Until he was a junior in high school, Chef Carter imagined a future in the scientific world of medicine. Culinary school was not even a consideration. In fact, he didn’t know much about cooking other than what he picked up on visits to his grandparents, watching the Barefoot Contessa, cooking traditional family dishes, and relishing in his grandmother’s family china. Yet food was a central point in Carter’s life; from a young age, it made him realize the magic a meal can bring to a group of people.

Then, the trajectory of his life changed with the unexpected death of his father. It caused him to reevaluate everything, which led him to thinking about an age-old saying his father often repeated – “Love what you do, and you’ll never work a day in your life.”

That was when he knew he needed to go to culinary school to make his father proud and continually learn the art of cuisine. Neither of his parents cooked much, so Carter’s interest in culinary school surprised his supportive, amazing family. He applied to The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., and instantly knew it was the place for him.

Chef Carter went all-in on his newfound career path, learning everything he could from what he claims were “the best chefs in the world.” He graduated as a dean’s list honoree with a bachelor’s in culinary science. By next year, he hopes to complete his master’s in food business management from the CIA, with a focus in concepting and food production.

Carter has worked in a variety of food industry jobs, starting with the humble yet important job of dishwasher. His other opportunities led him to work in fast-casual restaurant chains, catering, as a junior sous chef, a FOH manager-in-training, and most recently, as a culinary testing technician for an appliance company.

Chef Carter takes great pride in his hometown of Buffalo, New York, where he was born and raised, although he readily admits it’s neither a food capital nor a foodie destination – unless you’re a chicken wing afficionado – and who isn’t? While Buffalo reminds him of wonderful homestyle cooking with his grandmother, nowadays he’s more apt to riff on the classic French cooking techniques he mastered in school, enhancing them with an elevated modernness.

As a product development chef, he uses his culinary skills to identify areas for process improvement, and collaborates in ideation, product innovation, and gold standard product formulation. He is eager to work with the CBCI team to help companies push themselves to their culinary goals. Chef Carter is also a seasoned culinary instructor, tutor, and photographer.