ICYMI: WYFF 4's latest Chronicle special takes a tasty tour of local restaurants

THIS SUCCESS. FISH GO. IT BRINGS US TO THE TABLE ALL THE EXPERIENCE. IT’S EXCITING TO TRY SOMETHING NEW. NO, THANK YOU. TO GATHER, WE FIND MORE IN COMMON WITH EACH OTHER, SITTING ACROSS THE TABLE WITH FOOD THAN WE DO WITH ANY OTHER MEDIUM. I LOVE SITTING DOWN AND EATING WITH PEOPLE. FOOD FOR ME, FOOD IS MY LOVE LANGUAGE. THERE’S A LOT OF DIFFERENT OPTIONS, BRINGS PEOPLE GREAT FOOD, TONS OF FOOD TO NEW PLACES. IT’S A CITY THAT WE’VE ALWAYS WANTED TO VISIT. THESE ARE CALLED CAT HEAD BISCUITS. ON HIS CULINARY TOURS. SO THAT’S BEEN HERE 25 YEARS. HISTORIAN AND AUTHOR JOHN NOLAN. A LOT OF NEIGHBORHOODS RIGHT IN THE DOWNTOWN GUIDES VISITORS INTO DOWNTOWN GREENVILLE RESTAURANTS. THIS TOUR IS DIFFERENT EVERY TIME SHARING THE LOCAL FLAVOR. YOU PROBABLY IN MICHIGAN NEVER HAD A FRIED GREEN TOMATO WITH A SIDE OF HISTORY. IT’S CALLED RED EYE GRAVY. SO THAT’S SOMETHING THAT’S ALSO VERY, VERY SOUTHERN. SO RED EYE GRAVY HAS ALWAYS HAS COFFEE IN IT, HE SAYS. GREENVILLE’S RESTAURANTS ARE APPEALING FOR TOURISTS AND BUSINESSES. COMPANIES THAT THEY SAY, WHY ARE YOU RELOCATING HERE? AND PART OF IT SOMETIMES IS BECAUSE THE CULINARY SCENE I JUST KIND OF BELIEVED THAT IF WE COULD PUT A STAKE IN THE GROUND DOWN HERE THAT ONE DAY WE MIGHT BE THE CENTER OF DOWNTOWN. CARL SOBOCINSKI WANTED HIS SIGNATURE RESTAURANT, SOBY’S NEW SOUTH CUISINE TO FEATURE TRADITIONAL SOUTHERN DISHES. AND I WAS LOOKING AT GREENVILLE AND WHAT WE HAD AND WHAT WE DIDN’T HAVE. AND WE DID NOT HAVE ANYBODY DOING THAT KIND OF CUISINE. SO B’S IS OPENED IN 1997. THE TIMING FOR THIS CREATION AND LOCATION WAS JUST RIGHT IN THE EARLY DAYS OF DOWNTOWN’S REVITALIZATION. YOU KNOW, THE BUILDINGS, THE STOREFRONTS WERE BOARDED UP AND THE FIRST BUSINESSES AS THE MAJORITY OF THE BUSINESSES THAT CAME WERE RESTAURANTS REST HAUNTS, GAVE PEOPLE A REASON TO COME TO DOWNTOWN GREENVILLE. BUT SO BASINSKI SAYS IT’S THE WAY PEOPLE ARE TREATED AT A RESTAURANT THAT MAKES THEM COME BACK. SO THIS IS TABLE 301. IF YOU’RE SITTING AT THIS TABLE, YOU CAN LOOK DOWN AND AND WATCH THE CHEFS COOKING. AND WE WANT ANY GUEST AT ANY TABLE IN OUR RESTAURANT TO FEEL LIKE THEY’RE AT TABLE 301, LIKE THEY’RE IN OUR KITCHEN. THEY’RE IN OUR HOME. THE TABLE 301 RESTAURANT GROUP HAS GROWN, AND IN 2023, SOBY’S WAS THE ONLY RESTAURANT IN SOUTH CAROLINA TO MAKE THE LIST OF OPEN TABLE’S TOP 100 BRUNCH RESTAURANTS IN THE COUNTRY. I’M VERY