COLUMBIA — On Aug. 12, Columbia-based chef Joe Gibson and LTC Hospitality Group opened Gregory's Restaurant, a scenic, Italian-inspired eatery nestled inside the manicured Solina Golf Club in West Columbia. Gibson is no stranger to Columbia's food and dining scene.
Before heading a restaurant of his own, he "caught the fine dining bug" at Main Street's Hampton Street Vineyard before spending the last two years at LTC's Smoked . As he worked his way from a cook to the restaurant's executive sous chef, he forged connections with the ever-growing LTC Hospitality Group, which is owned by the Middletons, an affluent family of entrepreneurs in the Midlands. Formerly known as the Indian River Golf Club , Solina was built in the 1990s and is home to 18 holes and over 1,000 members.
Located 20 minutes from downtown Columbia, the club is members-only. Gregory's is open to the public. After LTC invested in Solina and began turning its clubhouse into a restaurant, wasn't long before the LTC team asked Gibson to take on a new level of leadership.
"They presented me an opportunity to take the reins, help open the restaurant and become their executive chef here," Gibson said. "I poured my heart and soul into this." Steel Hands' new Vista location will offer more than just craft beer When Gibson drafted the menu for Gregory's, he described his creative process as that of a "mad scientist.
" He gleaned inspiration from his mother's Italian recipes, his Florida hometown's Cajun culture and hi.