Swamp Rabbit Inn Travelers Rest Hits the Big Time

Swamp Rabbit Inn and Properties has hit the big time folks! The Swamp Rabbit Inn location in Travelers Rest was used as part of a movie set this past summer and is now officially listed as a filming location on IMDb (Internet Movie Database). Ethos Movies - a motion picture production company located in Greer, South Carolina - was scouting locations for it’s upcoming film Operation Resist when it came across the Swamp Rabbit Inn in Traveler’s Rest. Swamp Rabbit Inn and Properties happily welcomed the studio and film crew with open arms, and we’re all very eager for the release of Operation Resist.

Founder James Moran started Ethos Movies back in 1995-1996 as a student project with forty-five cast volunteers, fifteen crew members, a few hundred dollars and a super VHS camera. It has since grown into a privately owned motion picture production company that strives to produce feature films, commercial productions, educational productions, and historical documentaries that both inform and educate audiences.

See below for the film summary from Ethos’ website and the first mini trailer:

During the reign of the Nazis, a Jewish girl named Miriam survives a home invasion by fascist soldiers. Miriam finds allies among a secret branch of the Resistance, and together, they work fearlessly on a courageous escape plan. This intense family-friendly action movie pays tribute to the courageous resistance community who risked their lives during the Holocaust era to protect the lives of the innocent.

You will find The Swamp Rabbit Inn Travelers Rest listed on the Supporters page of Ethos’ website here. The world premiere of Operation Resist is set for April 19, 2019 in Washington D.C. Subscribe here for updates on when and how to see the film. We can’t wait!

Wendy Chats With Table 301's Kim Eades on Her Greenville Story

Last March, Wendy chatted with Kim Eades, Table 301’s director of sales and community outreach, about her own Greenville beginnings and her favorite things about Greenville. Check out their conversation in the video above and links to places mentioned are included below. Enjoy!

Kim’s Greenville Story

Like many Greenville transplants, Eades was introduced to Greenville by a friend. About 16 years ago, Eades was living in Atlanta after completing a three month backpacking trip through Europe on her own. She reconnected with an old friend who had recently transferred to Greenville and told her she should check it out. “So I came up, it was April, everything was in bloom, live music everywhere … like, love at first sight,” said Eades. “Loved the city.”

After living in Florida for a few months, recovering from a health scare and finding a great career opportunity, Eades finally made the move. 16 years later, Eades is married to the very friend who convinced her to move here, has two wonderful kids and loves the city she lives in.

When asked what her favorite thing about Greenville is, Eades said she loved how philanthropic and community oriented Greenville is. Eades began her community involvement through the Greenville Chamber of Commerce programs: Opportunity Greenville and Leadership Greenville. “You learn about the city, you learn about government, you learn about all the different organizations here … it’s kind of a learning process of Greenville; the good and the bad,” said Eades about the programs.

Along with being an involved member of the community and the Table 301 restaurant group, Eades has a weekly column in The Greenville News. Check out Simply Kiki every Wednesday in the Lifestyle section for some yummy recipes!

To all you Greenville residents: what’s your Greenville story? We’d love to hear it! Share with us in the comments section below.

Mentioned in Video

Soby’s

Table 301

Lazy Goat

Jianna

Passerelle

Nose Dive

Papi’s Tacos

Southern Pressed Juicery

Table 301 Catering and Kitchen

Treehugger Customs

Revel

Saskatoon Steakhouse

Hampton Station

Zen

Leadership Greenville

Greenville Chamber of Commerce

Opportunity Greenville

Swamp Rabbit Trail

Greenville Saturday Market

euphoria

The Greenville News

Simply Kiki

Swamp Rabbit Inn

Triathlon Training Coach Marni Sumbal of Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition

When it comes to triathlon training there is no one better in our opinion that Marni Sumbal with Trimarni Coaching!  We love hosting her triathlon training camps at our Swamp Rabbit Lodge and her athletes at our Swamp Rabbit Inn TR as they come to train one on one with Marni and her husband Karel in Travelers Rest and Greenville County.

Marni just released her new book, Essential Sports Nutrition, available on Amazon.  Check it out!

Sumbal's Triathlon Experience

Sumbal began as a swimmer; starting out late at age 11 then continuing all the way through college. After missing training for an event when she went to grad school, someone recommended that she run a marathon. Sumbal found the experience to be incredibly enjoyable and the challenge of such an endurance event to be motivating. Sumbal continued on to triathlons which then lead to her first Ironman in 2006. "It was the Ironman Florida," says Sumbal. "The distances for anybody who doesn't know is a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike and then you run a marathon at the end."

Sumbal is now an 11x Ironman triathlon finisher and 4x Ironman World Championship finisher. She holds a 10:06 Ironman PR. Her husband Karel is a category 1 cyclist turned 7x Ironman finisher, with 2 Ironman World Championship finishes and an Ironman PR of 9:13.

Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition

Taking her masters in exercise physiology, degree in dietetics and experience coaching athletes, Sumbal turned her passion into a career. Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition helps athletes reach performance goals without compromising health through effective coaching and nutrition strategies. They offer a variety of services:

Nutrition Services

Training Plans

Coaching

Retul Bike Fit

Speaking and Writing

Trimarni Camps

As the business continued to grow, Sumbal knew she needed more help. In came her husband Karel - a bike mechanic, retool bike fitter and Trek Bicycle Store GM - to help with the coaching side along with their assistant coach. "When we came here, there was so much that Greenville had to offer," says Sumbal. "We wanted to bring people here, so we said it was perfect for private and group training camps for triathletes and cyclists."

Mentioned in Video:

Travelers Rest

Swamp Rabbit Inn

Swamp Rabbit Trail

Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition

IRONMAN Florida

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Cuisine, Cycling and Charity with Jianna's Michael Kramer

In this week’s video, Wendy chats with Michael Kramer, Jianna’s executive chef, about Jianna’s first year, his culinary inspirations and his love for cycling.

Jianna’s First Year

When asked to describe Jianna’s first year in business, Kramer replied:

I think insanity is probably the operative word. I think we were just really blessed to be sort of at the right place at the right time. The weather was great. The patio was open, so that was always helpful and uh, you know I think people were just starving for some great oysters and fresh house-made pastas.

Jianna has been well received, both within the community of Greenville and outside it, since its opening in March 2017. Both its remarkable menu and scenic location have dubbed it an absolute must.

Kramer’s Culinary Story

For someone who didn’t like food much as a child, Kramer has done quite well for himself in the culinary world. After graduating from high school and attending community college for a bit, Kramer studied abroad in England where he opened his eyes to different types of foods. After working in the restaurant business there as a pizza deliverer, Kramer came back to the states to attend culinary school and the rest was history.

“I feel like with Jianna, I cook food that I’d like to eat everyday,” said Kramer when asked what his favorite thing to make is. “You’ll find that most chefs cook the food that they like per say.” Kramer previously did a lot of four and five-star cooking from caviar to truffles to foie gras. Even though he stills loves these foods, Kramer feels like there’s just something about a home-made bowl of pasta that strikes a chord. (side-note: Jianna goes through roughly 300 pounds of flour a week)

Cycling Lifestyle

Kramer is an avid cyclist who insists that in some sense it saved his life; keeping him away from the late-night eating and drinking scenes. “It keeps me fit, it’s good for my thought process and it kind of helps clear the cobwebs if you will,” said Kramer. “You know, it’s a good place to think out on a bike and of course Greenville is such an amazing place to ride.”

While enjoying cycling as a hobby, Kramer also keeps involved in the cycling community through his cooking. Kramer is always a featured chef at the Gran Fondo Hincapie Celebrity Chef Dinner in Greenville and he took part in this year’s Chef Cycle event - 3 days of 100 mile per day rides - in Sonoma that raises money for No Kid Hungry.

Did you know Kramer also hosts super secret pop-up dinners around Greenville that benefit Chefs Cycle? If you want to know how to “get in the know,” watch the rest of the video! If you’re interested in donating to Chefs Cycle, head over to Kramer’s Chefs Cycle donation page.

Mentioned in Video

Jianna

Hincapie Gran Fondo

No Kid Hungry

Chefs Cycle

Beat Bobby Flay

Talking All Things Coffee With Methodical Coffee's Will Shurtz

Shurtz’s Coffee Beginnings

Before the dream of Methodical Coffee became a reality, there was Vagabond Barista. Shurtz was finishing up school online, traveling around with a band and working at coffee shops in town during his free time when he realized he wanted to make coffee for a living. At age 19, Shurtz started Vagabond Barista. “I didn’t necessarily have the money to build out a whole cafe or to hire a bunch of baristas,” said Shurtz. “So I was like, ‘I’ll just take what I have - I have the brewing equipment - and I’ll just go to people.’”

Shurtz took Vagabond everywhere for about three years, from events to offices to schools all over the country. His philosophy was to do pour over coffee in glassware so people could experience coffee being made by hand.

About Methodical Coffee

Methodical Coffee consists of three key players: Will Shurtz, Marco Suarez and David Baker. Shurtz meet Suarez when he helped with the branding for Vagabond and he meet Baker when he attended a coffee tasting Shurtz was hosting. The three brought their talents together to create the Methodical Coffee you all know and love today.

Methodical Coffee opened in February 2015 and has since made quite a name for itself. Not only has it been named the most beautiful cafe in South Carolina, it’s been featured in publications like National Geographic, The New York Times, Architectural Digest, and more.

What’s next on the horizon for Methodical Coffee? Watch the video and find out!

Mentioned in Video

Swamp Rabbit Inn

Methodical Coffee

Vagabond Barista

National Geographic

New York Times

Architectural Digest

Billiam Jeans

Urban Digs

The Community Tap

Dapper Ink

The Landmark Project