Lowcountry

You stare directly into the eyes of a goat. Nicely settled on the top of the his castle, ten steps up from the garden wilting away for the winter. A few minutes earlier, in your pursuit to make friends with a chicken, you are pecked on the hand. Maybe a sign of love or maybe he didn’t like his feathers ruffled. Now for the reason, we came in, wine, vodka and moonshine. Step through the gift shop and experience Charleston’s winery experience.

This is the home of Irvin House Vineyards. Starting as a retirement project over a decade ago, this unique experience just outside of Charleston, James Island and John’s Island is a haven for wine enthusiasts, vodka lovers, animal fans and so much more. Only 25 minutes outside of the city, this is one attraction that keeps you coming back for more.

What makes this experience so unique and wonderful and a perfect addition to the Charleston landscape?

• For five dollars, you get to sample each of their five wines produced and take the glass home with you (Types of Wines)
• For six dollars, you can sample six flavored vodka, bourbon or moonshine offerings from the Firefly Distillery. There are selections you can only purchase here and not in the stores.
• Walk through the vineyard and taste the muscadine grapes.
• Play corn hole or play on the tire swing in the back.
• Have a picnic on the grass with the family or a loved one.
• Take your picture with your face in a batch of grapes.
• Play with the free roaming animals.
• Walk through the magic garden area.
• Watch the process of wine making take place.
• Find unique gifts in the gift shop.

Have we convinced you yet?

Here is a little more to whet your appetite. On special weekends, you will find live music from bluegrass to blues making it the perfect setting for a day out of the crazy downtown life including the 11th Annual Blessing of the Vines Festival on November 9th, 2013.

The vineyard is open for tastings Tuesday through Saturday from 10 AM to 5 PM EST. They are also available for special events as well (Schedule of Available Tastings)

The driveway is a little rough and rugged so don’t bring the good family car.

This is a fun and playful place for adults and children alike. If you have not been to the vineyard, schedule a half a day. If you have, come back again for another round.

Where is it located?

Address
Irvin-House Vineyards
6775 Bears Bluff Rd.
Wadmalaw Island, SC 29487
843-559-6867

Email if you have any questions:

info@charlestonwine.com

Meet Tina, the passion behind Mudd Pie Girl Bakery, a true culinary gift to Charleston.

Let us for a moment take a trip down memory lane, when young Tina was no more than two years old, curious and full of wonder. She would sit under the willow tree telling stories formulating in her head to the neighborhood dog, Pokey and make Mudd Pies. Coming from a long lineage of bakers, baking has always been a happy haven for Tina and she is so excited about sharing her secrets with all of Charleston.

The opportunity to become a business owner and spend each and every day doing something she loves while seeing the smiles on the patrons faces is a dream come true. Like most business owners, the risk is high, sometimes life hands you signs and you just know. From the first batch of mud to the exquisite treats she prepares for humans and dogs alike, Tina knows what she is doing is important. Her top priority is meeting the needs of her customers. Through her retail business and catering, she understands the customer and develops bakers delights based on their personal needs and preferences.

How did Tina take on this giant leap in her personal and professional career? The only way she knows how, all or nothing. Her advice to aspiring business owners:

• Save now. It is an expensive endeavor.
• It isn’t about the experience or the education as it is the belief you can succeed.
• The business will consume your life. Long hours will become a part of your way of being and should be expected.
• Never lose sight of the dream that got you there in the first place.
• Differentiate yourself from your competition. Remember what got you there and make it your own.

How is Mudd Pie Girl Bakery Different?

• They love baking. Pies, if you couldn’t tell are the true bread and butter, but this business is a full service bakery. There is no request that will go unturned. If an great idea is introduced to Tina, she will find a way to make it delicious and memorable.
• Think outside the box. Dessert for breakfast, why not. One example is the Orangecicle Muffin. That name speaks for itself.
• Attention to detail and quality of products. Each and every menu item or personal request for special occasions, catering or retail are developed to the needs and standards of the customer. Whether it is a gluten sensitivity or a sugar restriction, each project is taken on with personal ownership.

