We’ve high-brow dinner parties held in secret, grungy warehouses. Late night art shows where both titans and newbies mingle over cans of PBR. And one very edgy fly fishing community that’s changing the way fishermen dress and give back.

Presenting FreeFly, an environmentally savvy line of fishing apparel bridging the gap between your grandfather’s musty cargo vest and a handsome new generation of socially conscious fishermen. All while guaranteeing clean drinking water to children across the world.

Tanner Sutton, FreeFly’s founder, grew up in Montana to a family with deep ties to the apparel industry. And as a child, his grandfather taught him the values and challenges of fly fishing.

But as do most 20-somethings, Sutton found himself frustrated with the status quo and trying to figure out what he wanted to do with his life. “I was sitting on a plane, and just wrote down a list of my passions,” says Sutton. “Fly fishing was at the top of that list.”

“Charleston actually has a very progressive fly fishing community,” he explains, well aware that most people would never draw that same conclusion. He goes on to explain these guys aren’t the old school of fishermen.

They’re adventurous, they’re athletic and they’re looking for something other than a ratty over-sized tshirt to wear on day-long fishing expeditions.

“I love fashion,” Sutton points out while wearing a Colin Ferrel-esqe wool hat and cozy. “But if you’re not comfortable, it’s pointless.”

FreeFly’s designs are rugged enough to feel comfortable digging in and getting dirty, while keeping a healthy nod to style and comfort. The t-shirts feature bold, contemporary screenprint designs by Gil Shuler, not at all akin to your standard fish-themed apparel. And the long sleeved styles are made from bamboo, which is as comfortable as it is durable. It’s all part of an updated style that Sutton says is pretty edgy for the industry.

But while FreeFly gives an update to the fishing community’s style, the company is also making a mark on the world.

“Fishermen are surrounded by water, we kind of take it for granted,” explains Sutton. “But, so many in the world are without this basic necessity.”

Which is why FreeFly partnered with Charleston-based Water Missions International to provide sustainable water systems to areas in need. FreeFly’s first year goal is to provide 1,000 children with clean drinking water, and a donation from the sale of each shirt goes toward this.

“Fly fishing is an indescribable feeling,” Sutton says, smiling.

And so is helping a child receive the gift of clean water.

FreeFlyApparel.com
Santa Says: Make a purchase between Dec 14-19 and receive a free hat

Story by: Caroline Millard
Photos by: Andrew Stephen Cebulka

Meet Sebastian Steadman. An efficiency and organizational consultant for the global strategy and technology consulting firm, Booz Allen Hamilton, he’s the kind of guy who makes you wonder what you’ve been doing with your time.

He’s the kind of guy who helped found two non-profits, the first while he was an undergrad at CofC. The Charleston Students for Free Enterprise (SIFE) is a chapter of the largest student organization in the world, bringing together business leaders and students to improve the lives of people all over the world. Sure puts keg parties to shame.

As for the second?

Turns out raising money for non-profits affiliated with state colleges is tricky business, full of red tape. So Sebastian and his professor/mentor, Dr. David Desplaces, assistant professor of global commerce at the College’s School of Business, set about creating their own 501(c)(3) non-profit org, Possibilities Without Borders, in ‘09.

Its mission: to connect Charleston community members with international service learning projects, to create opportunities through service, to promote global citizenship, and to offer students experienced-based educational opportunities.

Projects have included: laptops and technology training for universities in Cameroon, medical supplies for Cameroon’s medical university, smartboards for schools and counseling in entrepreneurship.

We ask Sebastian, a Charleston native, why he’s passionate about Africa. “I want to direct my passion towards something that changes people’s lives. When I have a tombstone and there’s a dash between two dates, I want it to mean something,” he tells us.

This year, Sebastian’s passion is all about water. “Every year we can choose what issue to focus on, this year it’s the international water crisis,” he explains.

Possibilities Without Borders is hosting its 4th annual “A Global Affair Gala and Silent Auction” black-tie event this Thursday, November 10th at 7pm at Lowndes Grove. The swank event will celebrate Water Missions International’s 10th anniversary and raise vital funds for the Water for Kenya project.

