Women in Business

Sarah Simmons, Rosemarie MacFarlane Craig

A Salute to Two Vista Powerhouses

Sarah Simmons is the CEO of City Grit Hospitality Group, which includes three of the city’s best restaurants, all of which are gratuity-free. In 2023, CGHG was named a James Beard Award finalist for Outstanding Restauranteur. It has a unique operational concept that includes offering a workforce development program for non-college bound youth, supporting summer feeding programs, and providing consistent, livable wages and upward mobility for employees.

Sarah has been recognized as an influencer and tastemaker in the industry and acknowledged for both culinary and business talent. She has been named one of the 50 best chefs in New York City by Food & Wine magazine and 100 Most Creative People in Business by Fast Company magazine. In 2023, she was named a Liberty Fellow, joining 300 statewide leaders committed to creating a better future for all people in South Carolina.

Rosemarie MacFarlane Craig is a Columbia historic preservationist developer and a former nationally acclaimed high-end furniture manufacturer. She is the recipient of the Historic Columbia Foundation Leadership Award for saving the Palmetto Compress building. She is personally responsible for saving or transforming more than 700,000 square feet of historic properties throughout the city, including the Palmetto Building on Main Street, Columbia’s police headquarters on Washington Street, the Westinghouse Warehouse on Lady Street, the DuPre Building on Gervais Street, and the Palmetto Compress Warehouse on Devine Street.

Rosie has managed and operated R. MacFarlane Craig Historic Properties as CEO since 1993. As a founding member, current board member, and three-time president of the Congaree Vista Guild, she has been in the lead in this historic neighborhood for more than 40 years. Rosie also founded the Gallery at DuPre, which provided a beautiful, priceless gallery opportunity for local artists for 11 years. Rosie was well known outside the Midlands for her design showroom establishments in 9 major city markets in the U.S. including New York City and Beverly Hills, California.