Culinary artists feed the community.

When you indulge in one of the deliriously creamy scoops of rum raisin or cappuccino flake at Jack Frost (or any of their dozens of flavors), you’re not just tasting some of the best ice cream in the world, considered super premium by industry standards (containing 14% butterfat). What you’re tasting is the sweet results of the American dream come true. 

Teresa Brandow spent 13 years in the kitchen at upscale country clubs across the Lowcountry, developing skills and mastering techniques while at the same time nurturing a dream. With every pastry she made and delectable dish she prepared, that dream lingered that one day she would have a kitchen where she could create the ultimate and delicious healthy cuisine. 

Some chefs elevate a meal with their experience. Some elevate a menu with their refined palate. Heath Prosser elevates the entire kitchen and has at every stop in his globe-spanning career. 

Long before he was one of the island’s most celebrated chefs, Michael Cirafesi was just a kid in a kitchen. Already showing promise while still in high school, trading classes in the morning with advanced culinary instruction in the afternoon, he started in the kitchen at the now-closed Jefferson House restaurant at just 15. 

Growing up in the Bronx, Chef Josh Castillo latched onto an unlikely role model early on in life. As one of the few kids who watched Julia Child religiously, he stood out. “My grandmother would say, ‘Why are you watching this old woman cooking on television?’ I just liked what she was cooking.’” 

Long before “gastropub” had entered anyone’s lexicon, there was Street Meet. When he opened his north-end eatery 16 years ago, Carey Basciano wasn’t chasing a trend. He was simply trying to recapture a piece of lost Americana. 

For Ackeem Chambers, the act of cooking is something he feels truly passionate about, even if he fell into it completely by accident. 

“It started with my grandma. She broke her arm at one point when I was 13 or 14 and I had to help her cook,” he said. “I grew a passion for it after that, began to love it so I made it a career.” 

Growing up in rural Georgia, Scott Pearch came to view cooking not just as a way to create a delicious dish, but as a vehicle for bringing families together. 

“Wednesdays and Saturdays I would cook with my grandmother, and grandma always had a table full of food,” he said. “And my dad was one of those home chefs who has every type of cooking appliance you can imagine.”