The North Carolina to South Carolina restaurant pipeline, which in 2021 delivered Vivian Howard’s Lenoir to the Renaissance Charleston Historic District Hotel, was reactivated this past week with the semi-opening of Tutti Pizza.
An offshoot of Raleigh’s acclaimed Oakwood Pizza Box, the restaurant from Femi Oyediran and Miles White of Graft Wine Shop eased into business during Charleston Wine + Food with a takeout window. Over the weekend, pizza fans were invited to place online or walk-up orders for round or Sicilian pies.
Most who did also peered inside the King Street-facing dining room, centered on gleaming deck ovens. Takeout will remain an important component of Tutti once customers have the option to sit, but the restaurant will have its own beverage program featuring bottles and 5-8 by-the-glass wines. A $20 corkage fee will be imposed on any bottles purchased next door at Graft.
(If you’re thinking about trying to skirt the charge by taking a box over to Graft on a no-corkage Monday, think again: Oyediran and White have barred pizza from the premises to uphold the integrity of both businesses, but anything goes at the bar’s outdoor tables.)
While an official opening date for Tutti hasn’t been set, the owners project “at least not for two weeks; possibly longer.” Keep an eye on the brand’s dinosaur-like mascot, designed by Blake Suarez, who will give the signal on Instagram.
Additional reporting by Hanna Raskin
Cheers at Johnson Hagood Stadium
After Charleston Wine + Food’s Culinary Village decamped from Marion Square in 2020, either because it was “bursting at the seams” or because a statue of slavery champion John C. Calhoun then loomed over it, it relocated to North Charleston’s Riverfront Park.
The venue, which debuted in 2022 following a yearlong pandemic hiatus, pleased nobody: Ticket holders complained about the distance from downtown, and low-lying grounds that flooded so extensively in 2024 that organizers called off the extravaganza.
This year, the festival’s Culinary Village returned to Charleston. Specifically, the taste-around was staged at The Citadel’s Johnson Hagood Stadium, much to the initial skepticism of longtime participants. But early reviews suggest the stadium was a smashing success, with vendors and patrons alike raving about ample space, accessible pathways, and abundant bathrooms.
Still, one TFS reader wrote to say the new setting felt too generic, likening the goings-on to a convention.
“Could have been anywhere,” the correspondent lamented, allowing that ticketed events may have better reflected the region. “No ‘Welcome to Charleston’ hospitality feel.”
Additional reporting by Hanna Raskin
More choices in Park Circle
Ever since Choice’s Gourmet Market & Deli closed up shop at 4831 Mixson Avenue, the neighborhood’s been short a source of sandwiches and take-home dinner items. Now, though, the space has been brought back online by several food truck owners.
Unfortunately, the enterprise known as Mixson Kitchen suffered a setback on Friday when Lola’s Lumpia owner Mark Prynkiewicz fell from the top of a walk-in cooler. According to a GoFundMe page, he suffered “a brain bleed, fractured skull, and seven broken ribs” as a result.
At press time, the fund was rapidly closing in on its $28,000 donation goal.
Additional reporting by Hanna Raskin
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