Horton Hayes Fine Art and Oak: Partners for the 2012 Palette and Palate Stroll

Summertime by Shannon Runquist

Horton Hayes Fine Art is located at the corner of State and Queen Streets and features original works by locally and nationally recognized artists, including Mark Kelvin Horton, Shannon Runquist, Chris Groves, Nancy Hoerter, Bjorn Runquist, Michael Knoch and Larry Moore. For the 2012 Palette and Palate Stroll, the fine art gallery will feature food paintings of Shannon Runquist.

Subject matter in the gallery varies and includes landscapes, still-life, figurative works and architectural depictions rendered in oil, pastel or watercolor. While many of the pieces depict Lowcountry scenes and themes, one may also find a range of images including mountain and western scenes, European subjects and a variety of works inspired by the diverse experiences, surroundings and travels of their artists.

For this year’s stroll, Horton Hayes is pleased to be paired with Oak Steakhouse, a true Charleston favorite. Touted as “one of the best and most distinctive steakhouses in America,” Oak Steakhouse presents classic steakhouse cuisine as well as locally sourced seafood and produce in an impeccable setting. Its classic steakhouse menu combined with its arched doors and windows, 18-foot ceilings, mahogany paneling and 150-year-old heart of pine floors make it one of the most distinctive dining spaces in the country.

Chef Jeremiah Bacon-photo by Leslie Ryann

Executive Chef Jeremiah Bacon’s menu highlights include succulent steaks such as the marinated 28 oz. Certified Angus Beef Prime bone-in ribeye, as well as seafood favorites like the pan-seared sea scallops served with roasted exotic mushrooms and a foie gras au poivre sauce. A Charleston native and College of Charleston alumnus, Bacon attended the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, N.Y. After graduating from the CIA in 1999, Bacon moved to New York City where he spent 10 years working for legendary restaurants such as River Café, an award-winning riverfront restaurant in Brooklyn, N.Y., and ILO in midtown. Bacon left ILO to join the staff at Le Bernardin, the famed seafood restaurant of celebrity chef Eric Ripert. In 2004, Bacon was part of the opening crew of Per Se, which along with Le Bernadin, earned Four Stars from the New York Times and Three Michelin Stars.

When Bacon returned to the Lowcountry in 2007 as executive chef of Carolina’s, he passionately incorporated a local-first philosophy into his culinary practices by building strong relationships with local farmers and fisheries. Bacon joined Oak Steakhouse as executive chef and partner in November 2010 and brought this philosophy with him to add his personal touch to the menu, taking it in a progressive, yet local direction.

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Helena Fox Fine Art and Anson: Partners for the 2012 Palette & Palate Stroll

You Are The Best Thing by West Fraser

Helena Fox Fine Art, located south of Broad in Historic Charleston, specializes in fine contemporary representational art. Established in 2004, the gallery is a compilation of national and international artists, including renowned Southern painter, West Fraser. The varied collection of work mingles impressionistic landscapes and streetscapes, maritime paintings, plein air travel paintings, still lifes, and trompe l’oeil, with modernistic architectural paintings. Wildlife sculptures by internationally acclaimed sculptor Kent Ullberg and exquisite handcrafted 22K gold jewelry by celebrated Welsh goldsmith Sarah Amos will also enthrall you on your visit to the gallery

Helen Fox Fine Art proudly represents the following artists: Sarah Amos, William R. Davis, John Cosby, William McCullough, Arnold Desmarais, Julyan Davis, Kenn Backhaus, John Budicin, Terry DeLapp, Donald Demers, Mary Erickson, West Fraser, Joseph McGurl, Billyo O’Donnell, Joseph Paquet, Kent Ullberg, and Jeffrey Larson.

For the 2012 Palette and Palate Stroll, the gallery’s selection of the finest regional and national art will once again be complemented by Anson‘s decadent cuisine which blends worldly sophistication with Lowcountry lifestyle.

Anson Restaurant is a favorite Charleston restaurant  with Southern architecture, an elegant interior and gracious hospitality, serving Lowcountry favorites like Shrimp and Grits. Anson’s newest rising culinary star is Chef Jeremy Holst. With an emphasis on the abundance of seafood from the Lowcountry waters and utilizing local farmer’s produce, Chef Holst is working to provide Anson guests with the freshest and highest quality ingredients available. Anson is proud to have Chef Holst leading a team that is dedicated to making this goal a reality.

