/ Dinner /
WHEN SWANSON’S TV DINNER MET TECHNICOLOR
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 9
6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
THE RESTORATION HOTEL
ASHEVILLE, NC
$250 PER PERSON
All ticket sales + donations fund directly our industry-leading honorariums for our culinary + beverage presenters
Darren Fallon is Director of Beverage at The Restoration Hotel Collection. Originally starting out as a server in 2015, he quickly transitioned into bartending where his passion and expertise for mixing spirits and developing unexpected flavor profiles earned him the title of Director of Beverage for The Restoration’s two hotels in Charleston and Asheville where he oversees the cocktail program for four different restaurant concepts. A life long learner at his craft, Darren has won the Iron Bartender and Battle of the Decades competitions in Charleston, and attended Bourbon Camp and Tiki By the Sea in New Jersey.
Chef Dorian is originally from Canton, OH and currently lives in Cartersville, Ga with her
husband and 2 children. Chef Dorian is the 5th of 10 children from James Hunter and the late
Phyllis Hunter. Chef Dorian’s love for food started at an early age. Chef Dorian grew up
watching her mom cooking and her dad baking in the kitchen. Cooking alongside her mother
helped to grow her passion for food. Chef Dorian went on to obtain her Associates Degree of
Science and her Le Courdon Bleu certification in Culinary Arts from McIntosh College in Dover,
New Hampshire.
Chef Dorian has been named MasterChef season 10 winner, the biggest season ever. Chef
Dorian is the first African-American female winner in the show’s history. Chef Dorian is also the
oldest contestant to win MasterChef. Chef Dorian specializes in elevating southern food
without losing that traditional southern taste.
Chef Dorian’s growth as a person and a chef has been inspirational. Chef Dorian proved to
herself, the judges and the world that she was a force to be reckoned win. Chef Dorian won
several challenges during the show and amazed Chef Gordon Ramsay, Chef Aaron Sanchez, Joe
Bastianich and the fans of MasterChef with her elevated southern flavors. Chef Dorian
understood early in the competition that it was important to listen to the advice given by the
judges, and that it was important to embrace the black apron, because it meant that she would
be able to learn and cook more. This strategy allowed the judges to see her grow each time she
was in an elimination challenge. Chef Dorian’s ability to learn and adapt, helped to propel her
to the final 3 and beat the other 2 contestants in the show’s finale. Chef Dorian won the grand
prize of $250,000, a new Viking appliances kitchen set, along with coveted trainings at one of
each of Chef Gordon Ramsay, Chef Aaron Sanchez, and Joe Bastianich restaurants. In addition
to the grand prize, Chef Dorian also won $5000 in BrevilleUSA kitchen appliances for her win
with the Pink Champagne cake, that was dedicated in memory to her mother.
Since winning MasterChef, she was named a finalist on the new groundbreaking competition
“The Great Soul Food Cookoff” cooking show on Discovery+ & OWN. A first-of-its-kind soul food
cooking competition series celebrating Black chefs and the Black culinary traditions that are the
cornerstone of American cuisine. Chef Dorian was also featured on the 30th season of Beat
Bobby Flay! on Food Network. She has also been featured in various magazines, newspapers,
morning shows & nationally syndicated television shows.
Chef Dorian has been actively engaged with her fans by participating in onsite and virtual events
where they can come watch or cook along with her while listening to her story. Chef Dorian is
currently working on different recipes in preparation for the release of her first cookbook. Chef
Dorian has also been working alongside various charities such as WINGS, TruBlue 1881 and a
host of religious organizations. The ability to help raise money and awareness for these
organizations is very important, and she will continue to dedicate her time and resources to
benefit her charitable endeavors.
Félix Meana comes from the small town of Roses on the Costa Brava in Catalunya, Spain.
Roses is the location of what was—until it closed in 2011— Ferran Adrià’s world-famous
restaurant, elBulli, where Felix worked as a front of the house service manager for five
years.
At the age of 19, Felix began his career in hospitality by co-owning a bar with his brother,
Cesar Meana, called L’Hort D´En Minguets. His desire for adventure and travel took him to a
Pal-Arinsal, a ski resort in the Pyrenees mountains of Andorra, where he built his career
from bartender to Assistant-Director of Restaurants for the next eight years. Félix wanted
to learn more about fine dining and excellent service, so he returned to his hometown and
joined the team at elBulli, an experience that opened doors at other world-classrestaurants, including La Terraza del Casino in Madrid with chef Paco Roncero and Washington, DC with José Andrés and ThinkFoodGroup, where he met and fell in love with Katie Button. At ThinkFoodGroup, Félix aided in the opening and development of newrestaurants, including The Bazaar by José Andrés in the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills, Las Vegas, South Beach, and Puerto Rico as the Director of Service.
Félix and Katie married, moved to Asheville and opened Cúrate Bar de Tapas with her
family. Since, they have grown the Cúrate brand to include Cúrate Trips, Cúrate
Wine Club, Cúrate at Home and most recently, La Bodega by Cúrate.
