Cascades American Café
Forrest Parker is the Executive Chef at Cascades American Café, one of Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center's signature restaurants. Cascades American Café is a combination of sparkling waters and sumptuous gardens complimented by the smiles of unobtrusive but attentive professionals that is surpassed only by one thing: the menus. As Executive Chef, Parker created a new culinary concept for the restaurant in early 2010, transforming the 25 year old establishment from Cascades Seafood Restaurant to Cascades American Café.
Included is a generous array of "seasonal suggestions from American waters" such as the Oyster Sampler from "three American coasts", Crispy Fried Clam Bellies with Sunchoke Tartar Sauce or Triggerfish with Blood Orange Beurre Blanc. But Cascades now has an equal emphasis on enticing "farm and garden" entrees with Braised Pot Roast Bolognese accompanied by House Made Spaghetti Chitarra and Pecorino Sardo topping that list, followed by Harris Ranch Bistro Steak with Pepper - Gravy Elvis Fries. Parker will change the Cascades American Café menu seasonally.
Chef Parker brings his southern training and commitment to local and sustainable ingredients plus more than 16 years of restaurant experience, knowledge and leadership to this famous Gaylord Opryland establishment. His leadership drives his passion for providing an environment of learning for his chefs, combined with a flawless dining experience for his guests in the resort's only three-meal-period-a-day restaurant.
Parker is also responsible for the proper, efficient and profitable functioning of the restaurant, as well as the training and supervision of the culinary team to ensure the highest standard of quality and service for all guests. It is also his goal to expand the base of awards for this restaurant, such as its listing among the prestigious Wine Spectator Award winners.
A celebrity chef in his own right, Chef Parker has been featured in a variety of publications including Santé, the Tennessean, Nation'sRestaurantNews.com, the Nashville Scene, Hip Compass Escapes magazine, the Murfreesboro Post and on WSMV-TV among others. He is the only Tennessee chef to have placed in the top three in the National Pork Competition and has taken top prizes twice in the Tennessee Pork Association's contest.
Born into a family of food enthusiasts, Parker was exposed to many foods and cultures from a young age. Visiting ethnic and farmers' markets has been an innate activity for Parker since he was young. "The simple act of sitting down together to share a meal is so frequently overlooked. Our mission is to serve flavor – forward and wholesome food in a comfortable environment conducive to meetings and conversation. "
Surprisingly, the love for the culinary arts was not always Parker's primary focus. At the College of Charleston, he pursued a degree in classical studies and worked as a licensed tour guide for the city of Charleston, S.C. The fire for food was ignited when he began cooking for the James Beard Award-winning chef Louis Osteen at his
eponymous Charleston restaurant. And under the close tutelage of Sous Chef James Clark, he learned all stations in the kitchen. It was here that Parker's education and career came full circle. He enjoyed the opportunity to cook with (and for) some of the greatest chefs in the Southeast, such as Elizabeth Terry, Frank Stitt, Mark Militello and Robert Carter.
Parker went on to become Restaurant Chef at Soaring Eagle Casino's Siniikaung Steak and Chop House in central Michigan. He brought some focus back to the classic steakhouse fare that he updated, and tradition was re-invented. He then went on to work at the Mystic Lake Casino in Minneapolis, Minnesota, as the restaurant chef. He managed teams of more than 100 and also taught culinary classes ranging in topics from regional American foods to Asian street foods in order to expand his team's knowledge and capability. Parker took full advantage of the diversity of the Twin Cities to educate himself further in the food ways of the diverse cultures he found there. Additionally, he completed wine studies at the Culinary Institute of America, Greystone in Napa Valley. He joined Gaylord Opryland's team of award-winning culinarians in 2007, as executive chef of the elegant and critically acclaimed Old Hickory Steakhouse, and was quickly promoted to oversee the much larger Cascades and several other outlets.
When Parker is not in the kitchen, he enjoys traveling and history. He is also interested in sustainable agriculture, which is the ability of a farm to produce food indefinitely and without causing irreversible damage to ecosystem health. He is a member of Slow Foods USA, the Southern Foodways Alliance and is currently preparing for this Culinary Institute of America Chef de Cuisine exam.
