Dishing at Magnolia Cafe

Reinvention (re·in·ven·tion): the action or process through which something is changed so much that it appears to be entirely new.

Reinvention is something we do almost every day in some way. We change jobs, we start driving to work a different way, we rearrange our furniture, or we come up with a new way to serve up last night’s leftovers. But sometimes, reinvention is bigger than that. Sometimes it’s life-changing. And sometimes it changes the lives of others. One tasty example is the arrival of Beaufort’s newest culinary family and the re-imagining of a dining icon at Magnolia Cafe.

Let’s start at the beginning. Magnolia Bakery Cafe (as it was originally known) opened in 1999 along Beaufort’s picturesque Bellamy Curve on Carteret Street. Three years later, it was purchased by Dana and Evangline (Jing) Johnsrude, who were looking to escape the freneticism of the DC area and open a restaurant along the East Coast.

They kept the name, concept, and menu of the bakery café initially, putting

their own fingerprints on it in subsequent years.

They successfully operated the bakery and café for 20 years, serving up

morning beverages, sumptuous baked goods, breakfast specialties, sandwiches, soups and salads for breakfast, brunch, and lunch to consistently rave reviews. Sadly, tragedy struck in late-2022, when Jing died suddenly, and Dana closed the restaurant and put it up for sale.

It sat empty and forlorn for more than a year, leaving a deep hole in Beaufort’s dining scene. However, as reinvention often happens, the space has arisen and reopened earlier this year as Magnolia Cafe, thanks to Leah and Ryan McCarthy, restaurateurs from Bluffton who have a unique reinvention story of their own.

Originally hailing from Scranton, Pennsylvania (Leah) and Vernon, New York, near Syracuse (Ryan), the couple met in Hilton Head, where Leah had moved with her family as a kid and where Ryan was completing an internship after culinary school. After college, Leah had taken a job with Banana Republic in New York City and was all set to move, when a dear friend who had deep spirituality and intuition convinced her that the timing wasn’t right and that she should stay in Hilton Head.

Not really understanding the deeper meaning, Leah heeded the advice of her friend, took a job at a local bank, and, within the year, had narrowly escaped the World Trade Center catastrophe (her office would have been in one of the towers), as well as meeting Ryan when he came into the bank to open a checking account.

In 2002, Leah was unhappy with her banking job and Ryan was ready to

spread his wings from being a sous chef at Colleton River Plantation. They had always talked about opening a New York-style deli (they both craved the overstuffed sandwiches and raucous vibe of a traditional deli) and reinvented themselves with the renting of a space in downtown Bluffton and the opening of Downtown Deli in 2003.

Serving up classics like a traditional New York-style Reuben, the 46 Italian (loaded with pepperoni, salami, capicola and provolone), The Brooklyn (hot pastrami, Swiss and spicy mustard on rye), and the Ultimate Philly (shaved ribeye, peppers, onions and melted provolone), beloved Downtown Deli also boasts local specialties like a Lowcountry Club Sub, the Calhoun Croissant (chicken or egg salad and bacon on a croissant), and the 278 Traffic Jam (meatloaf, caramelized onions, melted cheddar and hot pepper bacon jam), along with a few wraps, burgers, tacos and salads.

As business grew, Leah and Ryan were fielding tons of catering requests, so, in 2004, they reinvented themselves yet again with the opening of Downtown Catering, sharing a dual kitchen space with the deli. Catering weddings, corporate events and high-profile events like The Masters and the RBC Heritage, their catering division has grown to be the largest part of their business, and they now employ 35 full-time staff members, which swells to 60 employees with their banquet staff.

After 16 years in that location, the McCarthys moved Downtown Deli and Downtown Catering to a more visible location on May River Road in 2019 and will be celebrating their 21^st anniversary in December.

With the growth of Downtown Catering came another opportunity to

reinvent themselves with the opening of Venue 1223, a sophisticated event venue just next door. Offering a turn-key event space featuring indoor and outdoor spaces for up to 125 seated guests or 250 roaming guests; complimentary table, chair and linen rentals; soup-to-nuts catering; sound systems; and lots of above and beyond thoughtful touches to make an event a once-in-a-lifetime special occasion.

During this time, Leah had always maintained a soft spot in her heart for Beaufort. She attended USCB for a few years back in the day and opted to have her three children at Beaufort Memorial Hospital, as well as maintaining doctors and pediatricians in the area.