Through Félix’s close relationships with importers and wineries throughout Spain, Cúrate
has received numerous accolades for its wine program, including being named one of the
Best 100 Wine Restaurants in the nation by Wine Enthusiast. Under Félix’s direction, Cúrate
Bar de Tapas won the 2022 James Beard Foundation award for Outstanding Hospitality.
Chef Katie Button is a TV host on Magnolia Network, and co-founder of Asheville, North Carolina’s beloved Cúrate, a JBF Award-winning collection of restaurants with an online marketplace and wine club, and culinary journeys that create exceptional and experiential access to Spanish culture.
An Eastern North Carolina native, Chef Keith Rhodes, is owner of Catch Modern Seafood Restaurant, Catch the Food Truck and TackleBox Foodtruck located in Wilmington, NC, where he offers his unique signature on New Southern Cuisine with international inspiration.
Chef Rhodes has a lifetime of roots sewn here in our coastal community, in which he credits his grandfather for his “farm to table” approach. In addition to supporting local purveyors, fishermen and farmers, Chef Rhodes is always proud to give back to his community by visiting local grade schools, colleges and military bases to share his knowledge on food culture and cuisine along with educating groups on food deserts, sustainability policies and food advocacy.
With Wilmington also being known as a “Hollywood East” destination, Chef Rhodes has hosted both film and television personalities from Gwyneth Paltrow & Robert Downey Jr, to Morris Chestnut & Melissa McCarthy. He’s won numerous awards and accolades, some which include *Best Chef & Best Foodtruck (4 years in a row) Encore Magazine *NC Goodness Grows Best Dish for Fine & Casual Dining *Chef-testant on Bravo’s Top Chef (Season 9) *James Beard “Best Chef Southeast” Semi Finalist 2011 & 2023
In addition to being a Gullah Culinarian (US Park Service), Chef Rhodes is a 2023 NC Restaurant & Lodging Association Board of Trustees Member.
He has represented the NC Department of Tourism on several media missions, been featured in several publications such as Our State Magazine and Garden & Gun. In 2017 he was a James Beard Foundation guest chef onboard its Windstar Cruise Line, where his menu items are still featured today.
This past September, Chef Rhodes was a featured guest of World Renowned/International YouTube Food Blogger, Mark Wiens, which cast a spotlight on Wilmington and its coastal cuisine, with a video of 3 MILLION views. Another YouTube video blogger, Buzzfeed, “Is it Worth It” garnered over 2 MILLION views.
When he’s not treating his diners to the best seasonal offerings at Catch, you can find him traveling and spending time with his amazing wife of 33 years, Angela and their two adult children, Kristen and Keith Jr.
Marta Plana, founder of this young company, is originally from Catalonia, born and raised in a small coastal town just south of Barcelona, in the Penedes area. She has been working in the wine industry for over 20 years, working hand-in-hand with wineries from all over Spain. For the past 15 years, she focused on the US market where she learned and experienced the importance of consistency, coherence and also the “road to market,” defining goals that are instrumental in the success of any wine brand that wants to offer something unique to the United States.
Established in 2017, The Winetones, Inc. is a wine importing company, representing 3 standout portfolios into the US and offering a great spectrum of what Spain has to offer.
Catalan Winetones: The portfolio that gives the name to the company, is a curated selection of family owned wineries from all over Catalonia, considered among the top within their regions.
Democratic Wines: The home of a few truly fresh and modern brands, that gives a twist to the most traditional and popular wine-based drinks from Spain. Brands that have really the Barcelona vibe!
Vintae: Vintae is an innovative, young and dynamic family owned group of wineries, which elaborates wine in 15 different Designations of Origin in north Spain. A portfolio full of great value wines from the most well known regions from the north and some unique gems from those same regions.
Miles Macquarrie is the Beverage Director and Co-Owner of Kimball House in Decatur, GA
With Macquarrie at the helm, Kimball House is a six-time James Beard
Foundation nominee for Outstanding Bar Program.
Chef Ricky Moore – the James Beard Foundation winner for “Best Chef Southeast” and self-professed North Carolina seafood evangelist – opened the popular Saltbox Seafood Joint® in 2012 in Durham, North Carolina. Praised by Saveur as “a tiny but mighty seafood shack,” Saltbox Seafood Joint takes inspiration from his native Eastern Carolina coast and its traditional roadside fish shacks. Early in his career, Moore served as a cook in the US Army before attending and graduating from the esteemed Culinary Institute of America. After kitchen stints in some of the world’s most prestigious kitchens from DC to Chicago, Moore competed against Chef Michael Symon on “Iron Chef America.” In Durham, Moore found success with Saltbox Seafood Joint, and debuted the Saltbox Seafood Joint® Cookbook in 2019 – with 60 recipes celebrating his coastal culinary heritage. In 2020, Discover awarded Saltbox Seafood Joint® $25,000 for its #EatItForward campaign for black-owned restaurateurs and MOFAD included it in its Black History Month exhibit, “African/American: Making the Nation’s Table.” Today Moore continues to fulfill his lifelong dream as an entrepreneur, professional, and preserver of North Carolina fisherman and foodways, and is a member of the NC Oyster Trail and on the Advisory Board for the NC Sea Grant.
