West Of Free Press — December 2022 - Flipbook - Page 16
DINING
“We’re so excited about the community here and coming into
this neighborhood and to continue to grow and partner with
the great and supportive folks in the Charleston area.”
— Jennifer Weishaupt, Ruby Sunshine co-founder
B
reakfast may well be the most important
meal of the day, but brunch is a heck of
a lot more fun. That’s the philosophy at
West Ashley’s newest eatery Ruby Sunshine,
which officially opened its doors last month,
just days before Thanksgiving at 835
Savannah Hwy. in the newly renovated The
Victory in the Avondale Business District.
Traditionally reserved for weekends, West
Ashley residents can now have brunch every
day of the week beginning at 7:30 a.m.
Born from the undeniable soul of the
Big Easy to celebrate the creative, craveable
spirit of brunch, Ruby Sunshine offers playful
twists on Southern brunch staples along
with eye-opening cocktails. Ruby Sunshine
is the concept from Ruby Slipper Restaurant
Group, the collective behind acclaimed New
Orleans-based eatery Ruby Slipper Café.
“After opening our East Bay restaurant
and receiving an overwhelmingly positive
response from the Charleston community,
we are thrilled to bring brunch to another
location in the Lowcountry,” said Peter
Gaudreau, CEO of Ruby Slipper Restaurant
Group. “Through playful artwork, friendly
staff and delicious dishes, Ruby Sunshine
Avondale invokes the quintessential
southern hospitality that our guests have
come to love.”
Before cutting the ribbon on Friday, Nov.
18, Ruby Slipper Café co-founder Jennifer
Weishaupt told the crowd who had gathered
in anticipation that she and her husband
Erich opened the first Ruby Slipper Café
in May of 2008 in their hometown of New
Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
with the hope that it might bring comfort and
normalcy back to their community. At the
time, Jennifer was a chemical engineer and
Erich was an electrical engineer.
“We didn’t know anything about
restaurants, but we wanted to help rebuild
our community in the wake of Hurricane
Katrina. And we felt like a little neighborhood
restaurant, a place where people could go
and get away from the chaos of rebuilding
their flooded homes, was something we
needed,” she told the crowd. “I love coffee. l
love breakfast. We had young kids at the time,
so a breakfast/brunch-focused restaurant
that closed in the early afternoons was
something that was right up our alley.”
According to Weishaupt they never
giving back to our community and partnering
with community organizations and we’ve
continued that as we’ve grown and we’ve
been able to give back a little bit more which
is something that we’re really proud of. In
Charleston, both at our East Bay location
and here we’ve been very proud to partner
with the Lowcountry Food Bank.”
intended it to grow beyond that one,
50-seat restaurant in New Orleans. But it
was such a hit that eventually they opened
a second location. It too was a hit, so in
2017, they got serious about the company’s
growth potential and decided to take their
concept outside of Gulf Coast region. She
says they started growing and created the
Ruby Sunshine brand when they expanded
into Tennessee in 2019. The West Ashley
location is the 22nd Ruby Slipper/Ruby
Sunshine restaurant.
For West Ashley, it is another key
component in the region’s revitalization
efforts. Not only is it an additional dining
option for locals, but it is a proven commodity
that seems to have staying power during
a time when many businesses, especially
restaurants, are struggling to bounce back
from the coronavirus pandemic amid rising
costs and soaring inflation.
“We’re so excited about the community
here and coming into this neighborhood and
to continue to grow and partner with the
great and supportive folks in the Charleston
area,” said Weishaupt.
Tripp Hays of Explore Charleston
and the Charleston Area Convention and
Visitors Bureau (CVB) echoed Weishaupt’s
enthusiasm and emphasized what Ruby
Sunshine means to West Ashley. He said
when we think about tourism in Charleston
we often think of the historic district, but
that the CVB now has 48 members in the
West Ashley area.
“Before I started in official capacity
with the Charleston Area Convention and
Visitors Bureau or Explore Charleston I
started as a West Ashley resident. I am so
glad we have another place for brunch here
in West Ashley. It is so amazing, the food
here is amazing,” he said. “It’s just a really
great asset to our community and an asset
to our hospitality community.”
To show their commitment to the
area, Ruby Sunshine held a sneak peek
charity night before their grand opening,
where people could try the food and make
a donation to a local charity. Then at the
grand opening Weishaupt and her local
staff presented the Lowcountry Food Bank
with a check for $5,000.
“From the very early days of opening
our first restaurant we always focused on
Slipper Café’s, highlighting award-winning
dishes like The Trifecta, featuring Ruby
Sunshine’s three most famous benedicts:
Eggs Cochon, Chicken St. Charles, and
Bayou Shrimp. Popular appetizers include
pig-candy bacon bites and French toast
bites. These can all be paired with a
seasonal mimosa flight or a Bloody Mary
Brunch is a
Lifestyle
Popular New Orleans eatery Ruby
Sunshine sets up second Lowcountry
location at The Victory West Ashley
by Lorne Chambers | Editor
Once the check was presented and the
ribbon was officially cut, folks meandered
inside the restaurant to check out the new
3,428-square-foot restaurant, adorned with
wall-to-wall murals depicting syrup drips,
hand-painted by Ruby Sunshine Krewe
member Buurbon Mitchell and framed
pop-art brunch photography by Noah
Fecks. Seating more than 120 people with
indoor and outdoor space, the restaurant
is an inviting neighborhood destination for
families and friends alike to gather around
the brunch table.
The menu echoes the original Ruby
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or Bloody Maria, crafted with a housemade mix and choice of regular or baconinfused vodka or tequila. With seasonal
mocktails, gluten-free and vegetarian
dishes, and a wide variety of pancakes,
sandwiches, salads and sides, there are
plenty of options to choose from.
Ruby Sunshine is located at 835 Savannah
Hwy, Suite A and is open from 7:30 a.m.
to 2 p.m. Monday–Friday and 7:30 a.m.
to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. For more
information call (843) 253-8890 or visit
www.rubybrunch.com.