In the interest of continuing our mission to celebrate local soul, we created an occasion to head to the heart of Macon.

Pull up a chair, and celebrate the food and flavors that our local chefs can offer. Presenting our first ever Chef Challenge. We asked three of Downtown Macon’s chefs to construct a dish that is emblematic of Georgia’s unique flavors.

From an agricultural standpoint, Georgia is best known as the nation’s number one producer of peanuts, poultry, pecans, blueberries, and spring onions. Of course, there are some flavors that are emblematic of Georgia’s culture, like peaches, Coca-Cola, or pimento cheese. The chefs were encouraged to get creative to make a dish that feels like our fair state and try to prioritize the use of local ingredients (like from our friends Poplar Street Farmers Market, Village Marketplace, or Comfort Farms).

Each of the restaurants – Dovetail, Braddock’s, and Olivers (featured respectively, in the photo above) – served up the challenge dish earlier in March, and diners were asked to vote for their favorite dish. In addition to our audience, Macon Magazine featured a panel of judges to try the specials and vote for themselves. Find out about this year’s entrants on our pages.