sage ADVICE How the fable of a hot dog vendor shaped the island’s fine-dining profile.
BY BARRY KAUFMAN • PHOTOS BY ROB KAUFMAN
If you ask Matt Jording about the Sage Room, his famed Hilton Head Island restaurant that raised approachable fine dining to an artform and put chefs front and center at a time when chefs were not yet rock stars, he’ll tell you the story of a hot dog vendor. It’s an old fable, one told around the gas stoves and griddles of the F&B world. As the story goes, one day a hard-working young man realized he could start a business with a package of hot dogs, if he made it his mission to sell the best hot dogs anyone had ever tasted. He bought the best meat, the best buns and the best ketchup he could, and wound up with six perfect hot dogs. When he sold them all on the first day, he used the profits to buy twelve hot dogs. When those sold out, he used the profits to buy more hot dogs, and some mustard. By offering the best possible product, his business grew and grew. “It’s a kids’ book, but I literally based my business model off of this,” said Jording. “As a kid, my grandparents would always put out the best they could at meals and they’d invite everyone. That’s really stuck with me.” You won’t find hot dogs on the menu, but what you will find is one of the most creative selections of steak and seafood dishes on Hilton Head Island. Jording started with that hot dog vendor philosophy of putting out the best 12
TASTEOFHILTONHEAD.COM