How surfing shaped local chef Lauren Furey’s path from Philly to Folly to SCETV
by Liz Wolf | Contributing Writer
College of Charleston alumna and local private chef Lauren Furey ‘19 had two non-negotiables when she was first applying to undergraduate school. It had to be in a city with a great culinary scene and close enough to the ocean that she could surf whenever she wanted. Now she’s reaping the benefits of holding firm to those priorities.
Furey has been voted one of Charleston’s Best Private Chefs (Charleston City Paper 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2025) and is the host of her own cooking show, Now We’re Cookin’, on PBS. When she’s not whipping up recipes for foodies across the Lowcountry, she can be found cruising Folly Beach waves on her trusty 7’0” TC Surfboard by Pawley’s Island shaper Tony Caramagna.
A Philadelphia native, Furey grew up going to the Jersey Shore to visit family and spend time in the water. Inspired by an aunt with a dusty, old blue foam board, she signed up for surf lessons at 7th Street Surf Shop in Ocean City. Little did she know that she would be taught by pro surfer Rob Kelly.
That first taste of surfing was enough. She was hooked.
Furey says the camaraderie that comes with being a surfer really drew her in. “When I came to Charleston, I also found the same sense of friendship and community,” she says. “Surfing brings me such joy and peace — even just the drive to the beach. You get there, see who’s in the lineup. Sometimes it’s someone you know and sometimes it’s not, but it’s always nice to say hi and maybe meet a new friend in the water.”
But Furey will be the first to admit that surfing is a challenge.
“Every wave is different. Some waves you have to paddle more than others. Sometimes you don’t catch anything.”
Still, she says she’s applied those lessons to her career.
“Like in surfing, you’ve got to work hard to succeed in business. It’s not something that happens overnight,” says Furey. “Put in the work and trust the process.”
Furey’s love for cooking—and her dream of one day hosting her own show—started at a young age.
“On Saturday mornings, I’d turn on Giada, and I felt like she was in my house teaching me,” says Furey. “I wanted to be that for someone one day.”
But Furey knew that in order to have her own cooking show, she’d need to do more than just cook well. So after securing an internship with Chef Carlo DeMarco at 333 Belrose when she was just 15, she also began taking broadcast journalism and public speaking classes.
“I kept adding to my toolbox even when it was scary,” she said.
More than a decade of hard work later, her dream has become a reality. As the host and co-producer of her South Carolina ETV show Now We’re Cookin’ — currently in its second season — Furey now shares her talent with viewers across the region.
Season 1, filmed in Furey’s tiny apartment kitchen, featured Furey cooking up Lowcountry-inspired fare using local, seasonal ingredients. She’s mixing things up in Season 2 with a much larger kitchen at a Folly Beach house called The Seaclusion and inviting others to join in on the fun.
Furey selects guests based on who inspires her. From her mentors and fellow recipe creators to local business owners and her mom, each episode features Furey teaching her guests how to create a delicious dish while casually talking about food, business, and life.
Past participants have included food creator Erin Norcross; Callie’s Hot Little Biscuits founder Carrie Morey; and even Folly’s own Liam Becker, co-founder of Levity Cannabis Spirit. Choosing to shoot Season 2 on Folly was a no-brainer, says Furey, who frequents local seafood market Crosby’s Fish & Shrimp Co. on a weekly basis.
“The fact that Crosby’s is open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and they can fillet a fish that was just caught right in front of you is incredible,” she says. “The people at Crosby’s go above and beyond to make everyone feel welcome and it’s such a treasure. We shop and get a lot of ingredients there for filming.”
When she was growing up in Philadelphia, Furey says she thought Southern cuisine was all fried food. “Then I came down here and met a butterbean and I’m like, wait a second,” Furey says with a laugh. She wondered if her nana’s pasta e fagioli would taste just as good if she swapped cannellini beans for butterbeans — and, sure enough, it was delicious.
“Ever since then, I’ve continued to find ways to blend Southern cooking with my Italian roots,” she says.
But what does Chef Furey eat when she’s not cooking for herself or others? You’ll likely find her at Chico Feo after a surf session, eating fish tacos and soaking in the laid-back Folly atmosphere.
For Furey, it’s proof that when you follow your heart—whether in surfing, cooking, or life—you often end up exactly where you’re meant to be.
Now We’re Cooking with Lauren Furey airs every Tuesdays on SCETV YouTube, SCETV website, and the PBS app.
