Gullah Geechee CATERING Excellence

Whether you've been following Carolima's for years or you're just discovering us, we thought it was time for a proper introduction. Carolima's Lowcountry Cuisine is a family-owned catering company specializing in authentic Gullah Geechee and Lowcountry cuisine and elevated dining experiences. For nearly 15 years, we've had the privilege of sharing our food, culture, and hospitality throughout Charleston and beyond. But Carolima's didn't become what it is today overnight. Where It All Began Carolima's was founded in 2011 by Sameka Jenkins , who began catering while working full-time as a commercial loan processor. What started with catering eventually expanded into a restaurant, giving Carolima's a home and an opportunity to introduce even more people to the food Sameka grew up eating. At the same time, her sister Emma Cromedy was establishing herself in Charlotte's culinary scene. Emma founded SouthernCakeQueen in 2008 and later launched Charlotte's first mobile dessert bakery . Her baking career also took her to television, where she competed on Cooking Channel's Sugar Showdown. When Emma returned home to Charleston in 2017, the sisters eventually combined their talents and businesses. Two separate entrepreneurial journeys came together, and Carolima's began its next chapter. Who We Are Today Carolima's has continued to evolve. Today, we're a full-service catering company providing full-service and drop-off catering for weddings, corporate events, social gatherings, and celebrations of all sizes. We also offer made-from-scratch desserts and immersive culinary experiences that allow us to share more of the history and culture behind our food. While the business has expanded, the foundation of our menus remains the same: Gullah Geechee and Lowcountry cuisine. Charleston red rice, Hoppin' John, collard greens, okra, seafood, fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, and Charleston Chewies are more than menu selections to us. They're connected to the food traditions of our families and the Lowcountry we call home. That's an important part of what makes Carolima's different. We're not simply serving Southern food. We're sharing cuisine rooted in a culture that has helped shape Charleston's culinary identity for generations. We believe those traditions deserve to be preserved, celebrated, and shared. How Far We've Come Over the years, Carolima's has been fortunate to experience opportunities we couldn't have imagined when the first catering orders went out in 2011. We've participated in Charleston Wine + Food , become an approved caterer at the South Carolina Aquarium , and served clients and guests at events throughout the Lowcountry and beyond. One of our proudest moments was sharing our food and family story on a Food Network series that went on to win an Emmy Award . Experiences like these have allowed Carolima's to introduce Gullah Geechee and Lowcountry cuisine to audiences far beyond our own community. But recognition has never been the reason we do what we do. At its core, Carolima's has always been about food, family, culture, and hospitality . We want the food to be memorable, but we also want you to remember how you felt. Whether we're serving an intimate gathering or hundreds of guests, our goal is to make people feel welcomed, cared for, and a little like they're part of our family. That's the Carolima's experience. Nearly 15 years later, we've evolved, we've grown, and we've learned a lot along the way. But we're still rooted in the same culture, recipes, and hospitality that started it all. So, if you're new here, welcome to Carolima's. And if you've been with us for years, thank you for continuing to make room for us at your table. We're Carolima's Lowcountry Cuisine—Gullah Geechee roots, Lowcountry flavor, and hospitality that feels like family.

For generations, Black cooks have had a way of taking ingredients that others overlooked and turning them into dishes people couldn't wait to eat. That history wasn't always born from choice. During slavery and in the generations that followed, Black families often had limited access to the most desirable cuts of meat. What was available might include tougher, less popular cuts or parts of the animal that wealthier households didn't want. Instead of letting those ingredients define the meal, our ancestors used seasoning, patience, and techniques passed down through generations to make them their own. Oxtail is a perfect example. For years, oxtail was considered an inexpensive, undesirable cut. Black families throughout the African diaspora—including Caribbean, African, and Black American communities—turned it into deeply flavorful dishes that became part of their food traditions. Now, oxtail is everywhere. You'll find oxtail pasta, tacos, egg rolls, pizza, grilled cheese, and even upscale restaurant interpretations. What was once considered a "poor man's" cut has become so popular that buying oxtail today can feel like buying a premium steak. And there's a certain irony in that. The food didn't suddenly become worthy of attention. The people who had been cooking it all along already knew its value. Oxtail isn't the only example. Ham hocks, neck bones, pig's feet, chitterlings, pork belly, and other cuts that were once dismissed have long had a place in Black kitchens. They seasoned pots of greens, stretched meals to feed families, and eventually became dishes and flavors associated with Southern and soul food traditions. That tradition of making use of the whole animal is still being explored and documented today. Lowcountry native Amethyst Ganaway—chef, author, and culinary historian—is currently working on a cookbook titled Black South: Recipes From the Roota to the Toota in April of 2027. The title itself reflects a philosophy generations of Black cooks understood well: very little needed to go to waste. Cuts and ingredients that others overlooked could still have a place at the table, and the knowledge of what to do with them became part of our culinary traditions. Today, chefs call it nose-to-tail cooking. Restaurants describe these ingredients as elevated or gourmet . Foods that were once associated with poverty are being reintroduced to diners as something special—and often at a much higher price. There's nothing wrong with food evolving. In fact, it's exciting to see ingredients from Black food traditions receiving greater recognition and inspiring new dishes. But it's worth remembering where some of that creativity began. Black cooks didn't wait for these ingredients to become trendy to recognize their potential. They took what was available, added knowledge, technique, and flavor, and created food worthy of being passed from one generation to the next. So when you see an $18 oxtail egg roll or a gourmet oxtail pasta on a menu, remember: the presentation may be new, but the appreciation for that cut certainly isn't. We've been knowing what oxtail could do.