What inspires your creations?

Menu items are rarely planned. It may be taking a traditional favorite and making it unique or an idea will come up in a conversation that spins off into a magical creation. The true inspiration is the pallets of those that glow each time they eat one of Tina’s treats. Seeing the smiles and satisfied appetites is what keeps her coming in each day to bake before the sun rises.

Mudd Pie is proud of its dog treat line of products that are inspired by her own four legged children. Baker loves crunchy biscuits, so Baker’s Biscuits came to life. Oak is a big husky dog and always preys on leftovers and thus Oak’s Oats was born. Buddy is the elder dog and does not have the strong teeth he used to. He helped develop the soft and easy to eat banana bar.

How can someone enjoy all your wonderful menu offerings?

• The retail store is currently partnered with How Art Thou Cafe at 1956 Maybank Highway, James Island (Terrance Theater Plaza). You can stop by as early as 6:30 AM and as late as 10 PM but don’t come on Sunday. They will not let you in the door as they are closed.
• Don’t let that get you down. The bakery is part of the Sunday Brunch Farmers Market on James Island each week and will be part of the James Island County Park annual Harvest Festival on November 2.
• They are proud to provide full catering options as well. You can email or contact Tina directly for details – Mudd Pie Girl Official Website

What is next as you reach for the stars?

The long-term goal is to open a second location and then bring the magic back to Tina’s hometown of Newtown, Connecticut. Devastated by one of the most tragic events in our country’s history on December 14, 2012, the shootings in the elementary school, near her hometown has weighed heavy on Tina’s heart. If she can take something that is special to her and bring happiness to a community left with so many unanswered questions, it is the best she can do and a personal goal she would like to fulfill.

Meeting Tina will bring you joy. Her zest for life, passion for baking and ability to understand and connect to her customers it what makes her story so special and what will make her bakery such a stand out in this community. Whether it is a brownie, muffin, pie or cupcake, stop by her bakery. Say hello, take a seat at the bar, have a latte and spend sometime with Tina and her creations.

Kahlan – Irish origin meaning “Strong Leader”

Behind those soft eyes, long legs and fiery dance moves behind the bar at Market Street Saloon in downtown Charleston, SC lies a beautiful soul with tremendous depth and a mission to achieve greatness. Currently, a finalist in the Charleston Hottest Bartender competition and lead vote getter, Kahlan sees this competition as an important stepping stone toward reaching her dreams and following the wishes of her father who passed away last October. Now a year later, she is on the verge of looking up at the stars and keeping a promise to make him proud.

A recent transplant to Charleston, Kahlan sees the importance of this competition for the city, Market Street Saloon, herself and her childhood.

Charleston has been a special place for Kahlan since she was a young girl. Her family would take her to the beaches of Sullivan’s Island and it was so beautiful that it felt like home.

As she let her feet touch the sand as she ran into the first waves crashing down from the powerful ocean, she recalls a place where “no one judges you because your dreams are too big or small”. Being able to wake up to the sun rising over the ocean is a dream and an inspiration to reach her goals. Being recognized as the Top City in the World and the United States is more motivation to want to represent this city with pride.

Why is winning this competition important to you and the Market Street Saloon?

• Kahlan is from Columbia, SC and she wants to show her hometown she can do it and do it with her saloon girls.
• This competition will have a direct connection to a new MTV show and winning would thrust her closer to her career aspirations.
• This win would not just be for the Market Street Saloon, but all the businesses on Market Street that support each other each and every day.
• There is so much support from family and friends that it would mean so much for them to be a part of the excitement in celebration.

Who is Kahlan Michelle Shull?

Kahlan is a spirit fueled by the light and energized by life. She is passionate, caring, warm, playful, talented and would be a wonderful symbol of Charleston and the hospitality industry that serves as such a critical part of the landscape of Charleston.

