Soaking it all in

This story was originally printed in the Dec./Jan. 2015 edition of Liberty Life Magazine. Daufuskie Island Rum Company will be celebrating their first year in business this December and owners Anthony Chase and his newlywed wife Kristi are still in awe of just how successful their little venture has become. During a somewhat rainy October afternoon, Chase greets a group of visitors who came to tour his 1,500 square foot business and distillery. He glances at the large group gathered in the foyer and can barely contain his excitement. “Those push pins represent where people live right now and we’ve had visitors from 48 different states already,” Chase says pointing to two different maps on the wall of his tasting room. He says they are only missing guests from South Dakota and Alaska. “And we’ve already had visitors from 38 different countries as well,” he adds. “It’s been pretty remarkable to see the number of people who actually come to Daufuskie Island…we have about 300 people ...

Mead is similar to wine except instead of being derived from fermented grapes it is made from fermented honey, water and yeast. The first time I ever heard of and tasted Mead was at the the Savannah Bee Company. “It is the oldest form of alcohol that exists,” Savannah Bee Company’s Broughton Street location Mead bar manager Laurie Garner said during an interview I did with her for a magazine story years ago. “It predates wine by about 6,000 years,” Chelsea Miller added. She was at the River Street location working as the Mead bar manager. “The way it all started was that people crushed the (honey) combs to extract the honey and they would throw the empty combs in buckets which would then collect with rain water. Someone thought to add yeast,” Garner explained. “And somebody was lucky enough to take a sip of it and they called it the nectar of the Gods.” Miller said there are about 50 types of Mead recognized by the American Mead Association and the Savannah Bee Company carries an...

From the carpeting that lines the parking lot to the hundreds of pictures that give life to its interior walls, much can be said about the eclectic look of the Old School Diner. But it is more than just the ambiance that lures Coastal Georgia residents and tourists to the hidden gem. And while the perfectly cooked shrimp, saucy ribs and delectable hush puppies are what people hem and haw over, it’s the man behind the food who truly symbolizes the restaurant’s soul. The eatery is nestled along the bend of the South Newport River, not far from the pristine Harris Neck Wildlife Refuge. Chef Jerome Brown doesn’t just think of his diner as a place to have a meal. It is his home away from home, and — should they need a special sanctuary — his customers’ home as well. Those who frequent the restaurant are not just closed-out bar tabs and paid receipts — he sees them as members of his family. Born in Waycross, Webster Tyrone Jerome Brown cultivated his cooking skills at the Buccaneer Club...

The best thing about Coastal Georgia is the easy access to fresh local seafood. Locals tend to know where you can find the tastiest places offering up fresh dock-to-diner delights. Some of these best kept secrets are nearby, tucked away off Highway 17 near Shellman’s Bluff. These no frills diners have been around for quite some time, a testament to the scrumptious meals they place before their patrons. Some are well-known to visitors from around the world, simply by word of mouth. You may have to ask for directions and be willing to venture a little bit further off the beaten path but the meals, atmosphere and southern hospitality makes it all worthwhile. We stopped in and had a meal at two of these hidden gems. We also spoke to a few locals who offered up a few more suggestions within the area. The Fish Dock at Pelican Point, Crescent Formerly called Pelican Point Restaurant, The Fish Dock has been pleasing palates since 1986 when Michael Phillips opened the eatery that sits o...

Summer is here and time to get beach body ready...right? Hell no, not me. Let me tell you my summer fun plans. This summer I plan to use my food processor and slow cooker more often and truly expand my food palette. I'm going to dust off all my cook books and make my grocery lists. Heck maybe even splurge and buy a new stove and oven. What? No plans to hit the gym harder and fit into that new tankini? Hell no! And luckily for you I don't own a tankini or any beach wear right now. Come on people. We are halfway through June. Before you know it, it's back to school time and fall. Why bother to get in shape to just lie out in the hot sun, get sand in places you shouldn't and swallow salt water as you fight ripe tides? It's way too hot for that nonsense. It’s too much pressure to work that hard for three months (less than that now) of possible beach time. It’s more likely that you'll spend weekends mowing the lawn or running from thunder storms than l...

My mom had a pretty good health scare around Memorial Day Weekend. It scared the whole family actually. There is nothing that makes your heart sink worse than getting a phone call from your brother saying they are headed to the emergency room. Mom looked weak, pale and fragile. She had severe pneumonia and the added stress also led to a mild heart attack. She was placed in ICU but within three days, moved to a regular room for one night and then released. I was planning to visit mom and dad for Memorial Day weekend anyway, but the call ramped me into full gear and soon my three dogs and I were Chattanooga bound. My parents are up there in years, both 89, and up until this incident mom was relatively healthy. Dad too. Luckily the fact that they eat well and live right meant my mom was soon on the road to recovery. My dad and I learned to monitor her medications, prep the nebulizer treatments and make sure her oxygen lines were clear and everything was running smoothly. But mom...

What’s not to love about the Fourth of July? Well the smell of burning hair might be one thing. Typically scorched hair isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when you think of a fun family gathering celebrating the summer holiday. I come from a big family. And this particular summer the Fourth of July party was going to be in our backyard. I lived in a two story house in Little Havana, which is actually in Miami, Fla., not Cuba. It was a section of Miami where a large group of Cuban immigrants migrated to and made it their own version of home. There was a traditional Cuban bakery on almost every block. In between the bakeries you had your local butcher shops and produce markets, which carried the typical Cuban items like yucca, plantains, Latin spices and of course religious statues and candles. It was going to be a huge gathering so dad set up massive tables across the back yard, while mom prepared the grand meal. Earlier in the day I went with my mother in the family statio...

Here is an important safety message for anyone about to chow down on pizza, pasta or any other food that might be topped with cheese. HOT CHEESE BURNS! It seems that this would be common knowledge, but I am willing to bet I’m not the first person who bit into a fresh piping hot pizza too soon. The cheese latches on to the roof of your mouth and within seconds the blisters form. The next day you spend hours feeling the blisters with your tongue. Not too long ago, I had a major four-alarm fire experience worthy of this little write up. With summer in full swing (based on recent temperatures since it technically isn’t summer until June 20) I cleaned up my grill and had a few friends over for a Bison juicy Lucy. A juicy Lucy is a burger that is stuffed with cheese instead of topped with cheese. I first learned about them from the true school of cooking, aka, the Food Network. I had some ground bison from a recent purchase at the Georgia Buffalo Ranch and Trading Post in Townsend...

I am deathly afraid of cockroaches. It doesn’t matter if it’s a tiny baby one or full sized monster. I recall growing up in South Florida cockroaches or palmetto bugs as they are commonly known were a nuisances most homes had to deal with. I can trace this fear of the nasty and fully winged adult creature back to when I was about six years old. One of the perks of living in Miami as a child was that Walt Disney World was a mere four hour drive and, back then, quite affordable even for a family of four. School was out for the summer, dad had time off from work and mom had packed up the suitcases. The morning we were heading out mom woke us up around 5 a.m. It was still dark outside and I was barely awake but dressed. Dad sat me down on his recliner as he went off to wake up my brother and pack up the car. Mom was busy washing last minute dishes and prepping snacks for the road trip. Rocking back and forth I soon drifted into a wondrous slumber filled with Disney visions. Thoughts ...