Guest Chef Series

The opening of Skyline Lodge last summer, following the renovation of the long-neglected property originally designed by a disciple of Frank Lloyd Wright, was welcome news to area resident and visitors. Now rejuvenated and restored, the property is a refined, luxurious oasis that seamlessly blends into its idyllic setting amidst the mountains and greenery of its surroundings – at last fulfilling what must have been the vision of the original architect. Equally thrilling was the opening of the lodge’s restaurant – Oak Steakhouse, the seventh location of the steakhouse chain owned by the Indigo Road Hospitality Group – who also own the Lodge.More good news arrived with the launch last year of a guest chef series entitled Under the Stars, On the Rocks. Boasting “dining al fresco amidst a backdrop of sunset over the Blue Ridge Mountains,” the evening features exciting guest chefs from around the country working in collaboration with the chef team at Oak Steakhouse, including Matt Weinstein, Jeremiah Bacon, and Anne White. So far this year, March’s dinner was Owen McGlynn of Asheville Proper; Travis Milton, Chef of Virginia’s Inn at Nicewonder Farm & Vineyards was featured in April; and in May it was Todd Ginsberg of Atlanta’s Rye Restaurants. Upcoming on July 5 is a dinner with Brian Jupiter, chef/owner of The Frontier and Ina Mae Tavern in Chicago. A New Orleans native and a believer that “Southern comfort food is a true art form”, Jupiter spent his childhood cooking next to his grandmother in her kitchen.He got his start in the kitchens at New Orleans famed steakhouse Aurora, before going on to culinary school in Florida. In 2003 he moved to Chicago initially as Chef de Cuisine, eventually rising to the Executive Chef position, at Narcisse Champagne and Caviar. He joined The Frontier team in 2010. In the summer of 2018, he and his partner at The Frontier openedIna Mae Tavern, named in honor of Jupiter’s great-grandmother, Ina, who passed down the recipes he learned to cook with his grandmother. The food at Ina Mae is inspired by his background, growing up, and cooking in New Orleans. No stranger to celebrity status, Jupiter’s accolades and television appearances includes James Beard Awards Semifinalist for Best Chef: Great Lakes, Cooking Channel’s America’s Best Bites, NBC Chicago News, NBC’s First Look, Fox 32 Chicago News, WGN-TV News, Food Network, and Check, Please! Next in the series is James Beard Award winning chef Vishwesh Bhatt of City Grocery Restaurant Group in Oxford, Mississippi, who will be the guest chef for the dinner on September 6. Adam Evans, chef/owner of Birmingham’s Automatic Seafood & Oysters, will offer his signature seafood dishes on October 18. The outdoor Butler’s Pavilion at Skyline Lodge is the ideal setting for the five course dinners, featuring Southern ingredients, cooked over an open flame. A selection of wines is perfectly paired with each course, fitting compan-ions – as they should be – to each exquisite dish. Under the Stars, On the Rocks dinners are $150 per person, exclusive of tax and gratuity. To reserve, call Oak Steakhouse at (828) 482-4720 or book on Open Table experiences.

by Marlene Osteen