So get fancy and pull out those wallets. Because the funds raised at “A Global Affair” will allow Possibilities Without Borders to help send a group of College of Charleston students to Kenya next spring to install a safe water system, establishing access to clean drinking water for the village.

Time to become a globally concerned citizen. Why? Sebastian reminds us, “we don’t live in an isolated world and we have to rely on each other. The U.S. has been given incredible resources, and living in the beautiful city of Charleston, we’re fortunate to have incredible opportunities. It’s important to give back. To whom much is given, much is required.”

A Global Affair
Thursday, November 10th, 7pm
Lowndes Grove, 266 Saint Margaret St.
Tickets: $75 in advance, $85 at the door
BUY TICKETS
PossibilitiesWithoutBorders.org

Story by: Claire Gibbons
Photos by: Chrys Rynearson

At first glance it could be her perfectly petite yoga frame (she obviously has no problem balancing on her head) or her contagious smile. Dig deeper and you’ll find that behind the peppy demeanor there is a heavier story to be told.

“Your happiness depends on what you do, where you do it, and who you do it with.” That’s what Caryn’s father always said. Her studies led her toward a career in design, PR and sales, yet her passion was in working with children. When she was unexpectedly laid off, she found herself revisiting her dad’s wise words.

When her father passed away from leukemia, her world turned upside down, yet she forged ahead. “Going through something so difficult acts as a catalyst; it wakes you up and makes you realize that you don’t know how much time you have. You can either sit back and let life unfold for you, or you can make it happen.”

This is where Caryn’s ability to balance gracefully on her head comes into play.

“I started thinking about what motivates and empowers me — you know, that fire inside that you just can’t turn off.” For Caryn, it was three little words: Teach, Yoga, Travel.

“Yoga cues me into my mental and emotional state unlike any other activity. Maybe if I had gotten hot and heavy in my yoga practice before my dad got sick, I wouldn’t have felt so helpless.” With this in mind, Caryn decided to reach out to children who might be going through something difficult, and give them what she wishes she’d had — stability, confidence, and the power of knowing you can handle whatever life throws your way.

So it was off to kids’ yoga training camp for Caryn. Upon her return? An email asking for help implementing, funding and teaching yoga programs in the Charleston County School District. Her purpose had found her.

Cut to circa now, and say hello to Yoga Benefits Kids, a freshly minted 501 non-profit bringing the benefits of yoga to Title 1 schools around the county. On the agenda every class? Love & compassion, breath & body, example & inspiration.

“These kids have a lot of anger, but yoga gives them the tools they need to cope,” she tells us.

And Caryn gives us the tools we need to better our community. She is a force with a heart full of fire, bringing guidance, perspective and thoughtfulness to each and every child who steps on their mat.

See, you can change the world. It’s as simple as balancing on your head.

View a great video on Yoga Benefits Kids
Donate or volunteer at YogaBenefitsKids.org
Contact YBK directly at info@yogabenefitskids.org
Follow YBK on Facebook

Story by: Caroline Nuttall
Co-authored by: Lara Camozzo
Photos by: Johanna Cooper

Blan stepped into the local and national spotlight again this June when he filed a lawsuit against Carnival Cruise Lines on behalf of the SELC and some community organizations including the Coastal Conservation League. With a mayoral election coming up, the cruise ship issue in Charleston has become especially divisive. But being in the hot seat doesn’t seem to faze Holman, except on his bicycle, where he is trying to master the “slow roll,” so as not to break a sweat on his daily commute – quite a challenge in our sub-tropical climate.

His job is definitely serious business but his dream is to host “The Great American Slow Roll” in Charleston – a 20-yard bike race where the winner finishes last. “Here’s the trick,” he says. “You know how the hipsters can stand up on a bike and be still with a fixed gear? Well, that’s too much effort. You gotta be rolling slow.” Holman says he’s practicing but is a little fidgety and a bit impatient. He likes the humor in it, though, and finds a lot of good reasons to roll slow in Charleston, a city he loves passionately. “I feel lucky to live in a place where I can be at the beach in 20 minutes and jump in the ocean and surf. It’s phenomenal.”

