Culinary Trends for 2026: What Local Chefs Are Loving This Year
Four Lowcountry chefs share the culinary trends they’re most excited about in 2026 — from hyper-local sourcing and gut health to nostalgic comfort and sustainable ingredients.
The Lowcountry is home to world-class and world-famous chefs. Enjoy stories about their backgrounds, what inspires them and some tricks of the trade. Release your inner Julia Child. Stories are everywhere, and these chefs certainly have great ones about how they got to where they are today. Most have years of unique experience under their belts. With the abundance of restaurants in the Hilton Head Island, Bluffton and Beaufort areas, these chefs cover an array of cuisine for all taste bud preferences. They offer tips that are easy to implement, so no matter your expertise in the kitchen, you will find them helpful. You may even learn some new cooking methods to try out at home. Impress your family and friends by perfecting your skills in the kitchen. Hats off to these amazing chefs who make our local restaurants so enjoyable.
Four Lowcountry chefs share the culinary trends they’re most excited about in 2026 — from hyper-local sourcing and gut health to nostalgic comfort and sustainable ingredients.
Chef Will Overacre shares his advice for getting more creative in the kitchen — from embracing your personal flavor fingerprint to learning new techniques and experimenting with global cuisines.
National Geographic Explorer Barton Seaver is on a mission to change the way we view seafood — not just as food, but as a force for good. From global sustainability to home kitchens, he shares how fish can build a healthier future.
We asked local chefs their favorite comfort food RED FISH “Probably bread and butter. It just makes me happy.” –…
Question Dear Chef, Everywhere I Look, chefs are “elevating” comfort food, turning casseroles into canapés and topping Mac and cheese…
STORY BY BAILEY GILLIAM Cold evenings call for something warm, hearty and homemade, a dish that wraps you in comfort with…
From savory sweet potato casserole to classic cranberry sauce, these local low country chefs reveal their favorite thanksgiving side dishes.
A guide to grains Grains aren’t just side dishes. In the South they carry memory, migration and resilience. They crossed oceans through…
We asked top Hilton Head and Bluffton chefs to spill their go-to tailgate foods. From wings and hot dogs to Carolina-style barbecue, these chefs keep it simple, bold and undeniably Southern.
Still ending up with soggy fried chicken? Chef Benjamin Harris of The Sea Pines Resort shares his go-to method for getting that golden crunch every Gamecock fan craves. Cast iron, Wondra flour and beef tallow are your secret weapons.