NINA COMPTON

May 12

A native of St. Lucia, Nina Compton has trained in French, Caribbean and Italian kitchens. She has worked under renowned chefs such as Daniel Boulud and Scott Conant. With the excitement of the renovation of the famed Fontainebleau Miami Beach in 2008, Nina leapt at the chance to join the pre-opening team as Sous Chef and went on to be appointed Chef de Cuisine, where she earned raves and accolades. During a star turn on Bravo’s acclaimed cooking competition show, “Top Chef,” on which she was a finalist and fan favorite, Nina fell in love with the Crescent City. An opportunity with Provenance Hotels lured Nina to New Orleans where she opened her first solo restaurant, Compère Lapin.

COST: Dinner with wine pairing, $165. Dinner without wine pairing, $130

ALON SHAYA

June 9

Alon Shaya is Executive Chef and partner of Shaya, Domenica and its more casual sister restaurant, Pizza Domenica. As Chef de Cuisine at Besh Steak in Harrah's Casino, New Orleans, Alon worked closely with Chef John Besh. In 2009, Alon and Chef Besh forged a partnership to open Domenica, a family-oriented, authentic Italian restaurant in New Orleans Historic Roosevelt Hotel. In 2010, Esquire Magazine named Shaya one of four "Chefs to Watch," and Shaya was named "Chef of the Year" by Eater New Orleans. New Orleans Magazine honored him as "Chef of the Year" in 2012. In 2012, 2013 and 2014, Alon was a finalist for a coveted James Beard Foundation Award in the "Best Chef: South" category and in 2015, he won the award. Shaya was recognized by Esquire and Eater as "Best New Restaurant in America" for 2015. Shaya is a 2016 James Beard finalist for "Best New Restaurant.

COST: Dinner with wine pairing, $165. Dinner without wine pairing, $130

ISAAC TOUPS

June 16

Cooking the food that’s closest to his heart has earned Chef Isaac Toups rave reviews. Chef Toups represents the new guard of Cajun chefs for his updated sophisticated approach for a cuisine that’s best known for deep rustic flavors. His culinary style is the direct result of growing up in Rayne, La (in the heart of Cajun country) and his New Orleans fine dining experience in Emeril Lagasse’s kitchens. Since opening Toups’ Meatery with his wife Amanda in 2012, Chef Toups has three times been named a James Beard “Best Chef: South” semifinalist, and is a 2016 finalist. Chef Toups recently made it to the top four on Bravo’s “Top Chef California” and was voted the Fan Favorite.

COST: Dinner with wine pairing, $165. Dinner without wine pairing, $130

FRANK STITT

June 30: SOLDOUT

Considered by many to be the godfather of Southern cuisine, Frank Stitt is acclaimed for his restaurants Highlands Bar & Grill, Chez Fon and Bottega. Highlands Bar & Grill has been named a James Beard finalist for the coveted “Outstanding Restaurant” award for a record eight years, including 2016. Stitt has won the James Beard Award for the “Best Chef of the Southeast” and was inducted into the James Beard Foundation’s "Who's Who of Food and Beverage" in 2011. He received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Southern Foodways Alliance for his elevation of Southern cuisine and his early advocacy of locally-grown food. He is the author of Frank Stitt's Southern Table and Frank Stitt's Bottega Favorite.

ADAM EVANS & JUSTIN DEVILLIER

ADAM EVANS AND JUSTIN

July 14

ADAM EVANS

Adam Evans recently joined Brezza Cucina as chef-partner at celebrity chef Jonathan Waxman’s new restaurant venture at Ponce City Market. Born and raised in Muscle Shoals, Ala., many of Evans’ early memories involve food. Since his arrival to Atlanta via New York City in 2009, Evans has garnered numerous accolades, including a nomination for Food & Wine’s “People’s Best New Chef” 2015. He made an impact on the city’s culinary landscape through his signature seafood dishes at The Optimist, bringing national recognition including a “‘Best Seafood Restaurant in the U.S.” accolade from Travel + Leisure. His accomplished career also has included tenure under such notable chefs and restaurateurs as The Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group in New Orleans and Tom Collichio’s Craft.

JUSTIN DEVILLIER

Born in California, Chef Justin Devillier moved to New Orleans in 2003 and began working in the kitchens of restaurants such as Bacco, Stella and Peristyle, and joined the staff of La Petite Grocery in 2004. He became Executive Chef in 2007 after helping re-establish the restaurant after Hurricane Katrina. He and his wife bought La Petite Grocery in 2010, and he has since been nominated in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016 as a finalist by The James Beard Foundation for the “Best Chef: South” Award, and was also named 2014’s “Chef of the Year” by New Orleans Magazine. Devillier’s second restaurant, named Balise after the first French settlement at the mouth of the Mississippi River, opened in the Central Business District of New Orleans in early 2015.

COST: Dinner with wine pairing, $165. Dinner without wine pairing, $130

RYAN PREWITT AND BLACKBERRY FARM BREWERY

July 21

Ryan Prewitt began his career at Le Petite Robert Bistro, before moving to New Orleans to work with Chef Donald Link at Herbsaint where he became Chef de Cuisine in 2009. He subsequently moved on to oversee culinary operations at Link Restaurant Group as Executive Chef. As a member of the Fatback Collective, a group of Southern chefs who have compiled numerous accolades and awards in restaurants across the South, Ryan has learned new traditions and techniques from many talented BBQ pitmasters and has traveled to Uruguay to study traditional open-fire cooking. These experiences, along with a trip to observe grilling techniques in Spain, culminated in the opening of Pêche Seafood Grill. Ryan received the James Beard Foundation Award for “Best Chef: South” in May 2014, the same year Pêche earned the James Beard Award for “Best New Restaurant.” Brewmaster Roy Milner from the prestigious Blackberry Farm Brewery will also join Chef Prewitt to present a beer pairing dinner.

COST: Dinner with beer pairing, $165

BILL SMITH

Aug. 11

Smith is as well known for his sumptuous take on Southern comfort food as he is for his exceptional food writing — including the New York Times Notable and Food & Wine Best-of-the-Best cookbook Seasoned in the South and the bestselling Savor the South title, Crabs & Oysters. Smith is the only James Beard Foundation “America’s Classic Restaurant” chef to have also been named a final-five finalist for Best Chef in the Southeast — and twice.

COST: Dinner with wine pairing, $180. Dinner without wine pairing, $145