Electrician Contractor in Greenville, SC

Food news is heavy on new beginnings this week, starting with the family-owned Pho Nomenal (pronounced fuh-nom-eh-nal) on Haywood Road in Greenville.

The restaurant opened Oct. 18 and offers authentic Vietnamese cuisine, including rice platters and soups.

Pho (a type of traditional Vietnamese soup) is the main focus, and just in time for the cool weather. The broth is made over the course of six to eight hours, releasing the ingredients’ natural flavors. The slow-cooking process makes all the difference for owner and manager, Dan Vo.

“There’s only one way of cooking it the traditional way,” Vo said. “When you eat it, you do feel good about the food.”

Even when eating out, the taste of pho is still in the diner’s hands with additions such as Thai basil, hoisin or chili-garlic sauce for those who want to add serious heat.

The dining area is adorned with yellow walls and colorful silk lanterns, a silk lantern accent wall, and, of course, a lucky cat. The bright decor pairs with the zesty and aromatic flavors of the noodle soup the restaurant’s name pays a tribute to, a reminder that noodle soup is, indeed, good for the soul.

Pho Nomenal, located at 477 Haywood Road, Suite D, is open Monday-Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

In other feel-good food news, Indaco Greenville is now open for lunch on Thursdays and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

The eatery from Charleston-based The Indigo Road Hospitality Group offers a variety of savory panini sandwiches served with rosemary fries, pizzas and pastas.

There are five panini options: sausage and peppers, Italian, sausage and broccoli, shrimp roll, and apple and goat cheese. For pizzas, Indaco offers margherita, fig and spicy soppressata salami. For pastas, there is tagliatelle with pork tesa and a filled triangoli sans meat.

Indaco is located at 40 W. Broad St. in downtown Greenville. In addition to the new lunch hours, dinner is served beginning at 5 p.m. seven days a week. Weekend brunch begins at 11 a.m.

For pizza lovers, Rapid Fired Pizza will offer free cheese pizzas to anyone dining in costume this Halloween at the Pelham Road, Augusta Street, Easley and Spartanburg locations.

Next, The Silos in downtown Easley announced on social media that Southern Fuel Coffee & Eats will soon open a location at The Silos and teased another concept for the space. Clientele will have to stay tuned for what comes next.

Finally, on Oct. 15, Gretchen’s ABS Cakes, Cafe, and Supplies announced on its Facebook page that the bakery will be closing after 25 years in business while its owners, Gretchen and Craig Grounsell, embark on a new journey into retirement.

The shop will no longer take orders for specialty cakes but will still take orders for simply designed cakes and various other baked goods and supplies. It is located at 439 N. Main St., Mauldin.

Standing on the elegantly arched Liberty Bridge, suspended over the rushing, tumbling waters of the Reedy River in Greenville, South Carolina, it is difficult to imagine that the burgeoning Southern city has ever looked any other way. The bridge itself is an aesthetically pleasing marvel, curving dramatically over the city’s Falls Park on the Reedy, where the river tumbles downward over a series of natural cataracts before the Reedy continues on through the city at a more placid pace. The park occupies a perfectly central position in the heart of the city’s downtown commerce district, a focal point that can accommodate huge numbers of pedestrians and families as they make their way to any of the numerous spots to grab a bite, or shop, or entertain themselves in the area. It feels like such a natural fixture that you half expect the falls would have been the reason the city was built in this location in the first place–how strange, then, to learn that until two decades ago, the entire area was inaccessible, hidden away under a highway!

The renovation and transformation of Falls Park on the Reedy, then, serves as an obvious metaphor for the rebirth of Greenville itself, a city that in the space of a few decades went from a declining industrial hub to one of the region’s most highly rated tourism destinations. Where there once stood textile mills and supporting industrial buildings, there are now green spaces and water features, alongside countless amenities for visitors, with the shell of the mills still preserved for the sake of local history. Since its official opening in 2004, the park and its 355-foot bridge have served as a locus, a symbol of Greenville’s revitalization as it embraces its future as “GVL,” a spiritual successor, perhaps, to the nearby Asheville, North Carolina. The place feels like it symbolizes the hope of the city’s residents for a bright future.

That hope and positivity were on full display this past weekend at the city’s annual Fall for Greenville festival, a combination food/music/arts/beer fest, celebrating the city’s vivacious personality and local restaurant scene for more than 40 years. Stretching up and down the length of GVL’s Main Street, with a footprint stretching for roughly seven blocks, the festival encompassed more than 60 restaurant booths and six musical stages, with more than 80 musical acts performing from Friday-Sunday. Simultaneously, beer and wine garden vendors poured from a variety of 50-plus beer, wine and cider libations, many of them from within state lines.

