Meet Chef Jeff Carter, Executive Chef for Dancing Bear Lodge & Restaurant

Childhood
Chef Carter grew up in the coastal city of Mobile, Alabama, just 15 minutes from the gorgeous Gulf Coast—a community rich with a delicious culinary history of fresh, inventive seafood dishes steeped in the tradition of Creole and Cajun cooking. The ocean and its tasty treasures, along with vivid memories of coming home to the warm, inviting aromas and sounds of his father preparing the family meal, seem to be the beginnings of what would become Chef Carter’s life’s passion—cooking and preparing simple, satisfying and tasty dishes that let their fine ingredients speak for themselves.

Early Beginnings
Chef Carter says that his father was almost always cooking something specific to his native region’s culinary history—especially the recipes of Chef Paul Prudhomme, a Louisiana native now internationally known for his special brand of New Orleans-style Cajun Gulf Coast cooking. Once Chef Jeff Carter was old enough, he spent a great deal of time cooking with his father in the kitchen, preparing anything from Pasta Diane—a tasty concoction of pasta, mushrooms, seafood, and parsley—to amazing shrimp enchiladas and good-old-fashioned gumbo.

From Father to Son
Just watching his father incorporate those recipes into his own signature style—one replete with only the best ingredients and a careful balance of spices—inspired Chef Carter and set off a spark of culinary passion. As he grew older, Chef Carter spent many happy hours learning from and cooking with his dad. One particularly defining moment came from a gumbo cook-off.

Getting Started
“There was one instance, where we did a gumbo cook-off together with a hundred other people,” Chef Carter said. “We didn’t win, but it was fun to be out there in the morning right by the bay and cooking gumbo with my dad. Those are the kinds of things I remember,” he said of what brought him to love the culinary arts so much.

A Culinary Education
Initially, Chef Carter thought he’d want to own his own restaurant, but while in school, he soon realized that what he wanted to do was singular and specific—he wanted to create the food, plan the menu, pick out the ingredients, and create delicious meals that would warm the heart and put a smile on his guests’ faces. So he switched his major and directed all his passion toward the pursuit of culinary arts.

Early Career
Prior to becoming Executive Chef at Dancing Bear Lodge & Restaurant, Chef Jeff Carter whetted his skills at numerous fine restaurants, including the world-renowned Blackberry Farm, where his skills as a Southern cook took a new turn under the guiding hand of Chef John Fleer.

East Tennessee Cuisine
“I studied under Fleer. He taught me a lot about Southern cooking and (regional) cuisine, so that stuck with me. I carried some of that to Dancing Bear,” he said. “We’ve created our own style of cuisine, but Fleer definitely taught me the finer points of cooking and preparing food from our region. I knew Southern (cuisine),” Chef Carter said, “but not this region.”

Under the tutelage of Chef John Fleer, Chef Carter learned the ins and outs of what makes this region’s cuisine so special. “People in East Tennessee have all the ingredients they need to get them through the cold months and since they have such an abundance of produce, they learned how to do something with it.” A great deal of this region’s flavor, Chef Carter said, comes from pickling and what is called “chow chow,” which is basically relish. “It’s just part of the raw experiences of this style of cooking, he said. Something so simple as pickled carrots can make a dish and it just screams this region.”

Regional & Sustainable Cuisine
At Dancing Bear, almost every dish you enjoy is crafted from local and regional ingredients. Whether it be the fresh rainbow trout, some of the world’s best ham and bacon, tender chicken from a nearby farm, stone-ground grits, tasty relishes or farmer’s market produce, just about everything you eat in Dancing Bear Restaurant comes from within a 50-mile radius of their kitchen, something Chef Jeff Carter finds very fulfilling.

“We just don’t have to buy produce and proteins and get it shipped down on 18-wheelers or have it flown in from California to put out a great meal,” he said. “We can do it from the food that surrounds us. I’m very passionate about that. Supporting the local community is just very big for me.”

While regional and sustainable cuisine is certainly a popular trend in culinary circles, and Chef Carter is thrilled about this, he said it’s his and his staff’s love for what they do that translates such a socially conscious act into truly delicious food. “If you didn’t have the passion for it,” he said, “…you could never pull it off. So that’s where it starts, with a passion that comes from within.”

Inspiration & Passion
Anyone who’s been lucky enough to try Chef Carter’s deceivingly simple dishes will say with a resounding yes that he and his team pull this regional, sustainable cooking off effortlessly, and that the passion for the cuisine is evident in every delectable bite. From greens, potatoes and grits to a new seasonal avocado soup to a 12-hour braised brisket, every plate put in front of you is a testament to Chef Carter’s talent and passion for transforming fresh, regional ingredients into dishes that are incomprehensibly delicious.

Keeping it Simple
When asked about his cooking philosophy, Chef Carter said, “I like to keep things simple and comfortable. I try not to put too many ingredients into a single dish. I feel like it confuses the palate…if you’re using great product, great cooking techniques and you season your food well, you don’t need 15 different flavors going into a dish.”

And while his ingredients and purpose are straightforward, the final product, as always is a masterpiece. Not that Chef Carter would tell you that. He lets the food speak for itself.

The Ultimate Reward
As with all art, the end result of all the long, hard hours of work is a finished product that provides transcendent satisfaction…something that Chef Carter provides on a daily basis. “When you’re cooking,” Chef Carter said, “your heart and soul goes into it and it’s very rewarding when people enjoy that. That’s the payoff. That’s the reward.”

Coming Home to the Dancing Bear Lodge
Chef Carter plans the menus, comes up with the recipes and is on the front lines at Dancing Bear Lodge & Restaurant every night. Whether creating a special event menu, a tasting menu, a holiday menu or the nightly a la carte menu, Chef Carter can take a single ingredient, like the gorgeous Japanese yam found at local farmer’s markets, and design an entire menu around it. Simplicity, and letting the food do the talking, as always, is key when it comes to Chef Carter’s cooking philosophy. This sense of simplicity and comfort spills over into the restaurant itself.

Just Like Coming Home
Chef Carter describes Dancing Bear Restaurant as, “Comfortable…you just feel like you’re home here. And that’s what I try to create with the food. It’s not intimidating.” And like the best things in life, artistry is so much more welcomed and fully received when it’s provided, like Chef Carter’s fine East Tennessee cuisine, with a warm atmosphere, and open arms. Just like coming home.