Savannah Magazine

Chef Chris “Chino” Hathcock on the Tybee Oyster Co. farm

PRIMARY CARE

ABERCORN SOUTHSIDE 11133 Abercorn Street Suite 10 Savannah, GA 31419 912-925-3382

EISENHOWER 527 Eisenhower Drive Savannah, GA 31406 912-819-9100

MARIANNE FLEMING, MD CONCIERGE

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HEARTWOOD

3866 Belfast Keller Road Richmond Hill, GA 31324 912-819-9620

HINESVILLE

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912-391-1313

ISLANDS

RINCON

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912-826-8860

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912-623-2391

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URGENT CARE

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912-910-2010

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912-910-2720

RINCON

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BLUFFTON 3 Progressive Street Bluffton, SC 29910 843-548-0533

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ENDOCRINOLOGY

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SAVANNAH FACIAL PLASTIC SURGERY

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ST. JOSEPH’S/CANDLER GYNECOLOGIC ONCOLOGY & SURGICAL SPECIALISTS

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ST. JOSEPH’S/CANDLER SURGICAL ONCOLOGY Nancy N. and J.C. Lewis Cancer & Research Pavilion 225 Candler Drive Savannah, GA 31405 912-819-5758

VASCULAR SPECIALISTS

11909 McAuley Drive Building 100, Suite A-2 Savannah, GA 31419 912-354-8331

For more information on our services, physicians and locations, please visit us online at sjchs.org.

AS TOLD ON SKIN

Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum’s next exhibit, “Sea of Ink,” explores the permanent connection between Savannah’s seafarers and their tattoos.

Written by Kiki Dy

Photography by Michael Schalk and Tom Sanders

49 THE WHELAN

WAY

Meet the three talented sisters behind Beach House Studio, a casually chic lifestyle company inspired by their family’s beloved Tybee retreat.

Written by Brienne Walsh

Photography by Emma Creighton Hopson

OUT ON THE RANCH

In between his buzzy pop-ups and rotating residency at Fleeting, chef Chris “Chino” Hathcock swaps his apron for ﬁshing bibs while working as a ranch hand on Bull River’s leading oyster farm.

Written by Colleen Ann McNally

Photographed by Michael Schalk

93 LIVING IN VACATIONLAND

Take a slow ride to explore the hidden gems and hot spots along Highway 80 from Thunderbolt to Tybee Island.

Written by Alexandra Marvar, Colleen Ann McNally, Josephine Johnson and Skye Estroff

Photography by Jason B. James

108 SO SAVANNAH

Following the excitement of last year’s inaugural photo contest, Savannah magazine brought back the friendly competition. We’ve rounded up our staff favorites, with some help from a panel of esteemed judges.

SAVANNAH HEALTH GUIDE

Our annual supplement of health news to know in the 912. Starting on page 131.

ON THE COVER

Chef Chris “Chino” Hathcock on the Tybee Oyster Company farm.

Photograph by Michael Schalk

MICHAEL SCHALK

TIM NICHOLS

IN EVERY ISSUE

Letter

BUZZ 27 New in 912

A Movie Palace

Saving Grace

Calendar 42 Old Savannah

STYLE

49 The Whelan Way 54 Out of Ofﬁce

59 At Home: Best Laid Plans

TASTE

79 Chef Q&A: Chris “Chino” Hathcock

89 A Supreme Sandwich

FEATURES

93 Living in Vacationland

108 So Savannah Photo Contest

121 The Future is Bright

SPECIAL SECTION

131 Savannah Health 2024-25

SEEN

205 Night on the Bluff

208 Celestial Seafarers

209 Leading Ladies Launch Party

210 Premier Kentucky Derby Party

211 Wine, Women & Shoes

212 Night of Champions

213 SCAD 45th Anniversary

214 Green Gala

THE AFTERWORD

216 Mistakes were Made

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTIONS

165 Meet the Doctors

189 Meet the Medical Professionals

196 Meet the Dentists

WHENEVER I APPROACH the Talmadge Memorial Bridge, my heart races, I hold my breath and grip the steering wheel tighter. The eastbound bridges from Thunderbolt to Tybee, however, have the opposite eﬀect. When I see the ﬁrst glimpse of marsh grass, I feel my lips curve upward into a smile. I exhale, my shoulders drop two inches and my entire body relaxes.

I always love this drive, and my visceral reaction likely links back to childhood memories of family vacations spent on the Georgia coast. Later, in college, there were quick beach jaunts from Statesboro. Now, whenever I cross over to the islands, I can’t believe my good fortune to live close enough to microdose the ocean’s medicinal powers on a whim any day of the week.

“It’s like living in Vacationland,” Tybee Island Mayor Brian West tells me one weekday morning over coffee. Or, as chef-turnedoysterman Chris “Chino” Hathcock puts it in our Q&A on page 79: “It’s the salt life.” With that mindset, this year’s Life on the Water issue celebrates many of the hidden gems and hot spots along U.S. Highway 80. Food expert, Tybee regular and my longtime friend Skye Estroff shares her tried-and-true favorites for drinking, dining and unwinding (“Tybee Food Tour,” page 94). Writer Alexandra Marvar recounts the return of a beloved seafood shack (“The Victorious Comeback of Desposito’s,” page 100), Josephine Johnson brings some much-deserved attention to the region’s diamondback terrapins (“Turtle Crossing,” page 103) and surf instructor Atsushi Yamada — aka “Hot Sushi” — gives a master class in going with the flow (“Aloha Y’all,” page 102).

In the 1920s, U.S. Route 80 was completed, connecting Tybee Island with the mainland across a series of barrier islands and waterways. A century later, more than a million people travel on the highway every year in search of bright sunshine, sandy beaches, brisk surf and fresh seafood.

And yet, making the 17-mile journey isn’t always so breezy. Just ask anyone who has gotten stuck in event traffic, behind an accident or evacuated during a hurricane. With the high cost of living, many businesses rely on workers who commute from Savannah, especially during the peak tourism season. In response, local leaders like West and the Georgia Department of Transportation are continuing to work on long-term plans to improve traffic flow and

encourage transportation safety on the critical roadway, including adding a path for cyclists and pedestrians as well as angled parking for better visibility on Tybee. In the meantime, remember to slow down and drive responsibly while soaking in all the summer fun and the memories made along the way.

Regardless of where you are summering, coastal living is a state of mind that can be tapped into, regardless of where you are. Take the talented Whelan sisters, for example. While they live across three diﬀerent cities, they are collaborating on their lifestyle brand, Beach House Studio, inspired by their family’s longtime retreat on Tybee (“The Whelan Way,” page 49). Meanwhile, at the Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum, a new exhibit titled “Sea of Ink: Savannah Maritime Tattoos,” explores the permanent connection between seafarers and the dermal mementos they carry with them always (“As Told on Skin,” page 42).

Wherever your summer takes you, I hope you enjoy the journey as much as the destination.

Colleen Ann McNally Editor

ESTABLISHED MAY 1, 1990

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CORRECTION

In “Diving Deeper,” in the May/June 2024 issue, Cassandra Cannon is the co-founder and chief creative ofﬁcer of LAKE.

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MEDICAL & COSMETIC PROCEDURES

DROOPING EYELIDS AND BROWS | FRACTURES AROUND THE EYE | BLOCKED TEAR DUCTS TUMORS OF THE EYELIDS | COSMETIC EYELID SURGERY | COSMETIC/MEDICAL BOTOX

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Dr. Thomas Kandl is a board certiﬁed ophthalmologist specializing

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CONTRIBUTORS

Caroline Hatchett Writer

“A Supreme Sandwich,” page 89

CAROLINE HATCHETT is a South Georgia-born food writer who lives in New York City. Her work appears in Garden & Gun, The Bitter Southerner, The Washington Post and Food & Wine. A chef tipped her off to the brilliance of Shabazz Seafood’s fried whiting sandwich, and now she can’t visit Savannah without eating one.

Emma Creighton Hopson Photographer

“The Whelan Way,” page 49

EMMA CREIGHTON HOPSON is a Savannahbased photographer and educator. She worked

as a photo editor in New York City for over 10 years before earning her master’s degree in photography at the Savannah College of Art and Design, where she currently teaches. The connective power of photography is what Emma loves most about the medium, so she was especially excited to collaborate with the multitalented women of Beach House Studio for their Tybee Island photo shoot.

Ka’Dia Dhatnubia Writer

“Making a Splash,” page 122

KA’DIA DHATNUBIA is a program manager at the Savannah-based nonproﬁt Deep Center, where she oversees youth programs Block by Block and Slam. With a bachelor’s degree in writing from the Savannah College of Art and Design, she published a personal essay with Black Femme Collective, features on arts and culture with Savannah Morning News and poetry with Torch Literary Arts, Pandemic Post and Peanut Butter Shrimp.

Austin Freeman Writer

“Saving Grace,” page 35 AUSTIN FREEMAN grew up in the greater Savannah area, and after a brief stint in Philadelphia to earn his master’s degree in religion, he and his wife again call Savannah home. Austin works in the world of business development and in his spare time is a freelance writer who loves delving into the rich history of Savannah and sharing it with others.

Jason B. James Photographer

“Living in Vacationland,” page 93

JASON B. JAMES is a conceptual food, beverage and still-life photographer who brings an imaginative,

unconventional, colorful pop art style. During the day, he is an upbeat photographer who thrives on problem-solving and believes the process to the solution should be open, respectful and fun. By moonlight, he is a DJ who plays loungeready records from funk and European disco to early hip-hop and LoFi house music.

Skye Estroff Writer

“Tybee Food Tour,”page 94 While SKYE ESTROFF is known as “Atlanta’s Food Expert,” she has strong familial ties to Savannah and Tybee Island. She began her career in food by receiving her bachelor’s degree in dietetics from the University of Georgia. Skye hosted and executive produced her TV show, “Foodie Road Trip,” and currently hosts the weekly “Skye’s The Limit” podcast. She is a regular food judge of culinary competitions and contributes to local, regional and national media. Her lifelong goal is to connect people through food.

The word “fiduciary” goes to the heart of what we do and how we do it. We are a team of highly skilled professionals with deep expertise in the fields of finance, business, accounting, and law. We have passion for what we do and discipline in how we do it. Our allegiance flows in one direction: to the needs and best interests of each client. It’s in our name and it’s what we do.

PUBLISHER Anita Hagin

EDITORIAL & DESIGN

EDITOR Colleen Ann McNally

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Melanie Schmermund

DIGITAL EDITOR Andrea Burg

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CONTRIBUTING DESIGNERS Andrea Burg & Britt Scott

ADVERTISING

DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING Jane Townsend

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Innovation in Practice

At The Center for Digestive & Liver Health, we believe in making healthcare truly convenient and effective for you. Innovation isn’t just a buzzword for us; it’s woven into everything we do. Your health, your convenience, your peace of mind. We’re here to transform healthcare into an experience that empowers you. Welcome to a new era in health and well-being.

Physicians pictured above, left to right: Mandy de Bruin,AGACNP-BC

• Daniel K. Mullady, MD

• Madeline R. Russell, MD • Sarah Zhong, PA-C

• Mark R. Nyce, MD • Chelsea Hendrix, FNP-C

• Steven L. Carpenter, MD, MACP • AutumnVenturelli, PA-C

• Edward Rydzak,MD,AGAF

• Alex Holtzclaw, PA-C

• Mark E.Murphy,MD,FACP,AGAF • Allison Long,FNP-C

• Ryan C.Wanamaker,MD • Kristen Bell, FNP-BC • George C.Aragon, MD • Jonathan Kandiah, MD • Elizabeth Buck, MSN, FNP-BC • BrentW.Acker, MD

• CharlesW. Duckworth, MD • Samantha (Sam) Summerlin, PA-C

DISCOVER PORT WENTWORTH

Live, Work, Thrive in Chatham County’s Best Kept Secret

Live, Work, Thrive in Chatham County’s

THERE’S BEEN A LOT OF BUZZ just north of Savannah. People are discovering why Port Wentworth is a great place to live, experience and thrive! From the Ghost Pirates’ $30 million training facility opening to residents next year to the new walking trails and a new 5,500+ seat amphitheater, today’s Port Wentworth is Chatham County’s best kept secret.

Did you know that the median age of a Port Wentworth resident is 35? Or that the median household income is approximately $80,000?

Envision your future lifestyle in a great neighborhood or downtown where you don’t have to get into your car. Rather, you can walk, catch a CAT transit bus or take a golf cart to see a concert, visit the farmer’s market, play ice hockey or dine in one of Port Wentworth’s newest restaurants. Now is the time to discover this vibrant city.

The city’s commitment to fostering both economic and diverse growth is evident

in its innovative initiatives, as well as its $50 million investment in updating vital infrastructure. State-of-the-art facilities like the Computer Learning and Innovation Center has attracted businesses seeking a competitive edge. The convergence of logistics, manufacturing and commerce presents a dynamic environment for companies and citizens to thrive, creating a robust local economy and job market while fostering an entrepreneurial spirit.

while residents continue to enjoy access to the Savannah River at the city boat dock, Houlihan Landing.

Did you know that the median age of a Port Wentworth resident is 35? Or that the median household income is approximately $80,000?

Meanwhile, the new Chatham Area Transit agreement brings transportation options to residents with bus services daily. After work, locals can enjoy community events such as the summer concert series, “Front Porch Friday,” as well as Stand Up for America Day, Black History Month Juneteenth and other holiday celebrations. Port Wentworth’s new Anchor Park will feature a variety of multiuse ﬁelds and courts for sporting activities including pickleball, softball, baseball and soccer,

People choosing Port Wentworth ﬁnd themselves immersed in a nurturing environment that values a work-life balance and diverse cultural experiences. The city’s commitment to sustainability ensures a harmonious coexistence between progress and environmental preservation, creating a place where residents not only live but also thrive. Choose Port Wentworth as your home to live an experience deeply rooted in community, innovation and opportunity. Embrace the chance to thrive in a city that combines economic dynamism with a high quality of life, setting a benchmark for sustainable and inclusive development.

The city’s commitment to fostering both economic and diverse growth is evident

in its innovative initiatives, as well $50 million investment in updating infrastructure. State-of-the-art facilities like the Computer Learning and Center has attracted businesses a competitive edge. The convergence logistics, manufacturing and commerce presents a dynamic environment companies and citizens to thrive, robust local economy and job market fostering an entrepreneurial spirit. Meanwhile, the new Chatham Transit agreement brings transportation options to residents with bus ser After work, locals can enjoy community events such as the summer concert “Front Porch Friday,” as well as Stand for America Day, Black History Month Juneteenth and other holiday celebrations.

Get in on the act now to #ChoosePortWentworth as it experiences unparalleled growth and economic opportunities.

Port Wentworth’s new Anchor Park feature a variety of multiuse ﬁelds courts for sporting activities including pickleball, softball, baseball and

Residents will be able to enjoy a 5,500+ seat amphitheater.

The annual Port Wentworth Chamber’s annual Oyster Roast, BBQ and Music Festival is one of dozens of annual events locals and visitors can enjoy.

Georgia Comfort Kitchen is one of Port Wentworth’s newest restaurants.

The annual Port Wentworth Chamber’s annual Roast, BBQ and Music Festival is one of dozens annual events locals and visitors can enjoy.

Georgia Comfort Kitchen is one of Port Wentworth’s newest restaurants.

SAVANNAH’S FAVORITE Katelyn & Holly:

OVER 15 YEARS

Get ocial

“Maximum Effort”

A multimillion-dollar expansion of exhibition and gallery spaces at the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force prepares for take off.

Written by Austin Freeman

These stories from our May/June 2024 issue ranked among our readers’ favorites. Follow @savannahmagazine to stay connected.

“Gallery Espresso Keeps Brewing” The mother-daughter team behind the city’s oldest coffee shop reﬂects on 30-plus years as a staple for locals and stars alike.

Written by Josephine Johnson

“Emily McCarthy’s Next Era” From a small stationery endeavor to a glistening new storefront on Victory Drive, Emily McCarthy + Company continues to reinvent and inspire.

Written by Nicole Letts

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‘‘

As a visual learner and artist, the idea of creating paintings that connect the past to the present really resonated with me and encouraged me to learn more about the squares and their location.”

– PAIGE BYRNE, SCAD graduate and local arts educator

PATTERNS FOR THE PEOPLE

Artist’s thesis exhibition at SCAD inspired by Oglethorpe’s original plan

BEING AN ARTIST in the city of Savannah is a special gift. No one knows this better than Paige Byrne, recent SCAD graduate (M.F.A. painting) and local arts educator. When Byrne moved to the city in 2017, her mother handed her a book with maps of Savannah, telling her aﬀectionately, “Just follow the map!”

Those maps would come in handy. As she neared her ﬁnal year at SCAD, Paige knew exactly where to look for inspiration for her thesis exhibition — the maps of the city.

Byrne’s exhibition, Savannah Squares: Patterns for the People, consists of paintings inspired by the city plan of Savannah, originally designed by Gen. James Edward Oglethorpe (1696–1785) in 1733. Each piece of artwork corresponds to a particular Savannah square and focuses on the positive impact of its design and the patterns of behavior within it.

“As a visual learner and artist, the idea of creating paintings that connect the past to the present really resonated with me and encouraged me to learn more about

Photography courtesy of SCAD and PAIGE BYRNE

Paige Byrne

the squares and their location,” says Byrne. “Their uplifting patterns create such a positive environment and link everyone to the city of Savannah. It has truly been a delight to share my SCAD thesis exhibition, Savannah Squares: Patterns for the People with the community that has given so much to me.”

Across these works, Byrne takes viewers on a tour of Savannah, depicting historic landmarks and symbolic objects in enlivened scenes. Based on her deep historical research and presentday personal experience of Savannah, Byrne incorporates signature motifs that represent or reference the squares and the stories behind their namesakes. Highlights include Johnson Square, which Byrne illustrates from the tree canopy gazing down upon a ﬂute player, and Troup Square, where she captures the delight of thirsty canine friends at the fountain. With bold brushstrokes and a cheerful color palette, Byrne portrays the people, architecture and greenery of Savannah in warm light, celebrating the joy and kindness she observes in her city each day, with the intention to spread generosity and positivity to all.

“Paige Byrne has created a celebration of Savannah with her artwork,” says Honor Bowman Hall, Dean of the SCAD

School of Fine Arts and School of Visual Communication. “Each piece is alive with bright color, energetic mark-making and the charming landscape of tree-lined streets and verdant squares. It serves as a reminder that our painting students, like all SCAD students in Savannah, are inspired by our beautiful city to incorporate its history into their studio practices and artworks.”

Byrne’s exhibition made its debut in January 2024 at SCAD’s Alexander Hall Gallery, which hosts rotating exhibitions of student work. Assistant curator at the SCAD Museum of Art, Brittany Richmond curated the show.

“I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with Paige on her thesis exhibition at SCAD,” Richmond says. “She is one of those amazing people who go above and beyond to make an impact here in Savannah. Her inspiring paintings reﬂect the incredible dedication and investment she has in the local community.”

This marvelous exhibition is now on view in the rotunda gallery of Savannah’s historic City Hall through July 31. To learn more about SCAD alumni and artist Paige Byrne, visit paigepbyrne.com. Just like Paige’s mom said to her daughter, just follow the map — and see what a great gift Savannah can be.

BUZZ

Get ready for an unrivaled adventure on Savannah’s waterways. Kessler Charters is now booking tours on two restored wooden boats helmed by Outside Brands captains armed with extensive knowledge of Savannah and the Lowcountry. Launching from Plant Riverside District, each boating experience is designed to transport you back to an era of classic luxury. Relax and take in the stunning coastal views, city skyline and diverse wildlife of Savannah’s waterways all from the comfort of the 100-year-old, 28-foot Kessler, or enjoy the perfect cocktail cruise on the 34-foot Decked Out Clarion.

MICHAEL SCHALK

Richard C. Kessler

The Starland District has a new neighborhood convenience store. One for the Road (101 W. 41st St.) is stocked with everything from fresh produce and snacks to hot sauces and noodles. From serial entrepreneur Marguerite Seckman of Starland Strange & Baazar and Superbloom, this mini-mart doubles as a space to shop several Savannah-based brands, such as Meaningful Boutique, Tribe and Temple, Golden Hour and Fête, and comes complete with a make-your-own-cocktail-infusions station. Stop by 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. ... From the creator of the Book Bus and the Tiniest Bookshop comes yet another, larger venture. Third Space Collective (422 W. 43rd St.) is a community space providing resources and a safe place for queer people to be creative. Be on the lookout for open mic nights, pop-up markets, concerts, book events, workshops, movie nights and more. … Satisfy your caffeine cravings at the Pour Boy Mobile Barista’s retro-cartoon-inspired brick-and-mortar shop, Pour Boy Coffee (6608 Waters Ave.). The new digs serves up old favorites like lattes and mochas but has a healthy dose of signature drinks as well — like the soft and sweet Boop, a creamy mix of white chocolate and matcha, and the powerful Popeye, a combination of iced espresso and cold brew with a dash of bitters. … Head to the Drayton Hotel rooftop bar every third Thursday for Viernes Chiquito, a fun mix of Venezuelan music, art, food and community brought to you by the creator of Troupial, Majo Laprea Rodriguez. After closing its doors at the end of December, Troupial has reemerged as Troupial On the Fly, offering its Venezuelan bites and specialty coffees in conjunction with Unforgettable Bakery (238A Eisenhower Drive) Thursday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. as well as at the Forsyth Farmers’ Market. Meanwhile, the “Bright Yellow House” is now home to Café Colibri (9 W. 43rd St.) and its coffee creations, fresh sandwiches and pastries. … Urban Deli (321 Habersham St.) is serving up scratch-made soups, sandwiches, wraps and salads as well as numerous vegan offerings in the space formerly occupied by Fox & Fig. The deli is open daily 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Catering also is

Fifth Avenue

Fishing aficionado and Savannah College of Art and Design student Nate Rosan teamed up with twin brother, Avi, and friend Simon Vulliez to create Catch & Crate, a subscription tackle box company delivering personalized fishing gear based on season and tailored to each customer’s region. Shop at catchandcrate.com also available. … Colleagues & Lovers (4523 Habersham St.), a favorite spot among the stylish set for its rotating menus, art and vinyl DJs, is now serving brunch Friday through Sunday. Indulge to your heart’s desire with offerings like blueberry pancakes, pitchers of espresso martinis, five-spiced chicken sandwiches, eggs Benedict and plenty of bubbly and Fernet. … If you’re ready for a kitchen redo, head to the experts at KDS Kitchen Design Solutions’ new Sandfly showroom (7360 Skidaway Road, Suite A2 - by appointment only). … Pro basketball has arrived in Savannah. The Coastal Georgia Buccaneers compete in the Atlantic Southeast Division of The Basketball League (TBL), which is not only dedicated to playing hoops but also to serving communities thorough volunteering, youth programs and partnerships. Check out their game schedule at cgbucs912.com. … Are your pet’s pearly whites not so pearly … or white? Bright N’ Shine Pet Dental brings its non-anesthetic teeth cleaning service to your door. Book an appointment with a certified veterinarian tech at brightnshinepetdental.us/savannah. ... New “old” items are consistently hitting the racks at vintage clothing store Rex & Willow (218A E. 41st St.) in the Starland District. Shop Monday and Wednesday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. for everything from corduroys, jean shorts and band T-shirts to patterned suits, flannels and fringed leather jackets. ... Business owner and founder of award-winning, international Flavors Food Tours, Leslie Wiggins, announced the launch of “progressive dining with a difference” historic cultural food tours in Savannah. Flavors Food Tours − Savannah will offer intimate, all-inclusive tours for up to eight guests, including five foodie stops on both the lunch tour and dinner tour. Book online at savannahfoodtours.com. ... Saks Fifth Avenue’s Fifth Avenue Club Experience is coming to Hotel Bardo (700 Drayton St.). Locals, club members and resort guests can take part in a unique luxury shopping experience with a personalized Saks stylist in the resort’s transformed styling suite.

Club Experience at Hotel Bardo

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“The Soundtrack Summer series is really a chance to experience this building as it was originally intended — as a movie palace, coming together to enjoy a night at the movies. It’s timeless.”

— Meg Weichman, artistic manager for SCAD Theaters and Festivals

A Movie PALACE

Lucas Theatre’s Soundtrack Summer series brings favorite ﬁlms back to the big screen for one-night-only events — complete with creative concessions, costumes and crowds

Written by COLLEEN ANN MCNALLY

Photography courtesy THE SAVANNAH COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN

GOING TO AN AIR-CONDITIONED CINEMA , particularly in the dog days of summer, is a time-honored pastime.

And while today’s streaming services make it easy to stay home and watch just about any movie of choice from the comfort of your own couch, professional cinephile Meg Weichman knows people will still show up and buy tickets for a memorable experience they can’t get at home. (Remember “Barbenheimer”?)

As the artistic manager for SCAD Theaters and Festivals, Weichman loves “to bring people together with the art of ﬁlm.” Since coming on board in 2021, she has intentionally curated the summer movie lineup at The Lucas Theatre for the Arts to do just that.

First, there was The Lucas Centennial Summer, celebrating the theatre’s 100th birthday with milestone movies. Last summer, heroes- and villains-inspired programming included cult classics like Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho,” Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” and Steven Spielberg’s “Jaws.” Now, the Soundtrack Summer is under way, beginning with the 4K restoration of “Breakfast at Tiﬀany’s” and “Pulp Fiction” in June.

For this year’s schedule, Weichman found inspiration in The Lucas’ original 1925 Wurlitzer pipe organ, which plays before every show.

“Soundtrack Summer harkens back to the connection between music and film, because even though The Lucas originally opened in the silent film era, silent film was never truly silent, as evidenced by our magnificently restored Mighty Wurlitzer,” Weichman says. “[The theme is about] exploring the connection between sound and image that defines some of the most memorable moments in movie history.”

To make the cut, a ﬁlm must check several boxes. She selected ﬂicks with iconic scores, needle drops and songs. She also searched for new restorations or connections to Savannah — like when

Audrey Hepburn sings Johnny Mercer’s “Moon River” in her role as Holly Golightly. “I look for classic ﬁlms that people may not have seen on the big screen that are worth seeing on a big screen, or maybe they haven’t seen on the big screen in a while,” she adds.

Once the choices are ﬁnal, the real fun begins. Weichman lines up experts — often fellow SCAD faculty — to speak a little bit about the ﬁlm beforehand, contextualizing it. Moviegoers of all ages show up and show out, often in apropos T-shirts or dressed in character. There are giveaways and decorations, and the snack bars are stocked with much more than the typical popcorn and soda.

“I love brainstorming specialty drinks and concession offerings,” Weichman says. For instance, she ordered custom coffee cups — akin to the one Audrey Hepburn holds while looking into the windows of Tiffany’s — for serving espresso martinis. For the July 11 screening of “Mamma Mia,” wear your dancing shoes for a Donna and the Dynamos-esque photo booth, and get ready for Greek-themed food and drinks. At the July 25 screening of “Forrest Gump,” which turns 30 years old this year, there will be

shrimp-themed snacks and, of course, boxes of chocolate.

“You never know what is in store for you when you come see a movie at The Lucas this summer,” she teases.

Also on the calendar is Hitchcock’s “North by Northwest” on July 18, “The Graduate” on Aug. 1, “Jurassic Park” on Aug. 8 and “The Sound of Music,” on Aug. 18. As for younger audiences, The Lucas oﬀers the Disney Summer Classics series on Sunday afternoons.

To Weichman, the best part is seeing how each movie — especially ones that are decades old — can bring up special memories for some, or make new ones for others. Occasionally, she may hear a story from someone who used to work at The Lucas or remembers going there as a kid.

“The Lucas is such a community treasure that SCAD maintains. The Soundtrack Summer series is really a chance to experience this building as it was originally intended — as a movie palace, coming together to enjoy a night at the movies,” she says. “It’s timeless.”

Summer at Telfair

Telfair Museums invites you to immerse yourself in a season of Zen, Imagination, and Discovery. Experience an array of art exhibitions, captivating historic home tours, enriching mindfulness programs, and an enchanting story time series for the little ones in your life!

EXHIBITIONS

A MEASURE OF TIME:

ANILA QUAYYUM AGHA

JUNE 14–SEPT 15

LINGUA FLORA

JUNE 21–SEPT 8

EMANCIPATION: THE UNFINISHED PROJECT OF LIBERATION

AUG 16–NOV 24

PROGRAMS

ARTFUL TALES STORY TIME

TELFAIR CHILDREN’S ART MUSEUM FRIDAYS AT 10:30AM

DAILY EXHIBITION TOURS

JEPSON CENTER 2PM

YOGA IN THE ROTUNDA

TELFAIR ACADEMY JULY 10 AUG 14 5:30PM

telfair.org

Saving Grace

A passionate cohort at Palmetto Blu revive a century-old yacht — and invite the next generation on board

Written by AUSTIN FREEMAN

IT’S ANCHORS AWEIGH and full steam ahead for residents of the Lowcountry this summer. Docked in Palmetto Bluﬀ, South Carolina, the lovingly restored pre-World War I era wood-hulled yacht, christened “Grace,” is fully operational and ready to make memories for residents and guests. The Grace Club, founded by members of Palmetto Bluﬀ to repair and

maintain Grace, hopes to use the vessel to share the area’s rich history. “Everyone is welcome to enjoy Grace,” says Penny Baldwin-Leonard, The Grace Club founding member, and chief marketing oﬃcer.

“We very much want Grace to become a beloved member of the broader Beaufort, Savannah and Charleston communities.”

Commissioned in 1913 by New York shoe manufacturer Joseph B. Cousins, Grace was originally named “Sispud II.” Grace would go on to be owned by several colorful individuals for various purposes throughout the course of its life, including at one point serving as the residence for James Adams of the James Adams Floating Theatre. Then, the boat would follow the theatre to all its destinations, often carrying distinguished guests such as the novelist Edna Ferber, who wrote “Showboat,” which later became a smash Broadway production, from her experiences aboard.

