Chimney Sweep in James Island, SC

JAMES ISLAND — All 10 barstools were taken when I stopped by The James on a recent Monday in August. According to an employee, that has been a nightly occurrence at the new James Island restaurant, now open at 1939-A Maybank Highway in the former Zia Taqueria space.

With cushioned bar chairs, the globe-lit bar is a nice place to grab a drink or a full meal, though there is plenty of seating inside the large restaurant, part of the Neighborhood Dining Group (Husk, Delaney Oyster House and Minero).

The bar area — which also features four high-top tables and a handful of booths with checkered upholstery — is separated from the dining room by a small partition. In the late afternoon, that portion of the 4,600-square-foot space is brightened by the sunlight that seeps in through a few long windows.

Between the farmhouse-inspired space that has come to define Husk and the classic oyster house aesthetic at Delaney, Neighborhood Dining Group President David Howard has shown he has a knack for conjuring up successful dining venues.

When he first told me about The James, Howard described it as an American grill that patrons might visit for a quality hamburger on a Tuesday before coming back for the prime rib over the weekend. The James’ clean, sharp look tells diners exactly what to expect — a restaurant where quality matters, but the chefs aren’t trying to reinvent the wheel. A restaurant where shorts are just as acceptable as a suit.

The food is equally as approachable, with salads, Parker House rolls, tuna tartare and fried shrimp with a trio of dipping sauces among the appetizer options. Judging by my surrounding diners, the salads — far too big for one person — have proven to be a hit, though they might require an extra side of dressing.

There was a moment when Rachel Gordin Barnett and Lyssa Kligman Harvey realized their worlds of history, culture and family were connected by food.

The self-described foodies were both on the board of Historic Columbia, engaged in preserving the city’s rich history. That led them down a path of looking at the city’s Jewish history.

And what they found was fascinating, they said. That history is the story of immigrants, merchants and business owners who helped lay a foundation for growth, and it is a story of people with distinctive food traditions that are steeped in family memories.

Harvey and Barnett knew it was history that needed to be recorded.

The result of that effort that began four years ago is a new book, “Kugels & Collards: Stories of Food, Family and Tradition in Jewish South Carolina.” The book unites family stories with family recipes for a collection that is as interesting a read as it is a book from which to cook.

The authors didn’t set out to write a cookbook, or any book for that matter, but what emerged from their efforts to record and preserve the Jewish history of South Carolina, was food.

Kreplach dumplings, challah, blintzes squash casserole are the supporting characters, an ever-present tie that binds people together, but it was also the piece that explains the interwoven and unique space occupied by Southern Jews.

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“I kind of think of it as an anthology in a way,” Barnett said. “And the recipes support the stories or maybe the stories support the recipes. Each recipe there is a deep story that goes with it, and I think the stories behind it is what makes it so fascinating.”

In reading through Barnett and Harvey’s book, you can hear the conversations around holiday tables, imagine the smells of Mimi’s brisket and taste the sweetness of Gloria Sloan’s Rugelach.

In taking the route of documenting history through food, the writers are bringing understanding through a shared human experience — eating.

South Carolina has a robust Jewish history. Jewish people began settling in Charleston in the 1600s, and by the 1700s, South Carolina had a larger Jewish population than New York. The number has dwindled, but the impact remains.

South Carolina Jewish culture is unique unto itself, Harvey and Barnett say, for its shared narrative of Southern food culture. On a holiday table you might find brisket alongside okra and tomatoes, grits, collard greens and biscuits alongside challah bread.

That narrative includes the stories of those who also influenced Southern Jewish food — namely non-Jewish neighbors but also the many African American women who were employed as cooks in households throughout the state.

In Harvey’s family, Annie Gailliard, a neighbor of Harvey’s grandparents, was also employed by them. Though Harvey’s grandmother kept a kosher kitchen with no cross contamination of meat and dairy, using only kosher meat and forbidding shellfish, the two women shared recipes.

“We found this often enough that we knew that the southern Jewish table probably doesn’t exist unless we have that influence from either neighbors or the African American women that cooked,” Barnett said. “We wanted to bring those women to the forefront and tell that story because they were the ones doing the cooking, and they were not the ones getting accolades a lot of times.”

