meet the artists
meet the artists
chef sarah
Meet the driving force behind The Carolina Chef, our head chef, Sarah. From a young age, Sarah's playground was the kitchen, where she honed her skills in kneading biscuits and baking sweets with her family. This early love for food led her to pursue a career in culinary arts. She earned her business degree with a concentration in culinary arts and furthered her expertise in baking and pastry at the Culinary Institute of Charleston.
Throughout her culinary journey, Sarah has gathered hands-on experience, perfecting everything from pecan pie at Magnolia's to crafting pastries and designing wedding cakes on Kiawah Island. However, her true calling emerged when she transitioned from restaurant and corporate kitchens to becoming a personal chef.
Today, Sarah's joy lies in creating local, seasonal meals that offer a personal touch, helping families and friends forge lasting memories in the heart of their own kitchens. Her commitment to excellence and her love for sharing exceptional culinary experiences drive everything we do at The Carolina Chef.
kristy bishop
Kristy Bishop is multidisciplinary artist whose work is rooted in weaving and textiles. Her weavings combine bright, contrasting colors with bold patterns, playful lines, and heavy metallic fringe. Through slow material practice, Bishop explores the tactile relationship we have with cloth. The repetition of physical movement involved in creating a woven structure yields itself to an act of ritual and reverence for textiles, whether they are for utility, art, clothing, or comfort.
Kristy is a teaching artist focusing on textile practices. She travels for artist residencies in public schools all over South Carolina, hosts adult workshops, and summer camps. Kristy partners with Engaging Creative Minds, the Charleston Museum, McClellanville Arts Council, and the Gibbes Museum of Art to facilitate workshops. In August of 2019, Kristy was the artist-in-residence at the Gibbes Museum of Art where she focused on large-scale weaving. During the fall of 2015, Kristy participated in a three-month residency at 701 Center for Contemporary Art concluding with the solo exhibition, Bound. In 2016, Kristy was awarded the South Carolina Artists’ Ventures Initiative (AVI) Grant to expand her studio practice. She was the 2012-2013 Artist-in-Residence for the City of North Charleston. Since 2020, Kristy Bishop has been a Certified Teaching Artist through the South Carolina Arts Commission. Currently, her work was on view in the exhibition, Material World, presented by the Arts Council of Fayetteville and Cumberland County.
christine long-derks
Don't you hate spending lots of money and time on a project with hand dyed yarn, only to realize at the end that it looks like yarn barf? ME TOO! That's why I started experimenting until I came up with dye techniques that WORK! My skeins help you create projects that look as gorgeous all knit up (& crocheted up & woven up) as they do in the skein!
Treasure Goddess Yarn is owned by me, Christine Long-Derks. I'm the head yarn pirate and I get by with a lot of help from my friends! I dye intense, saturated tonal colors on luxury yarn bases that take your breath away. I create yarn that lets you enjoy the process of creating as much as you love your finished items.
My logo is a Pirate Sheep and all my colorway names are pirate/ocean/mermaid related! Some of the best sellers are Ghost Ship (charcoal gray), Mermaid’s Curse (rich teal), Fathoms Deep (gorgeous navy blue) and Lusty Wench (fabulous orange)! Why a pirate sheep? Pirates sailed the seven seas searching the finest luxuries and having adventures. I sail the seven seas (of the internet and local fiber farms) to find the best fiber treasures. Who wouldn't want to hang out with a pirate sheep and grab some YARRRRNNNIE booty for themselves too? YARRRRNNN!
All yarns are hand dyed by me in a big red barn in the country. We open up the barn studio and have Yarn Parties each year! People come from all over the US to hang out and knit, crochet, shop, eat, drink and Yarn Party! We also host workshops in person and online.
corey alston
Corey Alston is a man who has been recognized by many for his tireless effort to keep his heritage alive for his generation. He has been featured on magazines, TV shows, and world-renowned museums. You can find in mostly keeping his artform alive by keeping the world informed on social media sites. Corey is a direct dependent of enslaved Africans and is proud to teach others about his heritage by doing public educational talks all over the country. Corey is a fifth generation Sweetgrass Basket Weaver and currently runs the family business in the Charleston City Market. Sweetgrass Basket Weaving has been a major part of the Gullah Geechee Culture, dating back to days of Enslavement. This coastal artform has been recognized as South Carolina State Handcraft and has been known to be found to be kept alive the longest along Sweetgrass Basket Makers HWY of South Carolina. This skill is one of the rare arts of our country that is founded nowhere else in America. Gullah Sweetgrass Baskets are a national.
erica carter
I’ve had a love for photography since I was a little kid. I started shooting as a hobby in high school and college. Mostly I used it to document my family and friends. Then when my sweet boy came into this world in 2010, I knew I had to take photography further. I began to understand fully that time really does fly and this was my downhill slide to life. I wanted to capture the little moments and let time stand still as much as possible.
I am a dreamer And the flexibility that this business has given me has been amazing. My real life is chaotic. Every day is different. Between kids, schools, and work, I'm thankful to make it to the end of each day. With that said, I understand nap times and snack times. I understand sick kids and messy outfits. I go with the flow and let the moments happen. Because after all, it's real life... and that's what I'm here to capture for you, your real life.