WHITE OAK CUISINE WITH CHEF REID

Last week we brought you a special Part I post on our recent trip to White Oak Pastures in Bluffton, Georgia. What you might not know is the farm is also home to an open-aired restaurant that primarily feeds their 100+ employees (from butchers & organic farmers, to office managers) Monday through Saturday, as well as farm guests. The restaurant features daily specials along with other regular daily menu items. They also offer a wide variety of items for sale in their store front ranging from home-made preserves and lip salve to BBQ rubs and seasonal gifts. We sat down with our friend and White Oak Pastures chef, Reid Harrison, to talk about culinary life on the farm.

Tell us about yourself: Matthew Reid Harrison, Chef/Manager of The Pavilion at White Oak Pastures

Hometown + Current city: Macon, GA & Bluffton, GA

What led you to culinary arts? Couldn’t deal with another calculus class... and I love cooking.

Describe the White Oak Pastures work environment: Family. Diverse. Passionate.

How has your work influenced your definition of personal health and wellness? It’s great having access to hormone/steroid free meats along with organic vegetables, so my diet has improved a great deal from the fast pace of city living. In addition to that, there isn’t a whole lot to do around here besides work, so I’ve become somewhat of a regular at the gym.

Personal mantra: You’re either green and growing or ripe and rotting.

All photos (c) of Haley Sheffield Photography.