Grab a specialty coffee from Hendrix the Bus in Five Points. | Photo by COLAtoday
Let’s make 2025 the year we set the trends, Columbia. The New York Times has dropped its predictions for this year’s biggest food trends, and lucky for us, Soda City has plenty of places to try them. From savory coffee to grab-and-go gourmet, here’s where to jump in:
Grab-and-go gourmet
A quick and easy meal doesn’t have to be boring. Maybe it gives you that extra hour to hit the gym instead of an hour in the kitchen. Reader Cheri F. let us know that Signature Catering and Market is a great place to pick up a frozen meal to bake at home. She suggests the Shepherd’s Pie, but looking at the menu, it would be hard to choose just one.
FuruSato Bento in Five Points has rave reviews for its wide variety of Bento boxes. Last year, we stopped into Alimentari Don Luigi’s to share those grab-and-go meals.
Driving Down Main Virtual Charity Golf Tournament | Through Tuesday, Feb. 4 | 9 a.m.-7 p.m. | Main Street District | $450+ per team | United Way of the Midlands’ seventh annual event brings the local business community together for virtual golfing fun, while supporting a great cause.
Ignite Learning for Black History Month | 3 p.m. | South Carolina State Library | Free | This training session is designed to support Black History Month learning using Gale Resources from Discus.
Sip and Plant Workshop: Valentine’s Day Kokedama Wrapping | 6:30-8 p.m. | Gardener’s Outpost | $45 | Learn to wrap beautiful tropical plants into Kokedama that can be mounted onto driftwood, hung by string, or placed anywhere in your home.
Wednesday, Feb. 5
Mary J. Blige: The For My Fans Tour with NE-YO and Mario | 7 p.m. | Colonial Life Arena | $59+ | Make this concert a “Family Affair” and purchase tickets to see the Grammy-winning singer, songwriter, actress, and producer on tour.
Thursday, Feb. 6
Startup Sprint | Through Friday, Feb. 7 | Times vary | Boyd Innovation Center | Free | This is a unique opportunity to pitch your ideas, collaborate in energetic teams, and develop prototypes to launch your startup — all within 24 hours.
Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn met at a square dance, started playing music together, and fell in love. | Photo by Jim McGuire
Grammy winners Abigail Washburn and Béla Fleck — named “king and queen of the banjo” by Paste Magazine — are coming to the Koger Center on Saturday, Feb. 22 for a symphonic performance with the South Carolina Philharmonic.
We were excited and more than a little starstruck when we got to pick Fleck’s brain about banjo-playing, what it’s like to perform with the love of his life, his go-to tour snacks + more.
What’s your favorite thing about collaborating with Abigail?
Béla: Abby takes lots of cookie breaks. I like that in a musician.
Actually, it’s her deeply musical self that is my favorite, along with the way she commits to the musical moment.
You two are known for combining your distinct styles — can you tell our readers more about that?
Béla: Yes. Abby plays clawhammer, which is an older style connected to the African roots of the banjo. I play in the three-finger style pioneered by Earl Scruggs. The tricky part is lining these two styles up and making a complete sound from just those elements.
Abby plays more relaxed, and I tend to play more aggressively on the front end of the beat, so we have had to meet in the middle.
SCDOT will break ground on the Scout Motors Drive Interchange in Blythewood today at 3 p.m. The project includes a new I-77 interchange at Exit 26, a connector road to US 21, a new railroad bridge, and I-77 widening to support economic growth and the Scout Motors Manufacturing facility.
Sports
Three Gamecock golfers will compete in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur from Wednesday, April 3, to Saturday, April 6. Hannah Darling, Eila Galitsky, and Louise Rydqvist have accepted invitations to one of golf’s signature events. The top 30 golfers after two rounds at Champions Retreat will advance to Augusta National for the final round.
Job
The City of Columbia is launching its first Talent Retention Fair to connect students and graduates with local career opportunities. Registration is open for the event that will bring together employers, industry partners, and networking resources on Monday, Feb. 17 at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center.
Outdoors
Columbia stargazers can spot the International Space Station in the night sky this week. Viewing windows include Wednesday, January 31, at 7:46 p.m. and Thursday, February 1, at 6:57 p.m. The station will appear as a bright, fast-moving light. (The Post and Courier)
Mansion Monday
The Goodwill Estate, a 736-acre gated retreat outside of Camden, features two Charleston-inspired homes, including an 8,400-sqft furnished main house. The property boasts a 35-acre lake, 12 miles of trails, wetlands, and hardwood forests. We could work with that.
Listen
Will the Carolina Panthers pursue a top wide receiver this offseason? Go beyond the scoreboard and behind the scenes of the Carolina Panthers with Locked On’s daily, team-focused podcasts.
Home
Selling your home? Promote your listing where buyers will see it — right here in this newsletter (in as little as two days).
The Buy
The Buy
A four-pack of bamboo + glass jars — these 10-ounce containers are perfect for overnight oats, chia seed puddings, dressings, snacks, or anything else you want to prep and store.
The New York Times also wrote that it’s the “year of the sauces,” which is great for me because my fridge looks like a condiment museum. It made me think about this beloved local sauce that has ~157,000 views on our Instagram.
Answered
Answered
Your picks for the best song about South Carolina.
We had to Google this. Thanks to SCIWAY, we learned that SC actually has two state songs. Learn more about “South Carolina on My Mind,” written and recorded by Hank Martin and Buzz Arledge, and “Carolina,” written by Henry Timrod.
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