At the age of twenty-one, most of us are still trying to figure out what to have for breakfast and what major to focus on in college. Not Kahlan who has:

• Been awarded Miss North Charleston Teen 2007
• Auditioned for American Idol
• Ran track for seven years, volleyball for four and worked for 93.5 radio
• Attended modeling school for a year while she was thirteen (13)
• Is an entertainer from head to toe: Contemporary singer, runaway model, hula hoopist, dancer and actress
• Won a competition senior year in high school for developing and presenting an international business model to a panel of business CEO’s

To meet Kahlan is to love the her. She is and ambitious, driven independent woman; a little girl that wants to play; a talented entertainer; a daughter, a friend and a lover.

It is is this love for Charleston coupled with her natural beauty that will put her center stage to represent Market Street Saloon, Charleston and the wonderful culture this city offers.

Next time you see Kahlan on the street or at work behind the bar, give her a hug. Not because she lost her father, not because she is a warm cuddly sweetheart, but because she represents all that is good in Charleston. It is her genuine happiness that is an insignia of what Charleston represents.

Vote Today for Charleston’s Hottest Bartender

This is Charleston

It is a rainbow of infinite memories
From the early settlers to the pioneers of tomorrow

Sailboats raise a symbol to the sky as the wind guides them offshore creating a finely stitched canvas of white clouds and ocean blue

From the tips of the church steeples reaching to the heavens, to the remains of our forefathers resting in the sacred burials, Charleston is a blessing and gift

In its wonder, we are taken back in time to cobblestone roads, horse drawn carriages and southern hospitality as sweet as nectar on pecan pie

Once a shipping ground for slavery and inequality; now a harmonious settlement of integration, culture, dining and hospitality

Each morning, the sun rises over the harbor and welcomes a new day with open arms

Streets filled with life, the sound of music and aromas to warm the soul

This is Charleston

It is home to the world

Defining a global appeal, an artist sees a city with a marriage of nature and skyline beauty becoming one
Painting in his head a true masterpiece
Now this canvas, resting peacefully on the coast, is laden in strokes of reds and blues
Always in flux as patrons pay homage to the city we love

This is Charleston

From the laughter of the children in the fountain, to the love of an elderly couple embracing on the sand, this is heart of all that is good

This is Charleston; where the heart of the south reminds you of the beauty of life

Last evening at the Woolfe Street Playhouse in downtown Charleston, we were taken through a time warp to the Roaring Twenties for an evening in the world of Jay Gatsby.

Inspired by The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1925, The Woolfe Street Playhouse was the perfect setting and back drop for this gala event.

Under the stars, the night was filled with unique drinks, food from Vietnamese to sliders to sushi, flapper dresses, fedoras and a carefree attitude filled with dance and laughter, the Woolfe Street Playhouse and Yelp brought us back to a time when life was filled with elegance, dancing and drinking. A time when the wealthy were not just about the dollar value, but how hard they could party until dawn.

Yelp Goes Gatsby was a celebration of life. It was a costume party, a theme party and a gathering of people with one common goal: Party like it’s 1925.

From the moment you stepped into the theater, you were instantly greeted with outfits of class and style, fine art, music, cigarette girls and a wide array of drinks and shots to help loosen and liven the mood.

Like a cinematic flashback, 2013 Charleston turned into the roaring streets of 1925 Charleston. We all had money, we all had class, we all had style. This was our night. Each and every one of us were special.

Charleston is a special town that embraces all that is good. Often times, we gather together for a cause and a reason to laugh, converse and dance. This night was no exception. Not only was this night focused on the Roaring Twenties, but partnered to raise money for a very worthy cause.

A number of very generous businesses and restaurants helped make this night possible and this collective effort, helped this evening go off without a flaw.

From the walk down the red carpet to the final drink of the night, A Night of Gatsby was truly a night of memories to last.

Thank you F. Scott Fitzgerald
Thank you Woolfe Street Playhouse
Thank you to The 827
Thank you to Yelp

Most of all, Thank you Charleston for being a town that embraces creativity and community.

Video Montage of Yelp Does Gatsby