Jack Limehouse
Owner
A lifelong Johns Island resident, Jack Limehouse was born and raised in the produce/farming industries. His father, H. B. Limehouse, started Limehouse Produce in the mid 40s and his second cousin Sidi has had a successful farming business for years. After graduating from the University of South Carolina, he came back to the Lowcountry, a place he loved and took over the business when his father passed in 1972. Along with his wife of 32 years, the couple has built Limehouse into one of the most successful produce companies around.
Favorite Produce: Onions: Why not, they make you cry.
Andrea Limehouse
Vice President
Originally from England, Andrea Limehouse traveled the world as a young lady visiting places like Istanbul, India, Turkey and eventually South America. It was there where she worked on ranches in Bolivia and Brazil immersing herself in the culture and language. In the late 70s, she came to Charleston to visit friends and while here met Jack Limehouse. The two were married in 1980 and she has spent the last 30 years growing and developing Limehouse Produce with her husband into the successful, charitable business it is today.
Favorite Produce: Brussels Sprouts: Andrea grew up 20 miles from the Brussels Sprouts capital in the world and loves eating them, especially covered in maple syrup.
Ken Strange
Sales
Ken Strange, a Charleston native, grew up in the produce industry at a very young age. His father, who worked for a company that helped finance local farmers and their farming equipment, would take Ken along to visit the customers. While at the farms, Ken would get to pick fresh red ripe Johns Island tomatoes. He then took these veggies and sell door to door in his neighborhood. By the time he was 12, he had over 15 regular customers. He graduated from Middleton High School and spent some time at both the College of Charleston and Trident Technical College before wanting to get back into the business world.
It was a natural move when he joined Limehouse Produce at the age of 21 and he has been there ever since. In his role, he assists the team with sales, delivery, customer service and fleet management.
Favorite Produce: Artisan Romaine: Because of its exceptional shelf life and the lettuces offer an unmatched quality that our customers can expect on a consistent basis.
Lyle Passink
Lyle Passink has spent most of his life in the food supply industry. His family owned a distribution company in Jacksonville, FL where he spent much of his time working while growing up. After graduating from the University of Georgia with a degree in Marketing he decided to rejoin his family’s business and move to Savannah. After many roles of increasing responsibility, there was a need in the Charleston market which he was fortunate enough to fill. It didn’t take long before he fell in love with the city and decided to call it home. In 2011, he joined Limehouse Produce and has a strong appreciation for the company’s philosophy of quality and service.
At Limehouse, Passink spends most of his day working to make sure customer needs are being met. Whether implementing contracts and compliance for national programs, developing new product lines, or finding ways to remove costs from the supply chain, Lyle is always looking for ways to add value to our customers.
Favorite Produce: Tomatoes: Lyle worked the tomato conveyor belt line every summer at his family’s produce company and feels like he is always on the search for the perfect tomato.
Debbie Zecopoulos
Night Shift Operations Manager
Debbie joined Limehouse Produce in 1985 after beginning her career at Southern Marine. In the years that have followed, she has been involved in many facets of the company’s operations, including specialty procurement, food safety coordination, logistics and transportation. In her current role managing night shift operations, she is responsible for creating a seamless transition between the night and day shifts, and for organizing the invoicing and selection of hundreds of customer orders each night. She is a member of the South Carolina Food Safety Council and is a Certified HAACP Officer. In her free time, there is nothing Debbie enjoys more than visiting the coast with her family.
Favorite Produce: Green Peanuts; Growing up in Charleston these were a staple of my childhood and are a hallmark of Southern cuisine!
Jamie Vaughn
Produce Buyer
A North Carolina native, Jamie Vaughn was raised surrounded by farm land and fresh local produce. While attending college at East Carolina University, he cooked at several places including an upscale country club. Jamie worked under a trained chef and it was here he became interested in pursuing cooking as a career. Three weeks after graduating with a BA in English, he moved to Charleston to attend Johnson & Wales University. He had an internships at the Ritz-Carlton St. Thomas and a French/Spanish restaurant in Washington, DC before moving to Wilmington, NC to open Circa 1922. He was there sous chef for four years and chef for six months before moving back to Charleston. After cooking at a few restaurants, Jamie wanted a change of pace and took a job as Chef Team Leader at Whole Foods Market in Mt. Pleasant. He was there for six years before being named Produce Team Leader for two years. He moved to Charlotte to work at Whole Foods Market for a year and a half. During that time, he decided he wanted to move back to Charleston. He was hired as a produce buyer at Limehouse Produce in September 2015.
Favorite Produce: Okra because it is so versatile and has great flavor. You can roast, fry, sauté it.