Chef Cartwright’s first task in his role of Group Chef de Cuisine was the transformation of the main restaurant at The Vanderbilt Grace in Newport, Rhode Island (at the time, the latest addition to the Grace Hotels portfolio). The restaurant, Muse by Jonathan Cartwright, opened to vast critical acclaim, receiving the title of ‘Best Hotel Restaurant’ by Rhode Island Monthly in 2011 and securing the prestigious AAA 4 diamond award in 2012.
Applying the same principles, he opened the second Muse by Jonathan Cartwright in November 2013, which forms part of Grace Cafayate in northwest Argentina. This fine dining restaurant showcases modern European cuisine whilst paying homage to local Argentinian traditions and using the best local ingredients including beef, goat and llama.
Most recently he oversaw the opening of the third ‘Muse by Jonathan Cartwright’ at the newly refurbished Mayflower Grace situated in the idyllic town of Washington in Connecticut. The restaurant offers modern European cuisine, incorporating the best of local and seasonal produce for the ultimate gastronomic experience. Originally from Yorkshire, England, Cartwright has been at home in the kitchen since age 15. He brings to New England an international sensibility and mastery of cuisine gained while serving some of the world’s finest Relais & Châteaux properties including Blantyre in Lenox, Mass., the Horned Dorset Primavera in Puerto Rico and the Hotel Bareiss in the Black Forest region of Germany. “I believe that my menu creations are influenced by a love of European-style cooking acquired from my experiences,” says Cartwright. “This is fused with the many culinary and cultural inspirations of my present home, coastal Maine.”
Before joining the White Barn Inn in 1994, Cartwright was Executive Chef of the Relais & Châteaux Horned Dorset Primavera in Puerto Rico. After his training apprenticeships, he continued to study under Anton Edelmann, Maitre Chef de Cuisine at The Savoy Hotel, London. In 1989, while still at the Savoy, he accompanied Edelmann to New York’s Pierre Hotel and to the Four Seasons, Beverly Hills to help with celebrations honoring the Savoy Hotel’s 100th anniversary.
