Abigail
Hutchinson, although born in Newport, Rhode Island, really grew
up in the South. Calling North Carolina home, she finished high
school with ambitions in hospitality industry management and
attended Eastern Carolina University. At the same time, she was
experiencing the “front of the house” as a server when she
realized that what she really wanted was to be in the kitchen,
cooking the food. She had always loved baking and cooking at
home, and now she wanted to do it as it should be done by fine
chefs of the world. Her ambition was simple: to be a great
chef. She completed a degree from Asheville-Buncombe Technical
Community College in Asheville, North Carolina, served a
culinary externship at Cape Fear Country Club in Wilmington, NC,
and immediately began working at the Country Club of Asheville,
North Carolina.
Working her
way up from line cook at the Club in Asheville to Executive Chef
at the Jekyll Island Club Hotel in five years, Chef Abigail has
devoted herself to becoming that great chef. In each of the
interim positions---at the Biltmore Estates as Demi-chef, at the
Country Club of Asheville as PM Sous Chef, and as Executive Sous
Chef at the Ocean Club at Amelia Island in Florida---she has
been tireless in learning and absorbing everything about the
culinary arts and accomplishing her goal.
She
attributes much of her inspiration and knowledge of the art to
her mentors, Chef Bryant Withers and Chef Steve Adams. “My dad
instilled in me strong work ethics. He said to be the first one
into work and be the last one to leave. Learn from every single
person you work with. That’s been important advice for me,”
says Chef Abigail. “Working in the kitchen is so rewarding,”
says Chef Abigail. “I wake up every day thinking of what the
day will bring and that I can’t wait to get right there. Not
many people can say that.”