Chef Jeremy Holst by Kaitlyn Iserman of Charleston City Paper

After growing up in Mt. Pleasant, SC, and graduating from the Culinary Institute of America in 2000, Chef Holst began his professional career at Panos & Pauls located in the Buckhead area of Atlanta. From here, he continued his culinary path at a five star five diamond resort, The Woodlands in Summerville, South Carolina. Upon his departure, the Ritz Carlton in Las Vegas, and the acclaimed Six Tables Restaurant in Mt. Pleasant that earned a Tripe AAA Four Diamond Rating, and The Troutdale, a popular farm-to-table restaurant in Bristol, Tennessee, would be next in providing Chef Holst with ample experience in fine dining expertise before returning home and joining Anson.

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Robert Lange Studios and Social: Partners for the 2010 Palette and Palate Stroll

Legacy by Joshua Flint

Robert Lange Studios (RLS) represents artists and photographers who demonstrate the finest of contemporary American Realism and Abstraction. The gallery represents some of the city’s finest, most innovative and imaginative artists who are changing the city’s art scene with abstract, original works. On July 16, the gallery will feature Joshua Flint and Charles Williams in a joint show titled “STILL: MOVING.” The show features a stunning and engaging body of paintings that chronicle the motion and stillness found in both city life and nature. The gallery is located in a new space at 2 Queen Street in downtown Charleston, SC.

Robert Lange Studios is pleased to be joined by one of Charleston’s most exciting restaurants, Social Restaurant and Wine Bar, for this special event. Located in the heart of downtown Charleston, Social offers a casual and cosmopolitan setting. The restaurant is renowned for its wine selection and exceptional wine and food pairings. Executive Chef Norwood Pryor has spent his whole life in the food industry. When he was a child, Pryor’s parents owned a restaurant in Richmond, VA. Later at age 16 he took his first culinary job at a family owned Italian café. Pryor has worked at many Charleston restaurants, including 82 Queen, Sea Biscuit Café, Cordavi, Oak Steakhouse and before joining Social Restaurant + Wine Bar, Carolina Yacht Club. Pryor says that he finds cooking to be the perfect art form. “Food is my paint, the sauté pan my brush, the seasons are my muse, the plate is the piece, the palate is the critic and the memories of a great meal are the museum that the pieces hang in,” said Pryor. “I love the joy that my artwork brings to the people indulging in it.”

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2010 Palette and Palate Pairings

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Wells Gallery and Charleston Grill – A Superb Pairing for the Palette and Palate Stroll

For more than a decade, the Wells Gallery has played a significant role in developing Charleston as a top fine arts destination. The gallery’s collection represents a diverse array of art, ranging from traditional Lowcountry scenes to more contemporary art by artists from across the nation that paint in a variety of styles and subject matters. At over two times the size of their original location, the gallery showcases a rich selection of paintings, jewelry and hand-blown glass work by some of the nation’s finest artists: Marty Whaley Adams, Claire Farrell, Virginia Fouche´ Bolton, Russell Gordon, Gary Gowans, Glenn Harrington, Whitney Kreb, Kevin LePrince, Earl B. Lewis, Brad Lorbach, Rick McClure, John Michiels, George Pate, Sue Stewart, Karen Larson Turner and Kim Weiland.     

The pairing of Wells Gallery’s fine art with the Charleston Grill‘s superb cuisine will be especially complimentary  because at this year’s Palette and Palate Stroll, the restaurant welcomes new Executive Chef Michelle Weaver. Chef Weaver has been under the direction of the award-winning and former-Executive Chef Bob Waggoner as Charleston Grill’s Executive Sous Chef for the past 11 years.  As her friend and mentor moves towards a new chapter of his career focusing on television, Chef Weaver has naturally and elegantly stepped into the spotlight. Part of the Charleston Place Hotel, the restaurant was the only one in the area to be included in the Nations Restaurant News “Fine Dining Hall of Fame” and in the book titled, The Elite 1000. 

Capturing critics’ and diners’ attention by producing menus that combine unusual ingredients with classic techniques, Chef Weaver continues to enhance and expand Charleston’s appreciation for fine cuisine.  She has a strong commitment to supporting local farmers and encouraging them to cultivate new and unusual products which she incorporates in her cuisine. 

After an excessive remodeling, Charleston Grill re-opened in 2007, introducing a new style of Charleston Cuisine. The exquisite menu is pure, with dishes inspired by the clean, light flavors of the ingredients.

“I am inspired by nature and you will experience this in my dishes.  My cooking style takes the freshest ingredients and uses them in the most minimalist way, letting the quality of the product stand for itself.  My job is to bring those ingredients together to create a truly spectacular dining experience,” describes her style Chef Weaver.

Wells Gallery will serve FireFly Sweet Tea Vodka cocktails and wine.

