President
Lee H. Moultrie II
American Culinary Federation
Greater Charleston South Carolina Chapter
American Culinary FederationGreater Charleston South Carolina Chapter
Charleston's culinary community. Connected to the world.
Connect with Charleston chefs, students, educators and industry professionals while building your career through the broader American Culinary Federation community.
Chapter SC011Charleston, South CarolinaSince 1984
- Official ACF chapterGreater Charleston is chapter SC011 of the American Culinary Federation.
- Founded in 1984Charleston chefs organized this chapter more than forty years ago.
- ACF since 1929The national professional organization for chefs and cooks.
- A Worldchefs memberThrough ACF, part of the global chefs' association.
Local connections
Build relationships before you need them.
Every good kitchen job, mentor and supplier starts with a name you already know. The chapter is how Charleston's culinary professionals get to know each other.
Meet the people shaping Charleston's kitchens.
Chefs, sous chefs, chef instructors, pastry chefs and the purveyors who supply them, in one room.
Learn inside working food businesses.
Chapter meetings have been hosted by producers, distributors and restaurants around Charleston. You see how other operations really run.
Find mentors, and become one.
Students meet the chefs who hire. Experienced chefs pass on what they know and find their next cooks.
Give back to the community you cook for.
Giving back to the community has been a mainstay of this chapter. It's a way to cook, teach and support culinary education close to home.
Choose your path
Who are you joining as?
Pick the one closest to you. Each path matches an official ACF membership category.
Chef / Professional · ACF category: Professional Member
Know the people running Charleston's kitchens.
The chapter puts you in a room with chefs, sous chefs, chef instructors and purveyors from across the Lowcountry. ACF membership adds the credentials, education and national network that follow you from job to job.
- Chapter meetings with Charleston chefs and food businesses
- ACF certification at the member-only rate
- ACF Career Center for finding work or hiring
- ACF Online Learning Center at the member rate
- National Culinary Review and the Culinary Insider newsletter
ACF's Professional category is for people "fully committed to the culinary profession." Source: ACF membership categories
Student / Emerging · ACF category: Associate Member and student programs
Meet working chefs before you graduate.
The fastest way into a good kitchen is knowing the chef. The chapter is where students and new cooks meet the professionals who hire, mentor and judge, and ACF's student pathways help you build credentials early.
- Mentorship and career exposure through chapter chefs
- Student certification levels such as Certified Fundamentals Cook
- ACF student competitions such as Student Chef of the Year and Student Team of the Year
- Apprenticeship: earn while you learn toward certification
ACF's Associate category covers people under 25 employed in the culinary field, and students or apprentices in an ACF-accredited program regardless of age. Source: ACF membership categories
Educator · ACF category: Professional Member
Connect your classroom to the industry.
Chef instructors are the bridge between school and the line. The chapter connects your students with working chefs, and ACF offers educator certification and student programs for accredited schools.
- A network of chefs for guest demos, mentoring and judging
- Certified Culinary Educator (CCE) credential
- Student membership programs for accredited secondary and postsecondary schools
- Chef Educator of the Year and student team competitions
ACF offers the Certified Culinary Educator (CCE) credential and student membership programs for ACFEF-accredited schools. Source: ACF certification and student programs
Industry Partner · ACF category: Vendor Member
Meet the chefs who choose what goes on the menu.
Distributors, producers, equipment and service companies have hosted chapter meetings in Charleston. Partnering with the chapter puts your team in front of working chefs in a setting built for real conversation.
- Host a chapter meeting, tasting or demonstration
- Support student and education programming
- Build relationships with chefs across the Lowcountry
- Vendor membership in ACF
ACF's Vendor category is for people "representing a business providing goods or services to the culinary industry." Source: ACF membership categories
Military · ACF category: Military membership
Bring your service kitchen experience home.
Military culinary specialists bring discipline and volume experience Charleston kitchens value. ACF offers military personnel membership at a reduced price, and the chapter connects you with chefs in the local industry.
