A minimalist white line drawing of a rose with leaves on a black background.

ABOUT ROBIN

A woman in a blue shirt and colorful apron standing with arms crossed in front of a background of stacked dishes and plates.

Robin’s story is one of passion, craft, and culture—rooted in the Southern traditions that continue to inspire everything she creates.

Robin’s culinary journey began early, shaped by hours spent watching Julia Child with quiet fascination. Inspired by what she saw on screen, she added smoked oysters and olives to the family grocery list—while other children were asking for candy—already thinking like a chef in the making. Born in Columbia and raised in Charleston, with summers spent in Sunbury, North Carolina, Robin grew up surrounded by the food traditions and family kitchens that would later influence her career.

After beginning her studies at Howard University, she followed her true passion to Johnson & Wales University, launching a hospitality career that started in Washington, DC and eventually took her to the British Virgin Islands as a Freelance Yacht Chef aboard luxury sailing yachts. Her path later led her back to the nation’s capital, where she spent 11 years working on Capitol Hill.

Robin’s career has been rich, diverse, and filled with meaningful relationships. She counts celebrity chefs, cookbook authors, James Beard Award winners, and leaders across the hospitality world among her colleagues and friends. Her work includes culinary stage execution for Charleston Wine & Food—supporting talent such as Al Roker, The Today Show team, and Chef Virginia Willis—culinary demos in the British Virgin Islands, and demonstrations in the National Restaurant Association’s Test Kitchen. She served as Senior Food Stylist for Food Network’s Delicious Miss Brown (Seasons 2 and 3), guest speaker for SCRLA’s Annual ProStart Competition, and emcee for the National Restaurant Association’s conferences.

Her experience also extends internationally, including a culinary activation in Normandy, France with James Beard Award-winning chef Rodney Scott. She has served as a culinary and hospitality liaison for the U.S. State Department, working with audiences from Greece, Afghanistan, Ukraine, and representatives from the Delegation of the European Union to the United States. Most recently, Robin began a newly created role as Special Assistant to the Mayor of Charleston, SC, focusing on hospitality and community engagement throughout the Lowcountry.

Open cookbook to a page titled 'Porter Plum Pudding Layer Cake' with ingredients and instructions, alongside a large photo of a multi-layered chocolate drizzle cake on the right side.
Cover of a cookbook titled 'When Southern Women Cook.' The cover features a wooden tray with biscuits, a small bowl of red jam, and a hand holding a biscuit with a biscuit dough circle on a black surface with flour. The book includes history, lore, 300 recipes, and contributions from 70 women writers, published by America's Test Kitchen.

Robin is proudly featured in When Southern Women Cook, where she shares the story of her great-great-grandmother Eliza Seymour Lee and the generational recipes that shaped her Southern roots. Her inclusion in this collection is a tribute to the legacy behind every jar of Dolly & Eliza’s preserves.

A pot with a cherry filling being heated, with a hand mixer attachment stirring it.
Multiple small glass jars filled with brown jelly or jam, some with yellowish bits on top, placed on a tray on a dark countertop.
Small jars of blackberry preserves from Dolly & Eliza's, placed in a woven basket with tied ribbon accents.
Hand holding a piece of bread with cream and berry jam on top, outdoors with equipment and luggage in the background.
A biscuit sandwich with bacon and cheese on a white plate.
Person holding a small bread roll with red jam, sitting at a table with a blue and gold plate, a teacup and saucer with floral design, a cup with green leaf pattern, and a small flower vase with pink flowers.
A young girl with blonde hair, wearing a sparkly silver top, sitting at a wooden table with a slice of cake and a cupcake. She holds an object up to her eye, looking through it with her mouth open. There are some papers and a colorful tablecloth on t
Arrangement of strawberries and strawberry flowers in a semi-circle on a dark surface.
Arrangement of blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries on the right, and blackberry flowers, apple blossoms, and unopened buds on the left, forming a semi-circle on a brown surface.
Chart of apple varieties arranged from most tart to most sweet, with the tartest at the top and sweetest at the bottom, on a black background.