PM | Magnolia Plantation, 3550 Ashley River Rd, Charleston | Enjoy live music in the gardens as you immerse yourself in the beauty of nature. Hop on the Nature Train, take a scenic Boat Tour, and stroll through the stunning displays of Sean Kenney's Nature POP!

Grapevine Groove: A Motown-Inspired Night - 18+ I 9 PM | Music Farm, 32 Ann St, Charleston | THIS SHOW IS 18+ REGARDLESS OF ADULT ACCOMPANIMENT Doors at 8:00 pm | Show at 9:00 pm ACCESSIBILITY: The Music Farm is a general admission venue.

Saturday, June 21

Wrap Around for Public Safety 3K Run and Walk | 9 AM - 12 PM | Park Circle, North Charleston – East Montague Avenue, North Charleston | Support Public Safety! 3K Run/Walk June 21 at Park Circle. Reg at 8AM, race at 9AM. Food, drinks & dynamic speakers after!

Pure Barre Workout at Little Palm10:30 AM | The Backyard at Little Palm, 237 Meeting Street, Charleston | Kick off your weekend with a sweat in the sunshine! We’re teaming up with Pure Barre for a 45-minute mat workout in The Backyard. Tickets are $15 and don’t forget to bring your own mat!

The Movement and Tribal Seeds - Coast 2 Coast Summer Tour with Mike Love I 7 PM | The Refinery, 1640 Meeting Street Rd, Charleston | The Movement has been winning the hearts and minds of alternative-reggae fans since their inception in Columbia, SC in 2003. Drawing inspiration from Sublime, 311, Slightly Stoopid and John Browns Body, theyve made a name for themselves as reggae shapeshifters with a foundation of heavy drum and bass.

Charleston Battery vs. Phoenix Rising FC I 7:30 PM | Patriots Point, 85 Patriots Point Rd, Mount Pleasant I Come watch your 2nd-place Battery play some exciting soccer. Fireworks after the match!

Sunday, June 22

Morris Island Shark Tooth Boat, Trip One | 10:30 AM - 2:30 PM | South Carolina Aquarium, 100 Aquarium Whrf, Charleston | Looking to add to your collection of shark teeth and beach treasures? Ride along with us and Coastal Expeditions for a naturalist-led boat trip to Morris Island.

Summers Corner Farmers Market | 12 - 3 PM | Summers Corner, 1609 Beech Hill Rd, Summerville | We are so excited to bring so many wonderful vendors to the heart of Summers Corner. For the last time until Fall 2025, we will have several local farms with produce, eggs, microgreens, butters and more! Plus sourdough, honey, baked goods and sweet treats and of course, locally made beauty products, candles and crafty goods.

End of the Line (A Tribute to the Allman Brothers) | 8 PM - 1:30 AM | Pour House, 1977 Maybank Hwy, Charleston | A tribute to the Allman Brothers band.

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

Celebrated Pizza Restaurant From DC Is Opening In CHS

Charleston, brace yourself — Washington, DC’s own pie legend Timber Pizza Co. is rolling into town this July, setting up shop in the North Central neighborhood at 741 Meeting Street.

That’s right: wood‑fired bliss is migrating south, and so is the crew that snagged Michelin’s Bib Gourmand and Bon Appétit’s Pizzeria of the Year. This isn’t your standard slice stop. Expect a full bar, a low‑key patio, a cozy community vibe, and that sweet smell of pizza on a 650°F Marra Forni oven. They’re bringing all their hits — red, white, and green pies — plus empanadas, salads, and desserts.

Operator and chef Jeremy Waybright (a Charleston native!), says this is “a pizza place for the people” — families, pups, tourists, your cousin Earl… whoever. Teaming up with co-founder Chris Brady, the brand’s eyeing Charleston as “a launching pad” — and we’ve already rolled out the welcome mat.

So mark your calendars: Timber's coming, and the Holy City is about to get a whole lot cheesier.

3 MOST-CLICKED FROM LAST WEEK

• Last week’s Home Of The Week. You must’ve liked the idea of living in a penthouse for under $500K.

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

• Report about fake shrimp being served around town. The buzz around Shrimpgate has died down a bit. It’s given the opportunity for O.G. shrimp-sellers like Tarvin Seafood to remind us how fresh their real-deal mollusks are.

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!

NEW FEATURE: I created a nice and easy form where YOU can send me a photo. But only if you think it will stump our eagle-eyed community. Click the button below if you do!

Home Of The Week

No, I won’t use the very trite and overused “L” word 3 times. But this home’s location is second-to-none.

Ten minutes to either Sullivans or IOP. Maybe 12 minutes to town. Super-close to a ton of shopping and great restaurants.

Here’s the scoop. You gotta click the link to learn the price of this 4BR/3.5BA end-unit beauty.

Email Kim Farrell to get the full details.

Our Own Local Legend Chef Makes Us Proud

Charleston’s got a lot to be proud of—and Chef Shuai Wang is right near the top of that list.

The celebrated talent behind two of the city's most inventive restaurants—Jackrabbit Filly in Park Circle and King BBQ in North Charleston—Shuai has made a name for himself blending bold flavors with a deep sense of place. At Jackrabbit Filly, he brings his Chinese-American heritage to life with creative takes like karaage and hand-cut noodles, while King BBQ is all about marrying Chinese barbecue techniques with the soulful smokiness of the South.

Kim and I had an OUTSTANDING meal at Jackrabbit Filly during Pride Week, the best we’ve had in Charleston in…well, I actually can’t recall.

If you watched this season of Top Chef, you know exactly what I mean. Kim and I followed along the whole way—rooting hard for Shuai as he went toe-to-toe with the country’s best. Sure, he finished second. But here in Charleston? He’s absolutely #1 in our hearts.

Shuai’s story is one of passion, originality, and hustle. Whether you’re grabbing ribs at King BBQ or settling in for dinner at Jackrabbit Filly, you’re tasting the work of someone who deeply loves this city—and is helping shape its food scene in all the best ways.

ICYMI

Wanna pursue your Hollywood dreams? Outer Banks is casting for extras for its last season.

Vietnamese is coming to Chucktown. Here’s a first look at Two Bit Club.

Home up in Georgetown is getting some pub. Thanks to a profile in “Zillow Gone Wild”.

Charleston’s got some great biscuit choices. One local place is celebrating 20 years of serving them up.

I’ve said it before: never too much Italian food. Hanahan is adding another option.

A beautiful boutique hotel opened recently downtown. It’s described as “like staying in a private home”.

This has nothing to do with CHS and everything to do with my sweet tooth. The New York Times provides the best chocolate chip cookie recipes, and they’re real winners.

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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). 👇