Mission
The Sam Beall Fellows program from the Blackberry Farm Foundation provided people early in their careers in hospitality and the culinary arts the kinds of opportunities that our late proprietor had: once-in-a-lifetime experiences that are life changing. Aspiring young professionals became more well-rounded and knowledgeable, with immersive, hands-on work and close-up learning at some of the best places in the world to be made welcome.
We continue to explore ways the Fellows program will have a lasting impact on the young professionals who are shaping the hospitality industry today and into the future.
Meet the Fellows
About Sam
Sam Beall spent the early years of his life at Blackberry Farm and returned to make it his home and to become its proprietor until his untimely passing in 2016. Because of his love of gracious hospitality at its best and of food and beverages that are closely linked to stewardship of the land and dedication to craft, Blackberry became a world-renowned destination under his leadership.
Sam began his career after culinary school in California with an insatiable curiosity and passion for learning at some of the very best restaurants, hotels, vineyards, wineries, and creameries in the Napa Valley, an experience that forever shaped his vision for this very special place in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains and that inspires the program we are offering to those who follow in his footsteps.
