Our Chefs

Andrew King, General Manager and Executive Chef

Chef King joined us from Charlotte, NC where he owned High Cotton Catering for thirteen years and was a partner in the landmark restaurant, Hotel Charlotte. He specialized in high end residential catering with a focus on Southern foods. In addition, he spent three years as a weekly guest on the syndicated radio show, The Pam Stone Show, where he was featured in a cooking/comedy segment. He is a frequent lecturer on Southern foods and the culture that creates them.

Among his major cooking influences are his Grandfather King from Sampson County NC, a butcher and BBQ Pitmaster; his Granny Lucy, a phenomenal biscuit baker from the Mississippi Gulf; and his                                                                    mother Inez in Charlotte, NC.

He has cooked for as many as 1700 guests in a day and for the heads of over 30 Fortune 100 companies.

At the Lodge on Lake Lure he heads a staff of fourteen, including longtime breakfast cook Arlene Jackson and evening sous chef Yeager St. John.

 

Yeager St. John, Sous Chef

Yeager St. John was born in California, but spent his formative years on Ocracoke Island, NC. There, when he was thirteen, he began bussing tables. Within four years he was a lead line cook.

Yeager maintained positions in the kitchen while pursuing a Multimedia Arts and Sciences Degree from University of North Carolina at Asheville.

He joins us fresh from the kitchens of the Biltmore Estate.

He, like our Executive Chef, is passionate about using local ingredients and avoiding processed foods.

 

Arlene Jackson, Breakfast Cook and Head of Housekeeping

Arlene began working in housekeeping at the Lodge over a decade ago. Many of our regular guests will recognize her as the breakfast cook. But to us, she is so much more.

She is one of the bakers for sweet treats and the head of our Housekeeping department.

Most mornings she can be found in the kitchen making wonderful homemade biscuits, coffee, scones, and a range of dishes from Eggs Benedict to Sausage gravy before she begins tidying the Lodge.

Her ready smile is a fixture here at the Lodge.