Ryan Ratino has only just arrived in Greenville, but the Washington, D.C.-based Michelin-starred chef has been to the city so many times, he already has go-to spots.
“Lewis Barbecue is my number one,” Ratino said. “The best brisket, and their sides are so good too. That will be one of my indulgences this week.”
This is the 20th anniversary of euphoria, the ninth year the food, wine, and music festival has partnered with Michelin to bring starred chefs to the city. Ratino has been coming for six of those years now, the most of any starred chefs, drawn both by the festival’s intimacy and the city of Greenville.
Chef Ratino has been to euphoria six times
Even now, with four restaurants, a bar, and another restaurant that will open this year, the chef makes sure his schedule includes time to participate in euphoria.
“It’s a very unique place that we always feel good coming to, so we keep coming,” Ratino said.
The chef maintains friendships with guests and other chefs he met during that first euphoria.
“There are a lot of events we’ve done, but this one has a little bit more of a personal attachment to it,” he said. “It’s genuine down-to-earth people.”
‘Committed to keeping euphoria intimate and personal’
That intimacy is by design, said euphoria executive director Morgan Allen.
“While we welcome talented chefs from across the country, we’re deeply committed to keeping euphoria intimate and personal,” Allen said in between events, via text. “Many of our events are small by design, allowing guests to connect with the people behind the food, share experiences up close, and feel part of a true community rather than just an audience.”
Ratino returns to euphoria with more restaurants, stars
Ratino returns this year with more restaurants and more stars. His first restaurant in D.C., Bresca, opened in 2017 and promptly earned one Michelin star, which it holds today. His second restaurant, Jônt, which opened in 2020, earned two stars, making Ratino, then 30, the youngest chef to earn two of the coveted stars.
In 2024, he opened his restaurants, Maass in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Omo by Jônt in Winter Park, Florida, which this year earned one Michelin star.
It’s an amazing feat, which Ratino seems keen on keeping.
“Michelin is synonymous with excellence so you’re not only striving for a star, what you’re striving for is being excellent every day,” Ratino said. “I don’t have a chef de cuisine in any of my one-star restaurants that doesn’t want two stars.”
Ratino started cooking to help his mom
Growing up in Medina, Ohio, Ratino didn’t know anyone who cooked professionally. Instead, he said his family worked jobs related to the steel mill.
Ratino started cooking while in high school to help his mom, who worked a full-time job. He grew to appreciate the process of creating a meal.
That spark led him to the Cordon Bleu in Orlando. He worked at prominent restaurants around Florida before moving to New York to cut his teeth in some of the best restaurants in the country, which set the stage for opening his own restaurants.
While Ratino’s restaurants lean toward fine dining, the chef also prizes making the dining experience fun. And sometimes, he leans into his Ohio roots with iterations of his comfort foods like pierogi made with smoked potato, Swedish Gouda, and black truffles.
This fall, he will debut his ultimate comfort food dish on the menu at Bresca: stuffed cabbage. The dish will be served with cabbage stuffed with a mixture of chestnuts and pork, all glazed with cognac.
Ratino will be cooking for Stars Align Dinner
For euphoria, Ratino will be cooking with Michelin-starred chef Mitsunobu Nagae for the Stars Align dinner at Avenue Friday. Though he has been a professional chef for 15 years, the excitement of the kitchen still fills his soul.
What has changed today, however, is that Ratino finds fulfillment not just in the creation of a dish, but in the creation of an experience, both for customers and for his team. Building his restaurant company is helping him do that.
Would Ratino ever open a restaurant in Greenville?
His next restaurant will open in Los Angeles, but the growth begs the question: Would Ratino ever consider opening a restaurant in Greenville? The question is less extraordinary now that restaurants in South Carolina, along with those in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, and the city of Atlanta, are eligible to earn Michelin stars.
“I think if the opportunities presented itself and it made sense for us, we love the city, so I wouldn’t say no,” Ratino said. “We love these kinds of emerging markets that have a lot going on, a lot of growth, a lot of people who have left larger cities and are finding a home in these emerging markets and helping develop them.
“If the right opportunity presented itself, we would always entertain it and see where it took us.”
Chef plans to eat at Soby’s: ‘I love fried chicken’
One more thing Ratino is excited for this year: dining at Soby’s. While he has cooked in the kitchen there, he’s never gotten to dine at the iconic Greenville restaurant, and the very regimented chef who keeps a rigorous exercise and nutrition regimen is planning to enjoy the meal.
Editor’s Note: This interview was condensed for clarity and space.
Q&A with chef
The Michelin-starred chef shared his thoughts on his exercise and health routine, what he eats for breakfast, items he always has in his kitchen, and his go-to spots to eat and enjoy while visiting Greenville.
Q: You are known to have a pretty rigorous exercise and health routine. Is this still the case?
A: I am still very much, if not even more so, committed. I am sitting in my room looking at all my morning supplements. Landed today and went to the gym on the main road, Core 24, so got a week pass there. And I’ll run along the river. I have my routine when I come here.
Q: So what do you eat for breakfast?
A: For breakfast, I’m an egg whites, yogurt, cottage cheese kind of guy. I’ll put protein granola on my yogurt, and add cottage cheese with salsa to my egg whites. It’s very…boring, I’d say.
I eat a protein-rich diet that keeps me going.
Q: What are some items you always have in your kitchen?
A: I always have butter. I use Kerrygold, unsalted.
I always have peanut butter in the pantry – crunchy. I try not to eat too much refined sugar, so if I’m craving sweets, I’ll have some peanut butter.
I love sweets. But I have no self-control when it comes to sugar, so I try to kill my cravings with protein-rich things.
And then I love coffee too, so I have a hefty pantry of coffee.
Q: What are some of your favorite spots in Greenville?
A: Lewis Barbecue is my number one. It has the best brisket, and their sides are so good, too. That will be one of my indulgences this week.
I like the coffee shop inside the bookstore next to the Westin. I enjoy getting coffee there.
I tried for a game, but the season’s over for minor league baseball, but I like going there when I can.
Q: Which restaurants in the American South region might earn stars?
It’d be great to see camp here, maybe get a Bib Gourmand. I’ve eaten there many times and it’s delicious. Soby’s too. Can they get a Bib? They have an amazing wine list as well. Nashville has some amazing restaurants. You have The Catbird Seat. My friends in Atlanta at Atlas are pushing for a second star this year. Savannah has some fun places, too. I’m super curious myself.