PRESS RELEASE
CASHIERS, N.C. (March 24, 2014) — Executive Chef John Fleer announces the season opening for Canyon Kitchen at Lonesome Valley in Cashiers, N.C. The celebrated restaurant, located in the rustically elegant Jennings Barn at the foot of Cow Rock Canyon, will kick off the season the weekend of April 4. John and his team will welcome guests to Canyon Kitchen on weekends through mid-May. The restaurant will then resume its regular seasonal operation of Wednesday through Sunday beginning the week of May 12.
“We’re extremely excited to be celebrating our sixth season at Canyon Kitchen and look forward to welcoming back our old friends and meeting new ones,” says John. “Canyon Kitchen provides an exceptional restaurant and dining experience in a setting that is unique in the Blue Ridge Mountains. We offer a style of cuisine and hospitality that shines with a simple elegance and focuses on our guests and their experience in this special place.”
John has been named “Rising Stars of the 21st Century” by the prestigious James Beard Foundation and is a three-time finalist for the James Beard “Best Chef in the Southeast” Award. He is the former executive chef of Blackberry Farm in Walland, Tenn. and the owner and executive chef of Rhubarb in Asheville, N.C. John is known for transforming local ingredients into world-class cuisine. He and his culinary team use fresh produce and organic selections from Lonesome Valley’s own community garden and the surrounding area of western N.C. to create extraordinary farm-to-table menus. Sample menu selections include smoked Sunburst Trout cakes with charred tomato vinaigrette; garden lettuces and summer stone fruit with honeyed goat cheese, spiced pistachios, and blackberry-lavender vinaigrette; rhubarb glazed Heritage Pork tenderloin; and blueberry and brown butter tart with creamsicle sherbet, white chocolate, and thyme crème chantilly.
The fixed price menu is enhanced by a list of wines produced using only sustainably raised grapes. Throughout the season, Canyon Kitchen will be hosting special culinary events and wine dinners.
Canyon Kitchen’s culinary team, Restaurant Manager Audra Thomas, Chef de Cuisine Mitch Sheppard and Pastry Chef Chelsea Raby, have worked with John at Canyon Kitchen for the past two years and are all delighted to kick off the 2014 season.
Nestled in the majestic Blue Ridge Mountains of Cashiers, Canyon Kitchen is located in one of the most beautiful settings in the country, framed by verdant forests and meadows, encircled by thousand-foot granite cliffs. The relaxed setting of Canyon Kitchen is complemented by the detailed craftsmanship of the Barn’s traditional post and beam architecture; large indoor and outdoor stacked, stone fireplaces; massive exposed ceiling beams; unique rope basket light fixtures; and multiple barn doors that line the walls and can be opened to enjoy the cool mountain weather. The restaurant is open to the public.
For more information on Canyon Kitchen, please visit http://lonesomevalley.com/project/canyon-kitchen/ or call 828-743-7967.
About Lonesome Valley
The land that is now Lonesome Valley was purchased by E.H. Jennings in 1895, and it has remained in the Jennings family for four generations. Today, Lonesome Valley is an 800-acre, private, gated community just north of the Blue Ridge Escarpment. When fully developed, fewer than 180 homes will be built, with the remainder of the land held in conservation. Lonesome Valley is committed to simplicity, family and the preservation of nature, with responsible deed restrictions and thoughtful architectural guidelines that ensure the Jennings’ legacy will be protected for future generations.
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