Five for Ten
There goes the neighborhood. As the accolades pour in for my beloved hometown of Greenville, it all comes with a Yogi Berra sort of price tag. No one goes there anymore because it’s too crowded. Seriously, if you live anywhere but Main Street, visiting Main Street now feels like going to a new town. As […]
Greenville Small Plate Crawl
Three years ago, my friend Nicole Livengood cooked up a food-centered event for Greenville. It’s the Small Plate Crawl and it gives diners the ability to sample tastings from numerous restaurants in just a couple of days. I hope you’ll participate because it’s quite clever and fun. It’s easy to play along and only requires […]
Honor Thy Mother
When I was 13, I participated in a cycling fundraiser for my Boy Scout troop. I had to ask people to pledge a certain amount per mile I would ride. Most of the folks I went to agreed to donate .25 cents per mile. They were shocked when I rode 40 miles. My mom wasn’t […]
Merry Christmas Brother Malik
I routinely attend church. And it’s a very nice church. Our house of worship is about 190 years old with soaring ceilings, gorgeous stained glass, hand-finished wooden pews, an enormous organ, brass fixtures, and a marble topped altar. Our worship services can be incredibly inspirational and our rector is a gifted speaker, able to deliver […]
Garlic & Gauloises
Now that I’ve been picked up by a real publisher, I’ve found that I have a new family. I’m now a part of the Winter Goose Publishing family and all of us lean on and support one another. We disagree, we laugh, cheer and occasionally poke good natured fun at one another. I haven’t quite […]
Defeat, and Victory
The look in my son’s eyes was something I hadn’t seen in him before. He clutched me, hugged me as only one that benches 225 can, and bawled loudly. In 18 years, he’s never cried like this. I offered the only words that seemed to make sense. “You did your best.” He’s a football player. […]
The Myth of Shooting Stars
This morning I saw a shooting star in the constellation Orion. The meteor shower Orionids passes through every year about this time and many people still refer to these meteors as Shooting Stars. But I’ve known better for a long time. These aren’t stars but rocks, most of them are small rocks about the same […]
Merci Beaucoup, Chef
“One day, you’re going to be a great attorney.” “Yeah, uh, thanks, Dad.” How could I tell my attorney father that a morbidly obese cook from Opelousas, Louisiana, a man that favored sweet potatoes and pork belly over Filet Mignon, had already set me on my career path to become a professional chef, and not […]
Why Would You Do That?
I’m ready. On Friday morning, July 17th, I’ll climb onto my Trek Road Bike and join 285 cyclists and pedal across the state of South Carolina. Yeah I know. It’s gonna be hot, and cycling is dangerous, and I could hurt myself, and I’ll probably get sunburned, etc. I’ve heard it all. And all […]
Please?
One last time, please. All I need is pedals, and a little air. Climb on board and grip my bars, twist them in your familiar hands Ease me onto the street, stand up and jump Coax me through the gears Just like we used to, so many years ago Let’s go All I need is […]