- Reduced-price ACF membership for military personnel
- ACF certification, which lists a military pathway
- Local introductions to Charleston chefs and employers
- ACF Career Center
"ACF offers military personnel the benefits of a membership at a reduced price." Source: ACF membership categories
Culinary Supporter · ACF category: Gastronomy Member
Love the craft? There's a seat at the table.
You don't have to work in a kitchen to care about who does. ACF's Gastronomy membership is built for people with a deep passion for the culinary and hospitality industry.
- Chapter updates when events are announced
- A way to support culinary students and education
- A connection to the people behind Charleston's food
For people not employed in the culinary field who have "a deep passion for the culinary and hospitality industry." Source: ACF membership categories
What you get
Two memberships' worth of value. One decision.
Joining ACF with chapter SC011 makes you part of the Charleston chapter and the national federation at the same time.
i.
Here in Charleston
- Chapter gatheringsMeetings, demos and socials with local chefs and food businesses.
- Local relationshipsThe chefs, educators and suppliers you'll work with for years.
- MentorshipStudents and new cooks connected with working professionals.
- Certification and skills programsSessions like the chapter's seminar on ACF certification.
- ServiceWays to cook, teach and give back in the Lowcountry.
ii.
Through the American Culinary Federation
- Certification at the member rateACF's professional credentials, from Certified Culinarian to Certified Master Chef.
- ACF Online Learning CenterClasses, quizzes and practice exams at the member-only rate.
- ACF Career CenterJob-seeker and hiring tools across the industry.
- ACF Chef's TableConnect with ACF chefs nationally and internationally.
- Publications and eventsNational Culinary Review, the Culinary Insider newsletter, and member savings at regional, virtual and national events.
Source: ACF member benefits. Benefits are set by ACF and may change.
On the calendar
Come to a chapter gathering.
The best way to judge the chapter is to show up. Tell us you're interested and we'll invite you to the next one.
Chapter calendar
The next chapter gathering is being scheduled.
Dates are published here only once the venue and host are confirmed. Tell us you're interested and you'll hear about it first, with an invitation, not a newsletter blast.
Across ACF
-
ACF competition
ACF Southeast Regional Competitions
Regional qualifiers for ACF's national chef, pastry, student, educator and Knowledge Bowl competitions. Applications are due December 31, 2026.
Details on acfchefs.org Add to calendar (.ics) Google Calendar
Career path
Your culinary career doesn't stop at the kitchen door.
- 01
Learn
Culinary school, an apprenticeship or the line itself. ACF's apprenticeship combines on-the-job training with classroom instruction, so you earn while you learn.
ACF: Apprenticeship · Student membership
- 02
Connect
Meet the chefs and operators in your own city. This is the chapter's core job: chefs knowing chefs, students knowing the people who hire.
Chapter: Gatherings · ACF: Chef's Table network
- 03
Develop
Keep learning after school ends. ACF's Online Learning Center offers classes and practice exams at the member rate, and chapter meetings bring demonstrations to you.
- 04
Certify
ACF certification is recognized across the industry as a standard for professional skills and knowledge, and it's designed to make you a stronger candidate for hiring and promotion.
ACF: Certification levels
- 05
Compete
From Student Chef of the Year to the American Culinary Classic, ACF competitions test your skills against the best, and approved competitions count toward continuing education for certification.
ACF: Competitions
- 06
Lead
Run a kitchen, then help run the profession. Chapters are led by members: officers, committees and event hosts.
Chapter: Leadership
- 07
Mentor
Pass it on. Judge a student competition, host a demo, take on an apprentice, introduce a young cook to the right chef.
Chapter: Students & emerging chefs
Chapter nights
Chefs meeting where food is actually made.
Chapter meetings have been hosted by farms, distributors, schools and kitchens around Charleston. You learn how other operations run, from the inside.
What a chapter meeting looks like
- ArriveMeet members and guests. Bring a colleague.
