The year was 1999 and Wintergreen-based chef, Ellen English, was at a turning point: She’d helmed Trillium House—then one of the South’s most celebrated culinary inns—for 15 years, but the owners were retiring and closing shop.
“I passionately loved where I lived, but there weren’t a lot of options for continuing my career at that level locally,” says English, a Culinary Institute of America graduate. “I didn’t want to move, but I was at a loss about what to do next.”
A hint came when former regulars—including one of the resort’s original developers—reached out about in-home dinners. Demanding professional lives left little time for cooking, and families missed the experience of sharing home cooked meals around the dining room table.
“It was almost like they were asking me to be a surrogate family member,” says English. “There was something very special about that, so I decided to give it a try.”
With little catering experience, English drew from Trillium House’s prix fixe playbook and approached the business like an ultra-personalized restaurant. She overhauled her home kitchen, worked with patrons to hash out custom weekly seasonal menus in advance, and delivered meals once or twice a week. Their glowing reception led to more clients and special events like birthday parties and weddings.
“Things snowballed over time, and soon enough I found myself working with many of the area’s most affluent families and estates,” says English. Weekends began to bring events like fundraising parties, 11-course Downton Abbey-style dinner parties, and more.
“I guess you could say my career arc has been a bit surreal,” says English with a laugh. “But in all seriousness, clients trust me to provide great meals for some of their most intimate and important occasions. I take that responsibility extremely seriously, and feel blessed and honored to be able to ensure that those meals will go off without a hitch.”
—by Eric J. Wallace