Kugels & Collards began as a blog that documented oral histories and recipes. There are stories included from across South Carolina, including in Spartanburg, where Temple B’nai Israel Sisterhood held an annual bake sale, that always included Dot Frank’s sweet rolls, or “Butterflies.”

In Sumter, the Moses family grew up with artichoke pickles and pecan nut cake. In Eutawville, the Marcus family grew up with watermelon preserves, rice and gravy, fried chicken and fig preserves.

In Columbia, Harold “Groucho” Miller started Groucho’s Deli and made a name for himself with his potato salad, coleslaw and deli sandwiches, but his grandson also remembers his Russian-style blintzes.

It was a request Baileigh Wilson was hearing more and more from patrons of Juniper enjoying a cocktail — less boozy.

Now, Wilson has answered that request with a dedicated menu of “cocktails that have a lower level of the standard measurement “alcohol by volume.”

The list includes curated sips designed for balance of flavor and with a touch of the spirit but with a much lower alcohol content.

All are under 8 percent, versus a standard cocktail that might reach 14 percent or higher. The low-ABV concepts wasn’t new to Wilson, but creating them was.

Low-ABV cocktails have gained traction as a new sober-curious movement has emerged. The trend has been fueled by new drinkers who want to have a fun night out and a foodie experience while maintaining their health goals.

Globally, the low and no-alcohol market has grown. The market value of no/low alcohol products surpassed $11 billion in 2022, according to data from the beverage market analysis company, IWSR.

“During the pandemic, we were all locked in and people were drinking more,” Wilson said. “And so after that ...what research shows is alcohol consumption is decreasing in a way where people are trying to make healthier choices.”

While Juniper has always boasted a “mocktail” menu, the low-ABV options offer something just a bit different.

“There are a lot of non-alcoholic spirits and beers and wines being released,” Wilson said. “I wanted to play around with those but still keep the flavor profile, the true cocktail but spike it just a little bit.”

The James Island Public Service District owned the land and drafted an ordinance to sell the land to a developer in February.

JAMES ISLAND, S.C. (WCSC) - Residents of the Whitehouse Plantation neighborhood on James Island say they want to be involved and informed about all plans for the tract of land that backs up to their homes.

The 6.25-acre tract of land off Dills Bluff Road has been an undisturbed green space for years.

The James Island Public Service District owned the land and drafted an ordinance to sell the land to a developer in February.

Ken Godwin has lived in the neighborhood for nearly 50 years and enjoyed the trees and buffer area for that time.

“I’ve known about this particular property for quite a long period of time when it belonged to the public service district. They wanted to move their facilities over here, garbage trucks, officers and all this kind of stuff. I was opposed to it, numerous residents in the neighborhood were opposed to it. We feel that any new development back here should be single family residential only,” Godwin explains.

In March, homes within 500 feet of the land got a letter from the developer.

The letter, signed by KT Properties owner Kyle A. Taylor, invites the homeowners to two public meetings about developing the land. The letter proposes a mixed-use planned development with approximately 20 single-family homes and 20,000 to 25,000 square feet of commercial space.

John Montague-Blythe says he lives close to the edge of the neighborhood where the tract begins but he did not know about the meetings.

“I feel like wool has been pulled over my eyes, quite frankly. I came in and a person at town hall, while I was getting permits to have a pool building up in the back of our home, told me that they were developing that land she said have you heard about it?,” Montague-Blythe says. “Well, I’m four houses down in the street that’s outside of 500 feet.”

After missing the meetings and feeling out of the loop, neighbors are banding together to share their insight about the land.

Godwin wrote a petition that asks that any development be kept to just single-family homes to preserve the fabric of the neighborhood.

James Luby says he and Godwin will be knocking on doors to let all their neighbors know and see where they stand.

“We were blindsided. We weren’t told. And then all of a sudden. This spread like wildfire. I have a list of people with everything so we’re just gonna go for prepare for the next meeting. Get our petition going. Just get the word out. Because nobody likes it,” Luby says.

Sidonie Aten says she learned about the development while out on a walk and is now invested in making sure she follows the approval process.

“My husband and I were walking the neighborhood like we have done for years, and it’s the first time I heard about it. I still don’t completely understand where all of this is going,” Aten says.

Aten says she hopes other neighbors will sign their petition an join the group to find out what’s best for the neighborhood.

