Stirring Up Good: Katie’s Passion for Food & Community
Katie Plowman joined Project Host in 2024, but her connection to our mission began long before. After volunteering with the HostMobile and supporting events behind the scenes, Katie officially became part of the team—and hasn’t looked back. With a deep love for food, community, and service, she brings infectious energy and passion to everything she touches. Whether she’s prepping meals, building relationships, or exploring Greenville’s local food scene, Katie embodies what it means to serve with heart.
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Recipes from the Heart: Women's History Month
As part of our Women's History Month celebration, we are excited to share our Recipes from the Heart article, featuring cherished recipes passed down from influential women in the lives of our staff. This collection highlights a diverse range of dishes, from sweet muffins and savory pierogies to refreshing margaritas, each carrying a unique story and cultural significance. The recipes honor the legacy of strong women who have shaped our team's culinary traditions and inspire us every day. Join us in celebrating these flavors of love, strength, and history through the food that brings us together.
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Leading with Heart: The Women Behind Project Host
Women’s History Month is a time to celebrate the stories, strength, and successes of the women who shape our world—including the incredible women right here at Project Host. To honor this month, we asked our team a series of fun and thought-provoking questions about the women who inspire them, the advice they’d give their younger selves, and more. Their answers are bold, heartfelt, and full of personality—just like them. Keep reading to get to know the powerhouse women behind our mission!
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Gene Frank's 10 Question Interview: Be Adventurous!
Gene Frank is an Illinois native, with a wide range of culinary influences from the lands of the Midwest, to Miami, to classic southern style cooking. Gene graduated from the Culinary Institute of the Carolinas at Greenville Technical College. We are so excited for the opportunity to work with him as our new Culinary Instructor. Learn more about Gene’s journey here!
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18 Questions with Project Host: Game shows, bake shops, bucket lists & more!
At Project Host, our belief is that all individuals who cross our threshold and interact with us should be treated as guests: with human kindness, interest, warmth, and open minds and hearts - including each other. Teamwork, laughter, hard work and dedication are at the core of who we are. Get to know the faces of Project Host!
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Greg McPhee: "Yes, Chef!"
Greg McPhee is a Connecticut native, seasoned culinary professional and James Beard Semi-Finalist. He has spent his career working throughout the Southeast, with sustainable, farm to table influences. We are so excited for the opportunity to work with him as our new Culinary Instructor. Learn more about Greg's culinary journey.
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Meredith Bost’s 10 Question Interview: Mess with it ‘til it tastes good!
Meredith Bost from Resident Diner is bringing her drool-worthy flavor combinations, creative concoctions and unique take on the all-American classic hot dog to the Project Host food truck. We are so excited for the opportunity to work with her. Learn more about Meredith and her cooking styles and inspiration!
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A Match Made in Heaven: Annamarie Young’s Journey to Service & Success
Each and every one of you has your own story on how Project Host has found its way into your life. Annamarie Young, our Marketing and Development Manager, is no different. She is overjoyed with the opportunity to grow and support the mission that you all so strongly believe in. Learn more about Annamarie’s story and her vision for this position.
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Seizing Opportunities: Meet Chef Kevin Kopsick
When his rock ‘n roll dreams didn’t pan out, Chef Kevin Kopsick found an outlet for his creativity, and ultimately a career, in the culinary field. Now, after decades in the industry, he’s joined Project Host for a new chapter that brings all the threads of his career together.
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The Craft of Cooking: Meet Chef Cary Wolfe
Restaurant owner, executive chef, farmer, campfire cook, line cook, bartender, server—in 25 years, Chef Cary Wolfe has done it just about everything one can in the restaurant industry. Now he's beginning a new chapter with Project Host.
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Meet Soup Kitchen Manager Anne Gill
Anne Gill served as a regular volunteer at Project Host before the pandemic hit. When she returned to the organization in late 2020, it was as a part-time Soup Kitchen Manager. Since then, she’s brought her nursing background to bear on the Soup Kitchen and Project Host is better for it.
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Meet Cathy: From Scratch, With Love
We’re shining the spotlight on someone who keeps the heart of Project Host beating every single day — our incredible Soup Kitchen Manager, Cathy. What started as a simple offer to help during a volunteer shift quickly grew into a calling. From planning menus and coordinating volunteers to connecting with guests in the dining room, Cathy brings care, compassion, and consistency to everything she does. Her story is a powerful reminder that food is only part of the nourishment we offer — it’s also about dignity, connection, and second chances. We hope you enjoy getting to know the woman behind so many of our meals.
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Q&A with Director of Development Claudia Winkler
Claudia Winkler, Project Host Director of Development, is a poster child for a recent wave of people who packed up and moved across the country seeking new jobs and lives during the 2020 COVID lockdowns. Read about why Claudia chose to leave Georgetown University for Project Host and what she hopes to accomplish in her role.
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Introducing Teaching Chef Cary Jacquette
Imagine approaching 40, being married with two kids and having all of the financial and other responsibilities associated with that, and then deciding that you were going to start basically from scratch, go back to school, and pursue a totally different career path. Sounds a little daunting, right? Well, it’s exactly what Project Host’s new Teaching Chef Cary Jacquette decided to do roughly 10 years ago, when he enrolled in the Greenville Technical College’s Culinary Institute of the Carolinas.
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An (Un)Exceptional Story: Debra Wray’s Path from Poverty to Project Host
Debra Wray’s story could be told in a great redemptive arc of an exceptional woman beating terrible odds and clawing her way out of a cycle of addiction and abuse to a position of sobriety, stability, and success. But Debra wouldn’t want her story told that way. On the contrary, she’d want you to understand the ordinariness of it all.
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The Sixth Love Language: Chef Marianne's Culinary Passion
Believe it or not, the pink hair might be the least radiant thing about Chef Marianne Harris. If you ask any of her culinary students about her, common refrains include: Chef Marianne is great. She’s amazing. She’s fantastic. She’s patient with me. You don’t feel judged by her. She implements how she does things without making you feel run over. She answers all of your questions and takes time out for you.
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Upstate couple who paid for Australian man's meal identified
A Greenville couple donated meal voucher back on 2019 trip to Melbourne, and the recipient of that meal wrote a note to the City of Greenville to thank them. As it turns out, that couple was our very own Chef Linda and her husband.
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Serving Up Comfort with a Side of Michigan: Meet Bakery Chef Linda Adamthwaite
If you’ve ever visited Project Host and taken the full tour, you’ll know exactly when you’ve set foot in the Bakery for at least one of two reasons: you either have the scent of delectable cheese rolls or some other fresh baked good on your nose, or your ears are abuzz with the boisterous, Midwestern accent of Chef Linda Adamthwaite as she greets you.
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Around Greenville: Tour of Culinary Arts Alumni
Learn about why Chef Marianne loves working at Project Host.
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As Fate Would Have It: Tobin Simpson's Unexpected Journey to Project Host
Discover how Project Host CEO Tobin Simpson came to be Project Host’s CEO.
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