Robert "Bob" Bryant Carter

Celebrated Chef Robert Bryant “Bob” Carter, 59, of Panama City and Tallahassee, Florida, passed away Tuesday, May 13, in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina. Carter was in town to be honored at the American Lung Association’s Oxygen Ball, celebrating Charleston’s Five Founding Culinary Legends. 

A Celebration of Life and Memorial Service will be held at 11:00 a.m. EDT June 14, 2025, at the Historic Wesleyan Methodist Church, 21258 Roberts Street (off SR 65), Hosford, FL, with visitation beginning at 10:30 a.m. Immediately following the service, guests are invited to join the family for lunch at the Grace Methodist Church Fellowship Hall,18661 State Road 65, Hosford, FL. A private interment will be held at a later date at the Hosford Family Cemetery.

Bob was born August 4, 1965, in Concord, California to the late James Edgar Carter, Tallahassee, and Jeri Faye Carter, Panama City. He was predeceased by his father, James Edgar Carter; grandparents Reece and Hertha Merritt Carter, Panama City; Joyce and Wesley Hosford, Hosford; and Clyde William Ford and Evelyn Marguerite Bookout Ford, Birmingham, AL.

He is survived by his mother, Jeri Faye Carter, Panama City; stepmother, Kitte Hosford Carter, Tallahassee; sons Benjamin Bryant Carter, Panama City and Harrison Reece Carter, Carmel, IN; sisters Peggy Carter Claborn (Joe), Tallahassee; Sundae Minton McMillan (Craig), Hosford; brothers Mike Carter (Tina), Montgomery, AL and James William Carter, Tallahassee; nieces, Morgan Frances Carter, Atlanta, GA and Carter Marin McMillan, Tallahassee; nephews James Benjamin Carter, Atlanta, Connor Hosford McMillan (Jazmyn), Monticello, FL, and Bryan Claborn (Bridget), Tallahassee; grandniece, Addison Lee Peterkin, Tallahassee; grandnephew Cayden Ja’ Mari McMillan, Monticello; cousins Brandi Hosford Fristoe, Tallahassee and Tiffany Hand, Topeka, KS; former wife, Allyson Carter, Indianapolis; and lifelong friends Jimmy “LJ” Christo Jr, Cathy Christo, and Paul Christo (Christine), Panama City Beach, FL; and Bryant Withers, Highlands, NC.

Bob attended schools in both Bay and Leon counties (Florida), where he excelled as a competitive swimmer, graduating in 1983 from Lincoln High School, Tallahassee. After graduation, he moved to a dude ranch in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, working as a short order cook, where he first discovered his passion and talent for crafting exceptional culinary dishes. This marked the start of his lifelong affair with food, leading him to pursue formal training at the prestigious Johnson and Wales University in Charleston, SC, from which he graduated Summa Cum Laude and later received an honorary doctorate degree.

Bob’s culinary career soared when he teamed up with Hank Holliday, who first sampled his cooking at the Marquesa Hotel in Key West, FL. After Holliday purchased a building in Charleston, Bob proposed transforming it into a restaurant with himself as Executive Chef. Initially skeptical, Holliday asked “Who would come to a restaurant in an alleyway?” with Bob confidently replying, “they will come for my food.”

Bob’s contributions to the Charleston culinary scene were numerous. He said a primary goal was “to mentor and nurture young talents. I want to give young chefs an opportunity…and I’ll give a chef charge of the kitchen, with my oversight.”

In 1997, Bob’s Peninsula Grill was designated by Esquire Magazine as one of “America’s Best New Restaurants,” cementing its legacy and putting Charleston’s culinary scene on the map. His reputation grew with awards such as Charleston City Paper’s “Best Chef” from 1999, 2001-2003, and 2005-2007, and induction into the Nation’s Restaurant News’ “Fine Dining Hall of Fame” in 2004. In 2009, he was honored with the Culinary Legend Award by the BB&T Charleston Food and Wine Festival and again in 2013, Esquire Magazine named his Carter’s Kitchen, Mt. Pleasant, SC, one of “America’s Best New Restaurants.” His final venture, Barony Tavern, opened within the Marriott Renaissance Hotel in Historic Downtown Charleston, solidifying his place in culinary history.

Bob’s national prominence grew through appearances on the Food Network’s “Food Finds,” “Throw Down with Bobby Flay,” “Iron Chef America,” “The Martha Stewart Show,” ABC’s “Good Morning America,” NBC’s “Today Show,” and CBS’s “The Early Morning Show.” Notable figures like President George H.W. Bush, George Clooney, Bill Murray, Jimmy Buffet, Darius Rucker, and others all savored his dishes. The actor George Clooney, when referring to his annual Kiawah Island, SC golfing trip, stated “if you can’t get me a reservation at Robert Carter’s Peninsula Grill, then I am not coming to South Carolina.” The actor and later business partner, Bill Murray, said “Robert Carter earned my respect by feeding me and treating me like family” and “he invested in my stomach, and I invested in his restaurant, Rutledge Cab Company.”

Bob’s most famous culinary creation was his, “Ultimate Coconut Cake,” which became the signature dessert for Peninsula Grill, Planter’s Inn, Charleston. Originally created by his grandmother, the late Joyce Summers Hosford, and later refined to perfection by Bob, it became the most famous coconut cake in America, hailed by the New York Times as “Heaven on a Plate.”

Formerly, Bob, was Executive Chef for Blackberry Farm, Wallen, TN, Marquesa Hotel, Key West, FL, and Executive Chef/Owner of Peninsula Grill and Rutledge Cab Company, Charleston, and Carter’s Kitchen, Mt. Pleasant, SC.

Bob brought knowledge and passion to his work that defined his celebrated career of almost 40 years, consistently earning his venues the “AAA 4 Diamond” and the Forbes Travel Guide “Mobil 4 Star” designations. His simple yet refined American Cuisine earned him a national following as a preeminent culinary spokesman in Charleston.

Bob’s love for food was only exceeded by his love for his boys, Benjamin and Harrison. He cherished family time – traveling, attending Florida State University football games and other FSU sporting events, listening to music, and celebrating holidays – while teaching them to pursue their dreams. While Benjamin followed in his father’s culinary footsteps, Harrison is currently studying at Purdue University.

A man of deep faith, Bob expressed his values through extensive philanthropy, serving on the Board of Directors of the Lowcountry Food Bank (LCFB), a sustainable fundraiser raising millions of dollars to support hungry children. As a participating chef, he donated his time and resources for hundreds of charitable dinners throughout his career.

Bob will be remembered as a confident, trail-blazing culinary master, a chef who possessed “a perfect palate,” and a “founding father of Charleston’s vibrant dining scene” … but most of all he will be remembered as a man who deeply cared about his family, his friends, and his profession.

The family requests, in lieu of flowers, donations in his memory be made to: Lowcountry Food Bank, 2864 Azalea Drive, Charleston SC 29485. Phone (843)747-8146.

McAlister-Smith Funeral and Cremation Services, 1520 Rifle Range Road, Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464, (843) 884-3833, is assisting the Carter family with arrangements.