Meet Your 2025 SC Chef Ambassadors

Introducing your 2025 South Carolina Chef Ambassadors! Launched in 2014, this program identifies outstanding chefs who advocate for the state’s vibrant agricultural legacy and highlight South Carolina as a top dining destination. These chefs engage in numerous public events, conduct cooking demonstrations at food festivals and expos, and participate in roundtable discussions. Read on for more about each chef, their restaurant, and a highlight of our Greer-based 2024 Chef Ambassador.

2025 Greenville, SC-based Chef Ambassador:

Chef Jeanne Koenigsberg from Swamp Rabbit Cafe & Grocery. Photo Credit: George Fulton Productions

Meet Chef Jeanne Koenigsberg, the infamous Swamp Rabbit Cafe & Grocery kitchen manager in Greenville, SC. In an interview with Discover South Carolina, she notes that “Swamp Rabbit’s morals, food, and community initiatives align with who I am as a person and chef. I’ve always enjoyed very community-driven spaces, and Swamp has no shortage of that.” She enjoys the challenge of using as many seasonal and local ingredients in their ever-rotating menus. Swamp Rabbit Cafe & Grocery was created in early 2011 by Mary and Jac, two women who saw a need for a neighborhood grocery store, cafe, and bakery that allowed people to buy fresh, local produce year-round (without waiting for their closest farmers market to open). From events to catering and supporting local non-profits in the area, they give back to the community as much as they host and bring their communities together.

2025 Conway, SC Chef Ambassador:

Chef Darren Smith from Rivertown Bistro. Photo Credit: George Fulton Productions.

Our next chef, Darren Smith, is from outside Myrtle Beach. He found a love of local ingredients from their landlord, who farmed most of the produce they used for their first restaurant, Rivertown Bistro in Conway. Farm-to-table cookery plays heavily into his craft, noting his style is “creative American, a kind of rustic yet refined melting pot that relies upon what’s at hand and in season.” In the restaurant business for 30 years, he now owns two successful restaurants, the second serving Southwestern-style Mexican eats at the barbecue concept, Bonfire Taqueria on the Conway Riverwalk.

2025 Charleston, SC Chef Ambassador:

Chef Shuai Wang from Jackrabbit Filly. Photo Credit: George Fulton Productions.

Chef Shuai Wang comes from a food-centric family, with his grandmother and mom cooking Chinese classics in their kitchens as he was growing up. His first brick-and-mortar restaurant, Jackrabbit Filly, is an ode to the women in his family and the food they cooked for him as a child. He notes, “It is a melting pot of Chinese-inspired dishes using local ingredients with fun plays on old classics from all over the world. We let the seasons and ingredients write the menu.” Wang’s latest restaurant concept, King BBQ, is known for “Chinatown BBQ made with Southern smoke.” Since 2016, he’s received accolades from Eater as a Chef of the Year in Charleston and was a semi-finalist for the James Beard Foundation Rising Star Chef of the Year.

Bonus – 2024 Greer, SC Chef Ambassador:

Chef Michael Sibert from White Wine & Butter. Photo Credit: White Wine & Butter.

Greer-based Chef Michael Sibert earned one of the Chef Ambassadors titles in 2024. His culinary talents range from creole-southern-inspired food from White Wine & Butter (check out their new location at the Greer Golf Country Club) to the out-of-this-world smash burgers and fare from Anonymous Burgers in Cartwright Food Hall. He’s no stranger to events, representing South Carolina proudly at Euphoria events, food festivals nationwide, and private chef dinners. 

Whether you’re visiting the Lowcountry or the Upcountry, there are fantastic ways to support the state’s vibrant agricultural legacy, enjoy our top dining destinations, and see these great 2025 Chefs Ambassadors at work.

By: Sarah (Moore) Gross, Contributing Author

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