Jacques Larson: Staying Steady and Sustainable

Maybe it’s his Illinois Midwest roots. Or maybe that he, a University of Iowa English and history major and would-be artist who inadvertently ended up cooking his way through college, never envisioned a career as a celebrated chef. Or maybe, and mostly likely, it’s just that Jacques Larson really is as humble, authentic and amiably down to earth as he seems. 

However you account for it, Larson, executive chef of Wild Olive and The Obstinate Daughter, has carved out a solid niche as one of Charleston’s most respected, talented and likable chefs, and he’s done that the only way it can be done—through years of kitchen sweat and simply being a good guy. 

Larson landed in Charleston after college in 1996, and found a job helping to open Peninsula Grill, working as sous chef under Bob Carter for seven and a half years. From there Larson grew into his own light, serving as executive chef at Union Hall and Mercato, before being recruited to Wild Olive in 2009, deep in the throes of the recession. 

“When I got to Charleston, Louis Osteen was considered ‘The General,’ Frank Lee was an early mentor in the locally sourced credo, and there was Robert Brickman at Magnolias and Bob Wagner at Charleston Grill. I looked up to these guys—and now, having cooked in this town for 23 years, I’m considered one of ‘those guys,’ I guess—the Old Guard,” says Larson. The fact that he currently serves as Chef Chair of the Chefs’ Feast for Lowcountry Food Bank, and as Chef Chair for Charleston Wine + Food Festival demonstrates the respect he’s earned among his colleague sand his commitment to giving back to the community.

At both Wild Olive on Johns Island and The “OD” on Sullivan’s Island, Larson is known for serving up the Lowcountry’s best Italian-influenced food (and importantly, gelato! Beardcat's Sweet Shop underneath The Obstinate Daughter is also under his wing). But what may be less known is that he has raised the bar for sustainability in Charleston’s restaurant scene. 

“When you work in a restaurant, you start to see how much waste there is, and the older I get, the more that starts to haunt me,” says the 50-year-old father of one (his wife, Carrie, has been active in the Slow Food, FAB and in Lowcountry Local First’s Growing New Farmers program). 

Larson initiated Wild Olive’s composting program, “that was a core element; after that everything else fell into place,” says Larson, who reduced waste from a quarter of a dumpster after a busy night of service, to a five-gallon bucket. 

In 2013, Wild Olive became the first Certified Green Restaurant in the state, and when Obstinate Daughter opened, they followed suit; both remain the only Green Certified restaurants in Charleston. As part of Larson’s commitment to operating an environmentally conscious business, both establishments purchase the bulk of their product locally, and recycle and compost 85% of their waste, which benefits local growers. 

“We’re not just farm-to-table, but table-to-farm, connecting to the full cycle of food,” Larson says. “We want to be part of the solution in fixing our broken food system.”

That’s also why he volunteers his time to orchestrate the Chefs’ Feast for the Lowcountry Food Bank. 

“One in five children here grow up experiencing food insecurity,” he says. “We all rally together to try to change that. I love the camaraderie of Charleston’s food and bev community. When you’ve been doing this this long and believe wholeheartedly in the community, it’s a privilege to help lead the charge.”

Browse through the menus of Wild Olive and The Obstinate Daughter or visit any day of the week.