Food and Wine: 8 of our Top Chefs

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8 of our Top Chefs

No one really knows how Greenville morphed into its latest iteration: G-Vegas. Or why, for that matter. Even though we are far from Sin City in miles, as well as neon, showgirls, and the incessant clatter of slot machines, we like to think that little ol’ Greenville stacks up. Similar to Vegas, Greenville has experienced a gastronomic evolution. Theirs was from all-you-can-eat buffets to fine dining, ours meat-and-three and big chains to independent bistros, cafés, and restaurants.

We certainly have a wealth of dining choices, both new and established, that deliver on the promise of serving up all manner of cuisine, from humble to haute. Even better is the generous handful of truly creative chefs who dot our culinary landscape.

The chefs featured here are using their own ingenuity, as well as an exhaustive array of the best ingredients from as near as an Easley farm and as far as the waters of the Pacific, to develop entire menus that reflect the changing tablescape of a new Southern cuisine.

Some draw heavily on classical French training, while others dig deep into their experiences in others’ kitchens. Some have been laden with industry accolades; some count sighs of satisfaction as rewards. There is a common thread: Each has an abiding respect for the ingredients, an intuitive passion that allows for adaptations while infusing each appetizer, entrée, and dessert with soul.

To make sense of all these choices, and to determine the freshest and hottest culinary style to suit your taste, place your bets on these sure-fire winners.

Steven Greene
Devereaux’s
Chef Steven Devereaux Greene, executive chef/partner of Devereaux’s on Court Street, has packed what some would consider a lifetime of experience in a little more than ten years. Swarthy and handsome, with a wide smile and a dulcet accent reminiscent of Harry Connick Jr.’s “N’awlins” syrup, Steven says his interest in the culinary arts began when he was small enough to pull on his grandmother’s apron in her Abbeville kitchen. “She’d make everything from scratch, and when people came she showed a lot of hospitality,” he says.

Just as soon as he could secure working papers at the age of sixteen, he was employed by Marigold Market under French chef Pascal Hurtebize, who would eventually advise him to pursue his dream career. In Charleston, working at 82 Queen for Steve Kish, he quickly became sous chef. Two years later, Steven switched from traditional Southern to modern cuisine at the Mobil four-star McCrady’s Restaurant, with chef Michael Kramer.

Greene’s next stop would be a springboard to a chef de cuisine position at the state’s only Mobil five-star restaurant, the Dining Room at Woodland’s Resort & Inn. There he worked under Ken Vedrinski and executive chef Scott Crawford. Along the way, Steven spent time in France, including a handful of days studying with Guy Savoy and Pierre Garnier (who he considers his cooking inspirations). He also worked at Azul with chefs Michelle Bernstein, Joel Robuchon, and Alessandro Strattas in Las Vegas—all by the time he was twenty-five.

Not one to be constrained by age, although he admits to feeling as though he has to work three times as hard to show everyone what he can do, Steven struck out for new territory, both in location and responsibility. With his uncle as the sole investor, he settled into an empty space in a landmark building off Main Street to create his own brand of dining experience. Devereaux’s was born in 2005.

“Our philosophy is that we wanted it to be a fine dining experience in an atmosphere that was also warm and comfortable. I like to show Southern hospitality, like you’re walking into someone’s home,” says Steven, flashing another one of those charming grins. “World-class food without the world-class stuffiness.”

After one year he caught the attention of Carl Soboscinski, whose company, Table 301, came on board as an investor. Today, Steven changes the menu about six times a year, the five-course special meal every month, and the ten-course chef’s tasting “changes nightly depending on the customer and what I have to work with.”

At Devereaux’s, tuna (flown in from Hawaii within forty-eight hours of being caught), duck, and seafood are specialties. It is the quality of the ingredients combined with technique that make dishes such as his tuna foie gras seared over house-made brioche, with house-made crème fresh, carpaccio of fig, shallot fig jam, a white port and quince reduction with pistachios, complex and unforgettable.

At twenty-eight, Steven is among the youngest culinary stars in Greenville’s firmament, but he is nothing if not humble. Chuckling at the recent memory of a month spent at acclaimed French Laundry working directly under chef Thomas Keller, Steven says, “I know how to respond to chefs telling me what to do. I’ve got one hundred years of learning to still ‘do.’ ” He maintains that the chance to work with the masters is worth the price of wearing a dishwasher’s white apron and being assigned to pick parsley. “I want to be treated just like everyone else. It is humbling and very gratifying. I took notes.”

