When Charleston Grill serves its last meal on Aug. 23, a 36-year chapter of Charleston fine dining will close. While few will ever forget the Grill’s crab cake or its extraordinary wine list, its greatest legacy will be the people who created, maintained and worked in the world-class restaurant that incubated talent in the kitchen and dining room.

Since this month’s surprising closure announcement, there has been time to take stock of what the Charleston Grill meant to the people who worked there and to the greater community.

The birth of the Grill

Lowcountry legend Louis Osteen was opening chef in 1989 at the Grill, the cornerstone restaurant at what then was called Omni Charleston Place. He handed the kitchen over to Bob Waggoner eight years later. Waggoner brought sous chef Michelle

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