Wedding & Event Venue Near Abbeville, SC.

ABBEVILLE, S.C. —

An Upstate chef is being recognized for her local flavors and community collaborations, earning her the honor of 2023 South Carolina Chef Ambassador.

Erica McCier is the owner and executive chef of Indigenous Underground in Abbeville.

In January, she and three other South Carolina chefs were named as the 2023 ambassadors. According to the state, the ambassadors represent South Carolina through culinary events and promotional opportunities.

“We’re like the spokespeople, the 'spokeschefs' I guess you could say- for the state of South Carolina," said McCier.

McCier says she creates dishes that remind her of her childhood.

“I grew up living off the land," she said. "A lot of my items on the menu just reflect those foods– those indigenous foods of South Carolina.”

But, she says she thinks her work with local farmers and other producers is what earned her the honor from the state.

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“I think that’s what caught their eye," she said, "because I pull so many different businesses into this business as well.”

McCier says she is excited to have received the honor but that, ultimately, it's not about her. She says it's more about those businesses that she works alongside.

“It wasn’t really me thinking about myself and what this does for me as a chef," she said. "It really came down to what this does for Indigenous Underground, what this does for the workers here at Indigenous Underground, what this does for Abbeville – the city of Abbeville, and what this does for the farmers that I use, you know, the products that they use in Abbeville."

McCier describes her kitchen as a 'little kitchen with big flavor.' But more impressive than the flavorful dishes is the story behind the woman who creates them.

McCier is a former art teacher. She taught middle school until she was diagnosed with a kidney disease.

“My life just got flipped upside down. I couldn’t teach anymore," she said. "All of the activities I was doing at this time, I couldn’t do any of those."

But, it was during this tough time that McCier discovered cooking.

“While I was on dialysis, I started watching the Food Network, and I also liked the cooking channel," she said.

McCier, inspired by the chefs she watching on television, Googled "culinary schools near me," leading her to Greenville Tech to visit their culinary program.

She decided to enroll, if nothing else, to learn to enjoy a new hobby.

“'Hey, I’ve learned a new skill. I’m not bored with life.' You know, I did something besides go to dialysis and go home," she said.

McCier attended classes at Greenville Tech on Tuesdays and Thursdays, all the while continuing dialysis on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

Then, she fell in love.

“Needless to say, I just fell in love. I fell in love with cooking," she said.

Next came a catering business, her first successful restaurant venture, teaching culinary classes and even a kidney transplant.

Now, McCier operates Indigenous Underground in a building in downtown Abbeville that she has loved for years.

"In like 2014, I was saying, ‘that’s going to be my building one day!'" she said.

Her goal: connecting the people of Abbeville with their community and celebrating all that her city has to offer.

“You don’t have to drive to Greenville or Columbia or Augusta," she said. "because it’s right here in our backyard."

Peach State Federal Credit Union is expanding. The Lawrenceville-based credit union is merging with operations in Pickens and Abbeville, South Carolina.

Members of Pickens Federal and Abbeville Community Community Federal Credit Union agreed to the mergers in meetings held at their main branches on November 29.

The financial mergers have been approved by the National Credit Union Administration and take effect on December 1, 2022, Peach State officials say.

“Our Board and staff are elated about the endless possibilities created for our members through this union with Peach State,” says Pickens Federal President and CEO Clayton Kerr. “We will continue to focus on serving the members in our community with the highest level of care, but now with even more products and support.”

Pickens Federal Credit Union was founded in 1961 as the Diehl-Poinsett Federal Credit Union and provided services to all Singer Company employees. In 2001, the credit union was approved for a community charter, expanding its field of membership to include service to anyone who lives, works, worships, or attends school in Pickens County, South Carolina. They also welcomed the teachers and employees of the School District of Pickens County into their field of membership in 2011, which ties in with Peach State’s start as an education-based credit union.

“We are excited to join forces with a like-minded credit union, one whose Board and management share a similar vision and has ties to the local education system. It is our hope that combining our resources will enhance the financial well-being of both the community and lives of those in Pickens County,” says Peach State President and CEO Marshall Boutwell.

Boutwell calls the merger with Abbeville a “great example of a cooperative unity” saying it demonstrates a strong commitment to the credit union philosophy of ‘people helping people.’

