Author
Howard Gensler is a veteran journalist who has worked at the Philadelphia Daily News, TV Guide and the Philadelphia Inquirer, and now lends his expertise to the South Carolina betting market.
Is South Carolina Among States With The Best Chefs?
July is National Culinary Arts Month, so BetSouthCarolina.com decided to take a break from South Carolina sports betting to look at which states have the most highly ranked chefs based on their population. South Carolina came in at No. 23, largely thanks to Charleston, home to some of the best food in the southeast, and the tiny Hilton Head resort area.
Methodology
BetSouthCarolina.com utilized Best Chefs America, who have the 5,000 best chefs in a database to establish the top culinary talent in the United States, to collect the state location for each of the top chefs. We then utilized the estimated July 1st 2022 Census state population numbers to figure out the states with the best chefs by capita. Note this is where they are located, not where they are from.
Keep tabs on this site for fun items like this as we patiently wait for the launch of South Carolina sportsbook apps.
States With The Best Chefs Per Capita In America
No Shortage of Options
In 2023, South Carolina had six chefs nominated for James Beard Awards.
In no particular order, and there are so many more to be sampled, here are some of the area’s top chefs:
Sean Brock, a James Beard Award-winner, has been serving elevated Southern cuisine at Husk since 2010, featuring regional ingredients and herbs from his rooftop garden.
Jason Stanhope, another James Beard Award-winner, is the executive chef at FIG, offering seasonally-inspired farm-to-table foods from the Lowcountry region. At FIG, Stanhope works Mike Lata, the restaurant’s chef/owner, and yes, another James Beard Award-winner. Lata also runs The Ordinary.
James Beard Award winner Robert Stehling made his name at Hominy Grill, which he ran from 1996 until he closed it in 2019. The restaurant served up outstanding breakfasts and raised the bar on Southern comfort food. Its best-known dish was the Charleston Nasty Biscuit, a homemade biscuit sandwich with fried chicken, American cheese and pork sausage gravy.
Kevin Johnson heads up The Grocery, which describes itself as “A neighborhood gathering place featuring ingredients from our favorite farmers, fisherman, foragers and artisans.” A unique feature is the restaurant’s canning program, which allows it access to ingredients across seasons.
Cynthia Wong may be the area’s top pastry chef. She is the executive pastry chef at Butcher & Bee in and started Life Raft Treats, specializing in ice cream – such as the Not Fried Chicken flavor – and baked sweets.
The Good Eats Continue
Michelle Weaver became a Charleston favorite at the Charleston Grill but recently moved to a new position as culinary ambassador and epicurean director for all the restaurants at The Charleston Place Hotel.
Jacques Larson has been cooking in various Charleston restaurants for more than two decades. His latest venture, The Obstinate Daughter, on Sullivan’s Island, brings together all that experience.
Orchid Paulmeier brings a Filipino twist to Southern BBQ at One Hot Mama’s American Grill on Hilton Head Island. The restaurant is also on the South Carolina Barbecue Trail.
Ramone Dickerson is the Executive Performance Chef at the University of South Carolina in Columbia and is also the chef/owner at the city’s 2 Fat 2 Fly Stuffed Chicken Wings.
It’s hard to find good food in a bookstore – in fact, it’s hard to find a bookstore – but Teryi Youngblood Musolf oversees the café at M. Judson Bookstore in Greenville, and even if you’re not a reader, the food is worth the stop. But it’s even better if you’re a reader.
Chef and historian Forrest Parker, formerly of Louis’s, Old Village Post House, The Drawing Room and Revival is now the only licensed and certified chef tour-guide in Charleston, keeping the food scene humming while he takes a break from the daily kitchen grind.
Lastly, Food Network staple Brooke Williamson may be a West Coaster, but she was the winner of “Top Chef: Charleston” on Bravo in 2017.