SCDA unveils living wall in Marion Square
June 30, 2016
CHARLESTON, SC – A fun and innovative new way to learn more about restaurants serving South Carolina-grown food was unveiled in Charleston’s Marion Square. Using Blippar, an augmented reality and image recognition app, users can interact with The Fresh is Best Living Wall to watch videos spotlighting featured chefs from around South Carolina who emphasize using fresh, local produce and products when planning their menus.
Leadership from the South Carolina Department of Agriculture (SCDA), Charleston Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, farmers and local chefs were on hand earlier to unveil the wall in Downtown Charleston’s Marion Square. The vertical wall, a part of the South Carolina Department of Agriculture’s Fresh on the Menu (FOTM) campaign designed to support local farms and farmers, is thriving with various produce, herbs, and plants.
An updated FOTM app, which helps users quickly find restaurants serving South Carolina products, was also released. The FOTM app is available via the Apple App Store or Google Play.
“South Carolina is quickly becoming the culinary capital of the Southeast,” said Helen Hill (pictured left), director, Charleston Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. “The FOTM app helps drive both locals and visitors to our restaurants serving the freshest food – and connects folks with the chefs who create our favorite meals – and the local farmers who put the food on our tables.”
An extension of the Certified South Carolina Grown branding program, FOTM features local restaurants whose menus incorporate agricultural products and produce grown and made in South Carolina. The program is also supports South Carolina’s farmers and agricultural communities – helping boost the State’s largest economic sector.
“The Fresh on the Menu program gives you that sense of place,” said Executive Chef Frank Lee, Hall Management Group. “As a chef, you need to be able to interpret your region through your skills, through your techniques, through your personality. You have to know who you are and where you are.”
“When you go out to the farms to get to know the farmer and see the crops that are growing, it roots you and sparks your inspiration and creativity,” Lee continued. “It gives you a voice.”
Marion Square visitors are invited to interact with the Living Wall installation using Blippar. Chefs currently featured are:
- Forrest Parker, Undiscovered Charleston
- Ramone Dickerson, Wing City and the 2 Fat 2 Fly food truck (Columbia)
- Frank Lee, Hall Management Group (Charleston)
- Russ Moore, Slightly North of Broad (Charleston)
- Shawn Kelly, High Cotton (Charleston)
To tour the tastes of South Carolina, visit www.freshonthemenu.com/ and download the app. To learn more about the Certified South Carolina Program, visit www.certifiedscgrown.com/. You can also connect with the program on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. To find out more about Blippar, visit blippar.com. To learn more about the South Carolina Department of Agriculture, visit agriculture.sc.gov.
