Behind the Menu: ‘Palmetto Party’ to put Grand Strand culinary scene on the map

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) — A new event happening Friday evening is all about putting the Grand Strand’s culinary scene on the map.

Visit Myrtle Beach and “The Local Palate – Food Culture Magazine of the South” have partnered to host the “Inaugural Palmetto Party: An Insider’s Taste of South Carolina.” The event will bring out chefs from across the state, including two from the Grand Strand who say the events will help move the industry in a progressive way.

“Now, it is to the point that there are a lot of options up and down the Grand Strand, into Pawleys Island, North Myrtle Beach and over into Conway where we are,” Chef Darren Smith said.

Smith, the owner of the Rivertown Bistro and Bonfire restaurants in Conway, described the Grand Strand as a place for destination dining. Having been in the industry for three decades, he said he is honored to be able to showcase his talents at the first-ever “Palmetto Party.”

“I look forward to rubbing shoulders with some of these people and meeting some new chefs from across the state,” he said.

Smith said the camaraderie among chefs is important for the industry.

“I think events like this where people get to come in and give it a try, and come to the area specifically for this event, but also try the different restaurants that are here while they are here for it, it’s just a great way for people to continue to try the culinary scene here,” said Denielle Van Dyke, the public relations manager for Visit Myrtle Beach.

The main dish of the event is to give attendees a true taste of South Carolina.

Smith will be one of the local chefs cooking up specials. He follows the motto “what grows together, goes together,” using seasonality as his compass to keep ingredients local and fresh.

“So we are going to do a cake made with flaked triggerfish and a puree and a chop of shrimp, and we are going to rest that on a field pea ragu with some fresh ultra-ripe tomatoes that will sit on a bed of sweet corn cream and then we are going to garnish it with a little pungent green tomato chow chow, all things that are Lowcountry, true to our area,” Smith said.

Smith said he thinks the Grand Strand culinary scene is growing, comparing it to the city of Charleston.

“This beautiful slick magazine has come out, and page after page are the restaurants that are here and shots of the food and you can just feel it,” he said. “It’s exciting. It’s like whenever Charleston was getting into its heyday, and you would go down to the hotel and get one of their magazines and you flip there, and it’s like ‘Oh there’s so many options where am I going to eat?’ That’s how it is in Myrtle now.”

Visit Myrtle Beach officials said this is just the start and that there are plans to continue the “Palmetto Party” for years to come.

If you are interested in attending, the event will be from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday at Pine Lakes Country Club. Tickets can be purchased online until the start time of the event.

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Adriana Cotero is News13’s weekend evening anchor and a morning reporter. She joined the team in July 2023 after working in the island of Guam. Adriana is from Saline, Michigan, and graduated from Central Michigan University. Follow Adriana on Facebook , X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram and read more of her work here .

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