About
The Host
The Post and Courier, founded in 1803 in Charleston, is an award-winning newspaper including the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. In 2020, The Post and Courier expanded its coverage to Columbia, Greenville and Myrtle Beach.
Since 1987, Free Times has served as Columbia’s alternative weekly newspaper providing local coverage on politics and government, arts and entertainment, food and nightlife. Free Times has long been a staple of the media landscape in our region. In 2016, Free Times was acquired by Evening Post Industries, owner of The Post and Courier. Since that time, the two sister brands, both firmly committed to local journalism have shared content in print and online to reach readers across South Carolina. Together, Free Times and The Post and Courier employ 13 full-time journalists living and working in the city of Columbia. In addition to producing Columbia’s largest and most-read weekly publication, Free Times has grown a reputation throwing incredible events including Best of Columbia, A Free Times Halloween, and Tacos, Tequila and Tacky Sweaters.
Today, The Post and Courier and Free Times sustain a reputation for providing honest and trusted coverage of news, food, music, arts, and culture, throwing incredible events and engaging an audience of diverse political views, socioeconomic statuses, ages and genders.
Non-Profit Partners
The Charitable Plate is a registered 501C3 which aims to shepherd talent in the Midlands community by providing scholarships to fund the advancement and growth of future chefs, farmers, heritage foods, and educational pursuits to strengthen our local food system. F2T donates a percentage of ticket sales from every event to The Charitable Plate to assist with funding.
The Charitable Plate
The purpose of the South Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Foundation is to assist the hospitality industry to help it thrive through the administration of education and workforce development programs, and industry certifications, in addition to the administration, development, and delivery of programs for pandemic and/or disaster recovery in South Carolina.
The SCRLF was created by a group of forward-thinking restaurant and hotel professionals in 1999 as the charitable, not-for-profit IRS recognized 501(c)3 charitable affiliate of the South Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association. The SCRLF was founded to promote the health and prosperity of the foodservice industry by investing in our youth and our workforce.
The fundraising programs and projects of the foundation have been the primary source of financial support for post-secondary scholarships, industry-related school-to-career programs, and workforce development initiatives. To learn more about the SCRLF, visit //scrla.org/scrlf.
South Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Foundation
Planning Committee
- Chase Heatherly, Publisher & Ad Director
- Lindsay Conine, Events Manager
- Kelly Glynn, Events Manager
- Lisa Willis, Production and Operations Manager
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