“I’m here mainly to find out exactly what’s going on and to follow up at every meeting that I possibly can to put the brakes on this. There’s too many families that have lived in this neighborhood, quiet peacefully, and we don’t need this and James Island does not need another car or any more traffic,” she says.

James Island Public Service District held a first reading of the proposed sale of the property in February of 2023. The second reading passed in March of 2023.

A week after a request for comment from KT properties about the residents’ complaints owner Kyle Taylor issued a statement. It reports that 18 and ten community members attended each of the two public meetings respectively. The letter says properties within 500 feet were notified “in excess of the 300 feet range typically required for public notices.”

Taylor calls the two meetings productive and notes that community participation exceeded expectations.

“As a result of the workshops, the development will not propose a cross-connection road with Whitehouse Plantation, the development will contain multiple stormwater management ponds for runoff retention and reduction,” the statement reads.

The developer also announces a third community workshop scheduled for Friday June 2nd at Town Hall (1122 Dill Bluff Road). At the workshop, information from prior meetings will be presented and the developer will answer questions.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.

JAMES ISLAND, S.C. (WCSC) - The James Island Public Service District will begin work to replace septic tanks and connect sewer lines to 199 properties as residents will be moved from septic to sewer lines.

People living in the Clarks Point neighborhood and along Oak Point Road will be moved from septic to sewer lines by December of 2026.

The total projected cost is about $10.3 million.

“So we’ve been at this since 2020. And that’s when the James Island Water Quality Task Force was created. So the James Island Creek was designated as an impaired waterway and the task force needed to start addressing the issues,” District Manager Dave Schaeffer says.

Director of Land Water Wildlife at the Coastal Conservation League, Riley Egger says septic tanks released decomposed matter that can be detrimental if disease causing bacteria makes its way into waterways.

“Septic tanks along the coastal zone especially can be particularly dangerous knowing that they face certain conditions from sea level rise from groundwater intrusion and just the challenges of living on the coastal zone,” Egger says.

Egger says the James Island grant is a good step in fixing one area that faces problems.

“When we set up septic tanks that are particularly dense right on the waterways, right on our wetlands, we’re really setting up the future to fail,” Egger says. “What we really need to do is consider septic tanks and where we place them more within the planning process and more of our regulations. The best way to prevent a septic tank from failing is before it ever it gets in the ground.”

The homes impacted by the district’s project can expect a letter detailing the plan in the coming months.

The federal money for the project had a deadline to be used by December of 2026. Schaeffer says it will take time to get proper and easements and estimates groundwork will begin toward the end of 2024.

“Obviously we have started already with preliminary engineering and surveying and the easements that are required and the permitting that is required. So that is a years long process,” he says.

Schaeffer says there will be public engagement sessions to answer questions for people who live on properties being connected so their questions will be answered over the course of the years long project.

“This is kind of like 199 mini projects. We have to work with each one of the homeowners as far as where the pump is going to go, where’s the power to be able to have the pump, to be able to get each one of those households on to the sanitary sewer system. It’s kind of an individual project,” Schaeffer explains.

The sewer lines will be laid underground, and a pump will replace each home’s connection to a septic tank.

“We’re the last utility going into these neighborhoods. So there’s already power and there’s already cable and water and things for us to hit. And so instead of trenching, open trenching, we have the technology to be able to bore through so that we’re not tearing up the roads and there’s less disturbance for the community,” Schaeffer says.

Schaeffer thanked the state representatives who lobbied for this money and says the district will continue to work to replace aging septic with lines as they are able in the coming years.

The cost breakdown is as follows:

Upcoming James Island Public Service District Wastewater meetings:

Meetings are located at Fire Station 1 on 1108 Folly Rd.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.

Storm surge from Tropical Storm Idalia flooded parts of Charleston, South Carolina Wednesday, breaching the town's seawall.

Powerful onshore winds of about 40 mph pushed water from the Atlantic onto the city streets of the historic city, according to FOX Weather meteorologist Steve Bender.

Idalia and king tides drown Charleston

A resident in a high rise had a unique perspective of the flooding across Charleston Wednesday night. Drivers wade through parking lots to get to their cars. Police cars leave a wake. Tropical Storm Idalia's storm surge and winds combined with the King Tides were no match for the seawall.

