Culinary Weekends

Executive Chef of Restaurant Eugene in Atlanta, GA
February 29 - March 2, 2008

Linton Hopkins never dreamed that he would be a restaurateur, much less the owner and Executive Chef of Restaurant Eugene, named by Atlanta Magazine as one of the city’s “Top Ten Restaurants.”  An Atlanta native, Linton studied Anthropology at Emory University and hoped to follow his father into the medical profession.  After graduation, Linton was working in a bookstore when he started reading cookbooks to pass the time. These books brought back memories of his grandfather, Eugene Holeman.  Inspiration for the restaurant came from Holeman and generations of food lovers, cooks, canners, and eaters in his family.  Linton shared his grandfather’s enthusiasm for all things Southern, fresh, and flavorful – and respect for the farmers and producers who brought their foodstuffs to the table.  Linton graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in 1993, where his studies led him to a prestigious externship with Mr. B's Bistro, of the renowned Brennan family restaurant group in New Orleans. Upon graduating, Hopkins worked as a banquet cook and later as saucier for The Grill Room of the Windsor Court Hotel in New Orleans.  Throughout his career Hopkins' creative freedom has allowed him to develop new creations that often reflect his southern roots.  Restaurant Eugene stands as an amalgamation of his past experience and continued culinary innovation.  Since opening in 2004, Restaurant Eugene has garnered national praise from such notable publications as Esquire, Gourmet and Bon Appetit magazines, as well as loyal patronage from Atlanta’s most discerning palates. Chef Linton was also selected this past year to represent Atlanta in Kitchen Stadium on the Food Network’s Iron Chef America television program and aboard Holland American Cruise Line for Food & Wine Magazine’s Culinary Arts Program.  Joining him during this culinary weekend is his wife Gina, who assists her husband in menu planning and is also in charge of developing Restaurant Eugene’s wine program.  Hopkins earned her Sommelier Certificate through the court of Master of Sommeliers in September of 2005 and plans to continue her study of wine to become a Master Sommelier.  When taking time away from the kitchen, they enjoy time with each other and their two children, Linton and Avery.

Executive Chef of Herbsaint Restaurant and Cochon in New Orleans, LA
July 18 -20, 2008

Our culinary weekends would not be complete every year without a guest chef from one of our favorite Southern food cities – New Orleans.  The natural choice for 2008 is Chef Donald Link, recently given the high honor of being named Best Chef South by the James Beard Foundation.  Inspired by his Grandfather, Donald began cooking at a very young age. After years of experience working in Louisiana restaurants, he moved to San Francisco in 1993.  After working one year at the wildly popular Cha Cha Cha, Link attended the California Culinary Academy.  In 1995, Chef Link pursued his externship at Susan Spicer’s Bayona in New Orleans and continued on to become sous chef. In 1997, he returned to San Francisco to work with Loretta Keller at Bizou and to open Jardinière with Traci Des Jardin. On the West coast he again refined his style with a more acute appreciation of raw ingredients and a more delicate approach to technique with an emphasis on lightening sauces. This led to an Executive Chef opportunity at the Elite Café in San Francisco’s Fillmore District where he received rave reviews – being hailed as “the premiere chef doing Creole food in the Bay area;” appearing on local cooking shows and participating in many charity events around Northern California.  Chef Link returned to New Orleans in 2000 to open Herbsaint Restaurant in the Warehouse District--where his non-compromising eye for quality ingredients and local produce underscore his stylish dishes – rich with flavor, while remaining light. Out of these basic principles, innovative yet simple preparations have led to some of the most original and favored dishes in the city at Herbsaint-- whose menu is peppered with house-made staples such as pastas and cured meats from its’ small kitchen.  In the Spring of 2006, following six months of delays due to Hurricane Katrina, Chef Link opened Cochon. Opening Cochon has been a lifelong dream for Chef Link, who grew up in Louisiana’s Cajun Country beside his grandparents in their home.  Keeping true to these roots, Link will keep Cochon an authentic Cajun and Southern style restaurant featuring the foods and cooking techniques he grew up preparing and eating.  In addition to the genuine Louisiana menu at Cochon, Chef Link and co-owner Chef Stephen Stryjewski will oversee an in-house “Boucherie,” including house-made Boudin, Andouille, and Smoked Bacon. 

Executive Chef of Fig in Charleston, SC
September 26 - 28, 2008

Our final culinary weekend in 2008 will visit us from historic Charleston, South Carolina where Food Is Good.  Chef Mike Lata is a self-taught chef whose passion for food and talent for cooking was inspired at an early age while growing up in New England.  Lata developed an appreciation for home-grown, home-cooked food during his childhood spent helping his Polish grandparents in their garden in Massachusetts.  He officially began his culinary career traveling from restaurant to restaurant along the East Coast, working in various kitchens in Boston, Martha’s Vineyard and later down south in Louisiana and Georgia.  After working for the Brennan family at BACCO in New Orleans, Lata relocated to Atlanta, where he became Chef de Cuisine at Jean Banchet’s Ciboulette.  It was not until Lata landed in Atlanta that he had to make a conscious decision about his cooking philosophy and what type of chef he ultimately wanted to become.  Lata made a determined effort to work with local farmers, ranchers and suppliers whose dedication to natural, sustainable agriculture was evident. While at Ciboulette, he launched an unprecedented campaign to integrate a great deal of local product into his cooking and became a self-appointed spokesperson for the Georgia Organic Growers Association. This farm-to-table philosophy and European style of cooking based on the highest quality seasonal ingredients would become cornerstones of his career to follow.  Lata joined the Charleston dining scene ranks in 1998 as Executive Chef at Anson, where he held the reigns for four years. Soon after his arrival, Anson was granted a five star review by the Charleston Post and Courier, and Lata hosted the first out-of-house James Beard event in the state of South Carolina.  It was also during these years that Lata’s active endorsement of local farmers helped guide the conscience of the Charleston culinary scene toward the appreciation of locally grown, seasonal foods.  While at Anson, Lata began a dialogue with then-Manager Adam Nemirow about a concept for a restaurant that fit with both men’s philosophies and styles.  They seized the opportunity to turn their dream into a reality, and began cooking up plans for their new restaurant, FIG, which they opened in 2003.  Since opening FIG, Lata has continued to garner praise from numerous local and national publications, and he has returned as a host of two more dinners at the James Beard house in New York, among other honors. A James Beard Award nominee in 2007 for Best Chef in the Southeast, Lata is a hard-working, enormously passionate chef who strives to refine and improve his cuisine every night, strongly believing that high-quality, fresh and seasonal ingredients are paramount for creating dishes that are clean, simple and delicious.  Lata’s European style and Lowcountry sensibilities combine to produce dishes that are wholly unique and truly special.