By Johanna Wilson Jones

Every chef can’t do what Billy Horner can – facts.

This man with soft blue eyes, a salt and pepper beard, and a slight build is a force who finds ways to incorporate flavor into every component of his dishes.

From humble food like hash browns to high-brow fish dishes, Horner delivers refined goodness in a cozy, vibrant space with tealights, spiffy ceiling fans, and an open dining area.

The Rustic Table is where his noteworthy entrees and sides are. Here, at 10683 Ocean Hwy. in Pawleys Island, you will find him in the trenches doing the work necessary to ensure the food shines like the star it is.

“Billy doesn’t like it unless he’s buried on the line cooking, prepping, and running around like a chicken with its head cut off with (his) pants on fire,’’ said Wes Smith, who worked as a sous chef with Horner at The Rustic Table.

The real ones in this field play hard – their intensity and inventiveness won’t allow them to do less.

Horner is a genuine top chef, and people who know him and who have tasted his food know this.

Eat what he has cooked, and you will remember the flavors long after your meal.

“He is a great friend and chef,’’ said Adam Kirby, who along with Anne Hardee, owns The Rustic Table. “He would give (you) the shirt off of his back if it would help.”

A Chef With Depth

Horner had Chef’s blood flowing through his veins, but he didn’t know it until high school.

This Wheeling, W.Va. native dipped his fingers in the proverbial waters of dishwashing at an Italian restaurant when he was 14. Up next was more dishwashing at another eatery serving comfort food. Finally, after prolonged observation of watching others cook, he decided to cook in a place similar to The Rustic Table.

“It was called the Cherokee Restaurant,’’ said Horner of the restaurant that closed a few years ago. “We would do comfort food. Fried chicken and Thanksgiving dinner were on the menu every day. We had hot roast beef sandwiches, with a lot of local stuff too. We had bass and trout, and a lot of our beef came from local farms downtown.”

He may have stayed in Wheeling, but the Grand Strand was calling him.

In 2002, as a 21-year-old aspiring chef, he moved to Conway. In 2003, he attended culinary school at Horry Georgetown Technical College. In 2005, he earned his degree.

Ashley Blackburn, the general manager of The Rustic Table, has known Horner since she was a 19-year-old server. They first worked together at Gulfstream Café in Murrells Inlet, where he was a kitchen manager. She was a manager for the front of the house.

“Billy’s food is like a warm hug’’ Blackburn said. “It’s comforting and feels like what you wish your mother’s cooking tasted like. Mine cannot cook. I do not speak for all mothers.”

Horner doesn’t brag about himself, and he will tell you he doesn’t think passion distinguishes him from other chefs because the best chefs have it. The fuel he uses to keep himself fantastic is his commitment to always grow.

“I’m always learning, learning, and learning,’’ Horner said. “I am sure there are some chefs that I’m better than me when it comes to cooking, but I have the utmost respect for all chefs because we all know it. We have all been there. We all have had our hard times, our bad times. Being a chef is hard because you have to keep yourself up there. If you don’t, there is someone who is going to want that, who is going to want to be there. Everybody is up and coming.”

Nevertheless, his peers know he has the right stuff and give him accolades.

Anderson gives Horner credit for discovering flavors in classic Lowcountry dishes. Chicken bog and shrimp and grits are two of them.

“Billy is a hardworking chef who truly loves the business and cares for those who work around and with him,’’ Anderson said.

The Rustic Way

Before farm-to-table dining became vogue, Horner lived on his grandparents’ farm in Weirton, W.Va. farm. Eugene and Frankie Horner had about 450 acres. It was where he would immerse himself in numerous tasks, including helping with canning and making fresh bread.

“I spent 90 percent of my childhood there because my parents were at work,’’ Horner said. “My grandmother would make three meals, and my brothers and I would help her.”

Fields of corn and strawberries were abundant.

Green beans, tomatoes, cows, and horses were too.

“She would always make me bacon and eggs cooked in a lot of bacon grease,’’ Horner said. “She would chop up my eggs for me. She always had my grandfather’s food ready for him when he came through the door from work. I miss them. They were my two favorite people ever.”

Horner loved the freedom of farm living and the plentifulness, which is part of why he enjoys working at The Rustic Table.

There, Kirby, Horner’s mentor and close confidante, has mimicked much of what he experienced in his Weirton childhood.

Kirby is one of the owners of a nearly 700-acre farm in Johnsonville, about 35 minutes from Pawleys Island. Much of the produce served at The Rustic Table comes from that farm. Horner loves to duplicate the tastes and textures he encountered while eating the farm-fresh food of his Weirton youth.

“Adam has a lot of knowledge,’’ said Horner of the executive award-winning chef who taught him how to make a proper pot of grits. “He helps me with the different types of science and styles of cooking. He doesn’t do basic stuff. He challenges me, but he will be there with me as I’m doing it. Adam allows me the freedom to experiment.”

Researching new approaches regarding food preparation has mouthwatering results when Horner collaborates with Kirby.

Local catfish with tartar sauce made in-house over dirty rice and sweet tea collard greens is a majestic meal folks appreciate.

An assortment of salads featuring mixed greens and various toppings like goat cheese, pecans, and one of The Rustic Table’s dressings is satisfying and ridiculously good.

Even humble hash browns become distinguished in Horner’s adroit hands. Somehow, he manages to season every piece of potato and pepper to perfection. Take a bite, and your mouth will run into the ideal crunch and quality you may have expected of hash browns but never knew they could achieve.

Customers can close their eyes, pick anything, and hit the food lottery at The Rustic Table.

“The shrimp and grits are not to be missed,’’ Todd Gray wrote in a Google review. “Service was fantastic, even with my wife putting in a vague drink order.”

However, there is clarity about the impression food at The Rustic Table leaves behind.

“We try lots of stuff and put lots of love in there,’’ Kirby said. “Billy has the love.”

Blackburn concurs with Kirby’s thoughts about Horner’s talents.

“We have such an emphasis on using food that we grow, or source ourselves,’’ she said. “I think that’s what makes his dishes so unique. They feel authentic. Nothing feels forced or out of place. Everything he serves, you would find on your (grandma’s) dining room table.”

The love and respect of his superiors, co-workers, and customers are among the fundamental reasons why Horner never sees himself leaving The Rustic Table.

He is The Rustic Table, and The Rustic Table is him – homey, warm, delectable, welcoming, and pleasing.

Although he has worked at other Grand Strand eateries, no place has fitted him as snugly as The Rustic Table. Horner has been there for about 9 years and never plans to leave.

“Adam and Anne are two of the best people I’ve ever met in my life,’’ Horner said. “They care.”