Charleston's culinary social media club, TastemakersCHS, is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, having raised over $70k for local nonprofits through restaurant partnerships and influencer promotion.
Created in 2016 by Charlotte Berger, founder of Charleston-based PR firm CBPR, TastemakersCHS was created with two goals: to support the city’s vibrant restaurant community through social media promotion, and to use that platform to raise funds and awareness for impactful local nonprofits.
“I wanted to use the power of social media to go beyond the typical ‘foodie’ content and dig deeper to use our combined following to give back to a city we all love so much,” Berger said.
Today, the group includes more than 45 Charleston-based influencers specializing in culinary content, with a combined reach of over 800k followers. As Charleston has increasingly become a hub for lifestyle and culinary influencers, TastemakersCHS has grown into a powerful network that helps harness that social media reach to support local restaurants and nonprofits. Over the past decade, TastemakersCHS has raised funds for over 50 nonprofits across the Lowcountry, supporting causes ranging from fighting human trafficking and protecting the rights of LGBTQ+ neighbors to addressing food insecurity and supporting victims of child abuse.
“Each quarter, we partner with a local restaurant to host a giveback benefiting a nonprofit, often tied to a featured menu item,” explains Berger. “Our TastemakersCHS team also provides ready-to-share social media assets and story templates for influencers, making it easy for them to spread the word about nonprofit missions, events and volunteer opportunities while amplifying the campaign across their platforms.”