Week of August 3
The College of Charleston quietly demolishes the old YWCA, Peninsula Grill names a new executive chef, and Odd Duck Market plants its flag beyond Park Circle.
The week's most contentious story broke Monday morning: a citizens group is expected to formally protest the College of Charleston's demolition of the former YWCA headquarters on Calhoun Street, with no advance notice given to the public. Separately, the college unveiled expansive plans for a new business school and hospitality hub — a campus-reshaping ambition that makes the quiet teardown all the more pointed. On the food front, Peninsula Grill hired its next executive chef, a former line cook who worked his way back to the top of the same kitchen, and Odd Duck Market confirmed a Lowcountry expansion beyond its Park Circle original.
For dinner this week, Peninsula Grill on Chalmers Street is worth revisiting with John Ondo in the kitchen. If you haven't made it to Odd Duck Market at 1082 East Montague Ave., the expansion news is a good prompt. And if you want to weigh in on what Charleston's tourism future should look like, the city's new 'Charleston Standard' plan is actively seeking resident input — find it through the city's tourism office before the comment window closes.