The owners of Chasing Sage, a popular downtown restaurant that opened in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, have announced they will close their doors in the coming months.
Although there is no official end date yet, Cindy Edward said the time has come as she has to make one of the hardest decisions she has ever made. The Chasing Sage co-owner, who runs the farm-to-table restaurant at 267 Rutledge Ave. with her husband, Walter, said she has cried nonstop for two days since the decision was announced to employees. When The Post and Courier spoke to her by phone, her voice had disappeared.
“You know, life goes on and sometimes you have to make decisions,” Edward said. “In order for us to be OK, we have to let it go. I’m pretty confused about this.”
Edward said the decision wasn’t financial. Chasing Sage was founded when COVID-19 reared its ugly head and managed to make ends meet with the help of an understanding landlord and a to-go kitchen that ran throughout the pandemic. In fact, it was quite popular and built a relationship with Charleston residents before the restaurant officially opened its doors in June 2021.
The decision was personal, Edward said. Her twins, for whom the restaurant is named, Chase and Sage, just turned 13, and she said the decision was made for her family and her children.
Cucumber, shrimp roe, basil with melon and crackers with all the trimmings served at Chasing Sage on June 21, 2022.
“This restaurant is a labor of love,” she said. “It’s definitely a labor of love restaurant. Walter and I are always there because we want to keep the heart and soul exactly as it should be. And we’re a little tired. I wish I knew a specific why, but really it’s about focusing on our family for a while.”
Edward said Chasing Sage was a treasured place for her and the people who worked there and those who frequented it.
“It’s an extension of my heart, my home, my own dining room in a way,” said Edward, who formerly lived in the apartment above the restaurant and now lives in the house next door.
The Edwards grow a variety of fruit trees and herbs on their property and also source some of the food they serve from their farm in Smoaks, which has been in the family since 1772.
