One of the best things about spring in South Carolina is that farmers markets are opening for the season, giving all of us places to buy directly from farmers who grow delicious foods.

Because our spring was chilly this year, some crops are a little later than usual. But the strawberries are ripe now, and other berries and peaches will soon follow. What a pleasure to buy tomatoes and cucumbers and all sorts of vegetables grown right in our own area.

The S.C. Farmers Markets in West Columbia, Greenville and Florence are open year-round, and so are some of the city markets. I often shop at Myrtle’s Market, the city of Myrtle Beach farmers market, and it is open Wednesday, Friday and Saturday all year.

Lots of the city and community markets throughout the state have just opened for the season or will open soon. One of the markets below, listed by city, is probably close to where you live. Visit often and buy lots from the farmers in your area. Remember, no farms, no food.

(You can find more markets listed on the S.C. Department of Agriculture’s website at the Community-based Farmers Market page, the list of Certified SC members or Certified SC Roadside Markets page. 

Aiken: Aiken County Farmers Market, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mondays and Saturdays.

Beaufort: Downtown Beaufort Farmers Market, 2-6 p.m. Wednesdays.

Beaufort: Habersham Farmers Market, open 4-7 p.m. Fridays.

Beaufort: Pick Pocket Plantation Farmers Market, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays.

Bluffton: Farmers Market of Bluffton, 2-7 p.m. Thursdays.

Bluffton: Buckwalter Place Farmers Market, 2-6 p.m. Tuesdays.

Charleston: Charleston Farmers Market in Marion Square, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays.

Columbia: Soda City Farmers Market, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays.

Columbia: Vista Marketplace at Whaley, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays.

Columbia: Sandhill Farmers Market, 2-7 p.m. Tuesdays.

Conway: Conway Farmers Market, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays.

Florence: Florence Downtown Farmers Market, noon to 6 p.m. Wednesdays.

Greenville: TD Farmers Market, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturdays.

Mount Pleasant: Mount Pleasant Farmers Market, 3:30 p.m. to dusk Tuesdays.

Myrtle Beach: Deville Street Farmers Market at Market Common, 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays.

North Charleston: North Charleston Farmers Market, 2-7 p.m. Thursdays.

North Myrtle Beach: North Myrtle Beach Farmers Market, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays and Fridays.

Port Royal: Port Royal Farmers Market, 8:30 a.m. to noon Saturdays.

Ridgeland: Jasper County Farmers Market, 1-6 p.m. Fridays.

Spartanburg: Hub City Farmers Market, 8 a.m. to noon. Saturdays.

Walterboro: Colleton County Farmers Market, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays and noon-6 p.m. Tuesdays.

Strawberry season arrived late this year because of the cool spring, but they are plentiful now all across the state.

Hunter Farms in Easley started its season at the end of April.

“The weather has stalled everything unlike anything we have seen the previous 16 years,” read a Facebook post on April 23. “By far, this will be our latest opening day ever.”

Picking just started at The Hardy Berry Farm in Anderson.

Sandy Flat Berry Patch in Taylors is open now too.

When I attended the Sustainable Chefs Showcase at the Indie Grits Festival on April 14, several chefs took advantage of some of the first ripe berries from Cottle Strawberry Farm in Hopkins, just outside of Columbia.

Cottle’s Facebook page has photos of some enormous berries, and it’s a good place to check to see if the fields are open for picking. You can also buy berries already picked at the farm and at several roadside markets.

Here are some other strawberry farms around the state:

Gurosik’s Berry Plantation, North Augusta.

McLeod Farms, McBee.

Hickory Bluffs Nursery and Berry Farm, Holly Hill.

Breland Hill Strawberry Barn, Ruffin.

Charpia Farms, Summerville.

Ambrose Family Farm, Wadmalaw Island.

Lever Farms, Pomaria.

A cookbook on Southern cooking by Nathalie Dupree of Charleston and Cynthia Graubart of Atlanta has won a 2013 James Beard Foundation award.

“Mastering the Art of Southern Cooking” was named the winner of the American Cooking cookbook of the year.

This is Dupree’s third James Beard Award. She won the Americana award in 1994 for “Nathalie Dupree’s Southern Memories” and the Entertaining award in 1999 for “Nathalie Dupree’s Comfortable Entertaining.”

A Charleston chef and restaurant also were in the running for top national honors in the 2013 Beard Awards.

Chef Sean Brock of Husk and McCrady’s was one of five finalists for the nation’s Outstanding Chef. David Chang of Momofuku Noodle Bar in New York City and Paul Kahan of Blackbird in Chicago tied for that award.

This was the second year that Brock was picked as a semifinalist for Outstanding Chef. He was named Best Chef in the Southeast in 2010, and Husk was a semifinalist for best new restaurant in the 2011 competition.