“[The vessel] has had four names and nine owners in [its] life, been integral to the writing of a renowned novel and award-winning musical, been linked to a couple of ghost stories and may have been an accomplice to a murder,” explains Dr. Gray C. Stahlman, an orthopedic surgeon of Nashville, Tennessee, and The Grace Club historian. “[It] has nearly died twice,” he adds. Needless to say, there are plenty of stories held inside Grace’s rich Honduran mahogany interior, original to the vessel and carefully restored by vintage yacht restoration expert Earl McMillen III.

The yacht was renamed for Grace Graham Wilson when purchased by Palmetto Bluff in 2004. Wilson was the youngest sister of Richard Thornton (R.T.) Wilson Jr., who bought the 18,000acre tract overlooking the May River in Bluffton in 1902 and named it Palmetto Bluff. Remembered for her soap operalike love story and later marriage to Cornelius “Neily” Vanderbilt III, she was one of the “preeminent socialites of the age, known by many as The Queen of the Golden Age,” explains Stahlman. But that’s another story.

The story of Grace (the vessel) almost ended when it suﬀered a crippling engine failure in 2021 that left it languishing in a Beaufort marina. Fortunately, the vessel was found by Captain Lee Leonard, The Grace Club president and founding member along with his wife, Penny, who saw potential in restoring the yacht and got to work organizing a group of 45 Palmetto Bluﬀ families to resurrect it.

“Grace is literally part of the foundational fabric of the Palmetto Bluﬀ community. This is why we felt compelled to save [it],” Lee says. “We want to use Grace to bring the history of this area to life.”

Due to the work of The Grace Club and its “Operation Saving Grace,” Grace returned to the waters of Palmetto Bluﬀ in November 2023. Along with its regularly scheduled social cruises and private charters hosted through Outside Brands, The Grace Club is looking to expand its educational oﬀerings for the next generation. “We are working with someone who specializes in developing educational platforms to inspire children and engage them, so they are drawn to learning more about the rich heritage of the area,” Lee says.

“Grace remains a vital, cherished and beloved asset within the Bluﬀton, Beaufort, Hilton Head, Savannah and Charleston communities for many years to come,” says Penny, who hopes that with this new lease on life, Grace will have many more stories to tell.

JULY

JULY 4

Celebrate Independence Day at Plant Riverside District with live music, a boat parade, fantastic food and a dazzling fireworks show on the Savannah River. Or, head out to Tybee Island pier for a fireworks display over the Atlantic Ocean.

JULY 5

After a busy holiday weekend on Tybee Island, there’s bound to be some trash. Join Tybee Clean Beach Volunteers in the post-party beach beautiﬁcation at 10 a.m. at 1509 Strand Ave. All equipment is provided.

Cedar House Gallery will host a closing reception from 6 to 9 p.m. for “EXODUS,” a multimedia exploration of young adulthood by Robin Elise Maaya that spans across photography, sculpture and video.

JULY 6

Keep the Fourth celebrations going at Fort McAllister State Park with living history demonstrations, musket ﬁrings, artillery displays, games, watermelon and more.

JULY 11

Don’t miss the monthly Riverfront Concert Series at The Park at Eastern Wharf, presented in partnership with the Savannah Stopover Music Festival. Bring your lawn chairs and blankets for a free evening of live music from 6 to 9 p.m.

JULY 18

Florida-based band ﬂipturn performs with Hotel Fiction at Victory North.

JULY

Catch Sebastian Maniscalco, hailed by The New York Times as the “hottest comic in America,” live at Enmarket Arena.

Get your ﬁll of food and drinks, arts and crafts vendors and music at the kidand pet-friendly May River Shrimp Festival at Bluﬀton Oyster Factory Park.

JULY

Unwind with a Floating Sound Bath at The Westin

Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa pool. This mindfulness journey with Chrissy Joy and Sue Finkle combines the tranquility of ﬂoating weightless in water with the harmonious vibrations of sound.

JULY

Bingo Loco is not your grandma’s game. Sure there’s bingo, but there’s also comedian emcees, lip sync battles, dance-offs and conga lines. Previous prizes have included a cruise package, piano, and lawnmower. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. at Victory North.

JULY

Fight the Warrior Within Foundation hosts its 4th Annual Warrior’s Ball at Savannah Station. The event is a fundraiser for the nonprofit, which provides support for those battling post-traumatic stress disorder.

Celebrate 20 years of tradition in 20 days with plenty of activities showcasing locally harvested seafood and Lowcountry cuisine while highlighting the rich history and culture of the area. The celebration culminates with a juried ﬁne art show and street fest on October 19th and 20th.

blufftonartsandseafoodfestival.org

AUG.

Get a closer look at surf culture at “COAST,” a new exhibition at Gallery Hop Atomica. The show, opening Aug. 2 and running through Sept. 3, features work by local artist Kate Brown, who transforms discarded, vintage surfboards into vibrant wall art.

AUG.

2-18

Immerse yourself in “FENCED,” an exhibition of work by weaver, artist, restorer and professor Katie Glusica at Gallery 2424.

AUG. 3

Mountainﬁlm on Tour

Savannah hosts a 7 p.m. Summer Screening at Savannah Arts Academy, with a selection of heart-racing documentaries, tasty food trucks and free admission.

AUG. 7

Breathe, stretch and ﬁnd Zen in one of Savannah’s most historic gardens. Davenport House Museum’s Yoga in the Garden is a one-hour class hosted by docent and experienced yoga instructor Michael Plasha.

AUG. 8-18

Dedicated to the art of singing, the annual Savannah VOICE Festival celebrates classic vocals with more

BEER, GUYS, CIGARS

than 20 performances, including operas, concerts, masterclasses, and food and wine events.

AUG. 10

Register now for an all-day island excursion to Ossabaw Island and the Pin Point Heritage Museum led by Hanif Haynes, a historic interpreter with the museum and a resident of the Pin Point community.

AUG. 13

The award-winning Maren Morris brings her blend of country pop, R&B, and hip hop to Johnny Mercer Theatre.

GOLF & POKER

BENEFITING RONALD McDONALD HOUSE CHARITIES® OF THE COASTAL EMPIRE

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2024

4 – 5 PM Registration and VIP Hour

5 – 8 PM General Ticket Holders The Club at Savannah Harbor

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2024

Ronald Open Golf Tournament in memory of Richard Chambless

10 AM shot-gun start The Club at Savannah Harbor

OLD SAVANNAH

AS TOLD ON SKIN

Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum’s next exhibit, “Sea of Ink,” explores the permanent connection between Savannah’s seafarers and their tattoos

Written by KIKI DY

MARITIME CULTURE touches every inch of Savannah — our oyster shell-specked sidewalks, the cavernous wooden bars of River Street, the art in our homes, our cuisine and, for many, the soft layers beneath the skin.

Walk down any Savannah street, and you may see signs of our city’s nautical connection peeking out of socks and shirtsleeves. An anchor above the ankle here, a mermaid hugging a bicep there.

A new exhibit opening on Sept. 19 at the Ships of the Sea (SOS) Maritime Museum honors that enduring connection. Titled “Sea of Ink: Savannah Maritime Tattoos,” the exhibit — the first under the care of the museum’s new executive director, Molly Carrott Taylor, and historian Tania Sammons — is equal parts anthropological study and love letter to Savannah’s seafaring past and present.

“Did you know National Maritime Day is because of Savannah?” Sammons posits among replica ships in the elegant SOS museum. “In the 1930s, Congress decided that National Maritime Day would be May 22 — the same day that our Steamship Savannah set sail.”

The idea for the exhibit hatched when Carrott Taylor met a woman with a tattoo of the Tybee Lighthouse. “What about exploring the cultural, historical and artistic underpinnings of maritime tattoos in Savannah?” she asked herself. Then she enlisted Sammons and photographers Tom Sanders and Michael Schalk to bring it to life.

CARRYING MEMORIES

Although Sammons has no tattoos, she’s had plenty of fun canvassing for museum participants. “I’ve curated about two dozen exhibitions, and I’ve never approached an exhibition quite like this before,” she shares. The translation there is she’s never had so many people spontaneously undress for an exhibition. When she explains the exhibit in public, eavesdropping strangers often overhear and unbutton their shirts or lift their pant leg to show their personal canvases.

TOM SANDERS

LEFT TO RIGHT: Samita Wolfe’s woman and ship tattoo by Eddie Rivera of Key West, Florida, and suitcase tattoo by Holly Harvey of Savannah

Ian Phillips’ pirate ship tattoo by Jason Ryan Fields of Rose Tattoo Club

Carrott Taylor echoes this unexpected but delightful oddity. “My smartphone is filled with other people’s bodies,” she jokes.

After many months of research and curation, the resulting exhibit showcases a dozen local tattoo artists and more than 30 proud owners of maritime tattoos, including Captain Tom Byrne. Depending on who catches a glimpse of Byrne’s maritime tattoo — a half-sleeve of colorful singing sparrows — many assumptions could arise. A Roman Empire buff would be overcome with empathy, knowing that each rendering represents a deceased child. Students of Portuguese folklore, who believe the birds are harbingers of prosperity, could assume Byrne is a lucky man.

But a Navy woman like Samita Wolfe would know the truth: each of Byrne’s sparrows signifies 5,000 nautical miles traveled, mischief managed and perhaps some pirates encountered along the way.

The sight of Byrne’s tattoos would be reasonable cause for Wolfe to harbor suspicion that she and the Cap’n have something in common. Wolfe has a similar take on the classic sailor’s tattoo:

a suitcase with a flag for each country she visited in her tenure etched between its inky edges.

For some, tattoos can serve as visual shorthand for communicating, “Hello, I’m this [insert idiosyncrasy/vocation/ obsession]” to strangers. They remind their owners of who they once loved or were, who they aspire to become, or, simply, that memorable night they decided they needed a dermal souvenir.

Stokes Holmes’ first tattoo was just that — administered in a bathroom at a Savannah house party during her high school days. “The man who gave me that tattoo has since passed away,” she shares. “I’m proud to have a piece of his art to immortalize him.”

Today, her skin is an authentic, albeit avant-garde, multi-part story of her joys, losses and curiosities.

I’m not sure exactly how many [tattoos] I have,” she says with a laugh. Two of them represent the ocean: a shark tooth and a whale’s tail that invoke memories of combing her childhood home, Pawleys Island, South Carolina, for treasures with her late father. “I lost my dad when I was 17, and it’s very special I get to carry these memories of him.”

TOM SANDERS

BELOW: Kurt Knoerl’s compass tattoo by Lydia Sticks of Riverside Tattoo Parlor

RIGHT: Olivia Thompson’s pirate riding a shark tattoo by Larissa Berg

TOM SANDERS

THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER

Sometimes, ink serves no nostalgia but has the equally noble mission of looking awesome. Take Byrne’s other nauti-tat, a fullarm fresco of a Kraken attacking a wooden pirate ship, as proof. Byrne has never encountered a Kraken and, indeed, doubts their existence, but had Brian Warnekros of Ghost Town Tattoo put it on his arm anyway. “I just thought it would be cool to have a cohesive sleeve, and we kept running with it,” he says, showing off his ink as we overlook his current workplace, East Coast Stevedoring Company, where he serves as operations manager.

A tattoo takes a hefty artistic understanding between the tattooist and the collector. The stakes are high when your client is your canvas and their memories your muse. How do you express the nostalgic and nebulous?

For Pat Crump, owner of With Love Tattoo, the answer hangs somewhere between knowing your strengths and having the humility to refer clients to other Savannah artists. “If you know you

can do it, do it. If you’re not confident, refer them to another artist who can do it,” says Crump, who recently relocated from a space at Sulfur Studios to a larger building at 1917 Bull St.

He continues candidly, his own maritime tattoo (an anchor that says “Last Voyage” in German on his calf) in full view. “The Savannah community has this weird but great relationship where we share people. Everyone has a little bit of something else to offer.”

Tattoos themselves are also built on weird but great relationships: relationships to the self and, sometimes, the sea, a mind-reading relationship between artist and client, and then there’s what a person’s tattoo tells the world. Where the markings used to signify age or honor in South Pacific villages — today there is no one interpretation, even for the same tattoo.

“How individuals honor Savannah, the sea or themselves with tattoos is so unique. That’s what we want people to take from the exhibit,” Sammons says. “I have loved hearing all the stories and can’t wait to see [the collectors] come together.”

BELOW: Samita Wolfe’s octopus tattoo by Tokyo Hiro RIGHT: Pat Crump, owner of With Love Tattoo, in his Bull Street studio

TOM SANDERS

MICHAEL SCHALK

301B W. Broughton St., Upstairs | 912.658.4259 | morganraeboutique.com | shopmorganrae

The Whelan Way

Meet the three talented sisters behind Beach House Studio, a casually chic lifestyle company inspired by their family’s beloved retreat on Tybee Island

Mimi Whelan, Daisy Sullivant and Katelyn Whelan in their bestselling Sandy Waves jacquard throw blanket

Written by BRIENNE WALSH

Photography by EMMA CREIGHTON HOPSON

THE NAME “BEACH HOUSE” is visceral and evocative, conjuring up sandy feet, sisal rugs, tattered paperbacks, sun bleached fabrics, family time and the salty smell of the ocean.

This is exactly why three Savannah-raised sisters — Mimi Whelan, Katelyn Whelan and Daisy Sullivant — named their collaborative design brand Beach House Studio. Because it says so much without being too complicated. “So many people have a memory or connection to a beach house, whether it’s in the Hamptons or the Florida Panhandle, that was a special place of beauty and rest and connection,” says Mimi. “We love how the name can hit the heartstrings in a way that connects to our style, which is a collection of all of our experiences.”

Experiences such as living together in the house their parents owned on Tybee Island, where they first began collaborating as a form of free play when they were children. “There were five of us, and we were really left to entertain each other,” says Katelyn, who notes that the sisters have two brothers. To fill the time, the siblings put on plays, played dress up and worked on elaborate craft projects. Although neither of their parents had creative professions — their father was an orthopedic surgeon, and their

“We have a hard time ﬁtting into a box. So, with Beach House Studio, we’re just building a bigger box.”

— KATELYN WHELAN

mother was a homemaker — they were creative people who expressed their artistry in the homes they bought, decorated and sold in neighborhoods like Ardsley Park and Isle of Hope. The family never lived in one house for more than a few years. “I think through unpacking and looking at a space and moving things around, we developed an appreciation for interiors that grew into an expression of art,” says Daisy.

After graduating from St. Vincent’s Academy, the sisters went their own ways. The eldest, Daisy, graduated from the University of Georgia (UGA) and went to work for Kelly Wearstler’s apparel collections in Los Angeles before settling with her family in Athens, Georgia, where she currently works on bespoke textile and interior projects. Katelyn, the middle sister, whom the other sisters call their “cruise director” due to her ability to organize them, graduated from Notre Dame before returning to Savannah, where she has built a business specializing in graphic design and digital marketing for other female-owned businesses. And Mimi, the baby, who also graduated from UGA, landed in Charleston by way of New York, where she learned the trade of high-end interior design working for Michelle Gerson Interiors and Amanda Lindroth.

“I think through unpacking and looking at a space and moving things around, we developed an appreciation for interiors that grew into an expression of art.”

— DAISY SULLIVANT

The sisters always knew that they wanted to work together, but they also wanted to gather experience in their respective industries ﬁrst. Ten years ago, they created a brand called The Whelan Sisters that sold hand-painted gift wrapping paper to family and friends.

Two years ago, they changed the name to Beach House Studio and expanded their oﬀerings. Currently, the brand is multipronged, oﬀering interior design, product development and digital marketing services, as well as a line of wallpaper, woven throws, hand-painted silk scarves and playful trucker hats with their signature wave motif. “Our hope is that the more we cross pollinate our work worlds and showcase our creative talents, the better we can build up a brand and a client base so that we can give up our day jobs and work together under a single roof in the future,” says Katelyn.

So far, Beach House Studio has worked on projects such as painting the interior of Hannah E., a lifestyle boutique in Savannah’s Downtown Design District. The Whelans’ ideal client, they note, is someone like them — creative, curious and involved in all aspects of design. The sisters can imagine, for example, being hired by a female business owner not only to style a photo shoot for her line of products, but also to put the ﬁnishing touches on the interior of her family home. They can also see working on large-scale hospitality, retail and residential projects, and have great admiration for Basic Projects, a hospitality brand that designs commercial projects such as Sullivan’s Fish Camp and the Post House Tavern & Inn in Charleston. Another hope would be collaborating with other artisans to develop new lines of home and interior products, such as pillows, dishes and more. “We have a hard time ﬁtting into a box,” Katelyn says, laughing. “So, with Beach House Studio, we’re just building a bigger box.”

If Savannah is lucky, the sisters will get the opportunity to work on their dream local project, which would be an art decoinspired beach club on Tybee Island. They envision the place like this: a small pool and a supper club where you could go to relax or get a little dressed up after spending the day in the ocean. You don’t need a beach house — or the budget necessary for a beach house — in order to enjoy the space, or really any of Beach House Studio’s products. You just need an appreciation for nature, an approachable vibe and a desire to be both collected and casual in the way that you live your life.

“We want to create impactful places,” Katelyn says. The sisters want you to walk into the spaces they’ve touched and say, “I know this. It’s Beach House Studio.”

TOP: The sisters model the sold-out Beach House Studio Wave Hat in shades of blue and sand.

MIDDLE: Daisy and Mimi collaborate on swatches of Beach House Studio wallpaper, designed with modern takes on familiar coastal colors and motifs.

BOTTOM: A photo of childhood summers spent at the family’s Tybee house.

Out of Office

Soak up the sun — and the “Where did you get those?” compliments — in these head-turning styles for summertime

Chunky sunglasses chain by Coti and red Brigitte sunglasses by Krewe, ForSight Unique Eye Care & Eye Wear

Chasing Cheetah hat, Sunshine Tienda x Emily McCarthy

Healthy Glow with Lavender Lotion, BEETTAN

Sole shirt in navy and

Westbourne linen shorts in Pop Pansy, Boden swimsuit in multistripe, Boden

Estrada sunglasses in Prickly Pear Tortoise, Warby Parker

East Coast T-shirt, Midge Clothing & Goods

Shrimp Low Country Glam hoop earrings, Tribe and Temple

Deco Glam sunglasses, Tribe and Temple

white stripes,

TANK TOP PHOTO BY MICHAEL SCHALK; STRAW HAT PHOTO BY KELLI BOYD PHOTOGRAPHY // COURTESY EMILY MCCARTHY;

GOODS, WODA, BEETTAN, TRIBE AND TEMPLE, WARBY PARKER, MARMALADE FRESH CLOTHING

Original WODA Bag in High Tide Blue

Healthy Glow

Block printed ﬁsh tank top, Little Tiger Studio

Simon Miller linen mini dress and pants in Moroccan spice stripe, Marmalade Fresh Clothing

Arezzo v-neck panel

Marc R. Hanson “Creek Bouquet” 30” x 40” acrylic on canvas

Dottie T. Leatherwood ”Daylight Descending” 36” x 48” oil on canvas

SITTING: Kelli Weis | Stewart Marshall | Helen Williams Johnson

STANDING: Emily Salzer | Ruben Ramos | Betsy Kingston Myers | Lavinia Strong | Carolyn Ezelle

Best Laid Plans

After a near-fatal accident, a resilient Savannah couple rebuilt their life — and custom-built a home — on family land

Written by MARY FITZGERALD // Photography by ANDREW FRAZIER

IT TAKES GRACE AND GRIT to move forward after a life-altering event, and Caroline Brodmann possesses both. In 2018, she thought her life was perfect. She had just graduated from the University of Georgia with a master’s degree in early childhood education; she was engaged to her long-time sweetheart Scott (Scotty) with a wedding date set for December of that same year. Scotty was headed to law school, and Caroline had just landed her “dream job.”

But on a Sunday afternoon in July, their lives changed dramatically when a tree attached to a hammock snapped and landed on Caroline, resulting in a spinal cord injury that left her paralyzed. In December, just two weeks after she returned from rehabilitation at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, Caroline and Scotty exchanged vows. “We went ahead and got married on our original date,” says Caroline. “It was a big year!”

Finding a suitable home was just one more trial for this resilient couple. The newlyweds never imagined they would return to their hometown of Savannah so soon. But needing the help and support of family and friends to assist in Caroline’s recovery, they spent several years living in a cottage on Caroline’s parents’ four-acre property near Pin Point.

By 2020, they had outgrown the space and were ready to live on their own. The couple searched for a home in the area but were unable to ﬁnd one that lived up to their list of requirements for accessibility. Every house they saw, it seemed, would need a total renovation to accommodate Caroline’s wheelchair. Older houses had small rooms, narrow doorways and tiny bathrooms, and newer homes missed the mark. After striking out, they decided to start from square one and build a custom home.

Then, they discovered the ideal spot to lay the groundwork for their new life was hiding in plain sight. The idyllic lot overlooked Shipyard Creek and Moon River and was surrounded by centuries-old live oak trees. Staying put and building upon the newly formed family compound proved to be the best solution — the couple would have their own space, but family would be close by, if they needed them.

WIDE OPEN SPACES

It took roughly a year to design the 4,400-square-foot, two-story home. The Brodmanns worked closely with the architectural designer, Polly Giles of Home Sweet Floor Plans, and the builder, Jeﬀ Hart of Homes with Hart Construction, to get everything just right.

“We know this will be our forever home,” says Caroline. “But it’s hard to design a house in your 20s, thinking is this going to work in my 30s, 40s and 50s? It’s hard to think that far ahead. That’s why every decision was so important.”

The couple soon learned that building an accessible home presented its own set of obstacles. Wider doorways (Coastal Sash & Door) and allowances around furniture and cabinetry to maneuver her wheelchair were a must, as was an elevator and a lift from the garage. They chose attractive and practical Luxury Vinyl Plank ﬂooring that is scratch-resistant and easy to glide over with a wheelchair. Counter heights were adjusted and lever hardware was speciﬁed. Caroline tried to cover every possible scenario. “I did a lot of research to design the house,” she adds.

Simple things like ﬁnding the appropriate kitchen sink proved diﬃcult. The “accessible” models had a center drain that would prohibit Caroline from rolling under it to wash dishes. When she called the manufacturer to see if they could adapt it, she says, “the short answer was no.” Luckily, she is not one to take no for an answer — a trait that has served her well in all areas of her life. Ultimately, she had a custom sink made with a side drain which works perfectly for her.

The modiﬁcations were important and had to be built-in to allow Caroline to maintain her independence, but she did not want her disability to deﬁne the home. The design directive was to focus on the view. “We wanted to maximize our water view,” she says. The expanse of windows and doors in the kitchen, family room and primary bedroom provide a panoramic vista of the majestic trees and the ever-changing tidal view.

COASTAL CUES

A gentle-grade threshold in the kitchen and family room transitions the house from indoors to outdoors where a large covered porch gets a lot of use. Caroline speciﬁcally asked for one end of the porch to be left uncovered so she can warm up in the sun while taking in the scenery. “The view doesn’t get old,” she says.

The porch is Scotty’s favorite spot too, especially the sitting area oﬀ the primary bedroom, which is equipped with a large-screen television. Scotty jokes that choosing the TVs was his main design contribution to the home. He let Caroline take the lead on the furnishings and backed her up on all her decisions.

Meanwhile, the fun part for Caroline was decorating their new home. “I knew what I wanted it to look like,” she says. Deﬁning her style as traditional with a touch of coastal, Caroline chose crisp whites and sea glass colors for the decor.

Every piece selected for the home tells a story of who owned it or where it came from. Caroline and her mom, Kathy Moore, scouted out furniture and accessories from Mom’s and Grandma’s attics, consignment shops and tag sale sites. “We had a ball,” Moore says. “We were sending ideas back and forth all the time.”

A collection of blue and white plates displayed on the kitchen wall belonged to Caroline’s grandmother and great-grandmother and are paired with pretty thrift shop ﬁnds. A family friend, Lori Saunders, painted Caroline’s old college dresser in a soothing blue-green and repurposed it as a coﬀee bar. Chinese Chippendale-style chairs surrounding the kitchen island were a score from Facebook Marketplace and, as luck would have it, are similar in style and color to Serena & Lily chairs that Caroline had been coveting. Accents of gold lend a traditional note in the kitchen with cabinet hardware and a statement chandelier from Pace Lighting.

A wraparound back porch overlooks Shipyard Creek and Moon River. Caroline’s service dog, Winnie, soaks up the sunshine.

In the primary bathroom, his-and-hers sinks are custom-built with Caroline’s wheelchair in mind. For the ﬂoor, she chose a tile motif to mimic the design of a rug without the hassle of one.

DESIGNED TO LAST

One of Caroline’s must-haves for the kitchen was a large island that would double as a table and workspace. Because of its massive size, she recalls, people tried to talk her out of it. But she knew what she wanted, and today the beautiful quartzite island is the heart of the home — a place for the couple to prepare dinner, work, share a meal or gather with guests.

A dining room was another non-negotiable for Caroline. She grew up with a dining room and wanted a separate space for family holidays and special occasions. The table and chairs were another Facebook Marketplace find that she picked up with her mom in Bluffton, South Carolina. To give the second-hand furniture new life, Caroline and Kathy purchased fabric from Sherry’s Honeypot Fabric & More and recovered them with help from the whole family. The buffet was purchased from Seventh Heaven Antiques, and the lamps were found at an estate sale. Family heirlooms, like the tea cart and a cherished magnolia painting, were passed down from Caroline’s paternal grandmother and hold pride of place in this well-loved room.

An expanse of brick warms up the family room. Knowing that a traditional fireplace with a raised hearth would be difficult for Caroline to maneuver around, she specified a flush design with an arched firebox. Wanting the look of Savannah grey brick, she was able to find something comparable but less expensive. The original plan was to shiplap over the mantel — again to save money — but Caroline’s parents gifted them with a practical and muchappreciated Christmas present of additional brick to finish off the surround.

The mantel is very special to Caroline and Scotty. It was milled from a live oak that was felled on the property in order to position the house. When ﬁrst drawing up plans, the couple tried to position the house around the tree but learned it was impossible. They wanted to keep a piece of the tree to retain the legacy of the land. After all, Shipyard Creek gets its name from its proximity to the Vernon River and the abundance of live oak trees that were favorable for building ships in the Colonial days.

“The mantel weighs 400 pounds and is secured with a steel beam to carry its massive weight,” Caroline says. “It will be here way longer than we will be here.”

DETAILS

Homeowners: Caroline and Scotty Brodmann

Neighborhood: Moon River District

Square footage: 4,400

Year built: 2023

Construction/renovation timeline: one year

Bedrooms and bathrooms: 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms

Architectural designer: Polly Giles, Home Sweet Home Plans

Builder/contractor: Jeff Hart, Homes with Hart Construction

Furniture: Seventh Heaven Antiques; estate sales; Facebook Marketplace

Fabric: Sherry’s Honey Pot Fabric & More

Sink: Sandpiper Supply

Elevator: Tidal Elevator Company

Tile/ﬂooring: Garden State Tile; The Rug Shoppe

Lighting: Pace Lighting

Windows/doors: Marvin Windows; Coastal Sash & Door

Countertops: Counter Fitters

Cabinets: Jerry Scott

Landscaping: May River Landscape

Services; Eve Construction

Mantel: Jesus Ramirez of C One Cabinets and Trim

Brick: Acme Brick

Brick installation: Justin Clemens

Make space for design excellence.

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Savannah’s newest and most unique Irish pub was inspired by and named after County Wexford, Ireland, to which Savannah has a special connection since more than half of Georgia’s Irish emigrants traveled here from Wexford in the mid-1800s during the potato famine. In fact, most of the interior of the new establishment was crafted and shipped over from the emerald isle itself and assembled in Savannah.

Enjoy delicious Irish cuisine and listen to live music indoors or alfresco in the hostess city of the south.

Out on the Ranch

CHEF Q&A

CHRIS “CHINO” HATHCOCK

Written by COLLEEN ANN MCNALLY // Photography by MICHAEL SCHALK SAVANNAH

In between his buzzy pop-ups and rotating residency at Fleeting, chef Chris “Chino” Hathcock swaps his apron for ﬁshing bibs while working on Bull River’s leading oyster farm

AFTER WORKING AT SOME of the Southeast’s most acclaimed restaurants, including The National in Athens, Georgia, Staplehouse in Atlanta and, most recently, a six-year stint at Husk Savannah, chef Chris “Chino” Hathcock (also known as @chino_noir on Instagram) left his full-time position behind in pursuit of a more ﬂexible schedule.

In the years since, he has launched new original concepts, including Odd Gai, a pop-up series drawing on Hathcock’s travels through Thailand and Southeast Asia, and Shinpaku, an izakaya residency at The Thompson Savannah’s Fleeting restaurant. Wherever he goes, a crowd follows — hungry to see what he is cooking up next. (Hint: it’s Mexican seafood).

The recent change of pace is also allowing the Georgia native to explore another passion: oyster farming. Before excelling in the culinary arts, Hathcock received his bachelor’s degree in forestry and natural resources at the University of Georgia. When he is not traveling or in the kitchen, odds are he is lending a hand to oyster farmers Perry and Laura Solomon at the Tybee Oyster Company farm on Bull River.

Here, the the coastal cowboy shares where he ﬁnds inspiration, what he loves about living on the coast and where to ﬁnd his food this summer.

ON HIS NICKNAME-TURNEDINSTAGRAM HANDLE

I go by both Chris and Chino. I always introduce myself as Chris, but anyone who gets to know me calls me Chino. It’s a nickname I’ve had for over 20 years. Working in restaurants as a teenager, I worked with a predominately Hispanic group, and they call anyone of Asian descent a chino. They would always say, “Chino, Chino,” when they wanted something from me since I was the only non-Hispanic person in the kitchen. When I moved on to other kitchens, there were always two or more people named Chris — it was such a popular name in the ’80s — so Chino stuck.

