Chef Karlo Prado has a passion for all things Caribbean and Southern. Having been born in San Juan, Puerto Rico and growing up in the South his cooking style reflects that upbringing in what Chef Norman Van Aken called “Floribbean Cuisine”, where the Caribbean meets the American South.
His culinary journey started in mother’s and grandmother’s kitchens and ate his first Shrimp and Grits when living in Charleston over 20 years ago that started his obsession for the Culinary field and got him hungry for more. He attended Le Cordon Bleu in Austin, TX and traveled working with many talented James Beard Award-winning chefs Emeril Lagasse, Scott Conant, Paul Bartolotta, John Gorham, and the Nuevo Latino Cuisine Godfather Douglas Rodriguez and eating and learning in many kitchens in Hawaii, New Orleans, Las Vegas, Martha’s Vineyard, Alaska, Portland OR, Tampa and back to where it all started in Charleston.
In Portlandia he started his own Chef business and opened up a food cart introducing his Caribbean Flavors, Southern Roots cuisine and brings that to Charleston where he worked as a Sous Chef at Husk which introduced him to the local culinary scene, it’s regions history and influence on cuisine in Charleston and all it’s local purveyors and bounty. He is the Executive Chef of the Gingerline Restaurant in downtown Charleston.