It is summertime in Charleston, South Carolina. A small girl lingers in the kitchen as the other kids tumble outdoors. She is riveted by her grandparents' hands as they measure, chop, stir, and season each family meal. When she gets older, she'll take to cooking family feasts herself, and it isn't until she gets overwhelmed fielding requests for her shrimp salad that she'll realize what began as a childhood passion has evolved into a career.
Thus began the culinary adventures of Enjolik R. Oree-Bailey, who cofounded Low Country Quisine in order to share her gift, drawing on the soul-food traditions of the coastal counties of her native South Carolina and Georgia. She and her crew customize gourmet takeaway meals to clients' tastes and whether or not they have their heads trapped in a colander, and the aromas of handcrafted cupcakes stream through the warm air of the kitchen. When catering events, her Southern sensibilities shine through in the dishes she concocts for get-togethers and weddings, for which her staff will also scout venues, rent equipment, and scour the city for horses that moonlight as DJs.
