by Jason Zwiker originally published in DISH 2009 Winter
Sara Carter
The Library Restaurant at Vendue Inn Downtown. 23 Vendue Range (843) 577-7970
Long before arriving at the Library at Vendue, Sara Carter found her calling in a place called Humble Pie. Back in the early 1990s, this Raleigh, N.C., restaurant had a groovy, organic vibe, and locals were happy to wait in line for a table night after night.
Carter started on the wait staff, but ended up on the line in the kitchen, eventually buying fresh produce and fish at the farmer’s market and learning step by step how a meal comes together.
From that point on, a career in the culinary arts was a given. Specifically, she craved the heat of the kitchen. “I like the pace of the line, the action,” she says. With a laugh, she adds: “In the summertime, you could lose five pounds a night on the line.”
At the urging of a mentor, Carter applied to culinary school. She was accepted into the prestigious Culinary Institute of America (CIA), but decided against the New York school after reading a description of students doing ice carvings on the Hudson River. “My southern bones weren’t going to take that,” she says. Instead, she attended the Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts Program at the Scottsdale Culinary Institute in the far warmer climes of Arizona.
Charleston’s southern element attracted her to town along with the city’s rapidly growing reputation in the culinary world.
Carter worked at Carolina’s and Duvall Catering prior to taking her current position in the summer of 2008. She has already caught the attention of many a food lover with outstanding presentations of classics like shrimp and grits and crab cakes. But that’s just the beginning, she reminds us.
“I’m ready to gain more recognition for the kitchen here at Library at Vendue,” she says. “I’m a southern girl, so that’s going to be reflected in the menu, but I’d also like to bring in some real creativity as well.”
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Wed, 10 Feb 2010
