The Best of Lowcountry Food

Words by Maura Egan

Bradford Farm

When it comes to fresh, local ingredients, Charleston and the local surroundings are an embarrassment of riches— whether it’s blue crabs caught from the coast or Sea Island red peas—a much needed staple for Hoppin’ John, the Southern New Year’s Day dish. Low Country cuisine, the regional cooking style that originated in the coastal areas around South Carolina, rose from a blend of West African, French, Spanish, English, and Native American influences. This is a cuisine that is as rich in its history as it is in its flavor.

“It’s all about the flavor,” says Executive Chef Matt Dion at Lowland, a Southern-inspired tavern just across the courtyard from The Pinch hotel. The restaurant was a recommended spot in the 2026 Michelin guide for the American South. At the local farmers markets in Charleston, you’ll find everything from Carolina African runner peanut to benne seeds to palmetto asparagus among the plump produce. (Many of these ingredients were nearly extinct until some resourceful chefs and farmers decided to revive them over the last two decades.) On the docks, local fishermen haul in piles of speckled trout, red fish, triggerfish, oysters and shrimp. It’s why you’ll slurp down some of the briniest oysters at small shacks that dot the islands or you’ll tuck into the perfect dish of shrimp and grits that will leave you wanting to order seconds.

Chef Dion’s Fall Bisque

Dion has long cultivated strong relationships with farmers like Nat Bradford of Bradford Farms. Bradford sends a weekly text to let Dion know what’s fresh right now, whether it’s okra, field peas, turnips, or Asian pears for his tuna crudo. Steamboat Creek Oysters are the only oysters served at Lowland. They come from Edisto Island, about 40 miles south of town and it’s worth the trip. Dion also works with the local shop Goat.Sheep.Cow. which provides the Prairie Breeze Cheddar for the celery salad, a fan favorite.

“We want to make savory food without being pretentious,” says Dion, which is very much in the spirit of Low Country cooking origins. It’s about slow simmering, one-pot meals, and bold seasonings that reflect both African and Caribbean influences. There's also an emphasis on preservation techniques like pickling and smoking that harken back to the days before refrigeration. Dion serves Giradinera, a classic preparation of fermented and pickled vegetables with celery, carrots, cauliflower and peppers. Dion adds some aji dolce peppers, cornicons, olives and rosemary. “Every dish should tell a story,” says Dion who is currently prepping dishes for the Food & Wine Classic Charleston festival. He’s thinking of a fall bisque made from Dutch Fork Pumpkins, a native of South Carolina that was first cultivated by the Cherokees. It ripens in the fall and sticks around through the winter and makes for great purees and pies because of its silky texture.

Meet Maura

Before heading up content at Method Co., Maura Egan was a longtime travel and lifestyle editor who worked at The New York Times Magazine as well as Departures, Travel and Leisure, Conde Nast Traveler, PRIOR, among other outlets. She has been lucky enough to have travelled the globe reporting on food, style, design and culture and the talented people behind it all.