No going back now the menus are written, recipes formulated and I’ve met the necessary dietary requirement for the kids; what a Rollercoaster. I was approached about four months ago to see whether I was up for the challenge of being the “Jamie Oliver” for Chatham County. One thing led to another and we agreed on the three chefs and set some deadlines. The Chatham County Chef Challenge was on.

Relatively easy so far, I thought. Then I began to think what was really involved in the Challenge that I had agreed to do without batting an eye lid. Like initiating any project, you go straight for that reference point or accrued experience that you rely on, but not this time. A few things I do know is that what we practice at the restaurant is you feed the kids as fast as possible so they are entertained, no hot plates, ketchup in close proximity and under NO circumstance use “posh” herbs that we like to call micro greens! Pretty much all I can take from this is feed the kids as fast as possible. I will go out on a limb and say that those little people have an extremely strong opinion on what they will eat and what they will not. More...

If you've dined at The Fearrington House or another fine dining establishment, you've probably been served a collection of confectionaries at the end of the meal called petit fours. Perhaps you've wondered what they're all about?

The name is from the French 'petit four' meaning "small oven", and is pronounced "petty foor".  Traditionally, petits fours were a way for pâtissiers to use up leftovers at the end of the day's bake.  And since heating ovens centuries ago was expensive, letting the ovens cool down 'unoccupied' was simply not an option. So petit fours offer us a smart lesson in efficiency and thrift!

These delicious bite-sized surprises are also visually dazzling, offering a variety of shapes, textures, colors and ingredient combinations artfully displayed on a small plate. They're hard to turn down. More...

About 18 months ago we added several bee hives by the cow pasture behind the Fearrington House Restaurant.  For a long time, I drove by daily, oblivious to what was going on inside these colonies. Then one day our beekeeper informed me that our hives consist of close to 60,000 worker bees, several hundred drones (males), and one controlling queen bee.

Here, one hive contains Italian bees which are conditioned to the warmer climate of the central Mediterranean.  The other hive is a hybrid breed called Russians x Buckfast.

Bees can travel up to several miles looking for nectar or pollen but with our extensive gardens and organic gardening practices, they don’t have to travel far. To make honey, bees collect nectar and/or pollen from a variety of plants, which are called honey plants. Here they like tulip poplar, hollies, ligustrum, asters, red maples, black gum and other plants.  More...

North Carolina peach season, which runs from May to September, is in full swing now.  This morning at 7:15am, I was at the Raleigh Farmers Market dodging forklift trucks and listening to the thick Southern accent – which as you can imagine with my English terminology is a recipe for miscommunication.

As I walk up one side and down the other, I hear the constant echo of “Sir would you like to try a peach?”, and I’m getting a little concerned I won’t find the “Mac Daddy” of peaches – the Windblow peach, named for its area of origin in the Sandhills region about 90 minutes south of The Fearrington House. Why was I in pursuit of the Windblow? Because it has the best flavor, juiciness and versatility of any peach I’ve worked with.

I only had a few farmers left to go and low and behold the last farmer had them. So I walked up and asked for 4 cases. She grabbed a bag and proceeded to fill the bag up and I said, “No sorry I want 4 master cases, 100 pounds please.” Before I knew it, they were in the back of my truck and I was off to preserve them all. This peach will make you so proud once you have finished canning it. More...

Although the menu at The Fearrington House regularly changes, there’s one item that’s remained a constant: the chocolate soufflé.  This dish was introduced by Edna Lewis, during her eighteen month stay in 1983 and 1984 as guest chef, and it has remained on the menu ever since.

Over her lifetime, Edna wrote four cookbooks and helped popularize a Southern cuisine that uses fresh, seasonal local food.  She also loved to make all sorts of soufflés, but nothing gained more notoriety than her chocolate soufflé. For example, the dish graced the cover of Gourmet magazine in 1984 in an article on the restaurant, then only four years old (the article can be seen next to the kitchen viewing window).

In fairness, Edna created the chocolate soufflé before coming to Fearrington House. She served it while cooking in New York in the 1950s at Café Nicholson, a favorite haunt of creative types.  A food critic who ate the dessert later told her the dish was “as light as a dandelion in a high wind.” It is rich.

Several years ago we opted to “lighten” it somewhat by heating it in a slightly smaller ramekin – so its size better complements the entire dining experience – but otherwise it has remained untouched over the years.

When I became executive chef in late 2008, R.B. Fitch, the restaurant’s proprietor, told me I had free reign to adapt the menu, but there was one item that I couldn’t remove: the chocolate soufflé.

I now understand why. Having worked in the pastry area before, I know how temperamental soufflés can be. Often it comes out of the oven inconsistently or loses its shape by the time it reaches the table.  This is the only soufflé I’ve known that doesn’t do either. It always looks good.

At Fearrington House, part of its magic is not just the sight, smell and taste of this chocolate dessert but the theatrical aspect.  A waiter finishes preparing the dish at the guest’s table; with a spoon, a hole is carved in the top of the soufflé and then hot chocolate sauce is poured in the cavity and in fact all over the plate. Whipped cream is then added.  This experience always delights guests.

Next time you’re at Fearrington House, save room for this decadent dessert!

What do soft shell crabs mean to me? Summer is just around the corner and our wedding season is upon us! Before moving to North America I had never seen, prepped or eaten one and they are “still not my cup of tea” but as a chef I would be a fool if I did not put them on the menu, as they are an iconic seafood choice.

Soft shell crabs must be harvested precisely, usually starting at the first full moon in May. This is when the native blue crab of the US is typically starts to molt.  Its hard shell prevents young crabs from growing, so they molt their exteriors and have a soft covering which only last for a matter of days.  It is during this time, when they are vulnerable to predators, that they are most prized. There is a small window of opportunity – about 4 to 5 days – to eat the crabs at their best. After that, they begin to rebuild their shells and when eaten, have a thin shell called “papershells” or “thinbacks” which are less desirable to customers as they begin to become crunchy.

This molting usually lasts from early May to June on the Eastern Seaboard. As the waters get warmer the harvesting moves up the east coast. It begins in South Carolina moving to North Carolina, Virginia and ending in Maryland, so this schedule can be your gage to determining how long is left in the season.  In other words, the further up the east coast the harvesting is, the less time we have left. Just as this year’s weather has affected our growing patterns on land, it has also messed up the crabs, resulting in a slow start this year. We just added this dish to the menu at The Fearrington House.

I like to change up the soft shell crab dish as the window is short.  In the past, I have always pan seared them so now I want to fry them either tempura or in good old English Beer Batter.  Right now on The Fearrington House menu we’re serving Soft Shell Crab with Potato Gnocchi, Pickled Apple and Rock Shrimp Dressing, White Asparagus, Fava Beans, Parsley, and Cornichons.  Either way, nothing captures the romance of the season quite like soft shell crabs.