Born and raised in Randolph County, North Carolina, Chef Adam Hayes enrolled in the culinary program at Guilford Technical Community College after high school, where he worked and went to school full time for three years. After graduating from culinary school and working at various restaurants in Greensboro, Chef Hayes moved to Charlotte, N.C. working as a chef for the Harper’s Restaurant Group. Chef Hayes gathered culinary experience as a line cook, Sous Chef and Chef de Cuisine at Mimosa Grill, Arpa Tapas and Wine Bar and Zink American Bistro, helping open two concept restaurants for Harper’s in only one year.
After moving to Greensboro, Chef Hayes assisted with opening Proximity Hotel, Printworks Bistro as the Chef de Cuisine, which became the first hotel in the country to receive LEED Platinum certification. He continued to develop as a chef at Quaintance Weaver Restaurants and Hotels, learning about sustainability, sourcing local foods and applying environmentally friendly products to his kitchens.
In 2009, Chef Hayes earned his first Executive Chef position at Grand Bohemian Hotel Asheville’s Red Stag Grill. Chef Hayes brought with him a passion for great, fresh food, clearly stated in his mission statement on each Red Stag Grill menu: “We strive to source our produce, meat, poultry and fish from gardens, farms, ranches and fisheries guided by principles of sustainability.”
Chef created lasting relationships with local farmers, as he is very involved with the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP). In addition, Chef Hayes takes part in “Let’s Move”, First Lady Michelle Obama’s initiative where chefs teach kids about healthy food choices. Chef Hayes has selected Glen Arden Elementary School and teaches 100 kids each month about food and where it comes from. Chef also is takes his culinary staff and servers on monthly field trips to local farms that supply products to the hotel. This knowledge, he feels, will benefit them when they prepare and serve the food to their customers. Chef Hayes and The Red Stag Grill are proud to support the local farms and community.
