BB&T Charleston Wine + Food Festival

After mastering his culinary skills in kitchens across the country – including a position as Executive Sous Chef under the celebrated Chef Bob Kinkead in Washington, D.C. – Ramon Taimanglo longed to return to Charleston, the city that inspired his culinary career.

Born in Germany to a military family, Taimanglo found himself drawn to the kitchen early on. His teen years were spent happily working in restaurants; but in college, he studied business. “Once I had that degree and began working in business, I realized my passion was back in the kitchen,” he says. So he traded his business suit for chef’s whites, and headed for Johnson and Wales Culinary Arts Institute in Charleston.

As a culinary student, he worked as a line cook at Slightly North of Broad. Mentored – as so many have been – by Frank Lee, Taimanglo earned his degree and moved out of the city.

Though his career path took him to restaurants around the country, Taimanglo longed to return to the Lowcountry and rejoin the Maverick family. He now serves as Chef de Cuisine at High Cotton, a position that affords him the opportunity to work with the ingredients he enjoys most: local produce, fish and meats.

And while his palate has been honed by world travels, he still recalls the comfort and happiness baked into a warm PB&J his father used to make for him. “I know that cooking with love, and passion, makes all the difference. I try to remember that every time I step into the kitchen,” he says.

Taimanglo is married and has two young children.