Chef Frank McMahon of Hank’s Seafood bustles around my kitchen like he designed it himself, telling stories while he whips up exquisite specialties for a private dinner for 8. Tonight he will be serving marinated vermillion snapper, clams and oysters on the half shell (with two kinds of sauces),tuna tartare with mango salsa, a fantastic salad with speck, eggplant jam, heirloom tomatoes, and other local produce, and roasted redfish with truffled chive potato salad, and the Peninsula Grill‘s famous coconut cake.
How did a renowned chef from Hank’s Seafood end up here? In my kitchen? It all started with Jamee Haley, of Lowcountry Local First. Having lived on Dewees Island, Jamee knew what a great place it was to harvest local seafood and truly experience the bounty of the Lowcountry. She also knew Frank, so she managed to connect us: we could provide a great, off-the-beaten-path venue, and Frank a fantastic meal.  At LLF’s 5th Annual Chef’s Pot Luck fundraiser at Middleton Place, the dinner was auctioned off.  It was purchased by the Leadem family, of Charleston and Hilton Head.

So Reggie and I arrived at the ferry dock to pick up Frank and his general manager, Joe Caughman, and felt like old friends minutes after meeting them!  Neither had been to the island before, so we showed them around, and then they headed over to our house to prep dinner.  The Leadems and their guests arrived on the 5:00 ferry, where we loaded up the golf carts for an evening safari.  Since no safari is complete without a “sundowner,” we also had vodka tonics, dark-n-stormies, and wine and beer.  We explored the natural vistas of Dewees, spent a few minutes on the empty front beach, and headed back to our deck for the sunset and dinner.

The food Frank and Joe prepared was exquisite: local and fresh, and it reminded me that we need to make reservations at Hank’s soon.  It’s been a favorite of ours for family celebrations, and we are certainly looking forward to heading there again.  Frank also brought us a fantastic book filled with recipes and stories from the restaurant.  It’s a fabulous read, and would make a great holiday or birthday present for someone.  You’ll have to head on over to the restaurant to get one– I couldn’t find a link to it online.  And he introduced me to clams on the half-shell… I might never cook another clam.

In the end, we were thrilled with the evening.  We introduced Dewees to a new group of people, we got to meet new folks, and we will be devotees of Frank and Hanks Restaurant forever.