Bode Chattanooga guests got more than they bargained for when Scenic City Supper Clubbers spilled across the lobby of the new West Village hotel, mingling with the travelers over cocktails at tucked-in tables.
The diners, however, got exactly what they'd come for: a gourmet meal curated by area chefs.
For the series' Midsummer Night's Supper, Vishwesh Bhatt traveled in from Oxford, Mississippi, where he is the executive chef of Snackbar. The 2019 James Beard Award winner of Best Chef: South, Bhatt is known for blending the flavors of his native India with dishes from his adopted home on the Gulf Coast, sourcing ingredients locally whenever possible.
Sharing the stage with local chefs Erik Niel of Easy Bistro & Bar and Main Street Meats, Jeremy Auspitz of Alimentari Cucina e Bar, and Shane Lee Stone of High Haute Foods, Bhatt helped harvest the flavors of the season with dishes including a shaved summer-vegetable salad and cured swordfish served with cucumber, grilled peaches and sweet peppers.
Bhatt's signature style shone through in the evening's main course: ras el hanout-rubbed quail with grits, smoky, stew-like zaalouk, and harissa vinaigrette.