Culinary Stars Shine Bright

Written By: Marlene Osteen | Issue: August 2023

Photo by Chia Chong

In the past two years, some of the brightest shining culinary stars have made their way to the Skyline Lodge’s Oak Steakhouse to participate in the guest chef series Under the Stars, On the Rocks.

Featured on August 22 are two of the Lowcountry’s brightest – Mashama Bailey and Trevor Elliot of The Grey in Savannah, Georgia. Here, at the restaurant that was built from the ruins of a once-segregated bus station, the duo attracts diners from around the world for singular dishes that fuse Lowcountry tradition with innovation.

Photo by Chia Chong

Executive Chef Mashama Bailey may be a household name in Savannah, but her influence has spread far beyond coastal Georgia. Named “the most important chef in America” by the Financial Times, she’s charmed audiences on Netflix’s Chef’s Table, co-written a book – Black, White & the Grey with her business partner John Morisano and made history in 2019 as the first Black woman to win the coveted James Beard Award for Outstanding Chef. In 2022, her story was featured on the Today show as part of a series on inspiriting women alongside the likes of Michelle Obama.

Bailey’s ascension to the culinary stratosphere is the stuff of legends. Born in the Bronx, she went back and forth between New York and Georgia until the age of 5. There she remained until age 11 when the family eventually returned to New York. After culinary school in New York and France, she worked in multiple New York City kitchens, ending at Prune, where she rose to the rank of sous chef under culinary icon Gabrielle Hamilton. Ultimately, she decided to return to the South and accepted an offer to partner with entrepreneur and venture capitalist John Morisano, opening The Grey Restaurant in 2015.

Photo by Chia Chong

Chef de Cuisine at The Grey, Trevor Elliot works alongside Bailey, boosting the vision of Port City Southern Cuisine. Trained in New York and San Francisco at acclaimed restaurants Ai Fior, Houseman, and Marcos, Elliot focuses on sourcing local produce meat and seafood. Along with her co-founder and business partner John Morisano, Bailey and their Grey Spaces hospitality group opened two new restaurants in 2022: the Diner Bar and The Grey Market in Austin, which was lauded by the Austin American-Statesman and Austin Monthly Magazine as one of the city’s Best New Restaurants, for its distinct take on Port City Southern fare.

Executive Chef Mashama Bailey-Photo by Nydia Blas

Tickets are $175 per person and include a signature welcome cocktail and four-course dinner with beverage pairings. Additional a la carte drinks are available for purchase. Limited availability and advanced reservations required. Next up in the series are Ryan Prewitt of Peche New Orleans on September 12 and Joe Kindred, of Kindred, of Davidson, North Carolina, on October 3.

For reservations or more information, visit oaksteakhouserestaurant.com/event/under-the-stars-on-the-rocks-august/