3 chefs named S.C. Chef Ambassadors for 2022.

• Position: Hadyn Shaak, John Ondo and Chris Williams

Chefs at restaurants in the Upstate, Midlands and Lowcountry have been named South Carolina Chef Ambassadors for 2022.

The trio of appointments were announced Wednesday. The ambassadors, who prepare dishes using Certified South Carolina produce, meat and seafood, represent the state at food festivals and other events.

"These three talented Chef Ambassadors honor South Carolina's diverse culinary heritage and local ingredients," Commissioner of Agriculture Hugh Weathers said in a news release from the S.C. Department of Agriculture announcing the appointments. "Chefs connect with and promote our state's farmers and help teach us all how to eat fresh, local food in season."

The ambassador program, in its eighth year, was created in 2014 to highlight South Carolina as a top culinary destination.

"Our hospitality industry has been on a rollercoaster ride since March 2020," said Duane Parrish, director of the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism. "From shifting to a to-go model almost overnight, to navigating workforce challenges, to welcoming an influx of visitors as tourism began to rebound they've really seen it all in a very short time frame. The Chef Ambassador program highlights and celebrates some of the very best of what this resilient and tenacious industry has to offer and helps showcase just how significant and extraordinary our culinary scene is in the Palmetto State."

The 2022 South Carolina Chef Ambassadors are:

Hadyn Shaak, Restaurant 17 at Hotel Domestique, Travelers Rest: Shaak, a graduate...