It's Time to #TerraVita with Tabletop!
For the past eight years, the arrival of fall in Chapel Hill meant that the TerraVita Food & Drink Festival will soon be in full swing. Now in its ninth year, TerraVita (as fans have lovingly shortened it), has always been focused on “spreading the gospel of sustainable food & drink.” Pulling chefs, beverage professionals, authors, educators, farmers, and producers from all over the Southeast, TerraVita spans four days of delicious, educational, and thoughtful events.
The festival kicks off with the much loved East Meets West Dinner on Wednesday, October 17th and continues through Saturday, October 20th with the grand finale event: Fall Fête on the Village Green, a grand tasting with more than 40 chefs, food artisans, and, beverage professionals. One of the truly unique concepts of the TerraVita Food & Drink Festival is the Sustainable Classroom, an engaging educational format where this year’s participants can learn about everything from fermentation and heirloom apples of the South to pressure cooking and healing beverages. For a full list of events, please check out the TerraVita schedule.
Tabletop Media Group is honored to have clients participating in this year’s TerraVita Food & Drink Festival. Here is a sneak peek:
Serge Valcoz-vigne, chef and General Manager of Saint Jacques French Cuisine in Raleigh, is participating in TerraVita’s Fall Fête on the Village Green on Saturday, October 20th. A native of Grenoble, France, Serge started his cooking apprenticeship at the tender age of 16. He came to the United States in 2007 after selling his restaurant in Paris and began working in local restaurants here in the Triangle. At Saint Jacques French Cuisine, Serge enjoys offering his guests the most authentic French experience possible. His passion is to create new recipes based on classic, traditional cuisine using modern and local flavors with century-old techniques.
Chef Jake Wood is a North Carolinian with a passion for food inspired by his grandparents who taught him about coastal cuisine. His career includes such Raleigh favorites as 42nd Street Oyster Bar, Goodnight’s Comedy Club, The Cowfish, and Raleigh Raw where he created North Carolina’s first poke concept. Jake currently serves as the chef de cuisine at 18 Seaboard where he works with Jason Smith, executive chef and owner of 18 Restaurant Group. This dynamic duo melds fine dining and Southern cuisine with a focus on local ingredients and relationships with NC farmers and producers. You will find Jake participating in Fall Fête on the Village Green on Saturday, October 20th.
Chef Adam Rose, a Long Island, New York native, is participating in this year’s TerraVita grand finale, Fall Fête on the Village Green on Saturday, October 20th. After a career in Brooklyn restaurants as a manager and chef, Adam relocated to North Carolina. Shortly after arriving, he took a position as the lead chef at Elaine’s on Franklin in Chapel Hill. From 2007-2013, Adam served as the executive chef at Il Palio at the Siena Hotel. He moved on from Il Palio to take a position as the executive chef and partner of Black House at Straw Valley Food & Drink in Durham. Adam returned to Il Palio and the Siena Hotel earlier this year where he is once again the executive chef.
Chef Aaron Matyac and Chef Clayton Anderson from Whiskey Kitchen in Downtown Raleigh will be participating in the Fall Fête on the Green. Chef Aaron is a native of Raleigh North Carolina. He attended Hobart collage where he worked in his first kitchen at a campus pub. He attended the Culinary Institute of America with honors and graduated in 2012. He then worked at Fearrington Village in Pittsboro, North Carolina with Grande Chef Colin Bedford. He returned to his internship site of Four Square Restaurant, where he worked with his greatest influence and mentor Shane Ingram. He learned how to think critically and creatively about his ingredients- the importance of their quality, and how to skillfully put them together to make culinary magic. Matyac later was the pastry chef of Black House in Durham, NC. He also received training in the front of house by Master Sommelier Fred Dexheimer. Next Matyac began working for a small upscale catering company in Raleigh, but quickly returned to his passion as Chef de Cuisine of Whiskey Kitchen. He loves going to local markets for seasonal inspiration, and can always be found doing what he enjoys… Cooking.
Chef Clayton was born in Vermont and grew up there until his family moved to Florida. He has worked in a kitchen since he was 14 years old, and the only job he ever had that wasn't in a kitchen was when he was in the military for 4 years. He is now a disabled Veteran due to a spinal chord injury. Currently, Clayton is the Executive Chef of Whiskey Kitchen. Prior to being there, he worked under Cheetie Kumar of Garland, and at PoshNosh Catering. He has also helped open 11 food service establishments in his career. Although he has never attended culinary school, his unique experiences working and learning from many sharp chefs has given him the expertise to lead the Whiskey Kitchen culinary team. Chef Clayton believes he wouldn't be where he is today without his long time friend and colleague, Chef Michael Thor. Together, they built Whiskey Kitchen with locally sourced talent - not just ingredients. Clayton is constantly impressed by the people the restaurant attracts, the establishment they have created and their hard working staff.