During the 2025 Charleston Wine + Food Festival in March, we invited four acclaimed chefs to the G&G offices for a challenge: Bring ingredients to make a crowd-pleasing party dip. (Yes, we would be the crowd.)
The contestants delivered. Texas chef Joy Wilson, Luis Martinez of Asheville, Louisville’s Lawrence Weeks, and Charleston’s own James London whipped up spreads that ran the gamut of flavors and cuisine types—from cannoli dip with cinnamon pita chips to homemade ranch with caviar and Lay’s Poppables—yet were all addictive and easy to replicate.
Below, get the recipes, meet the chefs, and decide which dip to try first.
Joy the Baker’s Cannoli Dip
This unexpected appetizer is good enough to eat with a spoon. Get the recipe.
Luis Martinez’s Minilla Dip
The Asheville chef demonstrates how to make an easy, spicy Oaxacan fish dip. Get the recipe.
James London’s “Fancy Ranch” Caviar Dip
This high-low appetizer will be the star of your next gathering. Get the recipe.
Lawrence Weeks’s Crawfish Dip
An easy-breezy Louisiana favorite. Get the recipe.