ON SAVANNAH’S EVOLVING FOOD SCENE

I came back in 2017 and there was no Starland Yard, no Fleeting, no Common Thread, no Late Air. None of that. Even in these past ﬁve years, the city has changed tremendously. It’s really good — it’s an attractive market. If you think of Charleston as a sister city, we are really similar to that. We’re just maybe a decade or 15 years behind, but the appreciation for raw ingredients is there. Savannah has become a major food corridor, for sure.

[Although] it’s not changing too fast, for me, it’s definitely getting saturated. Any chef in Savannah would tell you that it’s very hard to staff the restaurant when you have new places opening up every three months. People jump ship for greener pastures. … Post-COVID, mindsets changed. Many people used to glorify the grind and work these 60or 70-plus-hour weeks. Having that time off really helped many people see things in a new light and realize that there are more important things in life than grinding and working.

ON PIVOTING TO POP-UPS

I worked in professional kitchens for 20 years. It was a lot, and burnout is real. I wanted to do things that aligned with my interests, work for myself and not be in the restaurant 60 or 70 hours a week and ﬁve nights until midnight. A lot of it is about having a more balanced life, mental health and trying to have more time for the things that matter in life, like my partner and my dog.

I’ve been doing these pop-ups because it’s a way to still be creative and a craftsman without having to deal with all the daily stuﬀ that being a chef requires — labor, food costs and all the other nuances of having a huge staﬀ. … The pop-ups are all for fun and to scratch an itch. I’ve got a very small group of folks helping me creatively and cooking with me, and it has been rewarding. I don’t want to do anything to mess that up. As long as it’s equitable for me and my people, as well as the host restaurant, that’s what matters to me.

It’s still tough. You’re creating a restaurant and moving into and out of someone’s space every week. You want to make sure you are treating that space with respect while executing at a high level, so it’s not just doing something all willy-nilly, having fun and dipping out. A lot of thought and energy goes into the pop-ups and residencies.

ON CREATING ORIGINAL CONCEPTS

Odd Gai was born out of Strange Bird. The name is a play on gai — meaning chicken in Thai — so we wanted to do Southeast Asian/Northern Thai/Lao food inspired by my heritage and travels through Thailand. We built in some Vietnamese food, too, so it really became a catchall for Southeast Asian food — and that’s the way I like to cook. Bright, bold, spicy ﬂavors. Lots of acid, not a lot of fat and butter and gluten and heavy things.

When we did Shinpaku, it was more Japanese, with subtle, nuanced ﬂavors and izakaya small plates. I wanted it to be just as much about the saki and soju as the fresh seafood and the food.

ON BECOMING AN OYSTERMAN

I’ve always been interested in oysters. I’ve always had a toe in the water — literally and ﬁguratively — supporting Southern oysters and shell recycling programs like Shell to Shore out of Athens. I reached out to Perry and Laura Solomon over a year and a half ago to ask if I could check out the Tybee Oyster Company farm and give them some free labor — kind of like when chefs stage at a professional kitchen, which is like an unpaid trial to learn. That’s what I did.

Now that they are growing and we’ve built a relationship, we sat down and talked about me coming on board. As it is now, I am their only employee. It’s great because I grew up in and around Savannah, speciﬁcally on Tybee and Wilmington. It’s very rewarding to see this oyster from seed to market product and know the waters it came from and the care that went into it.

Perry and Laura are really involved with the community, environmental education and being stewards of the water. I can’t say enough good things about them. … There are really no downsides to oyster farming. It’s great for regenerating the coastline and habitat and ﬁltering water and everything. That’s why I’m really all in on it.

ON HIS FAVORITE WAY TO EAT OYSTERS

On the boat after we pull them out of the water. I like them as they are: natural.

After a few days, the salt punch starts to slowly dissipate and it gets sweeter from the abductor muscle. They really do change every day. If I’m putting anything on them, I’m only adding acid — fresh lime or lemon juice.

I wouldn’t want to do any disservice by cooking them and having cocktail sauce and saltines. The oysters you do that with are the ones you get from Oyster Creek when you truck through the mud, pull them out during harvest season, wash them and have an oyster roast.

The Tybee Oyster “Salt Bombs” — as we call them — however are very special. They are handpicked from oyster baskets on the farm. You want to treat them like any other heirloom product — with respect and utilize them to the best of their ability. Eat them as minimally touched or processed as possible.

ON GIVING BACK

The Giving Kitchen [a nonprofit that provides emergency assistance for food service workers through financial support and a network of community resources] is very close to me because I worked at Staplehouse, the restaurant associated with the nonprofit, for years.

The late chef Ryan Hidinger was a friend of all of ours and the reason Giving Kitchen got started. Every year, they do Team Hidi, a fundraiser with live auction lots to generate funds to help service workers in crisis. One of the lots is an experience on Ossabaw Island with chefs and winemakers. I’ve been a part of that lot for the past ﬁve years, so I’ve had the luxury of getting out to Ossabaw six or seven times now. It’s just an untouched heritage preserve. You can only go out there if it’s for educational, scientiﬁc or cultural purposes. It’s super special.

On our last trip, we saw hogs, alligators, blue herons, armadillos and all these species. It’s a magical place, truly. Bioluminescence right oﬀ the dock. It’s a huge barrier island that is uninhabited. Anyone can go there to the beach — it’s for public use — but you have to have a special permit to be on the island to explore.

ON WHY HE LOVES COASTAL LIVING

It’s what the bumper stickers say: island time. It’s the salt life. The slower pace. … I’m a Pisces, so I like to be on water, in water, near water. I’ve lived in the mountains, and I’ve lived in the city, and they all have their beneﬁts, but Savannah is home for me.

ON WHAT’S NEXT

I am doing an extended residency in the Fleeting kitchen at The Thompson Savannah. Our plan is a month-on, month-off situation for a year, with each one focusing on a different cuisine. I’m going to revisit Odd Gai and Shinpaku but also do some new concepts. Starting July 1, on Mondays and Tuesdays, we will be running a concept called “Crybaby Mariscos” or “Crybaby” for short. It’s Mexican seafood, which ultimately is what I’ll be doing for a brick and mortar. Think aqua chiles, tostadas, ceviches — getting all the seafood from local waterways and showcasing them with Mexican flavors — and a tequila and mezcal program.

I’ve been doing wine dinners with Sobremesa here and there and will keep doing other pop-ups when they make sense. ... I’m proud that I’m doing what I love now. Not that I didn’t love what I was doing before, but a lot of people get sucked into the lifestyle of being a chef. It’s nice to step back, put the ego aside and do something more rewarding versus being a badass chef, stroking the ego and chasing accolades. I ﬁnd that I have a much more rewarding line of work now.

“I’ve always been interested in oysters. I’ve always had a toe in the water — literally and ﬁguratively — supporting Southern oysters and shell recycling programs like Shell to Shore out of Athens.”

— Chris “Chino” Hathcock

TUNE IN AND CHILL OUT.

CABANA CLUB

412 Williamson st. Marriott.com/savtx

Cabana Club at The Alida joins modern life with timeless charm on Savannah’s revitalized riverfront. Make a splash in the outdoor pool and soak up the warm Savannah sun. Relaxation and rejuvenation are on the menu at the Cabana Club Pool Bar, an outdoor spot serving south of the border fare and craft cocktails. The Cabana Club at The Alida lets you dive into Savannah’s slow lane — drink in hand. Scan the QR code to the right to reserve your private cabana or poolside lounger today.

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A Supreme Sandwich

An unassuming Savannah staple with humble beginnings serves up some ﬁrst-class fare

Written by CAROLINE HATCHETT

Photography by PETER COLIN MURRAY

IT WAS MY TURN AT THE WINDOW, and I couldn’t decide what to order from Shabazz Seafood, the pint-sized, canary yellow seafood shack on the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Victory Drive. I scanned nearby picnic tables and asked city workers for suggestions, and the consensus on that Tuesday afternoon was the Shabazz Fish Supreme Sandwich. I added a slice of cheese to my order — why not?! — and slipped a credit card into a metal transaction drawer/portal of sorts through which my meal emerged ﬁve minutes later.

As I unwrapped the sandwich from its white paper packaging, I found its appearance to be, well, a little simple. But after a few bites, I realized I was holding a masterpiece of a fish sandwich stacked with strips of crispy, juicy fried whiting. American cheese, creamy and melted just so, lay languidly over the fish. Iceberg lettuce imparted a refreshing crunch, and Shabazz Sauce (mayobased but otherwise a mystery) added rich oomph. And rather than piling all that goodness onto a bun, from which the fish would surely tumble, two slices of soft wheat bread wrapped around the whiting like a hug.

Shabazz Seafood opened in 1989, but the fish sandwich predates the landmark restaurant. Yusef Shabazz, a Savannah native, found himself in Columbus, Georgia, in the late ’80s working for the Minority Business Development Agency. He often took early lunch breaks, using the time to go home and make fish sandwiches for everyone in the building. At first, he gave out free samples, but as word got out, he started selling them floor by floor. When Yusef returned to Savannah, he wooed his future wife, Dr. Estella Edwards Shabazz, with his cooking, and the couple started selling fish sandwiches (plus his deviled crabs) on weekends from a blue cargo van.

“Customers will visit and say, ‘I came to the restaurant when it ﬁrst opened. Is the ﬁsh sandwich the same?’” recalls Estella,

“Customers will visit and say, ‘I came to the restaurant when it ﬁrst opened. Is the ﬁsh sandwich the same?’ Let me tell y’all something: The recipe has not changed from the beginning.”

— Dr. Estella Edwards Shabazz

who’s also an alderwoman for Savannah’s 5th District and the city’s Mayor Pro Tem. “Let me tell y’all something: The recipe has not changed from the beginning.”

Yusef modeled the sandwich after versions he remembers his mom and church community making. “It’s a down-home recipe,” he says. “When you’re at the house, you don’t go buy sandwich buns. We used what was readily available and economical for us.”

Don’t let the sandwich’s humble origins fool you though. Both Shabazzes are civil engineers, and Yusef approaches cooking as he would building a bridge or roadway. “Everything I do is scientific,” says a man who has figured out how to maximize craveability, texture and flavor in a $7.50 sandwich ($8 with cheese).

The sandwich has also helped the Shabazzes fortify their community. “We try to affect change with the business,” says Yusef, who has served on the Chatham County Commission and won the 2022 Outstanding Georgia Citizen Award. Among other efforts, the Shabazzes work with Family Promise, a nonprofit tackling family homelessness, and the Greenbrier Children’s Center, a childcare and early learning center and emergency shelter for children and young adults. The couple has also built affordable housing units in various parts of the city.

Thanks to marketing efforts by their daughter Kalifa Shabazz and a recent appearance on the Netflix series, “Fresh, Fried & Crispy,” the restaurant now attracts diners from farther afield — visitors looking for a taste of authentic, iconic Savannah. And with every fish sandwich they buy, these interlopers inadvertently pump money back into Savannah’s most vulnerable communities.

While your moral compass might lead you to Shabazz, the Fish Supreme Sandwich itself is pull enough.

“When customers say it’s their ﬁrst time coming to the restaurant,” says Estella, “I tell them, ‘All we needed was for you to come one time, and we got you for life.’”

Photography by JASON B. JAMES

Take a slow ride to explore the hidden gems and hot spots along U.S. Highway 80 from Thunderbolt to Tybee Island. Whether you’re escaping for a quick diversion or spending all season, we’ve got you covered like SPF on where to ﬁnd sunshine, brisk surf, fresh seafood and plenty of summer fun.

TYBEE FOOD TOUR

Drink, dine and relax like a Tybee regular with these tips from foodophile Skye Estro

TYBEE IS NOT YOUR typical beach town. This place is no frills, friendly as all get-out and, most certainly, food-focused. In the high season of summertime, it’s the destination where you want to be to dig your heels in the sand and ﬁnd a standout seafood-centered meal. But if you’re arriving sometime between May and September, you better come with a strategy in mind to beat the crowds.

I’ve spent my summers on Tybee since 2001, and it has been incredible to see this barrier island boom into a vibrant food scene. My ﬁrst experience cracking crab legs was at Fannie’s on the Beach with my Nini in my elementary school days, I embarrassed myself by falling back in a chair at The Crab Shack in my preteen years and I’ve eaten more “kid plates’’ of grouper at Stingray’s than I can even attempt to count.

Here’s a guide to how I would navigate the busy season while tasting some of the best local bites in town. I promise this Tybee-proud foodie in the know wouldn’t steer you wrong.

TYBEAN ART & COFFEE BAR

1213 U.S. HIGHWAY 80

If you’re staying on the island, get your steps in and take a little morning walk up to The Shops at Tybee Oaks complex where this little gem lives. Dancing Goats coﬀee beans from Atlanta make for a robust and awakening blend. Pair your custom-crafted coﬀee with the breakfast burrito of the day

(typically a tortilla ﬁlled with eggs, beans, bacon and cheese) for a ﬁlling combination that’s less than $10. Beach town food with a small-town price tag is a pleasant Tybee surprise that can’t be beaten.

TYBEE MARKET IGA

1111 BUTLER AVE.

Yes, IGA is a grocery store. And yes, it’s the only one on the island, serving locals since 1934.

But did you know that you can pre-order cinnamon rolls for pickup? This has been my grandma’s pro tip for feeding a large family the past two decades, and it is one I’m willing to share with the class. These cinnamon rolls are freshly prepared and served warm with a classic vanilla glaze.

Call ahead or walk in to place your order then assign a day and time for pickup.

Ensure your household doesn’t have a moment of “hanger” during their beach vacation and have breakfast on lock.

SEAWEEDʼS SNO-BALLS & ICE CREAM

1405 BUTLER AVE.

End cap your vacation day with something sweet. Sno-balls is an essential stop on your Tybee food tour. My family and I never miss the opportunity to cool down from a hot beach day with some of Snoballs signature treats.

Disclaimer: There will be a line. But this kind of line is much friendlier than your bigcity counterparts. Chat with other ice cream aﬁcionados about the diﬀerence between Sno-balls and water ice, debate the “best” way to stack a sundae and get inspiration for scoop combinations you never knew you needed. Bananas Foster and Pirates’ Treasure, anyone?

ABOVE: Skye Estroff at Tybean Art & Coffee Bar; OPPOSITE, FROM TOP LEFT: Intracoastal Waterway; Sea Wolf’s Glizzy Dog; Sea Wolf owner Andrew Jay Ripley; Huc-a-poo’s Team Banana pizza; Desposito’s Blue Crab cocktail; Huc-a-poo’s Knucklehead Nachos; Skye Estroff at Sea Wolf; Desposito’s Popcorn Shrimp; Davis Produce

C-A- OOʼS BI ES & BOO ES

1213 U.S. HIGHWAY 80, SUITE A

One door over from Tybean, Huc-a-poo’s is rumored to be Miley Cyrus’s favorite Tybee restaurant from her “The Last Song” ﬁlming days, and it happens to be my family’s, too. No trip to Tybee is complete without a visit to this one-of-a-kind pizza joint. Come for portions ﬁt for a crowd (think tire-sized pizzas), and stay for the small-town charm that exudes from this establishment. Friendly servers, a packed house and massive portions — check, check and check!

The Federale (pizza topped with grilled chicken, red onions, bell peppers, fresh tomatoes and jalapeños) and the Team Banana (aptly named for the Savannah Bananas, of course, and topped with pepperoni, mushroom, banana peppers and feta) are on my must-order list, alongside a portion of the Knucklehead Nachos (a hefty portion of chips, chili, sour cream, cheese, jalapeños and fresh tomatoes). Don’t leave this experience without a game of hook-and-ring toss — it’s sure to bring out your crew’s competitive spirit.

SEA WOL

106 S. CAMPBELL AVE.

One of the best additions to Tybee in recent years is Sea Wolf. When it comes to charm, local ingredients and top-tier cocktails, it ﬁts the bill. Be ready to get greeted by neon lights shaped like hot dogs and seashells and plenty of coastal kitsch — in the best way!

Sea Wolf is open from 4-10 p.m. nightly, with extended hours for brunch on the weekends. But when it comes to my family’s fool-proof routine, we recommend Sea Wolf during aperitivo hour. Change out of your swimsuits and beat the crowds with an early cocktail and light bite as soon as they open. Be sure to order the ever-changing smõrgåsbords (a tray ﬁlled with cheeses, cured meats, gherkins, dips, jams and more), chilled oysters on the half shell and a couple of their signature hot dogs, including Wagyu beef and vegan options, for the table to share. Pair with any cocktail poured in a Tiki-themed chalice for an equally Instagram-able and delicious start to your night.

Highway 80 HURRICANE

Sea Wolf owner Andrew Jay Ripley shares his Tybee take on the New Orleans original. While the cocktail became famous at Pat O’Brien’s and is known for its signature red hue from the fassionola — a fruit punch-type syrup used by Tiki legend Don the Beachcomber — Ripley uses a beautifully crafted version of the syrup made by Louisiana-based Cocktail & Sons, bringing ﬂavors of strawberries, hibiscus, passionfruit and lime to the party. Save this recipe for a rainy day to enjoy a tropical taste at home.

INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 oz. fresh lime juice

• 3/4 oz. Cocktail & Sons fassionola syrup

• 1 oz. white rum (Planteray 3 Star is complex and dry.)

• 1 oz. dark rum (Hamilton Jamaica Black Rum is super funky in a great way.)

• 2 dashes of Angostura bitters

• Ground nutmeg for garnish

Combine all liquid ingredients in a shaker tin with ice, and shake vigorously until the tin feels uncomfortably cold (about 15 seconds) Strain into your favorite glass ﬁlled with chewy ice and top with ground nutmeg. This deserves a cocktail umbrella. You get extra credit for distressing the umbrella, as if by high-force winds.

WILL BRAKE FOR BOILED PEANUTS

LOCATED ON TALAHI ISLAND, Davis Produce turns 30 this year. “Davis Produce has its staples, and that’s always what brings people in the door,” says owner Sherry Davis. “The beauty is the magic that happens when locals and visitors alike get to experience the wide array of jarred okra or Brussels sprouts (we will pickle anything), beautiful plants and ﬂowers, and goodies made especially for Davis Produce.”

To celebrate, here’s a rundown of the tried-and-true items she suggests picking up on your next pass.

1. If I had to say our top ﬁve favorites, it would be close, but of course, tomatoes would be at the top. We travel around the Southeast to make sure that all year long, our customers have vine-ripe tomatoes. Our nickname, “Home of the Killer Tomato,” is well-earned.

2. Our peaches are unmatched. We have the sweetest peaches found in the region.

3. Our local watermelons come in all varieties, including seeded, which to me are always the sweetest.

4. The silver queen corn is perfect for Lowcountry boils, but it’s so perfect and sweet, you can eat it raw.

5. Finally, I can’t leave oﬀ our famous boiled peanuts. You just can’t ﬁnd boiled peanuts cooked with more history and love than those at Davis Produce. None of this would be possible without Hezekiah “Big Da” Polk, my grandfather, who started the family tradition in City Market in the 1940s.

Still Hungry?

ADD THESE LOCALLY OWNED SPOTS TO YOUR TYBEE ITINERARY

NORTH BEACH BAR & GRILL

33 Meddin Drive

Can’t make it to the Caribbean this summer?

North Beach Bar & Grill may be as close as you can get without leaving Georgia. Steps from the Tybee Island Light Station & Museum and the shore, the large outdoor bar is a popular destination for frozen drinks and live music.

MI VIDA

1315 Butler Ave.

Stay hydrated and healthy with these cold-pressed juices. Adjacent to the QuikMart, this grab-and-go spot also sells its bottled beverages at the Tybee Island Farmers Market.

PIER 16 SEAFOOD

RESTAURANT

1601 Inlet Ave

A short walk from the Tybee Pier & Pavilion, this relaxed restaurant boasts a rooftop deck overlooking Tybrisa Street.

SALT ISLAND FISH & BEER

101 Lovell Ave.

This bright and colorful spot gets its name from the Euchee Tribe who inhabited the islands around the 14th century — “Tybee” is the Euchee name for “salt.”

THE SURFING GOAT

15b Tybrisa St.

A newer addition to the island’s main street, this coffee and bagel shop shares a building with Lighthouse Pizza and channels a laid-back vibe inspired by Southern rock music. — C.M

Davis Produce

S RIM L E BES

Buying imported seafood in coastal Georgia isn’t a criminal o ense, but in certain social company be prepared to answer to a jury of your peers about where you source your shrimp. And when you can get fresh catch right o the dock, why settle for frozen bags from the supermarket? Here are four places to get your shellﬁsh ﬁx.

B ʼS SEA OOD CO-O

5 OLD TYBEE ROAD, U.S. HIGHWAY 80

Just over the bridge to Tybee Island on Lazaretto Creek, Bubba Gumbo’s is tucked down a long gravel driveway. Head past the decades-old signs for Captain Derek’s Dolphin Adventures on your right and a boatyard on your left. When you see the large yellow smiley face with palm trees for eyes, you know you’re in the right place. Another sign, painted in bold red letters, reminds locals and visitors alike that “Friends Don’t Let Friends Eat Imported Shrimp.”

That message has been instilled in owner Caitlin Burns since childhood. “This marina has been in my family since 1997, and my parents had seafood restaurants on Tybee for my whole life,” says Burns, who owns and operates both the restaurant and BG’s Seafood Co-Op.

While the kitchen at Bubba Gumbo’s can do the cooking for you, the real hidden gem is the co-op. With views overlooking the tidal creek, the colorful seafood counter is stocked with a wide variety of

Written by COLLEEN ANN MCNALLY

fresh ﬁsh, including local ﬂounder, mahi mahi, tuna, red snapper and, of course, shrimp. There are also some Northern Atlantic salmon and diver scallops and prepared foods on ice — familiar Southern fare like pimento cheese, gumbo and crab dip.

“We started the co-op about ﬁve years ago, shortly after the last seafood market, which was next door to us at Coco’s, closed down,” says Burns. “It was a no-brainer. Obviously the island needs a place to source fresh seafood, and we had the space and the ability, so we went for it.”

The provisions are sourced from shrimp boats off their dock, fishing charters that sell whatever their crew doesn’t keep, and distributors up and down the East Coast. “I don’t source anything from Alaska, because when a product like that has to fly over land, that is when they pump it full of all the preservatives,” she adds.

Burns recently bumped up staﬃng for the summer season so the co-op can stay open daily and “stocked to the gills” from

noon to 6 p.m. (She suggests following the Facebook page or calling ahead to check availability.) This stability is a big win for an industry that has been navigating diﬃcult waters in recent years, made more challenging by the pandemic and rising housing costs.

“Tybee has shifted to more support from visitors and tourists, as most of the housing is now vacation rentals,” Burns says. “There aren’t a lot of places left for locals to live, so we have to source employment from Savannah.”

LOCAL FLAVOR: Bubba Gumbo’s owner Caitlin Burns’ favorite way to eat shrimp? “Straight peel and eat. Boil it, a little hot sauce and seasoning. You can’t beat it,” she says. Wash it down with margarita on tap from the Bubba Gumbo’s bar. Or, for more heat, try BG’s hot, fresh item: fried shrimp tossed in Savannah Bee Company Hot Honey.

PHOTO BY MICHAEL SCHALK

And yet, she doesn’t shy away from the challenge. Rather, she feels it’s more important than ever to remind neighbors and tourists alike to choose local. (She even sells T-shirts to this eﬀect.)

“I can tell you that as a kid, Lazaretto Creek was lined with dozens and dozens of shrimp boats. When you look at it now, there are probably 8 to 10,” she says. “That is because, sadly, a lot of places choose to save a buck — bringing in farmed shrimp from Ecuador or Thailand or wherever — over supporting the local ﬁshermen and shrimpers that we have at our ﬁngertips. That, in turn, is killing the shrimp industry.

“We still encourage other places to maybe turn back toward using the local shrimp and ﬁsh because it’s the best in the world,” she adds. “And there’s plenty of shrimp to go around.”

NELSONʼS ALI SEA OOD COM AN

3516 OLD TYBEE ROAD

$12 per dozen. (Bring cash or a check. This place is card-free.)

While the occasional post on their Facebook page alerts followers when a shipment is on ice, the extent of marketing for Nelson’s is pretty much word of mouth. If you know, you know. Families have been getting wild Georgia shrimp here for generations, and while the building itself may not have changed very much, the number of shrimp and ﬁshing boats lining the dock has dwindled drastically — echoing what Burns is experiencing at Bubba Gumbo’s.

Near Desposito’s along the Intracoastal Waterway, under the shadow of Highway 80, this place is the real deal. The structure has been around longer than most of us.

Don’t be fooled if the parking lot appears to be deserted upon arrival. Look for the sign that reads “We’re open — and we’re awesome.” Within minutes, you are likely to see a steady stream of vehicles pull up, patrons popping out and stocking up on pounds of shrimp. Just inside, the goods are kept on ice in a cooler and sell for

R SSOʼS SEA OOD MAR E

201

E 40TH ST.

Located by the train tracks a few blocks from Victory Drive, this family-owned Savannah staple is no frills but has plenty of charm. Charles J. Russo Sr. and Antoinette Russo first opened in 1946, becoming the city’s first seafood market offering cut-to-order fish. Seven decades later, the third generation keeps the business going strong.

ERICA DA IS LOWCO N R

3209

E. VICTORY DRIVE

The granddaughter of the Russo clan, Erica Davis oﬀers her own take on the family tradition at her Thunderbolt eatery and catering business. Rather than selling the raw products, guests can order Southern classic dishes like fried green tomatoes, barbecue shrimp, Lowcountry boil, crab cakes, fried ﬁsh, banana pudding and much more for dine-in or to-go.

Need More ISLAND IME

DON’T MISS THESE ROADSIDE MAINSTAYS NEAR THE BULL RIVER BRIDGE

SANDERS GIFTS &HOME ACCENTS

7908 U.S. 80 E.

Unfortunately, the best thing in this shop — a cat named Biscuit — isn’t for sale. Fortunately, they have just about anything else you can think of available for purchase.

FLYING FISH BAR & GRILL

7906 U.S. 80 E.

Take a page out of the late, great Jimmy Buffett’s playbook on Thursdays, when “The Fish” serves burgers and fries for under $10 and Landshark beers for $3. Or, ask the kitchen about their cook-what-you-catch charter ﬁs ing rogra

FREEDOM BOAT CLUB

8020 U.S. 80 E.

Some people grow up on the water and learn the ropes — literally — of boating from a young age. For others who are new to coastal living, getting into boating can be intimidating, not to mention expensive — both in terms of time and money.

That’s why Freedom Boat Club aims to take the fear and unaffordability out of the equation by making boating more accessible to more people. While certainly not a secret — Freedom Boat Club touts more than 400 locations across the globe, making it the world’s largest boat club — some may be surprised to learn that the Talahi Island location, based out of the Savannah Boathouse Marina, boasts one of the biggest and fastest gro ing ﬂeets

Members have access to top-notch vessels, like Boston Whalers, and unlimited training to stay safe and sound. Once aboard, crews can explore miles of the local waterways with less maintenance and more time for fun.

PHOTO BY JASON B. JAMES

THE VICTORIOUS COMEBACK OF DES OSI OʼS

A historic waterfront dive has new owners, a new menu and even new walls, ﬂoors and roof — but the same classic seafood recipes longtime Savannahians love

Written by ALEXANDRA MARVAR

“It’s di erent than anywhere I’ve ever worked. You’re not normally seeing so many people from age 80 to 105 having their birthday at your restaurant. But that’s Desposito’s.”

— MICHELLE SMITH

THE FIVE-LANE BRIDGE that carries U.S. Highway 80 over the Wilmington River is a long, gentle arc. On the incline, all that’s visible through the windshield are pavement and sky. Cresting the apex, the monolithic beige box of Thunderbolt Marine appears on the southern horizon. The bright green marshes between the river and Grays Creek unfurl ahead. Tiny marsh crabs scurry around on the roadside. At the bottom of the incline, you touch earth again.

You could ride the momentum, keep cruising east, to Tybee. Or you could make that hairpin turn — it happens fast — and double back on ruddy, ﬂoody, forgotten-feeling roads between palmetto patches and boatyards, onto the Isle of Armstrong.

This is where you’ll ﬁnd Desposito’s, which has held its soggy little patch of ground for decades. At once, it’s one of the oldest places in town and one of the newest — the 2024 winner of “Best New Restaurant” according to Connect Savannah (and “Best Seafood,” ousting The Crab Shack from its long reign). For Desposito’s, its storied history has been its saving grace.

The Wilmington River used to be lined with ﬁsh shacks like Desposito’s — where you could get local seafood freshly caught from the shrimpers, crabbers and ﬁshermen pulling into Thunderbolt and in the olden days, even bring your catch and have it cooked for you. Now, those places are all but extinct. As of 2018, when then-owner David Boone was thinking of putting the

place up for sale, Desposito’s was the last of its kind.

The tables were covered in old copies of the Savannah Morning News. Patrons picked apart boiled shrimp and deviled crab with their ﬁngers, ate corn on the cob and drank Miller High Life at the long bar, lit by neon beer signs — same as they’d been doing for the past half-century. When Boone ﬁnally sold, stepping into his hard-earned retirement from the restaurant world, it was the end of an era.

Enter Michelle Smith, who had been working for years in hospitality, for national brands like Hyatt and for local businesses like Leopold’s Ice Cream. She and Savannah developer Jeﬀ Notrica were looking to partner on a restaurant project. For them, Boone’s timing was fortuitous.

“We were already looking for restaurant space — we were actually looking to develop a location close to Forsyth — and this one came up on the market,” Smith recalls. For these two history buﬀs, the long, sweet and sometimes salty Savannah story of Desposito’s seized their imaginations. They changed course. They went all in on the Isle of Armstrong.

