The Visiting VIPs

The Holy City becomes an even hotter culinary hot spot next week when Charleston Wine + Food invites dozens of acclaimed chefs and beverage specialists to town. Get to know some of the festival’s most exciting guests—and keep reading for a chance to mingle with them on opening night. 

Katie Button
Asheville, North Carolina
Executive chef/owner, Curate & Nightbell
Events: Wine Lunch at Lee Lee’s Hot Kitchen & Lana Signature Dinner
Your culinary style in three words: “Precise, flavorful, product-focused”
Proudest moments: “When I was named a James Beard Rising Star Chef finalist in 2014 and one of Food & Wine’s best new chefs of 2015—though the birth of my daughter trumps all work accolades by far.”
Which ingredient couldn’t you live without? “Olive oil. It’s the backbone of my kitchen.”
What’s your perfect meal? “One prepared by my husband, Felix, when he decides to get his hands dirty in the kitchen and lets me relax with a glass of wine”
If you weren’t a chef, you’d be…  “a neuroscientist—which almost happened! I took the plunge into the professional culinary world after dropping out of my PhD program.”

Alon Shaya
New Orleans, Louisiana
Executive chef & co-owner, Shaya, Domenica, & Pizza Domenica
Event:Mediterranea with Mike Lata + Friends
On catching the culinary bug: “I was seven. I came home from school and my grandmother was cooking in the kitchen. I spent the rest of the day with her peeling peppers and eggplants. I was sold.”
Favorite part of cooking: “Applying heat”
Proudest career moment: “Winning a James Beard Award for my work at Domenica in 2015.”
Go-to bar order: “A Negroni”
If you weren’t a chef, you’d be… “an architect.”
What about the festival are you most looking forward to? “Cooking at Mike Lata’s house.”

Mashama Bailey
Savannah, Georgia
Executive chef & partner, The Grey
Event: North + South + East + West: Le TourDes Femmes
Your culinary style in three words: “Simple, Southern, soulful”
Proudest career moment:  “When my grandmother told me I was ready to open a restaurant.”
What couldn’t you live without? “Pork! I’d put it in everything I ate if I could.”
If you weren’t a chef, you’d be…  “A Negroni”
What’s your perfect meal? “an architect.”

Preston Van Winkle
Louisville, Kentucky
Marketing manager, Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery
Events: Big Daddy Bourbon & Smoke + Barrel
Your career in three words: “Life-long dream”
On trying bourbon for the first time:“I was too young to remember my first sip—but I do remember sneaking some of my dad’s drink now and again. As a kid, I didn’t realize you could buy cough medicine at the store—we always used bourbon, honey, and water.”
What couldn’t you live without? “Barbecue”
Go-to bar order: “An old-fashioned”
Proudest career moment:  “Seeing our brand grow.”


Charleston magazine is a proud supporter of Charleston Wine + Food’s opening night, Cheers to Charleston! The March 2 soiree at the Gaillard Center features Lowcountry-inspired dishes and the debut of the official 2016 cocktail. We're giving away a pair of tickets. Enter to win here.

For the full Charleston Wine + Food program, click here.