Mortgage Broker in Sullivan's Island, SC

Picture this: You just moved to Charleston, SC and you need some help with the practicalities of life (we can’t just sit back and relax on Sullivan’s Island all day, unfortunately). That’s where we come in. Keep reading for Charlestonian 101, our guide to all things CHS citizenship.

Voter registration

Make sure you’re eligible and registered to vote, find your polling location, and preview upcoming elections and sample ballots here.

Driver’s licenses and vehicle registration

New residents in need of an SC driver’s license will need to provide their social security number, proof of identity, citizenship, and date of birth, and two documents confirming their current physical SC address.

For dealer-purchased vehicles, titling and registration will be completed for you (generally). If your vehicle was purchased from an individual that holds the title, here’s what you’ll need to register your car in SC:

Find out what you need to transfer a plate or request a new one here. Initial registrations may be subject to title and registration fees.

Visit an SCDMV branch to obtain an SC driver’s license or register your vehicle.

Healthcare

Establishing yourself with a primary care provider is one of those things you’ll be glad you did when you need one. Reach out to the professionals at Roper St. Francis Healthcare, MUSC Health, or Palmetto Primary Care Physicians, to name a few. Pro tip: Websites like DocSpot filter physicians by location, patient reviews, insurance, language, and more.

School registration

Prepare your student for the school year by registering them with Charleston County School District (or Berkeley County School District). Here, you’ll find school districts based on your residential area,and elementary, middle, high, and charter schools within each of the eight constituent school districts. Use this map to find school options by zone.

Get details on Charleston County School District registration and enrollment here, including a required documentation list and registration link. For information on Charleston County’s private schools, check out this list.

Library card registration

If you think libraries are only for checking out the occasional book, think again. Register for a library card at your nearest Charleston County Public Library branch or online to take advantage of:

To get your card, you’ll need a photo ID and proof of address. Young adults ages 12-17 are eligible for a young adult library card, and those under the age of 12 can get a card with a parent or guardian’s signature.

Recycling

Thanks for thinking green. For everything you need to know about recycling in Charleston, from pickup days to container requests and accepted materials, check out this Charleston County Environmental Management page.

Utilities

Moving is exciting, but no one wants to unpack by candlelight. Establish your services with Dominion Energy by creating an account or updating your address in your existing account. Pro tip: Check out this info to learn how to manage seasonal bills.

Internet providers

No connectivity issues here. Check out some of the internet providers in the 843 below. Note: Service cost and availability may vary by location.

Having an SC driver’s license and an 843 area code may qualify you on paper, but you’re not officially a Charlestonian until you’ve taken part in some local fun.

Rooftop bars and restaurants

You haven’t properly enjoyed a Holy City skyline unless you’ve enjoyed a drink on a rooftop overlooking the hustle and bustle of our city with your closest friends. Did someone say golden hour photo op? Here are a few spots.

Live music

Live music and Charleston go together like peanut butter and jelly. There’s no shortage of local venues like Credit One Stadium, Music Farm, The Windjammer, and Pour House, so the chances of seeing your favorite artist live in action are pretty good. Take a look at upcoming concerts.

History

With historic buildings like “America’s First Museum” and “America’s first theater,” Charleston has its fair share of stories to tell through the years — which makes sense, given that the city dates back to 1670.

Explore our history coverage to learn about ghost stories, preservation efforts, and local landmarks, and check out these interesting facts about the Holy City’s past and quirks.

Is there something you’re still left wondering about to get you properly established in the Holy City? Ask us your question and we’ll do our best to answer it for you, like a good neighbor.

Members of North Charleston City Council spent the day trying to tour city schools in the Charleston County School District on Monday.

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Members of North Charleston City Council spent the day trying to tour city schools in the Charleston County School District on Monday. But they never made it inside.

Mayor Keith Summey made an announcement in February saying his city would explore breaking away from the county to create its own school district.

The councilmembers said they wanted to look at the “disparities” between schools in their city and other cities like Mount Pleasant, Isle of Palms and Sullivan’s Island to try to further prove that their schools aren’t receiving enough support from Charleston County School District.

Four members of North Charleston City Council, Rhonda Jerome, Mike Brown, Jerome Heyward and Virginia Jamison, drove around in a city vehicle to district schools across North Charleston, including North Charleston High School and the Charleston County School of the Arts. They were hoping that the school district would let them go inside the schools, but they were denied. Instead, they just looked at the exteriors of the schools and pointed out flaws from the outside.

“Ride around, you’ll see,” Jerome said. “When you ride over to Mount Pleasant and Isle of Palms you can see a big difference just from the outside. So, you can imagine what the insides look like, just use your imagination.”