Abbeville was founded in 1971 to serve the needs of local railroad employees and their immediate families in Abbeville, Greenwood, Anderson, and McCormick counties. In January 2004, Abbeville was granted a community charter, and in July 2011, it became federally chartered. Their field of membership includes service to anyone who lives, works, worships or attends school in Abbeville County, SC, as well as any businesses.

“There is no better time than the present to bring about positive changes for our members,” says Abbeville Community FCU Manager Trish Fuller. “Our focus remains on our members and understanding their needs. We’re excited about this merger as it will create more opportunities to expand services and deepen relationships for the communities we serve.”

Peach State is an $820 million credit union that serves more than 75,000 members in Georgia and South Carolina. The credit union has branches across Northeast Georgia in Athens, Carnesville, Cornelia, Jefferson, Watkinsville, Winder, and Young Harris.

Operating as a not-for-profit financial cooperative, Peach State’s mission is to provide quality financial services that meet the needs and exceed the expectations of its member-owners.

ABBEVILLE COUNTY, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman announced that the state is allocating $38 million in state funding to Abbeville County School District to help them improve the infrastructure of multiple schools.

Officials said the funding is part of the $140 million that falls under Proviso 1.92 of the General Appropriations Bill for Fiscal Year 2022-2023.

“With school facilities over 60 years of age, the time is now for Abbeville County to address facilities issues in order to provide their students, families, and educators with safe places for teaching and learning,” said State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman. “With the influx of COVID-19 relief money and generous support of the General Assembly, the South Carolina Department of Education is pleased to be able to provide this additional funding for the district to make necessary renovations.”

In April 2020, the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) decided to conduct studies of the schools in the state’s poorest counties to determine how the funding for disadvantaged schools should be used.

“What a tremendous day for our students, parents, teachers and the entire Abbeville County community,” said Rep. Craig Gagnon, the representative for District 11 in the General Assembly and chairman of the Abbeville Legislative Delegation. “I am most appreciative of the state of South Carolina’s investment in Abbeville – one that will allow educators and students to thrive in a safe and effective learning space.”

The review of Abbeville County’s schools showed that the age and condition of some of the schools were problematic for long-term use. The team in charge of the review recommended that both Abbeville High School and Dixie High School needed additional classroom space and improvements to the cafeteria. The team also recommended renovations to the district’s career center.

The board will vote on the funding at a special-called meeting on August 25. If approved, the district will use the money for the following projects.

Dixie High School

Abbeville High School

Abbeville County Career Center

“A sincere thank you to Superintendent Spearman and the South Carolina General Assembly for this significant investment into our great district,” said Dr. Mason Gary, Superintendent of Abbeville County School District. “Each day, the Abbeville County School District puts its students first and today’s announcement bolsters that claim. We are excited for the renovations to begin.”

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ABBEVILLE — Concern over a community of tiny houses located in the city is misplaced, officials said Wednesday.

A post on an Abbeville Facebook page featured a video of a man and woman from Incredible Tiny Homes of Newport, Tennessee, discussing plans for such a development. It garnered several responses from people, many of them opposed to such a project.

Mayor Trey Edwards said statements made in the video implied that he and City Manager Blake Stone support such a development and claim that they would cut through red tape. Those statements are wrong, he said.

Any such plans would have to be discussed with the planning committee and be addressed by the council, Stone said at Wednesday’s meeting. Tiny homes are not addressed in the city’s laws. The developer has submitted a rezoning request to the planning committee.

If the council and the planning committee give a go-ahead, the process of changing the rules could take nine months to a year.

Copies of a request for a zoning change were on the agenda. Contact information lists Randolph Jones as a representative of Incredible Tiny Homes.

Nothing is being done in closed rooms or back alleys, said council member Matt Gambrell, who addressed residents’ concerns on the thread of the Facebook post.

“I really think it’s a classic case of putting the cart before the horse,” Gambrell said after the council meeting.

He is not against such a development, but it’s so early, he’s not for it either, he said.

“Just by watching the video it’s almost like it’s a done deal, that the ink dry on the paper. It’s very wet,” Gambrell said. “It could happen, maybe, but it’s in the very infant stages of development. There will need to be a lot of boxes to be checked, there are a lot of conditions that need to be met to make everyone happy.”

He invited officials with the business to open a dialogue. Gambrell said they are not talking with council.

