Taste of the Community, Edisto Beach

HOW SMALL-TOWN RESTAURANTS FOCUS ON LOCAL COMMUNITY AND LOCAL SOURCING WHEN IT MATTERS MOST.

Located just south of Charleston, SC, Edisto Beach is a small-town beach community that relies heavily on tourism. During the midst of the initial outbreak of COVID, Edisto Beach was shut down completely to anyone who was not a resident. In a place where tourism begins in the spring, to say it made an impact on the local businesses would be an understatement. Relying on the support of the local community, Edisto Beach restaurants managed to survive the shutdown.

If you were fortunate enough to grow up on Edisto like local restaurant Ella & Ollie’s co-owner Katherine Rushing, then you understand that the sense of community the Island shares is a truly special thing. Four years ago, she and her husband, Brandon Rushing (Executive Chef and co-owner), were living and working within the restaurant industry in Charleston, SC. Ready for a change, they started discussing stepping away from their jobs and opening their own restaurants. There was no question as to where they wanted to be. Their first restaurant, Ella & Ollie’s, opened on Edisto Beach in 2016. Edisto is place full of amazing people and there was never any doubt that while establishing their businesses there, they also wanted to give back as much as they had been given.