Gov. Henry McMaster named chefs from Myrtle Beach, Charleston and Greer to represent the state’s culinary and agricultural industries this year.
Based on a release from S.C. Dept. of Agriculture.
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Gov. Henry McMaster named three chefs as the 2026 South Carolina Chef Ambassadors, according to the South Carolina Department of Agriculture.
The chefs are Jordan Heyd, owner and executive chef of Lekker Eats in Myrtle Beach; James London, owner and chef of Chubby Fish and Seahorse in Charleston; and Guichard Ulysse, chef and owner of House 509 Bistro & Wine Bar in Greer, according to the department.
McMaster was joined by Commissioner of Agriculture Hugh Weathers and Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism Director Duane Parrish in announcing the appointments, according to the department.
Chef Ambassadors represent the state through food festivals and other promotional opportunities, sharing South Carolina’s culinary traditions, agricultural heritage and undiscovered places, according to the department. The chefs support the state’s farmers by using Certified South Carolina produce, meats, dairy, seafood and other farm-fresh foods, according to the department.
The program is now in its 12th year, having launched in 2014 to unify the tourism and agriculture industries, which the department says collectively contribute tens of billions of dollars to the state’s economy and account for hundreds of thousands of jobs statewide.
Chefs are appointed by the governor, and the program is run jointly by the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism and the South Carolina Department of Agriculture, according to the department.
“The Chef Ambassador program highlights the strong partnership between South Carolina’s chefs and farmers and the role they play in our tourism and agribusiness success,” McMaster said. “We’re proud to welcome the 2026 class of Chef Ambassadors to represent our great state.”
“The Chef Ambassador program helps us connect South Carolinians with their food and with the farmers who grow it,” Weathers said. “These chefs exhibit our state’s culinary diversity and our wide array of locally grown foods.”
