The 2025 class of chef ambassadors (left to right): Shuai Wang, Darren Smith, and Jeanne Koenigsberg, with Gov. Henry McMaster, Agriculture Commissioner Hugh Weathers and Duane Parrish, director of S.C. Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism. (Shaun Chornobroff/SC Daily Gazette)
COLUMBIA — The South Carolina Chef Ambassadors program was founded 11 years ago with the idea of honoring the state’s cuisine as a key cog in its ability to attract tourists while also celebrating the local farmers who drive the state’s agriculture industry.
The 2025 ambassadors, who will work to build farm-to-table relationships as they travel across the state, hail from separate regions of South Carolina.
The trio of designees announced Monday by Gov. Henry McMaster:
- Jeanne Koenigsberg, executive chef and kitchen general manager of Swamp Rabbit Cafe and Grocery of Greenville
- Darren Smith, owner and executive chef of Rivertown Bistro, as well as Bonfire, both located in Conway, and
- Shuai Wang, the chef and owner of Jackrabbit Filly, plus King BBQ, both in North Charleston.
“Food is an important part of our state’s history, culture, and economy, and it’s where two of our largest industries – tourism and agriculture – overlap and excel,” McMaster said in a release. “Our world-class culinary talent is highlighted and celebrated through the Chef Ambassador program, showcasing the best of South Carolina chefs, farmers, and locally grown products. I congratulate the 2025 class on this tremendous culinary honor.”
Tourism and agriculture are South Carolina’s biggest industries, contributing tens of billions of dollars to the state’s economy and providing hundreds of jobs throughout the state.
According to an analysis of tourism spending in 2022, South Carolina visitors spent an estimated $6.8 billion just on food and beverages, said Duane Parrish, director of the state’s tourism agency.
“The chefs who have been named South Carolina chef ambassadors over the years are not all from here originally, and they all don’t cook Southern cuisine,” he said during a news conference at the Statehouse.
“What they do share is a love of the Palmetto State, our passion for the fresh ingredients, our unlimited potential, our people and for the local communities they represent,” he said.
Brandon Velie was part of the first class of chef ambassadors. When he first joined the program, it was more about spreading awareness, he said.
“We were trying to get the word out about what this was,” Velie said. “Now people come and say, ‘We want the chef ambassadors to be involved in this.’”
Michael Sibert, a member of the 2024 class, said the last year as an ambassador involved a lot of networking and participating in food festivals. It also introduced him to new food sources. Sibert estimated he met more than 20 farmers as a chef ambassador who he now buys products from for his restaurant.
“I’ve been exposed to so many more farmers or people in general who make South Carolina certified products,” Sibert said. “I feel like it’s my mission to use these ingredients.”
A community space
Swamp Rabbit Cafe and Grocery has been operating since 2011, according to its website. Under Koenigsberg, Swamp Rabbit has expanded its cafe menu. She also oversees its catering business, which is in the process of growing into a production kitchen.
The business has a mission to buy, sell and cook with local food and “provide a community space where people come together to celebrate meals.”
Koenigsberg said she knows little about what the next year entails, but she’s eager for the challenge of being a chef ambassador while running a business.
“Highlighting the work we’re doing, the farmers we’re connecting with and the network we’re creating in South Carolina is really exciting,” Koenigsberg said.
‘They’ve become family’
Born in Beijing and raised in the Queens borough of New York City, Wang grew up around amazing food, eventually finding a passion for it.
Wang has a resume filled with awards. In 2016, he was the winner of the Eater Young Guns and Best New Chef Awards, and his food truck Short Grain was named one of America’s 50 Best New Restaurants by Bon Appetit. The following year he was nominated for a James Beard Award for Rising Star Chef. In 2024, Wang and his wife Corrie were named Star Chef Charleston Restaurateur of the Year.
Wang is the owner and chef at Jackrabbit Filly, a Chinese American restaurant in North Charleston, and King BBQ, a Chinese barbeque restaurant that was named one of Southern Living’s Best New BBQ Joints of 2024 and Bon Appetit’s 20 Best New Restaurants of 2024.
“People think about the South, and they have this certain expectation about cuisine, but I don’t think people realize how diverse it actually is,” Wang said. “I’ve been here for 10 years now … and the food scene has grown so much.”
‘An honor beyond anything I’ve ever dreamed of’
Smith opened Rivertown Bistro 30 years ago when he was only 24. Additionally, he owns Bonfire Taqueria on the Waccamaw River.
During his time running restaurants in Conway, Smith has developed a reputation for creativity in the kitchen.
“I really enjoy getting to know the local farmers in and around Conway,” Smith said. “I think it’s that drive that keeps us motivated, pleasing people and using the wonderful products that South Carolina has.”