The Chefs
of American Grocery
American Grocery’s unassuming, dove-colored façade tucked into Greenville’s West End is easy to miss. Be sure to look for it, though. The owners, two pairs of husbands and wives, make up a triumvirate of chefs, plus a master sommelier, who are putting a fresh spin on inventive cuisine using only local ingredients to stay true to their name and their mission.

Though they were in California when they developed a keen interest in promoting a “farm to table” concept of dining, pastry chef Susan Dumeyer (married to co-head-chef David Sundeen) has continued to be quite vocal about the chef’s responsibility to know where and how their ingredients are procured. The others nod their grey-capped heads in unison. Delicate and small-boned, the former ballet dancer-cum-Emmy-winning television producer slouches elegantly against the leather banquette in American Grocery’s dining room. But her eyes blaze as she describes the aesthetic and fierce appreciation for food and wine that they each share.

The evidence is on American Grocery’s menu, which changes daily, detailing the origin of each component of the dishes. Inventive, smashingly scrumptious combinations of fresh meats are intricately flavored with sauces and a variety of in-season vegetables supplied from nearby farms. They also offer sorbets, ice creams, tarts, and pies showcasing seasonal, local fruits and have become known for aquavits, those tasty, fruit-infused cocktails (using Firefly Vodka, a spirit made in Charleston) that are also prepared with the freshest available produce.

“All four of us have different strengths, but we can still collaborate,” she explains with no small measure of conviction. “It helps to be married,” she says with a nod to David, who grins back. “We’re pretty much on the same page, and having a long history together makes it easier.”

Joe Clarke, the other head chef and general manager, reminisces about what brought the group together. His wife, Darlene Mann-Clarke, was working as a sommelier with David at the impossibly trendy Table 8 on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles. “I came to work there to make sure it was the right move,” says Joe, who would later enroll in the French Culinary Institute in New York.

“We kept in touch, and David and Susan said, what I thought was jokingly, that they were going to come down [to SC].” He laughs at the memory, but Susan says she was serious. “I was looking to open a restaurant in Santa Barbara; the more I started thinking about joining forces, the more appealing it was.”
Susan again stresses the ease of working together. Though she credits Dan Barber of Blue Hill as the inspiration for getting out of television and into cooking, she draws a parallel between her old industry and her new passion.

“In TV production, you have one supreme being, with no one else’s creativity,” she says. “Here we are able to be creative in all areas, between pastry and salad and the hot line. When we get in product from the farms, it is like an artist’s palette. I appreciate the ability to change the menu when I get inspired.”
She is also quick to point out, “My husband is my benchmark of how I want to be professionally. I want to be as good as he is.”

It’s no small task, as David Sundeen comes with an impressive pedigree. Working in a kitchen from the time he was a teenager in Texas, David went on to graduate with honors from the French Culinary Institute, while also working at La Grenouille in midtown Manhattan. When he and Susan moved to California, he was sous chef at Table 8, then at Citronelle, and most recently, executive chef at Bouchon.

Spartanburg native Joe says he looks up to David, as well. “I’ve learned how to do things I’ve never done using wild game, off cuts of animals, all parts of a pig. That is the strength of having Dave. If we hit a wall, he has an answer.”
David says simply, “Whatever the farmer brings to the back door; then you have to think,” while Susan finishes his thought: “We try to be responsible about presenting and serving. We are trying to show you a different way of eating.”

At the Beard House
While the other three talk about their methods and philosophy, Darlene Mann-Clarke has been relatively quiet. It is not her usual MO. As master sommelier and the front-of-the-house manager, Susan says, “She is the voice for our art. She will talk it up like no one else can.”

This June, Darlene did all the talking when the four were invited to present their food with wines at a special dinner at the James Beard House in New York. They were invited by another French Culinary Institute graduate who serves on the board of the James Beard Foundation, which offers regular dinners “designed to showcase the talents of guest chefs from across the country to educate, inspire, entertain, and foster an appreciation of American cuisine.”

The chefs decided theirs would be “A Culinary Exploration of the Pig,” based on their collective enjoyment of Peter Kaminsky’s “Pig Perfect” and to highlight South Carolina pork producer Emile DeFelice. Plenty of other South Carolina products rounded out their offerings, including Anson Mills heirloom grains, Palmetto Farms squab, and produce from Southeastern Organics and Izzy’s Tomatoes.

“We thought it would be cool to do head to tail so we even used parts people wouldn’t think of eating,” explained Joe. Darlene therefore, played an integral role in educating the diners on the finer points of pork in addition to the wine pairings.

They each agreed that it was a tremendous honor to be invited, to add their signatures to the chef’s jacket hung for commemorating the experience, and especially to receive praise from Kaminsky, who was there as a guest. Darlene says, “I was very proud that I was working the floor, pouring, and really getting the opportunity to tell the guests why we make the dish the way we do.”

