s a little girl, Grace Anderson lived in Australia, Spain and England, moving countries when her father’s career in finance required a transfer. In 2012, when she was 10 years old, her family settled on the Isle of Palms and the island became her home.
“Our family has always loved spending weekends at the beach, so having this proximity is wonderful,” Anderson said. “Plus, the small-town feel is so cozy since we are always running into our friends and neighbors everywhere.”
In seventh grade, Anderson landed her first job scooping ice cream at Ben & Jerry’s on Front Beach. When a position at Cafe Paname opened up in 2020, she took it. There, she learned how to make coffee from the then owner, who was French, and his son, who had trained in Australia. During the summer of 2023, Anderson transferred over to The Refuge, where she started as a barista.
She said she enjoys working at The Refuge because regulars from around the island stop in every day to say hello. Anderson added, “It’s also fun meeting vacationers and talking to them about the island.”
In addition to experimenting with what she calls “latte art,” crafting brews such as the best-selling Refuge Signature coconut and salted caramel, Anderson works as a server at the restaurant adjacent to the coffee shop. “Sometimes customers will take their coffee to go but a lot of times they’ll stay for breakfast,” she said. “The favorites include locally-baked cinnamon rolls and other gluten-free pastries.”
This past spring Anderson graduated from Clemson University with a degree in nutrition and dietetics. She is currently working towards earning her master’s in that field. On Sept. 2, she began a dietician internship at MUSC. While this next chapter will require her to cut back on her hours at The Refuge, she intends to pick up some shifts on Saturday mornings.
When she’s not behind the bar or a computer screen, Anderson enjoys taking long walks on the beach, traveling to new places, cooking with her mom and thinking about plans for her wedding to her fiancé Jonathan Togami, who grew up on Sullivan’s Island where his family has lived for many generations.
“This is home for us,” Anderson said. “I don’t see us moving away.”
To learn more about menu offerings at The Refuge, visit refugeiop.com.
By Sarah Rose
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