Last month, members of our team traveled to Greenville with the South Carolina Department of Agriculture (SCDA) for Euphoria.
Euphoria is spread across the Upstate of South Carolina and is known for good music and great food. SCDA is involved to show visitors and South Carolinians alike that good food really does taste better when it’s local. With more than 25 Fresh on the Menu restaurants represented at the festival, everyone at Euphoria got to experience the local, fantastic flavors of South Carolina.
First up was Feast by the Field — a smorgasbord of delicious food, drinks and music complete with a competition stage and demos by the South Carolina Chef Ambassadors. By partnering with Discover SC, we teamed up to show off what makes South Carolina great from the beaches to the BBQ and everything in between. Not only did we highlight Certified South Carolina produce and products, we showcased what makes our state a destination for visitors every year. Matt Lee and Ted Lee, known as the Lee Bros., emceed the kitchen stage as the 2019 Chef Ambassadors shared the stories behind their food and the Certified SC products and produce that make their recipes stand out.
The 2019 Chef Ambassadors are from across South Carolina and do a great job bringing their own style to their dishes while showing off the flavors of our state. Euphoria attendees were treated to bites from Chef Jessica Shillato of Spotted Salamander, Chef Marc Collins of Circa 1886, Chef Tania Harris of The Lazy Goat, Chef Brandon Carter of FARM and Chef Kelly Vogelheim of Town Hall.
Feast by the Field is a fast-paced event, with food demos and taste testing keeping the audience entertained and fed! It truly is so powerful to be able to share where the food in front of you comes from — being able to trace the food back to the farm in South Carolina where it originated. Our team loves sharing the day with Certified South Carolina and Fresh on the Menu followers, showing them just how delicious local food is while bringing them along for the #euphoriaGVL trip. Supporting local farmers is so important in our state, and events like these help showcase the great things SCDA is doing for farmers across the state.
When people leave Feast by the Field with bellies full of Certified South Carolina food, we hope that they have also gained an appreciation for local, fresh ingredients supplied by farmers in our state.
Next up was Sunday Supper, where attendees dine on multiple courses packed with Certified South Carolina ingredients. With our 2019 Chef Ambassadors in the kitchen, guests ate fresh ingredients including Manchester Farms quail, Split Creek Farm goat cheese and Bluffton Oyster Company oysters.
One of the most satisfying parts of working with SCDA is seeing how diners react to the Certified SC goodness. Each dish served was Fresh on the Menu, meaning that at least 25% of the ingredients were from South Carolina. The Chef Ambassadors provided one delicious dish after another, with each plate arriving at the tables to ooohs and aaaahs from the diners.
Events like these allow us to showcase the great work our farmers do every day. When you purchase Certified South Carolina produce and products, you are putting the money right back into the state that we love. In South Carolina, local is a lifestyle — woven into everything from the cotton you wear to the food on your table.
Don’t forget to use at least 25% Certified SC ingredients the next time you’re cooking at home. And when you’re dining out, pick a Fresh on the Menu restaurant near you. Also, if you want to find out what’s in-season visit CertifiedSCGrown.com and follow Certified SC on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.