FĪ(r)E
A fiery dining adventure under stars featuring an astonishingly badass pairing of renowned NC chefs, farmers, ranchers, and growers
ˈwīl(d)
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Being surrounded by 30 acres of forest, starlight, and fields of seasonal wildflowers.
Clinking glasses with an intimate group of fellow life-loving humans enjoying good conservation and REAL ingredients superbly cooked over open flames by an award-winning and truly innovative chef)
End the evening with dessert & drinks around a cozy bonfire taking in the night sky …a truly unique dining & gathering adventure you do not want to miss.
Fiery flames and slow-roasting meats and vegetables (Many sourced here in the Western NC mountains)
Smoke curling through the mountain air. Whole vegetables blistering over open flame. Fire-kissed meats slowly roasting as music drifts across flower fields and glasses clink beneath the fading light.
WILDFIRE is an immersive fire-to-table dining adventure where remarkable food, live fire, mountain air, music, and meaningful connection come together beneath the open sky in the Blue Ridge Mountains of NC. Thoughtfully sourced ingredients from Western North Carolina farms and ranches are transformed over flame as the evening unfolds slowly around glowing fires, conversation, botanical cocktails, local wine, and dessert shared around the bonfire long after dark.
Come for the food and fire. Leave wondering why life doesn’t always feel this alive.
Imagine...
MORE THAN A MEAL:
A TRULY
ONE-OF-A-KIND
NC MOUNTAIN EXPERIENCE!
Chef Chris Coleman, a culinary powerhouse and North Carolina native, discovered his culinary inspiration on his grandparents' Mississippi farm, fostering a deep connection to local ingredients and community.
Starting his culinary journey at 14 in a fish camp, Chris worked his way through the ranks, eventually becoming the head chef of the prestigious McNinch House in Charlotte, NC at just 21.
Driven by a profound passion for North Carolina's bounty, he curated The Market Kitchen, a pop-up series showcasing local, experimental cuisine. His culinary impact continued with The Asbury, a 40-seat farm-to-fork gem at The Dunhill Hotel, earning acclaim and multiple "Best of the Best" Awards.
Chef Alek Schober cooks with the quiet confidence of someone deeply connected to the land that feeds his kitchen. As a James Beard–nominated chef and Food & Beverage Director of Reid’s Café & Catering, The Beacon, and Betty’s Biscuits in the High Country Alek has built a reputation for thoughtful cuisine rooted in the seasons and landscapes of Western North Carolina.
An avid and highly experienced forager, Alek spends much of his time exploring the forests and fields of the Blue Ridge in search of wild mushrooms, herbs, and fleeting seasonal ingredients. That relationship with the land shapes the way he cooks — letting ingredients speak clearly while honoring the farmers, ranchers, and growers who steward this region.
At Reid’s, Alek is known for bringing refined technique to food that still feels grounded and generous — dishes that surprise and delight without losing their sense of place.
For Wildfire at Wildhaven, Chef Alek will create a seasonal fire-to-table gathering cooked entirely over live flame beneath the open sky. Drawing from nearby farms, forests, and fields, his menus will reflect both the height of summer and the early shift toward fall — an evening where remarkable food becomes part of something larger: connection, conversation, and shared experience around the fire.
As our 2026 Wildfire Guest Chef, Alek brings a spirit of curiosity, humility, and reverence for the land that aligns beautifully with Wildhaven’s values. This season’s gatherings will be guided by a simple intention — Awe and Ease — where the food, the fire, and the company around the table come together in a way that feels both extraordinary and effortless.
Wildfire Guest Chef 2026:
Food & Beverage Director of Reid’s, The Beacon, and Betty’s Biscuits
James Beard–nominated chef Alek Schober
Chef Alek Schober cooks with the quiet confidence of someone deeply connected to the land that feeds his kitchen. As Executive Chef and Food & Beverage Director for Reid’s Café & Catering in the High Country — and a James Beard–nominated chef — Alek has built a reputation for thoughtful cuisine rooted in the seasons and landscapes of Western North Carolina.
