Chef charlotte jenkins
Charlotte Jenkins, chef and owner of Gullah Cuisine in Mt. Pleasant, SC, has been cooking Gullah foods since she was nine years old. It wasn’t until she moved to New York and started entertaining guests in her home that she realized there was something special about her Gullah culture. Jenkins’ first stint was catering. While catering throughout the Lowcountry, customers suggested they wanted to be able to eat Jenkins’ food more often. In 1997 she opened Gullah Cuisine. She and her husband also operate CJ’s Catering Service.
Jenkins, a 1988 graduate of Johnson & Wales School of Culinary Arts, learned that opening a restaurant was risky business, but she gave it a shot. The Washington Post, NY Times, Gourmet and Southern Living have all tapped into what’s going on in the kitchen at Gullah Cuisine. Jenkins says its “food that speaks to ya!”