The Sun Never Sets on Bowens Island

by Denise K. James

Close your eyes, and think back to the South Carolina coast in the 1940s. It was during this period that Sarah May Chaplin Barber Bowen made a choice which would affect generations of her family to come. A native of Ravenel and a cosmetologist by trade with the fiery spirit of an entrepreneur — her mother owned an antiques store in downtown Charleston, among other properties — Sarah May decided it was high time she acquired property of her own: an island near Folly Beach, 13 acres in size and priced at $3,900.

The Early Days of Bowens Island

According to Sarah May’s great-granddaughter, Sarah Hope Barber, the island purchase was an act of optimism and forward- thinking – Sarah May’s son, Bob Barber, would soon be returning from World War II. Sarah May named her island “Bowens Island,” after her second husband Jimmy Bowen, and added maintaining the land to her repertoire of projects; she also owned a restaurant on Folly Beach, named Bob’s Lunch, in honor of her son.

In the early days of Bowens, family and close friends would utilize the land and surrounding water for fishing and shrimping, and they would inevitably ask Sarah May to cook up their fresh catches. Given her savvy business sense, it didn’t take long for Sarah May to decide she could make good money – and with that, the Bowens Island restaurant was born. It started out simply: fried fish and shrimp plates, tasty staples that keep fans coming back still today. And, given Bowens proximity to Folly’s oyster beds, the restaurant soon became known for oyster roasts as well.

“Back then, people did oyster roasts at their homes,” Sarah Hope explained. “But because of the oyster beds, people started coming to us. We were the first place to have roasts for the public.”

Years went by, and Bowens Island grew in popularity, not just for their delicious seafood but for the carefree attitude that only the Lowcountry waterfront can provide. Students from the Medical University of South Carolina, as well as the Citadel – acknowledging the “two bridge rule,” which said cadets could shed uniform after crossing two bridges –would flock to Bowens to relax with friends.

By 1990, the members of the “original trio” who ran the restaurant had passed on: John Sanka, a dear family friend, was the first to go in the early 1980s, followed by James A. “Jimmy Bowen” in the mid-’80s and Sarah May in 1990. Fortunately, the torch was firmly in the hand of Robert Barber, Sarah May’s grandson, who’d returned from law school to continue the tradition. Today, members of the family still reside on the island, including Beal Barber, Sarah Hope’s grandmother. Sarah Hope looks ahead to her own daughters, Mary Lesesne and Sarah Frances, as well as her nieces and nephews, taking the reins one day as the fifth generation. Not that anyone is in any hurry; Sarah Hope suspects her father will “work until his dying day, just like his grandmother did.”

“I think all three of the original trio would be very proud of what the space and the idea and the restaurant they created have become,” she mused. “And how it’s been carried on as our legacy. I know my dad and I both feel this way: There is something that makes you want to honor your family legacy. You honor the things that came before you.”

2006: A Pivotal Year

The restaurant was a well-kept secret for years — a mostly locals’ haunt unspoiled by Charleston’s tourism. But around 2005 things started changing. Specifically, John T. Edge from the Southern Foodways Alliance experienced Bowens Island for the first time and discovered its power. Edge was “crucial,” in the words of Sarah Hope, in getting the restaurant nominated for the James Beard American Classic Award. Much to everyone’s triumph, the award was bestowed in 2006, and Bowens Island was officially on the map, getting noticed by national media outlets such as the Food Network Channel.

Then, tragedy struck in October of that year. Sarah Hope’s father received a phone call in the middle of one night with harrowing news: their beloved family restaurant was up in flames. It was an electrical fire in one of the cinder block buildings, yet the fire department was never able to determine its exact source.

The timing of the fire was particularly troubling (not that a fire is ever timed well) – Robert Barber was running for Lieutenant Governor, and the election was a mere two weeks away. While he had to briefly place his campaign on hold, it wasn’t for long. The family rallied swiftly and soon had an auxiliary version of Bowens Island Restaurant. “We moved all the seating to the dock house, and that’s where we seated people for about four years,” Sarah Hope remembered. “And we had our little catering kitchen to use – it was a space we’d been using as a party rental kitchen.”

Rebuilding Bowens Island

Four years after the fire, Bowens Island was restored to its full glory and continues to be a beacon of tradition and hospitality. Sarah Hope reflected on how that time period – the visit from John T. Edge, the award, and the fire – propelled the restaurant into a new era. “I think certain things were meant to be. I think things happen for a reason sometimes,” she admitted. “Before 2010, we did not take credit cards, and you had to pay with cash or a check! We didn’t have an ATM machine either.”

But while times have changed in some ways, they’ve stayed the same in others. Visitors to Bowens might be able to whip out a Visa at its current iteration, but the charm and dedication to the Lowcountry and to fresh seafood haven’t faltered. The familiar menu is still part of what brings folks back, including shrimp, fish, and crab cake platters. Frogmore stew and shrimp ‘n’ grits are also part of the offerings, but, according to Sarah Hope, the most significant change is the styling of oysters. Whereas clusters of oysters were steamed back in the day, and still are, patrons can now enjoy raw oysters on the half-shell and chargrilled oysters.

Recently, too, the restaurant decided to include lunch service, a move that expanded the magic of Bowens Island to those who want to enjoy the food and the ambiance but need to be home a bit earlier.

“That’s been huge for us,” Sarah Hope said. “I think lunch lessens the pressure on our kitchen, and we’ve opened it up to older people, people with kids, and just people who want to experience the restaurant and the island but not be here when it’s crazy-busy and dark.”

Ode to the Oyster

At the heart of Bowens Island is the humble oyster, a bivalve delicacy that many people love, including yours truly. As the coastal population continues to grow – and many more people discover their affinity for oysters, whether raw, steamed, or grilled – the natural supply is having a difficult time keeping up.

“I’ve become concerned with the state of our local shellfish beds,” Sarah Hope said. “The beds are decreasing due to development and the rise in popularity of oysters in general. So many more people have set up a business to harvest them; it ties to people coming to the area and the increased interest.”

Harvesting oysters works in a couple of different ways. Commercial entities, such as a restaurant, can apply to pick oysters from certain areas. However, according to the SCDNR website, anyone with a valid fishing license can access state oyster beds during harvesting season, October 1 to May 15.

This is one reason that Sarah Hope believes the rise of oyster farming is actually beneficial – wild harvesting cannot keep up with demand. “I think the innovation of raising farm oysters . . . if those farmers can produce, that’s good,” she commented. One supplier, Tom Beirce, owner of Charleston Oyster Farm, regularly provides the crowd at Bowens with delicious oysters – “They are the best farm-raised oysters I’ve ever had,” Sarah Hope declared – and other varieties are shipped from places such as the Outer Banks and Prince Edward Island.

Still, Bowens Island was founded on Folly’s wild oysters, harvested throughout the years by a family who lives on Sol Legare Road and has been acquainted with Sarah Hope’s family since the earliest days of the restaurant. “The guys who pick for us now, their family picked for my great-grandmother,” she beamed. “And I would say they definitely give a damn about the oyster population; that’s how they were raised.”

She paused and smiled, remembering something. “One of our oyster pickers passed on right before we got the James Beard award, and when my dad went to the awards ceremony, he showed up wearing his tuxedo and his shrimp boots,” she said. “He said it was in honor of all the people who do all the hard work.