You don’t have to wish for a seat at the Beard House to experience pig heaven. All it takes is a trip to their restaurant. Perfection via pig in the culinary sense can be had with one bite of American Grocery’s pork belly. No matter which way it is prepared, it is enough to send even the most jaded diner into nirvana.

Gerard Cribbin
Gerard’s
If Gerard Cribbin ever gives up cooking, he could have a second career as a stand-up comic. As he sits in the bar area of his cozy restaurant, this major player of downtown Greer’s revitalization tells tale after hilarious tale of his life experiences in the kitchen. Peppered with dramatic voices and salty with cusses, the stories reveal a personality as big and bold as the Italian-inspired dishes he’s made famous.

Necessity was the mother of invention for Gerard, who was transplanted from Boston to New Jersey at the tender age of fifteen—in the middle of a school year. Teased relentlessly for his accent (which rolls off his tongue as easily as if he were a Kennedy), he spent time playing pinball at a local pizza joint. The proprietor eventually gave him a job, “six days a week, for two dollars an hour.

I had garlic powder in my pockets for years,” he says with a raucous laugh.
By the time he was sixteen, he thought it might be time to go to culinary school, then reconsidered. “When you love and have a passion for what you do, school is just a piece of paper.” He cups his hands together for emphasis. “You gotta feel it, gotta love it.”

So instead of setting off for Hyde Park, Gerard went to Cinelli’s, an institution with four dining rooms, three kitchens, and one watchful eye of chef Vittorio Testa. “I got the bug, I just loved it,” says Gerard, who added that he also got a thorough education of some of the more expressive phrases of many Italian dialects, courtesy of the kitchen staff.

When chef Testa left New Jersey to work at Filomena in Washington, DC, Gerard, then nineteen, went along. Hollywood stars and politicos frequented the respected establishment, and at Testa’s elbow he cooked for the likes of George H.W. Bush, Francis Ford Coppola, Al Pacino, and Jack Nicholson.

Gerard’s work ethic and passion for food have always demanded long hours in the kitchen (he typically works fifteen-hour days), but a rare vacation in 1992 opened up a new world in the Spanish- and African-influenced cuisine of San Juan, Puerto Rico. It was here that he also discovered the joys of working in a more intimate setting, deciding specials, and crafting desserts.

A favorite customer, Bob Conway, who “always ate fish and never looked at the menu,” opened another door for Gerard. This one to what he calls, “the house that fish built.” Bob, who recently passed away, lived at The Cliffs at Glassy. In 2002 he extended an offer of partnership to Gerard, who fell in love with the Upstate and never looked back.

Five years later, Gerard is cooking up some of the finest seafood dishes in our region. Twice lauded by Southern Living, Gerard’s is a destination. Seafood bisque is a specialty, loaded with fresh shrimp and lobster, snuggled in a rich cream broth. Local supplier Gusto “takes phenomenal care of me,” says Gerard, extolling the virtues of twice-daily shipments from just four-tenths of a mile away. “I don’t freeze anything and I don’t use heat lamps. It is all timed like an orchestrated ballet.”

John Malik
Inergy Dining Room
John Malik has a list as long as his arm of places he’s been asked to “guest chef,” including Salute to Southern Chefs, Paso Robles, California; Tribute to Great Chefs of the South, Beaufort; Epcot International Food and Wine Festival; Joel Restaurant, Atlanta; Epicurean Evening to benefit UCLA Jonsson Cancer Center; James Beard House, New York City; Charlotte Wine and Food Weekend; Biltmore Estate Guest Chef Series; and the list goes on. He’s also been featured in Chile Pepper Magazine, Southern Living, Bon Appetit, and Food Arts, and on the Food Network’s Cooking Live With Sara Moulton.

His gourmet restaurant, 33 Liberty, has been acclaimed by diners and critics both near and far. But if you haven’t had a meal there by now, you’re out of luck. John closed shop in October and moved on to tackle a new kind of cuisine in a totally different venture. At LivN Nsidout, he now heads the kitchen in a wellness center that he describes “like a turbo-charged YMCA.”

Owner Todd Littleton, an affable engineer with a dream to begin a new generation of holistic fitness centers, says he approached John in June with a request to create a menu that was long on healthful options and short on clichés. Though John describes the Inergy dining room as “not a white-tablecloth restaurant,” he’s focused on the food, which he’s striving to make very healthful, balanced, and not processed. “At 33 Liberty I was not shy about using butter and cream. Ideally, though, in your diet, you only have 10 percent fat, so we’ll also use a lot of olive oil, and other nonsaturated fats.”

