Sam Beall of Blackberry Farm Restaurant dies at age 39

Farm-to-table promoting chef and author Sam Beall of Blackberry Farm located in Walland, Tennessee, has died at age 39 in a skiing accident in Colorado. Beall grew up in Tennesse, attended the California Culinary Academy, and apprenticed at the French Laundry, the Ritz-Carlton, Cowgirl Creamery, and Chateau Potelle.

After working at these prestigious restaurants, Beall returned to Blackberry Farm, which was founded by his parents, Kreis and Sandy Beall, where he revitalized the country inn into a national destination for fine dining and a leader in the farm-to-table movement.  In 2011, Travel and Leisure magazine readers voted Blackberry Farm as the top resort in the continental U.S. and Canada. Bon Appétit rated it the best food lover’s hotel in the United States in 2013. 

Beall also authored two popular cookbooks, The Blackberry Farm Cookbook: Four Seasons of Great Food and the Good Life, and The Foothills Cuisine of Blackberry Farm: Recipes and Wisdom from Our Artisans, Chefs, and Smoky Mountain Ancestors.