Allison Whitney Smith

Allison Whitney Smith, 34, of Charleston, South Carolina, was born July 11, 1988 and left this world unexpectedly and far too early on March 2, 2023.  She is survived by her husband of ten years, Mark Remi, her mother Mary Smith of Ravenel, her brother Matthew Kirby Smith and his girlfriend Kate Powell of Mount Pleasant, her in-laws Thomas and Annette Remi of Greenville, her brother-in-law Alan Remi of Greenville, her beloved Weimaraner Jeb and countless other family and friends who deeply mourn her loss.  She was predeceased by her father Elmer Kirby Smith, Jr., D.M.D.  of Ravenel and her grandparents Don and Lavon Duckworth of Charleston and Elmer and Ann Smith of John’s Island.  

Allison’s life was a life fully lived - filled with grace, beauty, art, food, travel, family, friends and animals of all kinds.  She survived a battle with leukemia in her youth, attended the St. Paul’s Country Day School, and graduated from the Charleston County School of the Arts where she excelled in the visual arts.  Early on she developed a passion for cooking and baking and graduated from the Culinary Institute of Charleston in 2008. Her culinary journey took her far and wide, from serving as a chef at the Cannes Film Festival in France to working at many local establishments, including Six Tables, Anson, Cupcake and the Tattooed Moose.  In 2010, while craving something sweet, Allison had an epiphany:  “Why don’t I open a doughnut shop? It’s just what Charleston needs!”  With her then-boyfriend-and-future-husband Mark, and the assistance of family and friends, Glazed Gourmet Doughnuts opened on King Street in 2011 to rave reviews and has continuously served a passionate customer base ever since. When asked by someone what made her think she could open a doughnut shop on King Street, her response was simply:  “No one ever told me I couldn’t.”   In addition to Glazed, she developed the Sambar Indian restaurant in partnership with Nir Arbiv and Leo Dobkin which operated out of the Workshop and started Knockout Cookies with one of her partners-in-crime Anastasia Graham in 2019.  When she was not cooking and baking for her customers, she was frequently hosting family and friends for dinner parties and oyster roasts.

Throughout her life, Allison displayed a passion for animals.  She was an accomplished equestrian in her youth, she served as an opossum ambassador for Keeper of the Wild where she hosted rescued opossums until they could be returned to the wild, and she loved spending time with Jeb competing in agility training with Low Country Dog Agility. 
Allison was a force of nature, passionate about life, who pursued her passions to the fullest, and always pulled her family and friends along for the ride.  The ride simply ended too quickly.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Allison’s honor should be made to Keeper of the Wild, 1606 Coolers Dairy Road, Walterboro, SC 29488 or online at https://keeperofthewild.org.