There were, of course, some real treats for the foodies in attendance. I found myself particularly enjoying crispy fried green tomatoes, drizzled with horseradish dijon from riverside gastropub Smoke on the Water, followed by Tasso ham gravy shrimp ‘n grits–there were so many shrimp/grit combinations at this festival–from steakhouse Larkin’s, which balanced a savory, smoky ham broth with the brightness of sweet peppers. But being a Paste writer and resident beer and spirits obsessive, I was soon compelled to journey outside the festival grounds to visit a handful of Greenville’s burgeoning craft breweries.

Here, then, in classic Paste fashion, is a breakdown of some of the excellent beer options you can find when you’re down in Greenville, South Carolina.

Greenville Craft Beer Highlights

1. Liability Brewing

North of downtown GVL, one can find Liability Brewing, which is immediately notable on a national scale for the fact that it’s a Certified B Corporation, one of only 18 U.S. breweries (among 10,000 or so) that can live up to this extremely high environmental standard set by B Lab, a global nonprofit that seeks to “transform the economic system into a more inclusive, equitable and regenerative global economy.” Liability is likely one of the smallest craft breweries to qualify for B Corp status, the others of which in the U.S. include such well-known names as Allagash, New Belgium and Lawson’s Finest Liquids.

With a beer lineup that leans toward comic book and geek-friendly inspirations–how could avowed John Carpenter fans like ourselves not enjoy the brewery’s They Live mural?–Liability Brewing produces a diverse array of styles, but has been especially praised for their spot-on, traditional Belgian ales. That includes repeat medal winner Feral Garden Gnome, a mid-strength Belgian blonde ale that displays sunny notes of banana bread, pear and sweet spice.

2. Tetrad Brewing

Just down the street from Liability is Tetrad Brewing, an outdoorsy feeling operation that recently celebrated its fourth year in operation. Freshly popped, buttery popcorn announces its presence the moment you walk in, with gratis bar snacks always being a nice touch to see in any brewery taproom. Mounted on the wall, meanwhile, is the dusty old Mr. Beer kit that first inspired the commercial brewing operation, purchased by co-founder Chad Tydings for his friend John Bucher for his 22nd birthday. Fast forward a few years, and Chad and John are still brewing compatriots, naming their brewery Tetrad in honor of the “four corners of this great country” where they have resides.

Tetrad’s beer lineup feels almost like a Pacific Northwest transplant, combining elements such as West Coast pale ale with dry, hop-forward takes on American stout or American brown ale, styles that rarely feel quite so represented in the modern beer world. The latter brown ale on tap when I visited was a collaboration with the brewery’s in-house fan club, which allows customers to design and brew beers of their choosing at Tetrad. The IPA program, meanwhile, takes more inspiration from the roots of the hazy, NE-IPA movement in Vermont, with flagship Traversed NEIPA likely being the best overall hazy IPA I encountered in Greenville–exceptionally soft, clean and fruity without being ostentatious in its delivery.

3. Carolina Bauernhaus Greenville

The original location of Carolina Bauernhaus–it’s simply German for “farmhouse”–is in the outskirts of the smaller city of Anderson, South Carolina, about 40 minutes south of Greenville. There, the award-winning farm brewer embraces its role as an advocate for sustainable agriculture and ecology, while tinkering in more or less every format of fermentation there is–they currently produce beer, cider and mead, lacking only wine in their in-house roster. The GVL location, meanwhile, acts as a slightly more urban face for the brand, bringing the fruits of the farm directly to their closest major metropolitan market.

The lineup of Carolina Bauernhaus is particularly diverse, with an eye toward wild ales and tinkering in unique and eclectic flavor combinations. The fresh, mildly tart Dat Peach Weisse is an obvious winner, as is the beguilingly spicy and herbal Farmhouse Rye IPA, for which the company has collected several awards. For my money, though, there’s nothing more satisfying at Carolina Bauernhaus than a simple glass of the house-made Petite Cider, a sessionable dry cider with delicate acidity and tannin that packs a glorious amount of flavor into a modest 4% ABV frame. This is the kind of cider I would like to have stocked in my home fridge all year round.

4. Greenville Beer Exchange

Greenville’s high-end bottle shop doubles as a far above average beer bar as well, bringing an array of drafts both from the immediate area and beyond, while highlighting some of the best breweries and meaderies of the Southeast and Europe. One can expect to find offerings from brewers such as Asheville’s Burial Beer Co., Charleston’s Edmund’s Oast or Atlanta’s Halfway Crooks, supported by classic Continental brews from Germany and Belgium. All that, and free pinball as well! How can you go wrong?

