Building Community through Food: Lowcountry Fresh Market

by LeeAnna Tatum

Dissatisfied with the typical post-professional life, self-proclaimed “failed retirees”, Andy and Cindy Rolfe wanted to start a new business that would give them the opportunity to put their skills to use while providing something beneficial to their local community as well.

After meeting with members of the Beaufort County Economic Development Corporation and the South Carolina Food Hub Network, the couple was directed to the Gullah Farmers Cooperative Association. From there, they learned about the bounty of regional foods that were available and learned from the farmers that what they needed most was a reliable market for their goods.

Lowcountry Fresh Market in Beaufort opened for business in May of 2021. The market includes grocery items from select farms, dairies, and seafood providers; a deli counter, bakery, and cafe. There are also lots of events highlighting local chefs and farmers and include everything from informal fine dining to cooking demonstrations and classes.

More than simply a place for people to shop for local fare, the Rolfes are attempting to cultivate a sense of community centered around products from the local farms and ports of the Lowcountry by creating a destination point that celebrates the amazing bounty of the region’s foods.

“We wanted to have a great food destination,” Cindy explained. “We were really inspired by food halls in places like Italy and Chicago, some of the food halls in California … places where it’s all about the food and you’re expecting to see artisanal representation.”

“We’ve been having conversations, not just with the farmers but with people like Matthew Raifford who came to visit and Jason Wallace who is a chef from the farming community and Kevin Mitchell, a chef at the technical college here based out of Charleston,” Cindy continued. “They came to give us advice on the kitchen design and to get to know the concept. Those are the kinds of contacts we tried to make because we know there’s a lot we don’t know.”

A foodies’ delight, the Market is a place to not only find high quality ingredients sourced locally; but also an abundance of fresh baked goods and made-from-scratch menu items from the bakery, deli counter and cafe.

“We want to create a place where the story youtell, and the story that’s true, is that everything ismade in house - right down to the pickles on the

side of your plate - were made right here in the kitchen,” Cindy said. “When you get a sandwich here, the turkey came in as a turkey breast from a family farm, it was smoked here, and sliced for the sandwich. It’s a time-consuming, labor-intensive, skill-intensive way to do it, but it’s worth it.”

Head Chef Modou Jaiteh is one the people helping create this food destination. Modou is originally from Gambia, West Africa, where the cuisine is similar in many ways and has many historical ties to that of the Lowcountry.

“For me, it’s about making those connections between the food of the Lowcountry and West Africa more obvious, but in a good way,” Modou explained. “Despite all the pain and hurt. It builds from that … there’s a lot of historical relevance and we’re just hoping to keep that up. Anyone can cook food but we want to serve food that is nurturing and healthy and food that encourages thought and conversation.”

If the employees are like a family and the building is their home, the kitchen and their Head Chef would represent the heart of that home.

“For me, to be in the kitchen is about nurturing people,” Modou said. “It’s like a warm hug in a way. That’s what I like about this job…. You’re not just cooking for yourself, you’re cooking for people. You know how everyone has a mom or a grandma or an aunt - and that’s what they do, they just want to feed you? So, we’re trying to find that balance between a professional kitchen … and that familiarity - making food that is more than just food.”

Whether seeking out fresh produce, a cooked meal or a food experience like a cooking class; customers here can expect to know where their food came from.

“I’d say people who are here on a regular basis and are really excited about it (we get a lot of really positive feedback); they really care about food and where it comes from, and they like having confidence about that,” Cindy said. “We like to talk about who the farmer is. We always attribute a product to the farm when we are 100% confident that’s where it came from. If not, that’s what we say - we know it’s US sourced, but that’s all we know.”

Customer education about local foods, seasons, and growing practices is routine and ongoing throughout the Market; though most of their regular customers come into the store with a good idea of what to expect.

“We have regulars that we know by name. They’re foodies … they come in regularly and they know what we’re going to have because they pay attention to the seasons. We have some people who come in from elsewhere and then we have locals who like having access to the farm product, but they’re too busy working to go to the farmers’ markets all the time. So, they’ll come in and go through the produce section and maybe get a few other things like a baguette which is one of our biggest sellers.”

Not only does the Market provide area farmers with a place to sell their goods and produce at a fair price; but the Rolfes are also serving their community by creating a healthy and empowering workplace for their employees. The couple strives to pay a living wage to their employees, provide healthcare and 401k benefits and also endeavor to create an environment where employees are encouraged to learn from each other and to grow their skills.

All this adds up to prices that aren’t cheap, but are more of a true reflection of food prices that actually support a healthy food economy.

Jessica Mantz, Produce Merchandising Lead, enjoys getting to know the farmers and working with them to get the best produce possible for her customers.

“We will always say to a farmer that we will try to sell it (their produce) for the price they need ... We have to mark it up enough to cover the cost of the building, we pay our employees $15/hour starting out, they get health insurance if they’re full time, they get a 401k that we contribute to. Our goal is that people have a career, that they’re learning from each other, that they can save for the future and they can take care of their health; so that costs more than average,” Cindy explained. “Plus, we make sure the farmer can make money on it ... Our goal is break-even. Some day maybe we’ll do better than that, but for now that’s the goal.”

Head Chef Moudou Jaiteh pictured in the demonstration kitchen where cooking demos and classes are held with a variety of area chefs.

To transition America’s national and international food system back toward a more localized system that honors the farmers, the land, the animals, and those who work in the food industry; we will need more entrepreneurs like the Rolfes who are willing to take a risk in support of regional food communities. And we will need more consumers who understand the importance of paying a price for food that reflects those values.

Lowcountry Fresh Market is a hub that brings together producers, farmers, chefs and consumers for a unique food experience. For more information, check out their website and follow them on social media.