Often finding herself in Beaufort over those 20-plus years for one reason or another, she frequented the original Magnolia Bakery Cafe often: picking up a coffee to go; bribing the kids with sweet treats after their doctor’s appointments; and often grabbing a sandwich and more here and there. So, when she heard that they had closed, she said to herself, “Someone needs to do something with it.”

Months later, Leah saw a real estate listing for the business and she and Ryan decided to reinvent themselves yet again. Within 24 hours, they had made an offer and were well on their way to taking over the Beaufort landmark.

Right away, they knew that they wanted to respect and honor Magnolia Bakery and Cafe’s history. So, they kept the name–dropping the Bakery and just going with Magnolia Cafe. They also knew they wanted to breathe new life into it. “We loved the location,” said Leah. “We loved the old sense that it gave off. It felt authentic to be here. And we wanted to respect that feeling.”

But they wanted to change the esthetic a bit. They put in new windows and

floors, painted the place top to bottom, put in all new kitchen equipment, added new lighting fixtures, tables, and chairs, and gave it a modern kitchen and garden feel, with cutting boards, floral artwork, and cookbooks as their décor. When asked to describe Magnolia Cafe now, Leah responded on the spot with, “A charming Southern breakfast and lunch spot with fresh food and atmosphere that is rooted in Beaufort tradition.” We couldn’t agree more.

Serving breakfast and lunch all day, the café also features an extensive take-away coffee (King Bean Coffee out of Charleston) and tea (Hale Teas out of Savannah) menu as you enter, along with a case of delectable scones, muffins, cinnamon rolls and more.

Once seated, the menu is the greatest hits of breakfast, brunch and lunch options, like toasts (although the avocado is one of their biggest sellers, don’t overlook the stunning whipped ricotta); egg sandwiches with spinach and tomato on house-made English muffins; the breakfast egg bowl with a chorizo (or tofu), cheese, salsa, black beans, avocado and home fries scramble (it’s their most popular dish on the menu for a reason); frittatas; waffles (the waffle Monte Cristo is to die for); house-made soups; hearty entrée salads (the 3-Salad Plate is a personal fave—don’t miss the superfood slaw—and Leah’s favorite is the grilled pecan chicken salad); lunch rice bowls with varied toppings; and creative sandwiches like chicken caprese, grilled vegetable with pesto and Boursin cheese, a tofu Banh Mi, and the beef on weck with shaved roast beef and melted cheese on a house made Kummelweck roll, horseradish and au jus on the side.

The McCarthys and their staff take food and friendly and knowledgeable service seriously and 80 percent of the menu is scratch-made in-house by Chef Eric Spear and his team. Chef Spear has been there since they opened their doors and helped create the menu. He also makes many of their breads, including the English muffins and sandwich rolls, using his 150-year-old sourdough starter. They tend to focus more on healthier options (OK, so the beef on weck might be considered a naughtier option) and are always happy to accommodate vegan and allergy requests.

Magnolia Cafe also features a robust Grab & Go area, featuring many of their scratch salads, like chicken, shrimp, Greek pasta, pickled beet and goat cheese, and the can’t-get-enough-of superfood slaw. They also carry pre-cooked dinners that just need to be finished off at home, like lasagna roll-ups, meatballs and marinara, turkey tetrazzini and a rotating vegan option. There is also online ordering for the full menu (they even offer university student discounts), as well as to-go catering for things like sandwich platters. There are also cookies and cupcakes—some made in house, some made by local bakers—for dessert.

Since opening their doors in March, the McCarthys have been blown away by the Beaufort welcome. “We were a little worried with how Beaufort would welcome someone from ‘out of town’—even though we’re just over the bridge—and taking over such a beloved place,” says Leah. “Would we be doing Beaufort proud? But the response has been way more welcoming than we could have imagined. We’ve made so many connections and we already feel part of the Beaufort community.”

Well, we’re here to say, welcome to Beaufort. We’re thrilled to have the McCarthys and a reinvented Magnolia Cafe in the neighborhood.

 

Magnolia Cafe

703 Congress St.

Beaufort, SC 29902

Call for reservations 843-816-8535

Open Tuesday-Saturday 8:00am-3:00pm and Sunday 8:00am-2:00pm

 

 

Beaufort-based travel journalists Lynn and Cele Seldon (www.seldonink.com) often cover culinary travel around the world and Lowcountry Weekly lured them to write a monthly feature covering the local food scene. This includes articles about restaurants, chefs, food-focused stores, farms, farmers, farmers markets, and more. They welcome suggestions for topics, as well as recommendations for their upcoming book, 100 Things to Do in the South Carolina Lowcountry Before You Die.