Only a secure and confident man with a sense of irony could announce, “I love small waves!” in regards to his surfing. He started surfing just a few years ago, learning from friends. Now he rides waves on all of the local beaches, even Sullivan’s, known for its typically tiny but sometimes surfable waves. He seemed to hold his own at the CHARLIE photo shoot – a follow-up email from CHARLIE photographer Andrew Cebulka reads, “Bro, you charged a wave that broke your leash! And you walked away…FANTASTIC!”

He’s a sailor too, but not the foul-mouthed, tattoo-covered kind. “I have the honor of being the rail meat on the S.S. Slingblade (a vessel which won both summer series of weekly local races in the harbour)…pretty awesome,” he says with a big smile. The J-24 that his team sails is the smallest boat class in the races but Blan proudly states, “the spirited team members have the biggest hearts.”

Blan’s environmentalism activism is also his hobby. As part of the Liberty Fellows program (a group of select leaders who take action to benefit SC), his personal project is getting a much-needed bike lane on St. Phillip Street.

We’re betting that since Blan is involved, it will happen. And we can all roll slowly together, with our greatly reduced carbon footprints.

Story by: Dee Dee Arthur
Photos by: Andrew S. Cebulka

We know the feeling. Many a night while dining at the Glass Onion, we’ve wondered what goes on around the bend in that kitchen. What subtle Secrets of the South are at work, making those plates of catfish, fried chicken and meatloaf oh-so-scrumptious?

Ah, but what’s this? The book has already been written?

Well, we shouldn’t have wondered. Sarah O’Kelley has always been a gal as beholden to prose as to pound cake. Her schooling was in journalism and it was her desire to write about food that carried her into the kitchens of Charlie Trotter and Emeril Lagasse. Early on, she was given a three-word directive from Trotter that would define her path: hands-on experience.

And experience the world of food, hands-on, she did. From Chicago to New Orleans to Charleston, she worked kitchens, plated desserts, prepared recipes for Emeril’s shows and cookbooks in his test kitchen, and wrote. Along the way she met Charles Vincent and Chris Stewart. Once the three of them started talking, you just knew there was going to be a casual Southern restaurant with a pop-culture groove springing up soon.

Fast forward to the Glass Onion: a place where you can peel through layers of buttermilk fried chicken, catfish, pickles, grits, greens, sweets, and still not get the full picture. Do we love The Glass Onion for the love it shares with our local farmers and fishermen? Do we love it for the way it stirs up our memories of all things kitschy and cool about television and music over the last few decades? How about all of the above?

What really tickles us about the new cookbook, Glass Onion Classics: Recipes from a Southern Restaurant, is that it’s much more than just a how-to for recreating some of our favorite goodies. The book is also chock-full of the philosophy of food, Southern style, as well as the stories of the people behind the scenes.

Listen: talk food with a Southerner and you may as well pull up a chair. You want to know about deviled eggs, you’re going to hear a tale about a very special lady. You want to know how a gentleman achieves the title of King of Bacon? There’s a story to be told there too. Chalk the storytelling up to Sarah’s childhood in Georgia (Charles came up in New Orleans and Chris in Alabama, so there’s deep Southern roots all the way around the Glass Onion); either way, it’s a fun, useful read that digs deep into local foodlore.

Glass Onion Classics will be available at the restaurant. As well, there will be book signings at SieMatic on Wednesday, October 12 and Heirloom Book Company on Sunday, October 16.

Once you’ve snapped up your very own copy, we recommend savoring it one slow early evening on the porch… maybe while a nice ribeye sizzles its way to rightness on the grill.

