Blog
Blog
A South You Never Ate at Chatham Vineyards on Oct. 28 will celebrate the foodways of Virginia’s Eastern Shore along with the culture and stories behind them. This progressive dinner of all tapas includes an open bar with Eastern Shore beer and Chatham wine and a signature surprise cocktail. Twelve chefs have committed their time to crafting two dishes apiece for the small plates that will showcase some of the Shore’s most distinct ingredients.
This is another in a Meet the Chefs series that will introduce an all-star lineup of creative cooks who have committed their time to make this an unforgettable farm-to-table experience.
The scoop on Tim Buell
His bio in a nutshell: The Dabney’s Chef de Cuisine, Tim worked in Michelin-starred kitchens around the world before joining the team at the Washington, D.C. restaurant. His love of cooking and passion for exploring the history of food took him from upstate New York to Charleston, South Carolina, San Francisco, California and Switzerland. Tim grew up near Albany where his culinary career started as a dishwasher. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, he moved to Charleston to work at an esteemed Sullivan’s Island restaurant under Chef Jacques Larson. From there, Tim moved to San Francisco with the opportunity to work under Chef David Barzelay at the two-starred Michelin restaurant Lazy Bear. Before joining the team at The Dabney, Tim worked in Europe and brought home new perspectives on the origins of American cuisine and techniques.
What Tim loves about Eastern Shore food, culture: “I love that the Eastern Shore is a true community made up of people who continually try to make each other's lives more enjoyable and full of excitement in regard to food. Everyone is bringing something to the table, whether it’s lending land to raise heritage sheep or being ready to jump into brackish waters and show a bunch of city people how it’s done on the Eastern Shore. Everyone shows up to help everyone, which is almost impossible to find in this day and age. I really appreciate the dedication to building a community.”
His favorite Eastern Shore ingredient is … oysters! “Oysters from the East Coast and specifically, the Eastern Shore, have opened my eyes to the terroir and the pure deliciousness that the Chesapeake Bay has to offer. I can't wait to keep pushing the boundaries on what we can do with a product that you can't find anywhere else but the Eastern Shore.”
Etc.: “Thank you everyone for including me in this tight knit community after only being here for two years!”