Meet Pastry Chef Jonathan Metcalf

Tell us a little about your personal journey before coming to the team at Blackberry Farm.

Jonathan: I am from Harrogate, Tennessee, a little town on the TN/KY/VA state lines. I received my BA in History from Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate. To help pay for expenses in college, and to feed my passion, I ran a small business making cakes and specialty food items for family, friends, church members and local businesses. After graduation, I went to graduate school for Accounting at Belmont University in Nashville. In my second year there, I decided I needed a change. I moved back to Knoxville and started taking small jobs here and there, just trying to find something that could turn into a career. In 2015, one of my best friends moved to Orlando to work at Walt Disney World. Eight months later, I followed suit and applied for every job I could think of. I was hired as an entry level line cook, and the rest in history.

I was promoted to advanced line cook at Cinderella’s Royal Table and then transferred to a Baking and Pastry Cook soon after. In the Fall of 2017, I moved back to Tennessee to be closer to my nephew and await the arrival of my niece. I started working at Blackberry in December of that year. In 2019, Disney came calling again. I was offered a front of house management internship at the Contemporary Resort. I left Blackberry for about eight months and returned to Orlando. I soaked up all the knowledge I could, and in January 2020, I returned to Blackberry as Pastry Supervisor at the Main House. I became Pastry Sous Chef in March 2021 then Pastry Chef in May 2022.

What inspired you to join the food and beverage industry?

I was blessed with amazing cooks in my family. We were very much a Sunday lunch at Nana’s kind of family. My first experiences in the kitchen were similar to many in the industry: cookies, Rice Krispies Treats, peeling potatoes and breaking beans with my grandmother. I watched my great-grandmother making apple stack cake – which is on the menu this Fall at the Main House – and peanut butter fudge in her late 80s and still loving every second of it. My parents are great cooks as well. Every holiday or birthday was an event, and food was the center of that. That feeling of having friends and family over and making your favorite meal for them is something you just can’t match. I fought working in the industry for a long time. I wanted to be a doctor or a lawyer for most of my young life. My passion for food never went away, and in a moment of career indecision, the industry found me. I didn’t really have a choice.

What brought you to Blackberry?

Growing up in East Tennessee and having a food-centered family, Blackberry Farm was well known to me. When I was looking to move back to the area from Florida, my uncle sent me the link to the job posting. I applied, and everything fell into place from there. I came to stage here in the Fall of 2017 and was greeted with warm smiles everywhere, a cup of coffee upon entering the kitchen, the smell of wood fires in the air, and a feeling of belonging that just felt right. That is the feeling every guest encounters here. Blackberry feels like home.

What has your Blackberry professional journey looked like?

I started at Blackberry Farm as a Pastry Cook in the Main House in December 2017. I left to pursue a management internship in 2019, and, in January 2020, I returned to the Farm as Pastry Supervisor in the Main House. I became Pastry Sous Chef in March 2021, then Pastry Chef in May 2022.

Why do you enjoy working in the hospitality industry?

I fell in love with hospitality while working at Disney. Getting to be a small part in making literal dreams come true was truly life-changing. Looking back, though, hospitality was always a part of my life. I grew up being taught that when you have a guest, you always put your best foot forward. You scrub parts of your house they will never see, you anticipate their needs, and you always, always have food for them to eat – whether they want it or not. That is what I love so much about this industry. I get to excite and surprise guests even though I may never see them. Treating a complete stranger like they are family, making a home-like atmosphere, and anticipating, meeting and exceeding anything they could ever need brings me joy and fulfillment. Seeing the smile on a guest’s face puts one on mine.

What excites you most about working at Blackberry Farm?

I love being able to play with our creativity. I am able to try things, old and new, and see what works. When inspiration strikes, we as a team can collaborate and change things as needed. That philosophy inspires creativity and allows for a more exciting work environment. What makes me the most excited is working with an incredible ingredient and getting to showcase it in all its glory. I think of all the amazing dishes I’ve had in my life and try to invoke the spirit of hospitality into every bite.

What do you hope to see in the future of Blackberry Farm? Or in the food and beverage industry overall?

Here at Blackberry, I hope to see continued growth in our pastry program with a dedicated bakery that would service our properties, as well as having more community outreach with our culinary program.

When you’re not at work, how do you enjoy spending your time? What are your interests?

I spend most of my time with family. I love hanging out with my nieces and nephew whenever I can. I love learning and reading as much as I can about history (my passion for it is equal to my passion for food). I’m an avid gamer and love a good documentary (I am an anglophile to the extreme). Travel is a passion that I’m excited to develop more in the coming years as well!

What is your favorite dish to cook or drink to make at home?

My dad’s chili recipe and an old fashioned