Greenville Queens of Cuisine
A Culinary Trail Highlighting Women in Greenville’s Food Scene
Meet the faces of the women shaping Greenville’s restaurant scene, from executive chefs and kitchen leaders to owners and pastry chefs. Explore a diverse trail of restaurants, bakeries, and cafés, and use the interactive map below to plan your route.
Jeanne Koenigsberg
Executive Chef & Kitchen General Manager,
Swamp Rabbit Café & Grocery
Meet the Chef:
Chef Jeanne, a 2025 South Carolina Chef Ambassador, brings years of culinary experience to her role as Executive Chef and Kitchen General Manager at Swamp Rabbit Café & Grocery. Known for farm-to-table dishes highlighting local ingredients, she leads the kitchen with a focus on sustainability while overseeing the cafe’s expanded menu and production, bakery, and food service operations.
WHAT OTHER FEMALE CHEF WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO COLLABORATE WITH?
Vivian Howard. Her roots run deep in the Carolinas, and I feel she is an extremely humble, talented, and informed Chef. She really focuses on Carolina and all of the bounty that the Appalachians have to offer us all.
Veronica Rodriguez
Executive Chef,
Rick Erwin's Greer
Meet the Chef:
Chef Rodriguez is a Venezuelan chef with 17 years of experience, shaped by Caribbean life and flavors. Food is her deepest passion, inherited from her parents and rooted in Venezuelan culture, where tradition, resilience, and joy meet. Cooking lets Veronica honor her roots while sharing warmth, creativity, and connection wherever she goes.
WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE CULINARY CITY, AND WHY?
I love food from Washington, DC, because it reflects the city itself: diverse, global, and constantly evolving. DC cuisine tells stories of migration, politics, and culture. Every bite feels rooted in community, making the city a true crossroads of flavors and traditions.
Khailing Neoh
Owner & Chef,
Sum Bar
Meet the Chef:
Khailing Noeh grew up in restaurants. Her immigrant parents and grandparents built their lives around food and community. So it shouldn't have been a shock when she left her engineering career in 2023 to open Sum Bar, the city’s first dedicated dim sum restaurant, after hosting several successful pop-ups that frequently sold out. Neoh’s journey opening Sum Bar was featured in the short documentary Great Wall, which won a James Beard Media Award and marked a major cultural milestone for Greenville’s culinary community. Diners enjoy traditional Chinese fare from family recipes, like shumai, dumplings, and char sui pork.
WHAT OTHER FEMALE CHEF WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO COLLABORATE WITH?
Cynthia Wong. She’s a talented and highly decorated pastry chef out of Charleston and owner of Life Raft Treats. You might know her from her signature “not fried chicken” ice cream! I love her life philosophy, work ethic, and general care for ingredients and people.
Karin Feeny
Co-Owner & Chef,
Kitchen Sync
Meet the Chef:
Executive Chef and co-owner Karin Feeny has been a driving force behind Kitchen Sync for over a decade. Her culinary background spans local pizza kitchens, luxury yachts, and San Diego’s catering scene, with influences shaped by time on the West Coast and travels through Mexico. Alongside her husband and brother, she brings a California-cool twist to comforting, familiar dishes, creating food rooted in soul and a deep love for cooking.
WHAT OTHER FEMALE CHEF WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO COLLABORATE WITH?
Chef Yewande Komolafe. I’ve always been drawn to her beautiful storytelling and recipes. After following her recent health journey, her bravery has become a huge source of inspiration for me. To share a kitchen with a woman of her talent and grit would be an absolute honor.
Tarciani Harger
Pastry Chef,
Soby's New South Cuisine
Meet the Chef:
Born and raised in Palhoça, Santa Catarina, Brazil, Tarciani Harger’s culinary path is shaped by Portuguese and German influences. With degrees in Professional Pastry and Bakery Arts and Fashion Design, she brought her longtime passion for food to the U.S. in 2016. After joining Soby’s as a sauté cook, her talent for creating visually striking desserts quickly led to her role as Pastry Chef, where she approaches each creation like fashion, often inspired by nature.
WHAT DISH BEST REPRESENTS YOU AND WHY?
I created an edible picture frame dessert with a tropical composition with mango mousse, coconut notes, and lemon cake, flavors that carry my memories and my roots. Coming from a tropical country, this dessert is deeply personal. I designed it as a visual tribute to Greenville and its iconic bridge, the city that welcomed me and allowed me to grow, not only as a chef, but as a person. It brings together where I come from and who I’ve become, blending creativity, place, and identity.
