Teryi Youngblood Musolf

Years of Participation

Teryi Youngblood’s love of food started at her grandmother’s house. While growing up, she would sit on the couch with her grandmother, who happened to be a wonderful cook, and watch Julia Child and Jacques Pépin on TV. Her grandmother eventually left her alone in the kitchen and asked her to bake some bread, so Youngblood baked her first loaf of banana bread at 11 years old.

Teryi didn’t take the typical route on her road to becoming a chef. She had no formal culinary training, but she loved to cook and people often told her she should open her own restaurant. She and her sisters would frequently make huge meals, and then call their friends to come eat the platters of food they cooked.

After working as a pharmacy technician for 10 years, a friend let Teryi know of an opportunity as a line cook opening at a little bistro in Greenville, South Carolina. She met with the chef, and even though she had no formal training, he gave her a shot.

Teryi worked at Bistro Europa for a year, and then took a job as a Sous Chef at The Cazbah, a tapas and wine bar that had just opened up in town. In 2001, she interviewed for a pastry chef position at Soby’s on the Side, where she began her career with the Table 301 Restaurant Group. Teryi worked at Soby’s on the Side for 5 years and then moved next door to Soby’s and worked as their pastry chef for 6 years.

After holding the title of “Pastry Chef” for 11 years and making one too many Banana Cream Pies, Chef Teryi was ready for something new. The Corporate Chef of Table 301 approached her about launching their newest restaurant, and she was given the freedom to come up with a few concepts. A lover of all things from France, one of her ideas was a restaurant inspired by French food and culture.

Chef Teryi was named Chef de Cuisine of Passerelle Bistro when the restaurant opened in June 2013.  The menu is full of French-inspired dishes using the purest and freshest ingredients. Teryi doesn’t believe in complicated food. She thinks cooking should speak for itself - the food should taste like what it is, something she implements into her menu daily.

When she’s not at the restaurant, you can find her riding her bike, running mountain trails, and spending time with her family. She gets a lot of joy in cooking with her mom, so there’s a chance you’ll still find her in the kitchen when she’s at home.