Palmetto State News

Gov. Henry McMaster, state Commissioner of Agriculture Hugh Weathers, and state Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism Director Duane Parrish, recently named three South Carolina chefs to serve as the state's official Chef Ambassadors for 2022.

"Our hospitality industry has been on a rollercoaster ride since March 2020. From shifting to a to-go model almost overnight, to navigating workforce challenges, to welcoming an influx of visitors as tourism began to rebound – they've really seen it all in a very short timeframe," Parrish said in a governor's office release touting the yearlong appointments of top chefs John Ondo, Chris Williams and Haydn Shaak. "The Chef Ambassador Program highlights and celebrates some of the very best of what this resilient and tenacious industry has to offer, and helps showcase just how significant and extraordinary our culinary scene is in the Palmetto State."

SC Chef Ambassadors prepare dishes using certified state produce, meats and seafood that support local farmers and highlights the state's food traditions, the release said. The ambassadors also represent the state at various food festivals and media events. 

Ondo hails from The Atlantic Room at Kiawah Island Golf Resort in Charleston. A Lowcountry native, Ondo has enjoyed a more than 20-year career dishing up great food from the area's gardens and waterways. 

Williams of Lexington is the owner of William Christopher's catering and the beloved Roy's Grille located inside an Exxon gas station. A Bamberg County native, Williams is a barbecue whiz.

Shaak has worked his way up to top chef at Restaurant 17 at the Hotel Domestique in Travelers Rest. He is a graduate of the culinary program at Greenville Technical College, and at 16, began an apprenticeship under his father at the CityRange Steakhouse Grill in Greenville.

The program, now in its eighth year, unites agribusiness and tourism, two of South Carolina's largest industries.