Elizabeth Logan McDaniel
Owner & Maître Chocolatier,
LaRue Fine Chocolate
Meet the Chef:
Elizabeth founded LaRue Fine Chocolate in 2015, inspired by a family tradition of hand-rolling truffles. After leaving her career as a fine-wine representative, she trained in Vancouver, earning a professional Chocolatier certification with honors and the rank of Maître Chocolatier from École Chocolat. Shaped by global travel and culinary study, her work helped LaRue Fine Chocolate earn recognition as “Best Chocolate Shop in America” by USA Today in 2025 and ranking among the Top 5 since 2023.
WHAT OTHER FEMALE CHEF WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO COLLABORATE WITH?
Julia Child, because she was the queen, and I appreciate the generous amount of wine she consumed while she was cooking.
Lindsay Beck
Executive Pastry Chef,
CAMP: Modern American Eatery
Meet the Chef:
Lindsay Beck’s passion for pastry began while studying Food Science at Clemson University, inspired by time in the kitchen with her two grandmothers. With Table 301, she has participated at the James Beard House, executed desserts for the Friends of James Beard dinner, and been featured at culinary festivals. At CAMP, she creates "nostalgic, playful" desserts that elevate familiar flavors, down to sprinkles made from scratch.
WHAT OTHER FEMALE CHEF WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO COLLABORATE WITH?
A female chef I would love to collaborate with would be Stella Parks. Not only is she extremely creative and clever, she also has a very scientific approach to baking and pastry which I appreciate from my food science background. She has a similar style to mine: taking classic and nostalgic desserts and refining and elevating them to the next level.
Jessica Herter
Executive Chef,
Indaco
Meet the Chef:
Inspired by her father’s career as a chef, Jessica Herter grew up immersed in hospitality and studied Culinary Arts at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. After launching her career in Greenville, she served as Chef de Cuisine at Urban Wren and District Chef for Coastal Crust. Now leading the kitchen at Indaco Greenville, she focuses on scratch-made Italian cuisine while fostering a culture rooted in collaboration, precision, and genuine hospitality.
WHAT DISH BEST REPRESENTS YOU AND WHY?
The dish that best represents me would have to be a traditional Spanish paella. It’s always drawn me in and was one of the first dishes I learned to sauté. Paella is all about building layers of flavor and paying close attention to detail, which are two things I focus on every day in the kitchen.
Kelly Brinson
Executive Chef,
ABYSS
Meet the Chef:
Born in Valdosta, GA, and rooted in Greenville, SC, Chef Kelly’s love for baking began in her grandmother’s kitchen, where sugar, patience, and love were the main ingredients. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of the Carolinas in 2010, Kelly has been collaborating alongside Jennifer Barone, Executive Chef of The 07 and The 05, for the past two years. Kelly loves to dig her routes deep in Southern-style baking. Despite refined technique, her favorite dessert stays simple: a double-stuffed Oreo softened in cold milk.
WHAT DISH BEST REPRESENTS YOU AND WHY?
A dessert that best describes me is Tartufo. It has a polished exterior, yet is not always perfect, but the center is pure surprise: sweet, intense, and unforgettable.
Dayna Lee-Márquez
Owner & Chef,
Comal 864
Meet the Chef:
Chef Dayna Lee is a 2023 James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Chef Southeast and has earned national recognition for her Mexican American cuisine, including an appearance on Beat Bobby Flay. After moving to Greenville, she drew inspiration from her grandmother’s cooking in the Rio Grande Valley to create Comal 864, a restaurant known for bold flavors, fresh ingredients, and heartfelt hospitality. Comal 864 was named one of USA Today’s Best Restaurants in America in 2025.
WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE CULINARY CITY, AND WHY?
My answer is any place within the 4 counties of the Rio Grande Valley. South Texas food is unlike anything I have ever had, and the more that I travel, the more that I love the food culture of my home region. It's full of love. Lots of spice, lots of acidity - just like me!
Claudia Amezquita
Owner & Chef,
Luna Café (Simpsonville)
Meet the Chef:
Chef and entrepreneur Claudia Amezquita, originally from Cali, Colombia, is the creative force behind Luna Cafe Bakehouse & Coffee Shop and Modelo Private Dining. Rooted in Latin American flavors and influenced by her heritage, travels, and the American South, her work centers on creating meaningful food and memorable experiences grounded in community, memory, and connection.
WHAT OTHER FEMALE CHEF WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO COLLABORATE WITH?