Sure, this shack was in a scenic spot, and the structure needed a lot of work. But the pair wasn’t out to raze the past and build the future. They were excited about breathing new life into something old.

Their revamp of Desposito’s took longer than they’d expected. (The

Bar Manager Shannon Nelson and Managing Partner Michelle Smith

building needed more work than they could ever have guessed.) It opened after much anticipation in September 2023 in an expanded and fully refurbished building, with new walls, rooﬁng, ﬂooring and a new kitchen — not to mention the city’s largest outdoor bar. But fans of its earlier iteration will feel right at home.

They’ll see the same memorabilia on the walls, from Boone’s family photographs to neon beer signs to the mounted marlin

hooked by a regular. They’ll even ﬁnd the original staple menu items: the deviled crab, pasta salad, Lowcountry boil. Smith learned the recipes straight from Boone, who in turn had learned them from his mother, Walton, who took over the place from Carlo Desposito himself when he passed away in 1982.

Of course, that menu is now twice the size with new ﬁxtures like shrimp scampi and crispy chicken sandwiches, not to

mention more than two dozen wines by the glass and as many beers by the can, plus a list of festive cocktails ﬁt for a summer on the water.

“I expected a little bit of pushback, just because we have changed so much,” Smith says. But honestly, the people that experienced it when they were a child, I think, are appreciative that somebody put some time, money and eﬀort into the building.”

It may have been updated floorboard by floorboard, but it’s still a keeper of all the memories made there, from the 1930s onwards: of lunch after a beach day with parents, of young love. “I’ve had a ton of people that are probably late 80s, early 90s telling me that this is where their first date was,” she adds.

And for every newcomer discovering this fresher, brighter Desposito’s for the ﬁrst time, there’s a lifelong patron revisiting those memories.

“Just last weekend we had someone celebrate their 102nd birthday party here,” Smith says. “It’s diﬀerent than anywhere I’ve ever worked. You’re not normally seeing so many people from age 80 to 105 having their birthday at your restaurant. But that’s Desposito’s.”

ALO A ʼALL

Popular surf instructor Hot Sushi keeps his kids’ camps rolling through August

IT SEEMS ANYONE WHO KNOWSYAMADA ATSUSHI — particularly those who’ve participated in his surf camp — breaks into a smile upon mention of his name. Perhaps that’s partly due to the silly nature of his nickname “Hot Sushi.” Or maybe it’s what he calls the Aloha spirit — something he picked up in his younger years, while living on the islands of Hawaii and Guam as a professional soccer player. (He is also a former competitive racing snow skier, making surﬁng his shortest career so far.)

In the Hawaiian language, Aloha is an expression with many meanings: love, compassion, mercy, peace, kindness and even gratitude. To Atsushi, it means “to love, to say thank you, to be respectful, to be humble, to share and much more.” At age 61, Atsushi not only can still catch a wave but is also coaching others on how to surf. “It does not matter how old you are. I really love to encourage our precious future generations to learn how to harmonize with the ocean water,” he says.

While he lives in midtown Savannah, he heads out to Tybee Island most mornings in the summer to lead camps for kids ages 5 to 15. Sessions are held weekly, Monday through Friday, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. from late May through early August. He also oﬀers private lessons, available to book through his website (happy-surﬁng.info), with all equipment included.

Sushi moved to Savannah from Guam 22 years ago — “Wow, time ﬂew,” he says. Not much slows him down, including a bite from a shark (what he calls “the big ﬁsh”) in the summer of 2021. Local artist Panhandle Slim has even immortalized the local legend on canvas, documenting Atsushi’s quote in response to returning to the water just two days after the attack: “It’s part of the deal; part of the sport we love. I can’t do this without going in the ocean.”

When Sushi is not on the water, he is on the turf coaching youth soccer or getting in a few drills for himself. “I do still play every Sunday as the second-oldest active player in the league,” he says. Otherwise, he is home, taking care of his four foster dogs. Aloha, indeed. — C.M.

TURTLE CROSSING THE TRAIL LESS TRAVELED

COASTAL GEORGIA IS ALREADY WELL KNOWN FOR ITS SEA TURTLES, AND NOW, THANKS TO THE DEDICATED EFFORTS OF LOCAL SCIENTISTS, DIAMONDBACK TERRAPIN TURTLES ARE GETTING SOME MUCHDESERVED ATTENTION

Written by JOSEPHINE JOHNSON

SPRING’S SWEET BREEZES not only bring the return of birds, ﬂowers and longer days, but as the earth warms, diamondback terrapins begin awakening from their winter slumbers. Every spring, these reptiles emerge from the mud of nearby tidal creeks to cruise the marshes in search of mates. After weeks of pitching woo in the shallows, the terrapin pairs go their separate ways.

While males stay behind, in early May females head to higher ground to prepare their nests. And that’s when marine biologist Dr. Kathryn Craven and Tybee Island Marine Science Center Executive Director Chantal Audran step in with their team of community volunteers, research scientists and governmental agencies to study and protect the elusive, yet resilient, diamondback terrapins along U.S. Highway 80.

When females lay their eggs, the habitat they need is often on the other side of the highway, requiring them to cross a deadly gauntlet of traﬃc. For nearly 20 years, Craven and Audran have worked to recover turtles from

the road from May through early July. Sometimes, an injured female can be rehabilitated and released. Other times, only eggs can be retrieved and incubated, and, eventually, baby turtles are set free. Although not listed as endangered, in Georgia, the diamondback terrapin is considered a species of concern, and each one recovered from the highway holds important scientiﬁc clues for the conservation of the species.

“There was no study, no baseline data for diamondback terrapins when we began in 2005,” recalls Craven, who is also a professor in the biology department at Georgia Southern University. “So, we never knew how many there were to start with. Now, the more we know, the more we can share. Our data [tracks] the mortality numbers, which help in ﬁnding strategies to manage causes of death. Whatever threatens these terrapins will threaten the coastal environment. They are an important indicator species, and a loss of them would alter the coast in a profound way.”

Speciﬁcally adapted to survive in a narrow range of conditions, diamondback terrapins live in a ribbon of habitat that extends from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, around the tip of Florida, and along the Gulf Coast to Corpus Christi, Texas. These turtles never venture into the ocean. And they never stray into freshwater. Their only home is the brackish coastal marsh — regions that in recent years have experienced extreme growth with the construction of roads, vacation homes and high-rise hotels. Habitat loss and climate change are the primary drivers threatening diamondback terrapins.

WATCH FOR TURTLES

Be vigilant and mindful when traveling to and from Tybee Island. If you see an injured turtle on the road, report it to the Tybee Island Marine Science Center at 912-786-5917.

Did you know that in the late 1880s, a railroad commuted passengers between Savannah and Tybee before a highway was built in 1923? Built on a 6-mile stretch of what was once the Savannah & Atlantic Railroad line, the McQueen’s Island Trail runs along the South Channel of the Savannah River. If you’re lucky, you may see dolphins or cargo ships pass by as you walk along the saltwater marshes, cord grass, cabbage palms, yaupon holly and coastal cedars. Today, the scenic path is maintained by Chatham County Parks & Recreation and, while open to all ages, isn’t for the faint of heart. Visitors may spot wildlife, including the eastern box turtle, American alligator, diamondback terrapin, bobcat, osprey, red-tailed hawk and brown pelican.

To access the trailhead, look for the sign for Fort Pulaski National Monument. Parking is available along the road or at the fort, which provides more historical context about the region, particularly its role during the Civil War. To reach the western trailhead, follow the directions above, but continue a few miles along U.S. 80 to a small roadside parking area just before the turnoff for Fort Pulaski. Before heading out, check the weather and call ahead to 912-652-6780 to check accessibility conditions. — C.M.

“2023 was the worst,” Audran says. “We collected 256 dead terrapins on the road between the McQueen’s Island Trail and Lazaretto Creek Boat Ramp, and half of those were females. Since we started this study, the mortality rates have risen almost exponentially. This data is crucial because we use it to validate turtle crossing hotspots on Highway 80 and then work with the Georgia Department of Transportation to manage and reduce mortality.”

Some management solutions include constructing roadside barriers at points where most fatalities occur and then funneling the terrapins to cross at other places. Craven and Audran, though, point out that this would likely shift vehicle strikes to a diﬀerent section of the highway. Another possibility entails retroﬁtting the road with terrapin tunnels so that

they can pass beneath traﬃc. They say the best-case scenario, and most expensive, would be to rebuild and elevate the causeway entirely oﬀ the marsh. In the meantime, Craven and Audran are staying focused on educating the community about the importance of diamondback terrapin conservation.

“Working with the terrapins was an unexpected challenge,” Craven says. “They taught me about the resilience it takes to fight for what is necessary to live. They need a place to nest, and they are going to continue to try to find it. And we are going to take a page from their book. We are going to fight to keep Tybee Island safe from climate change, fight to keep them safe from the road, fight to conserve their dwindling habitat, and do our best to increase their population levels in Coastal Georgia.”

HONORING BLACK HISTORY

A year after launching virtually, Tybee MLK Human Rights Organization, Georgia Southern University and Tybee Island Historical Society together recently unveiled physical markers on the Tybee Island Black History Trail in an effort to respectfully recognize and remember a more inclusive island history. This free, digital resource is available online via ArcGIS StoryMaps and outlines 13 places of signiﬁ an e roug olle ted oral history, the trail explores the legacy of enslaved people who arrived at the Lazaretto Creek Quarantine Station, efforts to desegregate Tybee Island’s beach during the Civil Rights Movement and t e ontributions of ﬁs er en it strong Gullah-Geechee roots, seasonal and domestic workers and successful entrepreneurs. Hard copies of the map are also available at the Tybee Island Visitor Center (802 1st St.). — C.M.

SAVANNAH FLY FISHING

Tall Tides Charters is an Orvis Endorsed Fly Fishing Outfitter specializing in fly and light tackle fishing in the lowcountry. Our territory is up and down the Georgia and South Carolina coast for Redfish and other inshore/nearshore species. We specialize in sight-fishing for redfish on the fly and also light tackle.

SECOND ANNUAL

PHOTO CONTEST

Introducing the winners of Savannah magazine’s second annual photo contest

AFTER THE EXCITEMENT of last year’s inaugural photo contest, Savannah magazine brought back the friendly competition for a second year. Inspired by the city’s inimitable beauty and creative spirit, we called for professional, amateur and student (under 18 years of age) photographers to share their best original images that capture the essence of the Greater Savannah area and Georgia coast in exchange for cash prizes — and bragging rights, of course.

Between January and March, more than 100 people answered our call and shared hundreds of images. Here, we’ve rounded up our staff favorites, with some help from a panel of esteemed judges.

“Morning Lighthouse”

Photo by Steve Vilnit

RUNNER UP Professional Category

HONORABLE MENTION Professional Category

“The Golden Roots”

Photo by Micah Turner

“Ogeechee”

Photo by Kathryn Ann Waller

EDITOR’S FAVORITE Professional Category

“Yesterday’s Paper”

Photo by Randall Patrick

JUDGES

Daniel S. Palmer

Daniel S. Palmer is chief curator at the SCAD Museum of Art. Previously, he was curator at Public Art Fund, New York, where he organized 20 exhibitions. Prior to his role at Public Art Fund, he served as the Leon Levy Assistant Curator at the Jewish Museum and Curatorial Research Assistant at the Whitney Museum of American Art. Palmer has curated numerous exhibitions independently and has contributed writing to many artist monographs, publications and journals including ARTnews, The New York Times, Mousse and Kaleidoscope, among others. He holds a doctorate and Master of Philosophy in art history from the CUNY Graduate Center and a bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University.

McGee

Winner, 2023 “So Savannah” Photo Contest

Katie McGee is grateful to have grown up in an inspiring city like Savannah. The beautiful landscape is what led her to study photography in college and continue working professionally for 16 years. When she is not working, you may find her at an estate sale, driving down the bluff or walking downtown with her golden retrievers, Finley and Olive.

Somi Benson-Jaja

Somi Benson-Jaja is the owner of Shot By Somi Studios, an award-winning commercial portrait photographer and two-time Best Photographer in Savannah magazine’s Best of Savannah reader survey. Before photography, BensonJaja was an elementary school music teacher for six years in the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System. He is actively involved in the community by serving on various boards, including the United Way of the Coastal Empire Board of Directors, the Emmaus House Board of Directors, the National Association for Catering and Events (NACE), the Lowcountry Chapter Board of Directors and is currently the president of Buy Local Savannah. He was named to Georgia Southern University 40 under 40 2020 Alumni Award class, honored by Savannah magazine as a part of the 2021 New Guard and is a 2021 graduate of Leadership Savannah.

Stayce Koegler

Winner, Best Photographer, Savannah magazine Best of Savannah 2023

Savannah-based photographer Stayce Koegler brings 16 years of experience capturing candid, emotion-filled family moments and high school seniors. Her goal is to provide a gallery that anyone falls hard in love with, while also enjoying the experience of creating those memories.

Katie

AMATEUR

RUNNER UP (TIE) Amateur Category

“Old and Older”

Photo by Ann P. Raimee

WINNER Amateur Category

“Savannah River Tugs”

Photo by Tim Nichols

EDITOR’S FAVORITE Amateur Category

“Thunderbolt Fisherman’s Seafood”

Photo by William Byatt

RUNNER UP (TIE) Amateur Category

“The Birds”

Photo by Diane Fulmer

Photo by Nicholas Hennig

“Panama Jack 1”

Photo by Cruz Velazquez

HONORABLE MENTION Student Category

RUNNER UP Student Category

“The Bridge to Industry”

Photo by Lance Ha

“The Beauty of Downtown”

Photo by Isabella Evans

The Future is Bright

CONSIDER THIS: STUDENTS ENTERING KINDERGARTEN THIS FALL WILL GRADUATE AS THE CLASS OF 2037.

A student practices swimming during Horizons Savannah’s summer program. Flip the page to read more.

With inspiring leadership, new state-of-the-art facilities and creative enrichment programs, Savannah area K-12 schools and higher education institutions are continuing to expand and strive for excellence — helping to prepare the next generation for success.

Just Keep Swimming

HORIZONS SAVANNAH HELPS STUDENTS BUILD CONFIDENCE BOTH IN SCHOOL AND IN THE POOL

Written by KA’DIA DHATNUBIA // Photography by PETER COLIN MURRAY

AT 10 A.M. ON A SWELTERING JUNE MORNING, the anticipation is palpable around Savannah Christian Preparatory School’s outdoor pool. A group of ﬁrst-graders scrambles to fasten their goggles, swim caps and life vests. Within minutes, they are all splashing in the water and taking turns practicing strokes in the shallow end.

It’s a familiar scene, and perhaps a nostalgic memory, for anyone who participated in swim lessons as a kid. Yet, this isn’t a typical swim lesson.

Since launching in 2002, Horizons Savannah — one of 70 program sites in the nationwide Horizons network — has been on a mission to partner with youth, their families and the community to enrich students’ lives with the joy of learning, the skills for success and the inspiration to realize their dreams. With a tuitionfree, six-week academic and enrichment summer programming for K-12 students designed to close the opportunity gap for children and help them achieve their goals in school and life, much of Horizons’s curriculum happens in the classrooms of local host schools, including Savannah Country Day School and Bethesda Academy along with Savannah Christian.

The real draw for many participants, however, is the pool time.

“We do a lot of things at Horizons to build students’

self-conﬁdence, their ability to advocate for themselves, to seek out opportunities to become successful in whatever that means to them,” says Christy Edwards, who has served as the executive director of Horizons since 2011. “Swimming is the place where it all comes together because, for a lot of our students, swimming is not something they would necessarily do without being part of our program.”

MAKING A SPLASH

ACCORDING TO USA SWIMMING, 79% of children in households with [an annual] income less than $50,000 have little to no swimming ability. Research also shows 64% of African American, 45% of Hispanic/Latino and 40% of Caucasian children have little to no swimming ability.

Horizons Savannah seeks to change that one class at a time. Thanks to volunteer support, Georgia Department of Education’s COVID-19 relief funding and generous donations from corporate and individual sponsors, the program is free to students who meet Horizons’ application and income eligibility requirements — meaning those who likely didn’t have access to a pool before are now able to try something new.

Today, the Savannah program has grown to serve around 300 students, with over 85% of students returning each year.

The beneﬁts that result spread out like a cannonball splash. First and foremost, swimming is a lifelong skill that keeps people safe, especially in a coastal community.

“I hear this all the time: ‘My dad just threw me in the deep end,’” Edwards says of the fear that can accompany beginners. Because of this common experience, Horizons staﬀ take a slow and steady approach — meeting youth where they’re at, going at their own pace and getting in the water with them. “If you want to take the entire summer to get into the water, that’s ﬁne,” she explains. “It builds this amount of trust with their teacher that really would not exist in a normal classroom.”

In turn, the student conﬁdence formed in the water can go a long way when back in the classroom — especially when it comes to closing the gap of summer learning loss that can occur between students with less access to resources than other students.

According to Horizons Savannah’s website, the average student who does not experience enriching summer activities can lose up to two months in academic skills — and without access to resources to catch up, students may never regain these lost skills, setting them further behind each year. Last year, only 51% of SCCPSS graduates met the criteria for being college- or career-ready, with only 26% of graduating students entering the technical or university system of Georgia without needed remediation.

THE HOME TEAM

SINCE ENROLLING HER SON with Horizons at the age of 10, Kayla Sanders says she has seen him grow and expand the possibilities of where his life can go. He is continuing to pursue swimming and earned a scholarship to swim with the Low Country Aquatic Club (LCAC), a year-round competitive team, during his eighth-grade year.

There’s even a swim team, The Horizons Hurricanes, giving participants the opportunity to compete as a part of the Savannah Coastal Swim League, along with neighborhood teams from Mayfair, Isle of Hope, Savannah Golf Club, The Landings, Savannah Quarters, Savannah Yacht Club and Wilmington Park. Many past members

“He got to travel to diﬀerent cities and swim against so many great kids,” Sanders says of her son’s experience with LCAC. “He did not know there’s a historical Black college [with a swim team], so that just opened his eyes to more.” She adds that he even has plans to become a certiﬁed lifeguard to work for Horizons.

An avid swimmer herself, Sanders passionately advocates for all children to learn the skill. She compares sending her son to Horizons to sending him to a family member, because she knows he will be taken care of. “I feel safe,” she says.

Fellow Horizons mother JoAnna Huckabee adds that she suspects what her kids look forward to even more than the pool is seeing the friends they made at Horizons.

It’s this tight-knit community that Edwards names as her proudest accomplishment in 13 years as the executive director. “I have really had the privilege to watch so many students grow up in our program,” she says. “They’ve taken everything we’ve had to oﬀer and gone on to do incredible things. And, I mean, that’s all you can ask for in this kind of job.”

Community support is a lifeline for not only most students but for the Horizons organization as a whole. With the Georgia Department of Education’s COVID relief funding reaching its end, Horizons Savannah is actively seeking other funding avenues to both stabilize the program and maintain the pools at their host schools. As they approach what she terms the “ﬁscal cliﬀ,” Edwards says, “We’ve tried to be really smart about how we use the funding, but we do know that’s a hole in our budget in the future.”

Beyond stability, Edwards’s big dream is to invest in a place where The Horizons Hurricanes could host home meets. “I feel like our students deserve that,” she says. “They deserve to have a facility that is just as well appointed as any of these other teams.”

Helping prepare your children for a bright future, and having fun along the way!

Making History

SAVANNAH’S NEWEST UNIVERSITY MAKES ITS MARK ON SAVANNAH’S HISTORIC DISTRICT

RALSTON COLLEGE GRADUATED its second class of students, conferring 23 master’s degrees in the humanities in May 2024. The donorfunded, private, nonproﬁt university’s one-year graduate degree program begins with an eight-week modern Greek language residency in Greece, followed by three consecutive terms at its growing campus in Savannah’s Historic District.

Founded in 2010 by President Stephen Blackwood, Ralston College gained momentum in the past year. While the liberal arts school is still in the application process of conﬁrming accreditation and intends to launch an undergraduate program in the future, it expanded its campus to 55,000 square feet across several buildings, including adding a new administrative oﬃce in the Philbrick-Eastman House on Chippewa Square through a partnership with The Parker Companies.

Luckily for Savannahians, the college isn’t just for enrolled students. Ralston has launched a series of lectures with acclaimed academics and concerts from world-renowned artists available to the public, and free online lectures and podcasts have already reached millions. — C.M.

Savannah’spremierschoolforchildrenwith dyslexia,ADHDandotherspecificlearning disabilitiesinreading,writingandmath.

Wecreatealearningprofilethatisindividualized tomeetthelearningneedsofeachstudent.

Orton-Gillinghamprinciplesguideinstructionat ChathamAcademybeyondreading,providingthe structureofourcurriculum.

What’s Cooking

SAVANNAH

TECHNICAL COLLEGE PREPARES TO DEBUT MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR CULINARY INSTITUTE ON BAY

STREET

THIS FALL , students, locals and visitors alike will get the ﬁrst taste of Savannah Technical College’s new Culinary Institute. Located at 7 W. Bay St., the new location will more than double the available instructional space for Savannah Tech’s popular Culinary Arts and Baking & Pastry Arts programs, which are currently housed at the White Bluﬀ campus.

Following a multi-million dollar renovation, the four-story building will include a 72-seat restaurant — complete with a theater kitchen, wine bar and wood-fired pizza oven — staffed by students and interns, plus classrooms, labs and a herb library for cutting-edge learning. On the street level, a grab-and-go counter will open for breakfast and lunch, serving artisan bread, handmade pastries, coffee service, sandwiches, salads and rotating soups, all prepared by students. Future plans also include a demo kitchen offering continuing education classes and special events available to the public — and Savannah is sure to devour. — C.M.

R O L L C A L L

Three esteemed local institutions announce new leaders

St. Andrew’s School appointed Gif Lockley to the role of Upper School head. He brings years of experience to the role, including most recently serving as the principal at Savannah Arts Academy for more than a decade. While he officially begins with the 2024-25 school year, he has been on campus for several months acclimating to the community and working closely with faculty on the transition.

After a nationwide search, Blessed Sacrament School announced Alison Gammage as the new principal. She assumed the role on July 1, 2024, after holding several leadership positions at schools in Raleigh, North Carolina, as well as previously founding and directing the Teaching and Learning Center at The National Cathedral School for Girls in Washington, D.C.

This July marks the completion of the first year as interim president of Savannah State University for Cynthia Robinson Alexander, J.D. She was appointed to the position by the University System of Georgia (USG) Board of Regents after serving USG for 14 years, most recently as the associate vice chancellor of finance.

Foundedin1956,St.JamesCatholicSchool challengesstudentstoreachtheirhighest potentialintheatmosphereofaCatholic, Christiancommunity.Throughguidancefromthe IHMsisters,studentsarepreparedforalifeof learningandservicetoGod.Studentsare encouragedtothriveinawaythatstimulates academicexcellence,highmoralstandardsand personalresponsibility.

Photo by Shelby Jackson

100+ MEDICAL EXPERTS INSIDE

A+ FOR EMPATHY

Schools tackle students’ mental health

BACK IN ACTION

Say goodbye to chronic back pain

Meet the dentists keeping the Savannah Ghost Pirates on solid ice

PAGE 142

Ghost Pirates forward Alex Gilmour

A MORE SPECIALIZED CARE

Savannah Vascular Institute celebrates 30 years of collaborative, expert quality vascular care to Coastal Georgia and beyond

IMAGINE THIS: you are a candidate for a vascular procedure and your vascular surgeon specializes in open surgery, but not minimally invasive alternatives. You can either proceed with the open surgery or be referred to a surgeon who specializes in minimally invasive procedures.

Now, imagine this: that same vascular surgeon is in a practice with 14 other board-certiﬁed vascular experts with a combined 250 years of experience who meet each morning to discuss their patients’ needs and collectively determine the best course of treatment and care, and

the ideal physician to provide it.

The second scenario is generally limited to major academic medical centers in metropolitan cities, but Savannah Vascular Institute changed that, growing a patient-focused team of expertly trained, board-certiﬁed vascular surgeons and interventional radiologists.

ADAPTING TO AN EVOLVING FIELD

Just a few decades ago, the role of the surgeon looked very diﬀerent. They were trained broadly, meaning each surgeon could expertly perform a myriad of

surgeries without a deﬁned specialization. As technology became more advanced and procedures more complicated, the need for surgical specialties where a physician focuses entirely on the treatment of speciﬁc disorders started to develop.

That was about the time Dr. Anthony Sussman took a keen interest in vascular surgery. After training at the Cleveland Clinic, the Georgia native came to Savannah with the goal of opening a stateof-the-art vascular center that could oﬀer patients the best medical management and vascular surgical procedures.

Photo by KATHERINE IVES

From left, Taylor Ellison Jr., MD; Justin Brown, MD; and Davis Moon, MD

Dr. Sussman established Savannah Vascular Institute in 1994 when minimally invasive surgeries were beginning to revolutionize medicine. Seeing this as an opportunity to provide his patients with more options in care, Dr. Sussman brought Dr. Anthony Avino into the fold. Dr. Avino, who subspecialized in minimally invasive vascular surgery, could oﬀer procedures that were safer, faster and have less morbidity and mortality for patients with vascular disease.

The practice grew with the addition of seven more vascular specialists in less than a decade. “As vascular surgeons combined with interventional radiologists, we really have a unique perspective on treating the whole breadth of vascular disease,” Dr. Avino says. “We’re able to determine which is best for each patient — to have either minimally invasive surgery or the traditional open surgery. And if you can’t oﬀer both, then you can’t know when one is a better option than the other.”

Some of these procedures include comprehensive, minimally invasive management of an aneurysm of the chest and abdomen, and carotid stenting to avoid surgery in the neck for patients who may have blockages that could cause a stroke. Savannah Vascular also has a state-of-the-art freestanding facility offering patients efficient and costeffective angioplasties for blockages in the legs and other parts of the body, not to mention its stroke program where interventional radiologists work on-call for the community.

It’s this collaborative culture between vascular surgeons and interventional radiologists that makes Savannah

Vascular successful and unique. “It’s not a competitive environment.” Dr. Avino says. “We’re all incredibly good about collaborating to ﬁnd the right person who is the best physician to treat a patient,” which, he adds, “is pretty unique in medicine.”

It’s also how the practice can provide the highest quality of care to its patients. “If you don’t have a bunch of colleagues and combined expertise, then you’re not oﬀering them optimal care because vascular medicine is a complicated specialty,” Dr. Avino explains, “and it’s frequently changing and improving with minimally invasive procedures.”

GROWING STRATEGICALLY

In its 30 years of service, the practice has strategically grown into eight locations across the Southeast with over a dozen physicians including recently added board-certiﬁed vascular surgeons: Dr. Taylor Ellison, Dr. Justin Brown and Dr. Davis Moon.

Dr. E. Jerry Cohn Jr., likens the practice’s strategic growth to a wagon wheel. The Savannah location is the central hub for Chatham County and others nearby, from which the spokes radiate to the other oﬃces serving smaller cities like Dublin and Brunswick and rural communities such as Vidalia and Jesup.

“We understand that rural Georgia has a high incidence of complicated vascular disease and relatively poor access to care,” Dr. Cohn says. “Because of our size and volume, we are able to establish local clinics in adjacent counties and oﬀer stateof-the-art care to most of South Georgia and the South Carolina Lowcountry.”

This is particularly important for patients who would otherwise have to travel great distances for specialized care. “It’s helpful that they do not have to go to Atlanta or Florida or even farther for very challenging procedures because we are able to accommodate most high acuity vascular problems,” he says.

As Dr. Cohn reﬂects over the past 30 years, he is proud of the practice’s strategic growth that has remained patient-focused. “We’re celebrating with our staﬀ and patients, but really looking forward to the next 30 and what challenges are ahead,” he says.

Dr. Avino echoes this forwardthinking approach to growth. “Our goal is to continue to provide the equivalent of what’s oﬀered in major academic institutions, combining the breadth of everyone’s experience and training at major medical centers around the country.”

SAVANNAH VASCULAR: 4750 WATERS AVE., SUITE 500 SAVANNAH 912.352.VEIN (8346) SAVANNAHVASCULAR.COM

Dr. Anthony Sussman established Savannah Vascular Institute in 1994.

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Cliff McCurry Sr. Margaret Beatty, R.S.M.

Kaitlynne Haylock Writer

THE LEUKEMIA & LYMPHOMA SOCIETY congratulates this year’s Visionaries of the Year and the entire class of candidates who competed. Their e orts and commitment have made an impact in the search for cures and e ective blood cancer therapies. For more information or to nominate a candidate for 2025, please visit llsvisionaries.org.

Keeping Children Safe Online

Written by ANDREA GOTO

IF, LIKE ME, you need your child to show you how to change the wallpaper on your smartphone or, worse yet, you don’t even know what wallpaper is, then how are we to expect parents to navigate the cumbersome world of limiting the online content our children are exposed to?

“It’s very diﬃcult, as a parent, to know if your child is really viewing only age-appropriate material,” says Dr. Ben Spitalnick of Pediatric Associates of Savannah. “There are ways to limit, through parental controls, but it really is complicated.”

This is why Spitalnick and other pediatricians across the country have come together to support a bipartisan bill called the Kids Online Safety Act. The bill aims to hold the major players — social media companies, streaming services and online inﬂuencers — accountable for putting better safeguards in place to limit what kind of content minors have access to.

Think of it like the rating system adopted in the mid-1980s to alert parents to the kinds of content their children may be exposed to while viewing a movie. Back then, minors couldn’t even get into an R-rated ﬁlm, that is, unless accompanied by an adult. The Kids Online Safety Act is similar; the default is to initially have guardrails in place, but if parents want to give their children access to what is deemed age-inappropriate content,

like the gloriﬁcation of drugs, alcohol or violent and graphic content, they just opt-in, which is a lot easier than trying to ﬁgure out how to opt-out.

