From the salty waters of Lowcountry marshlands to the rich soils of orchards and farms, South Carolina’s natural abundance is showcased with culinary creativity throughout the state. See how the most recent cohort of South Carolina Chef Ambassadors collaborate with local farmers and fishers to create exquisite dishes that showcase the area’s freshest flavors.
Greatness Grown Here
Tucked inside an 1800s cottage shaded by moss-draped trees and tropical foliage, The Cottage Café, Bakery & Tea Room in Bluffton is a charming escape into the heart of South Carolina’s Lowcountry. It’s here that South Carolina Chef Ambassador Leslie Rohland dishes out her creative takes on classic Southern comfort food, all while harnessing the freshest flavors from local farms and waters. Her pièce de résistance? The May River Shrimp and Grits: an homage to the bounty of nearby May River. This showstopper dish touts creamy cheddar grits piled with garlicky mushrooms, buttery shrimp, lump crab cake and fried oysters. "Most of the ingredients for this particular shrimp and grits come from within a mile radius,” Rohland says. “The shrimp, crab and oysters are from Bluffton Oyster Company, and the grits are from Marsh Hen Mill.”
Bluffton Oyster Company has been a family-run seafood purveyor on the May River since 1899, with Larry Toomer following in his parents’ and grandparents’ footsteps. Meanwhile, Greg Johnsman, owner of Marsh Hen Mill on Edisto Island, learned his craft from a third-generation miller. He emphasizes using heirloom grains such as Carolina Gold rice and Jimmy Red corn, as well as time-honored processes such as cold-milling grains with stone to preserve the rich, authentic flavors of the region.
In Elgin, South Carolina Chef Ambassador Javier Uriarte also folds his own life experiences into his cuisine at Ratio, where Peruvian-inspired comfort food dishes nod to his childhood growing up in Peru. “When I make food, I want people to remember something,” says Uriarte. “I want them to feel what I feel. Comfort food, for me, is about memories and relatability.” Many of his dishes combine South American and American Southern cuisine — such as chicken pot pie empanadas — but to give his cuisine a true sense of South Carolina flavor, he utilizes fresh, seasonal produce and locally raised meats.
His Jamon Del Pais (think Peruvian-style country ham sandwich) uses flavorful, marbled pork shoulder from nearby Gypsy Wind Farms, where owners Brad and Dana Hoffman raise heritage breeds such as mangalitsa pigs, which forage the forested farmland. The resulting pork is more similar to what Uriarte had in Peru than the typical mass-produced pork commonly found in the United States. “I’ve had people say it’s like the pork their grandparents used to have, with a totally different flavor from commercial pork,” says Brad. “This is how pork should taste.”
Surprisingly, not every Southern chef makes meat or seafood the center star of every dish. Take, for example, Anonymous Burgers inside Greer’s community-driven Cartwright Food Hall. Along with all manner of meat-based burgers, owner and South Carolina Chef Ambassador Michael Sibert turns to a local mushroom producer to create his robustly flavorful Double Patty Plant-Based Burg’r. "This may look like fast food, but we're sourcing local ingredients," Sibert says. His vegetarian double-decker burger includes two house-made patties: one from lentils and red beets, and one made from a mushroom called lion’s mane.
"Lion's mane is a very dense, hardy mushroom. So, it's perfect for grilling," explains Jackson Wood, owner of Dark Spore Mushroom Company in Piedmont. Dark Spore currently grows around 800 pounds of mushrooms a week, supplying many of the restaurants in the Upstate with blue oysters, pink oysters, golden oysters and lion's mane.
With each chef’s close relationship with local food producers, South Carolina flavors come to life in unexpected and delicious ways.
Featuring a variety of great stories and exciting trip ideas, the 2025 South Carolina Vacation Guide makes planning your next getaway to the Palmetto State easy. Request your free copy or download the guide today.
