Southern Charm fans may know Craig Conover for his pillow brand and Austen Kroll for his beer brand, but the Charleston residents are also burgeoning restauranteurs.
Austen and Craig are partners at Carriage House in New York City's West Village, and the besties are working on their second restaurant project together, By the Way, in their hometown.
Ahead of the restaurant's official opening, Austen and Craig brought the By the Way experience to the opening of Southern Living's 2024 Idea House on Johns Island, South Carolina. Per a press release, the event was in celebration of the home opening for public tours and consisted of "three nights of cocktail parties for media, influencers, sponsors, and the local community to gather and preview the home."
The official Instagram account for By the Way shared additional details about the opening on August 23.
"It was an absolute HONOR showcasing By The Way at the [Southern Living Magazine] IDEA HOUSE located in Kiawah River. The team — including [Chef Marcus Shell], [Craig Conover and Austen Kroll], were out in full force!"
The Instagram caption went on to tease some of the food items that will be offered on the By the Way menu.
"Guests enjoyed small bites from Chef Marcus including the fan fav, Nduja Deviled Eggs [and] delicious Smoked Salmon Cannolis. As the sun went down, guests sipped on one of our signature cocktails, the Elderflower Spritz ft. Hat Trick Gin made locally at [High Wire Charleston]."
Craig, Austen, and By the Way's chef Marcus also posed for photos at the event.
Craig's pillow brand, Sewing Down South, and Austen's beer brand, Trop Hop, were also featured at the celebration.
What's more, shortly before Austen and Craig's collaboration with Southern Living Magazine, the business partners were on hand to help host a "sneak peek" pop-up for By the Way on July 11.
The gathering, which was, per Instagram, held at "the newly renovated private event spaces at Uptown Social" featured food made with "locally sourced ingredients" and "vibrant craft cocktails." VIP guests were treated to a four-course meal cooked up by head chef Marcus.
When is Craig and Austen's restaurant, By the Way, opening?
According to the official By the Way Instagram feed, the "newest neighborhood den" in Charleston will be opening in the Fall of 2024. An official date has yet to be publicly announced.