Spitalnick explains that the Kids Online Safety Act isn’t just about giving parents more control over the online content their children are exposed to, it’s about advocating for the overall mental health of our children and teens.

“The more hours per day that kids spend viewing online, age-inappropriate content, the more it changes their view of the world and the more it increases anxiety, depression and separation from friends and withdrawal from activities,” he says. “It really changes a young, developing mind.”

Perhaps not surprisingly, those opposing the bill are online advertisers, content creators and inﬂuencers — those whose livelihood depends on the number of people seeing their programming — claiming that it’s a form of censorship.

“In some ways, it kind of is, but that’s the whole point,” says Spitalnick. “We need to ask ourselves as parents and as a society, is censorship to be avoided at all costs, or is making sure that the most vulnerable — that our children and teens — are being protected in ways that we were protected as children?” He argues that the Kids Online Safety Act will put parents — not the techsavvy children or online content creators — back in the driver’s seat in a virtual world that is often very diﬃcult to navigate.

St. Joseph’s/Candler is expanding with a 7-acre campus at the expansive Heartwood community rising in Richmond Hill. Located at 3866 Belfast Keller Road, the first building spans 15,000 square feet and brings together urgent, primary and specialty care, labs and the St. Joseph’s/Candler Bē Health & Well-Being programs — altogether representing a $15 million investment. Future phases, including additional buildings and services, are being planned as Bryan County continues to rapidly grow. … After six years of serving the Savannah area through neurologically-based chiropractic medicine, Dr. Ben Stabbe opened Driftwood Chiropractic (107 Charlotte Road, Suite D) on Whitemarsh Island. The practice provides services for the whole family, including prenatal, athlete and pediatric. … Savannah Vascular Institute (4750 Waters Ave.) celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. Helmed by Dr. Anthony Sussman — the region’s first fellowship-trained vascular surgeon, the physician-owned practice began caring for patients in July 1994. … Plastic surgeon Dr. Matthew McLeod launched his own practice, Seaport Plastic Surgery (2280 E. Victory Drive, Suite C), with a specialty in migraine surgery. The menu also includes non-surgical treatments, including Botox and neuromodulators, Juvéderm and fillers, radiofrequency microneedling and skin resurfacing. … Building upon its established practices in Savannah and on Wilmington Island, The Speech Clinic of the Coastal Empire has added a third location in Pooler (138 Canal Street, Suite 204). … Nearby, Bridge Hospice is a locally-owned option for families in need of end-of-life comfort and support also in Pooler (119 Canal Street, Suite 103). … Also joining the Pooler community is PedsNow, a pediatric urgent care (2321 Pooler Parkway, Suite 103). … Refine Medical Aesthetics has rebranded. Now known as Altera Aesthetix, the boutique med spa still delivers the same high-quality, aesthetic procedures across its three locations in Savannah, Statesboro and Richmond Hill. … Paris Laundry (220 Whitaker St.) has a new resident skin magician: master international esthetician Irini Sevdalis of Try Facials by Irini With a focus on holistic wellness, her signature Celestial Facial promises a restorative treatment of botanicals and nutrients, combined with a blend of advanced face massage, ayurvedic modalities and lymphatic drainage to clear cellular debris while encouraging radiance, nourishment and energy flow. … SouthCoast Health recently launched robot-assisted eTEP ventral hernia repairs. Using this modern technology, Dr. Jeffrey Mandel has already performed more than 50 repairs since 2022. Rosenfeld Neurology and Sleep has moved one door over — allowing more spaces for patient care and a new sleep lab (7001 Hodgson Memorial Drive, Suite 1). … CenExel iResearch opened a new, 9,000-square-foot facility in late 2023 (6349 Abercorn St.). Under the guidance of Medical Director Kimball Johnson, M.D., CenExel iResearch is continuing the study of innovative medicines, treatment opportunities and increasing access to care for underserved populations. PRESENTED BY INSTITUTE FOR PERSONALIZED MEDICINE

Elevate Your Health Care Experience with Concierge Functional Medicine

IMAGINE A HEALTH CARE EXPERIENCE where you are truly heard, and your health is managed proactively. Dr. Mary Kay Ross and the Institute for Personalized Medicine’s Functional Medicine Concierge Primary Care Practice oﬀers an unparalleled level of attention and detail to your health care. As a member, you will receive:

Extended, unhurried appointments

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Comprehensive, personalized health plans

Advanced diagnostic testing

We believe in building lasting relationships with our patients. Our concierge service ensures you receive the highest quality care, tailored to your speciﬁc needs, and we are always available when you need us. This is truly patientcentered care where you are the star.

TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR HEALTH JOURNEY BY JOINING OUR CONCIERGE PRACTICE TODAY. CONTACT US TO LEARN MORE ABOUT MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS.

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Dr. Mary Kay Ross consults with a patient.

THRIVE ON!

Redefining Senior Living on Skidaway Island

NESTLED ON SKIDAWAY ISLAND , you’ll ﬁnd

Thrive on Skidaway, a senior living community that redeﬁnes the concept of older adult living. With a coastal-inspired design and a resort-like feel, Thrive on Skidaway exudes elegance and contemporary luxury. It is unsurpassably warm and inviting — creating the perfect place to call home for so many wonderful Savannah seniors. Not only is the community breathtaking to admire, but its approach to care is also what sets it apart.

Thrive focuses on a core philosophy of creating meaningful relationships with its residents. The team takes the time to truly know each individual, including their personal history, family connections and career background. Delving even deeper, the Thrive team learns about their residents’ preferences, such as their morning

routines, favorite foods and what brings them joy. By forging these meaningful relationships, it leads to an even deeper level of care.

For assisted living and memory care residents, the community provides around-the-clock nursing oversight and personalized care plans that are consistently reviewed and updated. This unwavering commitment ensures that residents receive optimal care, enabling them to live life to the fullest.

To encourage socialization, engagement and purposeful living for all its residents, the community oﬀers a wide range of incredible programs. Residents can participate in gardening, ﬁtness classes, pet therapy, art classes, outings to local attractions, walking clubs, church services, happy hours and so much more.

There’s also an abundance of amenities, including pickleball, bocce ball, a salon and barbershop, billiards, Convivium Coﬀee Co., an athletic center as well as on-site physical, speech and occupational therapy. And the cuisine is topnotch, featuring locally sourced, nutrient-rich and seasonally inspired dishes.

Thrive on Skidaway provides independent living, assisted living and memory care options, all with bright and modern private apartments. To learn more, stop by or call to schedule a tour.

‘‘Our philosophy centers around creating a truly exceptional life for our residents — one imbued with purpose and meaning. What truly warms my heart is the delightful sound of laughter echoing through the community as our residents wholeheartedly embrace the joy of each day. Witnessing their happiness is what truly makes our community wonderful.”

— Kaylynn Evans, community president

From left, Carol Elkins, Hailey Vernon, Brittany Marshall, Kevin Bohler, Gretchen Speestra, Kaylynn Evans, Michael Patrick, Biz Austin and Terrie Matthews

Photo courtesy of THRIVE ON SKIDAWAY

Photo by KATIE MCGEE

All Dried Up

A new, noninvasive treatment puts an end to profuse sweating

Written by ANDREA GOTO

AS ALL SOUTHERNERS KNOW, sweltering summers lead to excessive sweating. And not the dainty dabbing-ofthe-temples-with-a-hanky kind of sweating; we’re talking ugly sweating, where rivers run from the top of your head, meet up with other tributaries on the way down, and pool inside your shoes.

But now imagine that kind of sweating regardless of the season or the A/C setting. It’s a medical condition called hyperhidrosis, and it aﬀects millions of people around the world. Those who have it can break into a sweat anytime, anywhere and produce four to ﬁve times more sweat than the average person.

“Excessive sweat can have devastating effects on a person’s emotional health and confidence,” says Dr. Claudia Gaughf of Gaughf Dermatology . “It is known to cause stress in professional lives, selfconsciousness in relationships and social settings, and embarrassment with the constant fight against sweat stains on clothing.”

While there is a surgery to treat hyperhidrosis, Gaughf is excited about a new, nonsurgical procedure that can permanently eliminate those sweat glands causing the trouble.

The noninvasive treatment is called miraDry, and the application is pretty straightforward and painless. After administering local anesthesia, the doctor uses a specialized handpiece to deliver thermal energy to the oﬀending glands, destroying them. According to Gaughf, patients can expect an 80 to 90% reduction in axillary sweat with just two miraDry treatments.

She points out an added bonus: the thermal energy also eliminates odor glands and hair follicles in the treated areas. No unwanted hair, odor or sweat? No problem.

PRESENTED BY INSTITUTE FOR PERSONALIZED MEDICINE

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At Institute for Personalized Medicine, we combine the latest scientiﬁc research with natural therapies to create personalized treatment plans tailored to your unique needs. Whether you’re dealing with persistent fatigue, digestive issues or hormonal imbalances, we are here to help you achieve optimal health.

DISCOVER THE DIFFERENCE FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE CAN MAKE IN YOUR LIFE. SCHEDULE YOUR CONSULTATION TODAY!

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DR. MARY KAY ROSS

DENTISTS ON ICE

Meet the team of dentists at the Ghost Pirates’ beck and call — ready to suture gums and reconstruct teeth — one body check at a time

Written by ZACHARY HAYES

AS THE ZAMBONI CREEPS through its final lap and the players take to the ice, the crowd at Enmarket Arena erupts into an electric sea of black, white and neon green as the Savannah Ghost Pirates prepare to plunder their unlucky foes in the rink. Amid the chaos, several figures in the crowd watch intently, scrutinizing every blow and high stick as they wait for the inevitable incisor to go skittering across the ice. This is the Ghost Pirates’ dental team, a collection of some of Savannah’s finest dental minds that have joined forces to tackle even the toughest cases of tooth trauma. With the high intensity and physical brutality of your typical hockey game, nearly all professional teams enlist the help of a team dentist to treat players on and off the ice, but the Ghost Pirates have taken things a step further, building out a comprehensive roster of practitioners from a range of specialities to meet all of the team’s dental needs, no matter how grisly.

IN NOVEMBER OF 2023, Ghost Pirates forward Alex Gilmour listened to the gentle whir of the reclining examination chair as Dr. Steven Berwitz came in close to inspect the damage. The day before, Gilmour had been gliding along the ice of Orlando’s Kia Center in a game against the Solar Bears when he took a puck to the face. A dentist for the Solar Bears checked him out and cleared him for play, but Gilmour felt something was oﬀ.

When the team arrived back in Savannah the next day, he went to see Berwitz, the team dentist for the Ghost Pirates, for a second opinion — his diagnosis: jaw fracture. Gilmour would be benched for eight weeks, his jaw wired shut as the team’s resources worked tirelessly to keep him ﬁt and fed. This was not his ﬁrst run-in with Berwitz that season, nor would it be his last, but with the experience and expertise of the Ghost Pirates’ dental team behind them, Gilmour and his teammates rest assured knowing that whenever dental disasters strike, they’ll be back on the ice in no time with a full set of pearly whites.

Dental teams in hockey are on the front lines of some of the most gruesome injuries in sports, parsing through gum lacerations and gap-toothed grins with care and speed as the players itch to return to the ice. Since joining the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) in the 2022-2023 season, the dental team for the Savannah Ghost Pirates has been led by Berwitz, who personally enlisted the help of an elite squad of dental professionals for the job. A long-time hockey fan, Berwitz jumped at the opportunity when he heard that Savannah would be getting a professional hockey team of its own.

“When I was in school, I always joked around, ‘It would be so nice to be the team dentist for the New Jersey Devils,’” says Berwitz. “And then we moved to Savannah, and I didn’t expect a hockey team would ever show up here. But then, all of a sudden, news of the hockey team came, and being somebody in town to deal with a lot of dental trauma, I said, ‘Oh, this would be a great opportunity.’”

Berwitz is the main point person for the dental team, meaning he works with the Ghost Pirates through just about every game and every issue, from mouthguard fabrications to trauma treatment. During games, he sits in the stands just opposite the bench, giving him a perfect view when trainer Dillon Campbell gives him the signal.

“Dillon looks up to me and just kind of points to me, and I know that I need to head down to the locker room to suture somebody or take care of a dental injury,” says Berwitz. “You just never know what you’re going to get. But the players are really appreciative. Their main thing is they want to get back out on the ice as fast as they can.”

When he is called down to assist, Berwitz meets the injured players in the trainer’s room, where he has put together a comprehensive dental kit, allowing him to work on the majority of injuries right there in the arena.

“It’s basically a tackle box ﬁlled with anything I can use,” he says. “Stuﬀ to splint teeth if they’ve come out, local anesthetic,

cements — just a whole host of dental supplies.”

Over the past two seasons, the Ghost Pirates have sustained a number of injuries during play, including mouth lacerations, displaced teeth and two jaw fractures — one each season — but when it comes to treating the players, the dental team must take into consideration much more than just the physical injuries.

“When your jaw is gonna be wired shut, you can’t skate, and we have to maintain your nutrition so that when the eight weeks pass, we can get you back on the ice,” Berwitz says in regard to treating Gilmour this last season. “Helping them not only through the dental aspect but also the psychological aspect is always a tricky situation.”

Managing the stress of being benched for eight weeks with a mouth full of metal is taxing enough, but this is not the only stressor players encounter when they’re referred to the dental team for treatment. As Berwitz will tell you, a trip to the dentist is an experience that can strike fear into the hearts of even the toughest players on the ice.

“It’s amusing at times because these guys are so tough, and you watch them draw gloves and ﬁght often,” he says. “But the minute they’re in a dental oﬃce, it’s another story. The nice thing is that I get to know them really well, and I get to gain their trust. We develop a good rapport, and they become very comfortable. And at the end of the day, it always comes down to a bad experience they had once upon a time, just like everybody else.”

Of course, there are limitations to the kinds of medical care that can be done in the arena on the ﬂy, so Berwitz often works with players directly in his Savannah-based dental practice as well. And in cases where more specialized care is warranted, Berwitz has enlisted the help of Chatham Oral Surgery, who has assisted in both of the jaw fracture cases, as well as the providers at Broderick, Dusek,

COURTESY

Alex Gilmour

and DeLeon Orthodontics and Savannah Endodontic Associates, who are on standby to help with displaced teeth and root canals as needed.

“It’s a really top-notch group of folks,” says Dr. Rebecca Aspinwall of Savannah Endodontic Associates. “Savannah is a small dental world, but because of the way Dr. Berwitz has shaped the team, we can help with whatever happens to the guys.”

While Berwitz and the rest of the dental team have worked tirelessly to keep the Ghost Pirates on the ice and smiling bright, full smiles, they also say that the opportunity to work together as a group of medical professionals has been a unique experience that they’ve come to cherish.

“Dentistry is a very solitary profession,” says Berwitz. “You’re working by yourself a lot of times, so it’s nice to work in an environment where you have a team. I get to work with a bunch of doctors from Optim Orthopedics; I get to work with the trainers for the team; I get to work with the chiropractor for the team. And so there’s this nice little medical community that the Ghost Pirates have. And it’s just an amazing feeling to be part of that.”

After eight weeks of a clamped jaw, liquid meals, and — toward the end — very careful no-contact training, Alex Gilmour was ﬁnally back on the ice and ready to see some action. He played it safe, wearing a full facial cage during games to protect his jaw from further injury, and with it, he managed to avoid another serious encounter with the dental team for some time. But just two months after his jaw had fully healed, Gilmour took a hard check into the boards, fracturing an upper tooth and sending him right back to the dentist’s chair for some serious reconstruction. Despite his repeated injuries, Gilmour remains ever grateful for the time he has spent working with Berwitz, a feeling he attributes to the doctor’s endless patience and positivity.

“In a hockey season full of surprise dental visits, Dr. Berwitz always made himself available when I needed it most,” says Gilmour. “Whether it was a simple cleaning, tooth reconstruction, or root canal, Dr. Berwitz was quick to aid in every situation, and his positive attitude and outgoing personality really made going to the dentist an enjoyable experience. Dr. Berwitz truly is the best around.”

Alex Gilmour

REVOLUTIONARY IMPACT OF EGYM

Personalized fitness system increasing strength, energy across region

THE YMCA OF COASTAL GEORGIA has always been a cornerstone of community wellness, but the introduction of EGYM across its branches has marked a significant leap in fitness innovation, particularly benefiting senior members and those who may not be comfortable with a traditional gym atmosphere. With seven of 11 branches now offering EGYM — Richmond Hill, Habersham, West Chatham, Islands, Effingham, Liberty and the soon-to-open Guyton branch — this state-of-the-art fitness program is transforming lives and making a profound impact on the community’s health and well-being.

EGYM is a smart, personalized fitness system designed to accommodate all fitness levels. The equipment automatically adjusts to each user’s specifications, providing a customized workout plan that adapts as they progress. This means that no matter where someone starts on their fitness journey, EGYM meets them where they are and helps them achieve their goals efficiently and safely.

Many seniors have found that staying active is crucial for maintaining health, and EGYM makes it easy and enjoyable. By using EGYM, they have regained strength and signiﬁcantly reduced their biological age. This innovative ﬁtness system has provided them with the opportunity to maintain their independence and improve their quality of life.

“EGYM has strengthened my muscles, and it’s like working with my own physical therapist,” says senior member Carmen Young. “My bio-age is 56 years old, but I’m actually 84. I work out with EGYM four or ﬁve times per week.”

Similarly, members who were initially reluctant to go to the gym have found EGYM to be highly intuitive and userfriendly. The personalized nature of the workouts makes each session feel tailormade, leading to noticeable improvements in strength and energy levels while making the gym experience more enjoyable and less intimidating.

Being the ﬁrst to premiere EGYM in Georgia and the region, the YMCA’s expansion of the circuit to seven branches is a strategic move that underscores its commitment to inclusive and progressive ﬁtness solutions.

This technology is revolutionizing fitness in the community by offering an easy-touse, adaptable system that is changing lives, says Mary Arocha, Senior Vice President of Healthy Living and Corporate Wellness. EGYM empowers members to take control of their fitness journeys in a way that has never been possible before, resulting in increased confidence and vitality.

Whether aiming to maintain independence and strength or just starting a ﬁtness journey, EGYM has proven to be a beacon of health and wellness in the area. This revolutionary approach to ﬁtness is not only a technological advancement, but it’s also a commitment to enhancing lives and building a stronger, healthier community for all.

OUR PROVIDERS

William L. Mansour, M.D. • Branden S. Hunter, M.D. • Gregory D. Borak, M.D. • Travis F. Wiggins, M.D.

Ansley S. Tharpe, M.D. • Isaac E. Perry, D.O. • Jordan T. Houston, PA-C • Samantha H. Hess, PA-C Kristen Rosales-Vasquez, PA-C • Sara L. Barrett, PA-C • Mirada G. Christensen, PA-C

WE’RE ALWAYS HEAR FOR YOU

Meet the Experts at Georgia Ear Nose & Throat. The fellowship-trained, board-certified and highly-respected physicians at Georgia Ear, Nose & Throat Specialists always strive to make the most complex of treatments easily understood – even to the youngest of patients.

Michael Poole, MD

Dr. Poole is a Pediatric Otolaryngologist and the only ENT physician in the U.S with a doctorate in microbiology. He is considered his specialty’s top expert in antibiotic treatment of ENT infections and has authored or coauthored several national and international guidelines concerning treatment of sinus and ear infections.

Stephanie Ambrose, MD

Dr. Stephanie Ambrose is a highly trained expert, board certified in Complex Pediatric Otolaryngology. She provides expertise in cleft and lip palate corrective surgery and other complicated ENT conditions including pediatric tumors and airway reconstruction, as well as more common ENT issues such as tubes, tonsils and adenoids.

Tyler DeBlieux, MD

Dr. Tyler DeBlieux specializes in disorders of the ear, nose and throat. He has special interests in sleep surgery, thyroid and parotid surgery, and sinus surgery.

Robert Logan, MD

The first Otolaryngology resident in the Emory University / Grady Memorial Hospital program, Dr. Logan also brought the first Otolaryngology laser to Savannah for surgical use. He specializes in ear pain, hearing loss, dizziness and Hearing Aids.

Dr. Michael Poole

Dr. Stephanie Ambrose

Dr. Tyler DeBlieux

Dr. Robert Logan

An “A” for Empathy

As youth suicide rates rise across the nation, local school initiatives aim to bring the painful issue out of the dark

Written by ZACHARY HAYES

AS ANY PARENT would tell you, schools play a vital role not only in the day-to-day lives of our children but in preparing them for any number of issues life might throw their way. But now, a massive — and growing — burden is being placed on these institutions to care for children and families in crisis, particularly those dealing with the eﬀects of our nation’s rising youth suicide rate. According to the most recent data from the Georgia Department of Public Health, Chatham County alone experienced the loss of seven kids and young adults between the ages of 10 and 24 to suicide in 2022, up from a single case just two decades prior in 2002. This tragic trend has child psychologists and education experts begging for schools to introduce newer, evidence-based solutions to prevent suicidal ideation before it takes root, and thankfully, Savannah-Chatham County schools have taken this challenge to heart.

OPEN AND HONEST

Across the country, suicide rates have steadily increased over the last couple decades to borderline epidemic levels. While this unfortunate reality has plagued people of all walks and ages, it has been particularly insidious in children and young adults, with suicide becoming the second-most common cause of death between the ages of 10 and 24, following accidents, according to the CDC. This age group saw 7,126 deaths

to suicide in 2021 alone, a more than 50% increase since 2000 with few indicators suggesting a turnaround anytime soon. But while the reasons behind this increase remain largely speculative at this time, many schools are working to put eﬀective preventative strategies in place to address suicidal ideation.

“When we think about what’s going to have the biggest impact, we have to start taking things out of the dark and exposing them to the light,” says Dr. Kristi Hofstadter-Duke, pediatric psychologist and director of Savannah Behavioral Pediatrics. “The more we hide something and don’t talk about it, the more likely it is that children are going to just ﬁnd misinformation and come up with their own ideas that may be really detrimental. Even just opening the door to diﬃcult conversations sets the stage for the type of relationship where a child is going to come and share with you what’s going on with them.”

Those kinds of open relationships with responsible adults are crucial in preventing suicidal ideation in children and young adults as they create a clear line of communication to someone who can then get them or their peers the help they need in times of crisis. HofstadterDuke also places emphasis on the importance of giving kids a game plan for getting help that they can use should such a situation arise.

“I actually had a conversation with my own children about suicide,

Savannah Health

probably just two months ago,” says Hofstadter-Duke. “I said, ‘Listen, people who die by suicide are in a lot of emotional pain. And so if you ever find yourself in pain, if you feel really sad, if you feel like something is really difficult, the first step is always to reach out to a trusted adult.’” She explains that when people are dealing with the heavy mental burdens that often lead to suicidal ideation, having a clear plan of action can be a pivotal guiding light in the darkness.

Of course, the nature of these kinds of conversations can look very diﬀerent depending on the age of the child, but clarity is crucial across the board. “At a younger developmental level, we probably want to give a little less speciﬁc information, but be very concrete in our language,” says Hofstadter-Duke. For example, she says using clear language like “someone died” or “death” are almost always preferable to abstract phrases like “they went to a better place,” as these can be confusing for younger children. As kids reach school age and older, though, they typically begin to have a greater understanding of death and are capable of more in-depth discussions.

“You can give a little more information at that point,” says Hofstadter-Duke. “But try to keep it so that you’re saying things that are factual and being very open and nonjudgmental so that they’re free to tell you how they’re feeling. That will open the door for any additional conversations down the road that need to happen.”

A NEW SCHOOL OF THOUGHT

These preventative steps — fostering trusting relationships and forming a concrete plan — form the basis of the SavannahChatham County Public School System’s (SCCPSS) latest initiatives to tackle suicidal ideation in the district. In addition to some of the more traditional programs, such as connecting students and families in crisis with local mental health resources and deploying a crisis team when suicide strikes in the community, SCCPSS has tested two new pilot programs: Positive Peer Inﬂuencer and Handle With Care.

The Positive Peer Inﬂuencer program,

a collaboration between SCCPSS, The Mediation Center of the Coastal Empire and the Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team, trains local high school students to serve as mentors for their younger peers in middle school, and while the program’s focus lies mainly in reducing potential drug use, the relationships built between these students have far-reaching beneﬁts. And SCCPSS’s work with The Mediation Center doesn’t end there.

“We are educating our teachers, our sta , our administrators, social workers and guidance counselors to be trauma-informed so that, when we do encounter a student, we will know how to appropriately address their issue.”

— DR. QUENTINA MILLER-FIELDS, DIRECTOR OF SCCPSS STUDENT AFFAIRS

“We are bringing a lot of traumainformed practices to our school district,” says Dr. Quentina Miller-Fields, director of student aﬀairs for SCCPSS. “We are educating our teachers, our staﬀ, our administrators, social workers and guidance counselors to be traumainformed so that, when we do encounter a student, we will know how to appropriately address their issue.”

From there, Handle With Care, a collaboration with the Savannah Police Department, takes that trauma-responsive perspective to another level. Through this program, when a police oﬃcer encounters

a child involved with a scene or incident to which they respond, they notify the school district of that student’s involvement through an app, allowing schools to provide the student with the additional support they may need much more eﬃciently.

“If little Johnny is acting out of character, prior to Handle with Care, it could have ended up with a suspension or write-up, because the teachers and the principals don’t know what’s going on,” says Miller-Fields. “But now, we know that something has happened. They’ve experienced some kind of traumatic event. Therefore, we’re going to be suited to handle that, and we’re going to try to provide support.”

COUNSELOR COMMUNITIES

While these programs were originally available in only a few select schools and cities in the county, administrators say that they are planning to expand them further in the coming months and years given the overwhelming community support and success they’ve seen so far. And while these new initiatives are beginning to ﬂourish in the county’s public schools, an exciting development out of St. Andrew’s School is hoping to address this issue even further by bridging the gap between counselors in the area’s public and private schools.

Spearheaded by counselors David Nash and Elizabeth Bush, St. Andrew’s hosted the inaugural run of the Low Country School Counselor Conference earlier this year, bringing together 30 counselors from both public and private schools to meet and discuss the unique challenges of their work with peers with whom they may not have otherwise had the opportunity to connect with. Topics ranged from developing strategies for conversations with parents around social media usage to the importance of building character and relationships in developing and sustaining a positive culture.

“Our kids are connected,” says Anne Weisel, the lower school head at St. Andrew’s and former program manager for school counseling in SCCPSS. “Even if we don’t know the counselor over at that other high

“I actually had a conversation with my own children about suicide, probably just two months ago. I said, ‘Listen, people who die by suicide are in a lot of emotional pain. And so if you ever ﬁnd yourself in pain, if you feel really sad, if you feel like something is really di cult, the ﬁrst step is always to reach out to a trusted adult.’”

— DR. KRISTI HOFSTADTER-DUKE, PEDIATRIC PSYCHOLOGIST AND DIRECTOR OF SAVANNAH BEHAVIORAL PEDIATRICS

school or at that other middle school, our kids all know each other, and our kids are spending time together. We’re breaking down those barriers, and building connections and relationships, which uniquely support the students that they’re going to serve.”

The conference, to be held annually in the region, was both a rousing success and an opportunity to reﬂect on the progress being made to address the needs of students, even during their darkest moments — an opportunity that Weisel ﬁnds particularly inspiring.

“I have a hard time putting into words how good, positive, overwhelming, joyful I felt standing in the room with those 30-plus counselors,” she says. “The energy in that group of people, the professionalism in the room, but also the passion that those folks have for helping kids — I feel so good knowing who’s at the table.”

CHANGE ON THE HORIZON

It’s moments like this that demonstrate just how much power and positive change a community can generate when they come together to acknowledge and address an issue, especially one that — like suicide — we might otherwise want

to sweep under the rug because it can be so hard to make sense of. As any of these educators and practitioners will tell you, there is still much work to be done to curb the rise in youth suicide, but the fact that local schools are engaging in these conversations, creating these communities and implementing these new strategies within their walls suggests a turn of the tides, one that Chatham County schools are striving toward with empathy and a welcoming embrace.

Even so, Hofstadter-Duke, who spoke at the inaugural counselor conference, acknowledges it’s important to recognize that, despite best eﬀorts, conversations and programs put in place, tragedy can still strike. If it does, she reiterates that the best path forward lies in clear, honest communication.

“These are really diﬃcult emotions that, for the most part, most people try not to talk about too much, which is just a normal human tendency,” she says. “But if I have an open line of communication with my child, and I am going to listen to what they say in a nonjudgmental way, I’m more likely to hear what’s going on. And that gives me more power in terms of what I can do.”

Positive Progress

In its efforts to combat loneliness and isolation, St. Andrew’s School ushered in a new paradigm in the fall of 2022 with the help of The Positivity Project, a national non roﬁt organi ation dedi ated to t e power of building positive relationships.

This project, cofounded in 2015 by Army veterans Mike Erwin and Jeff Bryan, provides resources, lesson plans and training to over 800 schools across the nation, giving them the tools they need to help students build stronger, healthier bonds while growing as individuals. And now, Savannah residents an ﬁnd e ositivity ro e t at a nu ber of local schools — including the Upper and Lower schools at St. Andrew’s, Susie King Taylor Community School and Tharros Place — with hopes to expand further into the county in the coming years.

Through thoughtful and consistent 15-minute daily lessons, students are exposed to positive psychology’s 24 character strengths — traits like perseverance, open-mindedness and humility — through hands-on activities, stories and video clips, providing students and educators with a powerful common language.

“The Positivity Project is an upstream a roa to ﬁg ting t e loneliness epidemic,” says Bryan, a Savannah resident and speaker at this year’s inaugural Low Country School Counselors Conference. “We want students to be able to identify, appreciate and articulate the strengths in themselves and other people, and then build positive character-based relationships through their understanding.”

