Staff Spotlight: Kitchen Manager Emily Cribb

Born and raised in Charleston, South Carolina, Kitchen Manager Emily Cribb’s roots run as deep in food as the marshes of the low country. Cribb was first introduced to restaurant life in 1997 as an egg cook at the local Cracker Barrel. She soon mastered the nickel flat top and was promoted to line cook, before transferring to Charlotte, North Carolina with the restaurant chain.

After years with the biscuit and cornbread giant, Cribb found herself at Hickory Tavern. While at the upscale sports bar, she opened several new locations serving as a traveling trainer, steward, and chef de cuisine. After relocating to Asheville, Cribb joined the growing chain of Tupelo Honey. While there she not only honed her craft, but developed a new skill set as she transitioned to corporate trainer, bar manager and ultimately general manager.  

While with the southern restaurant chain, Cribb traveled extensively, opening restaurants in Asheville, Charlotte, Greenville, Johnson City, Knoxville and Chattanooga. The relationships made within the industry and city tied Cribb to the Scenic City and since 2015 she’s called Chattanooga home.

She served as general manager for Farm to Fork in Ringgold, Georgia and then joined the extended FEED family and helped to open Parkway Pourhouse before finding her home with us.  Since 2019, Cribb has been an asset to the FEED family and serves as our kitchen manager. She oversees all aspects of the kitchen including product orders, financials, and budgets. She ensures that we are adhering to all safety standards and staying compliant with health inspections. Additionally, she focuses on coaching her team and providing strong leadership in a hot place. 

For Cribb, the restaurant industry isn’t a choice, it’s all she’s ever known and is where she is the most comfortable. Through her various restaurant positions she’s learned the ins and outs of the business but finds the most joy in teaching and growing people. Whether it’s helping people to grow through the ranks or simply making their jobs easier, Cribb continues to be a wealth of knowledge and experience. Working with former employee turned best friend, she instilled the importance of constantly watching all the moving parts and looking at things from 30,000 feet. Her former fry cook has now become the general manager of a local pizza chain.

When she’s not busying calling tickets and placing orders, she enjoys reading non-fiction, hanging out with her cat, Charlotte, and is a Golden Girls aficionado.

Don’t forget to say “hey” to her on your next visit!

Tiffany Hutton