He also got creative with some old favorites, especially for kids, who he acknowledges can be the pickiest eaters. For instance, he’s turned the humble PB&J on its ear. “It’s going to be dynamite with whole-wheat muffin batter, sweetened with honey, and baked into an ice cream cone with peanuts and fruit. I think it will be a hit,” says John. He’s also created a roasted vegetable ketchup dip, and cornflake-encrusted chicken. “We make our own pizza dough here, but there will be no ‘meat lovers’ option,” he quips.

For adults, an array of satisfying and nutritious soups, stir-fries, and more will be available at every meal. John hopes that clients will take advantage of what he says is the best time to eat. Within an hour after a workout the body is at a metabolic high. Inergy offers the option to eat there or take something home, and you don’t have to be a member of the fitness center to eat at the restaurant.

“The first couple of months will be kind of crazy, and I’m excited about it,” says John. “Hopefully, I’ll bring a white-tablecloth mentality to running a fast-paced kitchen. It will be a challenge to get used to the tempo and also have guests not hurrying through the meal, but taking time to enjoy it.”
John maintains that educating people on how to eat as well as what to eat will be the most rewarding aspect of his new adventure. “Hopefully, we are going to change people’s eating habits. My kids go to public school, and the amount of overweight children is staggering. I think we’ll have an effect on the community at large, with [the restaurant] and outreach programs to be able to influence eating habits ‘off campus.’ ”

Our advice? Run, don’t walk, to LivN Nsidout in Simpsonville. You’ll burn more calories that way.

Jason McCarthy
Rick Erwin’s
Jason McCarthy circles the private party room at Rick Erwin’s. Carefully sidestepping clusters of guests sipping wine and nibbling hors d’oeuvres, he rearranges a platter of ribs and lovingly pats a cheese plate. He does this several times through the course of the cocktail gathering, quietly making sure that his food is presented in the best and most appetizing way for his customers to enjoy. For in Rick Erwin’s eponymous steak house, all dark paneled walls and glinting crystal wine goblets, this twenty-nine-year-old executive chef has not only found his calling, but returned home.

A Greenville native (Eastside High class of ’98), Jason says he was always in the kitchen watching his grandmother. “One of the first things I learned how to cook was eggs and pancakes,” he explains, adding that when he’d spend the weekend with his grandparents, he cooked for visiting aunts and uncles who came on Sunday morning.

During high school, he started working in earnest as a line cook at Ruby Tuesday, where the pace and pressure tempered his skills and made him decide to try his hand at becoming a chef. After graduating from Johnson and Wales in 2002, like many young college graduates, Jason strapped on a backpack and took the time to travel and see Europe. That is, when he got time off from his work in England at the De Vere Hotel. “I used England as a home base, and I traveled a lot to France, Italy, and Holland.” He laughs at the memory of his younger self securing a Eurorail pass for three weeks and making it back with five pence in his pocket. “I wouldn’t change it for the world,” says Jason, shaking his head.

Next stop was Richmond, Virginia, where at Chez Max, Jason labored under French master chef Alan Lecomte. Though he admits that a return to Ruby Tuesday did cross his mind, Jason says, “I enjoy the finer side of things.” So, in October 2005 he joined the staff at Rick Erwin’s and was named executive chef just two years later. Jason says it was a natural step, and he was pleased to work with Rick “because of his years of experience in the business.”

Jason didn’t want to change things too much when he took over the kitchen. “We’ve got a lot of great dishes. I tweaked and added some things, and we make little changes to keep guests happy,” he says, pointing out that the specials are where he gets to exercise his creativity.

Famous for thick, tender steaks, Jason says they pay a premium for meat from Buckhead Beef in Georgia. He’s got a preference for grain-fed beef (it tastes better than grass-fed and has more marbling), especially dry-aged strip or Delmonico. Rick Erwin’s serves only center cuts, seasoned with salt, pepper, and a proprietary blend of spices, and cooked in a 1,800-degree broiler. “I learned from a French master chef that simplicity works in everything—in life and cooking.”

Jason believes that good chefs learn every day. “Even if a guy has twenty years experience, you are never going to know everything.” He keeps up with the market by continuing to find new purveyors of quality ingredients, participating in shows, traveling, and reading every cooking magazine he can get his hands on in his spare time. Lately, in addition to steaks, he’s been developing some fish dishes and says he hit big with an Asian halibut, pan seared with Asian barbecue sauce and served over soba noodles with bamboo shoots and pickled cucumbers.

As for awards of distinction, Jason—who clearly has time on his side—waxes philosophical. “I’d rather see smiles on guest’s faces. That is the best part.”