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by John M. Nolan (Author)
Today, visitors and locals in Greenville enjoy a vibrant, diverse and acclaimed culinary scene. Some will remember recent favorites like the American Grocery Restaurant that helped pioneer the farm-to-table movement. Others will remember longtime favorites like Carpenter Bros. Drug Store, Charlie's Steak House and Gene's Restaurant that were around for three or four generations. Few in the second half of the twentieth century would not have dined at one of Vince Perone's restaurants for some occasion. Author and tour guide John Nolan recalls the fond memories of the owners and their cuisines, with recipes included.
Author Biography
History is always something John Nolan loves to read about and learn from. His BFA (Bowling Green State University) and MA (Bob Jones University) degrees were both in studio art, but the subject of history was equally enjoyable. The two interests merged perfectly in the job as curator of the BJU Museum & Gallery, which he held for twenty years. The sense that something very special was happening in Greenville, South Carolina's downtown revitalization was palpable by the early 2000s. Recognizing that there were no formal tours for the increasing number of city visitors, Nolan joined his passion for tour giving with the love of his adopted hometown and launched Greenville History Tours in August 2006. Two years later, Nolan published A Guide to Historic Greenville, South Carolina with The History Press and brought the first culinary tour to Greenville, "At the Chef's Table Culinary Tour." On the tenth anniversary of his business, VisitGreenvilleSC honored Nolan with the inaugural Gold Star Ambassador Award. Travel writers have featured his tours in publications ranging from the Boston Globe to the Chicago Tribune, the New York Post, Huffington Post, National Geographic Traveler, Food & Wine, Southern Living Magazine, Money Magazine and Vogue.
