Charleston Chew.

Let me begin by apologizing for the lack of pictures. It has been overcast and rainy for much of the time I have been here, and I did not want to post pictures that do accurately justify the beauty of Kiawah and Charleston. And, it gives me something to post later. :)

I am loving being back South. Everyone talks like me, for the most part. The weather has been unseasonably warm, compared to New York. I flew on a Friday to miss the coldest day of the year thus far on that next Monday. I'm not even going to mention the blizzard that affected 30 states last week (with South Carolina not being one of the thirty). Now, I must say that I do love being back in the land of Coca-Cola (Pepsi, yuck), but I have a new found appreciation for drinking sweet tea more than once or twice a year to one or twice a week. Charleston's history is rooted in the traditions and times of the Old South, including having a big part in the Civil War, with Fort Sumter minutes away. With that being said, Charleston and the surrounding areas are all about Southern charm and hospitality. Needless to say, I am loving exploring my new area, my new home away from home. Having never even been here before accepting my externship, there is much to see and learn!

My mom and I said goodbye to my family in Statesboro and drove to Charleston last Sunday. From Sunday until she left on Tuesday, we spent the majority of our time exploring Charleston and Kiawah Island. We did buy several things around town that I need or will need, such as soap, detergent, hangers, etc. It was so fun to spend several days, just the two of us, letting Gertie (the GPS) take us wherever she wanted to lead. Seeing as my mom and I have never been here, we just put into the GPS where we wanted to go and hoped we would make it there. The draw bridges, cupcake shops, yogurt places, Chickfilas, colleges, and rivers we saw on our journey to our destination were just added bonuses.

My family thinks, now that I am in culinary school, that I am a food snob. I do not argue with them, but it is my philosophy that we all have a little food snob in us. Do you like to eat good food? Do you have standards? Okay, then you too are a food snob of sorts. Just because I know what duck confit is or what the percentage in front of chocolate means does not make me more of a snob than you. It just means that when you were studying teaching techniques or what Advair does to the body I was learning about food. I do not proclaim to know it all by any means, but I am confident enough to think that dining with me usually leads to good food and a fun time. At least, my mom agrees after spending days just the two of us. I even drove us across THE bridge (Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge) to Mt. Pleasant for my mom to experience Whole Foods for the first time. We ate at the Jasmine Porch on Kiawah for dinner one day and breakfast another. We had yogurt. We had sushi in Downtown Charleston at Tsunami. We had pizza at Your Pie. Mmmm.

As a CIA extern, I will be working in the Baking and Pastry Department at the Sanctuary Hotel at Kiawah Island Golf Resort. As a resort employee, you must attend an orientation. As a hotel employee, you must attend an orientation. Therefore, on Wednesday, I went to the Resort orientation and attended a separate hotel orientation on Thursday. After orientation on Thursday, I met with Robyn, who will be taking me under her wing in the pastry department, and she gave me a tour of the kitchens. For the next few weeks, while the hotel is slow, I will be shadowing her in production and then spend some time rotating through the restaurants at the hotel. During peak season, Robyn will schedule me to work where I am needed. I officially start on Monday, and I am so excited about all the opportunities to work and grow in many areas at the Sanctuary Hotel.

About forty minutes from where I live in Charleston, Kiawah Island has only be open to the public for a few decades. Therefore, it is an exclusive resort and community. Kiawah Island Golf Resort has the reputation of being one of the top golf resorts in the country and world, but its goal is to be one of the top resorts in the world. Home to five elite golf courses, KIGR has hosted many premier golf tournaments. The Ocean Course, known as one of the top three most difficult courses, was opened to host the Ryder Cup in 1991. Since then, this course with breathtaking views of the Atlantic has hosted the Senior PGA Championship and will host the 2012 PGA Championship, a major golf tournament, in August of next year. The Sanctuary Hotel opened in 2004 and will celebrate its seventh year in August of this year. This hotel boasts five stars and five diamonds from AAA and Forbes respectively, one of only 36 hotels in the country to be rewarded both. The Spa at the Sanctuary is one of thirteen spas worldwide to hold such ratings. Basically, I am thrilled to be working here.

The Sanctuary was built to look like an old plantation home, with three additions made over three generations. There is even a story of a fictional family living at the hotel. The hotel is second to none in Southern charm in design with antiques and beautiful artwork throughout. The Spa experience is a day on the backporch of a Southern home during the warm months. At the hotel, there are two restaurants, the Jasmine Porch (where my friend from the CIA, Trevor, will be working) and the Ocean Room. Jasmine Porch is open for three meals a day and is responsible for in-room dining. Therefore, this kitchen never closes and has a lowcountry flare, representative of this area. The Ocean Room is home to the only four star, four diamond steakhouse in the country. These restaurants call the Sanctuary home but could easily stand alone anywhere in the country/world as solo restaurants. Yes, I get to work here.

Okay, I have bored you enough with my high raves. If you do not believe me, then see for yourself here. And, come visit!

And I thought I would post my new address:
Haley Rehberg
Apt. H235
1840 Carriage Lane
Charleston, South Carolina 29407
(Doesn't Carriage Lane just sound Southern?)
I no longer have the address in Hyde Park. If you send me mail there, there is no guarantee I will ever receive it!

MISSING YOU BUT LOVING LIFE

Hay Reh