Guests were welcomed with an array of refreshments like iced tea, Hugo spritz, mint julep, and mint lemonade, before being treated to a family-style lunch, featuring dishes all nodding to the bounty of the sea and culinary influences of the Lowcountry. Passed appetizers included fresh clams and oysters from Hudson’s Farm and shucked by chef Carmines himself, as well as baked oysters with a shrimp and mushroom topping, and sweet potato chips topped with blue crab, also brought to us by Carmines all the way from Hilton Head Island. The lunch itself consisted of a starter (shrimp and white beans in a spiced tomato sauce), a main (black pepper red snapper), a pasta course (crab pasta with lemon, herbs, and crème fraîche) with a side (sautéed collard greens with sweet onions and paprika), and even dessert (pear cobbler with brown butter crumble and whipped cream).
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The casual format of the lunch invited all types of conversation, ranging from local foodways to the ugliest-but-tastiest fish around (Google “sheepshead fish” at your peril!). For years, foraging depleted the natural resources in the area, but Carmines underscored his passion for the local food systems, sharing that Hudson’s sources more than 90% of their seafood from South Carolina waters within a 100-mile radius, a challenging feat for any food establishment. This accountability and trust in the supply chain allows him to make meaningful relationships with all of the people “behind the plate” and serve Lowcountry fare in sustainable ways.
Hilton Head Island is committed to seafood sustainability, community, and hospitality. Chef Carmines and Erin treat both their staff and guests like family, and their restaurant is a living testament to honoring the past and preserving the future. (Fun fact: Their restaurant is literally built on oysters, the discarded shells upon which their business and the peninsula stand today.)
To continue the spirit of the festive lunch, guests were invited to take a trip down for a visit in February for the annual Hilton Head Seafood Festival. It’s a week-long celebration of the vibrant food, drink, and heart of the region where local chefs and visitors come together for activities like master culinary classes and seafood excursions to explore the coastal environment of the Lowcountry (Shrimping! Crabbing! Oh my!). Fresh off the dock seafood, good people, and the chance to enjoy the hush puppies around? You don't have to ask this food editor twice.
Plan your culinary getaway to Hilton Head Island here.