The Ordinary, the new restaurant of Chef Mike Lata and business partner Adam Nemirow, was one of five finalists for Best New Restaurant. That award went to State Bird Provisions of San Francisco.

The Ordinary opened to lots of media attention in December. Lata and Nemirow also own FIG in Charleston.

Dupree attended the Cordon Bleu cooking school in London and has been chef in restaurants in Spain, Georgia and Virginia. She directed the Rich's Cooking School in Atlanta and has been the host of more than 300 cooking shows.

Dupree and Graubart also teamed up for an earlier cookbook, “Southern Biscuits.”

Three Charleston chefs were semifinalists for Best Chef Southeast this year but weren’t among the five finalists. They are Chef Jeremiah Bacon of The Macintosh, Chef Craig Deihl of Cypress and Chef Joshua Keeler of Two Boroughs Larder. 

The Sustainable Chefs Showcase at the Indie Grits Film Festival gives some of Columbia’s outstanding chefs a chance to show how creative they can be using local and sustainable foods.

And lucky people like me get to sample those delicious morsels. It was held April 14 at 701 Whaley St., and Slow Food Columbia was the host.

Strawberries, just coming in to season, were one of the fruit stars of the show. Both Chef Tim Peters of Motor Supply Company Bistro and Chef Alex Suaudom du Monde of Baan Sawan Thai Bistro were serving berries from Cottle Strawberry Farm in Columbia. Motor Supply served a strawberry and ginger soda. Baan Sawan was serving a sparkling wine “jello shot” made with strawberries.

One of the most beautiful dishes was being served by Chef Blake Fairies and Sous Chef Clayton Ludwigson of Saluda’s. It was a cube of compound watermelon, served with Freshly Grown Farms curly Bibb lettuce, Happy Cow Creamery feta cheese, and dots of watermelon gel.

Chef Brian Dukes of the Blue Marlin was serving South Carolina monkfish with rice perlo, asparagus and arugula microgreens.

Owners Len Henderson and Gini Mason of Tombo Grille served one of my (many) favorites of the day: Freshly Grown Farms Bibb lettuce wrap with Palmetto Farms Cornish hen Thai salad.

One of the heartier dishes was served by Rosso Trattoria Italia: Manchester Farms smoked quail and GnomeGrown mushroom ragu with sheep’s milk gorgonzola.

The Terra team of Chef Mike Davis and Sous Chef Joby Wetzel were cooking something that brought back a great food memory for me: barbecue pork on little hoe cakes. Not only were they delicious, but they reminded me of how my mom made hoe cakes every day or so to eat with fresh vegetables from the garden.

One of the newest chef teams in town also participated. From the Oak Table was Executive Chef Joseph Jacobsen, Chef Charles Stricklin and Pastry Chef Charley Scruggs.

Slow Food Columbia members contributed their own potluck to share, including a scrumptious-looking baby lima and roasted corn succotash.

More than 60 films were shown during this year’s Indie Grits Festival.

“Father Knows Worst” is the title of the episode of “Restaurant: Impossible” featuring a Murrells Inlet restaurant, set to begin airing on the Food Network Sunday, April 21.

Old World Italian got a renovation Jan. 23-24 from the TV crew led by Chef Robert Irvine, who owns restaurants in Hilton Head Island and Bluffton. 

George and Teresa Hayek and their son, George Hayek Jr., opened Old World Italian soon after George Jr. graduated from Johnson & Wales University in 1995.

George Sr. apparently is the father who knows worst. The promo for the episode on the show website says: “Despite growing health and financial problems, George and Teresa can't seem to hand over control to their culinary-trained son, George Jr. Will Robert's tough love approach be able to fix 16 years of old habits in two days?”

Old World Italian has a loyal following, but the Grand Strand has so many restaurants, and business has not been as strong as the family would like in recent years.

Restaurants apply for the renovation on the popular reality show. In two days and spending $10,000, Irvine tries to turn around a struggling restaurant. Sometimes he updates the menu or redecorates. In the case of Old World Italian, a number of entrees were eliminated from the menu, and the restaurant got a new look.

The recipe from the episode featured on the show’s website is for veal marsala.

Irvine always seems a bit harsh on the show, sometimes bringing restaurant owners close to tears. But when I chatted briefly with George Hayek Jr. at Taste of the Inlet in late January, he said Irvine was kind and great to work with. (I wonder if George Sr. would say the same after seeing the title of the show.)

Irvine owns eat! in Hilton Head Island and Nosh in Bluffton.

The episode will air at 10 p.m. Sunday, April 21, and then repeat at 1 a.m. Monday, April 22; 9 p.m. Wednesday, April 24; and midnight Wednesday, April 24.