Cityview Magazine’s Top Chefs 2022 Competition

This year, we were beyond thrilled to learn that our very own Chef Darin Hoagland was invited to participate in Cityview Magazine’s Top Chefs competition! Each spring there are seven, one-night-only events that happen throughout Knoxville where seven restaurant’s chefs are invited to participate in a competition that is all about bringing an unforgettable experience to all who attend. During the event guests had the opportunity to enjoy an exceptional hand-picked menu curated by Chef Darin as well as an unforgettable dining experience. Ticket sales benefitted East Tennessee Children's Hospital.

We are happy to report that this year, $28,800 was donated to East Tennessee’s Children’s Hospital.

The Curated Menu

Chef Darin curated a menu that drew on his journey as a chef thus far. With a cameo of a Royale favorite to homages to his time in Florida and childhood favorites, the menu was as eclectic as the evening!

Appetizer - Tuna Sashimi

A dish that is commonly requested, the Tuna Sashimi is made with kimchi mayo, sweet soy reduction, scallions, pickled ginger, wasabi cream cheese, crispy wonton, and tobiko. This appetizer is paired with J Vineyards ‘J’ Brut Rose, Russian River Valley.

Entree - Caribbean Jerked Black Grouper

This entree is made with okinawan purple sweet potato, papaya, mango, kiwi salsa, crispy plantains, and coconut beurre blanc. The Grouper goes great with a glass of 2019 Pieropan Calvarino, Italy.

Dessert - Strawberry Rhubarb

This dessert is made in phyllo with whipped vanilla ricotta, sweet cream, strawberry caviar, and spun sugar. Who doesn’t love a glass of wine with their dessert? This one pairs great with a 2019 Ratti Ochetti Nebbiolo, Italy.

Results are in!

This event was one of the best nights of Chef Darin’s career! While the experience was intense and exhilarating, Chef Darin performed some of his best work under pressure! When asked what his proudest moment of the evening was, he said it was after competing in the event with his staff. Being able to see how proud everyone was of themselves meant the most to him and was the biggest reward of the evening.

The results of the 2022 Top Chefs Competition are in!

APPETIZER

1ST PLACE – Tuna Sashimi Crisp

DESSERT

2ND PLACE – Strawberry Rhubarb

EXPERIENCE

3RD PLACE – Darin Hoagland

We couldn’t be more proud of Chef Darin and the entire Oliver Royale team! We can’t wait for next year’s competition!

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P.S. Don’t forget about our Q2 fundraiser for Knoxville Habitat for Humanity happening now through June 30th. For every Royale Roulette or Librarian Recommendation (PKL) ordered - a $1 donation will be made on your behalf to Knoxville Habitat for Humanity, as well as a percentage of every ticket purchased for one of our wine dinners.

A Look At The Local Vendors That Make Our Menu Possible

Creating a new season’s menu at Oliver Royale involves a lot more than simply changing up the choices and printing a new menu. We start researching potential new ingredients for the next season’s menu up to a month and a half in advance. And one of our biggest focuses during this preparation phase is choosing the local vendors where we’ll get those ingredients.

Finding local farmers is a huge part of the process for building a new menu. Our Executive Chef, Jon Gatlin, takes the lead, meeting farmers in person to discuss what kind of crops they’re expecting that season. These relationships are always built in person: Jon either meets them at local farmers markets (including the one right here in Market Square!) or he’ll visit the farm himself. Once he has a better understanding of the ingredients available in the area that season, he develops menu items based off that list.

We take our place in downtown Knoxville seriously. We’re a part of this community, and we know how many amazing farmers are right here in our own neighborhood. Building off that community and using as many local ingredients as possible in our food is so important to us. As an added bonus, using local ingredients guarantees quality and freshness, while reducing the chance of damaged produce that often happens during long-term transportation.

If you’ve visited us recently, you’ve probably enjoyed at least a few of the ingredients that we’ve sourced from our neighbors. But when you were enjoying your food, you probably didn’t know the story behind your food. Here’s a look at all the vendors we worked with for this year’s menus, as well as the delicious ingredients they brought to the table:

Mountain Meadow Farms: stone fruit, berries, apples, and pears

In operation since 1970, Mountain Meadows is located in Anderson County, near Norris, Tennessee. They specialize in fruits and vegetables, and their products are available at several farmer’s markets in the area!

Cruze Dairy Farm: ice cream

Cruze Dairy has been around since 1980 and offers a ton of exciting ice cream flavors, including at Downtown Knoxville location. They also offer ice cream catering!