I was likewise thankful for the experience at Greenville Beer Exchange for another reason: It offered a chance to pay respects to the recent closure of one of the GVL area’s most influential and best-loved breweries, Birds Fly South. These pioneering brewers, known for their mastery of saison and quirky approach to brewing classic farmhouse ales, unexpectedly announced their closure in October, leaving many questions about the future of the Hampton Station shopping center where Birds Fly South had long been the anchor business. It’s not know what is next for the brewery’s founders, but for a short while at least, it’s still possible to stop by the GVL Beer Exchange and taste some of the final kegs and bottles that remain of one of the area’s guiding brewing lights.

If you happen to be visiting Greenville in the near future, it’s a stop I would definitely make. But regardless of when you come to the South Carolina city, you will no doubt find a beautiful and engaging experience.

Jim Vorel is a Paste staff writer and resident craft beer and liquor geek. You can follow him on Twitter for more drink writing.

In some ways, Mel Wilcox has waited so long to open his brewery that in the process of it all, he has grown into a different person.

The owner of Other Lands — a new brewery and coffee shop in a historic building at the edge of Greenville’s North Main neighborhood — is a father of two children now. His deep passion for beer remains strong, but he has also evolved his vision of the kind of brewery he wants to have.

The goal is to provide great beer, great coffee, great wine, great food, but also to provide a great space for people to be. Beer is the vehicle, not the ending point.

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“I don’t care much for accolades or awards,” Wilcox said of his vision for Other Lands. “The beer, wine and coffee are vessels for whatever you need them to be.”

The name “Other Lands” is an ode to a Walt Whitman poem and supports the vision of creating a place to stop, a space for community.

After a decade of discussion, dreaming, researching, building and waiting, Other Lands is now open.

The brewery inhabits the old Parker Way store on the corner of Rutherford and Worley roads. Wilcox and his co-owners — his wife, Caroline, and his lifelong friend, John Moorer and his wife, Brenna — found inspiration in the building to create more than a brewery.

In addition to being a brewery, Other Lands serves coffee and espresso drinks, a thoughtful list of natural wines, cocktails on draft and a curated selection of house-made food.

On a recent Monday, Other Lands is filled with light.

Large windows allow the sun to stream in, and on one side, garage door windows are up, allowing the fresh air to flow throughout the space. Wilcox smiles at his long-ago vision, now reality.

“It’s kind of surreal,” he said.

The idea for the concept grew out of Wilcox’s passion for brewing. The Birmingham native landed in Greenville to attend Furman University, and he fell in love with the city’s breweries.

He fast-tracked his Spanish major degree, with the intent of pursuing a master brewing certification through UC Davis’ prestigious program. So, while Wilcox studied at Furman, he also took the chemistry and other science-based prerequisites required for the certification.

GREENVILLE — Zac Leepper has to laugh at the fact that while he has worked in the restaurant industry for 20 years and as a chef for most of that time, he still can’t stand lobster.

In fact, Leepper doesn’t eat a lot of seafood — an irony the man who last month stepped into the role of executive chef at Roost restaurant embraces as a challenge.

“But I love cooking it,” Leepper said, a smile creeping onto his face. “I taste all the components as I go along. I know what goes together. I know how to make good food.”

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Leepper joins Roost as the restaurant, now 10 years old, is seeking a way to reinvigorate itself. Leepper may be just the answer.

The chef brings an extensive background and a passion for learning that has taken him across the country and into kitchens around the world. Leepper cut his chops at everywhere from Michelin three-star restaurants to fine-dining, country club restaurants; from elevated seafood restaurants to high-end Italian and steak eateries.

And still, on his days off, Leepper has been known to work in other kitchens, just to learn and experience more.

The team behind Roost searched for nearly a year to find the perfect fit to lead their kitchen, and they believe they found it in Leepper.

“We were seeking someone who had notable experience working with a world-renowned chef,” said Brian Crowne, food and beverage director. “We consider ourselves extremely fortunate to have found Zac because he has worked alongside two extraordinary chefs, gaining invaluable knowledge and expertise that will undoubtedly take Roost to new heights.”

The chef comes to Greenville by way of Naples, Florida. He knew little of the city prior to moving, he said, but he was excited to experience something new. Plus, the move was a chance for his fiancée, Kate, to advance her career.

With Roost, Leepper hopes to bring a freshness to the food menu while preserving the integrity of what has carried the restaurant through a decade. This means bringing his own touch to Southern fare, creating what the chef hopes is something just a little bit new.

