Saturday, October 24th, A Snappy Event will host the 6th annual Mac Off competition from 2 to 7 p.m. at The Grove at Patriots Point in Mount Pleasant, located at 40 Patriots Point Road. Yours truly will be one of the critics in the “Critic’s Choice” competition this year. I get to judge a mac & cheese contest! All my dreams are coming true.

*swoon*

No other food combines love, comfort, and Southern roots like mac and cheese. This melt in your mouth mainstay is a classic that is served as a side dish, a pasta entrée, a casserole, fried appetizer or even dessert on many Charleston menus. The Mac Off gives tribute to our Southern love of this versatile cheesy dish and seeks to crown the best of the best in Charleston.

Last year, 6,000 people gathered to sample traditional and gourmet offerings of mac and cheese and award bragging rights to “The Best Mac & Cheese” in Charleston. This year, local restaurants and chefs will compete for the title again.

Event attendees will have the opportunity to savor over 20 delectable macaroni and cheese samples and cast a vote for their favorite at the end of the event. A guest panel of local celebrity judges will also choose their favorite and present two awards at the end of the competition: Best Mac and Cheese in Charleston: Food Critics Choice (which I will be judging!), and Best Mac and Cheese in Charleston: People’s Choice.

Some of this year’s participating competitors include Roti Rolls, Bohemian Bull, The Loophole, Southerly Restaurant and Patio, Cherrywood BBQ & Ale House, The Fish House, Charleston Artisan Cheese House, Smoky Oak, The Shelter among others.

However, macaroni and cheese isn’t the only attraction at the festival. This year live music will be provided by Banana Pancakes and Bootless, our second-annual Home Grown Cooks competition will showcase local home chefs, and this year the Mac Off takes mac and cheese eating to a whole new level with the first macaroni and cheese eating competition sponsored by Charleston Artisan Cheese House. Attendees will also enjoy a farmer’s market-inspired Vendor Village hosting local artisans and craftsmen and a Kid’s Zone sponsored by Annie’s Nannies and HOPE Acres Rescue.

Tickets are $10.00 in advance and can be purchased online at www.charlestonmacoff.com. Food and Beverage tickets will be sold for $1.00 within the event. Tickets can be used to purchase Mac and Cheese, Beer, Wine and Soda. Part of the proceeds from this event will benefit Lowcountry Local First, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that seeks to cultivate an environment of success for local independent businesses and farmers. Through its Buy Local, Eat Local and Local Works Initiatives, LLF raises awareness about the positive fiscal and societal benefits of supporting a local living economy and assists local businesses with enhancing their growth and visibility.

Last year’s Food Film Festival was one of the coolest events I’ve ever experienced, and this year is bound to be even better! For those of you not in “the know,” the Food Film Festival is a multi-city (Charleston, NYC, and Chicago), “multisensory food and film experience,” that allows viewers to actually taste the foods they’re watching on screen. This year’s event will take place from November 11-13 at the new Cedar Room at the Cigar Factory, which I’m super pumped about. Use code QUEEN15 to save 15% on your tickets!

Hold on to your napkins, erribody. Photo via Food Film Festival

The 3-day festival kicks off with an exclusive opening night world premiere screening of the Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown – Charleston, presented by CNN. There will also be films featuring Summerville’s Perfectly Franks and the Holy City’s exploding brewery scene. The full schedule of events and ticket information will be announced soon, but in the meantime here’s a look at the films expected to be be screened during the festival:

The Events

I am that guy. And that girl. And everyone in the audience.

Wednesday – 11/11 – 7pm

I really don’t think I could be more excited.

The World Premiere of Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown – Charleston, SC
Presented by CNN
The Food Film Festival and CNN invite you to come taste what you see in this special World Premiere of the Charleston episode of Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown before it airs on tv. From Rodney Scott’s whole hog to Sean Brock’s personal Waffle House tasting menu, this is an evening you won’t want to miss.
Film: Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown – Charleston, SC
After-party featuring a whole-hog roast by Rodney Scott of Scott’s BBQ, a special tasting menu from Waffle House and more!
Tickets & Info – Use code QUEEN15 to save 15%!

