Jon Richards

Big Jon lives in Greenville, South Carolina where he has worked for the last 18 years, working in and watching the craft beer scene take hold and grow. He got his first job in foodservice at 14 years old and has been active in the hospitality industry ever since. He has over 30 years of experience at every level in a restaurant in both front and back of house, but he has fine tuned his focus in the business to beer since returning to Greenville in 2007. Big Jon is a Certified Cicerone and is recognized as one of the pre-eminent beer experts in South Carolina. He has organized and hosted dozens of beer dinners at restaurants and venues across the upstate, and he is the co-host of the beer2whiskey podcast. He has helped open multiple restaurants and craft beer bars in the upstate, and he now teaches beer and hosts beer-centric events all across South Carolina.