According to David Nash, a counselor at St. Andrew’s, the results speak for themselves.

“The kids have taken the ball and are running with it,” he says. After a lesson on the appreciation of beauty in the world, two ﬁrst grade students reated an environ ental club, enlisting a team of young scholars to help clean up the playground for their peers. A lesson on spreading humor in the face of negativity inspired the students to create a joke book for the families at the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Coastal Empire, and, in one particularly heartwarming moment, Nash recalls a second-grader who came to the aid of one of his peers, consoling him when he noticed the boy crying and struggling over his math work. This, of course, came after a lesson on true friendship and the power of just being there for someone in times of need.

“We have seen countless examples where the kindness of just one person can make all the difference in the world,” Nash says.

The Whole Picture of Health

Overcoming obstacles helped Cale Robert Hall create a healthy life dedicated to helping others

Written by MEAGAN PUSSER

MOST OF THE WORLD is fast asleep at 3 a.m., but Cale Robert Hall is wholly zeroed in at the gym. While his body is hard at work, his mind keeps pace. He’s likely walking through a to-do list for Club One, Savannah’s infamous downtown bar and cabaret, and meditating on the importance of creating safe spaces through his work as a chaplain — as curious as that pairing may sound. The world is dark this early in the morning, but Hall is bright-eyed, ready for another day of putting his whole body, mind and soul into helping others.

Hall views his wellness through a holistic lens, addressing not just physical health but physical, mental and spiritual health — mostly because he knows the chaos of imbalanced health all too well. In January 2010, an AIDS diagnosis and Kaposi sarcoma, a type of skin cancer, could’ve easily spelled the end for Hall. But his doctor was quick to remind him that this particular type of cancer wasn’t the death sentence other types were. He could still win this battle. But Hall didn’t just want to win; he says his ﬁnal choice added up to one thought: “I think I’m gonna do it all over.”

His businesses were the ﬁrst piece of his life to see the eﬀects of this epic do-over. Seeing how many Savannah College of Art and Design students found respite in his print shop, Creative Approach on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Hall expanded his business to Atlanta to create a new safe space for others (and perhaps himself).

Of course, he also had a little fun exploring the city, including a meditation class at Emory University. Feeling more curious about world religions than ever, he applied for seminary on a whim — and was accepted. He began his journey to chaplaincy in 2017.

When he was diagnosed with Castleman’s disease, a rare disorder that causes abnormal cell growth in the lymph nodes, Hall returned to Savannah to be closer to the Mayo Clinic’s Jacksonville, Florida, campus, where he received treatment. The move also left him with fewer resources to complete the two credits standing between him and his chaplaincy. But, once again, Hall turned a less-than-ideal situation into a fresh opportunity. A Methodist church in town oﬀered one of the classes he needed, so he jumped at the chance to continue his chaplaincy.

There was one more battle Hall still needed to address: addiction. As part of the nightclub board at Club One since 1989, he learned a lot about business — and about drinking to excess. His return to

Savannah reunited him with some old ghosts, and he soon found himself drifting back toward alcohol to cope. He says this resulted in two charges for drunken driving and, thankfully, a closer look at this neglected part of his health.

“A lot of people look for a pill ﬁx — or with me, the Jameson bottle ﬁx — and it’s more than that. It’s more than just going to church; it’s more than just going to a meeting to talk to others about your addictions. It’s about putting it all together,” Hall says.

Seeing how well his holistic approach worked for other parts of his life, Hall decided to bring this same frame of mind to his sobriety. On March 18, 2023, Hall attended his ﬁrst recovery meeting, and in addition to starting to advocate for his own health and wellbeing, he began to help others as well, advocating for the LGTBQ+ community, supporting local artists at Creative Approach and supporting others in their spirituality. This August, he’ll return to Lewis Cancer & Research Pavilion at St. Joseph’s/Candler, this time as a chaplain helping people ﬁght some of the same battles he did.

Hall says he prefers the early morning workout for the quietude and solitude, which centers him before the sun peeks over the horizon. With a clear mind, able body and loving spirit, there’s no limit to how many lives he can change. “I’ve been blessed on this earth by so many things; I think that it’s only right for me to give back, you know, and it seems to be meaningful to folks,” he says.

RICHARD BURKHART // SAVANNAH MORNING NEWS

Yes, Tonight, Sweetheart

Hormone therapy helps recharge menopause-induced low libido

Written by KAITLYNNE HAYLOCK

LIBIDO IS OFTEN A COMPLEX and sometimes frustrating thing for a woman to navigate throughout her life. Stress, nutrition, exercise and sleep habits can all be factors affecting a woman’s sex drive, but throw menopause into the mix, and it may feel as if women simply have to learn to live without it. Spoiler alert: They don’t have to. Hormone therapy offers women an effective treatment option.

Approaching your doctor about menopause-induced low libido can feel daunting and maybe a little embarrassing but it isn’t something to shy away from, especially considering how prevalent it is. One study by The Harper Clinic, a London-based menopausal clinic, found that 50% of women between the ages of 25 and 40 will experience a decline in their testosterone levels — an essential hormone linked to sexual desire.

“Testosterone in women is produced at a very low level,” shares Dr. Carmela Pettigrew, medical director of Coast Care Primary Partners. “So when menopause begins, and hormones begin to ﬂuctuate, it causes a lot of problems, not just with libido.”

Though more dominant in men, testosterone helps women not only maintain their sex drive but also regulate their moods and energy levels. This is why, when going through menopause, some women have reported feeling increased mood swings.

But there is help. There are two FDA-approved medications such as Addyi (ﬂibanserin tablets) and Vyleesi (bremelanotide injection), but according to Dr. Pam Gaudry, OB/GYN at The Georgia Center for Menopausal Medicine, these treatments may not be as eﬀective as testosterone treatment.

“Nothing about women’s sexual health care is black and white,” says Gaudry. “Treatments diﬀer from patient to patient, but I’ve found that Addyi and Vyleesi are eﬀective around 60% of the time, whereas with testosterone, it works for most women about 90% of the time.”

Pellet Therapy is a testosterone treatment that has been used for decades despite it not being FDA-approved for women. If women are not administered the right dosage or start the treatment without having an in-depth initial consultation with their OB/GYN, there can be side eﬀects, such as blood clots and a risk of stimulating breast cancer.

“But it can be done safely, once monitored correctly,” says Gaudry.

“Which is why a patient-doctor relationship and deep dive into a patient’s medical history are so important from the beginning. The treatment is only one part of the patient’s care.”

The treatment, consisting of bioidentical hormones, which are similar to the natural hormones released by the human body, is administered every 12-16 weeks. The procedure is also fairly simple. The physician will numb the skin, usually near the hip area, and make a small incision. One or more pellets — about the size of a Tic Tac — are then inserted underneath the skin.

“The average patient I have coming in for low libido will typically say, ‘I don’t care if I ever have sex again. But I used to enjoy it and I want to like it again,’” says Pettigrew.

Different patients report different results. Some of the more common effects Pettigrew has seen in her patients have been an increase in self-confidence and feeling better about themselves as their moods have improved.

“It’s always a partnership,” says Pettigrew. “If a patient comes in and is concerned about things like facial hair that is a predominantly male characteristic and can be developed because of an increase in testosterone, I work with them to decrease their dosage.” Gaudry adds that some patients benefit from simultaneously increasing their progesterone, which can also help with other menopausal side effects like vaginal dryness, hot flashes and night sweats.

“That is why, for me, it is so important that I work with my patients and deliver that comprehensive care,” says Gaudry. “Women’s sexual health is so much more than simply prescribing something and waiting for it to work.”

When it comes to how long Pellet Therapy takes to work, it varies. Every woman goes through menopause diﬀerently and will respond to treatment diﬀerently. However, Pettigrew has seen a majority of patients experience a positive change within two to three weeks.

“Some may not see improvement after their ﬁrst dosage,” she says. “Stress can act against the treatment and women’s sex drive in general, but most of my patients see a result after that ﬁrst dosage.”

Beginning any medical treatment is a big step and takes some courage, but Pettigrew and Gaudry encourage women to reach out and begin that conversation with their provider. Not only does treatment beneﬁt the patient, but it can strengthen their relationship with their partner as well.

“I can’t tell you how many relationships I feel like I’ve restored with this treatment,” says Pettigrew. “My patients will come for a follow-up appointment and tell me ‘It’s been life-changing, and I feel like myself again.’”

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Balancing Act

Essential resources help to support the growing number of middle-aged adults acting as caregivers for both their children and aging parents.

Written by ETHAN MATHEWS

THE MOMENT ARRIVES UNEXPECTEDLY, the phone call that tells you your parents can no longer fend for themselves or one another. It comes without warning, never slotting neatly into the rare empty spaces of your calendar, never pausing until you’ve steadied your ﬁnances or cleared enough headspace to take charge.

While no one anticipates the urgency of “the call,” according to AARP, for nearly one in ﬁve U.S. adults — predominantly women — it is an inevitable pivot to a role reversal they may feel least prepared to assume.

In 2021, 38 million U.S. adults ﬁt into the so-called “Sandwich Generation,” also according to a report from AARP, simultaneously feeling the squeeze of caring for children under 18 and adult relatives over 65. And if we put this value in economic terms, family caregivers’ unpaid contributions were estimated to

be $600 billion — with a B.

As the “silver tsunami” approaches, ushering the last of the baby boomers into retirement by 2030 — with projections that by 2034, adults aged 65 and older will outnumber children under 18 — the number of adults facing such life-changing calls will proliferate. Now, more than ever, it’s vital to understand the risks and resources for those who fall into this category.

Nurse Care Management

In an ideal world, every person would have access to professional in-home caregivers to support them and their loved ones as they navigate this new and unfamiliar territory. Increasingly complex healthcare challenges can emerge quickly and suddenly, and the need for professional intervention can sneak up on a family caregiver.

“The heavy lifting falls on the family unless you employ someone to help you with it,” says Scott Pierce, co-owner of Coastal Care Partners. “And family members are [often] not trained medical professionals.”

Home care companies like Coastal Care Partners bridge this gap by dispatching Certiﬁed Nurse Assistants (CNAs) to manage everything from daily routines to medication management and decoding medical jargon among specialists.

Yet, this solution comes with a signiﬁcant caveat: these visits charge by the hour, and they’re expensive. Traditional health insurance does not cover these services, so families are often left to pay out of pocket for in-home care. For caregivers in the Sandwich Generation, this might be weighed alongside the cost of childcare, an adult child’s college tuition, or lost wages as a result of time spent caregiving.

Those like Pierce who understand the pains of ﬁnding trustworthy care for their parents, emphasize that paying for even the smallest level of support can make a huge diﬀerence. “All of the focus is on the person with the healthcare condition, but the hidden issue is the one caring for that person and when they reach their breaking point,” says Pierce.

Avoiding Caregiver Burnout

As responsibilities multiply and pressures mount, the risk of caregiver burnout looms large.

“The psychological impact on caregivers can be disarming. We are put into a situation that increases our level of stress due to having to manage two diﬀerent sets of dynamics,” says Mary Hubbard, a therapist at Shrink Savannah. “This added stress of being responsible for more loved ones can lead to a whole host of psychological issues.”

These psychological issues can include anxiety, depression and substance abuse, which pose the serious and common risk of caregiver burnout. Additionally, these complications can extend beyond the caregiving environment, manifesting as disrupted sleep, social isolation and self-neglect.

“With having to juggle all the everyday responsibilities and tough choices for others, we get stretched too thin and begin neglecting ourselves,” says Hubbard. “In the longterm, without proper coping skills, an individual can suﬀer from medical problems, physical ailments and mental health problems.”

Hubbard recommends setting limits with others that honor yourself, give yourself grace, talk with someone you trust, and know that it’s OK to ask for help when you need it.

Building Your Network of Support

Often echoed by professionals across the spectrum—from hospice counselors to mental health experts—the advice stands ﬁrm: do not shoulder this burden alone. Jill Costello is the program coordinator for Hospice Savannah’s Edel Caregiver Institute, which oﬀers support groups and individual consultations for

“The psychological impact on caregivers can be disarming. We are put into a situation that increases our level of stress due to having to manage two different sets of dynamics.”

MARY

HUBBARD, THERAPIST SHRINK SAVANNAH

“nonpaid, nonprofessional, nonprepared caregivers.”

Her admiration for family caregivers inspires her hard work for the institute.

“It’s really important to take the time oﬀ, to keep boundaries and to get that support around you,” says Costello. “Keep in mind the ambiguous loss that’s involved in what you’re going through. They’re sitting right there, they’re still with me, but I’ve lost who that person was and the relationship we had.”

Costello says she frequently reminds family caregivers to talk to one another about their unique situations. More often than not, they discover that the people around them are struggling with similar things, which helps them gain useful advice, build a community and ﬁnd solace during a diﬃcult time.

Through donations and local partnerships, the Edel Caregiver Institute is able to oﬀer a range of innovative programs for nonprofessional caregivers, like palliative care education, support groups, restorative yoga, and Dementia Live, which uses a high impact dementia simulator to provide a deeper understanding of and empathy for life with dementia.

“There is so much growth and awesomeness going on at Hospice Savannah,” says Costello.

Among the new initiatives that the Edel Caregiver Institute is working to implement is Project Sherpa, which connects retired physicians with caregivers to help translate care instructions, ask the right questions and act as a second set of eyes for things a family caregiver might not know to look for. The institute is also working to adopt Hospice Savannah’s Music and Memory program, where specially trained volunteers create personalized playlists for anxious or agitated patients, with the hope that this will indirectly ease the process of caregiving.

As with all of the Edel Caregiver Institute’s oﬀerings, these programs are free of charge and exist to ease the pressure of life’s most diﬃcult moments — ensuring that the bond between parent and child stays intact on both ends of the Sandwich Generation.

From left: Dana Tomko, FNP-C; Marianne Mainer, AGPCNP-BC; Not photographed: Tasha Schultz, FNP-BC

Back in Action

Savannah’s spinal solutions aim to eliminate the pain

Written by BRENDAN RINEY

ACCORDING TO GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY’S

Health Policy Institute, about 8% of all adults have persistent back pain. The trouble is that, just like knees and hips, the spine develops arthritis, the discs degrade. A potential result of disc degradation is lumbar spinal stenosis, which is characterized by the narrowing of the spinal canal. Meanwhile, spinal arthritis can lead to a condition called spondylolisthesis, commonly referred to as a slipped disc.

“While there is a genetic predisposition to spondylolisthesis, it’s also just wear and tear,” says Dr. James Lindley, a neurosurgeon at the Neurological Institute of Savannah. Luckily, Savannah has two procedures that, while not cure-alls, present a promising push toward a pain-free back, or more speciﬁcally, lower back.

Just last year, the FDA approved the Total Posterior Spine System (TOPS), an invasive procedure where an implant is placed speciﬁcally on the L3-L5 vertebrae to help anyone with degenerative spinal stenosis and spondylolisthesis (grades I and II). Among the promising aspects of TOPS are increased mobility and sciatic pain relief (pain extending down through the legs).

If back surgeries were in a competition, TOPS would be playing against spinal fusion. The key diﬀerence between the two is that spinal fusion completely eliminates mobility while TOPS maintains some. A fusion can also potentially cause adjacent segment disease (ASD), which arises from the increased stress put on the fused vertebrae. Because TOPS does not fuse the vertebrae, but instead supports it, it eliminates the root cause of ASD. “Fusion remains the gold standard,” Lindley notes, “but TOPS is a good option.”

The implant device, which attaches to the lowest three vertebrae in your lumbar spine, picks up some of the shockabsorbing slack while maintaining the structure and six degrees of mobility found in the spine.

The second procedure is called Intracept, a minimally invasive outpatient procedure that would likely come if an epidural injection fails to provide relief. Intracept targets the basivertebral nerve that resides in the spinal column, destroying it to interrupt the pain signals it channels to the brain.

“The secret to pain management is if you can’t ﬁx the problem causing the pain, you obliterate the root of the pain,” says Dr. Joseph Hegarty, an interventional pain management specialist with Optim Health Systems.

For this procedure, patients receive anesthesia and a local

anesthetic to numb the skin where the doctor makes a miniscule incision to access the inﬂamed discs by inserting a special probe. The probe heats up to 167 degrees Fahrenheit (75 degrees Celsius) and for seven minutes the probe burns the basivertebral nerve. After a brief recovery period, most patients report signiﬁcant pain relief within two to four weeks.

Life takes the backseat when back pain comes to town. Each patient has their own experience, but almost universally, people suﬀering from back pain feel completely reduced in their capabilities, both physically and cognitively. Gee Gee Kirkley, a successful Intracept patient, knows this all too well. “There’s no aspect of my life it didn’t play a role in,” she says. “It aﬀects everything you can do and everything you can’t do.”

Both treatments are built to last, so patients can get back to life as it had been before chronic back pain. Kirkley, for example, says she is able to easily walk down Broughton Street with her granddaughter, whereas before she would need to stop and rest because of her back. Today, she enjoys her mobility the way we all should be able to: pain free.

is dedicated to providing compassionate and

Our fellowship trained physicians are focused on treatment plans that are in line with the needs and goals of each of our patients.

Jessica Wilder, MD

Schulze Eye & Surgery Center

MEDICAL DEGREE: University of Virginia

RESIDENCY: Ochsner Medical Center, New Orleans, Louisiana

INTERNSHIP: Roanoke Memorial Hospital, Virginia

FELLOWSHIP: Kentucky Eye Institute

AFFILIATIONS: American Medical Association, American Academy of Ophthalmology, American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, International Society of Refractive Surgery, Medical Advisory Board of the Georgia Eye Bank

I’M A LEADING EXPERT IN: Anterior segment surgery, which includes cataract surgery, refractive surgery (i.e. LASIK, PRK, ICL) and corneal transplantation.

I WAS ATTRACTED TO THIS FIELD BECAUSE: I am a fourth-generation physician and the fourth eye doctor in my family — after my father, my grandfather and my uncle.

I’M MOST EXCITED ABOUT: Artiﬁcial intelligence and its application to help improve accuracy in eye surgery through better planning to achieve better results.

I KNEW I WANTED TO BE A DOCTOR WHEN: I was 6 years old.

MY MOST REWARDING MOMENT AS A DOCTOR: Doing free surgery on a homeless person who had gone blind and could no longer work. Restoring his vision allowed him to regain his occupation and his sense of dignity.

I’M MOST PROUD OF: My three daughters.

MY PATIENTS WOULD DESCRIBE MY BEDSIDE MANNER AS: Warm but professional.

Richard R. Schulze Jr., M.Phil. (Oxon), MD

MY FAVORITE WAY TO STAY FIT: Windsurﬁng and working out at the gym.

MY FAVORITE WAY TO RELAX: Playing with my dog and reading ﬁction and history.

MY GUILTY PLEASURE: Chocolate.

MY GO-TO SPOT IN SAVANNAH: Hiranos, for sushi once a week.

ONE PERSON I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE DINNER WITH:

Elon Musk. I think he is changing the world. I’ve been driving Teslas since 2013, and the technology is amazing.

YOU’D NEVER GUESS THAT: I went to graduate school for English at the University of Oxford in England before going to medical school.

IF I WASN’T A DOCTOR: I would be an English professor.

I ENJOY VOLUNTEERING FOR:

The town of Vernonburg, where I serve on the town council.

THE LAST BOOK I READ:

“The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook,” an account of Cook’s last voyage in which he “discovered” Hawaii. It’s got it all: drama, history, anthropology and high adventure.

ONE THING I WOULD TELL AN ASPIRING FUTURE DOCTOR: Don’t go into medicine for the money; you will be disappointed if you do.

DON’T BELIEVE THE HYPE: Blue-blocking glasses don’t help.

Dr. Richard R. Schulze Jr., M.Phil. (Oxon), center, and his Schulze Eye & Surgery Center team

Audiology and Hearing Aid Services

SAVANNAH: 803 E 68th St., 912.351.3038

SKIDAWAY ISLAND: 6 Skidaway Village Walk, 912.598.0616

POOLER: 1000 Towne Center Blvd., Suite 200, 912.351.3038 ahassavannah.com

CREDENTIALS: All of our audiologists are accredited with the Georgia State Board of Audiology, the American Speech-Language Hearing Association and are members of the American Academy of Audiology.

WE’RE EXPERTS IN: Helping patients communicate with their loved ones.

OUR APPROACH TO MEDICINE: Patientcentered care. Every single patient is different and unique. We tell a lot of our patients that they cannot compare their journey to anyone else’s. We pride ourselves on treating each individual and each hearing loss as unique to that patient’s needs. Getting to the core of what environments are troublesome to a atient and causing them di ﬁculties in communicating is the key to a successful ﬁtting o hearing de ices. reating hearing loss is a lifetime journey that changes and needs monitoring.

OUR MOST REWARDING MOMENTS: When patients come tell us how great it was to be able to hear their grandchildren or how they were ﬁnally a le to artici ate at ridge family dinner or sewing club.

WE ARE MOST PROUD OF: Our service to each patient. We want all of our patients to feel like they are with family and have the support they need to succeed in getting the best hearing possible.

OUR FAVORITE WAYS TO RELAX ARE: Going to the beach or going for a walk around the Islands YMCA Walking Trail. Dr. King has a brand new puppy to keep her busy in her free time, while Dr. Kim, Dr. Bradshaw and Dr. Laws all enjoy playing tennis.

WE WISH MORE OF OUR PATIENTS WOULD: Get a baseline hearing test at an early age. We tell every patient that it’s never too early for a hearing test. Having a baseline is great to monitor hearing and communication needs as they change.

From left: Lucy Bradshaw, AuD.; Casey Allen, AuD., CCC-A; Katy Laws, AuD., CCC-A; Sara King, AuD., CCC-A; and Sieon Kim, AuD., CCC-A

Thomas Horn, MD

THE GEORGIA INSTITUTE FOR PLASTIC SURGERY

5361 Reynolds St. 912.355.8000

mycosmeticsurgeon.md

MEDICAL DEGREE: University of Florida

RESIDENCY: The Medical College of Georgia

FELLOWSHIP: The University of Miami

AFFILIATIONS: American Society of Plastic Surgery, The American Board of Surgery

I WAS ATTRACTED TO THIS FIELD OF MEDICINE BECAUSE: Every day is different, I am able to make a difference in people’s lives, and I truly enjoy helping people.

I KNEW I WANTED TO BE A DOCTOR: At a young age. My grandad and dad were both physicians, and I knew I wanted to follow in their footsteps.

I’M MOST PROUD OF: My team and how we work together and give exceptional care to our patients and their families.

I STAY FIT BY: Riding my Peloton.

MY FAVORITE WAY TO RELAX IS: Spending time with my family, long-distance shooting and ﬁshing.

MY GUILTY PLEASURE: Eating peanut butter out of the jar.

A DAY DOESN’T GO BY THAT I DON’T: Try to better myself.

MY GO-TO SPOT IN SAVANNAH: he Pink ouse it is the deﬁnition o Southern charm.

ONE PERSON I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE DINNER WITH: My wife. It gets quite busy, and I enjoy spending one on one time with her.

YOU’D NEVER GUESS THAT: I was a diesel mechanic prior to becoming a plastic surgeon.

THE LAST BOOK I READ: “Make Your Bed” by Adm. William McRaven. Start your day with a positive act, and the rest of your day is synergistic on that.

I WISH MORE OF MY PATIENTS WOULD STOP: Using Google.

David S. Oliver, MD, FACS, FAAOA

COASTAL EAR, NOSE & THROAT

SAVANNAH: 322 Commercial Drive 912.355.2335

POOLER: 200 Blue Moon Crossing 912.450.2336 coastal-ent.com facebook.com/drdavidoliver

MEDICAL DEGREE: Medical University of South Carolina, College of Medicine

RESIDENCY: Medical College of Virginia

AFFILIATIONS: St. Joseph’s/Candler

I’M A LEADING EXPERT: In balloon sinuplasty, a minimally invasive procedure for relieving sinusitis. I have performed more than o these in o ﬁce procedures since its inception in 2011. When compared to traditional sinus surgery, balloon sinuplasty is less invasive, has less bleeding and offers a faster recovery period. Most people can return to work in a few days rather than a week or so. If you are suffering from chronic sinusitis and are not responding to medical treatment, we can help you.

I AM PASSIONATE ABOUT: Building a foundation of trust and fostering strong doctor-patient relationships. A commitment to educate and empower my patients in their health care is one of the cornerstones of our practice. In order to give my patients the best care must ﬁrst listen to their needs.

I’M MOST EXCITED ABOUT: The addition of our CT scanner, the 3D Accuitomo 170 ENT, which delivers a high level of clarity and visualizes paranasal sinus and temporal bones at a much lower radiation dosage than conventional CT scans. The new service has increased patient satisfaction and retention with the ability to scan, diagnose and plan treatment in one visit.

WE OFFER: A myriad of services including treating common adult and pediatric ENT conditions like allergic rhinitis, chronic sinusitis, deviated septums, thyroid disorders, snoring and sleep apnea and balance issues. We also provide hearing loss evaluations and can help patients with hearing aids and more. ENT disorders can interfere with an individual’s quality of life and, if left untreated, can lead to more permanent damage.

Yulianty Kusuma, MD, FACP

INTERNAL MEDICINE OF SAVANNAH

SAVANNAH: 6413 Waters Ave., Suite 102

POOLER: 114 Canal St., Suite 102 912.349.6624 internalmedicineofsavannah.com

CERTIFICATION: American Board of Internal Medicine

SPECIALTY: Adult medicine, diagnosing and treating acute and chronic diseases, and preventive care. We encourage annual wellness exams, cancer screenings, updating vaccines and healthy lifestyle habits to help control risk factors such as elevated blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar. We work closely with patients to improve their quality of life and achieve wellness goals.

ON WORK-LIFE BALANCE: As a full-time physician, business owner, wife, mother and daughter, achieving work-life balance can be a wildering quest. After setting aside time for family, work and health, preparing and eating healthy meals is just one more job to tackle. Oftentimes, I have less than an hour to prepare meals and less than 30 minutes to enjoy them during workdays. It’s certainly easier to eat ready-made meals. However, what about the nourishment from fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat meats and ﬁsh that the ody needs or the e tra calories that the body doesn’t? Controlled portions can balance these needs. When time is limited, it’s best to prepare something quick and simple, resulting in extra time to spend eating dinner with family. On weekends or holidays, we tend to indulge in more than we need. Cutting the portions and adding minutes to your exercise routine will help reestablish balance.

HEALTHY FOOD OPTIONS AND PORTIONS:

• BREAKFAST: 1 whole boiled egg (75 calories); 5 ounces of yogurt (180 cal.); 2 cups red berries cereal (280 cal.) with 1 cup of whole milk (150 cal.); coffee with ta les oon a ored cream cal. .

• LUNCH: California sushi roll, 6 pieces (192 cal.); 1 cup salad with cheese, berries and dressing (170 cal.); 1 bowl noodle with ﬁsh cake sou cal. 1 medium apple (90 cal.)

• DINNER: 3 ounces grilled salmon (160 cal.); 1 cup sautéed green beans (70 cal.); 1 cup rice (240 cal.); 1 cup salad with cheese, berries and dressing (170 cal.); 1 corn on the cob (160 cal.)

• SNACKS: banana chips, 48 pieces (225 cal.); 1 cup of popcorn (26 cal.); 1 mochi (126 cal.); 1 mini strawberry bundt cake (160 cal.); 1 cup berries (60 cal.); 2/3 cup frozen Ube, purple yam with cheese bits ice cream (170 cal.); watermelon, two slices (120 cal.)

Paige Marnell, MD & Chad Brock, MD

SAVANNAH: 1601 Abercorn St.

POOLER: 114 Canal St., Suite 301 912.712.2550 shrinksavannah.com

MEDICAL DEGREES: New York Medical College (Marnell); University of Oklahoma (Brock)

BOARD CERTIFICATIONS: General Psychiatry (Brock and Marnell) and Addiction Medicine (Marnell)

RESIDENCIES: University of Chicago (Marnell); Medical University of South Carolina (Brock)

FELLOWSHIP: Addiction Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern (Marnell)

I’M EXCITED ABOUT: The new and evolving treatments we are using to treat addiction and other psychiatric disorders. – Marnell

MY PHILOSOPHY WHEN IT COMES TO MEDICINE: You must start by establishing a good relationship with the patient. – Brock

I’M PASSIONATE ABOUT: Educating physicians-in-training and serving as a community advocate for the expansion of addiction treatment in the Savannah area. – Marnell

OUR PRACTICE CONTINUES TO BE A LEADER IN THIS AREA FOR: Alternatives for treatment-resistant depression. With the addition of more therapists and physician assistants to our team, we are able to offer Ketamine-assisted therapy as well as Ketamine-infusion treatments. Many patients state their experience teaches them to

reframe the way they perceive their stress or anxiety. – Brock

MY FAVORITE PART OF THE JOB:

Patient care and seeing the incredible improvements in their lives. I’m really proud of my team at Shrink Savannah and enjoy the sense of family we’ve built. – Brock Teaching residents and seeing patients recover from addiction. – Marnell

WHEN I’M NOT WORKING:

I’m riding my mountain bike or working with the Southeast Georgia Chapter of Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association (SEGA-SORBA) on building and maintaining the mountain biking trails at Tribble Park off Largo Drive. – Brock I am spending time with my family. – Marnell

MY FAVORITE SAVANNAH ACTIVITY:

Getting out on the water in the summertime and exploring Savannah’s food scene. – Marnell

SHRINK SAVANNAH

ExperCARE Health

DOWNTOWN: 818 Abercorn St. 912.800.0110

MALL BOULEVARD: 318 Mall Blvd. (next to Kroger) | 912.358.1515

POOLER: 2201 Pooler Parkway (near Costco) 912.800.6004

RICHMOND HILL: 60 Exchange St. (next to Kroger) | 912.756.2273

RINCON: 463 S. Columbia Ave. ne t to hick ﬁl A | 912.812.1001

HINESVILLE: 632 W. Oglethorpe Hwy., Unit A 912.430.4545

STATESBORO: 121 Tormenta Way (next to Publix) | 912.680.0020 ExperCAREhealth.com

WE ARE: rate ul to e your ﬁrst choice for on-demand health care for the last 15 years!

