Just Came To: Tales from a Blurry Weekend

No seriously, this is the first day that there has been some clarity. The weekend of the Charleston Food and Wine Festival was a glorious one. Full of friends, parties, beer, hickory smoke, pork, rice, beans, triggerfish, shrimp, clams, pimento cheese, Old Rip Van Winkle, Pappy Van Winkle, Julian Van Winkle (a holy trinity of sorts). There's much more but suffice it to say that it was F-U-N! But also meaningful. Jim 'N Nick's Bar-B-Q and The Pink Pig on King Street acted as a gateway of sorts. Yes, there was a big event there on the Saturday night of the festival, but it was also a watering hole and refreshment stop for Southern Foodways Alliance friends, Top Chefs, pitmasters, and famous actors (Bill Murray was here!). So here is a little photo trip through the weekend. It's gonna take multiple posts but it's worth it.

Rodney Scott from Scott's Bar-B-Que in Hemingway, SC and Sam Jones from Pete Jones' Barbecue-The Skylight Inn in Ayden, SC cooking a whole hog together. They use only wood coals made in Rodney Scott's "charcoal machine" (more on that later).

Early morning bourbon toast to the pig begins the ritual.

Chef Kenny Callahan of Blue Smoke in New York City helps carry meat accross Charleston's chic King Street to The Pink Pig.

Chef Donald Link of New Orleans' famous restaurants, Herbsaint and Cochon, checks out the progress with Nick Pihakis of Jim 'n Nick's.

Chef Kevin Gillespie and Sous Chef Andreas Muller of Atlanta's Woodfire Grill, check out the smoking rig parked on King St. Sam Burn, Jim 'n Nick's "commissioner of culture" is happy to give a tour. The trio is a study in quasi Fu Man Chu/Sky Dog facial hair.