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The Charleston Renaissance Gallery and High Cotton Partner up for the Palette and Palate Stroll, July 17

Founded by Robert Hicklin, Jr. in 1972, the Charleston Renaissance Gallery is the only one in the nation specializing in fine art of the American South. The gallery has maintained a distinctive reputation for its offerings of 19th and 20th century masterworks, including works on oil, paper, sculptures, the art of the Charleston Renaissance Movement and select works from the estate of Elizabeth O’Neil Verner, one of the most influential artists of the time.                                                                                                                                      

For more than 30 years, the Charleston Renaissance Gallery has handled works by the most prestigious Southern artists, as well as those American artists who explored Southern subject matter. The gallery counts private collectors from across the country and around the world, as well as premier national institutions among its clients. In addition to regular exhibitions and educational symposiums, it has published several scholarly catalogues and three major art volumes. The gallery is also home to a library of more than 4000 books and archives on Southern art history.             

A strong supporter of the Charleston Fine Art Dealers’ Association since its foundation, Maverick Southern Kitchens’ High Cotton will partner for the fourth year with the gallery for the Palette and Palate Stroll evening. The restaurant’s heart pine floors, wide-bladed ceiling fans and walls of hand-made brick have been the signatures of Lowcountry high-life since antebellum times. The menu is hearty and southern, featuring regional favorites, steaks, game and fresh seafood – all prepared with the famous Maverick artistry.

Raised in a large Italian family whose passion for cooking was always a focus and source of pride, High Cotton’s Executive Chef, Anthony Gray’s choice of a career in the culinary industry was a natural one. While training in Charleston at Johnson & Wales University, he began working in local Charleston restaurants and was hired as a line cook at Slightly North of Broad in 1998.  Chef Gray steadily proved himself and was promoted to several positions within the Maverick Southern Kitchens family, and upon the opening of High Cotton in November of 1999, Chef Gray was promoted to sous chef, a position he held until November of 2006 when he became High Cotton’s Executive Chef.          

Gray’s passion for meats can be noted with his hand-made sausages and charcuteries, and his excellence in creating sauces and marinades that enhance the flavors of the meats he works with.  Chef Gray is a proud supporter of local farmers and vendors.

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Palette and Palate Stroll, July 17 – Carolina Galleries Pleased to Welcome Circa 1886

Carolina Galleries will present “Small Works & Small Plates” on July 17, 2009 in conjunction with the Charleston Fine Art Dealers Association’s Fourth Annual Palette & Palate Stroll. Carolina Galleries specializes in the art of the Charleston Renaissance, a unique period during the first half of the 20th century. The war-ravaged Low Country inspired dozens of painters and illustrators, including local artists such as Elizabeth O’Neill and Alice Ravenel Huger Smith to nationally prominent artists such as Childe Hassam, Edward Hopper and Alfred Hutty. The 21st century has revealed yet another artists’ renaissance in Charleston. Recent paintings by John Burmeister, Craig Crawford, Julyan Davis, Johnson Hagood, and Evan Wilson fill the walls of Carolina Galleries with street scenes, marsh vistas, portraits, and genre scenes that are reminiscent of the earlier time.

Also on display are several Charleston etchings by Alfred Hutty. Hutty came to Charleston in 1919, already in his early forties, and immediately called to his wife: “Come quickly. Have found heaven.” Primarily an oil and watercolor painter, Hutty apparently did not seriously take up etching until he moved to Charleston. However, he quickly demonstrated his complete mastery of the medium, winning awards all over the country. All the while, he continued to paint in oils and watercolors, and also produced hundreds of pencil drawings and sketches. Alfred Hutty was one of the founding members of the Charleston Etcher’s Club.

To complement the visual surroundings at Carolina Galleries, Marc Collins, Executive Chef of Circa 1886, will be sure to delight guests with a modern and innovative approach to traditional Southern cuisine. Chef Collins earned his formal culinary training at the Pennsylvania Institute of Culinary Arts in Pittsburgh from where he moved to San Antonio, Texas. Here he worked at La Mansion Del Rio under French Chef Guy Collinet, he then continued to build his repertoire at La Louisiane and the Fairmount Hotel honing his skills in the French culinary technique.

In 2001, Chef Collins moved to Charleston, South Carolina, where he was named the prestigious title of Executive Chef of Circa 1886. A true hidden gem, Circa 1886 is nestled in the gardens behind the Wentworth Mansion downtown. Thanks to Chef Collins’ dedication to excellence, the restaurant has earned many accolades and awards, including the AAA Four Diamond Award, the Mobil Four Star Award, the DiRoNA Award for Fine Dining, as well as the Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence. Chef Collins has also received numerous personal honors that include being named a Chef to Watch by Esquire magazine in 2001. The son of an artist, Chef Collins brings an affinity for creativity to the preparation and presentation of every dish he serves.

