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On Yesterday’s Tragedy

August 24, 2017

2 years ago, when 9 of my neighbors lost their lives at bible study, I was horrified that such hatred existed in the world. I was heartbroken, but was able to find reassurance at the same time by the response of the Charleston community. I didn’t know anyone who lost their life in that tragedy, so I was able to feel removed from it, to a certain extent.

Yesterday was different.


One of the things I love about my job is being able to meet members of the food & bev industry in Charleston and learning about what makes them tick. What their passions are. Why they love what they do. Every person is unique, and although I only interact with them for a short period of time, they leave an impact on me.

That’s why yesterday hit me so much harder.

I met Shane Whiddon last August while tasting the new breakfast menu at Virginia’s on King. When he came out to speak to me, I could tell he was the kind of person who was uncomfortable talking about himself; he was a bit reserved, but kind, friendly, and smiled throughout our entire 10-minute interaction. He got most animated when talking about his family, growing up eating fried chicken with his grandmother and how he wanted to be able to pass that tradition onto young sons. The breakfast menu at Virginia’s was very good, but what lingered on for me and what made an impression during my experience there was how passionate Shane was.

I don’t understand the kind of anger someone has to carry in their heart to take the life of someone else. It hurts me to my core.

Much like after the Charleston 9 tragedy, I take solace in the fact that the community of Charleston is close knit and treats each other like family. I’ve seen so many posts from different individuals and businesses that give me hope that love is much more prevalent than hate. There’s still a lot of hate: I’ve seen a lot of it today in comment threads, but I choose to think of those people as the exception, rather than the rule.

So rather than sink down into a negativity spiral, I’m going to post some messages from Charleston community that showcase what I love so much about this city and hope that we can heal together.

I don’t know when or if Virginia’s will open their doors again, but if they do, I will be there to order some of Chef Whiddon’s fried chicken and toast to his legacy.

He will be missed.

2 Comments

Sydney is the founder of Queen of the Food Age, a regionally recognized food blog that her mother insists is the greatest thing she’s ever read. Sydney spends her free time reading and writing but not doing arithmetic because numbers confuse her. Generally you can find her laughing at goofy videos on YouTube, taking Instagrams of her food while at dinner with friends, or singing really bad Journey karaoke.

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  • Virginia's On King - Queen of the Food Age August 24, 2017 at 4:35 pm

    […] Update 8/24: Today Virginia’s on King’s Chef, Shane Whiddon lost his life to a disgruntled employee. In respect to his legacy, I will not change this post. You can read my thoughts on this tragic loss here. […]

  • Meg Taylor August 25, 2017 at 2:05 pm

    Thank you for sharing this beautifully-written post as well as the link to the GoFundMe. What a senseless act of violence in our community.