Local chefs compete to fight hunger in Lowcountry

Local chefs will compete to transform rescued food into fine cuisine later this month as part of a new fundraising event aimed at reducing hunger across the South Carolina Lowcountry.

Second Helpings will host its inaugural Rescue Gourmet culinary competition on Thursday, Feb. 26, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the University of South Carolina Beaufort’s Hilton Head campus, located at 1 Sand Shark Drive.

The event brings together four prominent Lowcountry chefs, each tasked with creating original dishes using food that would otherwise go to waste. The dishes will be judged by a panel of local media figures, chefs and community personalities.

Competing chefs include Brian Coseo, executive chef at Sea Pines Country Club; Lynn Michelle, known professionally as “The East Coast Chef”; Josh O’Neill, executive chef at Colleton River Club; and Robert Wysong, executive chef at Wexford Country Club.

The competition will be evaluated by a panel of judges drawn from local media and the culinary community. The event will be hosted by Andrew Davis of WSAV-TV, a longtime broadcast journalist.

In addition to the competition, attendees will be offered heavy hors d’oeuvres, complimentary beer, wine and soft drinks, and tastings of the chefs’ original creations. Proceeds will support Second Helpings’ food rescue operations throughout the region.

“We’re thrilled to offer this exciting, first-of-its-kind event,” said Amy Colin, executive director of Second Helpings. “We’re grateful for the participation and support of these amazing chefs, and we encourage their fans to come out and cheer them on.”

Second Helpings is a nonprofit organization that collects surplus food and redistributes it at no cost to partner agencies serving people in need. According to the organization, its volunteers distributed 3.6 million pounds of food in 2025 to 55 agencies across Beaufort, Jasper and Hampton counties, reaching more than 14,000 people each week.

The organization is a United Way agency.

Tickets and additional information are available at www.secondhelpingslc.org/rescuegourmet. More information about the organization can be found at www.secondhelpingslc.org.