Charleston County School District spokesman Andy Pruitt said the councilmembers were potentially violating district policies by using schools as “political forums” along with being unauthorized visitors on campus.

“Every single child that we serve, we feel dedicated and feel very passionate that we want to make sure we provide them with life-changing opportunities. It doesn’t matter where they live,” Pruitt said. “They’ve been entrusted into our care, and we believe that’s important to make sure they all get what they need.”

Councilmembers say leaving the district is something that’s been talked about for 15 years. But they say the time is now to work to actually achieve their goal of starting a new district.

“Nothing’s getting better, “Jerome said. “It’s time.”

After Summey made the announcement last month, State Rep. Marvin Pendarvis filed a bill that would remove North Charleston schools from the Charleston County School District and create a new district.

The council members say they want Charleston County School District to come to the table with them as soon as possible to talk because they say their kids deserve better. The school district said they have always been open to sitting down with the city.

“The goal here is collaboration,” Pruitt said. “We really want to work with the City of North Charleston to find a path forward so that all of our schools and for them, specifically the schools in the City of North Charleston, can move in the right direction. We believe they are moving in the right direction.”

Pruitt said they are working on that path forward for North Charleston schools that belong to the district by improving academics and upgrading facilities, including a new campus that will be in the works for Morningside Middle School.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.

The Town of Sullivan’s Island and Fort Moultrie are hosting Carolina Day events to commemorate the Battle of Sullivan’s Island that took place on June 28, 1776.

The Town of Sullivan’s Island, along with Battery Gadsden Cultural Center, is hosting a morning event on June 25 to honor the historic Revolutionary War battle.

Even though the entire conflict took place on the island and was one of the first great American victories of the Revolutionary War, little had been done on Sullivan’s Island to mark the event until 2019 when the town, along with Battery Gadsden Cultural Center, began to reestablish a commemoration to complement activities in downtown Charleston organized by the Palmetto Society. Since then the Sullivan’s Island event has grown steadily.

Carolina Day festivities on Sullivan’s Island will take place on the plaza in front of Town Hall on at 9 a.m. Activities will include raising of the Moultrie flag, a proclamation by Mayor Patrick O’Neil, participation by the Daughters of the American Revolution and a special speaker on the history of the battle.

An extra special treat will be the firing of a musket salute by members of the 2nd South Carolina Regiment, Col. Moultrie’s own unit. Invocation and benediction will be by Rev. Daniel Massie. Refreshments including doughnuts, coffee and orange juice will be served.

Everyone, including students of all ages, islanders both old and new, visitors and anyone interested in learning more about the first significant event in Sullivan’s Island history are encouraged to attend the ceremony on June 25.

Additionally, Fort Moultrie will celebrate the 246th anniversary of the Battle of Sullivan’s Island with events on June 25 and 26.

At Fort Moultrie from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., there will be living history soldiers in period uniforms, musket and cannon drills and firing demonstrations.

Visitors of all ages have the chance to experience the American Revolution through the life of a soldier at Fort Moultrie. The park entrance fee has been waived June 25.

Cannon demonstrations will be on Saturday at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 3 p.m. and Sunday at 10 a.m. Musket demonstrations will take place on Saturday at 10 a.m., 12 p.m., 2 p.m. and Sunday at 12 p.m.

Patriots and Loyalists will be represented with the 2nd South Carolina Regiment and 33rd Regiment of Foot.

Fort Moultrie is located at 1214 Middle Street on Sullivan’s Island. The park represents the history of static seacoast defense in the United States, from the American Revolution to the end of World War II.

For more information call 843-883-3123 or visit www.nps.gov/fosu.

Residents and island visitors gathered on a clear Saturday at the steps of Town Hall Plaza on Sullivan’s Island to commemorate the 246^th anniversary of the Battle of Sullivan’s Island, an annual event hosted by Battery Gadsden Cultural Center.

On June 28, 1776, Sgt. William Jasper and others from the Second South Carolina Regiment, which was commanded by Col. William Moultrie, hoisted a regimental flag upon a partially completed palmetto log fort to defend colonial Charleston against a major land and sea assault led by British Admiral Sir Peter Parker and Gen. Henry Clinton.

On Saturday, emcee Chuck Galis welcomed the gathering crowd to a Carolina Day celebration. Sullivan’s Island Mayor Patrick O’Neil read a proclamation to kick off the ceremony. Members of Boy Scout Troop 59, which meets regularly at Stella Maris Church on the island, led a presentation and raising of the bright blue Moultrie Flag, followed by a dramatic musket salute by members of the modern-day Second South Carolina Regiment.

