Our Story

Photo by Territory Brevard

Chef/Owner James Hargis discovered his love of cooking as a young boy in his mom's kitchen, where on Sunday afternoons he was more at home making meatballs for her all day sauce than watching football with his dad and older brothers. Two Italian grandmothers passed down a long family tradition where food was tangible love, and that tradition continues in the Blind Mule kitchen where James selects the best ingredients available to prepare his own sauces, dressings, slow braised meats, and the freshest seafood with the passion of a true artist. The result is a seemingly limitless repertoire of creative dishes inspired by his travels abroad.

James fine tuned his culinary skills while working for some of the world's top chefs, first in Michelin one and two starred restaurants in the Netherlands where for over a year, he received extensive training in classical French technique and cutting edge creativity before returning to the states to work in the Chicago area's Mobil Five Diamond/ Five Star awarded Le Francais. Continuing his quest for culinary excellence and fairer weather, he moved west and worked in highly rated restaurants throughout Southern California during its food renaissance of the late 80s and early 90s, expanding his knowledge and growing in his commitment to using the freshest and most interesting ingredients available to create food that is not only delicious, but also beautiful.

Eventually putting down roots in Greenville, SC as the executive chef at Rose Marie's Cafe, a 42 seat fine dining French restaurant on Main Street, he met Carole when she accepted a serving position after graduating from Furman University in the summer of 1995. Love at first sight or love at first bite? It depends which one is telling the story! But a motor cycle ride right through Brevard to the Blue Ridge Parkway in June was no doubt the start of the most adventurous years of their lives.

Together ever since, James and Carole have traveled extensively through Europe, some of their fondest memories being the early years in Austria and England where they used their culinary and hospitality gifts in Christian mission work before returning “home” to the mountains where they have worked, played, and enjoyed the grandest adventure of all, raising their 3 sons. Brevard has now been home for over 20 years, and the Blind Mule Restaurant is a heartfelt expression of their collected culinary and life experiences, a family business in the truest sense.

James and Carole are committed to pursuing ongoing excellence and actively serve the local community with the resources entrusted to them, regularly participating in charitable work. James is engaged in continuing education as a Certified Dietary Manager and is always expanding his repertoire of globally inspired dishes. In 2019, The Blind Mule Restaurant was nominated for the distiguished James Beard Award in the category of Best Restaurant. In 2026, Carole received her Level 2 wine certification through the Wine and Spirit Education Trust and loves helping guests find just the right wine to match their palate and complement James's culinary pairings. As a result, the Blind Mule has one of the best wine lists around and often hosts wine pairing events where guests travel the world by food and wine.

Along their journey, James and Carole have learned the importance of savoring the goodness of everything on the table as well as the presence of each person around the table and have created a space for you to do just that. In their 10 years of partnership at The Blind Mule, through seasons of prosperity and challenge, James and Carole have discovered that gratitude is a powerful force, God's goodness prevails, shared joy multiplies, and that a meal thoughtfully made, lovingly served, and graciously shared around the table not only nourishes the body, but feeds the soul. They invite you to come share the journey, choose your adventure, and taste and SEE the goodness.