Charleston City Paper: Digs - January 2023

Digs, our monthly home-focused publication, connects the people who make the Lowcountry special with content they’ve been missing. Digs gets up close and personal with stories on local personalities, home design and remodeling, plants and gardening, home repair and real estate. To learn more about advertising opportunities offered through

Published by City Paper Publishing, LLC

Ways to help keep your car safer, on road longer

From staff reports

Cars are huge, long-term investments second only to homes for many families. Many are looking for ways to keep their vehicles on the road longer and make them safer to continue to serve their needs for years to come.

No matter what or where you drive, you can keep your current vehicle looking and performing its best — and even update it to make it safer — with these tips inspired by auto enthusiasts across the country.

Choose the right tires

If it’s time to trade your tires in, take the time to learn what options are available for your vehicle. For those in fair-weather states, summer performance tires offer the best possible fuel efficiency all year round. Families living in milder states with occasional snow may consider all-season tires that trade efficiency for safety on a variety of surfaces. No matter your situation, a new set of tires can maximize safety and extend the life of your car.

New look, new ride

One way to breathe new life into your ride is to take it to the next level aesthetically. With enthusiast communities growing around nearly every make and model of vehicle, it’s easy to find parts to make your vision a reality. One of the most eye-catching additions is a new set of wheels, and there are thousands of brands, styles and sizes to choose from for every car. The addition of front, side and rear aerodynamics kits, such as front splitters or rear spoilers, can give any ride that athletic look. Upgrading stock headlight and taillight units — many fitted with high-visibility LEDs — has never been easier.

Upgrade your tech

Safety and creature comforts can add to your enjoyment of your vehicle, even if you’ve been driving it for several years. Many cars can be updated with the latest and greatest features available in new rides, including high-tech information and entertainment systems equipped with digital assistants, front and rear cameras, parking sensors, blind spot warning and even collision avoidance systems. As families look to extend their cars’ lifespans, these technology upgrades can make driving comfortable and safer.

Power and performance

While looks and tech can bring new experiences to your car, no change has quite the same impact as improving its performance. Options abound for those looking to improve the power and handling of their ride, such as replacing the exhaust system, lowering springs, adding a coilover kit or conducting a full suspension replacement.

Find purpose-built parts

Whether you’re an amateur do-it-yourself-er looking to maintain and make small upgrades to your vehicle

or an expert looking to make bigger modifications, finding parts and accessories that fit your vehicle is crucial. From hard-to-find performance modifications to made-to-fit cosmetic accessories, eBay Motors and other online companies offer parts and accessories for nearly any vehicle, skillset and project. Online apps offer inventories of millions of parts listings at any given time, giving auto enthusiasts the ability to purchase from an expansive inventory from the convenience of a smartphone.

Skip the wait

The global supply chain continues to recover from disruptions that have stretched back several years, and many customers are feeling the strain when it comes time to upgrade, maintain or repair their vehicles. Some shops around the country are quoting waiting times of several months just to have the right part delivered for service. But families can find relief and get their car back on the road quicker by looking online to source their much-needed parts. In fact, many technicians work with customers to have parts delivered directly to their shop from online sources to expedite and simplify the process.

Family Features contributed to this story.

Photos by Getty Images

Experts say you need to make sure your tires are safe.

Chu explores classic Chinese flavors and unexpected ice cream tastes

By Andy Brack

Kelly Chu ended up in Charleston because of a chance meeting on a street in Chinatown in New York City in 1996.

Born in Shanghai 43 years ago, Chu and her family moved to Brazil when she was 11 as her father helped to open a hotel. She spoke no Portuguese.

But five years later when the family relocated to the United States to reunite with a set of grandparents, she spoke fluent Portuguese. But not English. So she had to learn it, too.

“We were in Chinatown and dad passed by a guy — it was superrandom on a steet — and it was his childhood friend from Beijing,” Chu recalled. “They just looked at each other and stopped.”

Turned out the guy was a professor at the College of Charleston. He invited Kelly’s dad to visit and, as the story goes, that was that.

“He fell in love with Charleston and said he didn’t want to live anywhere else.”

So Chu and her parents moved to the Lowcountry. Soon they opened Asia Market, a small grocery store on Ashley Hall Road in West Ashley. It closed, but it wasn’t long before they opened Joy Luck, an Asian restaurant in West Ashley that old-timers still talk about today.