- LearnA tour, tasting, demo or talk from the host: a farm, a distributor, a school or a kitchen.
- ChapterShort chapter business: what's coming up, who needs help, who's competing.
- StayThe real value. Conversations that turn into jobs, collaborations and friendships.
From the chapter archive
- March 2019GrowfoodFacility tour, with a talk from City Roots
- April 2019Culinary Institute of Charleston chefSeminar on ACF certification
- May 2019US Foods Chef'StoreStore tour and product demonstration
- July 2019Baker and BrewerMember social
- November 2019International Gourmet FoodsChapter meeting and presentation
From the chapter's earlier website, acfcharlestonchapter.wordpress.com . Shown as history, not as current events.
Students & emerging chefs
The chef who hires you might be at the next meeting.
Culinary students, apprentices and young cooks: meet working chefs now, not after graduation.
- Mentorship
- Career exposure
- Student competitions
- Certification from day one
- Apprenticeship
Where students can start
- Associate membershipFor culinary students and apprentices in ACF-accredited programs, and cooks under 25 working in the field.
- Student certificationEntry levels such as Certified Fundamentals Cook, open to students.
- Student competitionsStudent Chef of the Year, Student Pastry Chef of the Year and Student Team of the Year.
- ApprenticeshipOn-the-job training plus classroom hours, leading to ACF certification.
Source: ACF student programs and membership categories.
The people
A chapter is the people who show up.
Industry partners
Meet the chefs who decide what's on the menu.
Host a meeting, sponsor a student program or support an event. It's the most direct way to know Charleston's kitchens.
- Food distributors
- Farms & producers
- Equipment companies
- Hotels & resorts
- Restaurant groups
- Culinary schools
- Hospitality services
- Event partners
Culinary leadership & connections
From Charleston to the world.
Local connections. Global reach.
The Greater Charleston chapter is part of a wider culinary community that connects local professionals with regional leaders, the national federation and opportunities beyond South Carolina.
-
Charleston culinary education
Kevin Mitchell, MA
Chef instructor, Culinary Institute of Charleston at Trident Technical College
Culinary historian, author and South Carolina Chef Ambassador who teaches the next generation of Charleston cooks.
Explore profile: Kevin Mitchell -
Regional leadership
Keith E. Gardiner, CEC, CCE, CCA, AAC
Vice President, Southeast Region, American Culinary Federation
Southeast Region Vice President and longtime certification leader, working with Charleston on the chapter's rebuilding.
Explore profile: Keith E. Gardiner -
Charleston to national leadership
Kimberly Brock Brown, CEPC, CCA, AAC
National President, American Culinary Federation, 2021–2023
Two-term Charleston chapter president who went on to lead the Southeast Region and then the national federation.
Explore profile: Kimberly Brock Brown -
National leadership
Rene J. Marquis, CEC, CCE, CCA, AAC
National President, American Culinary Federation
ACF's national president since 2023 and the first military chef to lead the federation.
Explore profile: Rene J. Marquis
A feature on chefs connected to the chapter, not a list of its board. The Greater Charleston chapter is led by President Lee H. Moultrie II.
Local connections. Global reach.
Start in Charleston. Carry it everywhere.
- 1
Greater Charleston chapter
Your city's chefs, students, educators and suppliers. Chapter SC011, founded in Charleston in 1984.
- 2
American Culinary Federation
The national federation since 1929: certification, competitions, education and career resources. ACF history ↗
- 3
Worldchefs
ACF is a member of the World Association of Chefs' Societies, connecting American chefs to the international culinary community. worldchefs.org ↗
Four steps in
Pull up a chair.
- 01
Discover
See what the chapter does in Charleston and what ACF membership adds.
- 02
Find your fit
Chef, student, educator, partner, military or supporter. Each has an ACF category.
- 03
Connect with the chapter
Send the short interest form. A chapter leader follows up and invites you to a meeting.
- 04
Complete ACF membership
Enroll on acfchefs.org with chapter SC011 selected. That makes it official.