Pay Bill
Cheraw’s Culinary Celebration Turns 31
Story by Hianna Sabo
This April, Cheraw’s residents and nearby visitors will don their finest—black tie optional—for a night of culinary delight. As the Taste of Cheraw turns 31, guests can expect returning crowd favorites, discover unexpected delicacies, and experience the best of local and regional flavors.
The Cheraw Chamber of Commerce, led by newly appointed president Jenny McLaughlin, is the driving force behind this labor of love. “We start a week prior on the actual site, putting lighting out and setting up. So, it takes us about 2 weeks to do the actual assembly of the site,” Jenny says. “We worked for months prior, getting sponsorships and collaborating with chefs. It’s definitely about bringing people together in Cheraw and centering it around an evening of food and entertainment.”
Evolving Tradition & Tastes
Last year’s 30th anniversary celebration was a hit, selling out with 500 guests sampling dishes from 20 to 30 local chefs. Attendees in cocktail attire enjoyed a variety of Southern staples like mouthwatering barbecue and decadent desserts. A live band kept the energy high, while aerial arts performers gave folks something extra to talk about.
“We do try to get a menu that’s diverse and offers many different items,” Jenny says. This approach ensures there’s something to tickle every taste bud.
1 booth that always gets folks talking is the “wild men” stand where daring guests can sample some truly unique dishes. “They don’t own a restaurant or anything. They’re just aspiring chefs, and they actually provide the wild game, so they do bacon-wrapped quail, frog legs, and other similar foods,” Jenny says.
Keeping It Fresh
The Taste of Cheraw has found a new secret ingredient—high-speed internet.
Thanks to high-speed internet providers like Sandhill, events in rural areas can expand their reach exponentially. “It absolutely does help us,” Jenny says. “It helps us sell tickets, get information out about sponsorships, and reach chefs that we probably wouldn’t normally reach, who don’t have a brick-and-mortar business.”