Chef Dinner Series

Written By: Marlene Osteen | Issue: March 2024

Since 2018 a brigade of celebrated chefs has passed through the kitchens at Half-Mile Farm and Old Edwards Inn.

Guest Chefs of Executive Chef Chris Huerta are invited to cohost a series of dinners, which began in 2018 as the “Chefs in the House Series,” and two years later grew into a larger series of “Old Edwards Chef Dinners.”  Through the years, eloquent sommeliers and cooks in white uniforms have traveled to Highlands, to showcase their talent at this Relais & Châteaux property. To the delight of enthusiastic guests at an ongoing dinner series which now counts 35 in number, they’ve deftly rolled out pastry, expertly worked meat with knives, shaken sauté pans, jiggled fry pans and skillfully deboned hunks of beef.

It is at dinners like these that one truly understands how good Southern cooking can be. In truth, some of the best eating in the country can be had at any one of these meals, which have set the culinary pace for the Plateau and the region.

At every dinner there is a set menu combined with thoughtful wine pairings – the fare exhibiting a style that is Southern, but intensely personal.

Though perceived by guests as a seamless presentation of delicious courses, effortlessly served, the execution of each affair is meticulously detailed. Event planner Elizabeth McDonald has collaborated with the team at Old Edwards from the outset to coordinate the dinners—inviting chefs, scheduling dates, and initiating menu planning.

McDonald recalls, “There have seldom been any real snafus,” even when faced with the most challenging circumstances, such as when, “Rodney Scott joined us on the first weekend in December, shortly after winning the James Beard Best Chef Southeast. It was 39 degrees and raining sidewise and Scott was smoking a hog in the parking lot at The Farm. We hung out with him all day, bringing coffee and donuts in the morning, and sipping whiskey with him later in the day, while the rain poured down. The party that evening was epic, and we danced the night away despite the weather.”

Speaking about the series, Executive Chef Chris Huerta observed, “It’s a great opportunity to wow guests with an up-close and personal culinary experience, while the Old Edwards team gets to create new flavor styles – delving into what other regional chefs are crafting in their restaurants.”

To kick off the 2024 year of events (running monthly from April to November), Chef Craig Richards takes the helm on Sunday, April 14, at The Farm at Old Edwards.

Richards’ menu will highlight the Southern Mediterranean-focused cuisine served at his acclaimed Atlanta restaurant, Lyla Lila.  Since its opening in 2019, Richards has made a name for himself as a master in the craft of pasta-making, fashioning dishes, “Italian in spirit and technique”, but with an “expanded pantry” that spotlight the flavors of Italy and Southern Spain.  He’s the recipient of numerous accolades including being featured in The New York Time 2021 Restaurant List and being named a semi-finalist for the James Beard Foundation Awards in two categories, Best Chef Southeast, and Outstanding Wine Program.

For more information and to book your seat at the table online, visit oldedwardshospitality.com/chefdinners.