Harvesting Heritage: Voices From the Mosquito Fleet

Born and raised in North Charleston, Amethyst Ganaway has been featured in the New York Times, Food & Wine, Garden & Gun and more. Specializing in Southern and African American foodways and the foodways of the African Diaspora, Ganaway also recently headlined the Charleston Wine + Food Festival. She uses her position as a chef and food writer to tell the stories of the region’s history, culture, art, cuisine, and environment. 

Bill "Cubby" Wilder was born in Charleston in 1940 and perhaps more than anyone else, has championed the revitalization of Mosquito Beach and has safeguarded its history. As a child, people called the area "The Factory" for the old oyster factory that was located there. His father, mother and aunt all worked at the factory. Mr. Wilder also recounts how Joe "Kingpin" Chavis had a store where he would sell seafood and other items to beach visitors. Wilder also explains some of the connections between various families like the Lafayette's and Wilders and talks of how his uncle Apple Wilder built the Harborview Pavilion in 1953 and how other clubs and businesses followed suit. Hurricane Gracie in 1959 did a great deal of damage and destroyed the first pavilion. Mr. Wilder talks about the popularity of Mosquito Beach in context with other poplar Black entertainment spots and how people were drawn here from a large geographic area. He talks about the long journey to Atlantic Beach. He describes the dating scene as the "bird and the bees" and relates his memories of moonshine and bootlegging in the area. Wilder talks too about how Mosquito Beach was a safe haven during segregation and recounts that the Pine Tree hotel was open from 1962 to 1989 when it was wrecked by Hurricane Hugo. He also discusses the recent past and the future for Mosquito Beach.

Chef Reggie Miller is the executive chef and owner of Miller Cuisine, a Charleston based private dining and catering company. With over 10 years of experience in both savory and pastry, his work is rooted in technique, seasonality, and ingredient driven storytelling. He specializes in intimate, farm to table dining experiences that highlight local sourcing and from-scratch cooking. 

Will Green is a Columbia native. A nearly two-decade veteran of the bar industry, he is part owner in two Columbia institutions: WECO Bottle and Biergarten and The Hoot. He also works as a bar/restaurant consultant.