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Orangeburg tastes mighty fine judging from the glowing descriptions offered by people who managed to stop eating long enough to say something intelligible.
Most were too busy oohing and ahhing. Many were moaning testimonials like “Mercy, I think I’ve died and gone to heaven, this is so-o-o good!”
It was difficult to get a coherent sentence from the diners at the 10th annual Taste of Orangeburg Sunday afternoon. It’s no easy task interviewing people when they’ve got their lips locked around one of the mouth-watering barbecue ribs cooked up by Darby’s BBQ. And, don’t bother asking someone a question when they’re shoveling down mouthfuls of Buckridge Plantation’s rich, luxurious she-crab soup or their delectable shrimp gumbo.
Nosing around the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer’s tent, this reporter figured interviewing folks would be easier in a more sanctified setting. But those treating themselves to the church’s heavenly ’nana puddin’ had their eyes rolled back in their heads and could obviously have cared less about being interviewed.
Bernice Tribble, executive director of the Downtown Orangeburg Revitalization Association which presented the event, along with sponsor South Carolina Bank and Trust, couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day. Under sunny, azure blue skies, dozens of participants sat around Memorial Plaza at tables with family and friends, sampling tasty dishes from 19 area restaurants, caterers and other vendors.
Some enjoyed sitting around the fountain shoulder to shoulder with their friends and neighbors, feasting on fried oysters and crab cakes from Joe Fox’s; chicken salad croissants and Tempura Wonton Fried Shrimp from Chestnut Grille; Caleb’s Crazy flavored shaved ice; tiramisu bites from the 1058 Grille; vegetable soup, cornbread and desserts from the Junior Service League; Ms. Tooky’s wings and sausage dogs; Papa John’s Pizza and much, much more.
Mike and Yvonne Pooser, who were sampling some of the desserts, say they always enjoy Taste of Orangeburg.
“It does bring the community together, and that’s what you want. Not only that, it highlights some of our restaurants,” Mike said.
While he and his wife had already enjoyed the gumbo, the Tempura Wonton Fried Shrimp, the banana pudding and the tiramisu bites, Mike said he didn’t plan to go home empty-handed, either.
“Yvonne doesn’t care much for turkey legs, but I do,” he said. “So, I’ll get one to go.”
“It’s not something you want to eat in public,” Yvonne added, smiling.
Patsy Goodwin and Mary Boyd were sitting on a bench chowing down on their selections and basking in the sunshine. They had visited Buckridge Plantation’s tent and were feasting contentedly.
“There are some places like Buckridge that I don’t normally eat at,” Goodwin said. “This is a good place for me to find out how the different foods are around town.”
Goodwin decided she’d take home a smoked turkey leg from the Orangeburg Morning Rotary Club.
“I’ve got a turkey leg that I’m going to have a couple of days for lunch. My superintendent in Orangeburg District Five said the turkey legs are delicious, and I’m taking him at his word,” she said.
Goodwin’s boss, Orangeburg Consolidated School District Five Superintendent Melvin Smoak, was one of the Rotarians responsible for pushing sales of the smoked turkey legs, which resembled something cavemen would have eaten. He said there are several good reasons why the primitive-looking hunks of meat are so appealing.
“No. 1, it’s a lot of meat. The other part of it is it’s very tasty. In addition to that, folks just like to be able to share. So, when they get one, they can make several meals out of it,” Smoak said.
“We buy them precooked, and then we put them on the charcoal grill,” he added. “The flavor of the meat is so good. It tastes like smoked ham as opposed to turkey. It’s real juicy. As people pass by, the aroma draws them in.”
As evidence of the popularity of the smoked turkey legs, the Rotarians placed their last batch on the grill only an hour into Sunday’s three-hour event.
Note to those planning to attend next year’s Taste of Orangeburg – get there early.
-- T&D Region Editor Carol Barker can be reached by e-mail at cbarker@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5525. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.