Chadwick Boyd, May’s Celebrity Chef

Written By: - NONE - | Issue: 2020/04 - April

At the end of March, this exclusive Chefs in the House event was still on the books for Half-Mile Farm. We’ll update this if anything changes.

Chadwick Boyd, the visiting celebrity chef at the May 1 Half-Mile Farm “Chef in the House” dinner series, is more than just that.    

Actually he’s a sort of food mogul– author, teacher, television host, marketer, culinary raconteur, innovator, brand spokesperson, food stylist and James Beard Foundation journalism judge.

And if all that seems intimidating, it’s not.  

Even in a brief chat, he reveals himself as a down-to-earth guy, impassioned about food, and eager to share.  He’ll tell you straight away that he was raised in a restaurant family that included cooks and farmers, where food was always center stage.  Early on he secured an original copy of Betty Crocker’s Cookbook for Boy and Girls (which he still has), rushing home daily from school to study, dream about and experiment with the recipes.   

He launched his first culinary enterprise at age seven when his grandfather built a lavish roadside stand to house “Chadwick’s Refreshments,” selling beverages and brownies.  At age 10 he hosted his first formal dinner party in honor of his Mom’s birthday, serving Steak Diane and Twice Baked Potatoes.  By then he had graduated to the adult version of that cookbook. 

A descendant of Virginia-born Grandparents, he refers to himself as “cellular Southern.” Perhaps it was the Southern foods on the family table that inspired his decision to attend the University of North Carolina in Charlotte. 

In any case, he found a home in the region, settling in Atlanta 26 years ago – where his business is still headquartered. 

He tells me that the evening at Half-Mile Farm is the first time he’s telling his Southern food story. That tale will be told through the ingredients on the plates that night – through collards, via pork from Georgia’s White Oak Pastures, and Georgia honeycomb, Georgia peanuts, with herbs from the Old Edwards Garden, by way of  Benton’s bacon and with ramps. 

He envisions the night as a joyful and happy celebration of May Day – an experience, beyond just dinner. It will begin on the Apple Lake Dock with a cocktail of Strawberry Rosé Spoon Jam with Rosemary-infused Gin. From there, guests will progress New Orleans-wedding style, strolling en masse across the lawn, accompanied by music, to the fire pit.  There the feast will commence with bites of Double Crusted Chicken Bites with Salted Honeycomb and Georgia Peanut Biscuits stuffed with Creamy Collard Greens. 

The dinner menu is opulent, yet restrained; a Southern indulgence, a procession of dishes comprised of regional ingredients that have been coaxed out of the ordinary. 

For instance, Salad of Benton’s Bacon with mustard greens, confit green tomatoes, Bibb lettuce in a spicy lemon dressing – a modern day BLT.  And there’s a spring vegetable Pot Pie with ramps, spring peas and baby carrots bathed in celery cream gravy, and a fantastic charred Vidalia onion blossom with Georgia shrimp ceviche. 

That White Oak pork, it’s gently roasted with rosé fresh plum and herbed pecans.  

Desserts, all sublimely Southern and luxurious, don’t disappoint – Coconut Chamomile Layer Cake, Lemon Cookies and Strawberry Cornmeal Biscuit Trifle with Basil Cream.  The accompanying wines will showcase the nuance and taste differences that comprise the full range of rosé wines, – beginning with the light and crisp and crescendo to a finale of the most full-bodied sparkling rosé wine. 

For more information, visit halfmilefarm.com/ChefsInTheHouse. Call (828) 787-2635 to reserve your spot now.

by Marlene Osteen