Coast chef who competed on 2 Food Network shows embezzled thousands, records say

Stacie Meehan Vande Wetering made a name for herself as a top chef when she participated in a Food Network challenge during her tenure at Singing River Yacht Club, but now she’s accused of a felony crime.

A Jackson County grand jury has indicted Vande Wetering, 46, on a charge of embezzlement.

According to the charging document, Vande Wetering allegedly stole between $5,000 and $10,000 from the Pascagoula Yacht Club between Jan. 27 and Sept. 27, 2017.

She had access to money through her job as executive chef and general manager of the club, and her responsibilities included control over the club’s finances.

Vande Wetering has pleaded not guilty, and she is out of jail on a $5,000 bond pending trial.

After her stint at the Pascagoula club, Vande Wetering went to work for a period as executive chef at the Biloxi Yacht Club.

The Sun Herald reached out to Vande Wetering, but her attorney advised her not to comment.

Food Network challenge

In March 2016, Vande Wetering competed in Food Network’s “Guy’s Grocery Games” and talked to the Sun Herald about the competition and her job at the Pascagoula Yacht Club.

She later went on to participate in the Food’s Network’s “Beat Bobby Flay” show, where the chef, better known as “Cheffy,” competed against a Baltimore chef.

When Vande Wetering spoke to the Sun Herald, she shared her enthusiasm for the job and her plans to make the club “a club again.”

She also talked about her career.

A native of Montgomery, Vande Wetering kicked off her culinary career with an apprenticeship at Perdido Beach Resort in Orange Beach, Ala.

Over the years, she’s worked in hotel kitchens, high-end restaurants and in catering services.

She also worked in the food and beverage business for two decades in Atlanta and two years in Manhattan. She is a past executive chef at Lakewood Club in Fairhope, Alabama, and was executive and owner of Cheffy By the Bay Catering in Daphne, Alabama.

This story was originally published August 2, 2018 at 12:00 AM.