Meet the Chefs for A South You Never Ate: Jeremiah Langhorne, The Dabney, Petite Cerise
August 16, 2023A 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. Tix are limited and can be purchased here.
This is the first 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 Jeremiah Langhorne
His bio in a nutshell: Raised in Charlottesville, Chef Jeremiah is an award-winning Executive Chef and owner of Michelin-star rated restaurant The Dabney and the French-inspired Petite Cerise; both are in Washington, D.C. The Dabney ranks as the No. 1 restaurant in Washingtonian magazine’s 100 Best Restaurants list. Chef Jeremiah is a James Beard Award winner for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic and one of Gayot’s “Top Five Rising Chefs.” His signature is locally sourced ingredients celebrated creatively.
What Jeremiah loves about Eastern Shore food, culture: “I love that the Eastern Shore is like a time capsule of Chesapeake cuisine. It still has active access to traditions and classic professions like sourcing soft-shell crab, fishing, these kinds of vocations passed down through generations. I think it has maintained its identity through food more successfully than many other regions.”
A morsel about the dishes you will make for A South You Never Ate: “It’s honestly quite an organic, seasonal experience, so those of us participating won’t know exactly what we’re cooking with until a little closer to the event. That said, I can tell you I’ve requested some smaller fish. We’re looking to cook them over the fire, using native spices and wild herbs for seasoning, and pairing them with more classical Autumnal items, like roasted pumpkin and black-eyed-peas, cooked in a more traditional manner.”
His favorite Eastern Shore ingredient is . . . “I honestly don’t have favorites; there are too many that are good. They each have a different function that’s important and valuable.”
Etc: “I’m incredibly grateful for the work that Bernie Herman has done, both in writing this book and in celebrating the ingredients, traditions and history of the Eastern Shore. He is an invaluable member of the community, and I’m truly grateful to cook alongside him.”