An avid and highly experienced forager, Alek spends much of his time exploring the forests and fields of the Blue Ridge in search of wild mushrooms, herbs, and fleeting seasonal ingredients. That relationship with the land shapes the way he cooks — letting ingredients speak clearly while honoring the farmers, ranchers, and growers who steward this region.
At Reid’s, Alek is known for bringing refined technique to food that still feels grounded and generous — dishes that surprise and delight without losing their sense of place.
For Wildfire at Wildhaven, Chef Alek will create a seasonal fire-to-table gathering cooked entirely over live flame beneath the open sky. Drawing from nearby farms, forests, and fields, his menus will reflect both the height of summer and the early shift toward fall — an evening where remarkable food becomes part of something larger: connection, conversation, and shared experience around the fire.
As our 2026 Wildfire Guest Chef, Alek brings a spirit of curiosity, humility, and reverence for the land that aligns beautifully with Wildhaven’s values. This season’s gatherings will be guided by a simple intention — Awe and Ease — where the food, the fire, and the company around the table come together in a way that feels both extraordinary and effortless.
Meet our chef:
SIA Provisions & TUE Wines
Chef alex schober
mike & sara Hedge
hedge family farm
What began somewhat unexpectedly in 2022 as “playing in the dirt” quickly became a deep love for growing, seasonality, and the quiet magic of life rooted in the land. Today, Cass tends the small but ever-evolving fields of Wildhaven with a focus on chemical-free growing, culinary herbs, edible flowers, heirloom tomatoes, mountain-grown cut flowers, and beneficial native plants designed to support both beauty and biodiversity.
ROUNDING OUT THE A WILDFIRE TEAM:
Hedge Family Farm is a small regenerative farm in Happy Valley, NC founded by Mike and Sara Hedge in 2020. Known for vibrant seasonal vegetables, no-spray growing practices, and an obsession with flavor over convenience, the farm grows thoughtfully cultivated produce rooted in soil health, biodiversity, and joy. Their vegetables will help shape this season’s Wildfire menu, bringing the flavors of summer in Western North Carolina directly to the table.
Linville Falls Winery is a near and dear neighbor to Wildhaven less than 10 minutes down the road!
Owner, Jack Wiseman had dreamed of growing grapes and opening a winery for more than 60 years. Now, he gets to work alongside his family, pioneering High Country-grown wine in Linville Falls
Tina Houston is the owner of Reid’s Café & Catering, The Beacon Butcher Bar, Betty’s Biscuits, and Pearl’s Kitchen, and a longtime pillar of the High Country food community. Known for her commitment to seasonal ingredients, scratch-made food, and thoughtful hospitality, Tina has spent more than two decades helping shape the Appalachian dining scene through food rooted deeply in both place and people. She will join Chef Alek Schober in bringing this season’s Wildfire gathering to life.
Tina houston
Owner, Reid's cafE
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A welcome cocktail in our garden
What's Included?
Tour of Wildhaven grounds and insight into future plans
Post-dinner bonfire (complete with dessert & beverage)
A WNC farm-to-table dining adventure like none other!
Our sincerest thanks for sharing in our dream and supporting local farmers/ranchers/growers & land restoration and conservation efforts
(…plus a few surprises. You didn't expect to know all of the fun, did you?)
for only TWO night's only this season:Saturday, July 25 and September 12
for this limited-seating/truly unique dining experience at Wildhaven Farm & Forest Retreat celebrating both the Summer and Fall seasons with masterful seasonal dishes, fire-prepared by Chef Alek Schober, table-side and under the stars.
Join us
in an inspired seasonal menu & truly unique experience while knowing you supported your local farmers/ranchers & dreamers
DELIGHT
in nature, rustic fine dining & casually unhurried conversation with soon-to-be new friends
FIND JOY
around wonky/upcyled wooden nursery tables under the night sky for an intimate and fiery dining experience on 30 feral acres of mountain magic
gather
"This is the power of gathering:
it inspires us, delightfully, to be more hopeful, more joyful, more thoughtful: in a word,
more alive.”
Reserve a seat at our table
