Change Starts Here

The coronavirus has had a devastating impact on our community and the hospitality and culinary industries are some that have been hit the hardest. But necessity breeds innovation, especially in the case of Culinary Institute of Charleston alum Jamie Simpson. Simpson is the Executive Chef Liaison at The Culinary Vegetable Institute at The Chef’s Garden , where he and his staff have had to completely change their business model in order to create revenue and minimize losses. “Just three weeks ago we were shipping produce to more than 1,000 restaurants in 14 countries and educating world-class chefs about unusual vegetables and cooking applications,” says Simpson. “We transitioned, almost overnight, to home delivery.” The Chef’s Garden is the leading grower of artisanal produce in the nation and a place where innovative farming, the development of new products and the fostering of important relationships with chefs throughout the world were built on traditional farming ...