Greenville Leader

Chefs John Ondo, Chris Williams and Haydn Shaak were named South Carolina's 2022 Chef Ambassadors Jan. 5, after being honored by Gov. Henry McMaster and other state officials. 

The three chefs were appointed by the state's Commissioner of Agriculture Hugh Weathers and Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism Director Duane Parrish as 2022's Chef Ambassadors for South Carolina, a position that requires the preparation of dishes using certified South Carolina produce, meats and seafood that support local farmers and highlight the state's food traditions, a press release from the governor's office said.

“Our hospitality industry has been on a rollercoaster ride since March 2020," Parrish said in the release. "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. 

"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.”

As Chef Ambassadors, the cooking trio is tasked with representing South Carolina at various food festivals, media events, and other public forums in order to highlight the state as a top culinary destination. 

Founded in 2014, the program partners agribusiness and tourism, two of the state’s largest industries that contribute tens of billions of dollars to the state’s economy each year and provide thousands of jobs statewide, according to the press release. 

Ondo, of The Atlantic Room at Kiawah Island in Charleston, has spent his more than 20-year culinary career drawing inspiration from the region’s fields and waterways. 

Williams is the owner of both a catering company, William Christopher’s in Columbia, and Roy’s Grille, a beloved local restaurant inside an Exxon station in Lexington. 

A graduate of the culinary program at Greenville Technical College, Shaak began his culinary career at Greenville's City Range Steakhouse Grill, and went on to take over Restaurant 17 at the Hotel Domestique in Travelers Rest in 2018.