Holy Smokes Lowcountry Barbecue Festival Announces VIP Chefs

Organizers for the inaugural Holy Smokes Lowcountry Barbecue Festival today announced the VIP chefs who will compliment the previously-announced pitmaster line-up.

Guests that purchase the VIP ticket option can enjoy bites from Ben Berryhill of Red Drum, David Bancroft of Bow & Arrow and Acre, and Shuai Wang of Jackrabbit Filly.  See below for information about each.

Ben Berryhill 

Ben Berryhill has made an impact on the Charleston culinary scene since opening Red Drum in 2005. Where shrimp and grits are the standard-bearing comfort food, Ben’s comfort zone is over a flaming wood-fired grill, bridging the traditional Lowcountry cuisine with Southwestern flavors as big and audacious as his home state of Texas. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America, Ben’s career led him back to his native state. In 1992, he began working in Chef Robert Del Grande’s kitchen where the two worked as friends and collaborators for more than 11 years. Del Grande’s Cafe Annie in Houston provided Ben the opportunity to learn and creatively expand on the notion of Southwestern Cuisine and how its intense flavors fit into the profiles of other regional cuisines.

David Bancroft 

Chef/owner of two acclaimed restaurants in Auburn, Alabama, Bow & Arrow and Acre, David was heavily influenced by his grandparent’s cooking and farming practices. In particular, he draws knowledge and inspiration from his grandfather, who farmed cattle, catfish, cotton, and peanuts in South Alabama. Bancroft grew up eating some of the best cuisine the South has to offer and parlayed his love of food and farming into a passion for cooking, inspired by his family’s approach to home-style dining. Bancroft spent time on the family farm in Alabama hunting and fishing with his grandfather and also learned how to smoke brisket and barbecue in south Texas, in the process developing a deep appreciation and care for the meat and its procurement process.

In August 2013, Bancroft and his wife Christin opened Acre, where the seasonally-influenced menu reinterprets the rich heritage of Alabama cuisine and celebrates sustainable ingredients sourced from the on-site gardens & local bounty of the surrounding community. In September 2018, Bancroft opened his second restaurant, Bow & Arrow, a juxtaposition of a South Texas smokehouse with the communal and casual dining approach of an Alabama potluck. Bancroft is a 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 semifinalist for the James Beard Foundation’s “Best Chef: South” award and winner of Food Network’s “Iron Chef Showdown” competition in 2017.

Shuai Wang 

Born in China and raised in New York, Shuai Wang has always been surrounded by amazing food. Today Shuai shares his love of food with the people of Charleston. Working closely with local farmers and fishermen, his cuisine is inspired by his Chinese heritage. Shuai is a winner of the Eater Young Guns Award, and his food truck Short Grain was named one of America’s Top 50 Best New Restaurants by Bon Appetit. Most recently, he was nominated for a James Beard Award for Rising Star Chef. Shuai is the owner and chef of Jackrabbit Filly, a New Chinese American Restaurant in North Charleston’s Park Circle. When asked about Holy Smokes, Shaui says, “I’m excited to cook with some old friends and make a few new ones. Barbecue is such an art and we’re going to have some of the best of the best all in one place. Can’t wait to get my meat sweats on.”

Event Details At-A-Glance:

WHEN: Saturday, November 13th, 11 am to 4 pm

WHERE: The Bend – 3775 Azalea Dr., North Charleston,

TICKETS: General Admission Tickets $95

VIP $200 – SOLD OUT

Kids 7-13yo $25 | 6yo and under are free

Head to holysmokeschs.com for the latest health and safety updates and Frequently Asked Questions. VIP tickets sold out within a matter of minutes on the first day of ticket sales, but a limited number of general admission tickets remain. The event benefits Hogs For the Cause.

ABOUT HOGS FOR THE CAUSE: The mission of Hogs for the Cause is to provide assistance to families with children battling brain cancer by engaging the community through barbecue culture. In 12 years, Hogs for the Cause has grown from one pig helping one family to one of the most highly acclaimed barbecue and music festivals in the country with over 30K people in attendance. The funds from the two-day music festival and barbecue competition, combining over 20 bands and over 90 competing barbecue teams, allow the organization to help thousands of families through direct grants and funding programming at children’s hospitals across the United States. Hogs has expanded its impact and is providing fundraising opportunities throughout the US. They work with hospitals nationwide to create partnerships, funds and housing to mitigate financial burdens for all pediatric cancer diagnoses.

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