James Peisker initially embarked on his culinary career when he was just 14 years old, working as a busboy in the diner that sat just across the street from his St. Louis home. After working his way up to a server, James was eager to continue his culinary education, so after graduating from high school, he spent time working in the kitchen at The Gatesway Home, where the chefs taught him the foundations of his culinary knowledge. He competed with the American Culinary Federation State Junior Team during the short time he spent at Forest Park Community College, an experience which eventually inspired him to attend The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. Immediately after graduating, he spent two weeks studying at the Sichuan Higher Institute of Cuisine in China, and soon made his way back to St. Louis, where he took charge of the city’s culinary scene. James became the roundsman at Old Warson Country Club and later became the sous chef at Niche, where he managed the restaurant’s whole animal butchering and really found a passion for the craft. He ultimately did a stage at The Butcher and Larder in Chicago and now teaches our Porter Road Butchers everything he knows. On the off chance that James isn’t working at the butcher shop, he can be found reading informational books about food, drinking plenty of whiskey, cooking elaborate meals for his wife, or pretending he is a teapot. Chris Carter, a Nashville native who was born and raised in Hendersonville, made his entree into the restaurant industry when he was in high school working as a busboy. After graduating from Hendersonville High, he attended the University of Memphis, where he graduated with a degree in Hospitality Management. Throughout his time in college, Chris did promotions for a local radio station and additionally worked in restaurants both as a bartender and a server before leaving Memphis in pursuit of Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Institute in Scottsdale, Arizona. While studying the culinary arts, Chris elected to continue his undergraduate education, majoring in Culinary Management. During school, he took his first kitchen job as the sous chef at Dragon Fly Cafe, but switched gears a year and a half later, working in both Atlas Bistro and Twisted Rose Winery and Eatery, further opening his eyes to the culinary arts. It was after culinary school, however, working at Flemings Steakhouse, where Chris really mastered the art of grilling meats and came to understand and appreciate high-quality meat. In 2009, he moved back to Nashville and took a job at the Capital Grille, where he met James and jump-started their business partnership. While not driving all over the region to pick up animals or serving our customers in the shop, Chris enjoys going to a good concert, drinking a few cold beers while fishing, roaming the aisles of Bass Pro Shop out at Opry Mills and occasionally finds his center in a sweaty hot yoga class—you ought to see this guy’s headstand.