Thursday – 11/12 – 7pm

Edible adventures are my favorite kind of adventure.

Edible Adventure #014
The 14th installment of the Edible Adventure series includes films about the Charleston Craft Beer scene, free-range pig farming in Italy, Spanish Caviar and everything in between.
Films: Ca’lumaco, Cuda, Cultured Craft Beer, Growing Local: Seeding a Dream, Sollo.
After-party featuring Perry Cuda’s famous hot dogs from Perfectly Franks, locally crafted brews from Coast, Homegrown Brewhouse with Frothy Beard Brewhouse Company, Holy City Brewery, Edmund’s Oast, and Palmetto, paired with select dishes by Home Team BBQ, Closed 4 Business, Craftsmen Tap House, and Edmund’s Oast.
Tickets & Info – Use code QUEEN15 to save 15%!

Friday – 11/13 – 7pm

Ditto food porn.

The Food Porn Party
Presented by In The Raw
The Food Porn Party returns for another steamy night of Extreme Eats and Culinary Close-Ups.
VIP party by Tavern & Table.
Films: Balls, Choco Thriller, Food, Friends, and Family, Fork and Beans: Gluten-Free Moon Pie, Gin Tonic Black, La Botanique des Amours, Pasta with Ratatouille, Rosemary Gin Smash, Slowberry, The Cut, The Spalding Oyster.
After-party featuring sweet and savory treats from The Lot, Vanilla Bean, Warehouse, and Mirabelle Bakery.
Tickets & Info – Use code QUEEN15 to save 15%!

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit the official website.

A new Earth Fare store (#39) is opening in Summerville! This is their newest store and 2nd in the Charleston area, the first of which is across from my new office in South Windermere (btw, did you know it was the 2nd ever Earth Fare franchise? Now you do! You’re welcome.) I had a chance to stop by and preview the store before it opened, and let me tell you: It is beautiful! It’s 23,000 square feet of healthy, organic glory that will inspire you to eat better and live a healthier lifestyle.

Look how fancy!

Earth Fare prides itself on its high quality standards, which includes no high-fructose corn syrup; no artificial fats, colors, flavors, preservatives, or sweeteners; no antibiotics or synthetic growth hormones in the meat; and no bleached or bromated flour. The Earth Fare in West Ashley was built in the 90’s, so although it is still perfectly good, it is lacking some of the aesthetic charm that the new store has. I’ll touch on some of my favorite features:

Scoop Your Own Ravioli

I would like ALL THE RAVIOLI

And they have a flavor called “mac and cheese ravioli.” Uuuuh, yes please.

Scoop Your Own Bath Salts

Not the kind that make you eat your friend’s face. The relaxing kind.

Sweet citrus, fresh mint, handmade soap…. My bath is going to be so luxurious!

Scoop Your Own Candy

Hello bulk candy, let me introduce you to my hips.

But it’s healthy candy, so it’s basically a vegetable.

Scoop Your Own Bulk Grains & Nuts

Granola, and oatmeal, and grits, Oh my!

Ok, mostly I think I just like scooping things

Try Before You Buy

Now I don’t have to sit here and pretend that I know what sorpressata tastes like.

One thing I really love about Earth Fare is that they know how overwhelming it can be to make the transition from the big brands to smaller, healthier brands. You’re not sure you’re going to like a certain product, and that makes you hesitant to buy it. Earth Fare takes the mystery out of the whole experience. They’ll happily open any product on the shelves and let you try it to make sure you’re buying something that you’ll actually enjoy.

Find the Perfect Cheese

Oh, my cheesus.

So many cheeses, so little time. Plus, if they don’t care a cheese you’re looking for, they can special order it (as long as it comes from one of their approved vendors & follows their healthy rules).

Natural Beauty

Beauty also starts from the outside in.

