Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1532159
Dovetail The dish: A BBQ-rubbed, grilled pork tenderloin with turnip puree, braised mustard greens, pork jus, and cane syrup reduction with toasted pecan garnish Location & Hours: 543 Cherry St., Suite B, above The Rookery Executive Chef: Benjamin Banks Owner: The Moonhanger Group Opened: 2012 The style: Dovetail is crafted Southern cuisine, thoughtfully constructed using locally sourced ingredients, prepared with intention and respect for our local communities and culture. A highlight dish or two: My personal favorite has been our grilled, bone-in pork chop served with Parmesan grits, and a lovely and robust butternut squash curry. Crowd favorites consistently include our pan-seared sea scallops with pimento cheese risotto, and our filet mignon with buttermilk mashed potatoes and a warm, bacon vinaigrette spinach salad topping. Price range: $50-$100 Seating: 69 to 73 seats total Why Macon? I was born in Macon, lived downtown, and have made important connections and memories here. It feels like a homecoming coming to Dovetail, and I'm excited and honored to represent it. Downtown Macon has an energy that brings out the best in me with all its creative people hard at work pursuing their passion. Thoughts, insights, and inspirations: ON INSPIRATION TO BECOME A CHEF It all comes down to my grandma and me sitting, waiting at the table for one of her biscuits. She was the family matriarch and the one who gathered us all together. I got to stay with her on weekends and for weeks over the summer. It was effortless and almost a ballet for her to prepare a meal for five or six people three times a day. And she was a teacher. Her food – those biscuits were so good – but what I took away was more than that. It was the feeling she created, the culture she made among us. Food was the binding agent that pulled us together. I feel a duty to honor her. I want to create and serve great dishes, but I want people to get more. I want to help create that same warm atmosphere that pulls people together. ON MENTORS AND THE DUTY TO MENTOR OTHERS I've worked in a lot of restaurants since I was 15, and I've learned from a lot of people. I've known Brad Stevens since about 2010. He was executive chef at Dovetail and when he became culinary director for The Moonhanger Group about eight months ago, he hit me up on Instagram asking if I was interested in interviewing. It felt almost like a divine moment. February/March 2025| maconmagazine.com 43 "It was the feeling she created, the culture she made among us. Food was the binding agent that pulled us together." Continued on Page 46