Meet Scott and April Franqueza

Spend an hour with High Hampton Inn husband-and-wife chefs Scott and April Franqueza, and you can easily see how their culinary alchemy is directly influenced by their personal chemistry. “I don't ever plan to go to work without her,” says Scott, the Inn’s executive chef and culinary director of his wife, the Inn’s pastry chef. “We just have a great dynamic, and it makes a big difference having your best friend also be the person whose feedback you trust and want the most.” April agrees. “There is no one I trust more than Scott when I make a new dessert and need a taster. He’s not a big ‘sweets’ person, so if he really likes something, I know it must be good.”

The chefs met at the Culinary Institute of America in New York and married in 2018. Between the two of them, they spent time working for well-known chefs in storied kitchens in San Francisco, New York, Nice and, most recently, at Blackberry Farm in Tennessee. The couple rose through the ranks at Blackberry Farm, where they started as line cooks. That iconic and award-winning property is the vision of the Beall family, who used their expertise and experience to oversee the 2020-21 revitalization of High Hampton Inn’s cottages and restaurants while maintaining the unusual character and unique appeal of the Inn’s original buildings.

When the Franquezas first set foot in the Inn’s kitchen in 2020, it was a dreary February day on the plateau, and the nearly 100-year-old Inn was undergoing a major remodel. “My imagination is broad,” says April, “but it was a stretch even for me!”

Scott continues, “We put on raincoats and hard hats and walked into the deconstructed lobby with dark ceiling tiles and exposed framework. There weren't counters in the kitchen yet. But then, the next time we came by, all of a sudden, the bones were starting to show up. It was super exciting to be a part of that.”

The couple played an instrumental role in determining the kitchen’s new layout and flow. “We discussed what we felt was the most efficient way to set up the kitchen, down to the details of where the trash cans go,” said Scott. “It was really nice to be able to start that way from day one, and it has continued to evolve over the five years we’ve been here.”

The Inn’s renovation, completed in 2021, restored the elegantly understated property to its historic past. With its bark-sided exterior, wrap-around porches and wood-paneled interiors, the charming structure embodies the very essence of rustic mountain luxury. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, High Hampton Inn is particularly magical during the Christmas seaso for families. Traditional holiday activities include ornament making, cookie decorating, movie nights, sledding on the golf course if there’s snow, and cozy nights playing board games by the large lobby fireplace.

James Beard Nomination Brings More Accolades

The couple’s mutual admiration is evident when the conversation turns to April’s nomination as a 2025 Restaurant and Chef Award semifinalist for the James Beard Awards®. April, who loved to bake as a child with her parents, is the only semifinalist from North Carolina in the outstanding chef or baker category. Scott beams as April tells the story of her nomination.

The Inn’s PR company, Baltz & Company, submitted both chefs’ names for nominations. “They wrote a very lovely letter, and I was so flattered,” says April. “It talked about how passionate I am about baking and teaching and growing. And it was incredible to have so many people in the surrounding areas reach out to me. Even a restaurant in Wilmington, which was nominated, mentioned all of us in North Carolina who had gotten a nod, which is just so cool. It definitely even increased the sense of community in our industry.”

So, what is usually on the dessert menu at the Inn? A southern chocolate cake, something with citrus and berries, depending on the season, and a coconut cake that is so popular that the gift shop is starting to sell it by the slice for guests to take away.

A Good Work Ethic Is Always on the Menu

But it’s clear that no matter how much they climb the ladder of culinary success, the Franquezas remain grounded in the work ethic instilled by their parents. Scott grew up in rural Massachusetts and loves the outdoors – hiking, boating, fishing and hunting. April grew up in Northern Virginia, and moving to the plateau was a bit more of a challenge for her. She’s learned to live without a Target close by and has embraced hiking and paddleboarding.

Away from work, the couple enjoys culinary adventures together, particularly in New Orleans and Charleston. April enjoys baking sourdough bread at home, and two of their favorite dishes are April’s grandmother’s recipes – macaroni and cheese and the most incredible sweet and sour pork chops she prepares once a year for Scott’s birthday.

In the kitchen, April believes, “One of the biggest things is no matter what level you're at – intern cook, sous chef, executive chef – you have to be open to continually learning. I learn so much from the interns and the line cooks because they have new ideas, and everyone is passionate and interested in following different things. So, it keeps ideas rolling, making us better at our jobs, and we continue to grow because the staff is also bringing new ideas into this kitchen.”

The chefs stay grounded in the belief that every successful service – breakfast, lunch or dinner – results from a group effort, from the dishwasher to the sous chef. “We always want to make sure that the team gets recognized, that people know that it's not just me and April,” says Scott. “There are dishwashers, there are line cooks, there are sous chefs, there’s a sommelier. There is no better feeling than putting on a great service and memorable experience for our guests.”

High Hampton has won the hearts of locals and people who travel from Atlanta, Charleston, or Charlotte to stay at the Inn. “We love that it’s a hundred years old, and we don't want to lose the history and reputation that makes this place special,” says Scott. “Jim Domanic, the GM at Blackberry Mountain, always said to us, ‘every guest, every time,’ because it really is about every guest's experience every time they're here, whether it's the first time or the 10th time, it doesn't matter.”

High Hampton Inn

1525 Highway 107 South

Cashiers, NC  28717

Highhamptoninn.com

800-648-4252