Sera Cuni is the chef and owner of Cafe Root Cellar in Pittsboro and The Root Cellar Cafe and Catering in Chapel Hill. Classically trained in the culinary arts, Chef Sera launched her career in her home state of Connecticut, where she worked with restaurants Main and Hopewell, Americus on the Wharf, and Pastis, all in Connecticut. These early kitchen experiences helped to inform and influence the cuisine she loves to cook today – creative and flavorful dishes that reflect the vast diversity of foods across the Midwestern and Southern United States.A founding member of the North Carolina Chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier and a selected member of Sterling Silver’s Signature Chefs, Chef Sera devotes her free time to supporting other women culinary entrepreneurs and working with nonprofits to address food insecurity in North Carolina.
Georgia born French-trained chef Virginia Willis has foraged for berries in the Alaskan wilderness, harvested capers in the shadow of a smoldering volcano in Sicily, and executed the food styling for a Super Bowl commercial seen by over 160 million people.
Beginning in 2019 Virginia lost 65 pounds and has kept it off for over 2 ½ years. Her inspiring health journey – with her trademark good and good-for-you recipes – has been featured on the Rachael Ray Show, in Eating Well magazine, All Recipes, AARP, and Woman’s World.
She is an James Beard award-winning cookbook author in addition to many other awards and accolades. Her cookbooks include Fresh Start; Secrets of the Southern Table; Lighten Up, Y’all’; Bon Appétit, Y’all; Basic to Brilliant, Y’all; Okra; and Grits.
Virginia has embraced her new outlook on life and has become a cheerleader for those wanting to make their own life changes, “If a French-trained Southern chef can do it, you can, too!” Learn more about Virginia and follow her good and good for you recipes and traveling exploits at www.virginiawillis.com.
| Cùrate Spanish Wine Club is a monthly wine delivery service, designed by the curators of Cùrate Bar de Tapas’ award-winning wine list. And every subscription comes with (extra) special perks. |
Eda Rhyne is a small batch distillery that showcases the abundant flora of the Southern Appalachians, and specializing in Amaros. We make award winning spirits using foraged ingredients from the forests of Western North Carolina and whiskey from heirloom NC grown grains.
We pride ourselves on truth, integrity, and pure American spring water. Rising naturally from a spring in the Ouachitas, The Mountain Valley spring water filters through granite-based aquifers collecting all the pure, healthy, goodness from the land. Our water is sodium-free with a naturally detoxifying pH and rich blend of calcium, magnesium and potassium.
PURE SOURCE SINCE 1871
Mountain Valley is the same multiple award-winning clean, pure, premium American spring water it’s always been. Bottled right at the source, in The Ouachita Mountains, U.S.A since 1871
We bring the best beers from around the world to one place. In craft beer jargon, a “WHALE” refers to a sought-after, legendary, and amazing beer. With our locations in Asheville, Greenville SC, and Charleston SC, we offer a sophisticated, fun, and unique approach to craft beer.
Established in 2017, The Winetones, Inc. is a wine importing company, representing 3 standout portfolios into the US and offering a great spectrum of what Spain has to offer.
As a world leader in premium spirits, Beam Suntory inspires the brilliance of life. With a performance objective of being the world’s most admired and fastest growing premium spirits company, we’re driving growth through quality craftsmanship, consumer connections and entrepreneurial spirit.
With over 200 brands and sales in more than 180 countries, we offer something for every taste and celebration.
Our portfolio spans the spectrum of tastes and occasions, moving at pace with the latest trends. From much-loved, established brands to the latest innovations, we provide products, tastes and experiences for people to enjoy as part of celebrations big or small.
We are dedicated to one thing at Diamond Brand: practicing, preserving, and elevating the art of tent making. Since relocating to Asheville in 1942, we’ve been manufacturing and hiring locally, because we believe in reviving the craft of sewing. See what our customers have to say about our gear.
Got to Be NC is an initiative on behalf of the North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services to promote North Carolina agricultural products and goods. Our mission is to promote and expand markets for North Carolina agricultural products both domestically and internationally in support of our state’s $95+ billion plus food, fiber and forestry industries.
In 2005, the Goodness Grows in NC program was rebranded as Got to Be NC. From then to now, our work with North Carolina growers and agricultural organizations continues to raise the awareness and availability of North Carolina products to consumers both locally and around the world.
Our Spices Are…
We source directly from quality suppliers in small quantities, anywhere from twenty-five to one hundred pounds in a delivery. This method of buying and receiving smaller shipments ensures the freshness of the product not only for our benefit, but for the benefit of our customers. This is also why we roast, grind, and pack our spices in small batches.
CHEF DRIVEN
As a spice company founded by a James Beard Award-winning chef, it is our pursuit of superior flavour and taste that drives us. We carry that “taste-making” approach into selecting our spices and creating our Signature Blends & Rubs.
VAST + DIVERSE
From our takes on the classics like Garam Masala and Herbs de Provence, to our Signature Blends like Cowboy Grilling Rub and Chai Masala, professional and home chefs alike can find every spice they need. With over 100 different herbs and spices in our stock, and more than 30 original specialty blends, Spicewalla can fulfill all your spice needs.
