Trading rinks for restaurants
When Parker Milner was nine years old, his father would drag him to Thai and Afghan restaurants while his hockey teammates scarfed down pre-game pasta at the local Olive Garden. At first, Milner complained, but eventually, trying new and interesting foods in out-of-the-way places became something he looked forward to during road trips.聽
Years later, as a professional hockey player, Milner would sometimes invite teammates to join him on his culinary adventures. One Thanksgiving, after the team bus pulled into yet another Cracker Barrel, he led two players through the deserted streets of Tulsa, Oklahoma, to a nondescript restaurant where they enjoyed a delicious meal miles from home.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 remember what we ate or even the name of it, but that night sticks with me because it kind of defined how I would move forward,鈥� Milner recalled. 鈥淚 would do my thing, go to the places I wanted to go to, and not be afraid of exploring my passions.鈥澛�
If you had told Milner at the time that someday he鈥檇 be writing about food for a living, 鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 have believed you,鈥� but the two-time NCAA hockey champion, who lived and breathed the sport for roughly two-thirds of his life, is now an established food journalist in Charleston, South Carolina. At The Post and Courier, where he鈥檚 been the food editor for the past four years, Milner chronicles restaurant openings and closures, the fishing and farming communities, and the occasional food-related drama, like a recent investigation into restaurants passing off imported shrimp as locally-caught. No two days are the same, but they share a common denominator: "Basically anything food, beverage, or dining-adjacent,鈥� said Milner, "is in my purview.鈥�
Milner led his team to a national title in 2012, and was named tournament MVP.
Milner鈥檚 hockey career at BC played out almost perfectly: he won two national titles, three Hockey East championships, and four Beanpot trophies as the Eagles鈥� goaltender, once making 41 saves against UMaine in a conference championship game at TD Garden. After graduating with a degree in marketing, he played seven years of professional hockey for various minor league teams, including four seasons with the South Carolina Stingrays, an affiliate of the Washington Capitals, where he was named ECHL Goaltender of the Year.聽聽
Some of Milner鈥檚 first restaurant reviews were penned on a coach bus during his minor league days, and he refuses to re-read them now (鈥淚 cringe just thinking about it鈥�). Teammates jokingly asked him to review post-game pizza, but Milner found that food writing gave him something to focus on that didn鈥檛 involve a puck. He applied for a freelance position with Eater, a popular food and dining website, and contributed articles to the Charleston City Paper, a weekly print publication, learning as he went. In 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic put a halt to most professional sports, Milner decided to retire from hockey and give full-time journalism a try.聽
In addition to his writing duties, Milner hosts events and leads culinary tours for The Post and Courier. Here, he enjoys a plate of char kway teow in Malasia.
Food writers are most well-known for their restaurant reviews, but at The Post and Courier, Milner wasn鈥檛 initially asked to write them, a decision he appreciates in retrospect. Instead, he spent two years writing features and interviewing chefs, amassing local knowledge and finding his voice as a writer and critic. Nowadays, Milner is careful with his criticisms, knowing how influential a review can be to a restaurant鈥檚 bottom line. 鈥淚 always go into a review with fairness in mind,鈥� he said. He dines at each establishment at least twice, often going with a group and then returning alone to double-check his first impressions. He uses an alias when reserving a table, although as the only critic in Charleston, his cover is often blown as soon as he sits down. Back at his desk, Milner tries to make sure his reviews are more than just a list of what diners should and shouldn鈥檛 order, often including anecdotes about the people involved or the history of the building.聽
鈥淚 try to do a little storytelling to spice it up,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 want a review to just be me going through the menu鈥攏obody wants to read that.鈥澛�
In addition to his regular articles, Milner also pens a subscriber-only newsletter, CHS Menu, where he introduces readers to under-the-radar spots like the ones he and his father used to frequent. Recently, a reader sent him a paper menu in the mail for a barbecue spot 45 minutes from downtown Charleston, and Milner was eager to check it out. It was something he might have done several years ago after a game, on his own time, but now it was his full-time job.聽
鈥淭hey don鈥檛 have a website or anything so I don鈥檛 really know much about it,鈥� he mused. 鈥淲e鈥檒l see if it鈥檚 any good.鈥澛