Shuai Wang’s Journey from China to Charleston

Biscuits & Jam

Meredith Corporation

Music Interviews, Arts, Food, Music

4.8 • 608 Ratings

🗓️ 15 July 2025

⏱️ 37 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Chef Shuai Wang was the runner-up on the 22nd season of Bravo’s Top Chef and is the force behind two standout restaurants in Charleston, South Carolina—Jackrabbit Filly and King BBQ—where he brings together the flavors of his childhood in Beijing and the spirit of the South in some pretty unforgettable ways. He grew up just a short walk from Tiananmen Square, in a tiny home with no electricity or running water, where his grandmother often cooked over charcoal. Later, in Queens, New York, his mom taught herself to cook—her first dishes were a little salty, but they were always made with love. And somewhere along the way, Shuai learned that cooking wasn’t just about food—it was about taking care of people. After years working in New York kitchens, he made his way to Charleston and started building something that feels entirely his own. Today, we’re talking about how all those experiences come together on the plate, the family stories behind his cooking, and what it’s been like to share that journey on national TV. For more info visit: southernliving.com/biscuitsandjam Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	I spent all night on this presentation and it still looks so boring.
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0:23.6	Hey y'all, welcome to Biscuits and Jam from Southern Living. I'm your host, Sid Evans. And today I'm talking with Chef Shui Wong, someone you might recognize if you're a fan of Top Chef on Bravo.
0:40.8	He was the runner up on the 22nd season and is the force behind two standout restaurants in Charleston, South Carolina,
0:48.8	Jack Rabbit, Philly, and King Barbecue, where he brings together the flavors of his childhood in Beijing and the
0:55.9	spirit of the South in some pretty unforgettable ways. He grew up just a short walk from Tiananmen Square
1:02.6	in a tiny home with no electricity or running water where his grandmother often cooked over charcoal.
1:09.9	Later in Queens, New York, his mom taught herself to cook.
1:14.0	Her first dishes were a little salty,
1:16.1	but they were always made with love.
1:18.3	And somewhere along the way,
1:19.6	Shwe learned that cooking wasn't just about food,
1:22.6	it was about taking care of people.
1:24.5	After years of working in New York kitchens,
1:26.7	he made his way to Charleston and started
1:28.4	building something that feels entirely his own. Today we're talking about how all those experiences
1:34.3	come together on the plate, the family stories behind his cooking, and what it's been like to
1:39.7	share that journey on national TV. All that and his funny answers to our jam session quiz coming up on this week's Biscuits
	...

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