South’s Most Acclaimed Chefs

Written By: Marlene Osteen | Issue: 2020/03 - March

On March 28 Half-Mile Farm will host the next in their popular “Chefs in the House Series.”

Launched in January 2019, the always sold-out dinners offer an “up close and personal experience with some of The South’s most acclaimed chefs.”  

The March dinner welcomes Bill Smith and Justin Burdett; past and present chefs of Chapel Hill’s venerable Crook’s Corner, winner of the James Beard Classic America Award.

Bill Smith, arguably North Carolina’s most beloved chef, reigned over the stoves at Crook’s for more than three decades before passing the baton to Burdett last January.   

Both gentlemen may be familiar to locals.  Smith originally visited Highlands as one of the guest chefs at a tribute dinner in October 2018 to Louis Osteen, and returned last November as a celebrated chef at Highlands Food and Wine Festival. Burdett was formerly at the helm at Ruka’s Table in Highlands. 

In the pantheon of celebrated Southern chefs, Smith’s reputation looms large. Garden and Gun Magazine said, “Bill Smith is a big deal,” responsible for keeping Crook’s Corner (“sacred ground for Southern foodies”) at the center of the modern Renaissance in Southern cooking.  

The Bitter Southerner credits him as having played pivotal roles in the evolution of Southern Culture in general. In the 1980’s, his nightclub Cat’s Cradle welcomed Southern musicians of all stripes.  Since the 90’s he’s pioneered the Farm-to-Table movement and led one of the most important restaurants in the region. Recognized as a foremost expert on Southern food, Smith is the author of Seasoned in the South: Recipes from Crook’s Corner and From Home, and the more recently published Crabs and Oysters. 

More than a list of ingredients, Smith’s recipes tell stories.  His dishes, both an expression of his love for seasonally-focused Southern cooking, and a playful nod to personal experiences – whether they be an ode to the simple yet elegant fare at the East Carolina table of his Great Grandma’s; a culinary trip to New York City, or a walk through a maze of food carts in Mexico. Moreover the recipes seem to have been wholly invented by him while at the same time always with us.  

Most recently, Burdett opened Local Provisions in Asheville, North Carolina, though he’s worked throughout the state and for Hugh Acheson at 5 & 10 in Athens, Georgia, and Stephen Satterfield in Atlanta. He is “dedicated to maintaining the integrity behind Crook’s Corner and the dishes that everyone knows and loves. To make sure that Bill and (former partner) Gene can walk through the doors years from now and not only recognize the legacy that they built, they will still be proud of it. Yes, you can expect to see new, seasonal dishes, but classics never die.”

On the menu at the dinner at Half-Mile Farm are legendary dishes from Crook’s Corners; Southern comfort food classics, and beloved old standards: Deviled Eggs, Broiled Oysters, Bourbon Chicken Liver Mousse, Ants on a Log (that is celery stuffed with peanuts – a dish originally created for children), Green Tabasco Chicken and most famous of all – Atlantic Beach Lemon-Lime Pie made with a saltine crust. Dishes simple and timeless all, a testament to the culinary traditions Smith forged and elevated; now entrusted to the prowess of Burdett.

Dinners are limited to 55 guests and sell out early.  More details on the Chefs in the House series can be found at halfmilefarm.com/chefdinners.  

by Marlene Osteen