Courtney + Nicole Tomer

Years of Participation

2022-2023

Courtney Tomer has been cooking in Charleston for nearly 20 years. A 2002 graduate of Johnson & Wales, he found himself lucky enough to work for some of the most highly esteemed chefs in the city.

For years, Courtney dreamt of owning his own clam shack in Charleston. A Connecticut-born SC transplant, Tomer always enjoyed family trips to Maine, where he remembers taking down entire lobsters as a small child, and devouring whole belly fried clams. In 2012, he met his wife Nicole, a girl from Cape Cod that grew up clamming and making chowder with her parents.

Summers spent seeing Nicole's family on the Cape only inspired his vision more and more with each visit. So, in 2020, he and his wife decided to take the first step in their clam slinging dreams. They began selling beloved coastal treats, specifically stuffed quahogs via their aptly named pop-up concept, Co-Hog.

The New England experience may be paramount to Co-Hog's operation, but Courtney draws creativity from the entire eastern seaboard. On the rotating menu, you'll see representation of the local waters, and a glimpse of summers spent on the Delaware shore picking crabs with his Grandma.