Images from Charleston show just how much the water had risen as the storm approached.

(Danica Goff / X / FOX Weather)

The National Weather Service in Charleston stated on Wednesday evening that water has breached the Charleston Battery, the seawall in Charleston. Major coastal flooding is being reported in downtown Charleston and Edisto Beach.

They added that tide levels in the Charleston Harbor reached over 9 feet. At Edisto, the dunes were breached with water flowing under homes and onto roadways.

(Katie Byrne / FOX Weather)

"This is a dangerous situation!" NWS Charleston posted Wednesday afternoon.

The following image taken in downtown Charleston, showing how much roads were covered by storm surge.

(@RoddyKnowles / X / FOX Weather)

WATCH: TORNADO SPAWNED BY HURRICANE IDALIA FLIPS CAR IN SOUTH CAROLINA

Further inland, roads were turned into impromptu rivers.

(@toastofcoast88 / X / FOX Weather)

HOW TO WATCH FOX WEATHER

In addition to flooding, the powerful winds reaching gusts of 50-65 mph knocked over trees.

(@CharlestonPD / X / FOX Weather)

The water levels in Charleston are the 5th highest water levels ever reported in the city, according NWS Charleston. They added that the records date back to 1921.

The high water levels are the result of a number of factors. The FOX Forecast Center said that the combination of Idalia, swells from Franklin and the influences from the stage of the moon are creating the perfect event for flooding around Charleston and other low-lying communities in the Carolinas.

HURRICANE IDALIA'S LANDFALL IN FLORIDA DURING FULL MOON STILL INCREASE STORM SURGE THREAT

"Tides are higher than normal right now due to the full moon," noted Greg Diamond, FOX Forecast Center senior meteorologist. "That is the main differentiator here. It's why weaker Tropical Storm Idalia is producing water levels up there with the stronger and larger Matthew and Irma."

JAMES ISLAND — Charleston Water System is investigating a sewer main break on Harborview Road that poured unknown amounts of wastewater into James Island Creek.

This is the second time in three years that a break occurred in this area.

Environmentalists say the repeated frequency, combined with current bacteria concerns, suggest better system maintenance is needed, along with riddance of septic tanks adjacent to the creek.

A contract diver discovered on the afternoon of March 9 that two pipes had separated, causing the leak.

A fisherman notified the water utility March 8 of the underwater break in the water below the Julian Thomas Buxton Jr. Bridge. It took time for inspection crews to get to the site because of the tides, but the pumps were turned off shortly after, said Mike Saia, a spokesman for the utility.

Shutting off the pumps eliminated the release of additional wastewater into the water system.

This sewer main manages wastewater from a broad area of the James Island Public Service District and parts of unincorporated Charleston County. The same one broke about three years ago in the marsh but closer to Plum Island. It took a number of days to repair.

The breaks are a big concern, said Andrew Wunderley, executive director at Charleston Waterkeeper.

“It’s an established problem with bacteria pollution at James Island Creek from human sources and other sources, as well,” he said. “Any additional bacteria discharge in a creek is a concern of course.”

Charleston Waterkeeper consistently tests the quality of a number of waterbodies in the Lowcountry, including James Island Creek. The waterkeepers sample for bacteria as an indicator of the possible presence of pathogens.

Persistently high bacteria levels have been identified in the James Island Creek, mainly in the Folly Road area. Wunderley said any input of bacteria is a problem.

It is a challenge for iron pipes to survive long-term in soft environments like the marshy parts of Charleston. Saia said Charleston Water System is considering grant funding to help replace the James Island pipes that have seen two breaks in three years.

This notion is good progress, Wunderley said, “but I think we need to accelerate that project.”

“Whatever needs to be done to bump that up in the priority list, they need to be thinking about it,” he added.

A vactor truck was on site March 9 to pump down the wet wells and pump stations at both sides of the break. Because of this, no additional wastewater will spill into the creek, Saia said. The utility is working on a plan to repair the pipes.

People are urged to avoid swimming, fishing or using the area for other recreational activities until further notice.

Interruptions to customers’ service is not expected while assessments and repairs are made. No road closures have been announced.

In the meantime, people can do like the fisherman on March 8, and report possible main breaks. It’s helpful in identifying them and stopping the wasterwater spills.