PUBLISHER’S NOTE

When I look back over the last year or so, there are two immutable concepts that come to mind. The first is the law of supply and demand. Most of us have at least some passing concept on it – as supply goes up, demand decreases. As demand goes up, supply decreases. It’s economics 101. This past year, we saw how that law applies to toilet paper. And hand sanitizer. And paper towels. And flour. You get the picture. It’s hard to remember any time in my life where the laws of supply and demand were so elegantly laid out as they were last year, when shoppers were hoarding as much as they could and secret whispers flew everywhere over which grocery store had fresh TP in stock.

We’re still seeing how well this law plays out in the real world thanks to the absolute tsunami happening in the real estate market. Legions of new islanders have descended from the wintry climates up north, snapping up every available home, villa and condo, driving prices sky-high.

This is great news for realtors, but not for the local restaurant industry, which was already struggling to find employees before the one-two punch of a pandemic and soaring cost of living. But that brings me to the second immutable concept that has been on my mind: When the going gets tough, the tough get going.

There were more than a few challenges over the past year for restaurant owners and their employees, whether it was making ends meet during lockdown, reopening under vague and sometimes contradictory rules from the state and even sourcing ingredients through disrupted supply chains.

But each of our area restaurants responded to these challenges with inspiring grit and determination. I’m hopeful that those new islanders and the visitors we welcome will try to see the monumental effort it took to keep those doors open and continue serving. Rather than rolling their eyes at empty tables and longer wait times, I hope they’ll see the server who has worked seven days straight, the chefs getting orders out with a skeleton crew and the restaurateur who has spent the last year chasing down PPP loans.

I’m proud of the people who make our food and beverage community so strong, and the lengths they have gone to continue putting out a quality product. It’s this spirit that sets our island’s restaurants apart, creating a culinary scene that could go dish-for-dish with any big city in the world. As you enjoy the results of their hard work this summer, I hope you’ll take the time to enjoy the experience and keep demand for our legendary restaurants humming into the next year.

David Mudwilder Publisher

VOLUME XV1, ISSUE 2

PUBLISHER David Mudwilder

ART DIRECTOR Kim Bowen

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER Rob Kaufman

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Karla Angel Christy Baroni Allyson Jones Barry Kaufman Taylor Kent

DISTRIBUTION Brandon Duffner Josh Kirby

TASTE OF HILTON HEAD 3 Cardinal Court #572 Hilton Head Is., SC 29926 (843) 384-2014 mud@atasteofhiltonhead.com

@TasteHHI

ABOUT THE COVER

Enjoy fresh seafood and outstanding views at The Old Oyster Factory. Photography by Rob Kaufman.