I would love to collaborate with Chef Vicky Acosta, from Platillos Voladores in Cali, Colombia. Her cooking honors Colombian identity with elegance, creativity, and deep respect for tradition, showing how our flavors can be both rooted and refined. As a fellow Colombian woman in the culinary industry, her work inspires me to continue telling our stories through food.
Nelofar Mayar
Owner & Chef,
Aryana Afghan Cuisine
Meet the Chef:
For over 20 years, Nelofar Mayar has been preparing healthy, home-cooked meals with the recipes passed down from her family. Chef Mayar's mastery of traditional spices and flavors makes each dish an opportunity to experience classics and delicacies in new and exciting ways. Every plate becomes a culinary journey.
WHAT DISH BEST REPRESENTS YOU AND WHY?
I love our Burani Banjan (Eggplant Burani) because it is normally difficult to find a good way to cook eggplants. The way we cook it in Afghanistan is unique, with a special flavor coming from the spices that we use; we top it with yogurt and mint.
Teryi Youngblood
Executive Chef,
Camilla Kitchen at M. Judson Booksellers
Meet the Chef:
Teryi grew up in her mother's and grandmother’s kitchens in Pickens, SC, inspired by the home cooks in her life and by the great Julia Child on TV. Cookbooks became her source for technique, inspiration, and creativity. Her professional path began at Bistro Europa in Greenville, followed by a decade as pastry chef for Table 301, before serving as executive chef at Passerelle Bistro. There, she partnered with M. Judson as the first chef for the Sunday Sit Down Supper with Pat Conroy. A 2016 South Carolina Chef Ambassador, Teryi leads Camilla Kitchen with seasonally-inspired creativity.
WHAT OTHER FEMALE CHEF WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO COLLABORATE WITH?
I would most like to collaborate with Chef Dayna Lee-Marquez. We've only met in passing at events, but she seems like my kind of people. I've seen her interviews and read the articles. She seems to embody the ideals of a woman deeply rooted in culture. I respect that, and I want to hear more.
Jenifer Rogers
Executive Chef,
Passerelle Bistro
Meet the Chef:
Jenifer started her culinary journey in Alabama with a grandmother who inspired her to cook. She has worked across the Southeast, including Muscle Shoals, AL, Nashville, TN, and Greenville, SC. Jenifer found her forever home in Greenville, where she met her husband, Michael Minelli, owner of Passerelle Bistro, and became the executive chef there. Together, they have grown their business and are adding another restaurant in 2026, Stone Cottage. They have also grown their family with two young boys, Michael and James. Jenifer's passion for hospitality and community has never faded, and she is thrilled to see the future.
WHAT DISH BEST REPRESENTS YOU AND WHY?
Chicken and Andouille Gumbo. I have a more Cajun culinary background and have always gravitated to the cuisine. It shows French inspiration, but it is approachable, fun, and not pretentious. I am more that way. I approach cooking in a relatable way.
Irina Tarasenko
Head Chef,
Keipi
Meet the Chef:
Born and raised in Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine, Irina has always admired her hometown's centuries of history and resilience. In March 2022, during the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, she moved to Greenville with her husband, Oleg, and their two children, Anna and Artem, to join her husband’s family, who provided shelter, support, and guidance as they began a new life. Irina’s deep passion for Keipi remains strong after three years. Georgian culture and its flavors reflect the Ukrainian traditions she learned from her mother and previous professional experiences in Ukraine.
WHAT DISH BEST REPRESENTS YOU AND WHY?
Ukrainian borscht. This dish represents me because it is rich and complex, utilizing many different ingredients to create a satisfying experience. It offers a unique balance of sour, sweet, and herbal flavors that I have not found elsewhere. Furthermore, preparing a proper borscht requires significant time, patience, talent, and experience, all of which are central to my identity as a chef.
Alison Legg
Pastry Chef,
Jianna
Meet the Chef:
As a Greenville, South Carolina, native, Alison developed an interest in culinary arts in her mid 20’s, beginning with cake decorating and confectionery treats. Being completely self-taught, she didn’t enter professional kitchens until around 2015. Through a good friend, she heard of a new Italian restaurant opening up in early 2017 and got a position as a garde manger. After a couple of years, she took over the pastry program and found a passion for creating and cultivating desserts and menus. When she’s not working, she is busy being a mom to 4-year-old Graham and their dog Gus.
WHAT DISH BEST REPRESENTS YOU AND WHY?
The dish that best represents me is cake because of how versatile and celebratory it is. It can take almost any shape or form, and the flavors are endless.
Culinary Experiences
Greenville, South Carolina, is a food lover's dream, where your taste buds will be tickled and your culinary horizons expanded. Feeling a rumble in your stomach?…