A Place of the Heart Farm: seasonal produce, fall squash, and beans

Located in Pioneer, Tennessee, A Place of the Heart Farm offers 70 different types of heirloom vegetables, culinary and medicinal herbs, all certified naturally grown. They also specialize in using environmentally friendly farming practices.

Springer Mountain Farms: chicken

Springer Mountain has more than a half-century of experience in raising chickens, humanely and without antibiotics. They’re located right next door to Tennessee, in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Abby Fields Farm: lettuce greens, pea tendrils

Abby Fields is truly our neighborhood farm, located just outside of downtown Knoxville. They have focused on creating local food systems and rebuilding urban spaces to produce healthy food.

Sugartree Farms: seasonal produce, fall squash

Mike Robinson runs Sugartree Farms, near Belvidere, Tennessee -- and he was actually named the 2017 Tennessee Farmer of the Year! On his hundreds of acres, he grows everything from produce and hay, and even raises timber, too.

Zavels Family Farms: seasonal produce, beets, butternut squash, kale

Located in Corryton, Tennessee, Zavels Family Farm is super active in our community and is a regular participant in several local farmers markets.

Huff Farms: corn

Huff Farms is family-owned and our go-to producer of sweet corn. They are the corn experts in the area, and are located in Blount County, Tennessee!

Honeybee Coffee: coffee beans

Maybe you like a cup of coffee with your dessert; thankfully, we have Honeybee’s special blends to offer! Honeybee is located right in Knoxville, and we also offer their coffee next door at The Oliver Hotel.

Lacewing Farms: heirlooms squash, tomatoes, beans

Lacewing is located just 17 miles from downtown Knoxville, in Corryton, Tennessee, and offers everything from vegetables to eggs. They even have their own beehives too!

Seven Springs Farm: tomatoes, beans, corn, specialty micro greens

This farm offers an incredibly diverse array of crops, including fruits, vegetables, and beef. They’re located in Maynardville, Tennessee, where you can also find The Winery at Seven Springs Farm.

How We Train the Employees Who Bring Our Menu To Life

You’ve visited us and enjoyed the Market Square view just outside our patio. You've eaten a delicious meal and loved it. And you've even sipped our selected whiskey barrels and cocktails and called our bar 'heaven.’

But did you know there's more than meets the eye? Behind-the-scenes, there's an intricate process that all of our back-of-the-house employees go through to create the best experience for you and your palette. There’s a lot that goes into making that experience consistent, upscale, and seamless. And it all starts with our employees. In such a constantly evolving industry - and in our buzzing Knoxville corner of the world - we understand the importance of consistent, thorough, and ongoing training for our kitchen staff. This way, you're in for an incredible experience every time you walk in.

It All Starts with the Hire

Creating the ultimate customer experience begins with our hiring process. We start with an initial interview where the applicant and our Executive Chef, Jon Gatlin, conduct a walk-through of the kitchen and discusses the basics of who we are, our history, and what we’re looking for in employees. If both parties are interested in moving onto the next step, we schedule a “work preview.” This is when the applicant agrees to come in for a few hours to complete related tasks from the job description as well as a competency questionnaire.

Things get serious during the work preview: applicants go through a battery of testing, including on knife cuts, recipe understanding and adherence, room/item placement recall, verbal communication, and restaurant jargon. The competency questionnaire tests the applicant on basic culinary education, like mother sauces and quantity measurements (how many cups in a quart, for example).

Through all of that testing, we’re evaluating a candidate on their organization, cleanliness, efficiency, attitude, and more. We love to bring on the best, and the process to find the cream of the crop can be extensive, especially during the hiring process.

Time to Train

After all of the evaluations are complete, we invite a possible candidate to schedule their initial training time in the kitchen. This is when they’ll receive the menu-specific information pack which includes information on ingredients, recipes, menu themes, and chef notes. They’ll also receive a build/prep sheet which lists every menu item they’ll be responsible for at their designated station. This document is important as it helps employees double-check their work and makes sure each dish is up to standard (and has all the appropriate ingredients).

Welcome to the Team

For one to three weeks, new employees train with a tenured team member. After the initial training, we test our candidates again using another extended competency test. Through this, we’ll point out where the new hire needs to improve and what they can focus on in the next few weeks.

From here on out, we expect our staff to constantly learn and evolve because that’s what our industry requires. We encourage their continued education by keeping track of their progress and providing ongoing educational opportunities - from daily conversations with senior staff to providing resources like documentaries and publications that can help our employees evolve their craft.