According to the 2018 International Residential Code, a tiny house is a dwelling unit with a maximum of 400 square feet of floor area, excluding lofts. The term “tiny house” is sometimes used interchangeably with “micro-house.” Some states consider any home under 1,000 square feet to be a tiny or microhouse.

One of the state’s storied programs is a state champion again.

Quarterback Zay Rayford threw for a touchdown and ran for one as Abbeville defeated Oceanside Collegiate, 35-20, to win the Class 2A championship on Friday at Charlie W. Johnson Stadium.

It is the Panthers’ 12th state championship and eighth under coach Jamie Nickles. Abbeville’s 12 titles ties Summerville for second most all-time. Gaffney has the state record with 17.

Nickles’ eight state championships are third most in state history for a head coach, trailing Willie Varner and John McKissick’s 10 titles.

“I’m so proud of the coaches, players, community,” an emotional Nickles said after the game. “There ain’t nobody in Abbeville right now. Everybody is down here right now. It is emotional for me because these kids believed in us while we were losing games. But they kept believing in what we were doing.”

Abbeville began the season at 2-2 with losses to Class 3A runner-up Powdersville and Class 5A Westside. But the Panthers finished the season with 11 consecutive wins, scoring 35 points or more in every game.

Abbeville led 21-0 at halftime but turned it over on its first possession of the third quarter. Edward Reidenbach hit Jace Krafchick on a 27-yard touchdown pass to cut the lead to 21-7. Reidenbach threw for 332 yards and three touchdowns. Krafchick had six catches for 130 yards and two touchdowns.

The Panthers’ lead was 28-13 in the fourth quarter when running back Antonio Harrison scored on a 9-yard run with 2:01 left. Harrison missed most of the season with a torn ACL suffered in June while playing basketball.

But Harrison returned in late October just in time for Abbeville’s playoff run.

“He was our inspiration all year long,” Nickles said of Harrison. “He kept telling me everyday, wait to Tooboo (his nickname) gets back. Well, we go him back and we didn’t run him to the second or third round of the playoffs. He still doesn’t have that Tooboo burst, but he is pretty good.”

Abbeville’s run-oriented offense finished with 283 yards on the ground. Jamel Marshall had a team-high 81 yards.

Karsen Norman had 70 yards, 61 coming on a TD run in the first quarter.

Rayford finished with 103 total yards. He completed just two passes but one of them was a 31-yarder to Javario Tinch to make it 21-0 in the second quarter.

Oceanside had a chance to score right before halftime, but running back Vaughn Blue was tackled at the 2-yard line on the final play of the half. The Landsharks got the ball in Abbeville territory on three other drives in the half but turned it over on downs each time.

Oceanside ends the season at 12-2. It was the Landsharks’ first championship appearance.

“The goal will be to get back here next year and win,” Oceanside coach Chad Wilkes said. “We got a lot of great players coming back. We are going to miss our seniors, who did a great job in my first year buying into what we are trying to do to get to this point. We got to take another step next year to make sure we are the ones celebrating.”

First Quarter

A - Karson Norman 61 yd run (Nickles kick), 3:51

Second Quarter

A - Cade 22 run (Nickles kick), 10:50

A - Tinch 31 pass from Rayford (Nickles kick), 0:44

Third quarter

OC - Kraftchick 23 pass from Reidenbach (Mahoney kick), 10:52

A - Rayford 10 run (Nickles kick), 1:14

Fourh quarter

OC: Blue 6 pass from Reidenbach (Kick blocked), 4:36

A - Harrison 9 run (Nickles kick), 2:01

OC - Kraftchick 66 pass from Reidenbach (Mahoney kick), 1:31

Individual Statistics

RUSHING: A: Marshall 10-81; Norman 6-70; Rayford 11-52; Patterson 11-29; Cade 3-29; Harrison 4-27; Hadden 1-1. OC: Blue 19-69; Reidenbach 10-14.

PASSING: A: Rayford 2-6-0-51. OC: Reidenbach 22-37-1-322.

RECEIVING: A: Tinch 1-31; Harrison 1-20. OC: Kraftchick 6-130; Strickler 5-82; Blue 5-68; Bennett 3-22; Hagedon 1-8; Brown 1-7; Johnson 1-5.

This story was originally published December 2, 2022, 5:15 PM.