In 1987, Scully entered the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. After graduating first in his class, he was offered a position at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. One year later, he received a fellowship at the Culinary Institute’s Escoffier Room Restaurant, a position he held for nine months. 

Master Chef Mark Erickson invited Scully to become the executive sous chef at the prestigious Cherokee Town and Country Club in Atlanta. During his three-and-a-half years there, Scully won a variety of cooking competitions and founded two food-manufacturing companies with Erickson. In the years leading up to the opening of the Corner Kitchen, Scully held executive chef positions at Indigo Coastal Grill, Druid Hills Golf Club, and the United Nations.