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Martin Gallery Welcomes Fat Hen and Wild Olive For the Palette and Palate Stroll, July 17

Martin Gallery strives to bring some of the finest artists in their fields together under one roof. Upon entering the historic Grand Salon of Martin Gallery, one experiences a soaring space filled with the exquisite color and texture of oils, acrylics, bronzes, marbles, terra-cottas and richly hued glass. The gallery features contemporary art, representing more than thirty nationally and internationally renowned artists. The gallery’s goal is to provide works of thoughtful beauty to enhance residential and commercial surroundings. Martin Gallery is located at 18 Broad Street on the corner of State and Broad Streets, in the Grand Salon of the historic People’s Building.

In celebration of the Palette and Palate Stroll, Martin Gallery will once again partner with Fat Hen Restaurant. For the 2009 event, Chef Fred Neuville, the owner of Fat Hen, will also feature his newest restaurant venture, Wild Olive. While Fat Hen restaurant pays homage to the Huguenot culture in Charleston, serving Lowcountry food with French flair, Wild Olive’s  menu spotlights the finest ingredients sourced from as nearby as the local John’s Island farms and far away as the hill markets of Italy. Wild Olive combines traditional Italian design paired with unique one of a kind elements creating a cozy yet sleek 135-seat dining room and bar.

As Founding Chef, Partner and Executive Chef at 39 Rue de Jean, COAST Bar & Grill, and Good Food Catering, Chef Neuville spent his days in the restaurant fast lane making an indelible mark on the Charleston food scene. In 2007 ready to fuse his passion for food and family, Neuville opened his first hugely successful restaurant on John’s Island, shortly to be followed by Wild Olive one year later. Fat Hen and Wild Olive are outposts for culinary delights and domestic enjoyment.

Executive Chef Todd Mazurek is Chef Neuville’s right hand in the kitchen. When Chef Neuville first met Mazurek he was impressed with his enthusiasm and talent and offered Mazurek a full time position at trendy seafood inspired COAST Bar and Grill where he quickly moved up the ranks to become chef de cuisine. In 2007, Mazurek was thrilled for the opportunity to work beside his principal culinary mentor once again when Neuville announced his new culinary venture – Fat Hen. After successfully conducting the kitchen of Fat Hen, Mazurek opened the kitchen at Wild Olive as executive chef.

 

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Corrigan Gallery and Cypress Restaurant Partner for the Palette and Palate Stroll, July 17

As one of the leading Charleston galleries specializing in modern art, the Corrigan Gallery presents Lowcountry art of the future, featuring works from 14 talented artists, each of whom brings a new perspective to Charleston art. The gallery exhibits works of art both representational and abstract possessing the charm of old Charleston with a contemporary edge. Representing artists whose work is beyond the traditional approach to the southern landscape of marshes and palmettos, the gallery consistently provides new works to see on a regular basis. Artistic vision partnered with an intellectual strength and astute handling of the materials describes the work on display.                                   

The gallery is showing art that is just for that – art! Not following this year’s fashions but reaching towards the future and showing respect for the past, the presented artwork fulfills the beholder’s need for beauty and the collector’s wish for strong investments. This is art for the soul; art that lets the eyes breathe fresh air. Visitors may watch paintings in process on location and view works that have been done en plein air as well as in situ studio pieces. The gallery is also proud to present the works of legendary Charleston native, Manning Williams whose paintings engage the imagination of the viewer, and allow them to travel through the space that he has masterfully created.                                        

 

Partnering with Cypress once again for this year’s Palette and Palate Stroll, guests will delight their senses with tastings created by Executive Chef Craig Diehl and Pastry Chef Kelly Wilson. Recognized as one of the nation’s youngest, talented chefs, Diehl infuses classic Lowcountry cuisine of the South with an innovative combination of flavors from around the globe. In 2007, Diehl authored his first cookbook, Cypress, which has immediately received rave reviews from culinary experts. “It’s not a cookbook,” says Deihl. “It’s my life.” Craig Diehl masterfully marries local cuisine with the exotic. His acclaimed global fusion menu focuses on fresh, local ingredients combined with international cooking techniques to create distinctive combinations and flavors. Pastry Chef Kelly Wilson, a graduate of Johnson & Wales Culinary Art School, is renowned for her sweet creations and fresh interpretations of favorite treats. Last year, our guests got a chance to savor bacon flavored milk chocolate mousse lollipops that became the talk of the town.

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