South Carolina names 2026 Chef Ambassadors from Myrtle Beach, Charleston, Greer

The South Carolina Chef Ambassadors for 2026 have something going on in Myrtle Beach, Greer and Charleston — enough so that the governor has chosen them to represent the state.

Gov. Henry McMaster joined Agriculture Commissioner Hugh Weathers and Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism Director Duane Parrish to announce the chefs who will represent the culinary ambitions and accomplishments of the Palmetto State’s food scene.

They 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 in Greer.

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 a news release. They support the state’s farmers by using Certified South Carolina produce, meats, dairy, seafood and other farm-fresh foods.

According to her bio provided by Parks, Recreation and Tourism, Chef Heyd was a local who began her culinary journey on private yachts, where she gained global food experience and developed a passion for international, healthy dishes. She trained formally in South Africa at a culinary school in Cape Town and became a yacht chef. COVID nudged her back to South Carolina, where she started a small business making prepared meals. That grew into Lekker Eats, a scratch kitchen, market and bar built on her “eat good, feel good” philosophy.

Charleston native Chef London discovered his passion for fishing and food at an early age, starting his restaurant career at age 14. After earning a business degree at the College of Charleston, he honed his skills at The French Culinary Institute in New York. His journey includes restaurants in New York , including the acclaimed Niko, and San Francisco before returning home to open Chubby Fish, a dock-to-table restaurant with an emphasis on local catches and sustainable sourcing. Next door, he opened Seahorse, a cocktail bar and supper club.

Chef Ulysse is a native of Haiti who received his first cooking lessons as one of 10 children at the feet of his mother and grandmother. He immigrated to the United States and trained at Johnson & Wales University and launched a career working with South Carolina school districts and as a chef for Sodexo across four states. Ulysse and his wife returned to South Carolina and in 2022 opened House 509.

The South Carolina Chef Ambassador program launched in 2014, unifying the major industries of tourism and agriculture, which collectively contribute tens of billions of dollars to the state’s economy and account for hundreds of thousands of jobs statewide, according to the news release.

Chefs are appointed by the governor, and the program is run through a collaborative effort between the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism and the South Carolina Department of Agriculture.

“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 in the release. “We’re proud to welcome the 2026 class of Chef Ambassadors to represent our great state.”

Commissioner Weathers said the program helps remind state residents that culinary pride often begins on the farm.

“The Chef Ambassador program helps us connect South Carolinians with their food and with the farmers who grow it,” he said in the release. “These chefs exhibit our state’s culinary diversity and our wide array of locally grown foods.”