Through the whole process, one thing is consistent in all the bustle: we expect the best, and we train the best. Only through hiring the best staff do we provide the most enjoyable culinary experience for all of you!

To stay up to date on the unique Oliver Royale culinary experience, check out our Instagram and Facebook.

Don’t just taste; Experience our food

In last month’s blog, we talked about three Fall dishes that inspired us to experiment, try new techniques, and up the ante in how we create food. We do this best by connecting experiences and stories to our dishes, staying true to who we are in the food industry, and using local ingredients to support our community.

This month, we’re walking you through these same three dishes, but this time, we're offering you suggested appetizers, desserts, and wine pairings, to hopefully set you up with your own stories and memories to share. Get to know our menu and our techniques so you can experience food at its fullest at Oliver Royale.

If you're craving adventure, this dining experience is for you:

Appetizer

Artisan Cheese & Charcuterie - an assortment of locally sourced cured meats, artisan cheeses, pickled vegetables, olives, dried fruit, jams & chutneys

Entree

Confit leg of rabbit - braised endive, Benton’s bacon, Yukon gold potato mousseline, roasted radishes, roasted cauliflower, and kale, paired with our 2015 Diora Pinot Noir

Dessert

Pumpkin Cheesecake Brûlée - candied pumpkin, pretzel ginger snap, pepita, caramel, corn, dark chocolate, and crémeux

If you're craving more of a seafood kind-of-night, look no further:

Appetizer

Mussels & Clams - pho bone broth, house-smoked tasso ham, fennel, basil, jalapeno, cilantro, cured lemon

Entree

North Carolina Trout - foraged mushrooms, cornmeal-crusted okra, Anson Mills grits, swiss chard, radish, and tabasco gastrique, paired with Anonymous Sauvignon Blanc 2017

Dessert

Autumn Mousse Cake - charred orange mousse, roasted pears, candied walnuts, caramel, poached pear sorbet, and oatmeal cookie

The days are short and the holidays are near, so this dinner experience is all about treating yourself:

Appetizer

Seared sea scallops - Chestnut risotto, roasted cauliflower cream, truffle dust, crispy leeks, and radish chips

Entree

Confit lamb shank - parmesan polenta, butternut and acorn squash, chestnut, gremolata, and confit garlic, paired with the Heartless Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

Dessert

Truffles & Macaron - tasting of assorted, seasonally inspired chocolate truffles & house-made macarons

The next time you’re here, have this blog handy and take your taste buds on an adventure. Whether it’s with friends, family, or yourself, we invite you to explore our dishes in a way that’s not just about taste, but about the experience. We’ll see you here!

Psst...the holiday season is approaching! Check out our upcoming events and make your reservations!

New Fall Dishes...and a few surprises for you!

It's been a long time coming, but Fall has made its debut, and it's finally here to stay. While it's been a bit of a transitional challenge with this seasons' high and low temps, we are grateful that we know the area well and our local farmers, too, to help build this season's menu.

This Fall, we honored typical Autumn-worthy flavors like pumpkin, cinnamon, big bold braises, and red wine. But we're not all about the familiar. As you know, we like to straddle over the edge of well, edginess here, like:

What will surprise your palette?

Which aromas will pull you into the dish?

How can we put a spin on a typical plate?

What techniques could we use to bring out the flavors in our meat?

As we answered, experimented, and taste tested, we decided to introduce, and bring back, a few new concept dishes that we feel will delight you and your taste buds. For example, we tried out confit versus braise techniques on a few of our long-term cooking items such as the short ribs and lamb shanks. The result was that the absence of liquid allows for so much more flavor and a much different texture than a traditional braised cut.

So here are some of our favorite dishes that combined techniques, bold flavors, and new concepts to the table:

Confit leg of rabbit
with braised endive, Benton’s bacon, Yukon gold potato mousseline, roasted radishes, roasted cauliflower, and kale

North Carolina trout
with foraged mushrooms, cornmeal-crusted okra, anson mills grits, swiss chard, radish, and tabasco gastrique

Confit lamb shank
with parmesan polenta, butternut and acorn squash, chestnut, gremolata, and confit garlic

Playing around with rabbit, cornmeal, squashes, and other Fall flavors and ingredients were wonderful and exciting, and they gave us an opportunity to create and concentrate on flavor. In turn, we are so happy to produce an amazing dining experience for you! The next time you're in town, sit with us and try one of our new culinary dishes. We love feedback and hearing from our guests.

Psst...the holiday season is closely approaching so be sure to check our upcoming events and make your reservations! We also have some new faces at Royale so be sure to stop by and meet the crew!