Monday, March 1, 2010

Welcome to Dancing Bear Dispatches!

We're so glad you're here. We at Dancing Bear consider our Lodge and Restaurant—from every member of our passionate team to the countless delighted guests who have found respite, connection and joy on the gorgeous surrounding grounds, its numerous opportunities for outdoor adventure, amazing food and rustic yet luxurious atmosphere—to be a home away from home for our guests. If you're reading this blog, we invite you to join us at Dancing Bear Lodge anytime, and have launched this blog in an effort to keep you up-to-date on the latest goings on at Dancing Bear Lodge & Restaurant.

Over the course of our blogging journey, we’ll introduce you to our team, including me, Matt Alexander, co-founder and Managing Partner of Dancing Bear. We’ll let you know what brought me here, what I do everyday at work, as well as a few of my other passions—which include competitive cycling and running our annual Bike Bash (April 30 – May 2, 2010), one of our favorite and most popular events welcome to experienced cyclists and families alike.

We’ll also introduce you to other members of the Dancing Bear Family—my wife Christy, who isn’t necessarily an employee at Dancing Bear—but brings a wealth of knowledge and support to things dear to my heart, which for the past few years, has been the growth and nurturing of our children as well as the Lodge.

You’ll also meet our renowned Executive Chef, Jeff Carter, who executes his passion and talent, with verve and humble tenacity every day in our Restaurant. Carter’s career is exemplary, and has included a long and well-respected post at Blackberry Farm, a Relaix & Chateaux award-winning property that has gained national accolades from such revered publications as Gourmet, Bon Appetit, Food & Wine and Southern Living.

I’m also excited to let you in on the daily operations that keep our entire place operating smoothly by introducing you to the people who keep everything in the front of the house running as beautifully as a well-choreographed dance—especially Simon Smith, our resident world-traveling, consummately professional Hotel Manager and Food & Beverage Director, who keeps every element of Dancing Bear Lodge working like a well-oiled machine.

Our Director of Sales, Melanie Clifford, is so dedicated and passionate about her work that she is often mistaken as owner of Dancing Bear Lodge. And we think that’s a good thing. She keeps our name and our purpose alive as she promotes our lodge, activities, amazing restaurant, guest services and virtually everything that involves Dancing Bear with an admirable and invested dedication. In every word she speaks, anyone can tell how much she loves what she does and how much she believes in our unique place in the hospitality world.

We so look forward to giving you a peek into our world, and welcome your feedback. Let us know what you’d like to see on this blog. Let us know what you don’t want to see or read about. This is for you. And whether we’ve met you or not, we cannot wait to welcome you into our warm, rustic and truly one-of-a-kind Lodge and Restaurant known as Dancing Bear Lodge—Your Vacation Basecamp of the Great Smoky Mountains.

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