We are excited to announce the addition of four wines at The Fearrington House Restaurant from the Raffaldini Winery, located in the Swan Creek area of North Carolina. The wines are with out a doubt the best wines I have tasted from North Carolina.

The Raffaldini winery is located in one of North Carolina's three American Viticultural Areas and is nestled in the rolling hills near the Yadkin River and Blue Ridge Mountains.  There it receives mild breezes that constantly freshen and circulate the air.

The winery is owned by the Raffaldini family, who are first generation Americans from Italy. Their Vermentino, most famous for the white wines of Sardegna, is stunning.  On the nose it shows notes of Lime, Lemon Grass, and Orange Blossom, on the palate the wine has great acidity, dry, and a great match to the Country Ham Agnolloti.  Equally enticing are the Sangiovese Riserva and Montepulciano Riserva, both varietally correct, and full of their own unique character and charm.  The wines are all very well balanced and great partners with Chef Colin’s menu.  We look forward to hearing more from this exciting winery!

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...

“Tom! Come here - and bring your camera!” bellowed Chef Bedford from inside the walk-in cooler. Quickly grabbing the equipment, I rush to the prep kitchen just in time to see our first halibut of the season (looking rather sizable up against our giant chef) being carried towards its last destination as a whole fish - the chopping board! All of the chefs in the kitchen come to see the commotion, trying to take a peak at the new product as Colin works on it, smoothly and quickly filleting the fish, then removing the skin and expertly portioning the meat into equal sizes, ready for a much anticipated menu change.

Fish is one of our favorite proteins to cook with; they achieve that golden brown sear that flavors the fish so well, and it is satisfying finishing it with a hint of lemon juice and sprig of thyme. They’re incredibly healthy to eat. Their meat produces delicate and rich flavors.  And it’s a product we work with from scratch, preparing it from whole, investing time into making it perfect, as if developing a relationship with it, and trying to improve upon the previous one. 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!

You may have heard The Fearrington House Restaurant just turned 30.  Thirty! It’s a pretty amazing accomplishment (especially considering that most restaurants don’t make it past a few years).  But yes in May 1980 the restaurant opened in the former Fearrington homestead, a white columned colonial house set on a hill near Chapel Hill.

As my father, proprietor R.B. Fitch, recalls: "When we started the restaurant, our goal was to provide a dining experience that was not just 'eating a meal' but encompassed exceptional local cuisine, service, gardens, ambience, art and so on. The most remarkable dining experiences my late wife, Jenny, and I had occurred when all these things came together."

One of the secrets to providing this sort of experience has been a stable and dedicated management team. Dutch-born Maitre d’ Joris Haarhuis is a familiar and friendly face to guests, having been here 18 years! Austrian native Theresa Chiettini coordinates all, as General Manager; she’s been here 10 years.  Colin Bedford has been executive chef for 18 months but has been here a total of five years. And the same owner continues to set direction and foster an environment in which teamwork and collaboration thrive. 

This rare continuity has provided the opportunity for the restaurant to focus on things like menu development, a great wine program, local sourcing, and AAA Five Diamond service.

I’ll talk more about this special anniversary and how we’re celebrating it in future postings, so stayed tuned!

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.