Maggie Adams, regent for St. Sullivan Chapter-NSDAR, recalled the life, death and courageous example of Col. Michael Kovats, a Hungarian cavalryman who trained and led the Continental Army during the British siege of Charleston. In January 1777, Kovats penned a letter to then-American Ambassador in France, Benjamin Franklin, in which he pledged his sword to defend the Continental Army’s cause. He famously closed the letter with the salutation, “Most faithful unto death.” Kovats ultimately gave his life in the American War for Independence on May 11, 1779. (Wikipedia reports, “To this date, Michael de Kovats is celebrated by cadets at The Citadel Military College in Charleston, South Carolina, where part of the campus is named in his honor. The Hungarian Embassy in Washington, D.C., has a statue sculpted by Paul Takacs and executed by Attila Dienes.”)

Mike Walsh, president of the Battery Gadsden Cultural Center, closed the ceremony by conveying the 2022 Cultural Stewardship Award to former Sullivan’s Island resident Wayne Stelljes. The Rev. Dr. Daniel W. Massie offered a benediction.

Rob Byko is a local Realtor and avid photographer. All photos in this story are by Rob Byko Photography and are copyrighted. All rights reserved.

SULLIVAN’S ISLAND — Sullivan’s Seafood Restaurant was an island staple from 1988 until Sept. 6, 2020, when owners Sammy Rhodes and Donna Rhodes Hiott permanently closed the local favorite. Ben and Kate Towill hope their restaurant — which opened in the 2019 Middle St. space May 17 — will honor the building’s past while ushering it into the future.

Sullivan’s Fish Camp is now open, serving customers local seafood and beach-themed cocktails Tuesday through Sunday.

The Towills are the owners of design and hospitality firm Basic Projects. Kate, head of design for the Charleston-based company, has led the design of residential and commercial properties, including an athletic club and Basic Projects’ two other restaurants: Basic Kitchen and Post House.

Alongside her husband, Basic Projects head of operations Eva Suarez and other members of the team, Kate led the two-year renovation of Sullivan’s Fish Camp, where she set out to create a 1970s-inspired beachside aesthetic. Her goal was to give the space a fresh look with elements honoring Sullivan’s Seafood, like a framed flag and original menu.

A place that feels new and nostalgic all at once.

“That’s been the biggest compliment that we have received is (people saying) ‘Oh it feels like it’s been here forever,’ ” Kate Towill said.

Leading the kitchen as executive chef is Davis Hood, who grew up on Isle of Palms with his brother Nathan, culinary director of Basic Projects. Hood, who recalls walking by the Middle Street building on his way to Sullivan’s Island Elementary School, is focusing on sustainability at the new Sullivan’s Island restaurant.

Local purveyors like Abundant Seafood, Tarvin Seafood, Lowcountry Oyster Co., Vertical Roots and Peculiar Pig Farm dot the Sullivan’s Fish Camp menu.

“It’s not your average fish camp in my eyes,” Hood said. “The whole concept of snout to tail cooking, we’re trying to bring that vibe but with fish. Understanding that the ocean is such an important part of our lives and not trying to have any waste.”

If there is one dish that epitomizes this approach, it’s the Sullivan’s Island Gumbo that features Tarvin Seafood shrimp, clams, okra, lobster broth, dayboat fish and Anson Mills Charleston Gold Rice. The West African style gumbo’s gluten-free base is made using chicken bones, lobster shells, shrimp shells, fennel, celery, palm oil and Bradford Family Farm okra, which replaces a roux as the stew’s thickening agent.

Ben Towill said the gumbo, along with the pan-roasted fish of the day and tempura nori tuna with furikake aioli have been some of the restaurant’s top sellers in its first weeks of service.

“We feel like the menu’s been received really well,” Ben Towill said. “Guests and everyone have felt really comfortable which has been a big bonus.”

Fresh seafood isn’t the only element that gives Sullivan’s Fish Camp that desired beachside feel. Self-described “fruity” cocktails like the tequila-based Sumter’s Watch, rum-based Sullivan Swizzle and the frozen paloma will immediately put patrons on island time.

Sullivan’s Fish Camp is open for dinner from 5-10 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, and lunch is currently served from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. The restaurant plans to eventually serve lunch and dinner daily.

For more information, visit sullivansfishcamp.com or call 843-883-2100.

Ryan Jones fought the urge to hug the fire marshal after he gave his now-open downtown Charleston restaurant Southbound the green light.

