Chef Orlando Pagán has always felt a strong pull toward the kitchen. Setting his sights on a career as a chef, Pagán left Puerto Rico after high school to attend Johnson & Wales University in Miami. Following graduation, Pagán remained in Florida where he spent three years at the Ritz-Carlton Coconut Grove’s Bizcaya Grill Restaurant. Heading westward to San Francisco, he cooked in a handful of acclaimed restaurants including several Michelin-starred restaurants –– Restaurant Gary Danko, State Bird Provisions, Ame Restaurant, The Village Pub, Aziza, and Spruce. After a second cross-country move in March 2017, Pagán settled in the Lowcountry to join Chef Sean Brock of McCrady’s Tavern, eventually becoming Executive Chef in the summer of 2018. In February 2019, Pagán opened Wild Common in the heart of downtown Charleston, where he currently leads the culinary program as Executive Chef and was named a 2022 James Beard Semi-Finalist.
