Biography of Donald Barickman

One of the South's most prominent chefs, Donald Barickman is often credited with sparking the culinary revival of Charleston in 1990 with the establishment of Magnolias restaurant.  A 1985 graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Barickman has perfected his distinctive cooking style over the past decade and is internationally known for creating innovative American cuisine with a Down South flavor. Over the past decade, Barickman and his partner at Hospitality Management Group, Inc., Thomas Parsell, have also opened Blossom Cafe and Magnolias Upper Level Gallery, a group dining facility. The company’s newest venture, Cypress Lowcountry Grille, debuted in the Spring of 2001, continuing Barickman’s reputation for excellence.

Barickman has been a guest chef and instructor at numerous culinary programs across the U.S. including the prestigious Cakebread Cellars American Harvest Workshop, La Varenne at the Greenbrier, Star Canyon in Dallas and the Inn at Blackberry Farm. He published Magnolias Southern Cuisine (Wyrick) in 1995 and is a featured chef of the Great Chefs of the South cookbook and television series.

Barickman’s talents have also been recognized by Gourmet Magazine, The New York Times, Smithsonian Magazine, Southern Living, the James Beard Foundation and the Food Network among other notable critics and food experts.