Restaurant opens Thanksgiving Day in historic Bay Street home

In more than 200 years of life, The Anchorage on Bay Street has been a home to dignitaries, a hotel annex and a guest house. Its latest incarnation - a gourmet Southern restaurant and event space - opens today.

The history and beauty of the house at 1103 Bay St. was what first attracted restaurateurs Christopher and Bethany Hewitt. On Cat Island in May for a staff retreat, the Hewitts, owners of Southern Graces Indulgent Catering & Design, were sightseeing in downtown Beaufort when Bethany spotted The Anchorage. She made her husband turn around to take a closer look.

A tour inside The Anchorage sold the Savannah couple, originally from Knoxville, Tenn., on the space. They loved the hardwood floors, polished wood staircases, crown moldings, elaborately painted ceilings and crystal chandeliers.

"It was definitely love at first sight," Bethany Hewitt said Wednesday afternoon as her staff prepared for today's Southern Graces restaurant opening. Today's meal will feature classic Southern items with a French, gourmet-style twist. The Beaufort location also will provide event planning.

"It was like Christmas morning to me. I was like a child, like, oh my gosh, I've got to have it."

That began a six-monthprocess of getting a business license and setting up the restaurant. There are already Southern Graces locationsin Atlanta, Charleston, Knoxville, Tenn., Hilton Head Island and Savannah.

The Hewitts worked closely with Beaufort city officials and Historic Beaufort Foundation to set up Southern Graces while maintaining the integrity of The Anchorage.

Historic Beaufort Foundation purchased The Anchorage in 1971 to save it from demolition, according to foundation executive director Evan R. Thompson. When the house was sold to Beaufortonians Paul Brewer and Christine Ciavielloin 2007, the foundation attached restrictive covenants to protect The Anchorage from "inappropriate physical changes," he said.

That covenant applied when Brewer and Ciavello agreed to lease Hewitts the building for Southern Graces.

"Finding a house this beautiful isn't easy," Bethany Hewitt said.

Taking home the all-around cooking prize at October's Shrimp Festivalhelped drum up significant business before the restaurant even opened. There are already 200 reservations for Thanksgiving dinner, and at least six weddings planned at The Anchorage next year, Bethany Hewitt said.

"This house is made for entertaining," she said. "It's made for laughter and stories. This house is the essence of Southern Graces."