The Glass Onion

19 Savannah Highway, West Ashley

(843) 225-1717

Book Signing at SieMatic – Wednesday, September 21 – 5:30-8pm

444 King Street, Downtown

(843) 724-5838

Story and photos by: Jason A. Zwiker

The person she wants you to meet is strong, intelligent, witty, wonderful, caring, and capable. She’s a self-sufficient wonder woman who solves her own problems with style and panache. You can learn a lot from this person, Elli assures you. This person can guide you anywhere you want to go in life. All you have to do is learn to trust her.

When your curiosity can take no more and you’re ready to meet this superstar, Elli… holds a mirror in front of you.

Come on, admit it: you knew that was coming.

And that’s the point. Your instincts are good. So let the doubt slip right through your fingers and puddle up on the ground, because you don’t need it anymore.

Elli – a Holistic Personal Coach, Nutritional Counselor, and all around amazing person – has a lot to offer in the way of guiding you toward a better life. Originally from Germany, Elli is our favorite ball-of-fire all-around fitness guru. She’s rehabilitated professional athletes (she even married one) and has a vast array of yoga techniques, including breathing exercises, ayurveda, and meditation, at the ready (she once calmed us down on a rocky off-shore fishing excursion simply by pressing into our palms and breathing). She can talk the talk of Exercise Science and she can stroll the aisles pointing out the all-natural foods that will help keep your body on an even keel. But first, she’s going to get to know you.

If you say that you want to lose ten pounds, she wants to understand what those ten pounds mean to you. More importantly, she wants you to understand what those ten pounds mean to you. If you want more energy, more focus, more success in life, the question remains: How will changing these qualities change how you see yourself when you look in the mirror?

You may well end up pounding the pavement with your running shoes alongside Elli or on the yoga mat learning to work toward wheel pose (right now, she’s leading YesUMay’s Ashley Swider and friends in a wedding boot camp for Ashley’s upcoming nuptials to photographer Andrew Cebulka). But first you must understand why you want that for yourself. That’s where the real change will come from. Not from organic bread or hours on a Spinner bike, but from understanding why you are drawn toward these things.

Make no mistake about it: this is a woman on a mission. If low self-esteem was a field of weeds, she’d be plowing through it with a Bush Hog. And after it was clear, she’d come back with trimmers for the fine detail work.

For Elli, it’s about balance, it’s about honesty and hard work, but most of all, it’s about accepting and loving yourself.

And she’s going to get us there. One hug/push-up/high five at a time.

Contact Elli at elli@coreform.com or (843) 513-5833.

Story and photos by: Jason A. Zwiker

Well, he’s done it again and, in the process, opened the doors to your very favorite new bar in Charleston.

Welcome to The Cocktail Club.

Now we’d be excited about any new bar opening in our city, but we’re particularly jazzed about this one. Because it’s good. Really good.

Close your eyes and imagine the ideal bar…the perfect blend of a big, open space with a cozy, intimate feel. Cocktails by bartenders who view mixology as an art. A place where people are friendly and know your name. Oversized, cool leather couches. Throw in a rooftop patio. Oh, and really, really good lighting. Now walk into 479 King and open your eyes. Ta-da!

The Cocktail Club is the newest venture of The Indigo Road – the folks behind Oak and O-Ku – but it’s really all about Palmer and his lady, Jasmine Beck (who is serving as beverage director of the new spot).

It’s not surprising that Palmer seems to have the magic touch. He’s one of those guys everyone loves. Tall, dark, handsome and nice as he can be. He’s a man’s man (complete with motorcycle and powerboat) yet a big teddy bear at the same time. He’s all about the power of positivity (copy of The Secret in tow) and leads his life – and his businesses – accordingly.

It’s all clearly working for Palmer, who’s made Jeremiah Bacon the new star of Oak, solidified O-Ku as the happening sushi restaurant in town, successfully opened the doors to what will likely be the most popular hangout in town, and just broken ground on a new gastropub on Upper King that will be reminiscent of The Spotted Pig in NYC. Boy does not know how to take a day off.

We talk about the mark he’s making on Charleston, and he simply gushes about “just how grateful I am to be surrounded by the team I have at The Indigo Road and how humbled and speechless I am by the support I have from the community. Thank you!!!!” There’s that positivity again.