OUR MISSION: To provide on-demand access to top-quality health care.

HOW WE ARE DIFFERENT: We faced the status quo. The long wait times, the hurried providers, the worried patients. We saw it. And we couldn’t ignore it. So we stepped over and above it. We dreamt that every person would have access to health care when, how and where they needed it. Our patients became our guests. We re-engineered the whole health care experience. We threw the door open to change the lives and touch the ne t generation. o i the script on the system. A rainy day? We hold the umbrella. A crying child? We unwrap the popsicle. A feeling of

uncertainty? We’re here to listen. This isn’t health care from anyone, but it is for everyone. Because it’s better when it’s from someone who cares. We imagined what health care could be. Then we made it happen.

WE ARE EXPERTS IN: On-demand health care. Whether urgent care (diagnostic) or preventative (primary care), our model ensures access to top-quality health care on your terms — no approintment needed. This is health care for the whole family.

OUR APPROACH: We know that your time is precious, that’s why we are open when you need us. Extended hours and weekends, in-network with your insurance and transparent cash prices are just a few ways we take the guesswork out of where to go.

ExperCARE Health founder and CEO Catherine Grant, center, and her ExperCARE Health team

ForSight Unique Eye Care & Eye Wear

350 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. 912.483.6600 forsighteye.net

MEDICAL DEGREE: Doctor of Optometry (Morrow, Keller, Murphey), Master of Vision Science (Morrow); Master of Clinical Chemistry (Keller)

AFFILIATIONS: American Optometric, Association and Georgia Optometric Association

MY MOST REWARDING MOMENTS: Seeing a child who has been struggling to see clearly ut their glasses on or the ﬁrst time. Their excitement melts my heart and reminds me why I became an optometrist. — Dr. Keller

I’M MOST PROUD OF: Our ability to positively impact and improve our patient’s lifestyle and day-to-day activities through good visual acuity and comfort. — Dr. Murphey

I’M MOST EXCITED ABOUT: The technology that we’ve invested in that allows us to ﬁt ad anced s ecialty contact lenses. Patients who have corneal conditions such as keratoconus, astigmatism or scarring can have 20/20 vision again with specialty contact lenses. I am the only provider in this region who has an aglet ur ace Proﬁlometer. his technology scans the surface of the eye,

taking more than 350,000 measurements in one image, allowing me to customize a s ecialty lens to ﬁt your eye e actly.

— Dr. Morrow

PATIENTS OFTEN ASK ME: What’s the best ways to help with digital device strain and irritation. I often recommend good blue light and antire ecti e ro erties on your glasses copious preservative-free lubrication and the 20-20-20 rule — every 20 minutes, take 20 seconds and look 20ft away. — Dr. Keller

I WISH MORE OF MY PATIENTS WOULD: Value their eyes more. Saving money is important, but clear, comfortable vision should be a priority when choosing contact lenses or glasses. — Dr. Morrow

MY FAVORITE WAY TO STAY FIT:

Participating in local sports leagues like Savannah Ultimate! — Dr. Murphey

From left, Dr. Gabrielle Murphey, OD, Dr. Erika Morrow, OD, MS, and Dr. Melissa Keller, OD

Hospice Savannah and Steward Center for Palliative Care

1352 Eisenhower Drive 912.355.2289 hospicesavannah.org

MEDICAL DEGREES: Medical School at San Juan Bautista School of Medicine (Perdue); Medical School at San Martin de Porres University School of Medicine (Watanabe)

FELLOWSHIPS: Hospice and Palliative Care at Mercer University at Atrium Health (Perdue and Watanabe)

BOARD CERTIFICATIONS: Hospice and Palliative Medicine and Internal Medicine (Perdue and Watanabe)

WE’RE EXPERTS IN: Providing effective, compassionate hospice and palliative care in our community.

OUR PHILOSOPHY: You don’t have to suffer just because you are sick.

WE ARE MOST EXCITED ABOUT: Our ongoing a filiation with t. ose h s andler Center for Palliative Care in partnership with The Steward Center. We recently relocated the Palliative Care Outpatient Clinic to the third oor o the eart and ung uilding ne t to andler os ital. he larger o fice space has enabled us to see more patients, work more e ficiently and drastically decrease wait times.

OUR MOST REWARDING MOMENTS AS DOCTORS: When our patients and their families get the much needed help they deserve.

WE ARE MOST PROUD OF: Our ability to manage symptoms and provide a better quality of life.

OUR PATIENTS WOULD DESCRIBE OUR PRACTICE AS: A holistic, team approach to helping those who are suffering from a serious illness.

OUR FAVORITE WAYS TO STAY FIT: Walking and running.

OUR FAVORITE WAYS TO RELAX: Spending time with family and friends.

YOU’D NEVER GUESS THAT WE: Are uent in anish as well as nglish.

OUR PATIENTS OFTEN ASK: If they can receive palliative care while pursuing curative treatments. The answer is “Yes!”

From left: Dr. Hayda Perdue, Medical Director, and Dr. Eiko M. Watanabe, Associate Director

Je rey S. Mandel, MD, FACS

SOUTHCOAST HEALTH – SURGERY

1326 Eisenhower Drive, Building 2 912.354.6303 southcoasthealth.com/providers/ jeffrey-s-mandel

MEDICAL DEGREE: University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, Virginia

RESIDENCY: Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina

FELLOWSHIP: Advanced Laparoscopic Surgery, NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia, New York, New York

AFFILIATIONS: American College of Surgeons, Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons, Society of Laparoscopic Surgeons, Southeastern Surgical Congress, Georgia Surgical Society, Georgia Medical Society

I’M A LEADING EXPERT IN: Robotic and advanced laparoscopic surgery.

I WAS ATTRACTED TO THIS FIELD OF MEDICINE: Because it allows me to address patients’ problems in a minimally invasive fashion, leading to quicker recovery and less discomfort than traditional surgery.

MY MOST REWARDING MOMENTS AS A DOCTOR: Seeing my patients get better and enjoying their lives and families after being in my care.

I’M MOST PROUD OF: Being selected by my peers and coworkers to perform their and their family’s surgeries because they have had a behind-the-scenes look at my work and decided to trust me to be the surgeon to take care of them and their loved ones.

THE LAST BOOK I READ WAS: “GRIT: The Power of Passion and Perseverance” by Angela Duckworth. This book reinforced my belief that my success has been due to both hard work and determination in a ﬁeld that rings me great pride and satisfaction.

MY PATIENTS TELL ME: That I take the time to explain and answer their questions regarding their pending surgery in terms they understand.

IT’S SUCH AN HONOR: To have been selected by Savannah magazine readers as Best General Surgeon in Savannah since 2013.

WHEN I’M NOT WITH PATIENTS: I enjoy spending time with family and friends.

Keith A. Kirby, MD

SAVANNAH PAIN MANAGEMENT, INC.

8 Wheeler St. 912.352.4340

SavannahPainManagement.com

QUALIFICATIONS: Diplomate of the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

BOARD CERTIFICATIONS: Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Pain Medicine

I AM A LEADING EXPERT IN: Nonsurgical treatment of pain. Our staff understands the suffering caused by pain. We are committed to relieving your suffering so that you may return to a more active lifestyle.

OUR SERVICES INCLUDE: Pain treatment from degenerative disc disease, disc herniation, arthritis of the spine, SI (sacroiliac) joint problems, sciatica, peripheral neuro athy shingles re e sym athetic dystrophy (RSD) and other causes of persistent pain.

MY TRAINING ENABLES ME TO: Construct a rehabilitation plan designed to return you to those activities that your pain prevents you from doing.

WHATEVER YOU DO, DON’T: Suffer from pain needlessly. If you suffer from pain that does not resol e itsel in our to si weeks ask your doctor to re er you to a hysician who is oard certiﬁed in ain medicine.

ASK YOUR DOCTOR ABOUT: Nonsurgical treatment options for degenerative disc disease and disc herniation o your neck and ack. inety ercent o those with a herniated disc will im ro e within si months after nonsurgical treatment.

Pamela Gaudry, MD, NCMP, FACOG

COASTAL CARE PARTNERS

4 Skidaway Village Walk, Suite B 912.598.6312

coastalcarepartners.com

EDUCATION: University of Georgia

RESIDENCY: Medical College of Georgia

AFFILIATIONS: Georgia Medical Society; Executive Board of the Medical Association of Georgia; Inaugural class of the Georgia Physician Leadership Academy

WE’RE EXPERTS IN: Concierge adult primary care.

OUR APPROACH TO MEDICINE: Focusing on the highest quality care delivered through the best customer service possible. We believe health care should have the same focus on customer service as other industries. Our members have access to our clinical providers 24 hours a day, and we believe in quick communication and urgency. We treat our members like we want to be treated.

MY FAVORITE WAYS TO STAY FIT: Running with my dog and using an exercise machine on my back porch.

YOU’D NEVER GUESS THAT: I am a huge Georgia Bulldog fan, and we rarely miss a home game. I love UGA so much that I named by Golden Retriever Munson!

ONE THING WE WOULD TELL AN ASPIRING FUTURE DOCTOR: The key to caring for the patient is “caring for” your patients. The profound relationship that you form with them will last for years. One of the greatest accomplishments of my career is being able to be friends with my patients. If you care for them like you would your family, you will do well.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PRACTICE

DIFFERENT: Our focus is not in seeing how many a ointments we can ﬁt into a day. Instead, our focus is making sure we are available to you, our patient, when you need us. Traditional medical practices may be patient-focused, but they’re not customer focused. We put the atient and the customer ﬁrst. We believe in “making yes happen,” and our approach is always delivering on our mission, “how can we help?”

Carl B. Pearl, MD

CHATHAM PLASTIC SURGERY

8 Stephenson Ave. 912.446.1985

chathamplasticsurgery.com

RESIDENCY: Medical College of Georgia (General Surgery)

FELLOWSHIP: University of Tennessee Memphis (Plastic Surgery)

AFFILIATIONS: AOA, ASPS

I’M A LEADING EXPERT IN: Cosmetic surgery of the face and body.

I WAS ATTRACTED TO THIS FIELD OF MEDICINE: Because the intricacies and details of plastic surgery inspire and challenge me.

I’M MOST EXCITED ABOUT: The grand opening of our state-of-the-art ambulatory surgery center.

I KNEW I WANTED TO BE A DOCTOR WHEN: My mother survived breast cancer. I always felt that her surgeon gave me more time with her.

MY MOST REWARDING MOMENTS AS A DOCTOR ARE WHEN: Patients cry because they are happy with themselves and how they look.

MY GO-TO SPOT IN SAVANNAH IS: My house because I love my dog.

ONE PERSON I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE DINNER WITH: te ﬁ ra want to know what she thought about while competing.

YOU’D NEVER GUESS THAT: I am a good bowler.

I WISH MORE OF MY PATIENTS WOULD STOP: Comparing themselves to images on social media.

ONE THING I WOULD TELL AN ASPIRING FUTURE DOCTOR: If you are the smartest person in the room, you are in the wrong room.

Savannah Behavioral Pediatrics, LLC

310 Eisenhower Drive, Building 5 912.436.6789

savannahbehavioralpediatrics.com

OUR MISSION IS: To expand access to the highest quality psychological assessment and treatment services for children and families struggling with developmental, behavioral or learning challenges.

OUR MOTTO IS: “Changing behavior. Changing lives.” When committed families collaborate with us and work hard, we see life-changing transformations for both the child and the family.

WE’RE EXPERTS IN: Child behavior, learning and development. We help parents and guardians to better understand the challenges facing their children, and we partner with families to change behavior, improve learning and overcome developmental obstacles. Whether your child or adolescent is exhibiting challenging behavior, anxiety, social delays or learning di ﬁculties we

are the best specialists trained to identify, treat and monitor your child throughout the developmental period.

WE ARE MOST EXCITED ABOUT: Offering unmatched care for children and adolescents in the Lowcountry. We offer the best and most comprehensive evaluations and effective, evidence-based behavior therapy. There’s no rule book for raising a child, but we are the next best thing! Through knowledge, practice and partnership, we help you and your child be your very best.

ONE QUICK

TIP FOR IMPROVING CHILD BEHAVIOR

IS: Catch your child being good (i.e. quiet, calm, polite, etc.)! Adult attention, particularly parental attention, is behavioral fuel, so catch and label good, appropriate behaviors to see them more often.

From left: Heather Myers, family therapist; Amanda Wadley, child and adolescent therapist; Dr. Kristi Hofstadter-Duke, director and pediatric psychologist; Dr. Cassidy Oliver, psychology postdoctoral fellow; Dr. Kristen Hembree, pediatric psychologist and director of integrated care; Dr. Cecelia Ribuffo, pediatric psychologist

Claudia Gaughf, MD

GAUGHF DERMATOLOGY

SAVANNAH: 639 Stephenson Ave.

POOLER: 1000 Town Center Blvd, Suite 900 RICHMOND HILL: 200 Interchange Drive 912.354.7124 gaughfdermatology.com

MEDICAL DEGREE: Medical College of Georgia

RESIDENCY: Medical Doctor, Internal Medicine at Medical Center of Central Georgia; Dermatology, Medical College of Georgia

CERTIFICATION: American Board of Dermatology

AFFILIATION: Georgia Society of Dermatology and Dermatologic Surgery

I AM EXCITED ABOUT: The everchanging ﬁeld o dermatology. When ﬁnished residency years ago we had no real cures for psoriasis, atopic dermatitis or alopecia areata, all of which can have devastating effects. Biologic therapies have now changed the quality of life for patients with these conditions.

A MOST REWARDING MOMENT: Seeing a child with atopic eczema who, after receiving new therapies, is now smiling and no longer miserable and itching all over.

A UNIQUE PROCEDURE I’M EXCITED TO OFFER: MiraDry decreases sweat and odor by up by 80 percent. Hyperhidrosis, or excessive underarm sweating, can be embarrassing, and we are excited to offer this cure. MiraDry uses a noninvasive handheld device to deliver precisely controlled electromagnetic energy beneath

the underarm skin to the s eciﬁc area where sweat glands are located.

A DAY DOESN’T GO BY THAT I DON’T:

Think about all that my parents have done for me. My mother, age 99, works out with a personal trainer and is an example of staying ﬁt and kee ing your mind acti e. he ust keeps going. I am lucky to have her genes.

I LEARNED SO MUCH FROM: My father, who spent hours teaching me tennis since I was 9. Now deceased, my father was an accomplished musician and taught me perseverance, competiveness, a strong work ethic and to do my best in everything.

I’M MOST PROUD OF: My two talented, beautiful children, ages 18 and 20. Both inherited beautiful voices and music skills from my father. I am thankful I have been able to balance having a career and motherhood.

Timothy Minton, MD, FACS

SAVANNAH FACIAL PLASTIC SURGERY

5356 Reynolds St., Suite 510 912.644.0744

savannahfacialplasticsurgery.com

MEDICAL DEGREE: State University of New York

RESIDENCY: Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, State University of New York, Syracuse

FELLOWSHIP: Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Albany Medical University

AFFILIATIONS: Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society, Fellow American Academy of Facial Plastic Surgery, Fellow American College of Surgeons

I’M A LEADING EXPERT IN: Facelift surgery, rhinoplasty, eyelid surgery and facial reconstruction after skin cancer.

I WAS ATTRACTED TO THIS FIELD OF MEDICINE BECAUSE OF: The com ination o artistic e ression scientiﬁc study and hand-eye technical skills.

I’M MOST EXCITED ABOUT: Deep plane facelift surgery and preservation rhinoplasty, which can provide natural results without the stigma of plastic surgery all while minimizing complications.

MY MOST REWARDING MOMENTS AS A DOCTOR: Helping to improve a person’s uality o li e and sel conﬁdence.

I’M MOST PROUD OF: My incredible team at Savannah Facial Plastic Surgery.

MY FAVORITE WAY TO STAY FIT: Early morning strength training.

MY GUILTY PLEASURE: Celsius energy drinks.

MY GO-TO SPOT IN SAVANNAH: Islands Ace Hardware — I love a good home project.

IF I WASN’T A DOCTOR, I WOULD BE: A park ranger in Alaska.

I ENJOY VOLUNTEERING FOR: Face To Face, an organization that provides plastic surgery services to victims of domestic violence.

I WISH MORE OF MY PATIENTS WOULD STOP: Getting bad medical advice online.

THREE FOODS THAT CAN IMPROVE YOUR HEALTH: Protein, veggies and fruits — in that order.

Expert Hearing

… YOUR CONCIERGE SOLUTION

2 Skidaway Village Walk, Suite C 912.777.8580 experthearingsavannah.com

EDUCATION: Master’s in Audiology, University of Georgia; Doctorate in Audiology, Arizona School of Health Sciences (Timna); Bachelor’s in Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Georgia; Doctorate in Audiology, University of Louisville (Palmer)

SPECIALTY: Tinnitus Management (Timna)

CERTIFICATION: Dementia Care (Timna) and Audiology, American Speech-LanguageHearing Association (Timna and Palmer)

ACCREDITATION: Georgia State Board of Audiology, American Speech and Hearing Association (Timna and Palmer)

AFFILIATIONS: American Academy of Audiology

WE OPENED BECAUSE: We recognized the need to create a hearing health care practice that is personalized and affordable. Our combined experience of more than 45 years has put us at the forefront of hearing health care in Savannah.

OUR PHILOSOPHY: With our state-ofthe art e ui ment ert earing is the ﬁrst in the Coastal Empire to offer cutting-edge testing to determine how a patient hears, understands and processes speech in noise. Studies have shown that managing hearing loss early can slow the potential effects of dementia. Expert Hearing has made that even easier and more affordable for our patients. Options of care include home visits, after-hours personal phone support and more. We can see you in our o ﬁce or within your home! Our commitment is to improve your hearing and communication needs in any environment and help you age in place.

OUR MOST REWARDING MOMENTS:

Have been seeing the many patients whom we have truly helped with their hearing challenges and seeing how our efforts have allowed them to thrive.

WHEN WE AREN’T IN THE OFFICE:

Dr. Cori Palmer is a marathon runner and enters numerous marathons across the country. Dr. Susan Timna stays active with her grandchildren and Pilates classes, both of which keep her challenged and busy!

WE WISH: That with all of the literature about untreated hearing loss leading to earlier cognitive decline, that everyone would come in for a baseline evaluation to see where they fall, not only in the volume of sound but also in the clarity of speech in noise and the speed of processing that speech.

Doctors of Audiology Susan Timna, right, and Cori Palmer

Rosenfeld Neurology & Sleep

7001 Hodgson Memorial Drive, Suite 2 912.298.6646 rosenfeldneuro.com

MEDICAL DEGREE: Emory University School of Medicine

RESIDENCY: University of Miami, Neurology

FELLOWSHIP: Neurophysiology and Critical Care Neurology, University of California, Los Angeles

CERTIFICATION: Neurology and Sleep Medicine

I’M A LEADING EXPERT IN: Neurophysiology, neurology and sleep medicine. We offer home sleep testing, in-lab sleep testing including polysomnography, Inspire titration, CPAP and BiPAP titration, multiple sleep latency testing, vestibular autorotation testing, neurocognitive testing, nerve conduction and electromyography, electroencephalography, ambulatory testing with video telemetry, neurocognitive testing and small ﬁ er ner e io sy.

MY PRACTICE PROVIDES: State-of-the-art, cutting-edge medical therapies for neurologic and sleep conditions with a personalized focus in a compassionate setting.

I’M MOST EXCITED ABOUT: The ability to test or Al heimer s now using s inal uid analysis as well as being able to test for conditions like Amyloidosis and Parkinson’s disease using skin punch biopsies.

I’M MOST PROUD OF: Having Savannah’s only sleep facility accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHA).

I HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED: In numerous medical publications about sleep medicine, sleep electrophysiology, migraines, neuro-oncology, Huntington’s disease, Guillain-Barré syndrome, sleep a nea restless legs and ﬁ romyalgia.

MY FAVORITE WAYS TO RELAX: Praying, hunting ﬁshing and laying with my kids.

YOU’D NEVER GUESS THAT: I was raised to be a percussionist.

THREE FOODS THAT CAN IMPROVE YOUR HEALTH: Eggs, mushrooms and blueberries — they are all good for the brain. –Answers by Victor Rosenfeld, MD

Dr. Victor Rosenfeld, center, pictured with his Rosenfeld Neurology & Sleep team.

Children’s Eye Institute of Savannah

340 Eisenhower Drive, Suite 1400A 912.353.1001 ceisav.com

EDUCATION: University of Pennsylvania (DeVaro); Arizona College of Optometry (Bennett)

RESIDENCY: Ophthalmology, University of Pittsburgh (DeVaro); Pediatric Optometry, Indiana University School of Optometry (Bennett)

FELLOWSHIP: Pediatric Ophthalmology Fellowship, Duke University Eye Center (DeVaro)

WE’RE EXPERTS IN: The eye care of infants and children, including glasses, amblyopia, strabismus, tearduct obstruction, pediatric cataract and glaucoma and retinopathy of prematurity.

OUR APPROACH TO EYE EXAMS: Starts with patience. We understand getting eyes checked may be scary and uncomfortable.

WE ARE MOST EXCITED ABOUT: New approaches to myopia control and amblyopia as well as the recent opening of our new optical shop.

OUR MOST REWARDING MOMENTS: Being able to help the next generation see so that they can go on to learn and thrive in school and beyond.

WE WISH MORE OF OUR PARENTS KNEW: Children around the world are becoming increasingly myopic. Children should decrease their screen time, increase their outdoor time and wear the correct prescription glasses fulltime if recommended.

WE ENJOY GIVING BACK: Since 2017, Dr. Bennett has volunteered as a doctor with See Better Learn Better. This is a group of eye doctors and volunteers who travel to West Moreland, Jamaica, to bring eye care and affordable glasses to school-aged children. Dr. DeVaro directs the ophthalmology curriculum for the pediatric residents at Memorial and teaches local medical students.

THREE FOODS THAT CAN IMPROVE YOUR HEALTH ARE: atty ﬁsh green leafy vegetables and water.

From left: Hannah Floyd, Erica Wolfe, Chelsey Hopf, Dr. John DeVaro, Dr. Elizabeth Bennett, Aimy Bitzer, Lizzie Dittmer and Hannah Horton

LUX ~ A Medical Spa

BLUFFTON: 350 Fording Island Road, Suite 101 HILTON HEAD ISLAND: 24 Shelter Cove Lane, Suite 50 843.252.0037 | luxhhi.com

EDUCATION: Medical degree, Emory University Medical School (Traywick); bachelor’s in biochemistry, University of Notre Dame (Weniger); medical degree, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine (Weniger); MBA, University of Pittsburgh (Weniger)

INTERNSHIP: Dermatology, Emory University School of Medicine (Traywick)

RESIDENCY: Dermatology, Emory University School of Medicine (Traywick); Plastic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

CERTIFICATIONS: Dermatology (Traywick); Plastic Surgery (Weniger)

WHAT SETS US APART: We’re the only medical spa in the Lowcountry co-owned by both a plastic surgeon and a dermatology.

OUR APPROACH: Combines dermatology and plastic surgery expertise so that our practitioners can ensure our patients receive comprehensive care that addresses both skin and structural concerns.

WE ARE MOST EXCITED ABOUT: The opportunity to make a positive impact on our patients’ lives by helping them feel more conﬁdent com orta le and radiant in their own skin. We’re also excited about introducing Morpheus8 by Inmode, a minimally invasive device that helps our atients achie e smoother ﬁrmer skin.

WE ARE SO PROUD THAT: Our doctors and our medical spa have won “Best of” contests year a ter year since ﬁrst o ening in .

We also are proud of the launch of our own skincare product, Lumen Skin Care.

WE ENJOY GIVING BACK: We provide more than 1,000 silent auction vouchers per year to multiple organizations and charitable events.

WE WISH MORE OF OUR PATIENTS WOULD STOP: Comparing themselves to social media and following fads. The aesthetics industry should be about what makes you feel your best. So many fads come and go; so don’t believe everything you read online.

OUR PATIENTS OFTEN ASK: What is your one recommendation? We tell them to invest in medical-grade skin care and apply sunscreen daily. The best way to navigate all the skincare options is to schedule a consultation with a licensed aesthetician.

From left: Frederick G. Weniger, MD, FACS, MBA and Carmen A. Traywick, MD, FAAD

Moon River Pediatrics

7001 Hodgson Memorial Drive, Suite 1 912.513.5787 | moonriverpediatrics.com

EDUCATION: Medical degree, Medical College of Georgia (Alexander); Bachelor’s in Nursing, Georgia Southern University; Family Nurse Practitioner, South University (Bossak)

RESIDENCIES: University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center, Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital (Alexander)

WE’RE EXPERTS IN: Pediatrics (newborn to 21 years) and breastfeeding medicine.

WE ARE MOST EXCITED ABOUT: Direct communication with our patients! Our patients can text, Facetime or call their pediatrician directly to improve patient care and convenience.

WE ARE MOST PROUD OF: Our relationships with our patients and their families. We love getting hugs, photographs and hand-made cards from patients.

WHAT SETS US APART: We have a limited patient panel so we can ro ide more ersonali ed care with unrushed isits e i le scheduling and direct communication with our patients.

WE ENJOY VOLUNTEERING FOR: PACK Savannah.

Ismary De Castro, MD

SAVANNAH ENDOCRINOLOGY LLC

912.232.5900 | 107 Southern Blvd., Ste. 103 savannahendocrinology.com

RESIDENCY: Memorial Health University Medical Center

FELLOWSHIP: University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry

I’M AN EXPERT IN: Endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism. I was attracted to this ﬁeld o medicine when learning a out human physiology. Endocrinology is a vast and thriving specialty with emerging therapies and progress year after year. Our endocrine system controls our hormones, which regulate our metabolism, reproduction, growth, movement and sexual development.

I’M MOST EXCITED ABOUT: Novel treatment options that improve quality of life and patient outcomes, and incorporating diabetes technology to support patients’ day-to-day work-life balance.

MY FAVORITE WAY TO STAY FIT IS: With routine exercise, planning my meals and a good night’s sleep.

MY PATIENTS ALWAYS ASK ME: “Is there something I can do on my own to improve my condition?" Absolutely. I generally begin by evaluating each patient’s lifestyle and include individualized dietary and physical activity recommendations for them.

From left: Kelsey Alexander, MD; and Samantha Bossak, FNP-C, CLC

Photo

CHRISTINE HALL PHOTOGRAPHY

Daniel O’Mara, MD

SAVANNAH CHATHAM IMAGING

scirads.com

MEDICAL DEGREE: Georgetown University School of Medicine

INTERNSHIP: Internal Medicine, Georgetown University Hospital

RESIDENCY: Diagnostic Radiology, Johns Hopkins Hospital

FELLOWSHIP: Vascular and Interventional Radiology, Johns Hopkins Hospital

CERTIFICATION: American Board of Radiology

AFFILIATIONS: St. Joseph’s/Candler, including Savannah, Pooler and Bluffton, South Carolina, locations

WHAT SETS ME APART: am oard certiﬁed in oth diagnostic and interventional radiology. This means I am an expert in using medical imaging ray ultrasound to ﬁnd a normalities inside the body as well as perform minimally invasive procedures to treat diseases. It is immensely satisfying to be able to seamlessly offer my patients diagnostic and treatment services.

MY GO-TO SPOT: Forsyth Park for Sunday family-dinner picnics. Food and fun in the shade of the live oaks is my favorite way to end the weekend. The sidewalks are also a great canvas for me to share my chalk art. Look out for my skeletons!

Ryan Moody, MD, FCCP

SOUTHEAST LUNG ASSOCIATES

340 Hodgson Court | 912.629.2290 | selung.com

MEDICAL DEGREE: Mercer School of Medicine

RESIDENCY: University of Virginia

FELLOWSHIP: Medical College of GA

CERTIFICATION: Sleep, Pulmonary and Critical Care

AFFILIATIONS: St. Joseph’s/Candler

I’M A LEADING EXPERT IN: Pulmonary hypertension.

I’M MOST EXCITED ABOUT: Advancements in lung cancer diagnosis and treatments.

MY MOST REWARDING MOMENTS AS A DOCTOR: enuine connection with eo le in di ﬁcult situations.

MY PATIENTS WOULD DESCRIBE MY BEDSIDE MANNER AS: Relaxed, informative and pragmatic.

MY GO-TO SPOT IN SAVANNAH: Forest City Gun Club.

MY FAVORITE WAY TO RELAX: Riding my motorcycle.

I ENJOY VOLUNTEERING FOR: St. Mary’s Community Center.

Pearl Medesthetics at Chatham Plastic Surgery

8 Stephenson Ave. 912.446.1985

chathamplasticsurgery.com

@chathamplasticsurgery

THE TEAM:

ayman ri ﬁn A

arianne mith

ary ay P Practice Administrator

ichelle urley A P

Allyson ngram PA

WE’RE EXPERTS IN: edical skin care rotocols acials cosmetic laser rocedures medical skin treatment de ices weight loss and in ecta les.

OUR PATIENTS WOULD DESCRIBE OUR PRACTICE AS: A lend o hysician and esthetician treatments addressing aging redness and igment or correction and re ention as well as long term skin and ody maintenance or our cosmetic surgery atients. We also hear that we ha e a lot o un. We admit you are most likely to hear laughter in our hallways. ur sta lo es what we do en oys working together and is assionate a out hel ing our atients get the healthy glowing skin they desire.

