Ever wonder about the origins of your food? In a coastal town like Charleston, it’s easy to assume that the boats lining Mt. Pleasant’s Shem Creek supply all the nearby restaurants with fresh-caught bounty from the sea. Unfortunately, that’s pretty far from the truth. As more commercial fishermen call it quits due to pressure from a flood of cheap seafood imports, high fuel prices and changing fisheries management policies, fresh local seafood has become harder to come by. Thankfully, there are some savvy fishermen who are taking the time to build relationships with chefs and consumers so they can sell the freshest product right off the boat.

Captain Mark Marhefka has been a SC-based commercial fisherman for thirty years, but with his launch of Abundant Seafood in late 2009, he became focused on finding a local market for the snapper, grouper and triggerfish he brings in from the Atlantic. One year ago, he started selling shares of his catch to consumers, following a popular farm-to-table model known as CSA. Marhefka, with the help of his wife Kerry, has maxed out his community-supported fishery (CSF) sales for now, but 100 families grab their coolers and head to Geechee dock as soon as they get the phone call announcing his return from the sea. Marhefka filets with finesse and jovially shares cooking methods while chatting with his customers.

Before the CSF idea took off, Marhefka connected with local chefs through the South Carolina Aquarium’s Sustainable Seafood Initiative (SSI). I had the pleasure of working for this program, and it’s been wonderful to see local chefs take pride in featuring more fresh, local seafood. It takes more work on the part of the chefs to plan menus based on sporadic and varied catches, but those who are committed to buying local serve up the best-quality seafood available. Look for restaurants throughout South Carolina that are members of SSI, and check out the monthly dinner series. The sustainable seafood dinners feature several fantastic courses with wine pairings and are a great value. Occasionally, the restaurants partner with a brewery instead — the Fat Tire beer dinner at The Boathouse was a huge hit!

Okay, brevity is not really my strong suit, so you’ll have to “meet” Mark’s family in this follow-up post. Meanwhile, pick up the February issue of another local (and regional) gem, Garden & Gun magazine. You’ll find an article about Abundant Seafood, and some great tips on the best bluegrass bands in the country. And the magazine’s gorgeous photography is best enjoyed in its large-scale paper form, so put down the iPad and grab a copy.