Bluffton State of Mind the perfect way to be

By BABBIE GUSCIO -

February 18, 2014 4:00 PM

We have some new "kids" on the block. Sallie and Kent Collins have traded a snug life on Hilton Head Island for a walk on the "eccentric" side here in Bluffton. The charming couple recently purchased Mimi and Hugh Gordon's house next to the Church of the Cross. The Huger-Gordon House is one of the oldest in Bluffton.

Last week, Sallie and Kent invited some friends over for a nip and munch affair to celebrate their new life amongst us. Joan and Charlie Weaver, Kim and Thomas Viljac, Gloria and Brian Carmines, Martha and Randy Ladermann, Caroline Armstrong, Andi Sonfeld, Bess and Mike Soper, who had just driven from Birmingham, Ala., Nancy and Charlie Golson, Alice and Joe Fraser, Carrie and Chip Collins, Jeanne Lee, Ann Elliot, Jane and Steve Kiser -- Jane was just back from her birthday trip to New York with daughter Julia -- Teddy and Emmett McCracken, Margaret and Ken Collins, next door neighbors, the Rob Lees and Sharon and Bernie Haag.

There was lots of wonderful food, including Bluffton Barbeque sliders put together with love by kitchen maven Kim. It was a fun afternoon with friends, and all agreed Sallie and Kent are where they should be.

Life in Bluffton doesn't get any better than this.

Corinne Reeves sent me information about an upcoming soiree sponsored by the Trustees Garden Club in Savannah.

"Glorioso -- Art in Bloom," a Garden Club of America flower show will be held March 12-13 in the Jepson Center for the Arts at 207 W. York St., in historic Savannah. There will be displays in floral design, horticulture and a conservation exhibit. A special treat for attendees is floral interpretations of paintings displayed in the museums.

On March 12, Julia Reed, a writer on food, politics and the South, will speak at 10:30 a.m. in the Jepson Auditorium. Julia is a contributor to many magazines, including Garden & Gun, and serves as chairman of the board at the Ogden Museum in New Orleans, where she lives.

Later, at 1 p.m., chef and cookbook author Hugh Acheson will speak. Hugh is a six-time nominee and the 2012 winner of the "Best Chef in the Southeast" award given by the James Beard Foundation. His latest restaurant, The Florence, will open this spring in Savannah.

Details: www.trusteesgardenclub.com, 912-644-5723

Lynn Miller Hicks has some old friends visiting from West Virginia. Autumn Moore, a chef friend, owned the Paradise Grill for 26 years in Vienna, W.Va., and was also host of "Cooking With Autumn" on local television. The two are true foodies and worked together on many food projects. Autumn recently sold her grill and is on holiday before taking the reins as chef at Divinci's, an Italian restaurant in Williamstown, W.Va. There have been lazy walks through Old Town, oyster roasts, dining and wine-tasting throughout Bluffton for the duo. Autumn says it will be hard to leave and maybe, just maybe, she will be back someday to settle. Something about the air here gets in your blood.

I got a surprise the other day while reading one of my magazines. There was a full-page picture of three very attractive ladies dressed in lovely outfits. The picture caught my eye because I loved the jackets they were wearing. It turned out one of the ladies was Zonnie Sheik, Leisa Cram's sister, who had a wonderful jewelry store in Harbour Town for years. The ladies' jackets are designed by Maria Pucci, using beautiful fabrics by a legendary fabric company, Quadrille. If you go to www.grammercy-atelier.com, you will see what I mean.

I love discovering where sayings originated. "Upper crust," meaning high society, came about because at one time only the wealthiest could afford to put a bottom and top crust on pies. I loved finding that out. So don't forget to use two layers of pastry on your pie or you might give a secret away unknowingly.

Babbie Guscio is the social columnist for The Bluffton Packet. She can be reached at The Store on Calhoun Street.

Photographer Robert Rommel to give talk in Bluffton

From birthdays to rec sports, lots going on for kiddies in Bluffton

This story was originally published February 18, 2014 at 4:00 PM with the headline "Bluffton State of Mind the perfect way to be."

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