The Blackberry Podcast

Acclaimed chef, restaurateur, James Beard Award winner, TV personality and author, Marcus Samuelsson, brought his culinary prowess to the Blackberry Farm kitchen for our annual Passing the Torch event, benefitting the Sam Beall Fellows program. During the event, he sat down for a conversation with publishing veteran Christina Grdovic to talk about his personal journey and his culinary career. 

Professional road racing cyclist Lachlan Morton clipped into his bike to join the Blackberry Farm Cycling team and guests on rides through the Great Smoky Mountains for our Fall Tour de Smokies event. Cycling coach and retired pro Robbie Ventura sat down with Lachlan to dive into his incredible cycling feats and how he keeps his love of cycling alive. 

Chef Jeremiah Langhorne visited Blackberry Farm as the guest chef for our Taste of Summer event. Moderated by writer Jennifer Justus, guests enjoyed a conversation with Chef Langhorne where he shared thoughtful insight on encouraging the next generation of food industry professionals and what he hopes to see in the future for the culinary industry.  

Firetower Executive Chef Joel Werner knew from an early age that his future was in the kitchen. On this episode, Joel shares with Andy Chabot about growing up cooking with his family, where his adventurous spirit has taken him and how his Blackberry journey has evolved from line cook at the Farm to Executive chef at the Mountain. 

Three Sisters AM Executive Chef Bonnie Moore started her kitchen career at an early age. On today’s episode, Andy Chabot takes us through Bonnie’s journey in the culinary industry and the series of events that led her to joining the Blackberry team. They dive into prioritizing time for creativity, work-life balance and the future of the industry.  

With this episode, we're throwing it back to our first ever Blackberry Mountain House Party! Blackberry Vice President of Food and Beverage  Andy Chabot connected with winemakers Annie Favia-Erickson and Andy Erickson to talk about their personal and professional journeys. Hear them talk about the world of wine, what they're creating, how they met and more. 

Today’s episode takes our Kitchen Conversations series to Blackberry Mountain for a talk between Andy Chabot and Executive Chef of Three Sisters, Joey Edwards. From discovering an early love of food while cooking for his seven siblings to backpacking through Africa and Europe, get a glimpse into the journey that brought Joey to Blackberry. 

On today’s episode, Blackberry’s Vice President of Food and Beverage Andy Chabot sat down with wine importer and dear friend of Blackberry, Eric Solomon. They discuss Eric’s unconventional path from being a rock drummer to promoting, obscure wineries, how he met his wife because of a bottle of wine, and the profound beauty of imperfection. 

Executive Chef of the Main House Josh Feathers has worked at Blackberry for more than 20 years, helping to open restaurants and develop programming as the company grew. In this episode of The Blackberry Podcast's Kitchen Conversations, Andy Chabot talks with Josh about his culinary experience in the Navy, his time at Blackberry and his advice for future food service industry hopefuls. 

Yoga and Meditation Instructor Leigh Mallis came to Blackberry Mountain in January 2020 to host a reset event focused on creating positive energy and connection with ourselves. Blackberry Mountain’s Wellness Manager, Meghan Henley, joined her to talk about her journey as a yoga instructor and the different yoga practices she loves to teach and incorporate into her own life.   

Chef Dan Barber visited Blackberry Farm as our Scholar in Residence during the 2020 Taste of the South event with the Southern Foodways Alliance. On this episode, you’ll hear his talk from the event where he challenges us to think about food and the hospitality industry in new ways.

In the second interview for The Blackberry Podcast's Kitchen Conversations series, Andy Chabot talks with Executive Chef of the Dogwood at Blackberry Farm®, Sarah Steffan. Follow along through Sarah’s adventures in the culinary industry that led her to the kitchen at Blackberry Farm.  

During our Yoga with Charlotte event at Blackberry Farm, Charlotte Hardwick sat down with Blackberry Farm Wellness Lifestyle Expert Hope Parks to share her personal story, expand on her philosophy of wellness and offer tips that help easily and authentically incorporate wellness into our daily routines. 

With this episode, we’re beginning a new series, Kitchen Conversations, where Vice President of Food and Beverage Andy Chabot sits down with each of Blackberry’s six executive chefs, beginning with Cassidee Dabney, the executive chef of The Barn at Blackberry Farm®. Hear more about Cassidee, the philosophy behind her cooking and what she thinks about current food trends. 

Beginning with an invitation to a calming breath exercise, H(OM)E® founder Chrissy Carter shares a conversation about how to be at home with ourselves. Chrissy joined us at Blackberry Farm for an event inspired by her brand and spoke with guests about how to adapt the idea of meditation, yoga and home to their personal journeys. 

We are thankful for long-standing friendships with industry leaders who always have a great story to share. On this episode, Blackberry’s Vice President of Food and Beverage Andy Chabot sat down with members of the Van Winkle family to talk about the Pappy legacy, their family’s brand history, what they’re up to now and of course, bourbon!