Chef Joseph Lenn grew up with a love of home-cooked meals served at the tables of his mom and granny in the foothills of East Tennessee’s Great Smoky Mountains. He’s adopted and elevated the cooking of his youth in his role as executive chef of The Barn at Blackberry Farm. Lenn’s take on foothills cuisine won him the 2013 James Beard Award for Best Chef Southeast and made him the first chef from Tennessee to earn the culinary community’s highly coveted award.

Lenn, who began as an intern at 4,200-acre Blackberry Farm in Walland, Tennessee, has led the kitchen at The Barn since 2010. The food he serves is inspired by the bounty of the surrounding area—trout, ramps, wild mushrooms, and crayfish. “We make our own pickles and preserves here,” says the Johnston & Wales graduate, whose menus incorporate heirloom vegetables and fruits from the property’s expansive garden.

Recipes include

1 -Smoked Moulard Duck with Parsnip Puree, Farro, and Citrus

2 -Toasted Buckwheat with Grilled Broccolini and Butternut Romesco Sauce

3 -Kale Salad with Creamy Garlic Thyme Dressing

4 -Benton’s Bacon-wrapped Rabbit with Cabbage, Roasted Carrots, and Mustard Glazed Turnips