Food and Conversations with the Farmer and the Chef

3333 South Okatie Highway,Hardeeville SC 29927

28 May, 2023

Description

Join Farmer Rollen Chalmers and Chef Modou Jaiteh as they take listeners on a storytelling journey about rice culture in Gambia, West Africa to the rebirth of Carolina Gold Rice in the Lowcountry of South Carolina. A delicious Lowcountry meal will be prepared by Chef Modou. Menu inlcudes Grilled Chicken, Collard Greens, Fried Plantains, Hoppin' John, and Dessert. This event will take place at Rollen's RAW Grains, 3333 South Okatie Highway, Hardeeville, SC 29732. Marion "Rollen" Chalmers, known to most as Rollen, grew up in Hardeeville, S.C. As a young man, he gained a wide range of experiences while working in various industries as a millright and electrical supplier. Rollen's love of the outdoors led him to start his own business, Weedmasters, in 1996. Weedmasters offers installation of water control devices, wildlife food plots and recreational farming. His passion for farming inspired him to perfect the skill of growing heritage rice and other heritage crops. Glenn Roberts and Richard Schultz, Jr. gave Rollen the opportunity to start growing Carolina Gold Rice and Charleston Gold Rice at Turnbridge in Hardeeville, S.C. Turnbridge has proven to have what it takes for rice to thrive. In addition to growing heritage rice at Turnbridge, Rollen grew Carolina Gold Rice on Daufuskie Island, S.C. It was the first time rice had been grown there in over 100 years. One of Rollen's contributions to spreading the knowledge to others is his creation of a Carolina Gold Rice field at the University of Georgia Center for Research and Education at Wormsole in Savannah, GA. under the leadership of Sarah Ross. Rollen is a passionate woodsman who enjoys the outdoors and perfecting growing heritage grains. His humble spirit and positive attitude has given him the patience and perseverance needed to grow rice and other heritage crops in the many challenging environments of nature. Modou Jaiteh was born and raised in The Gambia, West Africa, and moved to the US in 2009. He started cooking in North Carolina, mostly because he missed home and his Mother's cooking. He worked in Kitchens in New York, Boulder, and New Orleans, and started Jacaranda, a restaurant illustrating the Africanization of American cuisine and agriculture in Colorado. His cooking explores relationships, especially those that exist between the food he grew up eating in Senegambia and the food traditions here in the Lowcountry.