Get to Know Chef Cassidee

Chef Cassidee Dabney grew up traveling around the country with her family and learned a love for growing her food at a young age. Her fun personality and

diverse experiences make her a great leader and chef at The Barn, and guests, as well as her team, always enjoy learning more about her. We often share

her delicious recipes and work at the Farm. Enjoy getting to know a little about Cassidee beyond her dishes.

Did you know?

Cassidee worked at an Indian restaurant in Germany for six months.

She has lived in nine states. Tennessee is the longest she’s ever lived in the same place.

Every so often, Cassidee and her sous chefs pick a dietary restriction and eat with those parameters for a month. She says it gives her a better eye on her menu and helps her relate to and better understand the guest experience.

She hates anchovies! “I’ve had the best, and I just don’t like them.”

Cassidee has a kitten, but it doesn’t have a name.

She played basketball and soccer in high school. “I use team work skills that I learned from group sports in the kitchen as a way to better coach my team.”

Her go-to workout playlist is Top 40 hits.

Cassidee was part of the Arkansas Canoe Club and did some serious white water kayaking. After a bad experience on class four rapids, she dialed back her rafting. She still enjoys it but sticks to class two or three courses.

Her favorite movie is Indiana Jones. “I went to college to be Indiana Jones!” She originally majored in anthropology at the University of Arkansas before finding her passion for cooking and attending culinary school.

She minored in theatrical design in college and built set pieces for the university’s theater productions.

Her first kitchen job was making Frito pies at a place called Rhythm and Brews in Arkansas. The staff was required to perform an act on the small stage in the restaurant. Cassidee would mime playing the saw and make the noises with her mouth – a perfect fit for a bluegrass-loving town.

Cassidee’s go-to drink is gin and tonic or white burgundy.

Her guilty pleasure – she loves American cheese.

She asked for a mushroom growing kit when she was 10 years old. Today, mushrooms are one of her favorite ingredients to work with in the kitchen.