We’re positive too. Positive you’ll love the new Cocktail Club. A few things to know when you walk in:

1. They’re doing “Farm to Shaker” cocktails. Sustainable, local drinks. They even have a Caprese cocktail. You have to chuckle at the cleverness of it.

2. 95% of the inside is the original structure that dates back to 1881. They stayed true to the 130-year-old family residence which means you get to peek through exposed beams and wave to someone in another “room.”

3. The bar is open to all, but they also have a membership aspect that you can buy into and get priority seating and invitations to private events.

4. Palmer’s favorite cocktail is The Double Standard, and the punches are also delicious.

5. That’s not an exit door – that’s a full-on rooftop deck, so go on and step outside.

Cheers to you, Palmer. To your cocktails and your dreams.

TheCocktailClubCharleston.com
The Cocktail Club on Facebook

Story by: Caroline Nuttall
Photos by: Andrew Stephen Cebulka

That’s what we love about them.

It’s an exciting time for film in Charleston. There’s a brand new studio space for filmmakers, Studio Charleston, just waiting for the next Dear John or hit music video to be crafted within its walls. Charleston International Film Festival gets better every year. There’s talk of deals and incentives being negotiated to make the Lowcountry a location of choice for Hollywood types.

But most of all, there are people who are positively bursting at the seams with talent. You could get dizzy counting all the top shelf actors, directors, cameramen, sound and lighting crews, and designers working the magic behind the scenes.

We’d love to greenlight a big screen debut for all our local talent – as hard as you work, you’ve earned it – but shy of that, a little love goes a long way.

Love and recognition for the talent and dedication that goes into the production of local, independent film is exactly what inspired the Charleston Angel Awards. We love the emphasis on collaboration at the heart of the Angel Awards, linking the people who scout the talent with the people who design the wardrobes with the people who write the scripts. That’s what makes it happen: people working together.

When we heard there were going to be awards, what we loved best was the tongue-in-cheek approach, with rib-tickling categories like “Hottest Director,” “Shadiest Extra,” and “Most Likely to Lose Gear.”

The Angel Posse (a “Friends creating Fundraising Events for Friends” approach to bringing new life to our art, fashion, film and music) and Charleston After Dark brought together a passel of Charleston’s pluckiest, including local director John Barnhardt (took home the Hottest Male Director award), Owen Hamilton (Untamed Mane Award), and Valarie Kobrovsky, who received the 2011 award for Most Seductive.

In fact, for those who know and love independent film, the patio of the Rice Market on East Bay St. was a veritable who’s who of recognizable faces on the night of the Angel Awards: Robin Lee, Arlene Lagos, Bruce Williamson, Richard Fister, John Rector, and the list just goes on and on.

It was a celebration of the people who make film not some faraway affair but a real, tangible part of the arts scene in Charleston.

Of course, Arlene Lagos of Robin Lee Talent has another descriptive for the Charleston Angel Awards: just the beginning. Next up is Film Meets Fashion at the Memminger Auditorium (June 23), and from there, the sky’s the limit.

Hey, who hasn’t fallen in love or been swept away by fantasy while watching his or her favorite film? Who hasn’t dreamed of being in a movie? But knowing the work that goes into making a movie happen? Knowing how the odds are stacked against you every step of the way? It takes a special somebody to dream it and then actually do it.

We know you may not always get recognized, may not always get enough of the sweet moolah that keeps moving you toward your dreams, but you’re already stars in our book, baby.

Studio Charleston

Film Meets Fashion

Story and photos by: Jason A. Zwiker

…is the subject line of an email sent out every Thursday evening to 50 or so Charlestonites announcing the Friday venue for the Scipio Africanus Happy Hour group.

The e-missal, whose salutation is always “Darlings,” usually includes a somewhat opinionated observance and social commentary on whatever subject comes to the author’s mind, culminates with ‘the big reveal’ of the local happy hour destination of choice, and always concludes with the signature sign-off: “XXX, P.O.A.T.S.”

