Jonathan Cartwright

The White Barn Inn

37 Beach Avenue
Kennebunk Beach, ME 04043
P: +1 207 967 2321 | Map It
Website: whitebarninn.com

Grace Hotels

Multiple Locations (View All)
P: +1 212 957 4433
Website: gracehotels.com

With quite a bit of travel under his belt, it’s no wonder Jonathan Cartwright shows a distinct European, and global, influence in his cooking. The chef hails from Sheffield, England, where he has been cooking since the age of 15. Prior to crossing the pond, Cartwright apprenticed at The Savoy in London and worked in restaurants around the world, such as Hotel Bareiss in the Black Forest region of Germany and the Horned Dorset Primavera in Rincon, Puerto Rico, before coming to America. Cartwright worked at the Blantyre in Lenox, Mass., prior to joining The White Barn Inn as sous chef in 1994.

Since 1996, he has presided as executive chef at The White Barn Inn in Kennebunkport, Maine, which is a member of Relais & Chateaux, a collection of 475 fine hotels and gourmet restaurants in 55 countries. Today, Cartwright is one of only 15 holders of the prestigious title of Grand Chefs of Relais & Chateaux in the U.S.

In late 2010, he was named Group Chef de Cuisine for Grace Hotels, a European luxury hotel chain. Grace Hotels opened its first U.S. hotel, the Vanderbilt Grace, in a historic mansion in Newport, R.I., in December 2010. As Group Chef de Cuisine, Cartwright oversees all food and beverage operations for the hotel chain. Slated to open in June 2011 is Muse by Jonathan Cartwright, a dinner-only, fine-dining restaurant within the hotel, on top of the hotel’s more casual, brasserie-style restaurant offering breakfast, lunch and dinner, which he also oversees.

Somehow the renowned chef manages his busy schedule while flawlessly presenting his distinct personal style. The restaurant at the White Barn Inn is one of the few “white linen tablecloth, jacket required” high-end, fine-dining restaurants in America, yet Cartwright manages to combine rustic Yankee ambience with European-style service and contemporary New England cuisine. The White Barn Inn offers a four-course prix fixe menu nightly, with a gourmet tasting menu also available. Cartwright creates a new menu weekly, blending classical and modern European techniques with fresh, local, seasonal foods, to create truly innovative dishes.

In our Q&A, Cartwright discusses his philosophy on “staying local” and the fun and challenges of creating global restaurant menus. He shares his recipes for lobster spring roll in a Thai-inspired spicy sweet sauce; smoked lobster on parsnip puree and paprika butter sauce; and pistachio crème brûlée with strawberry sorbet. —Vanessa L. Facenda

Featured Recipes from Chef Cartwright

Smoked
Local Lobster

Lobster
Spring Rolls

Pistachio
Crème Brûlée

> Read more about Chef Cartwright in this exclusive Q&A

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