Because you should be just as concerned with what you’re putting on your body as what you’re putting in it.

$6 Meal Deals

Did I mention they have free wifi?

Pretty much any day of the week, you can stop by Earth Fare and get dinner for $6, featuring select menu items on different days like rotisserie chickens, pizza, and more!

Local Coffee & Tea

Coffee coffee coffee buzz buzz buzz

Grind Your Own Nut Butters & Pour Your Own Syrup

Plus, I love me some chunky peanut butter.

Pretty sure I still have a bottle of agave syrup that I bought in early 2010, so I think pouring my own might be a better alternative (and also I should really throw that old container out).

Man, I wish I lived closer to Summerville!

The new store opens on Wednesday morning, and they’re hosting a grand opening party at 7 am on 9/23 (ribbon cutting at 6:45 am). The first 100 people in line will get a gift card of varying values up to $500! There will be product demos, live music, raffles, activities for the kids, and more!

Don’t feel like waking up early to wait in line? No worries! I’m giving away a $25 Earth Fare gift card. Enter to win below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

UPDATE: Congrats to Kendra Nangle who won the $25 gift card!

My social media friend/nemesis Christian Senger of Holy City Sinner is hosting his own Bartending Night at Tabbuli West on Saturday, Sept. 12. From 7-10 p.m. Christian will be slinging up specialty cocktails (with tips benefiting Charleston Pride) for guests to enjoy alongside Tabbuli West’s menu of Mediterranean cuisine and fruity-flavored Hookah offerings. Tips will be donated to  I’ll be out of town, but I’ll be attending in spirit! Show up with your Instagram & Twitter accounts ready to tag #HolyCitySlinger and @TabbuliWest for the chance to win Holy City Sinner swag.

The man, the myth…the mixologist?

Friends and fans coming to support the Holy City Sinner will have their choice of five unique libations for $6.50 each including Pomegranate Lemonade, Blue Mule, Tabbuli Sunset, Bourbon Navel and the signature cocktail of the evening– Holy City Sinner Sangria featuring habanero vodka, pomegranate puree and Mediterranean red wine. Christian will be accepting tips all evening for his mixology skills, with all proceeds benefitting Charleston Pride. Patrons can also choose from Tabbuli West’s vast selection of appetizers, dips, skewers, pitas, and pizzas including the restaurant’s signature Classic Gyro with caramelized onions and house-made tzatziki sauce.

Happy Friday! It’s the weekend and that means you should be out living it up and enjoying the fact that there are 2 whole days between now and when you have to be back at work. A good way to celebrate the weekend is by drinking a great tasting cocktail. But the best way to celebrate the weekend is by drinking a great tasting cocktail that raises money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation!

I’ll take 4, please.

Head over to Tavern & Table between now & Labor Day (9/7) to order the Breath of Fresh Air cocktail (Honeysuckle vodka by Cathead Vodka, fresh squeezed grapefruit, San Peligrino & muddled strawberry), and enjoy your weekend knowing you can let off steam and raise money for a great cause all at the same time.

If there’s one thing that I love more than a dinner party, it’s a themed dinner party.

Themed *costume* dinner party?! I die.

Dîner en Blanc is just that. A secret pop-up picnic where all the guests wear white and supply the following:

1. A table, two (white) chairs, and white tablecloth.
2. A picnic basket with food*, stemware, and white (surprise!) dinnerware.
   *There will also be an option to get pre-order food, which can be picked up at the site (participating restaurants are TBD).
3. Champagne or wine. Beer and hard liquor are a big “no no.”

And in October it will hopefully be much less humid.

Think of it as a giant picnic with your best friends who just happen to basically be the entire city of Charleston. There will be great food, dancing,  champagne, and sparklers. I’m so excited and it’s going to be so much fun! The Charleston event is happening on Thursday, October 15th, 2015, so mark your calendars!

And did I mention the sparklers??

Get more info and join the waitlist now!

So we won’t get quiiiiite the same backdrop, but the Eiffel Tower is overrated anyway.