Pastiche
BALL GROUND, GEORGIA | APRIL 2026
Presented by Russian River Valley Winegrowers
Just as spring was bursting into bloom, we arrived in the Appalachian foothills for Supper in historic Ball Ground, Georgia, just outside of Atlanta. The quaint village main street winds right to the driveway leading to the beautifully restored Wheeler House, a stately house is built of heart pine in the Southern Colonial style. We welcomed guests to the backyard with hundred-year-old oak trees towering over us, to try wines specially selected for this meal by our guest winemakers from Russian River Valley Winegrowers. Meanwhile, Chef Robert Butts was preparing a multi-course meal of Southern favorites over the coals on Big Green Egg grills set all along the brick pathways. Atlanta is the gills’ backyard, after all. After some time tasting, the huge doors of the barn eventually slid open to reveal a table winding between the gossamer-draped beams, a springtime scene set with blooming flowers and billowing linens.
A collage of story and influence emerged throughout the evening to create a beautiful moment in time, with details added by the unique stories supplied by every individual at the table. The dishes served all celebrated historic southern ingredients, made modern with French technique, paired with exceptional New World California wines and the stories told by the winemakers who poured them. The meal was cooked on grills made by an Atlanta-based company inspired by historic Japanese cooking vessels. It was served in the backyard of an over-one-hundred year old Georgian house, in a barn built of reclaimed wood from the Florida shores. The collection grew into something far more than the sum of its parts, something that could never be recreated, which only enhanced the beauty of the experience for those who were there to become a part of it.
WELCOME
Guests arrived at the Wheeler House to receive an empty glass and directed to the backyard, where winemakers from the Russian River Valley were waiting to pour samples of their wines. Each winemaker brought a few of their favorite selections to share before the paired dinner, so everyone enjoyed a splash of refreshing bubbles or got to sip something new. Meanwhile, the chef team were pulling appetizers straight off the grills to share!
A MENU BY ROBERT BUTTS
Chef Robert Butts is dedicated to telling the story of Southern food through technique and creativity. He dives into the history of the region’s ingredients, then pulls from his background in classical French technique to present Southern dishes in a new light. The resulting cuisine pays homage to the importance of dishes and ingredients like collard greens, hoppin’ John, and succotash while offering diners a chance to discover them anew, all while prioritizing local farmers and showcasing the diversity of the Georgia foodshed.
MENU
WELCOME
Smoked Salmon Crostini herb créme, pepper jam, bacon aioli
Red Eye Deviled Eggs coffee cured yolk, maple lardons,
black garlic
Atlanta Prawns citrus beurre blanc, culantro, hot sauce caviar
Guest Wineries:
Balletto Vineyards
Bricoleur Vineyards
Harper’s Rest
Limerick Lane Cellars
Martin Ray Winery
ISH London Botanical Spirit + tonic
TO START
Sweet Potato Milkbread brown sugar butter, blossom honey, smoked salt
Wine: 2020 Martin Ray Winery Brut Rosé
Oddbird Blanc de Blancs
FIRST
Collard Green Salad golden beets, garden herbs, praline oats, pickled radish, pecorino, raspberry vinaigrette
Wine: 2023 Bricoleur Vineyards Russian River Valley Chardonnay
Saint Viviana Sauvignon Blanc
SECOND
Mushroom Hoppin’ John Risotto Sea Island red peas, Charleston gold rice, smoked mushrooms
Wine: 2023 Harper’s Rest Moon Dust Vineyard Pinot Noir
Gnista Floral Wormwood
THIRD
Fumée Chicken citrus, succotash emulsion, herbed couscous, chimichurri
Wine: 2019 Balletto Vineyards BCD Vineyard Syrah
Lapo’s Spritz
MAIN
Smoked Lamb cocoa crusted lamb, sweet potato, smoked cherry demi
Wine: 2022 Limerick Lane Cellars Estate Cuvée, Russian River Valley
Saint Viviana Cabernet Sauvignon
DESSERT
Almond Cake lemon verbena, buttermilk ganache, Georgia strawberry compote, wildflower honey
Lapo’s Melograno Honey Spritz
WINE PAIRINGS
The highlight of the night was the group of guest winemakers from The Russian River Valley, who took the time to pour their own wines throughout the Supper, sharing stories of their harvest and creation while we all enjoyed perfectly paired dishes inspired by each selection. The winemakers sent chef a bottle of each pairing weeks before in order to help him create the menu, resulting in a unique and cohesive marriage of Southern cuisine and Northern California wines for us to share.
SECRET LOCATION: THE WHEELER HOUSE
The Wheeler House is a meticulously restored home from the early 1900s. While the house is the centerpiece, we were drawn to the other jewel on this property, the reclaimed wooden barn. Carefully nestled between three hundred-year-old oak trees, the barn was constructed with reclaimed wood from dismantled piers in Panama City, Florida. A close inspection will reveal notches in some of the beams, hewn from boat ties during their previous life.
The beautiful barn surrounded our gathering, a symbol of how craftsmanship and vision can span place and time.
