Biography
Chef Eric Cartwright, CCC, is executive chef at the Ivy Award-winning Campus Dining Services at the University of Missouri, where he oversees menu development and quality control, as well as staff training and development programs. Originally from Gloucester, Va., Cartwright decided on a career in culinary arts as a teenager and went on to receive formal culinary training at Johnson & Wales University in Charleston, S.C. He continued to build his skills and knowledge through sous and executive chef positions at restaurants in the Mid-Atlantic region, including the five-diamond Dining Room at Ford’s Colony Country Club in Williamsburg, Virginia. Cartwright entered collegiate dining in 2000 at the nationally recognized Dining Services at Virginia Tech, where he served as sous chef and later executive chef for the university’s Personal Touch Catering service.
Chef Cartwright was a member of Hormel Foods inaugural Culinary Enrichment and Innovation Program in 2008. Cartwright is active in the Central Missouri Chapter of the American Culinary Federation, and assists with career-building activities for a nearby high school. He maintains a focus on sustainability by working closely with local producers and participating in a comprehensive university composting and biodiesel program. In 2015 Cartwright was appointed to the Missouri State Committee of Dietitians as an at-large member.
In 2010, the ACF-Central Missouri Chapter recognized Cartwright as Chef of the Year. He has successfully earned gold and silver medals in ACF sanctioned competitions and in 2014 was the Grand Prize winner in Custom Culinary’s “Think Fresh” soup contest.