The 2020 South Carolina Chief Ambassadors class will serve a second year after the COVID-19 pandemic restricts hospitality events.
The program, created in 2014, promotes the state as a gastronomic destination, highlighting talented chefs, creative recipes, authentic cuisine and locally grown products.
Governor Henry McMaster, the SC Department of Agriculture and the SC Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism decided to extend the term of ambassador to four state chefs selected last year.
“Our ambassador chefs help us learn about our culinary heritage and promote certified South Carolina,” said SC agriculture commissioner Hugh Weathers in a press release. “Now, more than ever, it is crucial that South Carolina residents and visitors support the state’s chefs and the local farmers they depend on.”
The four Chef Ambassadors, from Aiken, Charleston, Myrtle Beach and Sumter, represented the state in 2020 at the Charleston Wine + Food festival, the Upstate Euphoria food festival and the South Carolina Congressional Cup. Many other appearances, however, were limited or canceled.
“The Chef Ambassadors program has helped us promote South Carolina as a must-visit culinary destination with authentic cuisine, locally grown products and distinctive flavors,” said Duane Parrish, director of SCPRT. “We intend to offer the same appeal in 2021, when the program is resumed.”
The South Carolina Chef Ambassadors are:
- Chef Kevin Mitchell, chef instructor, Culinary Institute of Charleston
- Chef Raffaele Dall’Erta, executive chef, Hamptons, Sumter
- Chef Jason Tufts, Executive Chef, Malia’s, Aiken
- Chef Jamie Daskalis, executive chef, Johnny D’s Waffles and Benedicts, Myrtle Beach