Interview with Hotel Chef Colin Bedford of Fearrington House – Pittsboro, NC

Caroline Hatchett: What inspired you to pursue cooking professionally?

Colin Bedford: It’s one of the only things I was good at. When I was young, mom stayed at home and cooked and I would find myself standing on things to get to the counter to help.

CH: What’s your proudest accomplishment to date?

CB: Winning the Grand Chef Award. There are only 22 winners in North America. 

CH: Who’s your mentor and what did you learn from him?

CB: Phil Vickory. He took over after Gary Rhodes and got a Michelin star. The most important thing I learned was what works with flavor, if there’s apricot on the plate, it should taste like apricot.

CH: What is your favorite food book?

CB: My favorite book is White Heat by Marco Pierre White. He creates something that is so true to kitchen life—so inspiring.  

CH: What’s the most difficult thing you've done?

CB: A service. I took over the kitchen in December 2008. Scott Crawford was in the dining room, the kitchen had no water, the line cooks were switched off, I turned into someone I wasn’t.

CH: Where will we find you in five years?

CB: We have something unique here, a lot of diversity, and there are things I want to achieve before I move on. I figure Thomas Keller stayed in a place for a long time. This isn’t a turnkey operation. I’ll still be here. I’m happy here. I want to continue building a team. Teamwork is huge. 

CH: What parts of the Fearrington Village food operation do you oversee?

CB: Breakfast, afternoon tea, banquets, room service, all the restaurants. It’s important to pay close attention to breakfast and bread and butter service—it’s when we make out first impression, guests will remember it.