“I try to dabble in a little bit of everything,” Leepper said. “Roost means a place to gather. I want to keep that Southern feel, but add my own spin on it.”

From dishwasher to chef

Leepper grew up in Springfield, Illinois, the youngest son of two parents who worked in real estate and auto sales. Given his parents worked a lot, he said the family relied a lot on food prepared outside the home. The result: Leepper’s palate was pretty limited.

That changed at 15, when he got a chance job washing dishes in a kitchen in what was then one of the nicer restaurants in Springfield. There, he proved himself and moved up quickly to helping prep food.

The chefs there would often make Leepper food to eat. Slowly his palate expanded, but it exploded when he started cooking.

The chef who became Leepper’s mentor insisted on certain standard practices, such as tasting everything.

“One day, he’s like, ‘Did you try this?’” Leepper said of a lobster dish special. “I was like, ‘No, I don’t eat lobster.’ I was really picky as a kid.

“He was like, ‘You either try that or get out of my restaurant,’” Leepper said smiling. “I learned to love a lot of different foods.”

Being forced to try everything did even more for Leepper’s passion for culinary. He went to school to study culinary arts but said he wasn’t quite cut out for a classroom setting. So, he focused on getting a hands-on education.

In the kitchen, he realized his lessons were only as limited as he allowed them to be.

It was while working at a local country club that Leepper saved up his vacation days to work somewhere else. He wrote to Alinea, Grant Achatz’s famed Chicago three-Michelin star restaurant, and he asked to work for a few days for free.

He didn’t expect to hear back, but he did.

Leepper spent 36 hours working at Alinea, soaking in every morsel of gastronomic innovation. On that third day, he was offered a job.

Since then, Leepper has lived his life in a whirlwind of kitchens. He spent time staging at most of the best restaurants in Chicago, among them Curtis Duffy’s lauded three-star Michelin restaurant, Grace. Duffy has been to Greenville many times to participate in euphoria.

“I just kind of started out washing dishes and moved myself up and fell in love with it,” Leepper said. “It was a job, but at some point, I fell in love with it and it became an art.”

What’s new

On a recent Tuesday, Leepper sips from a cup of black coffee as he talks about his plans — past and future. The chef is exhausted, moving to a new state, buying a house and starting a new job catching up to him. But he grows increasingly excited as he discusses the ideas he has for Roost.

The chef is measured in how he talks about change, but diners can be assured there are changes to come.

Some items will stay on the menu, as Roost remains attached to the Hyatt and must service guests and those visiting the city, but he also wants to excite the palates of old and new diners, to surprise and to satisfy.

To begin, Leepper is looking to Roost’s roots and focusing on seasonality. The menu will change at minimum quarterly, reflecting the produce that is in season.

For fall, Leepper has brought in root veggies, warming dishes and warming spices.

A new braised pork dish uses a familiar ingredient and is prepared in a classic French coq au vin manner, served with Dark Spore mushrooms.

A roasted beet dish takes the standard style and creates a composed plate of three different kinds of beets, prepared in different ways and presented in an artful and colorful display.

He’s playing with a new shrimp and andouille dish as well, infusing curry spices to add a diffrent spin.

Moving forward, Leepper plans to create a chef’s tasting experience from the menu, but the chef, ever the creative, also hopes to create completely unique special multi-course meal experiences.

The ideas are flowing now.

“I look at food as an art form,” Leepper said. “I look at a plate like my palate, and this is how I draw.”

If you have a kid who loves airplanes, then Runway Park near Downtown Greenville, SC is the best park ever! Please tell me you’ve been. There is a wonderful park, with swings, climbing structures, a paved trail for bike riding, and lots of different slides. But the best part is that you can watch small-engine planes take off while you play! There is also a mini golf course and family-friendly restaurant in the same parking lot. What a win!

If your kid is super duper into planes, check out Spartanburg’s Downtown Memorial Airport Park. The park has a playground and even a free splash pad!

A Little About Runway Park

The charm of the place catches you from the moment you arrive. To enter the play area, you walk through the body of an airplane – which is actually the real body of an old Boeing 737. On the left, there is a set of play equipment for the smaller kids. On the right, there is another (pretend) plane to climb/sit on (it’s perfect for pictures). The playset for the older children is closest to the runway.

A track surrounds the area. Make sure to throw bikes and scooters in the trunk of your car. Had I known ahead of time about the track, we might have avoided a meltdown or two (or three). So I repeat, TAKE THEIR WHEELS! (You can shoot me a “thank you” email whenever you have time).

Everything is fenced in. The whole place. It is super easy to keep up with your tribe. And aside from a small gate door that leads to the café, there’s only one way in and out.

