Rhy Waddington, Executive Chef of Palmetto Bluff Club, came from New York’s Winged Foot Golf Club, where he was the first chef from a private club to be invited to cook for the membership of the renowned James Beard Foundation. An early innovator of the farm to table philosophy, Waddington is known for his devotion to the freshest ingredients from local purveyors and is thrilled to be able to incorporate the natural bounty of Palmetto Bluff’s 20,000 acres, Bluffton and the surrounding Lowcountry.
A native Australian, Waddington honed his skills under the guidance of the Northeast Victorian region’s culinary giant, Noelle Quinn, and worked in Northern Queensland and Melbourne before opening his own acclaimed—and still thriving—restaurant on his family’s 850-acre property, whose menus were abundant with ingredients from their farm. Having achieved accolades at home, Waddington was hired as Chef at the critically acclaimed Australian venue Bondi Bar & Kitchen in San Diego’s famous Gaslamp Quarter. His innovative culinary creations proved such a success that, during his tenure, he was voted one of the Top Five Chefs in Southern California.