Chu entered Academic Magnet High School, learned English, graduated and went to the University of Maryland, where she met Tony Chu, who eventually became her husband. Both got degrees in information systems management. And then they headed to Charleston.

Tony Chu Kelly clarified: “He’s front of the house. I’m back of the house. We divide and conquer.”

In 2003, they opened Red Orchids China Bistro in West Ashley, a perennial winner of the Charleston City Paper ’s Best Chinese Restaurant.

keep busy.

And that led to a second busines, Cirsea Craft Ice Cream. In 2008, Kelly started experimenting with different, unexpected flavors of ice cream. After a few years, they came up with some “really wild ideas.”

A restaurant

of their own

“I run everything; she runs me,” Tony Chu joked while standing next to a large, bright kitchen island in the couple’s West Ashley modern split-level home.

“Running a restaurant is a lifestyle,” Kelly said. “It’s not just a job. You have to be very passionate to do it. You have to be able to sacrifice a lot.”

They work a lot in the restaurant, which is open every day. They’ll usually take a day off once a week, but they

“Cirsea Craft Ice Cream is committed to bringing smiles to our community,” the company website says. “Coined after the southern term ‘surcee,’ which typically refers to a small surprise gift, Cirsea Ice Cream is a treat that is equally as inventive as it is traditional.”

Andy Brack

Kelly Chu is the ultimate foodie who enjoys eating and cooking.

Through the years, Chu said she has crafted more than 50 flavors of ice cream, some of which also are squeezed between two cookies for ice cream sandwiches available at the restaurant.

Five top flavors are bourbon caramel, strawberry goat cheese, vanilla, cinnamon and lavendar. Two flavors that might surprise you: Black sesame and vanilla black pepper. Kelly’s favorite — mustard, which was served one year at the Charleston Wine + Food festival.

“The mustard was kind of mind-blowing for them,” she said. “It was mustard ice cream topped with pretzel bites. It was sweet and savory with a little texture.”

The one flavor that just didn’t work — black truffle.

The Gelato Olympics

In 2017, Cirsea competed against 35 finalists from 19 countries for world’s best gelato after Chu’s dessert won the American competition at the prestigious James Beard House in New York City. Her entry was called “Bacche de Marsala” gelato and featured a crunch of biscotti and taste of Colombo Marsala, Italy’s top imported Marsala wine. The ice cream also included flavors of basil, hone and goat cheese.

At the time, she said, “I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to compete. It feels like the Gelato Olympics. All I can do is my best and hope to have as much fun as I can, doing it!”

While she didn’t win, Cirsea got great exposure and now is a major distributor of ice cream to area top-end restaurants.

Chinese classics

These days at the restaurant, the Chus are continually updating their menu to introduce old-time favorites of the Chinese community to the Western palate.

And when she and her husband aren’t working, they might take a short trip to New York or some other foodie haven to eat and explore new tastes to bring back to Charleston.

“We travel and eat,” she said. “We’re looking for childhood flavors and tastes and menus. We are seeing the fusion and new interpretations [of Chinese food] but we are missing that simplified flavor of yesterday.

“We’re searching for that old classic flavor. What

better way to understand a cuisine than its roots?”

And it seems to be working. Menu items like mapo tofu or fish hotpot just didn’t work two decades ago when the restaurant was new. Now, those and other traditional dishes have followers in the Charleston foodie community.

“We now have a whole page of Chinese classics,” Kelly said. “We have Chinese customers who come and say it is the best they have ever had.”

THE LOWDOWN ON KELLY CHU

Age: 43.

Birthplace: Shanghai, China.

Education: Bachelor’s degree, University of Maryland.

Current profession: Proprietor, Red Orchids China Bistro and Cirsea Craft Ice Cream, both in West Ashley.

Past professions of interest: Voice acting.

Family: “My mom, husband and fur baby (our American shorthair dog).”

Something people would be surprised to learn about you: “I am fluent in three languages (Chinese, English and Portuguese).”

Favorite thing to do outside of work: Eat (“surprising I know. Lol”).

Your passion: Food.

One cookbook you think people must have: The Flavor Bible, by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg.

Favorite ice cream flavor: “Conservatively hazelnut, but out of the ones I have made, mustard is probably my most proud creation.”

