The fine dining pop-up Dogwood Table by chef Jared Hucks and drinks expert Adam Fox has announced its October event, a two-night collaboration with Atlanta Celebrates Photography. In celebration of ACP, Dogwood Table is hosting a dinner event at Gallery L1 on October 17 and 18, which will include aperitifs, snacks, five courses with wine pairings, and a viewing of ACP artists Ansley West Rivers and Wenxin Zhang.
Hucks and Fox launched Dogwood Table earlier this year, and they’ve recently returned to the scene after a hiatus. Their monthly dinner events are hosted in various locations throughout intown Atlanta, with an aim to offer an alternative to traditional fine dining options in the city. Where some pop-up events can feel literally thrown together in spaces that don’t quite match up with the food, Dogwood Table is successful in that their presentation feels more like a private party. Fox and Hucks offer food-drink pairings along with personal stories connected to what’s served, and carte blanche access to ask questions.
The concept was initially viewed by Hucks as an opportunity to explore what kind of tastes Atlantans would be interested in. The Brookhaven native and French Culinary Institute graduate spent almost two decades cooking at posh, notable restaurants throughout the world. Hucks was sous chef under chef Paul Ferzacca at La Tour in Vail, and chef de cuisine at the Vail Cascade Resort and Spa. He cooked at Midtown Manhattan’s Baldoria, with stints at Arzak in Spain, Noma in Denmark, as well as Australia, Thailand, and Atlanta’s own Bacchanalia.
Hucks says cooking at Noma (voted the World’s Best Restaurant this year, with a reputation for using unusual ingredients like wild ants and reindeer moss) expanded his outlook on food. “My time there heightened my awareness of the seemingly limitless abundance of ingredients (edible) that are provided to us by Mother Nature,” Hucks says.
Fox bartends the dinner events and puts on his sommelier hat for each course pairing.
“With cocktails, I’m looking for that balance of clean and complex…the same goes for pairing wine and food,” Fox says.
He developed his wine interests working under chef Antonio Biancho of Bischero in Athens. Fox also honed service skills abroad, working in restaurants in Italy and organic farms in Portugal and Morocco. He credits his introduction to craft cocktails to Eric Simpkins (Trois), and says he learned a lot from barkeeps Brian Stanger and Navarro Carr while working as a manager at Beleza Lounge. Fox also spent time at the Flat Iron in New York, before moving back to Atlanta.
Hucks and Fox met through a mutual friend, and developed Dogwood Table with their common ground in mind—Atlanta—its residents, its natural resources, and its creative outlook in the culinary industry. They named their event series for the popular tree found throughout Georgia, symbolizing diners coming together, rooted in a seasonal experience that celebrates the region, and influenced by the cultures both Hucks and Fox experienced in their widespread work and travels.
“I feel privileged to be part of a group of young and creative restaurant professionals leading Atlanta through its culinary evolution,” Fox says. “The attention to detail and personal touch we put on each plate is so fulfilling.”
For info on future events contact dogwoodtable@gmail.com or visit their Facebook page, facebook.com/DogwoodTable. Tickets to the Dogwood Table event on October 17 or 18, $130.