The Scippies are a happy hour group who truly seek nothing more than camaraderie and fascinating new friendships with a highly eclectic group of people who spiritually share a strong common bond…their LOVE of Charleston.

The ever growing and diverse group is comprised of past and present Wall Street high-rollers, world travelers, artists, fashion designers, mathematicians, magazine publishers, Fortune 50 marketing execs and CEOs, accountants, doctors, teachers, diesel engineers, local tv crime reporters, big game hunters, and naturally, attorneys and realtors.

There are no dues. People can come if they feel like it or not. No one takes roll or asks to see a doctor’s excuse if anyone misses a Friday. The locations vary every week, are usually on the peninsula, and new restaurants and bars are always given preference.

The only unspoken rules are: No talking politics or religion; when co-workers attend they cannot talk about work; and do not try to sell anything.

So, many of you are probably asking the most frequently asked question: How did the group and its name come to be?

It’s pretty simple, really. Ten years ago a small group of gregarious strangers met at the Mills House bar under the bust of Scipio Africanus, one man in attendance happened to look like dear Scipio, and the rest is history.

No, literally, it is history. Scipio Africanus is the Roman General who conquered Hannibal at the final battle of the Second Punic War at Zama. But, of course, you already knew that.

Scippies will be at the Rooftop Pavilion this Friday.

And guess what? You’re invited.

XXX,
P.O.A.T.S.

Story by: Cindy Roemer
Photos by: Karson Photography

How about the last time you looked for a professional job that pays well or found a local company that values your expertise in software, I.T. or creative design? Are you an innovative entrepreneur looking for venture capital or angel investors? Getting warmer?

The three-county Charleston region is becoming a global destination for biz – forget the Southeast – these days our competition is just as likely to be in Europe, South America or Asia. That’s a big territory to cover.

So, how is metro Charleston becoming globally competitive?

Bet you didn’t know that Clemson is building the world’s largest wind turbine drivetrain testing facility on the former Navy Base or that we have goals to become a world leader in wind energy research and manufacturing.

When Boeing starts producing 787 Dreamliner airplanes this summer, we’ll be one of just three places in the world where wide body commercial aircraft are assembled and delivered.

The Port of Charleston is often rated as the most efficient port in the U.S. and offers the deepest shipping channels in the Southeast. Why does this matter? Well, when those big ole ships from Asia and others start squeezing through the expanded Panama Canal in 2014, we can take ‘em, especially since our elected leaders are working to get the $ to dredge an extra five feet.

Picking up what we’re putting down about just how globally connected our region has become? Asking why this matters to you?

This is a pivotal moment for Charleston. We are at an economic crossroads in our community, and the window of opportunity is right to launch a next-generation economic development strategy to capitalize on these and other emerging opps. If we don’t step up and seize it, other communities will!

This strategy, called Opportunity Next, will position our region for success in an economy increasingly defined by innovation, knowledge and global competition. Opportunity Next is a collaborative effort led by a diverse 48-member advisory board and including input by more than 1400 local individuals and organizations to supercharge the region’s economy.

Advisory Board member Allison McCutcheon, director of sales & marketing for Obviouslee Marketing notes: “Young professionals and regional leaders have great ideas about our community and how to move it forward. The problem is most organizations are working independently. This plan is different because it gives us all a roadmap to get involved and work together to ensure Charleston is a great place to live and work.”

What does it do?

The strategy calls on our regional leaders to take action to foster the growth of four target industry clusters – Advanced Security and IT, Aerospace, Biomedical, and Wind Energy – and to further enhance five core competencies critical to economic growth – Advanced Materials, Creative Design, Drivetrain and Power Systems, Logistics, and Software.

What does this mean?

Get involved and unite in moving metro Charleston forward while preserving our quality of place. It means work together to strengthen Charleston’s infrastructure – our roads, schools, rail and Port. Businesses, support education to expand our talent pool of skilled workers, engineers, software developers and creatives.

It is in your hands. Find an element of the strategy you’re passionate about and get involved in a big way. To learn more and stay informed, visit www.opportunity-next.com.

Story by: Claire Gibbons