Favorite food: “Depends on the day, but a well-made fried pork chop or fresh out-of-the-oven bread is always a winner.”

Three people (alive or dead) you’d like to dine with: “My dad, because I miss him terribly; Dwayne Johnson, because he’s such a self-made success; and Anthony Bourdain, because what fun stories he would share.”

What meal would you want served to you for your last supper: Fried pork chop made by Thomas Keller.

Five things you MUST always have in your refrigerator: Almond milk, eggs, veggies, butter and mustard.

Something that you have too much of at home: Sweaters.

Hobbies: “I used to love to read but with my full-time jobs now, it’s hard. Dessert-making was my passion and I made it into a job. Haha. Does sleeping count as a hobby?”

Secret vice: “Retail therapy.”

Describe your best day in 50 words or less: “Waking up with no alarm, enjoying a cup of coffee in the sun with my husband and letting the day course itself with no work responsibilities.”

Pet peeve: People who are inconsiderate.

Quote: “Chance favors the prepared mind.”

Personal philosophy: “Be better today than yesterday.”

Your advice for someone new to Charleston: “Be a polite driver.”

Your advice for better living: “Enjoy every day and be content.”

Photos by Andy Brack

Courtesy Cirsea Craft Ice Cream Cirsea’s black sesame ice cream.

An orchid and knick knacks at the Chu home in West Ashley.

Dried mushrooms and tea.

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Becoming a better plant parent in the new year

By Toni Reale, special to Digs

I recently asked customers if they had any New Year’s resolutions. Quite a few said they want to become better plant parents. Curious, I followed up with questions about what that meant to them and how we might help them on their journey. Here are some insights from my informal study and how you can achieve your goal of becoming a better plant parent this year.

Let go of the guilt

At the end of the day, it’s just a plant. It’s not a pet nor a child. You won’t get thrown into bad plant parent jail, and a couple dead plants doesn’t say anything about who you are as a person. If you hold on to guilt or shame (if you want to understand the difference, I highly recommend Brene’ Brown’s Men, Women, and Worthiness). Guilt will act as a barrier to you becoming a better plant parent. When people comment that they have a “black thumb,” they are telling themselves a story that their past (and likely limited) experience has made them unable to nurture plants. Break that shame narrative and instead see those less than desirable outcomes as just part of the journey — not a character flaw.

It’s all just an experiment

Caring for plants is all an experiment with many variables and feedback loops between them. Each genera of plants requires a certain amount of sunlight, water, humidity, fertilizer, drainage and a certain mixture of soil. However, each individual plant in your home can thrive in the ranges of those general parameters. It’s just a matter of

Wiping down leaves with a damp cloth will help cut down on unwanted pests.

experimenting to find the right fit for that particular plant.

Do your research

When you pick up a new plant, be sure to research the specific needs of that specific type of plant. For example, not all species of ferns require the exact same care. Remember that your home is not your plant’s native habitat so many factors can play into its success. Look into what its native habitat was (understory, rainforest, desert, etc.) and think about how you can help recreate those conditions. For example, if it is naturally a tropical rainforest plant and requires humidity, consider finding a spot away from vents or in the bathroom if the lighting is right.

Engage with your plants

Take a photo of your plants as soon as you take them home. It’s likely that the plant is in top-notch condition and taking a photo can provide a reference should something not seem right. Carefully observe the leaves and lightly touch them so that you can understand what they look like when

they are at their healthiest. Often the color, fleshiness, and feel of the leaves will be a sure sign if the plant needs more or less water, light or humidity.

Do preventive pest maintenance. Wipe leaves with a damp cloth and trim any dead foliage. This can cut down on pest susceptibility, especially in the winter months when the plant is in dormancy. Lastly, name your plants. It’s harder to neglect Hattie and Hank than it is a no-name plant.

Celebrate the wins

Take a monthly photo of your plants and put it in a special folder on your phone. This way you can compare growth and celebrate your wins. Share your excitement by researching how to propagate your plant and gift it to a friend. Be sure to tell them a bit about the plant and what conditions you created so that they too can be a better plant parent.

Toni Reale is the owner of Roadside Blooms, a unique plant, flower, crystal, and fossil shop in Park Circle in North Charleston. roadsidebloomsshop.com

Gettyimages.com

Reale