Years in the making, Southbound at 72 Cannon St. was supposed to be Ryan and Kelleanne Jones’ first restaurant, with the name hinting at their move from Connecticut to South Carolina seven years ago. Delays and the interruption of COVID-19 led them to debut two Mount Pleasant restaurants first: Community Table and Kiki & Rye.

“Now it’s kind of Southbound-ish,” Ryan Jones joked last year.

Setbacks behind them, the couple has been welcoming diners into the new restaurant since Feb. 10. The main level of the 2,000-square-foot, two-story space has a large wood-fired grill serving as the stunning centerpiece. An ironclad spiral staircase takes diners up to the second story of the historic home, equipped with a bar and dining area.

“The space, it’s unique to what’s going on in town. We know we’re serving stuff that you’re not seeing around town, as well,” Ryan Jones said. “It’s been a long time coming.”

Centered around live-fire cooking, the menu, printed daily, features appetizers like confit duck with apple parsnip puree and salt roasted beets, whetting the palate for expertly cooked golden tilefish piccata, barbecue lacquered chicken and a bone-in ribeye for two. Sides, meant to be shared, include large charred shishito peppers, coal-roasted potatoes, and hot and sour cauliflower.

Southbound is open from 4-10 p.m. daily. For more information, visit southboundchs.com.

When Jessica Shillato, owner of Spotted Salamander Café & Catering, opened her lunchtime café on Richland Street nearly a decade ago she was returning to her roots.

Her first introduction to the restaurant industry was when she started working at the now-closed Poppy Seeds Catering & Gourmet in Augusta, Ga., which focused on lunch and catering in much the same way Shillato’s Spotted Salamander Café does.

After attending culinary school, she spent years working late nights in restaurants and grueling hours as a corporate chef before she returned to what she loved — lunch and catering.

It’s a decision that’s paid off. In January, Shillato was named a semifinalist in this year’s James Beard Foundation Awards, making her one of the first three in Columbia to be recognized — Lula Drake Wine Parlour and City Grit Hospitality made the list alongside Shillato.

Spotted Salamander, which she opened in 2014, expanded to Main Street late last year. Unlike Shillato’s older Richland Street location, the Main Street site offers coffee and espresso drinks. It operates in the former space of Drip Coffee.

Shillato, who is a semifinalist in the Best Chef Southeast category, has spent more than two decades working as a professional chef, after graduating from Johnson & Wales culinary school in Charleston in 2002. She focuses almost entirely on quirky, Southern food.

“She’s kind of reinventing old Southern recipes,” said Wes Fulmer, executive chef of Motor Supply Company Bistro, who called it “refreshing to see.”

“It doesn’t make it feel so stale and she does a really good job of that,” he said. “I think people appreciate that.”

The chef made a name for herself in town for her unique Southern dishes like deviled eggs topped with potato chips and hot sauce and her peanut butter, jelly and Doritos sandwich.

“I try to make food nostalgic, almost,” Shillato said. “I want it to be like and taste like what you ate when you were a kid.”

Her habit of cooking sentimental Southern cuisine makes it fitting that Shillato started cooking in the first grade. She took on an untraditional role, as the youngest sibling, in cooking for her household while her parents worked — her mother a nurse and her father a district manager for Waffle House.

When she first started, she described cooking as fun and something she wanted to see if she was capable of. It wasn’t until years later that she pursued culinary school.

After she graduated from Charleston’s Johnson & Wales culinary school in 2002, she worked as a chef in hotels like Mills House and The Charleston Place and restaurants like the now-closed Saltwater Grill on Sullivan’s Island.

But growing weary of long hours, she took a job as a corporate chef — which she jokes was only for the hours and benefits — until her daughter was born.

“In 2009, I had a kid and they wanted me to come back to work immediately, and I’m like ‘How am I supposed to feed this kid when I’m working for you?’ so I quit my job and started the catering company,” Shillato said.

In the years since, she’s expanded her catering company to two different locations and spent a year as a state chef ambassador. The chef ambassador program was created close to a decade ago with the purpose of promoting the state’s culinary scene through local chefs.

The program requires the handful of selected chefs, chosen each year, to travel across the state attending events and speaking to crowds — a challenge for the self-described introvert.

“I was more introverted (in the past), that’s why I liked catering so much,” Shillato said. “But then when Spotted Salamander on Richland Street kind of blew up ... and then the chef ambassador program made me really come out of my shell.”

She’ll find out March 29 whether she advances to the Beard Foundation’s nominee round. If she does, she’ll have the opportunity to be named Best Chef of the Southeast for this year’s awards.

She said the prospect of moving forward in the awards is more intimidating than the initial nomination: “The first one was just so unexpected. With the winning thing, I’m like, ‘There’s no way.’”