Indigo Road Taps New Head of Desserts
Charleston-based restaurant group Indigo Road has appointed Ashley Cardona to oversee the dessert menus for all of its locations. Cardona will be responsible for creating and executing the pastry programs across the group's diverse portfolio of restaurants.
Before joining Indigo Road, Ashley Cardona served as the executive pastry chef at Charleston's Circa 1886. Her culinary style is described as modern Southern, deeply influenced by her classical French training at the École Nationale Supérieure de Pâtisserie in Yssingeaux, France. Cardona is an award-winning chef, recently named Pastry Chef of the Year by the South Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association. She has also appeared on the Food Network, competing on the show "Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking," where she showcased her creative and technical skills to a national audience. The Indigo Road Hospitality Group, founded by Steve Palmer, began with a single restaurant, Oak Steakhouse, in Charleston in 2009. The group has since expanded significantly, now operating more than 30 restaurants and a growing portfolio of boutique hotels across the Southeast. The company has grown to more than 1,900 employees and has been recognized as a Forbes Small Giant. Indigo Road's expansion includes recent hotel developments in Charleston and Asheville, and assuming operations for several restaurants in Northwest Arkansas.