OUR PHILOSOPHY: o create a ath to healthy eauti ul skin that is uni ue

to each atient. We don t ha e a menu or the masses. We a roach skin with a di erse selection o roducts treatments and laser and light treatments s eciﬁc to the indi idual in our chair. We create a lan or the erson taking into account the current condition o their skin their ersonal goals and medical history. We want to create a uni ue and im act ul experience at every appointment.

OUR PATIENTS OFTEN ASK US: an you make me look like this ﬁlter

WE WISH MORE OF OUR PATIENTS WOULD STOP: om aring themsel es to what they see on social media.

A DAY DOESN’T GO BY THAT WE DON’T: A ly sunscreen e eryone should

Shrink Savannah

SAVANNAH: 1601 Abercorn St.

POOLER: 114 Canal St., Suite 301 912.712.2550 shrinksavannah.com

MEDICAL DEGREES: Master of Science Physician Assistant Studies, South University (Stearns, Hilliard, Triplett, Yates); Master of Science Physician Assistant Studies, Augusta University (Tilley); Masters of Science in Nursing, Georgia Southern University (Mell)

I’M EXCITED TO LEARN: More about psychiatry’s use of psychedelics as a way to help patients get the relief and recovery they need. – Stearns

More about Ketamine therapy and the different ways we can apply it to our ﬁeld. – Hilliard

I AM MOST EXCITED ABOUT: The use of Botox for the treatment of depression. Psychiatry is experiencing a major paradigm shift. No longer is depression a disease of nore ine hrine and serotonin deﬁciency. oday we are e loring in ammation methylation, epigenetics and neuroplasticity as major players, and we are using innovative treatment interventions such as Ketamine, magnets silocin anti in ammatories and even botulinum toxin. – Triplett

WHAT I LOVE MOST ABOUT MY JOB: Being a part of a team who is actively working

to nullify the stigma attached to mental illness. – Mell

Getting to know my patients and seeing the improvements that they make. – Hilliard

THE MOST REWARDING PART OF PATIENT CARE IS: Helping people. It’s nice to reassure patients that they are not alone in their mental and emotional health crisis and to give them a hand toward a better life and see many come through to the other side feeling hopeful and more positive. – Stearns

WHEN I’M NOT AT WORK: I am likely spending time with my husband and two young children. We love spending time outside, either near the water or in the country. Working part time at Shrink Savannah has provided me the opportunity to be more present with both my family at home and my patients in the practice. – Yates

Front: Calysta Tilley, PA-C, and Anna Hilliard, PA-C; back: Lydia Stearns, PA-C; Kristy Triplett, PA-C; and Andrea Yates, PA-C; not pictured: Heather Mell, NP-C

Sonshine Pediatric Therapy

(SPEECH, OCCUPATIONAL AND PHYSICAL)

5105 Paulsen St., Suite 100 912.356.4200 sonshinetherapy.net

THE TEAM:

Bethany Manning, MS, CCC-SLP, Owner

Olivia Chester, OTD, Patient Care Coordinator

Sophia Vargas, MS,CCC-SLP, Speech Director

Reed Cetti, OTR/L, OT Director

Gabrielle Scarpa, MS, CCC-SLP

Estella Reynolds, MS, CF SLP

Carlyn Seese, MS, CF SLP

Zoe Craig, MS, CF SLP

Candace Todd, MS, CF SLP

Ellie Hoffman, OTR/L

Rebecca Shadoff, OTR/L

icole reenﬁeld P

WE’RE EXPERTS IN: Helping children reach their fullest potential in all developmental milestones.

OUR MOTTO: To be the “Sonshine” for all our families and children by lifting them up and celebrating every milestone — whether it be big or small.

WE ARE MOST EXCITED ABOUT: The many additions to our staff, our growth and our plans to open our second location within the coming year.

OUR MOST REWARDING MOMENTS AS THERAPISTS: Seeing our patients meet new milestones and hearing exciting stories from families about how therapy has improved the lives of their families and children.

OUR PATIENTS OFTEN ASK: How long will it take for my child to graduate from therapy.

WE WISH MORE OF OUR PATIENTS WOULD: Clearly understand that their buy-in to their child’s therapy is required for them to make the best progress.

WE ARE MOST PROUD OF: How many children have graduated therapy in the last two and a half years — more than 100 children!

OUR PATIENTS WOULD DESCRIBE OUR PRACTICE AS: Full of “Sonshine.” Our goal is to brighten days and provide our patients and their families with a warm and nurturing environment. Our therapists are caring and compassionate, and they excel at creating a supportive environment where children feel comfortable and safe. We believe in the power of play and incorporate fun activities into each individual session.

Rita Slatus, Executive Director BUCKINGHAM SOUTH

5450 Abercorn St. | 912.355.5550 | buckinghamsouth.com

ASSISTED LIVING FACILITIES: Address both the health care needs as well as the social and emotional well-being of each resident. An assisted-living community will provide medication monitoring, daily housekeeping, transportation and stimulating recreational, social and cultural activities.

WHAT SETS BUCKINGHAM SOUTH APART: Is the unparalleled, personalized approach, tailored to provide the highest quality of health care and medical attention. Buckingham South is able to provide continuity of care as one’s medical needs increase. Twenty-four-hour, aroundthe-clock nursing care including a full-time registered nurse, licensed medical technicians certified nursing assistants a medical director and security are all on call to ensure the finest care. ecause uckingham outh is locally owned and operated, management is on location 24/7 to address family questions and concerns and to ensure the highest level of individualized attention. Buckingham South is truly Savannah’s finest assisted li ing community

Dr. Neal Hollis, PharmD

GEORGETOWN DRUG COMPANY

1080 King George Blvd. | 912.920.1500 | georgetowndrug.com

MEDICAL DEGREE: Doctor of Pharmacy from South University AFFILIATIONS: Georgia Pharmacy Association, Academy of Independent Pharmacists, National Community Pharmacists Association

I WAS ATTRACTED TO THIS FIELD: By the daily patient interaction and being able to form lasting relationships with my patients. Pharmacy is the most accessible form of health care in that talking with a pharmacist doesn’t require an appointment or a copay, and I love being there to help.

MY MOST REWARDING MOMENTS: Being able to serve the Savannah community during COVID and showing how integral independent pharmacy is to health care.

I’M MOST PROUD OF: My staff and the growth our pharmacy has been able to sustain over the last four years of being in business. I would not be in this position without them.

MY FAVORITE WAY TO RELAX: Playing golf with close friends.

MY FAVORITE MEAL IN SAVANNAH: Italian at Bella Napoli on East State Street.

Walker T. Pendarvis, DMD, MHS

COASTAL DENTAL SURGERY, LLC

6600 Abercorn St., Suite 204 912.349.3259 CoastalDentalSurgery.com

EDUCATION: Medical University of South Carolina; College of Dental Medicine, Charleston, South Carolina; Postgraduate Residency in Periodontics

MEDICAL DEGREE: Doctor of Dental Medicine (Summa Cum Laude) and Master of Health Sciences (Summa Cum Laude)

BOARD CERTIFICATION: Diplomate of the American Academy of Periodontology

ORGANIZATIONS: American Dental Association, American Academy of Periodontics, Georgia Society of Periodontists, Georgia Dental Association, American Dental Society of Anesthesiology, Academy of Osseointegration

I’M A LEADING EXPERT IN: Implant dentistry, surgical extractions, ridge/sinus augmentation, soft tissue (gum) grafting, dental surgery, periodontal disease treatment and IV sedation. My team and I provide the highest level of innovation and surgical experience while utilizing technological ad ances s ch as in office imaging to ensure absolute diagnostic accuracy and patient safety.

MY APPROACH IS DIFFERENT BECAUSE: I spend quality time listening to each patient to fully understand their concerns and needs. After performing a comprehensive clinical and radiographic examination, we then discuss best treatment options to achieve a successful outcome. I am passionate about providing minimally invasive procedures to reduce post-surgical issues so patients can enjoy their lives.

PROCEDURES I PERFORM THAT ENHANCE MY PATIENTS’ LIVES INCLUDE: Immediate tooth removal with prompt implant placement and temporization. A patient may arrive with a fractured tooth and literally walk out with a beautifully restored implant that looks as natural as a perfect tooth. No sutures and no pain — immediate full arch of teeth in one day. Diseased teeth are removed, implants placed and a same-day beautiful restoration is delivered. Minimally invasive g m grafting bea tifies the smile and improves oral health.

Savannah Dental

SAVANNAH: 815 E. 68th St. RICHMOND HILL: 12650 GA 144 912.355.8821 www.savannah.dental

MEDICAL DEGREES: DMD from Medical College of Georgia (Sweeney); DMD from the Dental College of Georgia (Fransoso); DDS from Georgetown University (McLoughlin)

SPECIALTIES & CERTIFICATIONS: Hybridge full-mouth restoration and Invisalign (all); airway therapy, oral development in children oto and dermal ﬁllers (Sweeney); oral surgery (Fransoso); dental implants (McLoughlin)

WE ARE EXPERTS IN: “Big picture dentistry” — a revolutionary shift in the dental world. one are reacti e ﬁ es and painful procedures; we focus on prevention and functional dentistry. Unlike most dentists who act only when problems arise, we prioritize regular check-ups and tune-ups. Our “big picture” approach uses the latest technology to analyze occlusion, development, airway, sleep disorders, cavities and gum health. We re not ust ﬁ ing smiles we’re enhancing lives by combining health with esthetics. — Dr. Sweeney

WE WISH MORE OF OUR PATIENTS

WOULD: Tell their friends about our relaxed, s a like i e and meet our terriﬁc team o caring professionals. — Dr. McLoughlin

A HEALTH FAD TO AVOID IS: Oil pulling. This new trend on TikTok involves swishing a mouth rinse made of oils, essential oils

and other “natural” ingredients. There is no scientiﬁc e idence or studies ehind it and people have been making ludicrous claims about it. Don’t trust social media; trust your dentist! — Dr. Fransoso

OUR PATIENTS OFTEN ASK US: “Why hasn’t anyone ever told me this before?” Most dentists are still taught a reactionary approach to dentistry. So, for example, someone not trained in functional development wouldn’t analyze your swallowing habits. Dentists trained in this area can spot the cause of your constant relapse of crowding or spacing following braces or Invisalign as a sign of a functional untreated issue. — Dr. Sweeney

I RELAX BY: Going to the gym, running, being active outdoors and on the water, and I’m into “The Three-Body Problem” series the ook and et i show . — Dr. Fransoso

From left: Dr. John McLoughlin, DDS; Dr. Stephanie Joy Sweeney, DMD; and Dr. Drew Fransoso, DMD

Scott Cohen, DDS

COHEN DENTAL

310 Eisenhower Drive, Building 2 912.353.9533

savannahdentalcentre.com

MEDICAL DEGREE: University of Tennessee, Memphis

ORGANIZATIONS: Southeast District Dental Society, Georgia Dental Association, American Dental Association, Georgia Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry

AREAS OF CONCENTRATION: Cosmetic Dentistry, Invisalign and Implant Restoration

MY APPROACH TO PATIENT CARE: My family has been in the retail business in Alma for nearly 100 years. Growing up and working in the store — starting at age 6 — I learned the value of stellar customer service from my grandfather and father. They said, being fair, selling quality products and treating customers as if they were family will keep them coming back. Being a dentist isn’t much different. I’m selling myself and my skills to gain my atients trust and conﬁdence. hat s how I have built my practice for more than 30 years, and the fact that I am now treating four generations of some families proves what I learned was true. I’m proud to display the original s ohen s sign in my o ﬁce hallway, a continual reminder to me of the lessons I learned — treat people right, and they’ll keep coming back!

MY TEAM AND I FREQUENTLY: Attend continuing education courses to keep our

o ﬁce u to date on the newest changes in dental technology and techniques in dental medicine.

I KNEW I WANTED TO BE A DENTIST WHEN: My godmother gave me a junior dentist kit at age 8. I loved the tools and the aluminum oil sha ings or ﬁlling the ca ities

I SUPPORT MY COMMUNITY BY: Donating and raising funds for local, national and international charities. We have challenged our Facebook following to raise money for Greenbriar Children’s Center Christmas fund, and we also raise money for Ronald McDonald House Charities at its Wine, Women and Shoes annual event.

I WISH MORE OF MY PATIENTS WOULD: Understand how important oral health is to their overall well-being.

Lindsay Sammons, DMD

HOWARD FAMILY DENTAL, POOLER

91 Brighton Woods Drive, Pooler 912.748.4858

howardfamilydental.com

MEDICAL DEGREE: DMD, Medical College of Georgia Dental School

AFFILIATIONS: American Academy of Facial Esthetics, American Dental Association, Georgia Dental Association, Academy of General Dentistry

I’M MOST EXCITED ABOUT: All things airway. I have been providing sleep solutions for patients for more than 15 years now, and I have recently completed my mini residencies in adult and pediatric airway health solutions as well advanced myofunctional orthodontics. I am motivated daily to ﬁnd solutions or atients who are suffering from sleep-related breathing disorders and educating patients on how this affects development, overall health and oral health. I can’t say enough about ensuring my patients get the best care and information on living a healthy lifestyle and helping them make changes that lead to a healthy body and mouth. Breathing and thriving is so important for your overall health, and, when you aren’t, it wreaks havoc on your body and your mouth.

I’M MOST PROUD OF: My drive to offer more to my patients than just treating

cavities and oral disease. We focus on root cause as well as the best course of treatment for their oral condition.

MY FAVORITE WAY TO STAY FIT: Weight training.

I WISH MORE OF MY PATIENTS WOULD STOP: Eating the terrible processed foods out there. The direct link to bad health and these highly processed foods is real. Read ingredient labels and eat as close to whole foods as possible.

FOODS TO AVOID TO HELP IMPROVE YOUR HEALTH: Ultra-processed foods, seed oils and genetically modiﬁed ingredients. it is made in a lab, should you eat it? “You are what you eat gets re eated in my o ﬁce daily! I focus on educating my patients on the things no one else is talking about and how it affects their overall health and oral health.

Mark N. Dye, DMD

MARK N. DYE, DMD LLC

310 Eisenhower Drive, Building 14 912.355.2424 thesavannahdentist.com

MEDICAL DEGREE: Tufts University School of Dental Medicine

RESIDENCY: Tufts University School of Dental Medicine

ORGANIZATIONS: American Dental Association, Georgia Dental Association, Dental Organization for Conscious Sedation, American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry

MY APPROACH TO DENTISTRY: A conservative approach. My patients know that they will not have to deal with highpressure sales and excessive treatment plans.

MY PATIENTS WOULD DESCRIBE MY CHAIRSIDE MANNER AS: Professional, knowledgeable and caring with a sense of humor.

I LOVE SINKING MY TEETH INTO: Tableside guacamole, shrimp tacos and a spicy margarita at Tequila’s Town.

ADD YEARS TO YOUR LIFE BY: rushing and ossing twice a day

AFTER A STRESSFUL DAY, I UNWIND BY: Hopping on my bicycle for a leisurely ride around the many bike trails at The Landings on Skidaway Island.

WE ARE PROUD TO BE: Truly state-ofthe art We are constantly redeﬁning exceptional dentistry with the latest dental technology. We are one o our regional dentists to use an iTero Scanner for digital impressions. This means no more mouthfuls of goo.

MY DENTISTRY PHILOSOPHY: If it isn’t roken then don t ﬁ it. We take ride in offering quality cosmetic and general dentistry to our patients, but one of the things our patients seem to appreciate most is that we do not push unwanted procedures on them.

Ageless Altruism

What we can learn from an octogenarian’s age-defying approach to civic engagement

Written by ETHAN MATHEWS

AT 81 YEARS OLD, Toby Hollenberg could easily be enjoying the leisurely pace of retirement, perhaps indulging in the quiet comforts that come with advancing years. Yet, for Hollenberg, settling into the expected rhythm of the golden years is simply not her style.

“People ask, ‘Why do you do so much?’” says Hollenberg. “Well, what else would I do with myself? I don’t play mahjong and I don’t play bridge. I don’t denigrate anybody who does because that’s social and that’s important, but I’ve just always had a very compassionate feeling for people who have less.”

This compassion, coupled with a lifetime of constant movement and adapting to new environments, is what fuels her today as she volunteers her time, talent and resources to local boards, committees and anywhere else she identiﬁes a need. “Finding something I can do to help make a diﬀerence in someone else’s life is what makes life worthwhile as far as I’m concerned,” Hollenberg says while curling a 25-pound dumbbell.

OK, that last part is not true, but she does do three intensive workouts every week with diﬀerent personal trainers — two of which are opera singers for the Savannah VOICE Festival she co-chairs. Hollenberg says this ﬁtness regimen is integral to staying healthy and active at her age, and when she begins to feel tired throughout the day, she simply goes for a walk.

Hollenberg was born in Brooklyn in 1943. “I grew up with less ﬁnancially, but not emotionally,” she says. “I always had family around me, food to eat, and a roof over my head.” Unable to aﬀord college, she returned to Brooklyn after high school to live with her aunt and commute to work in Manhattan, where she met her husband, Stephen Hollenberg, on a blind date. Three years later, his career would take them from Pennsylvania to Georgia, to Texas, back to New York, to Kansas, to Missouri, to New Jersey, to Connecticut, then back to New York again.

“I had ‘jobs’ — he had a career,” she says. “And that was ﬁne because I had interesting jobs.”

Throughout her many lives, Hollenberg served as the principal of

a religious school in St. Louis, Missouri, administrative director of a youth and family services agency, and a relocation director for a real estate company.

“My modus operandi with every place was to get involved with everything,” says Hollenberg. “Find the places you feel you can be most eﬀective and that are most meaningful.”

Before she and her husband had arrived in Savannah to retire in 1997, Hollenberg had already made plans to volunteer with a pediatric care home, and within a week of arrival, she began volunteering with the Congregation Mickve Israel, where she would later serve as president. After her husband’s passing in 2004 from pancreatic cancer, Hollenberg created the Stephen D. Hollenberg Memorial Patient Assistance Fund, which works with social workers at local hospitals to provide ﬁnancial assistance to cancer patients. Her volunteer work for Medbank, League of Women Voters, One Hundred Children’s Foundation, and myriad other local organizations ﬁlled the gaps between life events that would make, for most others, an extremely tiring retirement.

In addition to serving as co-chair of the Savannah VOICE Festival, Hollenberg currently sits on the board of Horizons Savannah and Hospice Savannah. This involvement has presented a unique opportunity to exercise her skills as a networker — with one of her famous Landings soirees producing partnerships like the VOICES That Heal Listening Labs, providing soothing and healing music to hospice patients. Hollenberg also admits to an unexpected perk from hosting VOICE singers during the festival, ﬁlling her home with music and energy for which she is deeply grateful.

Hollenberg lives her life at the intersection of physical, mental, and spiritual strength and endurance, and shows no signs of slowing down.

Toby Hollenberg

REFINE’S REBRAND

Local favorite for aesthetic medicine announces Altera Aesthetix

IF YOU’VE BEEN around the aesthetics block in Savannah and surrounding areas, chances are you’ve heard of Reﬁne. Currently serving Savannah, Statesboro and Richmond Hill, Reﬁne specializes in all things medical aesthetics with a foundational emphasis on injectable

treatments like Botox and ﬁller. Now, this beacon of aesthetic medicine is announcing a rebrand as Altera Aesthetix. Co-owners Martina Kolovich and Janie Futch share what’s happening at Reﬁne and what you can expect to see in the future from Altera.

WHAT PROMPTED A NAME CHANGE AFTER ALMOST FIVE YEARS?

We learned we would need to change our name given growth and expansion plans we have been working on. Unfortunately, the name Reﬁne is too generalized. We were absolutely

devastated because that’s the name that gave us the path we are on, and it’s what all of our beloved patients have known us as since inception. Although we didn’t know then where our journey would take us, we are excited it has come this far and are ready for the next steps. Change can be liberating and necessary sometimes!

IS ANYTHING ELSE CHANGING?

No. Genuinely, there are no other changes occurring at our practices other than some letters. Same ownership, same providers, same treatments, same products, same brand colors — just a new name!

AND A COOL NEW LOGO ... ANY OTHER REBRAND REFRESHES?

We have thrown in some renovations to help spruce up our look along the way. Sometimes even our buildings and spaces need a little refresh and revamp!

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE LOOK LIKE FOR ALTERA IN TERMS OF VISION AND GROWTH?

Although nothing is changing at our current locations, what clients and residents may see is more opportunity with our aesthetics brand in other places. We have decided on the growth track of franchising because we want this

opportunity to exist for others — for owners and providers as well as for more patients in more places.

HOW WILL THIS GROWTH IMPACT YOUR PATIENTS?

We’ve found there is strength in numbers for our Altera community. The bigger our network, the more advantages we’ve witnessed. There are more perks for our patients in the form of higher education from providers and the ability to offer more affordable and a wider array of services. Also, more providers mean more minds off which to bounce ideas and share innovations and clinical outcomes. When our patient outcomes and results are better, our providers and patients always win!

WHAT ROLE DOES EDUCATION PLAY IN WHAT YOU DO?

Our foundation is in education —not only making sure our providers are the most up to date with the ever-evolving aesthetics industry, but also making sure our patients are educated consumers. They lead the charge in their aesthetic journeys while utilizing our expertise. Patient goals are always diﬀerent from one to the next. We don’t believe in cookiecutter services and truly enjoy spending the time customizing our services for each patient’s journey.

WHAT DOES YOUR BRAND REPRESENT?

What we and our brand represent is still the same. At Altera, our belief is that aesthetic services should be more accessible and part of a normal self-care routine — something that exists to make our patients feel like their best selves and exude conﬁdence that aﬀects the rest of their lives positively. Over the years, we’ve gotten creative with memberships and treatment plans to make these services more patient-friendly. We love establishing long-term relationships with our patients; they have become like friends and family.

WHAT'S ONE THING YOU WANT FUTURE AND POTENTIAL PATIENTS TO KNOW?

Our consults are always complimentary. We know that the world of aesthetic procedures can feel overwhelming and intimidating. We want our patients to feel comfortable when they come in. We want them to feel we are educating them with no pressure to do anything they don’t want to do. Every patient is unique, and, sometimes, it’s the smallest things that lead to the biggest changes in appearance and conﬁdence. Sometimes, all you need is a little alteration.

APR.25

The Caretta Research Project (CRP) celebrated 52 years of saving loggerhead turtles with funds raised through a popular event held at Beaulieu this year, providing food, a silent auction and live music at Beaulieu. CRP’s mission is to ensure the long-term protection and full recovery of the Northwest Atlantic loggerhead population through conservation, research and education. Since 1973, CRP has helped produce a signiﬁcant increase in loggerhead nesting on Wassaw National Wildlife Refuge.

Photography by ALLISON SMITH

The Ultimate Summer Giveaway

Savannah magazine has partnered with Gaylord Palms and Orlando magazine to give three readers an amazing 2-night summer vacation experience for up to 4 people!

Our three lucky winners will receive:

Two-night room accommodations at Gaylord Palms for up to four (4) people (one room) based on availability.

$100 Resort Credit toward dining, cabana rental or spa services. All applicable taxes, daily resort fee, and self-parking for one (1) vehicle.

SHIPS

Celestial Seafarers

MAY 22-23

In celebration of National Maritime Day, Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum put on an immersive, multi-artist nautical collaboration evoking the light and sounds of a nighttime voyage. Celestial Seafarers featured artist installations throughout the gardens and inside the Scarbrough House, including work by Marcus Kenney, Todd Schroeder, Abby Portner, Greg Finger, Will Penny, Kevin Kirkwood, and more.

Photography by ALEXANDER NEUMANN

Leading Ladies Launch Party

MAY 15

Savannah magazine launched its May/June Leading Ladies issue with a happy hour party at The Alida Hotel’s rooftop bar, The Lost Square. Savannah’s fantastic, ﬁerce females celebrated each other and themselves with cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, live music from Swing del Sur and uplifting conversation. Cover girl Emily McCarthy and her crew at Emily McCarthy Shoppe along with Neilie S. Dunn Public Relations provided a fun backdrop for photos and branded cups for the event.

Photography by ANGELA HOPPER

PARK PLACE OUTREACH

Premier Kentucky Derby Party

MAY 4

The Olde Pink House and Park Place Outreach Inc. partnered to host the ﬁfth annual Savannah’s Premier Kentucky Derby Party. Proceeds from the event go to support Park Place’s programming for homeless, runaway and at-risk youth in the Savannah community. Attendees participated in a silent auction and rafﬂes while watching the 150th Kentucky Derby via livestream and enjoying live music and unlimited Pink House cuisine and cocktails. Prizes were awarded for Best Bow Tie, Best Hat/Fascinator and Overall Best Dressed.

Photography by ALEXANDER NEUMANN

RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE CHARITIES

The 10th annual fundraiser for Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Coastal Empire took place at Kehoe Iron Works at Trustees’ Garden. Attendees enjoyed a night of sip-sational wines, fabulous shopping, culinary delights, charming “Shoe Guys” and a Best Shoes competition.

Photography

ALEXANDER NEUMANN

Night of Champions

MAY 3

The 15th annual Night of Champions at the Savannah International Trade & Convention Center began with a cocktail hour and dinner, followed by a special ceremony honoring LDSS’s 2024 Champions. The program also recognized area businesses that employ differently abled adults and celebrated the contributions made by these employees. Guests enjoyed a silent auction, gourmet coffees and European desserts. A hiring expo was also part of the festivities, giving companies and potential employees an opportunity to network.

Photography by ALEXANDER NEUMANN

COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN

APR. 26

SCAD kicked off Family and Alumni Weekend with Fête 45, an unforgettable evening celebrating 45 years of SCAD star power, at the SCAD Museum of Art. The evening, which included hors d’oeuvres, cocktails and music, began a weekend of events that included the Sidewalk Arts Festival, tours and open houses.

by CHANCELLOR HUDSON

SAVANNAH

Photography

SAVANNAH TREE FOUNDATION

Green Gala

APR. 20

Friends of Savannah Tree Foundation gathered at Tiedeman Park on the Atlantic Mall to celebrate trees and honor Audrey Platt, 2024’s Tree Champion. Attendees enjoyed an eco-friendly evening with cocktails, a sustainably sourced four-course dinner, live music and a silent auction in support of the foundation’s mission of protecting and growing Chatham County’s urban forest through tree planting, community engagement and advocacy. “Green” also refers to the sustainable practices implemented at this event — from compostable serveware to digital programs to a robust recycling program. Striving for the “greenest” event in town, the last two Green Galas have only produced four bags of trash each!

Photography

by MALCOLM

TULLY

the AFTERWORD

Mistakes were Made

Written by ANDREA GOTO

“I’LL

HAVE THE SHRIMP.”

“I’ll have ... ” My husband pauses, looks me hard in the eyes, and then finishes his request. “ ... the steak.”

The server collects our menus and walks away, and I’m unsure of my offense.

We’re at a steakhouse in a small Nebraska town (village?) where my husband lived for the first 10 years of his life. When I say “small,” I mean that there is one stoplight, the post office is the social hub, and strangers are disconcertingly friendly — to the point that you begin to wonder if you’re the first human they’ve had contact with since the growing season started. What I didn’t seem to notice were all the cows.

Cows are not particularly interesting to me. I grew up in close proximity to dairy farms, so their common presence is akin to that of the “palmetto bug” in the South. Visitors get really amped up when they see the latter using a halffunctioning leg to drag its near-lifeless body — sickened by the recent pest-control treatment — slowly across the floor.

“You have cockroaches?!” they exclaim from atop the coffee table.

“No, not really. I mean, yeah. Everyone does.” It’s not a satisfying answer, but if you know, you know.

Then again, I’ve always lived near a coast, so ordering shrimp — or any seafood, really — is fairly routine and, until this moment with my husband, uneventful.

“Who goes to a steakhouse in Nebraska and orders shrimp?!”

“Me?” I offer.

“Name the nearest large body of water.”

I contemplate this for a minute. I know we’re somewhere in the middle of the United States, but I’m not certain if Nebraska is geographically closer to the Atlantic or Pacific, or — “Oh. I get it.”

When the shrimp comes, it’s unrecognizable as such. It’s about the size of my fourth toe, smells faintly like a pencil eraser and is tightly curled, as if ashamed to share the same scientific classification as the sweet, wild Georgia shrimp that is heavenly in any form, whether it’s lounging on a bed of grits and covered in a rich, tasso gravy or served up practically naked — boiled and buttered.

I try to hide my disappointment and dive in. I begin to chew.

There’s no taste, but definitely a texture that’s not unlike a wad of gum. I chew and chew and chew, and in spite of my effort, the little sucker seems to be getting bigger rather than smaller. Eventually, I give up and just swallow it whole, thinking that choking to death is a better alternative than enduring another bite.

My husband smiles at me knowingly, and I hate him for it, until he offers a single bite of his steak paired with a smidgen of baked potato, which I feebly accept. It’s a flavor explosion. On the front end are notes of charcoal and savory fat which seems to disintegrate with the gentlest bite. Its finish is rich, buttery and earthy, no doubt thanks to the expertly baked brown russet. I immediately understand the error of my ways.

When you have access to fresh, local seafood — like we do here in coastal Georgia (and they don’t in Nebraska) — it’s easy to take it for granted. Clams, oysters, blue crab, sea bass, snapper, mahi-mahi, wahoo … the list goes on. You can enjoy harvesting or hooking your own, or shop at local longstanding seafood markets. But if you’re like me and don’t have the patience for fishing or the skills for cooking, then you quickly become familiar with the Savannah restaurants serving topnotch seafood dishes and visit frequently to satisfy your seafood-loving heart.

My husband tried to tell me about the steak in Nebraska and warn me about the shrimp. It’s a mistake I won’t make twice.