While the bright and colorful bars, slides, and swings are nice, that’s not at all my favorite part. I love all the green grass. Thankfully, on this day, I had my blanket in the van. If stretching out on a blanket isn’t your cup ‘O tea, there are a couple of picnic tables – which, btw, the picnic hanger would be a nice place to host a birthday party. Nearby the picnic shelter is a small building with restrooms, making getting to those potty breaks quick and easy.

Clearly, I give the playground at Runway two thumbs up. I would give it three if I had an extra!

Because I know you’re already making plans to go, while you’re there, stop in Runway Cafe for a bite to eat. The food is reasonably priced and very yummy!

Incorporating The Park Into An Educational Opportunity

You can make great use of the fact that the park is located beside a bustling airstrip. Check out some of the ways we have found helpful in linking a fun day at Runway Park with an educational lesson about physics.

Do your little ones love scavenger hunts or the game I-Spy? If so, they will love this unique photo scavenger park at Runway Park! Kids will have a blast using the photo scavenger hunt to find fun spots to play at Runway Park in Greenville.

Difficulty Level: Easy (This scavenger hunt is designed for small children 2-5.)

Link to Download this Scavenger Hunt as a Free Printable: Runway Park Scavenger Hunt

Plan Your Own Trip to The Runway Park

29 Airport Road Ext, Greenville, SCOpen Daily from dawn until dusk.

Let me know what your favorite part of The Runway Park is!

You will find even more amazing parks and playgrounds in our KA Guide to Parks Near Greenville, SC!

You can play mini-golf at Take-off Mini Golf, an aviation-themed course at the Greenville Downtown Airport!

Dine & Play: Places Where You Can Eat While Your Kids Play

In an impact statement read at Monday’s hearing, Kugler’s wife Mandie said he will live with permanent injuries from the hit-and-run.

GREENVILLE, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - The suspect who hit a South Carolina state trooper in Greenville County and left the scene has been sentenced to prison.

Lance Corporal Devin Kugler was on a ventilator after he was struck outside his patrol car on Cedar Lane Road in October 2022. He suffered a broken pelvis, a shattered humerus, multiple breaks in his left tibia, contusions, cuts and road rash.

On Monday, Roger Seawright Jr. pleaded guilty to hit-and-run charges and was sentenced to 5 years in prison followed by 5 years of probation. He will also have to pay nearly $10,000 in restitution for Kugler’s medical bills.

In an impact statement read at Monday’s hearing, Kugler’s wife Mandie said he will live with permanent injuries from the hit-and-run.

“Mr. Seawright, I’ve spoken previously in sadness and in anger,” she said. “Today I’m going to attempt to change that, but it’s my hope that you understand the weight of your actions and hear the facts, not just my emotion. God chose to save my husband’s life. However, he is suffering from the direct result of your careless decisions. What we have experienced is excruciatingly painful and what our future looks like is still unknown.”

Kugler requires a medical pump every day to reduce swelling in his left leg, needs hearing aids for permanent hearing loss, and has permanent brain damage that affects the left side of his body. Overall, Kugler has had 256 medical appointments in the year since the crash.

“He is still doing nine hours of intense and painful physical therapy a week,” Mandie Kugler said. “Last week he had five doctors’ appointments and he has more this afternoon. He isn’t the same as he was before. You’ve robbed him of the joy of listening to his children’s laughter. My husband struggles to tolerate the sound of our six children playing or talking for lengths of time, because of his brain injury. There are so many other things physically and mentally, but this one hurts me the most as a mother. We see the damage you’ve caused in every single aspect of our lives.”

She said she has struggled with anger, watching her husband and children suffer from Seawright’s actions. But she is turning to her faith and working to forgive the man who left her husband, nearly dead, in the road.

“I forgive you for leaving my husband in the middle of the road that night,” she said. “I forgive you for that terrible knock on my door. I forgive you for the traumatizing year my family, agency, and community has experienced, and the future trauma we will continue to work through. However, I pray that this sentence impacts you permanently and changes the course of your life, forever. That you will be reminded, every day, of your actions that led up to that night.”

Mandie Kugler said Seawright’s sentence “will never be enough” but they chose to take a plea deal to avoid going to trial.

“While we feel like this is never enough, we know that nothing ever will be,” she said. “Devin is left in the body he has, no matter the outcome of today’s sentencing. So we don’t want to be angry with him or with God. We are grateful God spared his life, we are blessed to be a family still. We will pay it forward as my husband still stands to fight. Now, we can continue to move forward, continue to heal physically, emotionally, and mentally. Picking up pieces and trying to put our life back together.”

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