COMPETITIVE, BUT I ALSO WANT OUR COMPETITIVE RESTAURANTS IN TOWN TO BE SUCCESSFUL BECAUSE ALL BOATS RISE WITH THE RISING TIDE. GO DOWN TO CHICKEN QUESADILLA. THERE’S ROOM AT THE TABLE FOR NEW RESTAURANTS CAUSE THIS IS DEFINITELY ONE OF THE MORE UNIQUE THINGS ON THE MENU FOR SURE. AND WE CAN PUT IT IN QUESADILLAS. I PUT IT IN TACOS. I CAN PUT IT IN A BURRITO USING INGREDIENTS LIKE CACTUS RICE. DANA LEA SERVES A TASTE OF BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS AT COMAL 864, AND I WANT TO SHARE IT BECAUSE OUR FOOD IS REALLY GOOD BACK HOME. OUR PEOPLE ARE REALLY GOOD. THERE’S A LOT OF LOVE IN WHAT WE DO. FAMILIA IS LIKE THE CORE OF WHO WE ARE. HER RESTAURANT FAMILY GREW QUICKLY IN 2023 WHEN SHE WAS NAMED A SEMIFINALIST FOR THE JAMES BEARD AWARD FOR BEST CHEF. SHE THANKS THE PEOPLE OF GREENVILLE, GREENVILLE IS VERY UNIQUE. GREENVILLE LOVES FOOD, ENJOY. PEOPLE LOVE DIFFERENT FOOD. THEY WANT TO EXPERIENCE DIFFERENT THINGS. THE CITY OF GREENVILLE CELEBRATES ITS DIFFERENT FOOD AT ANNUAL FESTIVAL FALL FOR GREENVILLE AND EUPHORIA. ASHEVILLE’S FOOD FESTIVAL IS CALLED CHOWCHOW. I THINK AUTHENTICITY IS MAYBE ONE OF THE SECRET INGREDIENTS THAT HAS ALLOWED ASHEVILLE TO KIND OF GET TO THIS POINT. CHOWCHOW CELEBRATES ASHEVILLE’S COMMUNITY SPIRIT AND SUPPORT. WE HAVE SOME OF OUR POPSICLES. IF I WERE TO TELL SOMEONE THAT I WAS GOING TO QUIT MY BIG TIME CORPORATE JOB AND START A POPSICLE BUSINESS, THEY WOULD HAVE SAID, YOU’RE CRAZY. IT’S NEVER GOING TO WORK. BUT IN ASHEVILLE, PEOPLE ARE LIKE THIS, THIS IS GREAT. HOW DO WE MAKE IT WORK? SHE SAYS. ASHEVILLE’S ATMOSPHERE DRAWS CREATIVES WHO FEEL THE FREEDOM TO TRY NEW THINGS. I HAD THIS CRAZY IDEA WHAT IF I COULD OPEN A RESTAURANT THAT TOOK THE BEST STREET FOOD FROM ALL OVER INDIA AND PUT IT UNDER ONE ROOF? WE USE TO COOK BY 20% AND HAD BOOM MONEY. CHEF MEHERWAN IRANI OPENED A CHAI PANI IN ASHEVILLE IN 2009 AND WON THE JAMES BEARD AWARD FOR AMERICA’S MOST OUTSTANDING RESTAURANT IN 2022. I THINK ASHEVILLE IS STILL A PLACE FOR FOLKS TO REALLY, YOU KNOW, FIND ACCEPTANCE OF WHATEVER THEIR DREAM, THEIR VISION OR THEIR CREATIVE OUTLET IS. KARL SOBOCINSKI SAYS THE FOODIE REPUTATIONS OF ASHEVILLE AND GREENVILLE CAN COMPLEMENT EACH OTHER. AS PEOPLE COME TO GREENVILLE FOR OUR FOOD SCENE, BUT THEY DISCOVER ASHEVILLE OR THEY GO TO ASHEVILLE, DISCOVER ITS FOOD SCENE, AND THEN COME AND DISCOVER US. SUPPORT FOR COMMUNITY AND CREATIVITY. THE WINNERS. YEAH, THERE’S JUST SOMETHING ABOUT EATING A GOO