Join Our Team

At Charleston Wine + Food, we believe that human connection is the most powerful ingredient in any recipe.

Join the Team

The CHSWF Team

Our Team

At Charleston Wine + Food, we’re always looking for talented + passionate people to join our team. Above all else, we look for people who believe in our mission and exemplify our values. Are you a team player? Do you enjoy creative problem solving, diving into a robust spreadsheet, and getting your hands dirty? No two days are the same at CHSWF, and we like it that way!

People First

We want Charleston Wine + Food to be a leading example of what the modern workplace should be – one that is focused on people first and supporting their well-being. This means recognizing + supporting the many facets of employees’ lives and fostering a culture that allows them to thrive both personally and professionally.

Underlying our core value of People First are these key tenets: We foster and maintain an environment of dignity + respect; We acknowledge + support the whole person; We encourage failure without fear.

Life at CHSWF

Producing a world-class festival is a lot of work, but it’s also a whole lot of fun. The idea behind the festival is community, and that bleeds into everything that we do. Around here, we don’t just work side-by-side – we take coffee breaks, eat pizza, celebrate birthdays, gather for Cookbook Club, dine-out in the community, share hobbies, and take turns playing DJ for in-office dance parties. Turns out, when you’re working for a cause you care about, making friends doesn’t take long.

Our Gallery

Our Commitments to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Each and every day, we are committed to putting people first.

Through food, events, and collaboration, we work internally + externally to ensure the unique perspectives brought to the table are valued, strengthen us, and allow us to see the world through a fresh lens. We celebrate talent, passion, and community through our commitment to producing experiences where all people – regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality, gender identity, abilities, faith, and any other social identity – feel welcome and are woven into the fabric of the festival we collectively imagine.

OUR TALENT COMMUNITY

Over the past several years, we have taken actions to diversify the talent that participates in the festival. Our participating festival talent told us that in 2020, 16% of talent identified as BIPOC; in 2022, this number was 34%. We are committed to being intentional and ensuring our talent + programming represents the diversity of our industry.

DECREASING BARRIERS FOR PARTICIPATION

Successful festivals grow + evolve in response to the needs of the communities they serve. In an effort to be a more inclusive organization and decrease the barriers for chef + beverage professionals to participate in our festival, we introduced in 2022 several means of directly compensating our talent, including covering food + beverage costs for participating talent and providing per-head stipends for our Signature Brunch, Lunch, and Dinner host restaurants; providing on-the-ground logistical + event support including rentals, compostable plateware + flatware, signage, and more; covering accommodations, travel, and on-the-ground transportation for all visiting talent; and providing access to participating talent to enjoy the festival and connect with their peers

DIVERSIFYING OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Sound Board leadership is essential to our success as an organization. Thought leadership and broad perspective are essential to this organization’s growth. With that in mind, we have been strategically intentional in building a Board of Directors that reflects the diverse voices of our community, while ensuring the necessary experience and knowledge were added. Currently, more than 40% of our board is racially diverse and we are at nearly 50% when considering two binary genders.

HIRING PRACTICES

A diverse team brings unique perspectives in thought, room for innovation, opportunities for growth, and fresh new ideas. In order to create the type of festival reflective of our community, we need the best talent in place, and employees who are committed to our mission. In addition to greater transparency in our hiring practices, we are committed to casting a wider net by recruiting + engaging with HBCUs, while also implementing other practices to ensure more people are aware of our job opportunities.

ACCESSIBILITY

We are committed to producing experiences where all can participate in + enjoy, regardless of ability, and selecting venues that are ADA compliant.

CODE OF CONDUCT

We are taking deliberate steps to develop an organization and a festival that is safe + inclusive for everyone – our participants, guests, volunteers, teammates, and community members. All participating festival Talent and Partners agree to a Code of Conduct which is maintained and enforced throughout the festival.

WHY WE WORK HERE

ALYSSA SMITH

Executive

“Being born + raised here comes with a sense of profound pride. Working at CHSWF allows me to step into my life’s purpose every day. I have the honor and opportunity to connect friends – both known, and not yet met – to share the mutual love and admiration for this city, this hospitality + food community, and my home.”

CALLIE ROBERTSON

Experience

“You should be around people you want to emulate, and I get to do that both with my immediate team and the amazing hospitality community that we support! Parts of the year can be tiring, but also a whole heck of a lot of fun.”

JENNA KEPLEY

Programming

“It gives me the opportunity to advocate for and showcase a community that I’m so grateful to be a part of, while also being part of a team that supports + pushes me to trust my gut and be me. The wine + food doesn’t hurt!”

BRAE RICHARDSON

Marketing

“For me, the work we do is intentional, purposeful, and community driven. Personally, I am in a season of alignment and creating space for others. I work at CHSWF to create space.”

ANGELL TROXLER

Education

“I’ve always known my purpose in life is to positively affect our future by way of young minds and that’s exactly what I get to do at CHSWF. As Education Outreach Administrator, not only do I get to feed the minds of young culinary scholars, I also get to pour back into the hospitality community that replenishes my soul!”