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Allen
Dye My earliest memories of food were
my Grandmother’s biscuits, my mother’s lemon spice cake
and the Galloping Gourmet TV show. I was perhaps 9 or 10
years old when I remember watching Graham Kerr’s show, then
running to the kitchen to try to produce what I’d seen.
He made it seem like so much FUN. I began working in kitchens during High School in 1977. I was “Kitchen Helper #2”, and it seemed like a better option than baling hay, the other summer job choice in Kirksville, MO. After high
school I continued working in kitchens to finance college,
a 4-month trip to Europe and my true dream of becoming a Rock
Star. During this period, I read extensively, digesting
cookbooks by the armful, entering a world of history and intrigue
and science...in short, the world of Cuisine. Guiding me
on this journey have been some truly remarkable chefs. It
seems as if everywhere I went I found talented people willing
to share their passion for food. Joe Deas of Charlotte, founder
of the local ACF chapter, Certified Executive Chef, Master Baker,
a man who was the Banquet Chef of the old Hotel Charlotte at the
age of 16 in the days when purveyors left deliveries stacked by
the kitchen door overnight and dishwashers carried handguns. John Berres, Chef, Restaurateur
and consultant. John found Food with a capital “F”
in Korea as a Jeep driver in the armed forces and ended up running
an amazing series of eclectic restaurants in Greensboro and Charlotte. Sue Epstein, Chef Consultant.
When Alice Waters was showing the world that women could change
the world of food, Sue was quietly proving it every night by producing
amazing food in her tiny kitchen in St. Louis MO. In the spring of 2000 I joined
the M7 team as a catering production chef for Fine Friends Restaurant
here in Asheville, and, with the opening of Crest Conference Center
in 2003, I assumed responsibility for all food service at M7
Event Solutions. My office, my home, my pride and
joy are now at The Crest Center and Pavilion.
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